Obit: Dick Greenhaus (1929-2019)

Subject: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Susan of DT
Date: 06 Jan 19 - 08:41 PM

Dick Greenhaus died January 5 at our retirement community in Lansdale, PA. Dick was responsible for developing the Digital Tradition database in 1988, which, in turn, when later posted here, aided the popularity of the mudcat website. (See the blurb from the DT here, VERY outdated. Dick was into folk music since the 1940s in New York City. He was a professional accompanist on guitar and banjo. After training as a chemist, he was employed as several kinds of engineer, including stints at Monsanto, Playtex, and Consumer Reports, among others. He acquired CAMSCO Music to sell traditional folk music CDs, both at festivals and online/phone. The thrust of CAMSCO changed to book publishing, jointly with Loomis House Press, as festivals vanished and we got too old to schlep the CDs around to festivals.

We are planning a memorial gathering, probably in March at our retirement community in Lansdale, PA - northern suburb of Philadelphia, just off the Northeast Extension of the Pennsy Turnpike and on the SEPTA regional rail line. Please PM me if you would like to attend, so I can work out the details and keep you informed (include your email).

---

Dick's posts as a member
Dick's posts as a GUEST.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Jan 19 - 08:49 PM

Oh, I knew this day was coming, but it's still hard to take. I enjoyed him so much. May he rest easy now. He was truly a significant man. Thank you for being such a wonderful companion to him all these years, Susan.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Jeri
Date: 06 Jan 19 - 08:58 PM

I hadn't heard anything from or about him for a longish time, and figured he wasn't doing too well. Such a huge contribution he made.
My sympathy, Susan.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: RTim
Date: 06 Jan 19 - 08:58 PM

Oh - that is very sad sad news - Dick was an amazing man with great vision for both Audio and Printed media -- and in addition Mudcat and The Digital Tradition would not be what they are with him - and Susan's - input ....thinking of them both tonight.

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jan 19 - 09:06 PM

The DT and CAMSCO are such gifts to all of us. Thank you for everything, Dick, and rest in peace. Susan, I am so sorry and offer you and the family heartfelt condolences.

Maggie

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 06 Jan 19 - 09:07 PM

WOW ! ! !

A great man of simple roots that dared to dance with the muse.

Thank you Mr. GREENHAUS

You contributed magnitudes to multiple generations.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Susan i embrace you with prayers...you danced with an immortal.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Rapparee
Date: 06 Jan 19 - 09:31 PM

Oh my God! Rest in Peace, Dick. You were one of the Greats.

And gang -- let's keep the DT going.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: meself
Date: 06 Jan 19 - 09:45 PM

Damned shame. Another one. RIP.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Gibb Sahib
Date: 06 Jan 19 - 10:37 PM

My condolences, Susan. Dick was a great man and will be sorely missed. Thank you for everything, Dick. RIP and best wishes to you. Gibb

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Lighter
Date: 06 Jan 19 - 11:10 PM

Let me offer my condolences too. Dick published a little book of mine, and we corresponded several times. He was always helpful - more than helpful - and wonderful to work with. This is very, very sad news.

Please be well.

Jon

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: GUEST,Linda Zebooker
Date: 06 Jan 19 - 11:16 PM

So sorry to learn this. My condolences. Dick will be very, very missed.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Amergin
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 01:27 AM

Damn. I was just getting into folk music, and wanted to know the words to all these wonderful songs. That's how I discovered the DigiTrad on a Xerox website. I loved it,and eventually spent hours downloading it (crappy small town dial up). A while later, I lost it thanks to a reformat. So I went back, and found it was no longer there. It had been moved to some forum called Mudcat Cafe, which I eventually joined. I know my story is far from unique.

Thank you, Dick, for all your hard work. Rest easy knowing you did an amazing thing.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: ClaireBear
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 02:16 AM

Oh Susan, I am sorry to read this. Fair winds and following seas to Dick for his voyage. My respect and affection go with you.
Jeni

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: GUEST,Alison
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 03:27 AM

So sorry to hear this. My sincere condolences to you Susan.

Slainte
Alison

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: GUEST,Partridge
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 03:36 AM

I met Dick when he visited Whitby folk festival many years ago - a lovely sense of humour and a very knowledgeable man. He has given us a wonderful resource in the DT, which I am sure will carry on. My condolences to his family

Pat xxxx

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 03:38 AM

RIP Disk, condolences to Susan and all family. The DT was an inspired resource.

RtS

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Ebbie
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 03:46 AM

My condolences to you, Susan. You two were a great pair.

I'll make sure Debby Johnson knows.

Thank you, Susan.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 03:54 AM

Condolences to you and to all who know and love him, Susan. I am so pleased I managed to meet him when you were in England. He was truly a giant in the world of folk music and as nice a man as we have ever had under our roof.

Rest In Peace, Dick.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: KT
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 04:24 AM

Oh, Susan, my heartfelt condolences to you. Dick brought so much to the world of folk music, and together, you made such a great team. So grateful to have fond memories of your visit. Take good care, Susan.
KT

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: andymac
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 05:12 AM

So sorry to hear this. I never met Dick but always valued his contributions here without realising until now, just how pivotal he had been in setting it all up.
Condolences to you Susan. RIP and thank you.

Andy

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 05:26 AM

So sorry to hear this. I swapped emails and messages with Dick when I was producing an abc version of the DT and he even sent me software to help with a couple of difficult files. And his republishing of Bronson at an affordable price was an immense contribution to folk music in general.

He will be greatly missed. Condolences to Susan.

Mick

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 05:43 AM

So sorry to hear this. I remember discovering the DT in its pre-Mudcat days and admiring the professionalism with which Dick and Susan worked in those pretty primitive IT days. Such a contribution they (and Max) have made.Sad not to have met him.

May he rest in peace

Regards

P.s. And I thought I was the only chemist interested in folksong!

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: *#1 PEASANT*
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 05:53 AM

An important influence upon me-altering my life, creating books, knowledge and cultural transmission-Dick found ways of getting things accomplished-he gave us his dreams and tools, a chemist of the pursuit of folklore-We join you in your grief, festively though to remember and renew our efforts of transmission and discovery.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: JennieG
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 05:56 AM

Sorry to hear this.....my condolences, Susan.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Leadfingers
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 06:04 AM

Met Dick at Getaway ,several times ! ALWAYS enjoyed his company . He WILL be sadly missed

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Janie
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 06:16 AM

I'm sad to hear this Susan.   The contributions you and Dick have made through the years through your development of the DT, and the books and music you made available through CAMSCO are gifts to the world of folk music and folklore.

Holding you in my thoughts and meditations.

Janie

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 06:26 AM

Yes, a day none of us wanted to see. He was pivotal in the development of Mudcat and for that we owe him a huge debt. I have added Dick to the "In Memoriam" thread. My thoughts are with you Susan and all those who know and love him.

Pete

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: GUEST,flying cat (moira)
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 07:00 AM

So sad to hear about Dick's death, he was a very special person and he and Susan were both so helpful and supportive anytime I was over. He will be missed by us all. Love to you Susan xxx

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Hrothgar
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 07:23 AM

If true greatness is having your work live on when you are gone, he achieved it.

Condolences to Susan and family.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Mrrzy
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 07:31 AM

So very sorry.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Richard Mellish
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 07:56 AM

Thanks to Dick and condolences to Susan from me also.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 07:59 AM

Sorry to hear this. I missed you both at Whitby, and guessed the trip was getting too much for Dick. RIP, your contributions to folk music live on.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 08:05 AM

I am very sorry to hear about this.It is a great loss to the folk world. I remember sharing a breakfast table with him several times while camping at the college during Whitby Folk Week.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: GUEST,Sandra in Sydney cookieless
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 08:19 AM

sorry to read of his death, but as folk have said before, he leaves a huge legacy.

condolences to Susan & other family members

sandra

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Alice
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 09:00 AM

My sympathy to you, Susan, and all his family. What you and Dick created and contributed to music has been and will be a treasure for many people all over the world.

Alice in Montana

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: John Minear
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 09:15 AM

I am sorry to hear this. It was always a pleasure to do business with Dick. His collection of rare and important resources at CAMSCO was invaluable. I remember finally getting to meet him and Susan at Mystic in 2012 and having the most helpful conversation with him. He is missed. John Minear in Nellysford, VA

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 10:18 AM

Another great man gone. My thoughts are with Susan and all who loved him. I am so very, very sorry. R. I. P.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: voyager
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 10:19 AM

Thank you for your life in music Dick Greenhaus.
You have been an inspiration to us all.
Condolences to Susan and the family.

voyager

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: GUEST,ex-member
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 10:26 AM

He was a good guy, he very kindly helped me track down some recordings I couldn't find otherwise.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Felipa
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 10:26 AM

condolences, Susan. Thanks so much to you and Dick for creating this resource and online community.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Elmore
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 10:26 AM

This feels like a loss for all of us. Rest in Peace.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: DMcG
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 10:37 AM

I never knew Duck, except as a result of his work on the DT database, CAMSCO and the rest. But those are enough to have made a profound impression on me.



Honestly, I am starting to feel nervous every time I look at the top half of Mudcat these days. So many names, so close together.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: DMcG
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 10:38 AM

Dick. Autotext changed the original and this attempt to correct it. Apologies to all: I did type it correctly.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Rex
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 10:51 AM

I'm grateful for Dick getting this started way back when. Susan, I thank you for sharing him with all us 'Catters and am sorry for your loss.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: GLoux
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 11:05 AM

I haven't been on Mudcat in quite a while, but having heard of Dick Greenhaus' passing, I have signed back in to express my gratitude for the work he put in here. I know I have taken advantage of his work many times in the past and probably will again.
-Greg Loux

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 11:54 AM

So sorry to hear this news, but so many thanks are due for the legacy of all the work he left, and thanks to Susan too.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 12:11 PM

Oh dear, sad news indeed.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 12:38 PM

A great loss to all who knew him and also to those who benefited greatly from his enterprize. Sincere condolences to friends and family.

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: Dan Schatz
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 12:50 PM

It was about 30 years ago at the Getaway - Camp Letts, just across the river from where we hold it now. Dick Greenhaus was there with a computer, which unheard of at our rustic retreat until this time. Until this point, lots of folks kept big notebooks of songs. He and a couple of others had decided to type theirs into their computers, combining them into something they called "The Digital Tradition." It already had over 500 songs in it, including traditional songs, parodies, and others. Dick said he'd give it away to anyone who could supply the two 5 1/4" floppy disks needed to hold it - which I did by mail. Later on I gave Dick all the songs I'd ever typed in, and he added them. Years passed, and the Digital Tradition found a home on Mudcat. I still use it at least once a month, and very often, if I'm looking for a lyric on Google, I'll find it right here, with a little "RG" at the bottom to indicate is was one of the ones Dick typed in himself.

Later Dick took his passions to CAMSCO Music, which released a few great albums and books, and sold many hundreds and thousands of them. I doubt he ever made any money at that - it was a labor of love for him.

Dick could be kind, complimentary, sometimes caustic but nearly always right, and he was a good friend who supported the music and musicians in equal measure.

As I sit and reflect on the Dick I knew through the years, a few images come to mind - Dick at that computer all that time ago, showing off the Digital Tradition (with his son Charlie juggling somewhere in the background), Dick standing at the CAMSCO table, making a suggestion for a CD or a book that I'd do well to pay attention to, Dick in my living room with his beat up Apollonio parlor guitar, singing "We Never Mention Aunt Clara."

There are relatively few people that you can legitimately say were at the core of starting a global community, but Dick really was at the foundation of ours. He leaves a gap that will never be filled, and a gift that will never be lost.

Thank you Dick. Rest in peace, old friend.

And thank you Susan for sharing the love, the music, and the caring that Dick brought to us. As great as our loss is, yours is greater, and you are on my heart very much today.

Dan

Subject: RE: Obit: Dick Greenhaus 1929-2019
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 12:54 PM

Well said, Dan.

Regards