I've just finished reading Richie Haven's autobiograhy 'They Can't Hide Us Anymore' (great book) in which he talks about how Bruce (Murdoch) influenced his own song writing style:

"..And here is a song I wrote when I heard the title, "What More Can I Say, John?" The title came to me while I was in Canada after listening to the songs Bruce Murdoch was playing, songs that addressed issues going on in America more than most of the songs I was hearing back home. Listening to Bruce altered my perspective, opened my thinking, and expanded my songwriting..."

Then, at the end of the book, his co-writer, Steve Davidowitz says this:

"The first time I saw Richie Havens was in the Gaslight Cafe in the early 1960s, and this is how powerful an impression he made on me; instead of using the proceeds of a winning 37-1 long shot at Aqueduct to buy a car to run around Rutgers University, I bought my first guitar, even though I didn't play at the time."

Recently, in the Folk Awards thread, someone mentioned that it was watching and listening to Phil Beer that had inspired him to take up the guitar...

So, I was wondering, who were the people who musically influenced you?

Bruce Murdoch Myspace

Richie Havens Myspace