Here's the tribute from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings:

We remember folk singer, folklorist, songwriter, and archivist Joe Hickerson (1935–2025), who passed away on Sunday, August 17, at eighty-nine years old.

Hickerson served as the librarian and director of the Archive of Folk Song at the Library of Congress from 1963 to 1998, helped establish the Folklore Society of Greater Washington, wrote the column “Song Finder” for Sing Out! Magazine, and co-authored the song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” with Pete Seeger. He distributed Folkways LPs from Moe Asch while at Oberlin College and was a close friend to many at Smithsonian Folkways. He appears on several albums in our collection, including recordings as part of The Folksmiths and The New Golden Ring, as well as his own albums on Folk-Legacy Records, titled ‘Joe Hickerson With a Gathering of Friends’ (1970) and ‘Drive Dull Care Away, Vol. 1 & 2’ (1976).

As an introduction to the records ‘Drive Dull Care Away,’ Hickerson wrote: “Most folklore, and the best of the folksong revival, exists through time (tradition) and is passed on by word of mouth (oral transmission) or by example. But the highest qualities of both folklore and the revival are evinced during the actual events of telling, singing, or doing, and generally in the context of small groups of people. I usually begin my programs with the song entitled ‘Drive Dull Care Away,’ for in its chorus is embodied this idea of esprit with a conciseness and elegance which match the joy of singing it: ‘And now we’re here with our friends so dear, we’ll Drive Dull Care Away.’”

To learn more about Hickerson, see our website for his album liner notes, and hear him in conversation with Smithsonian Folkways archivist Jeff Place and radio host Sam Litzinger on Sound Sessions Radio: s.si.edu/3Jm7e0I

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