Little known '60s Folk Singers

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 30 Dec 07 - 09:41 PM

Hi Kids!:

"The fat jazz that a cat blows wails long after he's cut out..." - Lord Buckley

"AND HE SAID, DIG INFINITY! AND THEY DUG IT.." The Nazz - Lord Buckley

Happy New Year! All the best for 2008...

A little early, but it's got to be tomorrow somewhere...

bob

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Ivan Ulz
Date: 24 Dec 07 - 04:37 PM

Don't forget Steve Mann of San Francisco, if he hasn't already been mentioned.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Dave Hard
Date: 15 Dec 07 - 08:58 PM

Two folksingers I've never seen mentioned in the same breath as the 60's scene are myself and Adele Assante. We played the Tete-A-Tete Coffeehouse in Providence R.I. along with such favorites as Michael Cooney, Paul Arnoldi, Paul Jeremia, and Leonda. It was a real hoot and Adele had the voice of an angel. Unfortunately. people kept saying she was trying to sound like Baez....she naturally sounded like Joan and, I think, had a more pure voice. Still have some wobbly reel-to-reel tapes of us at the Tete and the Ballad Room in Newport...Curious if anyone remembers those days in Providence.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Dec 07 - 06:13 PM

Jon Toly was my brother. He passed away in Portland, Oregon in the early '80's.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Peace
Date: 07 Dec 07 - 04:48 PM

A google of his name shows some stuff.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 07 Dec 07 - 04:43 PM

Alexandre Zelkine. Yes, I remember him, but have since lost contact..
bob

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Dec 07 - 09:52 AM

Alexandre Zelkine, a folksinger who sang in many languages. Anybody know whatever happened to him?

I think he was Russian, then lived in France and came to Canada in the '60's. I have a couple of LP's, the most recent from the early '70's. Haven't heard of hom since then.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Josh Cohen
Date: 06 Dec 07 - 08:22 PM

Two quick reminisces:

Richie Havens -

My ex Sherry & I were on our way to Woodstock
on the NY Thruway or a similar highway
when we observed two guys on cool
'cycles to our right.

Richie Havens & I don't know who... We motioned
them over and sure enough we all stopped at
the upcoming restaurant-rest stop where
I spoke to Richie for about a minute.
Believe I said I was an acquaintance
of John Herald's and one or two
other things. Very short,
but after-the-fact a
nice remembrance.

Dylan -

I've been in and out of the art business for years and meeting important, well known artists never phased me. Same for MOST musicians. Many of us were around the coffee houses and
festivals we're writing about and met, saw or perhaps
played with a lot of well-known performers. I used
to hang around the small upstairs performers room
at Manny Rubin's 2nd Fret in Philly like some of
you. Many a now-famous performer played The
Fret and most were accessible.

Anyway, I was working back stage security at the Philly Folk
Festival (having worked my way up from Parking Lot!) and
Dylan came to see Bromberg perform. He and Robbie
Robertson (I'm 95% sure it was him)& a few
friend's were sitting & enjoying the show
in the secured area for performers and
press in front of the stage when the
Chairman of Back Stage Security or
someone of his ilk asked met to
get money from Dylan's
entourage, buy them
food and bring it
to 'em.

Well, I admit that I was a bit frazzled. Got special
treatment at the food tent & brought them their
order, standing about two feet from Bob when
one of the guys I thought was in
The Band (I recognized him but
couldn't place him) had to
ask me for his change.

I was embarrassed! Wanted to be oh so cool around Dylan. (-;

A lot of us knew he was there and there was talk that he
might perform but that didn't happen.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Beer
Date: 05 Dec 07 - 12:46 PM

Great story Mike, thanks for sharing.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: mike gouthro
Date: 05 Dec 07 - 11:36 AM

One evening in Oct 1966 I paid $1.25 to see pre-Woodstock Richie Havens perform at The Blue Lantern in Montreal. Gary Eisenkraft took over the management of this club during 1966. The Blue Lantern, on Stanley Street, was downstairs from the legendary Potpourri which closed in 1962/63. Dylan played several nights at the Potpourri in the summer of 1962.

Around 8:30pm the emcee announced that Richie had travel problems and wouldn't be able to make it to Montreal. Penny Lang, a local performer, agreed to fill in for Richie. 15 minutes into her first set the emcee whispered to her. She smiled and left the stage saying she would be back later after another performer played. We thought Richie had made it after all.

A few minutes later Gordon Lightfoot came in the front door with two guitar cases. The emcee announced that Gordon had just come from a local radio station where he was promoting his new single Spin Spin. The host of the radio show, Paul Reed, was rumored to consume a bottle of scotch every night on air. Gordon was keen to perform for us and alluded to helping the radio host kill his bottle of scotch.

In spite of the scotch, Gordon performed solo for over an hour and never missed a step. Near the end of his set, he said he wanted to try out a new song he had just written for an upcoming TV special. He apologized in advance for any possible stumbles then proceeded to do a flawless Canadian Railroad Trilogy on his 12-string Gibson.

I have a feeling everyone in the coffee house that October night tuned in on Jan 1,1967 to see Lightfoot debut a full orchestral version of the Trilogy on a CBC TV show celebrating Canada's centennial. The Trilogy finally made it onto an LP in the spring of 1967.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,C. Ham
Date: 05 Dec 07 - 10:58 AM

Bruce Murdock- didn't know he was from Montreal. His music is really hard to find, although I still have a very scratchy cassette of his 3 songs from Elektra's "Singer-Songwriter Project" (Farina's songs never made it to that LP, by the way. They are listed on the record jacket, but missing from the record! The whole Lp was 35 minutes long).

I have a copy of the LP that I bought circa 1968. Farina's songs are on it.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Josh Cohen
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 11:19 PM

My friend Joel Fleisher & I used to hang around The Cage.
I took my first mandolin lesson from Lee Aaron
around '63 as best I can remember but I began
playing (well, I called it playing (-; )
in the early 60's. My dad's old
Martin mandolin that was
eventually stolen.

Went to Union Grove where I saw Winnie Winston & The New York
Ramblers win Best Band playing Don Reno's "Follow The
Leader." I'll never forget it. Eric Thompson on
guitar.

Joel & I Saw Len Chandler at SF State Univ. about 9 years ago
& know he lives in LA. I used to hang around Kenin's Guitar
Workshop on 19th St. in Philly when my friend bass player
Dean Levitt & I lived directly above the R & W Deli next
door. About a half block from Rittenhouse Sq. Used
to hang around the at the previous workshop when
it was in N. Philly. (Hunting Park Ave.???)
Anyone remember Donny Green?

I knew Bob Tanner (Tangrea) in those days and brought him
to John Herald's house in Woodstock. Those were
great daze. Bob joined the John Herald Band &
I was at the live recording at Max's Kansas
City in NYC. I still have that vinyl.
I was a Greenbriar Boys nut...

I got the then new Community College of Phila. to put up
money for a resurrected Greenbriar Boys concert
that featured John, Eric Weissberg on Banjo
and I recall Jody Stecher (I see him
frequently as he lives in the Bay
Area) on mandolin. Of course
this was post the great band
of John, Ralph Rinzler & Bob
Yellen, but it was still
great music.

And what about "Separation Blues" singer &
Van Ronk's friend Pat Sky? I believe he
builds Irish pipes... Who can forget
"Separation Blues?"   

I should mention that I see Raun MacKinnon, now Raun Burnham
and her husband Jerry once every year or two. They are
great folks & live in LA. Raun just put an upload
of 70's tunes on CD Baby - Raun MacKinnon
Archived Sessions..

Wonderful! Check it out: http://cdbaby.com/cd/rmackinnon

Josh Cohen
Martinez, CA

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GrandpaBill
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 03:28 PM

Tom,
Well nobody, really. Just a kid with a guitar who decided to play at The Sword In The Stone on an open mic night. Would have been in the Summer of '69, probably.
I remember I played a rendition of John Fahey's "Last Steam Engine Train" as my opener. Fahey was my guitar idol- I played a lot of his tunes. Can't recall what my other 2 alloted songs were. One may have been a cover of Dave Van Ronk's cover of "Ace In The Hole", which I was quite fond of at the time. I was pretty nervous. Sang too loud to compensate. I was not the hit of the evening.

I'd moved to Boston from Syracuse, NY, on a whim and with a new girl friend, in the Spring of '69.
For some reason, Boston seemed like "the place to be". A number of people I knew moved from Syracuse to Boston that Summer. Syracuse did not seem like "the place to be".

I had a $20/week room on St. Botolph street (can't remember the exact address) during a 2 month period, when my gal and I broke up for a while. We later got back together. Happy ending. I bid the cockroaches Adieu. We moved to a great 3rd floor apartment on Harvard St. in Brookline. $140/month-that was a lot back then. Worked for the Telephone Co.- still good 'ol Ma Bell, back then.

My best Boston story:
A friend of mine, Danny, who was a very good harp player, also moved to Boston that summer with his girlfriend.
Danny and I had played music together since high school.
He comes to my place on St. Botolph one day and says: "Hey, I sat in with this guy last night." (I forget the club he mentioned) "He's a pretty good guitar player and writes his own songs. Name's Townes Van Zandt. I told him about you, and he wants to meet you and get together and play some music."

My reply: "Nah, I'm not into it right now. Not playing too much right now." (I was all bummed out about breaking up with my gal. Life had lost all meaning. LOL).

Pretty funny, huh? Nobody had heard of Townes Van Zandt at the time, at least I hadn't and Danny hadn't either, and we kept up pretty good with who was who on the "folk" scene. Always wondered what would have happened if I'd taken him up on it and played some tunes with Townes. ;-)

Fond memories of Boston back then. Saw Fahey and Seatrain at the Catacombs. Tom Rush at The Unicorn. John Lee Hooker at The Jazz Workshop. Ken's Sandwich Shop, on Boylston or Commonwealth, I believe. The Sphinx Bookstore at Central Square. And of course The Co-Op at Harvard Square for all my folk music needs.

When did you host The Sword In The Stone "Hoots"?

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: curmudgeon
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 01:36 PM

So who were you then, before you became Grandpa, Bill?

Jaime Brockett lived on St Botolph Street at one time. Also, I ran hoots at the Sword from time to time - Tom Hall

PS - Bruce Murdoch is also known as Peace.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GrandpaBill
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 01:23 PM

Well this is a cool thread!
Lots of names here I remember.
Bruce Murdock- didn't know he was from Montreal. His music is really hard to find, although I still have a very scratchy cassette of his 3 songs from Elektra's "Singer-Songwriter Project" (Farina's songs never made it to that LP, by the way. They are listed on the record jacket, but missing from the record! The whole Lp was 35 minutes long).
I heard Bruce Murdock at The '68 Newport Festival (only one I ever made it too). I remember he did a duet with someone (forget who) on "North To Alaska", the old Johnny Horton song. Heard Jean Ritchie and the then "young and up and coming" Tim Buckley and Taj Mahal that weekend too.

Len Chandler, Fred Neil, Eric Von Schmidt, Jo Mapes, Mark Spoelstra- all among my favorites, and I still listen to this stuff- prefer it to a lot of the "new" stuff out there, though some is quite good.

"The Sword In The Stone" in Boston- that brings back memories. I remember seeing Jamie Brockett with his dulcimer there- really good.
He had a tune or maybe even an album titled "Saint Botolph Street", if I remember correctly. I lived on St. Botolph street for a while- the cockroach capital of Boston. Bill Staines, as well. Played there myself one night, on the 'open mic' night. But not getting on stage until 12 midnight gets old fast.

Some of these folk's recordings can still be heard (legally) via "Rhapsody"- they have a rather amazing selection of 60s folk recordings. No Koerner, Ray and Glover, though ;-(, but lots of Paul Clayton ;-).

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: bankley
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 12:13 PM

Gary sure woke up Montreal. wasn't too concerned about categories. The New Penelope... from Lightfoot to Zappa! I remember a young Elvin Bisop, J. Geils, Sonny&Brownie, Lynn County, Duke Edwards and the Young Ones.. always some great talent appearing... just a shout away from The Swiss Hut.. that's a story unto itself...

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Peace
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 11:48 AM

Gary Eisenkraft
Music pioneer, farmer, son, brother, spouse, father, friend. Born April 9, 1945, in Montreal. Died Dec. 20, 2004, in Honeydew, Calif., of heart disease, aged 59
HARRIET EISENKRAFT

Globe and Mail Update

March 3, 2005 at 1:52 AM EST

Music pioneer, farmer, son, brother, spouse, father, friend. Born April 9, 1945, in Montreal. Died Dec. 20, 2004, in Honeydew, Calif., of heart disease, aged 59.

My sweet-hearted only brother, Gary, had a complicated start to life when he contracted polio at the age of 4; what he always remembered about that time was the intense care he received from his recently divorced, single mother, Diane. In 1950, Diane married Gus, whose last name Gary adopted.

When he was just 15, Gary travelled south to help in the U.S. civil rights movement. He came back home with exciting tales for his three fascinated sisters -- with a guitar in hand, and music to share: Woody Guthrie songs, gospel and blues, folk songs and anti-war protest tunes. He never went back to high school. Instead, he learned great lessons on the coffeehouse circuit, particularly in New York City.

Gary was still a teenager when he wondered how he could bring all the great talent he was hearing to his hometown. And so in 1963, he started what became a series of Montreal coffeehouse-clubs -- the Fifth Amendment, the Penelope, the New Penelope -- featuring the famous and the emerging-famous from the worlds of blues, folk and rock: among them, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, James Cotton, Frank Zappa and Dave Van Ronk, who one night included Both Sides Now in his set. Gary told me: "Next month, the songwriter, Joni Mitchell, will be appearing here; I think she's going to be a great star." He was right about that with so many others, too, who played his clubs before they hit the big time: Gordon Lightfoot, Kate and Anna McGarrigle (then part of the Mountain City Four), Jesse Winchester, Ian and Sylvia. He brought some of them home for Shabbat dinners or billeted them overnight, much to the delight of me and my teenaged friends.

With his elegant girlfriend, Melinda, at his side, in his granny-glasses and long hair, Gary was the epitome of cool in those days. But people who knew him now mainly recall his sense of humour and his generosity: all musicians got in free and there was usually a job and a couple of bucks for his unemployed friends.

Gary's forte was never the business end, so when the music world grew more complex and commercialized, he moved on. Later, he recalled the kindness of some musicians; after he locked up the New Penelope on its final night in late 1968, he turned around to find blues great Paul Butterfield waiting to walk him home.

When Gary and Melinda split up, he visited California and then Hawaii, where he learned to sail and met Susie, who became his wife and mother of his only child, Riva. Gary tried to make a go of fatherhood, near her family in Indiana, but he couldn't abide life there and headed back to northern California, asking Susie and Riva to join him (they never did). He settled in the mountains near the Lost Coast.

Over the last 16 years, with his partner, Elizabeth, he homesteaded a patch of land and then bought more acreage nearby to save his beloved redwoods from the lumber corporations. Gary's passion for music transformed into one for the environment.

Gary's health had started to deteriorate a few years ago, but his death still hit us hard. He wished to be buried on his land but, when state law forbade that, Elizabeth asked us to bring him back to Montreal. At his funeral, family and friends -- including some of the musicians who had played in his clubs -- honoured him: besides the traditional Hebrew prayers, my daughter played some fiddle tunes and accompanied us on guitar while we sang The Circle Game. We buried him on Mount Royal, far from his California mountain, but in the city that he had once loved and endowed with a musical legacy.

Harriet is one of Gary's three sisters.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Mark Ross
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 11:24 AM

Dear Stuck in the '60's, I worked the Wha and other basket houses about the same time. If you join we can PM each other. Love to hear from you.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Beer
Date: 02 Dec 07 - 09:45 PM

Sign up and be a member. You'll enjoy most of it and make friends. It's a great site.
Beer (adrien)

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,stuck in the 6-'s
Date: 02 Dec 07 - 09:26 PM

Now that I had a chance to read so many other posts, my memories don't fit the folk category, but since searching for Cat Mother brought me to this site, I thought I'd post a comment.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,stuck in the 60's
Date: 02 Dec 07 - 08:47 PM

I just found this site. It brought back some memories. I was a waitress in the Cafe' Wha in the late 60's. Jimmy James and the Blue Flames just finished playing there. The house band was the Raves. We had Catmother, Kangaroo (John Hall w/Orleans and ND Smart w/Mountain), Night People (Bob Mason drummer), Hello People, Banchee, Cherry People (a lot of "People" groups), Ramones, gosh, so many of todays musicians played there. What a time to live in the Village.

The owner of the Wha, was Manny Roth, David Lee Roth's uncle.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Dec 07 - 07:08 PM

Gary Eisenkraft died of a heart attack two or three years ago. He was in his late-50s.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Duke
Date: 02 Dec 07 - 10:17 AM

Balladeer: Gary Eisenkraft hung out with Elise(not sure of the spelling) Weinberg in Toronto for a while. I met him there. I did not know him all that well as I was a friend of Elise's and spent a lot of time with her. Haven't heard of him in years, or Elise either for that matter. Last I heard of her she was living in LA and had changed her name to Corrie Bishop.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,folkmusicgirl
Date: 02 Dec 07 - 01:47 AM

When I was visiting UK in the 70's I bought a record album at a folk music shop by a British folk singer, DEENA WEBSTER. LP was released in the late 1960's. Have tried doing an online search for her name and she also released a few 45's in the 60's. I don't think she ever went on to release any other albums and no one seems to know what became of her. She had a very good voice and played guitar.

Another great Irish folk singer by the name of ANNE BYRNE released some LPs during the 1960's and she sounded very much like Joan Baez. She seems to have entirely disappeared from the Irish music scene and even after contacting some Irish sites, no one knows anything about her. She had an incredible crystal clear soprano voice and a voice similiar to Baez but perhaps not quite as strong as Joan's voice in those days. Anne sang traditional and Irish songs and played guitar.

When I was a very young teenager living in Los Angeles I knew a folk singer guy by the name of MARTY OWENS. He used to play this incredible Martin guitar and had a great voice. He was very young, about 17 or 18 years old but was singing Dylan songs and had this really beautiful voice. He played at some small coffeehouses in L.A. at that time. Last I heard (many years ago now)he was living in North Carolina somewhere but I am not in contact with him at all. Don't know what city he lives in or if he is still involved with music. He even looked like Dylan when he was 17 years old.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: balladeer
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 08:28 PM

Thanks Mike. Gary Eisenkraft is a familiar name.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Beer
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 04:58 PM

Here are a couple of chaps that sang in the late 60's early 70ties around the Montreal area.
Perte Van Leeuwen and Terry Sullivan

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: mike gouthro
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 03:28 PM

Ah yes...it's probably The Fifth Amendment on Clark St - Gary Eisenkraft's first club - open from 1963 to early 1965 - up a long flight of stairs to a long narrow room on the second floor.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: balladeer
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 11:54 PM

No, Mike. Was there a Fourth Dimension in Montreal at one time?

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: mike gouthro
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 11:49 PM

Was it Le Potpourri or The Seven Steps or the Finjan?

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: balladeer
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 10:40 PM

For a few years around about 1962, there was a circuit of sorts that included The Fifth Peg in Toronto, Le Hibou in Ottawa, and ... what was the name of the Montreal club that completed the circuit?

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 25 Nov 07 - 12:59 PM

Beer: Yes. Patrick Sky & Pete Seeger on YouTube..

Reminds me of my old Tai Chi Master friend, Mr. Lee(Yang Style). Whenever you'd ask him how he felt, he'd always answer: "Young!"...

bob

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Beer
Date: 25 Nov 07 - 11:18 AM

Hay Bob, type in Patrick Sky.
Beer (adrien)

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 25 Nov 07 - 10:48 AM

And on a quiet, Sunday morn, on the outskirts of winter:

If you go to YouTube, and type in Paul Geremia, you can see a film called "The Rainbow Maker"...for which he did the music. The film is about Fire Departments around the world
who have gone to various locations to make rainbows by shooting water into the sky...

bob

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Art Thieme
Date: 24 Nov 07 - 10:55 PM

Ah, good people, alas, as I'm fond of saying: "If it wasn't for time, we'd have to do everything all at once."

Art

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Beer
Date: 24 Nov 07 - 10:13 PM

This is one great thread. In fact the makings of a great book. I find all who have contributed have slowly put a generation of great stories in reference to music as to what it was like. Some of which I can relate to when someone mentions areas I have visited.
Beer (adrien)

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Cool Beans
Date: 24 Nov 07 - 10:24 AM

In the early 70s one of the radio stations in Providence experimented with Ken Lyon doing singing editorials--an idea that seems radical even today. Ken wrote some interesting songs for his editorails, but the gig didn't last long. I might have been thinking of the Rubicon instead of the Mouthpiece when I mentionid Thayer Street. It's been a while.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 23 Nov 07 - 09:32 PM

The Mouthpiece. Providence, Rhode Isand.Thayer, maybe. Too many years gone by to remember. An L-shaped room. Strange to play, since one audience was in one part of the L, which couldn't be seen by the other. sometimes material would go over on one side, and you'd get a different reaction on the other. Weird. Ken Lyon would play there, with me in the front row watching. I'd only begun to play at this time, so it was like a school to me. He'd do "Stewball", "Thunderbird Lullaby Means Everybody." "House of the Rising Sun", and other classic stuff...The place was kind of a link to the Boston scene. This is when I met Roy Book Binder, Bill Staines, Bill Madison, Chris Smither, Paul Geremia, and others.
I was with Roy in his apartment one night taping old records, about 8 hours worth on my reel to reel. Both he and Paul were into the real deal, like Pink Anderson, Son House, Blind Willie McTell, etc. The list is long.
This led to trips to "The Sword in the Stone" in Boston. The Newport Festival was a big thing, but somehow I never went. Everything was revolving around school, learning to play, and the Folk Clubs. This was the time when I saw Tom Rush. "Panama Limited", "No Regrets", etc. My college friends included people like Ron McLarty("The Memory of Running," "Traveller," "Sex in the City", "Spencer for Hire," etc.
Vietnam was hanging over our heads.(The time when Phil Ochs, Dylan, Country Joe and the Fish, Richard and Mimi Farina, Bruce Murdoch, spoke real loud to a whole lot of people...) You're taking final exams and the letters would be coming home, "Mom send me my shotgun, the gun they gave me doesn't work..." Flunking out meant in three weeks you'd be in Saigon...That Marine Sergeant. a huge black man, getting the boys ready for induction. "Now some of you come in here wearing panties and shit like that, well let me tell you sumthin', we gonna give you a test, and iffin' you don't pass, we gonna make you take it again..." All of that, of course, means nothing. (R.I.P.J.F.K.) Because we've come such a long way in 40 years...Oh fnerk, I forgot! We're STILL in some war somewhere...My mistake...(May God Bless your soul, my high school friend, Lee Menconi, shot in the back by a sniper...)
Sorry 'catters. I can't forget...(stream of conciousness writing right now...)
Back to music...
It makes you wonder how all of that was a moment in time, where just the right blend of personalities, music, and passion all came together.
And when you look at what's around you today, the Rap & Hip-Hop and all of that. I feel blessed to have be given the opportunity to have passed through that time...

bob

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 23 Nov 07 - 08:49 AM

667. Only did it to bet rid of the devil's number

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Cool Beans
Date: 23 Nov 07 - 08:38 AM

Wow. I remember The Mouthpiece form my Providence days. It was on Thayer Street, right? Had a big painting of a mouth somewhere on the entrance. Ken Lyon is name I haven't heard for 30 years. 'nother Rhode Island folkster was Jay Bolotin. Don't know where he is. There was also the Mediator coffeehouse at the Church of the Mediator. And one at the Community Church, which may have been a new name for hte Mediator. My band, the Roughstone Ramblers, played there. Great venue. Providence had a wonderful folk scne.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 10:11 PM

bobad: The Ark? Not sure. All I remember was that it was one of the darkest places I've been in...bob

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: bobad
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 09:42 PM

Bob, could the name of the place have been "The Ark" or am I confusing it with another venue?

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 09:18 PM

bobad: The kirta. Crackles when you open it. About 3 feet wide. Embroidery at the neck. Not an object worthy of the Vatican Art Collection. But somehow, I could never throw mine away either. And, I bet if it underwent a lab test, some of that starch would still be in there...And, if you just LOOK at it, you begin to sing some Donovan, "Sunshine came softly, through my windoww..."(Sunshine Superman)

bob

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 09:07 PM

WHAT was the name of that place. I THINK it began with an "A"...
bob

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: bobad
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 09:06 PM

"I bought my first "kirta"(Indian Shirt) there. How 60's is THAT? Don't laugh. If you are from the era, either you or your girlfriend had one."

Hell man, I still have mine, it's a bit snug on me but my wife often wears it.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: mike gouthro
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 08:59 PM

I remember St John The Evangelist, with its wonderful red roof. It's on President Kennedy near Place Des Arts. I too vaguely recall that church housing a one day a week coffee house for a brief period although I never attended.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 08:51 PM

bobad: Yes, you got it. When you entered the place, the walls were painted black. The darkest venue I've ever seen. There was a small corridor that went left for about 20 feet that led to a very small room. And as I recall, there were few, if any chairs.
It used to remind me of the beatnik joints/coffeehouses back in Rhode Island near Brown University. Met my first East Indian friend named "Jai" there. He had a small shop that had Sitars in the window, which he let me play. I bought my first "kirta"(Indian Shirt) there. How 60's is THAT? Don't laugh. If you are from the era, either you or your girlfriend had one. See through. My My. The days when you had to say "man" at least once or twice in each sentence. The "Hip" factor... So, it was Hendrix, Man. Not just Hendrix. Jai told me the sleeves were loose so you could roll them up for fighting. One of those paper thin jobs with so much starch in it, you could stand it up in a corner. I asked him," do you guys fight all the time?" Big smile, no answer. Saw J.Geils in one of those clubs.The other was called "The Mouthpiece". Used to watch Ken Lyon there. Both are still going...
Got picked up by a girl while standing on the corner near there. Me and 2 other guys. She takes us around the back streets for about 10 minutes, and we end up in a back alley of the women's dorm. Climb a fire escape. She knocks on a door. It opens. The girl is wearing lingerie. And she has 5 friends. Haven't seen that much underwear since I peeked at the Victoria's Secret Catalogue. (Sort of like saying you never inhaled.) HA. Anyway, the one who picked us up says to Miss Lingerie, "Well, I got them for you."
Apparently, the girls were in need of "companionship". One of them, was walking diagonally back and forth in high heels, wobbling & bobbling to and fro., saying, "we shouldn't be doing this, we shouldn't be doing this."
We ended up just TALKING all night long, drinking beer, and listening to music. Ah, youth!...

bob

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: bobad
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 07:07 PM

Hi Bob, that church venue you mentioned strikes a faint bell, is it that one with a red roof on either President Kennedy or Ontario Street's. I vaguely remember being at a "hootenanny" in a church basement in that area around 1969. It had the tables with checkered tablecloth and candles in Chianti bottle motif if I remember correctly. Unfortunately I don't recall the name of the coffee house but the church may be The Church of St.John the Evangelist. Hopefully somebody's memory will be jogged.

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Mark Ross
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 05:14 PM

I used to hang out with John in the '60's, played the same joints. He went back to Ohio, died there, a couple of years ago I believe.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 05:12 PM

Hi Kids!: Happy Thansgiving(you must have SOMETHING to be thankful for..)
I've been trying to recall the name of a small coffehouse that was in the basement of the Church that's in back of The Bay in Montreal(near The Yellow Door). Circa 1968-70...
The place had it's walls painted black and it's lifespan may have been measured in weeks. I believe it was run by a French singer. Other Montreal names that just popped into my head. Stuart Wooley, Noah Zacharin, Tammy Baylis, Dennis Brown.(may have been mentioned before)
There was another club in Chateauguay that a few people from the Yellow Door used to play, don't remember the name right now...
bob

Subject: RE: Little known '60s Folk Singers
From: Janice in NJ
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 03:54 PM

Does anyone remember John Bassett from Richmond, Virginia? He had a very deep and rich voice, and he sang lots of African-American spirituals and gospel songs.