Lesser known folk groups

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: beachcomber
Date: 21 Jun 22 - 07:56 PM

Gone through this thread, after 20 odd years and didn't see THE GALLIARDS mentioned. They were Robin Hall, Jimmie McGregor, Shirley Bland and Leon Rosselson.
Their First recording was issued on a Hall & McGregor LP which was the first one that I ever bought. It had songs from all over the world and it was brilliant. I still have it and it still sounds good.

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Sandinmyears
Date: 17 Jun 22 - 09:44 AM

I don’t think of The Chad Mitchell Trio as “lesser known.”

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Nov 21 - 06:01 PM

"Jolie Blon" - early 70s, from round Glasgow.

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: Larry The Radio Guy
Date: 08 Nov 21 - 12:53 PM

Have "the Skifflers" (with Milt Okun, Hally Wood, Lee Charles, and Libby Knight been mentioned?

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Rob Mad Jock Wright
Date: 08 Nov 21 - 04:37 AM

Angie Wright was a member of the trio Cadence. They played the Leigh Folk Club a few times before fading just as they were getting known.

Angie then have 10 years in Taggart and Wright. They recorded one CD Now We Are Met .
Recording fees were less than £50. Done more asnow a sample to send to clubs and festivals. Not many of them out there perhaps only 200 or so.

Angie moved from Chester to Perth and so the split happened. ..pity.

An attempt to get another close harmony group together gave Third Voice but they never really gelled and they dissolved after 3 gigs.

Angie now solo again but loves playing at The Twa Tams with the house band made up of whoever wants to join in.

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: The Sandman
Date: 07 Nov 21 - 09:54 AM

The "Fastest Bat"? was the lead player geofrfey boycott

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Peter Cripps
Date: 07 Nov 21 - 09:38 AM

The "Fastest Bat"?

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: The Og
Date: 07 Nov 21 - 09:27 AM

The Seaway Singers, The Quarrymen, The Sherri Van Singers and The Frontiersmen from the Canada/Niagara Falls border area.

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: The Sandman
Date: 07 Nov 21 - 02:34 AM

The New Mexborough English Concertina Quartet

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Kenny Shaw
Date: 07 Nov 21 - 01:27 AM

Need a favour, if at all possible ? My Aussie mates love the song 'Underneath the Stairs' by Carrick Folk Four in 1960's by George Stevenson ?? Looking for another song by them or George they might learn to love ... Have Radio Scotland; Walter McGowan .. never heard Ballad of The Torrey Canyon ? BIG ASK ... Ken
1 A
nswer

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 11 - 06:58 PM

"I have been hunting for records by the Ivy League Trio.   Saw them perform at the Platters circa 1960's in Cadillac, Michigan.   Have been a fan ever since. I have three records that I have transfered to CD, but quality is not good.   Is anyone aware of whether they are out on commercial CD's yet.   This is a great group with interesting harmony and chord changes.   Interested in any knowledge about the performers and what they are currently doing?"

Most of them aren't doing much. Yeah, you guessed it.
Norris O'Neill died a while ago, as did Bev Galloway.
I'm not too sure about Bob Hider (appropriate last name, then).
Galloway was on the two Coral albums, then replaced by Ronn Langford for the brilliant Poe folk song album Ronn is still with us. He founded Masterdrive.com

You can hear a sample of the Trio's Poe album here:
http://illfolks.blogspot.com/search?q=Ivy+League+Trio

The Trio issued a few singles that don't appear on any album, (I'm Just a Country Boy" "Sailors Women") which are for compleatists only.

Norris and Bob were part of The Bitter End Singers for a while. Sample song:
http://www.box.net/shared/j93ltcev66

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: Moleskin Joe
Date: 22 May 07 - 09:09 AM

Has anyone heard of a singer called Murray Young, originally from the West Indies?

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,wordfella
Date: 22 May 07 - 07:43 AM

>>Weissman is probably better known for the "Dueling Banjo's" number from "Deliverance."<<

No--that was Eric Weissberg, who played for a while with the Tarriers.

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: stallion
Date: 21 May 07 - 01:12 PM

I haven't read through this thread but how about New Zealand's "Hogsnort Ruperts Original Flagon Band", if anyone knows of the whereabouts of my mate Ian terry, formerly of that band, I would be pleased to renew our aquaintence

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: Stringsinger
Date: 21 May 07 - 12:29 PM

The Folksay Trio with Erik Darling, Bob Carey and Roger Sprung on Asch/Stinson was the first group to popularize Tom Dooley. The KT appropriated the song from them although they either denied that they did or didn't know that they did.

Erik Darling was responsible for a lot of the folk pop group sounds that you heard in those days. No one knew about it though which is typical.

I think the Folksay Trio may have easilly been one of the first aside from the Weavers and the Priority Ramblers or the Almanac Singers to bring the folk group from out of obscurity.

The Gateway Singers were another. Jerry Walter, Elmer Lee Thomas and others including Travis Edmonsen.

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 21 May 07 - 09:47 AM

This is what I posted on the "Little Known'60s folk group" thread:
I found this on AllMusic guide: they were active in 1970s not 60s tho':

Broad of collar and bright of shirt, New Zealand's New World exemplified the kind of bright-eyed, lightly sentimental folk-pop that threatened to devour the UK charts of the early 1970s. Pre-glam, pre-prog, and almost prepubescently harmless, the trio emerged out of British television's Opportunity Knocks talent show and briefly threatened to become their homeland's biggest ever export. Especially after the all-conquering combination of label-head Mickie Most, producer Mike Hurst, and songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman ganged up on a generation's ears and soft-soaped them into submission.Between 1971-72, the New World trio scored four UK hits of note, each of which distinguishes this (otherwise over-ambitious) collection. "Rose Garden" was a moderately successful pop rival to Lynn Anderson's contemporary country number; "Sister Jane" is a compulsory singalong; and "Kara Kara" is an irresistible slice of rhyming nonsense that should have been their biggest record ever. Instead, that honor went to "Tom Tom Turnaround," the smash hit version of a song that the early Sweet also recorded, and a recording that producer Mike Hurst later admitted he hated. "It was everything I disliked about pure pop, right down to the execrable talking bit." In fact, the only thing that salvaged it in his opinion was, it wasn't as bad as "Kara Kara."The remainder of this collection trawls a career that, somewhat surprisingly, remained musically active until deep into 1973 — and long after the record-buying public had forgotten the group. For the chance to relive those early hits, however, The Best Of New World is exactly what it says and, so long as you don't want to hear anything else that the band ever wrought, it's everything you could possibly need.

RtS

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: Betsy
Date: 18 May 07 - 07:34 AM

I was watching an old episode (25+ years?)of the Two Ronnies the other night. In their programme in those days they had a musical slot half way through the Comedy show.They introduced a 3 man group who were SO, so.........words almost fail me . I can only say that they appeared to be an attempt by the music industry to try to launch a Folk Group. Couldn't fault the guitar playing,sang perfect diction and in tune.The songs were cobbled-together bits of the themes of Trad songs ,but the whole thing was a bit wierd.They were called New World. Did they survive or did people ever take them seriously. No !!!! it wasn't a piss-take by the two Ronnies - it was meant to be taken seriously .

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: Stringsinger
Date: 17 May 07 - 04:33 PM

How 'bout the Homesteaders? Ronnie Gilbert singing with Judy Collins.

Walter Raim and the Homesteaders.

Linda was with the Stoned Ponies. (Yeah boy! those were the daze)

Art, wasn't that Johny Carbo?

How 'bout the San Francisco group, Jerry Walters, Elmer Lee Thomas, Travis Edmondsen called the Gateway Singers? They held down the "hungry i" along with Mort Sahl, Stan Wilson, Maya Angelou, the Limelighters, Johnathon Winters, Glen Yarborough, Godfrey Cambridge and Woody Allen.

Who was Woodier? Allen or Guthrie?

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 17 May 07 - 04:11 PM

I was part of what has to have been one of the absolutely least known groups in the early '60's. We were known as (triply eponymously) the BobTomLee Trio. We never recorded, but did make a lot of county fairs and night clubs in odd places, including the Purple Onion - briefly and late.

The others mentioned above included the Poso Seco Singers. Was Linda Ronstadt part of that group? The Back Porch Majority began life as a "farm team" for the New Christy Minstrels, as someone said. They assumed an identity of their own for a time, albeit second level.

Buck Wheat is deceased, I'm told.

The Journeymen included a pretty fair banjoist named Dick Weissman, along with John Phillips and Scott McKenzie. They were supposed to be the "next Kingston Trio." Weissman is probably better known for the "Dueling Banjo's" number from "Deliverance." I have two original LP's of Art & Paul, but no sheet music. Their backup guitarist was Paul Prestopino, I believe.

Someone mentioned "Sweet's Mill." That was a Fresno County, California venue in the foothills that was home to an annual folk camp and revelry. The late Mark Spoelstra was a regular, among others.

Travis Edmonson (Bud & Travis) is still living in Arizona, though he can no longer perform due to a stroke. He has a website with a lot of good stuff on it. Two of the original Kingston Trio are still living. Bob Shane is retired in Arizona and Nick Reynolds, who I see from time to time, is retired in Coronado, CA.

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Mortimer
Date: 17 May 07 - 11:28 AM

I have been hunting for records by the Ivy League Trio.   Saw them perform at the Platters circa 1960's in Cadillac, Michigan.   Have been a fan ever since. I have three records that I have transfered to CD, but quality is not good.   Is anyone aware of whether they are out on commercial CD's yet.   This is a great group with interesting harmony and chord changes.   Interested in any knowledge about the performers and what they are currently doing?

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Bruce Baillie
Date: 11 Sep 05 - 06:19 PM

...and what about
Hebric,
Bruce & Audrey
Baillie & Sugden
Bull Pratt
Baillie & Allcock
The Hot Punch Ceildih Band
The Jovial Gentlemen
The Hard End Shifters
etc

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Fullerton
Date: 11 Sep 05 - 11:02 AM

Whatever happened to the

Gyratic Space Inspectors,

the Jazz Penguins,

Afternoon Tea on the Lawn,

Bludgeon the Seabird, (Retrospective four album boxed set out soon.)

Vortex of Influential Dandelions. (VOID) (Heavy metal morris with 2 Tubas)

Grond, I believe, are still extant.

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Sep 05 - 12:20 PM

How about Cliff Haslam and Geoff Kaufman and Don Sineti?

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 10 Sep 05 - 10:02 AM

I remember Carolyn Hester from the good old days around the London folk scene in the 60s I first saw her at the Assembly Rooms in Surbiton {I think} run by Derek Sarjeant and Hazel King as she then was, later to become Hazel Serjeant. Derek has put up a site in memory of Hazel who unfortunately died a premature death in 2003, there are some great pictures of a few old faces on this site which is here for anybody who is interested.
Giok

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: kendall
Date: 16 Apr 05 - 07:27 AM

Hal 'n Tow of New Brunswick

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 15 Apr 05 - 10:35 PM

...and Frank Hamilton and Valucha Buffington Arneson were a very nice duo around Chicago in other times.

The Old Town Singers were Guy Guilbert (guitar), Barb Stracke, and someone else I can't recall.

Maybe it was Ginni Clemmens.

I do know that Guy and Ginni were a trio in Chicago with with Elaine McFarland.

Later Elaine McFarland used the name SPANKY and was in a folk/pop group with Oz Bach and Fred Williams called SPANKY AND OUR GANG. They had some hits---one I think was called "Monday (or Sunday)Will Never Be The Same".

And a good group with Anne Hills and Bob Gibson and Tom Paxton called BEST OF FRIENDS. I believe a live performance CD of these three is out now.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Lesser known folk groups
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 15 Apr 05 - 01:23 AM

The Goldcoast Singers, and Jim Kweskin's Jugband.

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,RightWay
Date: 14 Apr 05 - 08:37 PM

No one has mentioned The Womenfolk.......% albums for RCA
Here was a group of 5 women with delicious harmonies, and a sense of humor....Leni Ashmore, Babs Cooper, Judy Fine, Jean Amos, Joyce James (deceased) and sometimes Elaine Gealer....YOu are remembered!

tg

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 11:58 AM

The Philharmonious Jug Band

Giok

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: Big Jim from Jackson
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 11:19 AM

How about Cathy Barton and Dave Para?

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: JJ
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 09:06 AM

Way back in the first post, Big Red mentioned Brown & Dana.

When the duo broke up, Garrett Brown moved to Hollywood, where he invented the Steadicam.

You could look it up...

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: Leadfingers
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 02:12 PM

And By the way - 100 !!

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: Leadfingers
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 02:12 PM

See What I Mean ? Still only American Groups - ( Stan Hugill for all hie greatness was NOT a group!)

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: rich-joy
Date: 06 Mar 05 - 04:29 AM

Does anyone have ANY info on :

Chris Couveau (possibly of Williamsport, Pa.)

PLEASE?! (I don't even know if this Chris is male or female!!)

Listed in "The Coffee House Songbook" (Oak Pubs, 1966) as singing Oscar Wilde's "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" ...


Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Joe
Date: 05 Mar 05 - 09:05 PM

I remember a group called the Briarwood Singers in the Miami area in the early 60's. They played at the lounge at the Crossways Airport Inn near the Miami airport. They were absolutely great. The lead singer was a really nice girl named Dorinda Duncan and I think there were 5 of them. They made one album for sure and maybe two. I had the first album and wore it out. What a great group. Good harmony, original lyrics and fabulous musicians. I went to see them almost every nite they were there. I understand their album can still be purchased as a used record on the net.

By the way 10 years later I named my daughter Dorinda.

This bought back some nice memories!

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Chris Kelly
Date: 01 Mar 05 - 05:30 AM

I checked out the Gateway Singers official website at www.starbeams.com, and in addition to learning that their albums are now available on CD, saw that Barbara Dane only was a potential member of the group. Their female singer was the contralto Elmerlee Thomas who was part of the original ensemble including Lou Gottlieb, Jerry Walter and Jim Wood (who was succeeded by Travis Edmonson when they started to record).

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: Lancashire Lad
Date: 20 Feb 05 - 02:25 AM

RE Stan Hugill
Sadly missed maritime singer. He made a couple of great albums for the Dingles label.

LL

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,renoquest
Date: 19 Feb 05 - 11:13 PM

If anyone can help me find music by Art & Paul (Podell & Potash, not Simon & Garfunkle) I would greatly appreciate it.

[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Frank
Date: 19 Feb 05 - 10:26 AM

Sixtieschick,

"The Gateway Singers also included Barbara Dane. They were associated with the Communist Party in the USA, according to Lou Gottlieb's daughter.
,
Almost every folksinger in the forties, fifties and early sixties were somehow associated with the CPUSA either as members or someone who knew members. That's why folk music was reviled by McCarthy and the HUAC. Some were barely tolerant and didn't become virulent anti until later.

Art, thank you for the nice comments about me. I really enjoy your recordings and contribution to folk music.

Frank

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: Leadfingers
Date: 19 Feb 05 - 06:19 AM

I find it fascinating that nearly all the 'lesser known ' groups are American ! I cant decide wether this is because EVERY club in UK in the good old days had its resident group , who did local bookings and had home produced albums and cassettes or because we think our groups were NOT 'lesser knowns' !!
I have been involved in a number of assorted groups myself , which are all seriously lesser known despite working all over UK !

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: sixtieschick
Date: 19 Feb 05 - 04:46 AM

The Gateway Singers also included Barbara Dane. They were associated with the Communist Party in the USA, according to Lou Gottlieb's daughter.

Jim and Jean's cover of Phil Ochs's "Crucifixion" was a staple on KMPX, the early San Francisco free-form radio station.

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: PoppaGator
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 05:27 PM

Seamus ~ thanks for the car-crash info. I think I *did* read that somewhere. I forgot which one was killed, Joe or Eddie; in any event, the surviving member of the duo did not, apparently, continue with a solo career.

By the way ~ I drove past O'Flaherty's Pub on Toulouse Street last night, and they have just put up a HUGE poster advertising a coming event featuring . . . The Kingston Trio!

Tickets are $50 bucks a pop, so I won't be in attendance. I'd be mildly curious to see who's still part of the Trio and to hear how they sound these days, but not at a C-note for two seats. In any event, I had no idea this old group was back at work; maybe they're on tour, and maybe those of you who love 'em more than I do (i.e., those who have a hundred bucks worth of love for them) will have a chance to see them in your respective home towns.

A much smaller flyer posted on the same wall touts an upcoming appearance at the same venue by Mudcatter Jed Marum. I'm pretty sure I will go see Jed; his admission price is much more within my reach. (On his last visit to town, Jed's gig at O'F's was no-cover ~ great for me, not so wonderful for Jed. I do promise to make an appropriate donation to the tip jar.)

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 03:24 PM

THE FRETS were the house band at the Gate Of Horn folk club in Chicago for their Hootenannys on Sunday afternoons in 1959. That group consisted of John Carbo (banjo), Louis McDonald (conga drum) and Jim Roger McGuinn (guitar). They never made a record. We tossed a concert at the University Of Illinois-Chicago (Navy Pier campus)in Dec. of 59 or early 1960 with Frank Hamilton doing a solo show---and he brought THE FRETS with him as an opening act. Frank and Pete Seeger had just recorded their duo album called NONESUCH on Folkways Records and Frank did an instrumental solo guitar version of the Russian song "MEADOWLANDS" that night for which superlative would be a much too mild word with which to describe it. Always thought Frank's solo version was way better than the duet record. I taped that concert that night after hauling my 50 pound Webcor reel-to-reel tape recorder all the way out into Lake Michigan at the end of Navy Pier. And it was more than worth it! I've still got parts of Frank Hamilton's show that he did 46 years ago. His "Railroad Blues" ("I'm gonna sit right here and look a million miles away...") -- done with harmonica the way Woody Guthrie taught him to play it---was also a highpoint of that concert. Right away I learned "MEADOWLANDS" from that tape. Then I worked out "Stars And Stripes Forever" and just one or two instrumentsl verses of the Christmas song, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". I played that as a protest instrumental medley all through the Cold War and the Viet Nam era.

Frank, thank you!!!

Art

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 02:54 PM

The "Knoblick Upper-10 Thousand" were Eric Jacobson (once a force behind/manager of? the Lovin' Spoonfull), Pete Childs (dobro) and Dwayne Storey---sometimes Stu Ramsay (now Darsono Ramsay).

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: Cool Beans
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 12:11 PM

I remember the Knob Lick Upper 10,000. They did nice versions of "Two Little Boys," "Rocky Mountain Water" and "Jimmie Brown the Newsboy."

There was a Joe and Eddie thread on Mudcat a few months ago, for anyone interested.

Roger Sprung was one of the Shantyboys.

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: Bobert
Date: 17 Feb 05 - 11:32 PM

Pozo Seco Singers, with Don Williams... How'd this group get missed?

Bobert

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: Margret RoadKnight
Date: 17 Feb 05 - 11:20 PM

Pennywhistlers (Ethel Raim & others).

[Joe & Eddie made 8 LPs, not counting 2 compilations]

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 16 Feb 05 - 11:33 PM

PoppaGator. Car crash.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: PoppaGator
Date: 16 Feb 05 - 10:39 PM

Mentioned only once above, and perhaps lost in shuffle: Joe and Eddie.

I saw these two guys a year or so ago on the old-movie channel (TCM) in an exploitation B-movie caled "Hootenanny Hoot," along with the Brothers Four (not "lesser-known," they were headliners of this film, and not mentioned in this thread), Judy Henske, Johnny Cash, Shep Wooley (who wrote and sang the title song) and a few others.

Joe and Eddie were by far the highlight of the film, for me her and now in the 21st century. Maybe they were ahead of their time ~ very energetic rocking gospel singing with soaring harmonies and minimal accompaniment (just handclaps, and maybe an offscreen intrument or two; J&E didn't play instruments at all.)

Their big number in the film was "There's a Meeting Here Tonight," which I remember from "back in the day," but probably from someone else's rendition. (It was a hit for The Limelighters, who have been mentioned in this thread.)

I did a little internet reasearch and learned that Joe and Eddie recorded a fair number of albums, maybe about a half dozen. A "Best Of" 2-CD set is currently available on CD. Their career was cut short when one of them died young. Couldn't find a cause of death, just a few posted messages wondering how it happened.

Definitely worth a listen for anyone inclined to look 'em up.

Subject: RE: Help: Lesser known folk groups
From: GUEST,Frank
Date: 16 Feb 05 - 01:01 PM

The Modern Folk Quartet out of Hollywood.

The Men became the Association after surgery.

On Homesteaders album, I think there was a cut with Judy Collins and Ronnie Gilbert singing together.

Hedge and Donna out of Hollywood.

Off subject but I love the Foremen.

The Villagers were short lived in New York. Erik Darling and Ethel Raim were in a group with that name. Pre-dated folk boom.

Songswappers appeared on a Folkways album. Pete Seeger and Mary Travis in that group did African rounds. Pre-dated folk boom.

Almanacs and the Priority Ramblers pre-dated the folk boom.

Did anyone mention New Lost City Ramblers?

Loved a short lived group in Massachussetts called County Down. (Three talented women).

Joyce James:   Womenfolk.

Mebbe think of more.

Frank