Susan Reed and Cynthia Gooding were two "biggies" in the early days of serious interest in folk music in this country, before it hit the pop charts. They were well before Joan Baez and Judy Collins. This was also well before the Kingston Trio even met. The Rooftop Singers were one of the later groups.

Susan Reed. Sang in a lovely, sweet soprano, accompanying herself on either Irish harp or zither. Sang songs from America and the British Isles. She was in one movie in 1948, playing a young girl dragged up from the southern mountains to sing in a New York night club. Lousy movie, but beautiful singing by Susan Reed.

Cynthia Gooding. She sang folk songs in several languages in a rich, strong contralto. I first encountered her album of English folk songs, but later I learned that she knew songs in several languages. It was inevitable that she and Theordore Bikel would do an album together: "Young Man and a Maid."

You do know who Theodore Bikel is, don't you?

Don Firth