Obit: Chicago singer Jim Post (1939-2022)

Subject: Chicago singer Jim Post (1939-2022)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Sep 22 - 05:41 PM

https://acousticmusicscene.com/2022/09/16/singer-songwriter-jim-post-1939-2022/

by Michael Kornfeld (posted on the Mudcat Facebook Page)

Jim Post, a singer-songwriter who was a fixture on the folk music scene in Chicago for more than 50 years, died on September 14, 2022 following a long illness.

Post, who billed himself as a ‘modest minstrel and entertainer, ‘ was born in Houston ,Texas on October 28, 1939 and raised in the deep woods of southeast Texas. Initially engaged in church revival and backwoods music, Post embarked on a music career in the 1960s as part of a Houston-based folk group known as the Rum Runners. Later that decade, he formed a duo, Friend & Lover, with his then-wife Cathy. Post’s anthemic song “Reach Out of the Darkness” off the then New York-based duo’s debut (and only) album of the same name on Verve Forecast became a national hit in the summer of 1968 — reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 music charts. After splitting from his wife, Post moved to the Chicago area, where he became a regular presence on the city’s Old Town folk circuit and in 1971 produced and performed on Gathering at the Earl of Old Town, along with other Chicago folk artists. Among them was Steve Goodman, whose first recording of “City of New Orleans” appears on the album.

Post recorded and released many albums as a solo singer-songwriter and toured extensively throughout the Midwest during the 1970s and 1980s — and beyond. He accompanied his clear tenor voice with guitar and also injected a good dose of humor into his concerts.

“To attend a Jim Post concert was to look forward to an evening of great songs – some serious, some humorous – glorious almost angelic singing, and exuberant and often improvised storytelling,” recalled Sue Kessell, host of The Folk Show on WNUR in Evanston, Illinois. “ It was always a memorable event, which left you with a smile on your face. You were never disappointed.”
Jim Post as Mark Twain (from his website, jimpost.com)

Jim Post as Mark Twain (from his website, jimpost.com)

Also an actor and playwright, Post performed a one-man show as Mark Twain during the 1990s and 2000s. In 1997, the American Library Association honored Post with an award for the music from Mark Twain and Laughing River. He also recorded an album of children’s songs called Frog in the Kitchen Sink in 2000, and co-wrote several children’s books with his second wife, Janet, with whom he lived in Galena, Illinois.

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Website: https://www.jimpost.com/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcPvceikFKp7Iz0b_iOpFBg

Steve Goodman, Rita Coolidge and Jim Post perform at Earl of Old Town (Chicago, 1972): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkttzLdTSqs

Jim Post - Colorado Exile (1973) (Full Album): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkqNbsyJqMo&list=RDEMUPo1jzVXQEGVdQ4c2zP6dQ&start_radio=1

Jim Post & Friends: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n-MwIAA5YDA5GdxZ3Dyl76W8s2jHQCyGE

Subject: RE: Obit: Chicago singer Jim Post (1939-2022)
From: GerryM
Date: 16 Sep 22 - 06:47 PM

I see no mention in that obit of a weekly radio folk music program Jim Post did, way back when. If I remember right, he took it over when Art Thieme left it.

Subject: RE: Obit: Chicago singer Jim Post (1939-2022)
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 17 Sep 22 - 10:55 AM

Thanks for bringing Jim to our attention Joe. He was someone I never met, but heard about through his love of music. There will be many people who will miss him. I have included his name in the "In Memoriam" thread and send my condolences to his family and friends and all those who know and miss him. RIP

Subject: RE: Obit: Chicago singer Jim Post (1939-2022)
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 17 Sep 22 - 03:53 PM

Yes, Jim did a stint at the WBEZ folk show The Flea Market after Art Thieme and Larry Rand were let go as hosts. My singing partner, Margaret Nelson and I appeared on the show with all three hosts at one time or another. After Jim left the show, Stuart Rosenberg took it over and renamed in The Earth Club. When WBEZ decided to dump all it's local folk programming the show was cancelled.

Jim was a dynamic performer. I was doing a gig in Galena in the early 1990's and Jim showed up. On a break he took me to the back stage area and borrowed my guitar to sing a couple of songs for one of his one man shows. I think that was titled Galena Rose and How Whiskey Won the West. That was before his Mark Twain shows.