Does anyone know Jon Pankake?

Subject: Folklore: Dylan and Jon Pankake
From: GUEST,Brad Sondahl
Date: 08 Jun 22 - 03:39 PM

I'd guess this isn't exactly folklore, but it's more like a legendary spat between Jon Pankake and Bob Dylan that started in 1961 Minneapolis and ended in Greenwich Village, but still festered in Dylan's autobiography. I've found a few connected elements and made them into a webpage...http://sondahl.com/pankakedylan.html

Subject: RE: Does anyone know Jon Pankake?
From: GUEST,Brad Sondahl
Date: 08 Jun 22 - 03:35 PM

http://sondahl.com/pankakedylan.html
I'm in contact with his musical friend Bud Claeson and working on a tribute page to their group Uncle Willie and the Brandysnifters. The link is to the interesting relationship between Dylan and Pankake.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Does anyone know Jon Pankake?
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Sep 18 - 08:56 PM

This is an old thread, but FWIW, both Marcia and Jon Pankake have retired from Univ. of MN.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Does anyone know Jon Pancake?
From: Francy
Date: 16 Jan 03 - 01:38 PM

Thanks Rick......I have been listening to the Broadside cd's (set of 5) and some comments were included about Jon Pankake that conflicted with some of the things I read; so I wanted to open this up and get some open minded input from everyone....Quite interesting stuff....
Frank of Toledo....I have the cd collection of Harry Smith's anthology and I'm not questioning Jon Pankake's writing ability...He is very literate and easy to read. Just some of his observations are "puzzling" at times...Oh well we live and learn....so please continue this thread and teach me......

Subject: RE: Folklore: Does anyone know Jon Pancake?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 16 Jan 03 - 11:16 AM

Boy does this bring back memories Frank! Yes, I read virtually everything that Jon made available through The Little Sandy Review, and it was usually fascinating. He used to absolutely infuriate the New York folk crowd (Silber etc.) because he never seemed to give any marks for "political intent" in his artist reviews. I doubt if he was a reactionary...I suspect he just liked to rattle Sing Out's chain.

His reviews certainly annoyed me......often because it seemed he didn't know what constituted 'good accompaniment'. Oh....and he was (natch) a big fan of local boys Koerner, Ray and Glover, so he REALLY touted them highly. In his opinion the late Dave Ray was the only "real" white blues singer. Yup, terms like "white blues singer" were bandied about as much as questions like "What is folk" in those days.

Paul Nelson was the other Minnesota (I think, MR) writer of the time, who would often write critically of a number of the sacred cows of folk music.....but his writing was SO over the top, that I don't think he was as influential as Pankake.

Great thread Frank.

Cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: Folklore: Does anyone know Jon Pancake?
From: RangerSteve
Date: 16 Jan 03 - 09:43 AM

Jon and Marcia were (are?) members of the band "Uncle Willie's Brandy Snifters", a Minnesota band. They recorded a cassette for Marimac Recordings back in the 80's, but Marimac is out of business.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Does anyone know Jon Pancake?
From: Stewie
Date: 16 Jan 03 - 12:44 AM

If it is the same bloke, his real name is Jon Pankake. He wrote an introduction to a Dock Boggs album:

Click Here

There is also reference to him in this article:

Click Here

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Does anyone know Jon Pancake?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Jan 03 - 12:43 AM

Hi, Frank - note the spelling - Marcia and Jon Pankake were editors of the 1988 A Prairie Home Companion Folk Song Book, a delightful collection of mostly parodies that may or may not be folk songs.

Here's an interesting quote from Minnesota Public Radio, Feb 26, 1998:

Amid the glitter and glamour of the Grammys last night, a University of Minnesota student adviser and a string musician walked up to claim his prize. Jon Pankake won a grammy for his essay included in the liner notes for the "Anthology of American Folk Music." It's a collection of some 84 songs originally compiled in 1952 by Harry Smith, an experimental filmmaker. Smith chose country, blues, hillbilly and gospel songs from his own record collection... a selection some say evokes a "lost America." Pancake's contribution to the CD re-issue of the Anthology was a personal essay about how Smith's selections influenced and inspired him as a musician and educator.

The University of Minnesota no longer has a faculty listing for Jon Pankake, but you can Click here to get to the website of Marcia Pankake.

I couldn't find any mention of recent activity by Jon Pankake, and he is not listed as a co-author on Marcia's most recent Prairie Home book.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Folklore: Does anyone know Jon Pancake?
From: Francy
Date: 16 Jan 03 - 12:19 AM

Is his real name Jon Pankake?   I can't find any reference to him.....Frank of Toledo.....an interesting article....

Subject: Folklore: Does anyone know Jon Pancake?
From: Francy
Date: 16 Jan 03 - 12:15 AM

Been reading a lot about the early 60's in New York City and have been rereading the Little Sandy Review. Does anyone know the real name of Jon Pancake who wrote an article about Pete Seeger in March or April 1964......It was called Pete's children (click).....Frank of Toledo

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