2021 Obit: Ed Pearl, owner of the Ash Grove

Subject: Obit: Ed Pearl, owner of the Ash Grove
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 11 Feb 21 - 08:21 PM

Ed Pearl passed away last Sunday. He was the owner and manager of the Folk Music
Ash Grove in Los Angeles. Over the dinner table with Ed, his sister Bernice, and brother
Bernie we discussed what would become the Ash Grove, an important venue for folk music
on the West Coast. I played there many times and conducted a class in international
folk music. The Ash Grove featured major traditional performers in the folk field, many
well-known blues musicians and budding pop starts. There were two major venues in those days,
one was the Troubadour on Santa Monica Boulevard and the other, The Ash Grove on Melrose Avenue.

Ed was an important person in the folk music field. He had many traditional folk music
performers before anyone else in the area did. The truth is that Ed was influenced
by Alan Lomax who he met at the Newport Festival. He was active in the folk music scene in
L.A. and helped with concerts of traditional performers at U.C.L.A. He became the
fifth member unofficially, not playing or singing but promoting "The New Lost City Ramblers"
in the Sixties.

It was pretty well-known that the Ash Grove was burnt down by anti-Castro Cubans who
resented Ed's political activities.

I think I remember his being a lawyer.

The son of Bernice, his sister was Randy California of the rock band Spirit.

The group of people mentioned in the coterie of folkies in the Pearl household were
Derroll Adams, Ry Cooder, Marcia Berman, Jo Mapes, Odette, Jimmy Gavin, Sid Berland
Dave Zeitlin, Ed Michel, Jack Elliott, Lynn Gold, Mike Janucz, Bernie Pearl,
Bernard Schatz and others.

Alan Lomax was impressed by Ed's contribution to folk music and predicted sadly that
the Ash Grove would last a long time. Ed tried to get it going again but it folded.

Anyone who was around the Ash Grove that loved music knew how important a venue it was.

We can rejoice that we had an entrepreneur like Ed to share the interest in folk music.

Ed Pearl obituary

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Ed Pearl, owner of the Ash Grove
From: cnd
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 10:15 AM

This is some surprising news, and a really big blow to the West Coast folk scene. The Ash Grove is where dozens of bluegrass and folk groups first came up and was a major mecca in the 1960s/70s for so many bands.

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Ed Pearl, owner of the Ash Grove
From: voyager
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 12:27 PM

The Ash Grove has been the cradle of American 'roots' music to me - Doc Watson, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Lightning Hopkins, John Fahey, Taj Mahal, Joan Baez.....

May his memory (and music) be a blessing to us all.
voyager

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Ed Pearl, owner of the Ash Grove
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Feb 21 - 02:28 PM

I spent most weekends from 1970-73 at the Ash Grove. Ed was an irascible, strident leftist. I believe the John Birch Society firebombed his club 5 times. The Ash Grove was, to my knowledge, the only folk/blues club that ever had a Socialist bookstore in the lobby

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Ed Pearl, owner of the Ash Grove
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 13 Feb 21 - 12:17 AM

When I was still in high school, I lived maybe about 3 or 4 miles away from the Ash Grove but too young to go there.
Many years later and had moved away from that area, I remember reading about he was going to open the Ash Grove on the Santa Monica Pier.
I called a phone number that was mentioned for further information.
I actually got Ed Pearl who answered. I think I was asking about what artists or groups he was going to book when the club opened.

I don't really remember that much about the conversation but do remember that he was very nice and easy to talk to. I think I was a little nervous talking to a well knowm person on the folk scene in Los Angeles.
However, he was friendly and didn't try to end the call when I was asking different questions. He came across as someone easy to talk to even
though we didn't know each other and I wasn't a musician.
I never did get out to the club as I didn't have a car at the time and I was living quite a long distance from Santa Monica to try and get there on a lot of buses.
So I never met Ed Pearl in person but do have a nice memory of talking to him on the phone.

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Ed Pearl, owner of the Ash Grove
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 13 Feb 21 - 10:02 AM

Another mover and shaker has left us. I was sorry to hear this news. I have added his name to the "In Memoriam" thread. My condolences to all those who know and love him. As always check out the Internet. RIP