Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: EBarnacle
Date: 30 Dec 20 - 12:27 AM

I am pleased that Frank is still among us. When I saw the thread title I had a brief panic that it was an in memorium thread.
I had one of those 50 lb Webcors that Art mentioned. While they were good devices, their tracking did not match other brands. Shortly before it died, I transferred all of my recordings to a different system.

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: GUEST,Lynn Gold
Date: 27 Dec 20 - 10:52 AM

In early Sixties, met a tow headed kid at hoots surrounded by numerous instruments, all of which he played beautifully, you'd sing him a song once and he'd play an exquisite accompaniment instantly, true, no nepotism here, his instruments could sound like a koto, harpsichord, down home blues or wild Celtic band of one, etc....we called him a 'genius', say it now and he sputters...he cares a lot about his fellow man and all that's good and decent in this world such as it is...Guy Carawan was like that, too, and Pete, Cisco, Woody who he knew...he founded schools to teach traditional music on a shoestring, still teaches, plays, writes, carrying on for the Love of it All...he is kind, loyal, thoughtful, the kind of friend, if you pray, you'd pray for...then again, he's really a friend to all...and loving, he's a genius at it.

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 May 20 - 03:38 PM

https://noelmorris.net/2015/09/14/we-shall-overcome-from-work-song-to-civil-rights-anthem/

‘We Shall Overcome’: From Work Song to Civil Rights Anthem

This was shared on the Facebook page and I posted a link to this thread, hoping the contributor would post it here as well. We really do need people to post this kind of link here on Mudcat and not lose them in the Facebook ether.

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 13 Feb 16 - 03:40 PM

One of Mudcat's (and the folk world's) finest, no doubt about it.

And for those who haven't heard:

Frank Hamilton Folk School

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Feb 16 - 12:03 AM

I always enjoy reading Frank's remarks in threads, whether musical or political. :)

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: The Sandman
Date: 12 Feb 16 - 12:24 PM

Frank Hamilton , my favourite mudcatter.

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 Feb 16 - 09:36 AM

:-)

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Feb 16 - 03:31 AM

Hi...Back in L.A., it was Frank who passed on an old reworked hymn to Guy Carawan, and the final version became We Shall Overcome which Guy put in his songbag and passed along to MLK's many and the rest is history...when Obama celebrated those days at the White House, some of the major players in the movement paid homage to Guy, just a young kid, a collector of music, folksinger who showed up thereabouts and joined in, his contributions,(had a cowlick and an innate sweetness and humility that came through in his silences though his singing blew down the walls)his courage throughout his bardic life much like Pete's and Frank's...this program was shortly before he passed away and he probably saw it...but he didn't care about things like that...just his natural way of being...same with Pete...and Frank
Lynn Gold

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: olddude
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 04:28 PM

It is I who is honored to be able to read your posts, listen to your amazing music and chat with one of the greats in Folk music. Indeed we are all honored

Dan

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: Stringsinger
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 03:31 PM

I am extremely grateful to you Old Dude. May I say that I enjoy your music as well. I love the old-time songs and the honest folk approach you have in your song writing.

I am very moved and honored by all of your comments here on Mudcat. I am fortunate to
have you all as colleagues in our mutual love of folk music. I relish reading all of your posts and enjoy the Mudcat Community immensely. Thank you so much!

Frank

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: john f weldon
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 11:33 AM

A link to a thread I started over a year ago, for those who may have missed it....

FH & my musical development.

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: Alice
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 11:27 AM

Yes, Frank is a treasure, and over the years on Mudcat, one of the reasons I became so addicted to the music discussions.

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: iancarterb
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 11:17 AM

error, I think- that duet was on Nonesuch and Other Tunes, not Goofing Off Suite.

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 02:35 AM

This is the second (at least) in a series that was started a couple of years ago. Art Thieme was in the catbird seat as a national treasure on that one. He's in good company!

SRS

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: Janie
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 01:21 AM

My hat is off to you, olddude for starting what suspect is going to be a series of threads honoring some of the major influences and contributors to folk music who grace this site. Many, if not most of them, are unsung heros.

I always enjoy and learn from Frank's posts, whether they be above or below the line.

Janie

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: GUEST,iancarterb
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 01:02 AM

My first gift from Frank Hamilton was the stunning guitar and 12 string jazzy blues duet with Pete Seeger on Pete's "Goofing Off Suite," late 50s? early 60s? Changed my life!

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: Peace
Date: 14 Mar 09 - 05:09 PM

Not just a treasure, but also a wonderful man. Cheers to you, Frank.

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: olddude
Date: 14 Mar 09 - 05:06 PM

Stilly
no it is off the web
Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: Art Thieme
Date: 14 Mar 09 - 03:15 PM

Frank Hamilton was an early hero of mine. I devoured every cut on this LP for Concert Disc that was called FOLKSINGER'S FOLKSINGER. And the man certainly has always been just that. "Blue Mountain" --"Meadowlands" -- "Tying Knots In The Devil's Tail" -- "Geordy" -- so many others...

In 1961 I was attending the University Of Illinois in Chicago. In those days that was on Navy Pier. We formed a folk club there that soon took over my life to the extent that this music of ours soon became much more important to me than any of my classes. Our club wanted to sponsor a concert there, and it was a huge thing for us to have Frank Hamilton agree to do that for us. He was simply the epitome of musical taste. Friends, I was developing a feeling for this music then ---- yes, a definition of what Folk Music was and is --- a definition that I have, possibly, discommoded some of you here in this Forum by enunciating it too often and too forcefully. Well, so be it. We are what we are. ----- But the influence of Frank Hamilton on me and on my music can never be overestimated by anyone!

That was a fine concert Frank gave that long ago night at the Lake Michigan end of the miles-long Navy Pier. I hauled my 50 pound Webcor reel-to-reel tape machine all the way out there and ran a direct line to the P.A. feed to allow me to secure a fine tape of that show. (Flamenco guitarist, Ray Watkins and a trio group called The Frets --that young Jim Roger McGuinn played with-- came along with Frank, at his behest, to open the program.)

Alas, those tapes self-destructed and the oxide flaked off before I was able to dub them to newer tape. But Franks performance of "Meadowlands," "Lady Gay," Alabama Bound" and a wondrous harmonica blues in the style that Frank had learned from Woody Guthrie were a few I DID actually manage to save by having them on a favorites tape I made. I learned an approximation of "Meadowlands" from that tape that I played for the next 30 years. "Blue Mountain" wound up on my first album that was recorded live at the Old Town School Of Folk Music--about 1976.

Then, a short time later I signed up for a class with Frank Hamilton at the OTSOFM. The first song he taught was "Living In The Country --- an instrumental from the Folkways Records album he did with Pete Seeger. That was the last formal lesson I ever took from Frank or anyone else----because Frank went off to join The Weavers! BUT Frank Hamilton never stopped teaching me! He has most certainly been a mentor from afar for me, and all I can say, Frank, is THANK YOU! It has been a marvelous musical life.

Whew, that was close to 35 years ago. Hard to believe.

Love to you and to Mary,

Art Thieme
Peru, Illinois (where our governors make our license plates!)

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Mar 09 - 02:28 PM

Olddude, you have numbered some citations in your post. Have you published this somewhere?

SRS

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 14 Mar 09 - 02:26 PM

You'll find more from him as GUEST,Frankham. What I love about the Mudcat is that the legends of music drop by!

Frankham

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: The Sandman
Date: 14 Mar 09 - 01:57 PM

yes,I enjoy his posts too.

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: topical tom
Date: 14 Mar 09 - 01:25 PM

Very knowledgeable and well-researched posts. He seems to be a font of information on singers and their music. Thanks, Frank!

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Mar 09 - 12:35 PM

We are in political alignment, too! I've always been a bit in awe and always, always read his postings...thanks for being here, Frank!

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: Charley Noble
Date: 14 Mar 09 - 12:24 PM

I certainly look forward to every post that Frank makes here.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: Amos
Date: 14 Mar 09 - 10:50 AM

And he has been a constant source of good humor and good insight here on the 'Cat, a man whose posts I always enjoy.



A

Subject: RE: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: mark gregory
Date: 14 Mar 09 - 09:49 AM

Apart from his amazing musical career Frank has been contributing to the Mudcat Forum for over 9 years maybe 1200 times!

in one of his early entries he wrote

"When I was younger, I was an underacheiver in school. I figured what the hell. Sometime, I got out of the way of my self and things began to happen. I'm at the point now where I don't read any negative criticism of my work. I just do what I do and enjoy the process. That's not easy to do because I find that people tend to give me unsolicited opinions. It's hard to throw away hurtful criticisms and over the years I've found that those criticisms were not helpful in any way. This is true of professional newspaper critics or others with axes to grind. So, I do what I love and hope I can share it. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. I've found over the years that I am my own best teacher. Others can offer information but only I can learn.

I've found that being original, or being the best, or being popular is irrelevant. Being honest is what counts for me."

sounds pretty useful advice to me!

Subject: Mudcat Master - Frank Hamilton
From: olddude
Date: 14 Mar 09 - 09:33 AM

Not just a Mudcat treasure but a National Treasure. Frank has given more than 50 years of incredible music to us all. Our - Stringsinger - is a master and we thank him for such a magical career and devotion to our music for so many years. Here is a good chance to share you favorite story:

God Bless you Frank

Frank Hamilton is an American Folk Musician and Co-Founder of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Illinois. As a performer he has recorded for Folkways Records and Vanguard Records, and appeared at the first Newport Folk Festival in 1959. He was the house musician for The Gate of Horn, the nation's first folk music nightclub in Chicago.

As a young man Hamilton met and played with Woody Guthrie at Will Geer's artist colony in Topanga, California in the mid 1950s.[1] In 1956 Frank Hamilton met Win Stracke at the Gate of Horn. Using teaching methods he observed with Bess Lomax in Topanga Canyon, together, Win and Frank founded the Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago, IL. There they developed a teaching method with an emphasis on group learning. On the opening night Frank taught the class a song demonstrated by Big Bill Broonzy. Frank served as dean of the school and taught there until 1962 when he left to join The Weavers.[2][3] Hamilton continues to teach and perform today with his wife Mary.