Your favourite American folksingers

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: Peace
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 05:47 PM

Yeah, PoppaGator, I should look or sound that good when I'm sixty. It would involve some surgery that I'm not willin' to undergo, if you take my meaning. Never could get used to high heels. But my God, that woman can sing.

Oh, yeah, there is a singer from the 60s and 70s who hasn't been mentioned. He was a born-in-the-USA guy named Sean Gagnier (nee John Gonyea) from Poughkeepsie I think. He passed away over a year ago. Wonderful voice and a good songwriter.

Subject: joe and Eddie
From: GUEST,Sandy Lang
Date: 07 Apr 04 - 12:51 AM

Looking for all joe And eddie music

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: momnopp
Date: 19 Nov 04 - 09:04 PM

I was looking for an appropriate thread to gush about the Richie Havens concert I enjoyed last night. The man is just the most incredible, warm, genuine, silly, sweet, intense performer, still. I first saw him live last year when he headlined at the Country Roads Festival in WV. I was taken with his warmth then and got to shake his hand and thank him.

Last night at the Black Rock Arts Center in Germantown, MD, it was just heavenly. It's a very new venue designed for really enjoying live performances - and I was in the front row ;-)

I just had to write this down somewhere because I'm still tingling with the sounds of his performance in my head.

Peace,

JudyO

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: chris nightbird childs
Date: 19 Nov 04 - 09:10 PM

Mr. Havens is a PHENOMENAL performer! He's still got THAT VOICE! You obviously know the one I'm talking about... Also one of the nicest people I've ever met.

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: Cluin
Date: 19 Nov 04 - 10:56 PM

Yeah, Richie Havens for sure.

Though I'm not sure who you would define as folk (let's not go THERE again), I also like Greg Brown, Jim Henry, Brooks Williams, Tom Russell, Steve Earle, Martin Sexton, Lyle Lovett, Keb Mo... too many more to list.

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: Auggie
Date: 20 Nov 04 - 08:51 AM

If you want a good place to start with "East of the Big Pond" folkies, start with the best (living) songwriter in America, MICHAEL SMITH. A sometimes jazz-tinged folkie with evocative lyrics, superb melodies with chord voicings to die for. A guitarist's guitar player with an expressive (certainly not "traditionally beautiful") voice, whose songs can take you from laughter to sorrow to contentment (but who will drive you to distraction when you're trying to figure out the chords from the CD).
There is no one better, and that ain't IMHO, its fact.

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: number 6
Date: 20 Nov 04 - 07:27 PM

Woody Guthrie
Townes Van Zandt
Son House
John Prine
John Hartford
Pete Seeger

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 21 Nov 04 - 04:21 AM

Homer and Jethro ? [ it's a joke ]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned one of my favourites the late Derroll Adams.

I can agree with everyones choices except Prince, jOhn is right Prince is shite, I'm a poet, and didn't know it.

eric

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: GUEST,guest bob
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 01:58 PM

Fred Neil
Pete LaFarge
Eric VonSchmidt
Jesse Winchester

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: dianavan
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 02:29 PM

Guest - "Canadians would prefer not be classed as Americans."

SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!

Most Canadians I know think that it is arrogant for citizens of the U.S. to call themselves Americans and thereby excluding citizens of North, Central and South America. We are all Americans!

Citizens of the States need a new name. Maybe the U.Sers. or the U of A's or the Uniteds or maybe even Statesians. It is pretty confusing when a country names its citizens after a continent.

BTW - My favorite folk singer is Woody Guthrie.

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: GUEST,Allan S
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 03:59 PM

JohnCohen
Tom Paley
New Lost City Ramblers

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: Arkie
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 03:03 PM

Cathy & Dave Para
Gordon Bok
Ed McCurdy
Burl Ives (before "Little Bitty Tear")
Bob Everhart
Pete Seeger
Mike Seeger
Bob Zentz
Michael Cooney

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 09:33 PM

No one has mentioned my favourite yet in this thread, Spider John Koerner, a guy who takes a traditional song, makes it totally his own, and still leaves it trad. To me, that's a folk-singer!
Are Canadians Americans? To make the claim is a typically Canadian passive-aggressive ploy, humbly drawing attention to our adversary's arrogance. George Bowering, recently Canada's poet laureate, deals with the ambiguity by referring to the you-alls as USAmericans.
Is Joni Mitchell Canadian? Absolutely. Is she a folksinger? Sure, but if she is a Canadian folksinger then so is her old drinking buddy Neil Young, e. g. Helpless, e. g. Long May You Run.

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: dianavan
Date: 11 Feb 05 - 02:06 AM

Bob the Postman - With all due respect to George Bowering, I like the expression 'you-alls' better than USAmericans. in fairness, Canadians should probably be called the 'ehs' and the Mexicans could be the 'olas'.

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: Teresa
Date: 11 Feb 05 - 02:45 AM

Some of my favorites:

John McCutcheon (especially the album "Fine Times at Our House", which I'm not sure is still available
Tim OBrien (one of his I listen to constantly is "Songs from the Mountains"
Jean Ritchie
Peggy Seeger
Mike seeger
Pete Seeger
Sally Rogers
Claudia schmidt (especially earlier stuff)
Lou and Peter Berryman (I have a twisted sense of humor.)
John Hartford (saw him live, and he fiddled, clogged, and called a dance all at once!)

None of these in any particular order, and certainly not an exhaustive list. :)

Teresa

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: GUEST,Obie
Date: 11 Feb 05 - 05:37 AM

At one time country music was folk but both have evolved in different directions. Dylan was folk in his early days but has also evolved to something else. (not always an improvement IMHO! ) :-}
Many years ago Canada and USA were America before our good friends to the south dumped all that good tea in Boston Hbr.
The music of Canada and the USA is often shared as a common pool and can not easily be defined as changing at the border. However, we sing Woody's This Land a bit different. :-}
             Obie

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 11 Feb 05 - 05:40 AM

Can I put in a word for Happy Traum? Great singer, brilliant guitarist, lovely bloke. His Kicking Mule records always had terrific tab booklets for the songs. Very generous musician.

Also Steve Goodman. If you need to ask I can't explain.

Subject: RE: Your favourite American folksingers
From: Big Jim from Jackson
Date: 11 Feb 05 - 11:23 AM

There seems to be a lot of confusion in this thread between folk singers and singer/songwriters. I'm not knocking the later group. Some of my favorite people are in this catagory: Bill Staines, Chuck Brodsky, et al. I like Arkie's list, especially the Para's, Michael Cooney, and Gordon Bok.
Also, this list reflects most those artists who have lables. There are a host of other performers who are not well known because they don't have a contract with a company that can distribute their material. I would add Judy Domeny Bowen to the list of singers of old folk songs.
It is interesting to see some of the names on these lists. There are a number of them that I am not familiar with. Others that I would disagree with, and many I think are fantastic. As some above have said, "...in the eye of the beholder."