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31 Jul 02 - 06:44 AM (#757437) Subject: Plain Folk(s)? From: Janice in NJ Does anyone recall a duo from the 1980s called Plain Folk? Or maybe it was Plain Folks? I believe their names were Ivan and Mercy and they were Pennsylvania Dutch. They were not Amish, but they were Pennsylvania Dutch in the more general sense of being descended from old German settlers. He played the autoharp and she played the guitar, and they were both kind of cute and sexy, but in that very rural and wholesome way. (Go ahead, make fun of me!) I believe they toured only in Pennsylvania, and the states such as New Jersey that bordered on Pennsylvania, and that they recorded one or more LPs. Is there anyone else out there on Mudcat who remembers them, or are Plain Folk(s) a product of what my brother Warren likes to call my "constructive memory"? I cannot find anything about them on Google. |
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31 Jul 02 - 12:44 PM (#757592) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: GUEST,Lori The group was called Plain Folk, and the guy's name is Ivan Stiles. You can hear him at festivals, and he is quite a respected authority on the autoharp. He wrote The True Hisory of the Autoharp, an article which corrected wrong assumption about the instrument's origin. I believe the woman was named Marcy, although Mercy might be right. I think she was, and possibly still is, Ivan's wife, but I haven't seen her name listed along with his recently. |
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31 Jul 02 - 04:10 PM (#757687) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: Ebbie Mudcatters' collective knowledge is amazing. |
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31 Jul 02 - 04:19 PM (#757688) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: katlaughing wonderful article, Lori. Thanks! |
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03 Aug 02 - 04:01 PM (#759396) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: Janice in NJ Thanks to all those who contacted me. OK, it was only three people, but thanks just the same. I now know the following: 1. The duo was called Plain Folk and it really existed. 2. Their names were Ivan Stiles and Mercy Van Vlack. Mercy is the woman's correct name, not Marcy. 3. They may have been married, but then again maybe they weren't. In any event, Ivan and Mercy have gone their separate ways. Plain Folk broke up more than 10 years ago. 4. Ivan Stiles still works as a musician, mostly playing, teaching, and demonstrating the autoharp, on which he has become quite the maestro. 5. Mercy Van Vlack now works as a cartoonist and illustrator. Her last appearance as a musician was as a member of the chorus on the Ray Korona Band's Free Harbors CD a few years ago. |
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03 Aug 02 - 04:26 PM (#759403) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: Jerry Rasmussen I have a great old recording with the verse:
"For we're just plain folks, your Mother and me
The song is about an elderly couple who got to visit their son who ran away, became wealthy and was ashamed of his parents and background.. Jerry |
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09 Nov 03 - 01:14 AM (#1050509) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: Janice in NJ A friend in New York City just e-mailed me to say that the Ray Korona band appeared in a benefit last night for the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, and that one of the singers in the band was Mercy Van Vlack. I wish I could have been there! Were any Mudcatters? |
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29 Mar 04 - 11:33 AM (#1149109) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: GUEST,Ivan Stiles Not sure that this is still an active thread, but I'll try. Mercy VanVlack and I were the duo, Plain Folk. Although there is a religious group called Plain Folk, we had no connection to them and the reference was only that we performed plain folk music. Mercy and I were never married as someone purported. My wife's name is Nancy, and we've been married for 34 years. Mercy and I broke up the duo sometime in the '80s when she moved to New York to be with her boyfriend. I went on to performing as a single. I've tried unsuccessfully to contact Mercy and would love to hear from her. Anything else you may want to know about me is at www.ivanstiles.com |
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30 Mar 04 - 03:44 AM (#1149695) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: Rasener Pennsylvania Dutch descended from old German settlers That is a bit confusing. My wife is Dutch and hates any reference to German. They just don't like each other. Something to do with the war. |
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30 Mar 04 - 09:06 AM (#1149939) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: Crane Driver "Dutch" = "Deutsch", or German. Originally, Dutch meant anyone of Germanic origin except the Dutch, who were called Hollanders. Is that any clearer? No, I didn't think so. Ah well. Andrew |
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30 Mar 04 - 09:57 AM (#1149985) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: Rasener The Dutch don't think so. I can understand where you are coming from though. :-) |
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01 Apr 04 - 12:27 PM (#1152078) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: GUEST,Ken Gale Hi, folks, It is with great amusement that I read this thread about Plain Folk. I am the "Yoko Ono" of Plain Folk as she left Pennsylvania in early 1985 to move to New York because of me. We're still together over 19 years later. Mercy performed solo for a couple of years while in the NYC area, but fights within the folk community and being pulled by her other talent as an artist brought her to an illustrator and cartoonist career. Recently, she has started performing regularly as a member and now as the leader of The Raging Grannies (New York City's branch), a group within WILPF (Women's International League for Peace and Freedom). She also sometimes sings with the Ray Korona Band, Three Card Monte and Joel Landy, recently recording a Community Gardens song with Three Card Monte. She also pops up on WBAI-FM every once in a while. She was co-host with me of 'Nuff Said! for it's last 14 months (2001-2002). Her web page is http://www.comicbookradioshow.com/mercy. Thanks, Ken Ken Gale http://www.comicbookradioshow.com/kenhome |
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01 Apr 04 - 02:21 PM (#1152147) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: open mike woo hoo another fact-filled adventure on the mudcat express! raging grannies, indeed! sounds good! |
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01 Apr 04 - 03:42 PM (#1152212) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: open mike links blickified: Ivan Stiles Ray Korona Band Mercy's page Ken's page Raging Grannies this excerpt from a web page about raging grannies: "Are you a woman concerned about the future of the world? Do you think we are leaving a mess behind us for our grandchildren? I bet you thought there wasn't much you could do about it. But now there is. Join a Raging Grannie Gaggle.... The Raging Grannies are women who have had enough of wars, oppression, injustice, racism, sexism, environmental destruction, multinational corporate control, eroding civil liberties, violence against women and children, poverty, etc.... With new words set to familiar tunes, Raging Grannies sing at peace rallies, in the halls of power, schools, shelters, malls, on street corners…wherever women's voices need to be heard. Our raging is done with humor, attention getting outfits and outrageous creativity.... If you are a woman concerned about what kind of world we are creating for our grandchildren, please join us. Don't worry if you're not a singer, there are no tryouts, all are welcome. We do ask you to wear a hat, big, silly, flamboyant hats are encouraged, but not required.... Women's International League for Peace and Freedom |
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01 Apr 04 - 05:21 PM (#1152286) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: open mike Mercy's link above is not correct, but you can get there thru Ken's. I think it might just need a suffix (.html?) here is a a comic book link that came up when searcing her. |
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18 Jan 06 - 01:58 PM (#1651028) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: GUEST,Amira Barzani I heard that the Raging Grannies were on trial in New York City recently for disorderly conduct because they descended on a US Army recruiting station en masse and tried to enlist. Does anyone know how the trial turned out? I can just imagine some gray haired grandmothers doing time in the Women's House of Detention while their fellow (?) inmates ask "Whatchyall in here fo'?" Mercy, were you one of the culprits? |
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02 Sep 06 - 11:45 AM (#1825395) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: GUEST,Mercy Van Vlack Hello Mudcats! To reply to Amira, I was not arrested with the NYC Raging Grannies, But I suggested and made cookies - Granny sorta thang to do - and went to a lot of their court appearances - 6 days! - and sang our Granny songs against the war. They got a LOT of coverage in the papers in NYC and the world at the insanity of arresting Grannies for protesting at the Recruiting Office. "It's like arresting Santa Claus!" They were in jail for 3-4 hours and they took away Corinne's water and all their phones and stuff so they were very hungry, but I had sent my hubby Ken with oatmeal cookies which they were VERY glad to get! It's neato that you are still talking about our little group, just plain folks! Really, "Plain Folk". We are not PA Dutch, I was raised a Quaker. It was a lot of fun and I loved Ivan playing the Autoharp and sometimes I played autoharp with him, but mostly I got to sing some great songs with my 3 7/8 octave range! - Mercy mercy@comicbookradioshow.com http://www.comicbookradioshow.com/mercy/ |
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02 Sep 06 - 09:50 PM (#1825700) Subject: RE: Plain Folk(s)? From: InOBU Well, how can I pass this up, as a plain Quaker folksinger, and pal of Joel Landy... feel free to contact me, Mercy and Ivan, if you both wish a clearness committee in order to hear from each other! =) Lorcan Otway |