I read DW's Dave Van Ronk posting, but had nothing to contribute. I was disappointed that not too many others had much to say, either ~ I was keeping an eye out for interesting new stuff. (I opened the left-nut thread, read one or two contributions that I found only mildly amusing at best, and abandoned it.)

I used to scorn and avoid the BS section entirely, but as my Mudcat addiction has developed, I'll wander down the page whenever there aren't enough new music postings to keep me interested and involved "up there."

CarolC, if you like Fred MacDowell, and especially if you like Taj Mahal, you owe it to yourself to check out DVR. Dave was a hugely important figure in the folk/blues revival, researching and preserving all kinds of folklore including (especially) the legacy of the blues, and was also a great singer and player. And, oh yeah, a notable guitar teacher, too, and a great infuence of many more recent and more famous artists.

If there were no Dave Van Ronk, there may or may not ever have been a Taj Mahal, one of many modern folk/blues artists to have come along since that first "revival" era. Taj was/is a college-educated, self-conscious artist who learned his traditional music from books and recordings, just like you and me, and Dave was as important a factor in the emergence of those books and records as any single individual. Taj was certainly influenced by both Fred McDowell and Dave Van Ronk, but he surely has much more in common with Dave musically, and Dave's influence upon him was much more immedidate.