Leventhal had the respect of the whole folk music world. Not too many have that said about them--and deserve it. He was a gentleman and the folk world owes him a debt of gratitude for his honesty in what can be a less-than-honest business.

"For over 60 years, New York producer and artist manager Harold Leventhal has been at the forefront of presenting folk music to the world. He is also one of the music industry's most highly respected and revered men. Leventhal has been presenting Arlo Guthrie at his annual Holiday Show at Carnegie Hall for over 30 years! We are grateful to Arlo for giving us this opportunity to shed light on Harold Leventhal's enormous legacy

He began his career as a song plugger for Irving Berlin, working with such legends as Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee. In the late '40s, his interest shifted to folk music when he met Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly and Pete Seeger. He went on to manage The Weavers in 1951 and continued to present hundreds of new folk singers to the world. His list of artists include: Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, The Clancey Brothers, New Lost City Ramblers, Mahalia Jackson, Odetta, Donovan, Peter, Paul & Mary, and Arlo Guthrie.

Leventhal became one of the first producers to present some of the world's greatest performers in New York halls. Among them: Jacques Brel, Miriam Makeba, Nana Mouskouri, Enrico Macias, Mercedes Sosa and The Modern Jazz Quartet. It's hard to imagine what the folk & world music soundtrack would be like today without his enormous contributions. Many musicians credit their careers to first having heard The Weavers at their 1955 Carnegie Hall concert. Others, to having first heard Bob Dylan at his first Town Hall concerts. Leventhal's legacy has, quite simply, been at the epicenter of the genre, inspiring hundreds of musicians and informing the world's listeners."

The above is from here.

"In the 1950's, during the McCarthy House Un-American Activities years, Leventhal continued to represent, promote and produce "black-listed" artists such as Pete Seeger, and suffered the consequences of his loyalty. (His passport was revoked until the mid-'50s.) He worked closely with Seeger and Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights movement in the '60s, organizing benefit concerts and scheduling southern tours with his artists."

The man, IMO, deserves a standing ovation for his life, his work and his courage. Few deaths bring me to tears, but despite his years, this death has. Rest well.