Your favourite American folksingers

Subject: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 10:19 PM

tell us about them.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 10:23 PM

Hi, John:

Let me be first:

   Art9 Thieme
   Jerry9 Rau
   Doc9 Watson
   Jean9 Ritchie
   Almeda9 Riddle

You didn't specify whether they had to be living..

Jerry9

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: mg
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 10:27 PM

what happened to the other thread? It was just getting good. Anyway, the ones I would go to some trouble to see..hear I guess..Joan Baez, Linda Rondstadt, Gordon Bok, Utah Phillips if he just sang, Priscilla Herdman, any good shanty/sea groups...I'm thinking, who would I go to see if it was across town on the bus on a cold, windy night...narrows it down...I like groups of people I guess...mg

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 10:29 PM

Thanks Jerry,
I'm looking for american folk singers whose cd's I can buy, this is the second thread, on the subject i hasve started today, kendall acuseed me of been a troll stirrirng up shit, and the second one was deleted!
thanks jerry.john

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 10:32 PM

thanks mary!,
Indeed WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHER THREAD?
who deleted it, and why?

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Noreen
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 10:36 PM

jOhn, you started threatening people in the other thread which doesn't go down well.

Stop worrying about it and enjoy THIS thread!

(Hi, Jerry!)

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 10:39 PM

i dident threaten anyone, i said, the only time i have ever threatened anyone here was gargoytle, and serves him right.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: GUEST,pdq
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 10:52 PM

Bill Clifton lived in England for many years and recorded a lot. Should be easy to find. Heard of him, jOhn?

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 11:02 PM

Richard Dyer Bennet
Ed McCurdy
Sam Hinton
Burl Ives
Peggy Seeger
Jean Ritchie

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 11:11 PM

Kris Kristofferson
John Prine
Towns Van Zant
Robert Earl Keen
Todd Snider
Tom Russle
Bob Dylan
Steve Earl
Michael O'Brien
Prince


In no particular order

:-)

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Benjamin
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 11:12 PM

Dave Van Ronk
Doc Watson
Norman Blake
Eric Andersen
Lead Belly
Brownie McGhee
Sonny Terry
J.C. Burris
Elizabeth Cotten

This list could get too long, but I'd recomend any of these guys. For the most part, they shouldn't be too hard to find.
I hope you enjoy them John
Benjamin

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Benjamin
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 11:14 PM

I should also mention that John Jacob Niles has been highly recomended to me, although I haven't quite gotten to any of his recordings just yet.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 11:16 PM

Prince?
you talking about that "purple Rain guy
you taking the piss
no way is Prince a folk singer!
If Prince is one of the best american folksingers you can think of,,
i'll stickj to the english folksingers that i know of !
no offence mate, but Prince is shite!
Anyone else reckon Prince is the best american folk singer?

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 11:26 PM

Eye of the beholder mate... eye of the beholder...

I see a lot of people listed here that I'm sure someone could qualify as shite...

That's one reason why threads like these serve no purpose at all...

And well, if Purple Rain is all you know of Prince's music, I'm afraid your opinion ain't worth the powder to blow it to hell John...

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 03 Nov 03 - 11:32 PM

so "Prince" is a highly acclaimed and well respected american folk singer?
I never knew that!
I learn something new every day from this site!

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Alex.S
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 12:06 AM

Well I ain't too familiar with Prince, but I must say he doesn't really strike me as a "Folk Singer" from the few songs I've heard. I'd probably go with Doc Watson, Bob Dylan, or Peggy Seeger.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: karen k
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 12:15 AM

Jean Ritchie
Doc Watson
Sheila Kay Adams
Helen Schneyer
Bob Zentz
Ed Trickett
Sandy Paton
Elizabeth Cotten
Mississippi John Hurt
Jesse Fuller
Lisa Null
Becky Kimmons

I'm sure there's more!!!

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 01:56 AM

If you want to get away from the performersand interpreters and go back to the folk, there a vast treasure of fabulous American music available on CD:

Iron Head
Vera Ward Hall
Any of the Wallin clan
Larry Older
Leadbelly
Texas Gladden
Frank Proffitt
Dock Boggs
Alfred Reed
E.C. Ball (with Orna)
Tink Tillet.......
the list goes on, and on, and on. E-mail me if you want some suggestions    [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: GUEST,weerover
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 02:20 AM

Loudon Wainwright
Randy Newman
Mississippi John Hurt
PAUL ROBESON
Joan Baez
Bob Dylan
Pat Sky

wr

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 02:22 AM

heloo dick greenhouse, do axept solo cards or maestro cards fpr your cd shop?
i like to buy some nice americsn cd's and i goive you my crefit card number., i give it to max to buy a mudcat t shirt before
, but nit tak3e that oner, and i don t knoe how toarreange pay pay etc, i wi;ll see about pay-pal,and see waht they say.johhn

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: greg stephens
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 04:20 AM

There are two, Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie, and then the rest.And the list of the rest goes on for ever. Listening to wonderful American folk music goes on for ever and you still havent scratched the surface.
    I dont normally like ranking people in order, but there's really no contest in this field. Leadbelly has got to be number 1. I am leaving out Bob Dylan, he is number 1 in a different category as far as I am concerned.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: VIN
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 04:41 AM

Joan Baez, Peggy Seeger and Tom Paxton must rank up there with the best of em although he's probably written mostly all his own stuff - i reckon 'Last Thing On My Mind' must rate as a 'folk' song now eh?
(Uh oh, careful vin, let's not start on that thread agin)

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: alanabit
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 05:03 AM

I like most of the ones I have heard mentioned here - in particular Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt and Woody Guthrie. Pete Seeger has been mentioned less often than I would have expected. If only because of his influence , I would rate him as one of the giants.
Bill Zorn lived in England for several years and I thought he sounded alright. He can play the banjo a bit as well. I thought Robert Johnson was going to get a few more mentions. For me he was the definitive Delta bluesman - although I will probably have to defer to the more knowledgeable Mudcatters on this one!

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: greg stephens
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 05:58 AM

When we consider influence on modern musicians, I reckon Alanabit is right on the ball with his Robert johnson nomination....it would be hard to think of an American folksinger who has had more impact on the subsequent direction of music.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: kendall
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 06:21 AM

Buryl Ives.

John, I was joking for Christ's sake!

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: GUEST,James,
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 07:04 AM

Arlo Guthrie, John Prine , Judy Collins, Barbara Dane, Odetta.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 07:08 AM

Does anyone know where I can find lyrics to any of the sixties protest music about women's rights?

please email [e-mail] if you do. I need them for a research paper I'm doing. Thank you!

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Amos
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 09:17 AM

I enjoy that honor me own self! :>)

A

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Benjamin
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 10:33 AM

There's also Mudcat's own Frank Hamilton. His music has been a favorite of mine for a long time now.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 10:49 AM

Hey, John:

Whenever anyone starts a thread it reflects our own concept of folksinger. I didn't include people like Mississippi John or Robert Johnson, because blues seens to be considered as a separate category from folk (wrongly, as far as I'm concerned.) I also didn't include
Rev. Gary Davis... one of my very favorite singers and guitarists, because most people would just label him gospel. Same with Steve Earle, who I really admire, and would consider a country singer. I would not include Prince (who I think was a genius in his own right, although I never bought any of his music.) If Prince is a folk singer, then I have no idea what a folksinger is. That's not to minimize his genius. And if Prince is a folksinger, the Beatles are one of my favorite folk groups.

Now, if you're talking about what is easily available on CD, that's a different story. I love Cisco Houston as a singer, but I don't know how much is easily avaiable to you in England.

And how could we forget the greatest singer of American folk music ever?

Lonnie Donegan

Jerry

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: GUEST,James
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 12:08 PM

Does anyone know if Blue River LP by Eric Anderson is available anywhere..it is great. I had forgotten about Eric. Also, what about Tim Hardin, Tom Rush Mike Seeger,Emmy Lou Harris(or is she Country). John Stewart, Jack Eliot, Dave Van Ronk...loads more I guess.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 12:21 PM

The singers I listed are all people I heard on albums as I grew up. If I listed folks (sans albums) then I'd have added my father to the list! I should have included Pete Seeger--that was an oversight. I know some of McCurdy's have been hard to find on vinyl or CD--I found that out the hard way after Dad died and I tried to replace some of the holdings in his collection.

SRS

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Grab
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 12:53 PM

Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Dylan as a writer but not as a singer. Leonard Cohen should qualify - he's Canadian, but from the continent of North America.

Lou and Peter Berryman are probably the best writers of funny songs in the US. You need to be in a "funny song mood" to listen to the CDs, but they're great for performing.

And if bluesmen qualify, then Peggy Lee, Dinah Washington, Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong should also be on the list.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: GUEST,Chris
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 01:04 PM

I don't think Peggy Lee or Dinah Washington would have liked being called men.

C

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 01:04 PM

Perhaps we should do famous Canadians...I see Canadians as having contributed a slightly different type of contemporary folk.
Ian and Sylvia, Gordon Lightfoot,Bruce Cockburn, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young(sort of), Stan Rogers, John Allan Cameron, The Rankins, Buffy St. Marie, Natalie MacMaster, Don Messer, Laura Smith, Allan Mills, Clary Croft,Buddy MacMaster,Great Big Sea, The Irish Descendants...lots more. I am sure I have forgotten a lot of names.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: GUEST,Chris
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 01:07 PM

Natalie MacMaster, Don Messer (RIP) and Buddy MacMaster are fiddlers, not folksingers.

C

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 01:20 PM

Great Big Sea???

May as well list Barenaked Ladies and Moxy Fruvous as well then... And then no, it's not that far a stretch to include Grandmaster Flash, Snoop-Doggy-Dog and Prince...

And well, how can you talk about 'Famous Canadians" with out James Keelaghan, Stephen Fearing, Len Wallace, Ian Tamblyn, GARNET Rogers, Connie Caldor, Andrew Cash, Blue Rodeo, Don Ross, The Cowboy Junkies, Rick Deevey, The Skydiggers, Ferron, Tamarack, James Gordon, and on and on and on...

See how useless these kinds of threads are... They just end up being one long list of names that most posters here won't even bother trying to find...

The longer the list, the less it matters...

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: mg
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 01:46 PM

I don't find these threads useless at all. I find them interesting. If you find them useless, why read them? Why respond? mg

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: GUEST,pdq
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 01:56 PM

The worst thread about music is better than the best thread about politics!

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 01:57 PM

Couldn'ta said it better myself pdq!!!

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: richlmo
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 11:10 PM

I don't know if he is American or not, but John Gorka has a great voice. I'm not real sure where the "folk" fades into country and old time/bluegrass and such, but Doc Watson has to be in there somewhere.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: GUEST,pdq
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 11:17 PM

Doc Watson is America's voice. Note the Southern accent.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: mg
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 11:24 PM

Iris Dement ...I love her...also Dolly Parton and Emmy Lou Harris..mg

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 12:21 AM

John-
CAMSCO takes VISA or MASTERCARD. If you wish, you can send a cheque to Bill Sables, and I'll send you the CDs.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Santa
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 07:50 AM

I looked into this thread hoping it would give me a few names to watch out for. Years back I was familiar with the work of Ochs, Paxton, Dylan, Guthrie(s), Farina, Baez etc but the only US act I've seen/heard recently is Pint and Dale. Whom I like very much, but I'm sure there are more around. However, this list seems to have become dedicated to historic rather than contemporary (in time, not necessarily in material) artists, and blues/bluegrass etc which certainly isn't "folk" in the UK. Who should I be looking out for?

I'm not sure about including Canadians either - at least those who stay in Canada rather than moving South - but if you must, I'd add Tanglefoot and Eileen McGann.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Beverley Barton
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 07:58 AM

LEONARD COHEN !

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: Beverley Barton
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 08:05 AM

sorry, that post should have been bigger

LEONARD COHEN

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 09:08 AM

Leonard cohen is not american, I don't think he is a folk singer either.

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: GUEST,Strollin' Johnny
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 09:13 AM

Oh Mary, come ON!!! Get real - Dolly and Emmylou are great SINGERS, but FOLK-SINGERS they are not!

And IMOH the pillock who said Ponce (oops, sorry I meant Prince or Squiggle or whatever barmy name the conceited, over-sexed little git calls himself nowadays) really is away with the fairies. :-)

The problem with this thread is that there's a lot of names cropping up that us Limeys have never heard of. But I'd have to go with Odetta and Stan The Man (if Canadians can be classed as American).

It's all personal taste really, isn't it?

Johnny

Subject: RE: Your favourite american folksingers
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 09:18 AM

Canadins would prefer not be classed as Americans. Not because we dislike the Americans but because we are Canadian.
What about Gillian Welch.. I love her stuff, or is she country. Sometimes I am very confused.
   I thought the object of the thread was to come up with unfamiliar names, so that people might explore the work of some artists new to them.