Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?

Subject: Dave Ronk & Penny Lang's son
From: C. Ham
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 07:48 AM

This week on Folk Directions on CKUT Montreal Gerry Goodfriend interviewed Jason Lang. I knew Jason's mother was Penny Lang but Gerry said his father was Dave Van Ronk. I'd never heard before that Dave had children or of his connection to Penny Lang.

Subject: RE: Dave Ronk & Penny Lang's son
From: Mary Katherine
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 08:27 AM

As a close friend of Dave's for over 45 years, I can say that Dave always said he had no children. A rumor had come up once or twice over the years that there was a son in Canada; Dave always said that although he had known the child's mother long before, the timing was wrong. I do not know if this is the same person making the same claim, or someone different. In any case, Dave specifically denied ever having fathered a child. A simple DNA test can, of course, prove right or wrong, yes or no. Dave's body was cremated, so no DNA is possible from that source, but he left living relatives on both sides.

Dave would not have denied a child if there was one. Au contraire.

I hesitate to bring this up (again) with Dave's widow, Andrea, and unless the person is attempting to make some kind of legal claim on Dave's estate, there is probably no reason to bother her about it.

Subject: RE: Dave Ronk & Penny Lang's son
From: Beer
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 09:57 AM

I just finished listening to the pod cast of yesterday's show as I was interested in hearing if Gerry Goodfriend brought this up after Jason Lang departed the studio. But no, it came up in a very casual manner. If your interested Mary, you can go here and have a listen.

http://www.ckutfolk.com/html/listenpodcasts.html
Beer (adrien)

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son
From: bobad
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 10:14 AM

I'd heard this claim before, forget where but it must have been somewhere on the www.

Penny Lang on You Tube

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: C. Ham
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 11:34 AM

I remember Penny Lang had a song that she wrote for her son when he was a young child in the 1970's that referred his father as a "preacher man."

There was a musician named Ron Taddeo in Penny's band in the late-1960s, around the time she became pregnant, who was or soon became a minister. So I always assumed he was the father. That's why I was so surprised to hear Gerry say the father was Dave Van Ronk.

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: C. Ham
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 12:11 PM

In the interview, Jason said he never met his father, referring to Dave Van Ronk.

It occurs to me that Dave played in Montreal quite regularly from the 1960s on. There's a live album of him at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia) from the 60s and I remember him at the Back Door around the time that Jason would have been an infant. Then he played regularly at Mike Regenstreif's Golem Coffee House in the 70s and 80s. He was also at the Montreal Jazz Festival sometime in the 90s.

So there would have been lots of opportinities for Jason to meet Dave from the time he was a child to the time he was an adult.

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: Beer
Date: 14 Nov 08 - 02:55 PM

Jason didn't deny the fact on the interview.
Adrien

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: bobad
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 04:33 PM

Penny Lang's son Jason is an accomplished musician and performer in his own right and will be performing at this year's Apple Hollow Music Fest.

You can hear some of his work at his web site Jason Lang.

His bio and reviews all say that he is the son of Dave Van Ronk.

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: open mike
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 05:23 PM

http://www.pennylang.com/

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 08:46 PM

Hi Kids:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=428763767

I think some Swami somewhere said, "If you don't know what you're talking about, it's better not to say anything..."
bob

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: meself
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 09:39 PM

And sometimes even if you do know, it's better not to say anything ... I don't think we should be speculating as to some young person's parentage on a public forum ...

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: Beer
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 09:55 PM

Jason didn't deny the fact on the interview as I stated above, but I am with "meself" on this and I now believe the thread should be closed.
Adrien

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 10:12 PM

We should not bring ourselves to the level of the tabloids, but there is no reason to close this thread. Jason Lang has obviously made some very public announcements about his alleged father. Is it just to get publicity? We should not speculate, but if he is publicly announcing that Dave Van Ronk is his father on his websites and in interviews, then it is an issue for discussion.

IF this is not true, he is guilty of misleading the public.

However, IF this is true - does it matter? Is he selling himself on his parents career or is he making his own?   I'm not about to judge as I have not heard him sing, but the questions it raises are legitimate ones.

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 11:40 PM

So, I'm wondering if there's a productive place where this thread will go, or is it heading toward some sort of tabloid smear? The young man claims on his website and on his MySpace page, to be the song of Van Ronk and Penny Lang - and that's how he's described on gig announcements.

Some people who apparently don't believe that's true. Maybe that's the sort of thing that should be believed, unless proved otherwise in court.

I guess I won't close the thread for now, but I'll try to keep an eye on it. Let me know if you think it's getting out of hand, or if it gets nasty or hurtful.

And please, if you don't know, don't speculate.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: meself
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 11:45 PM

"Maybe that's the sort of thing that should be believed, unless proved otherwise in court."

Yes. Common decency sometimes requires that we look the other way. If people want to discuss the questions Ron raises in a hypothetical way, perhaps a new thread should be opened, and this one allowed to slide down into the nether regions.

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: GUEST,Jason Lang
Date: 04 May 09 - 09:27 AM

Hi everyone. My name is Jason Lang. I am the son of Penny Lang and according to my mother Dave Van Ronk. Personally, I would love nothing more than to get to the bottom of this myself. If not for me, then at least for the sake of my own children. It is an issue that I have been dealing with for many years. DNA testing would be great if there are living relatives somewhere. Unfortunately as I understand it, Dave's widow wants nothing to do with me or this situation. I have no interest in Dave's estate whatsoever. Only the truth. And if it is proven that Dave Van Ronk is not my father as my mother vehemently claims that he is, I would more than happy to at least have that fact set straight.

Jason Lang

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: Beer
Date: 04 May 09 - 09:38 AM

Thanks Jason for your response. See you this summer. Love and best wishes to your Mum when you speak to her.
Adrien

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: bankley
Date: 04 May 09 - 12:18 PM

well said Jason... you're a tremendous talent in your own right.. regardless...

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: Effsee
Date: 04 May 09 - 10:37 PM

Jason, Dave's widow has no influence on your DNA whatsoever.
What you should consider doing is tracking down Dave's siblings/parents for such an enterprise.
Good luck with this and may the truth unfold.

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: GUEST,Jason Lang
Date: 05 May 09 - 09:23 AM

Doing some of my own on-line research here. My birthday (I can't believe I'm sharing all this stuff on-line) is April 2nd 1970, which means I would have been conceived in late June or early July of 1969. Dave Van Ronk was in Montreal on the 29th of June 1969 opening for Joni Mitchell at Salle Wilfred Pelletier. I'd say that's pretty close. I'll will post more info as I get more.

Jason

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: bobad
Date: 05 May 09 - 10:30 AM

Good for you Jason, I believe that you (and everyone else) have a right to know who their parents are, and that the blood survivors of Dave Van Ronk should be obligated to assist you in anyway they can provided that there is sufficient evidence to support your claim.

Best of luck with your quest.

Subject: RE: Dave Van Ronk & Penny Lang's son ?
From: C. Ham
Date: 06 May 09 - 06:26 PM

Doing some of my own on-line research here. My birthday (I can't believe I'm sharing all this stuff on-line) is April 2nd 1970, which means I would have been conceived in late June or early July of 1969. Dave Van Ronk was in Montreal on the 29th of June 1969 opening for Joni Mitchell at Salle Wilfred Pelletier. I'd say that's pretty close. I'll will post more info as I get more.

Jason,

I was at that Joni Mitchell concert. There was no opening act. I was a big Dave Van Ronk fan and had already seen him a couple of times in coffee houses, so I would definitely remember him if he'd played the concert.

I saw Joni a couple of weeks later at Tanglewood in Massachusetts and the opening acts were Tim Hardin and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. I remember those concerts very well and recall thinking about how different it was to see her do a whole concert on her own and another when she only did 45 minutes on her own.