Dave Van Ronk Sings Ballads, Blues & A Spiritual

Folkways Records – FS 3818

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: United States
Released: 1959, 2019
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Blues, Folk, & Spirituals
[Tracklist]
A1 Duncan and Brady (03:02)
A2 Black Mountain Blues (04:02)
A3 In the Pines (03:08)
A4 My Baby's So Sweet (02:35)
A5 Oh, What a Beautiful City (Twelve Gates to the City) (03:15)
A6 Winin' Boy (02:38)
A7 If You Leave Me Pretty Momma (03:09)
B1 Backwater Blues (03:04)
B2 Careless Love (02:59)
B3 Betty and Dupree (03:37)
B4 K.C. Moan (03:04)
B5 Gambler's Blues (02:30)
B6 John Henry (02:28)
B7 How Long (03:56)
[Credits]
Dave Van Ronk (guitar/vocals)
Recorder and Editor: Kenneth S. Goldstein, Photographer: David Gahr, Designer: Craig Mierop
[Notes]
Dubbed "The Mayor of MacDougal Street," Dave Van Ronk (1936–2002) was an iconoclastic folksinger and an influential figure in the American folk music revival of the 1960s. Because of his interest in African American folk music and blues, and his gift (or curse) of a gravelly baritone voice, Van Ronk was often criticized for his approach to his musical repertoire. His rejoinder was that he reserved the right to sing songs in the style that he deemed to be "the right way." This 1959 Folkways recording, his first on any label, is a collection of 19th- and early 20th-century traditional folk and blues songs that persuasively illustrates his stance. The vinyl reissue includes a liner notes booklet with the song lyrics and is part of the Smithsonian Folkways Vinyl Reissue Series, revisiting some of the most iconic and influential albums released on the record label.

Fast Folk Musical Magazine Volume 6 Number 3

The Tenth Anniversary-Live at the Bottom Line 1992

Fast Folk Musical Magazine - FF 603

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: United States
Released: 1992
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Home for the Holidays / The Boats Are Rolling Out (06:29)
02 Guinnevere (05:53)
03 Record Time (03:17)
04 Marie (03:40)
05 The Blue Whale (03:37)
06 Fisherman (03:32)
07 Before the Country Moved to Town (04:00)
08 Shining Brow (04:09)
09 Blood Sings (03:24)
10 Man on a Ledge (06:33)
11 The Child (04:42)
12 I've Got Nothing to Hide (03:57)
13 In the Mirror (03:50)
14 Back in the Depression (03:13)
15 Are You Happy Now? (04:22)
16 The Last Time (04:12)
17 The Garden State Stomp (02:55)
18 Rise from the Ruins (03:27)
[Credits]
Producer: Richard A. Meyer, Liner Notes: Jack Hardy, Recorder: David Van Der Hayden
[Notes]
The tenth anniversary edition of Fast Folk Musical Magazine resulted in 2 CDs of music recorded at the Bottom Line in Greenwich Village. The CDs were released separat"ly. Fast Folk Musical Magazine founder and editor jack Hardy opens this CD with two songs ("Home for the Holidays" and "The Boats Are Rolling Out”). Along the way Lucy Kaplansky sings Robin Batteau's "Guinnevere," Rod McDonald sings of a "Man on the Ledge," The Roches contribute "I've Got Nothing to Hide," and Dave Van Ronk provides a musical roadmap of New Jersey ("The Garden State Stomp"). Richard Julian and ensemble close with a countrified "Rise from the Ruins." A facsimile of the magazine is included.

Dave Van Ronk …and the tin pan bended and story ended…

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW CD 40156

Format: CD, Album
Country: United States
Released: 2004
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Down South Blues (04:20)
02 Dave speaks (07:35)
03 You've Been a Good Old Wagon (02:04)
04 Dave speaks (02:28)
05 Don't You Leave Me Here (03:19)
06 Dave speaks (01:53)
07 Did You Hear John Hurt? (02:34)
08 Dave speaks (05:21)
09 Green, Green Rocky Road (03:42)
10 Dave speaks (00:28)
11 Jelly Jelly (02:49)
12 Nobody Know You When You're Down and Out (03:58)
13 Dave speaks (04:41)
14 One Meat Ball (01:56)
15 Buckets of Rain (04:01)
16 Dave speaks (01:31)
17 Sometime (Whatcha Gonna Do) (02:37)
18 Sportin' Life Blues (04:07)
19 Dave speaks (03:29)
20 Ace in the Hole (04:17)
21 Dave speaks (02:57)
22 St. James Infirmary (03:50)
23 Thank You (00:21)
24 Urge for Going (04:29)
[Credits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Andrea Vuocolo, Producer: Chrsitine Levin, Liner Notes: David Eisner, Tom Paxton and Elijah Wald, Designer: Sonya Cohen Cramer, Engineer: Philip Clum
[Notes]
For a performer who never dreamt of being a "folksinger," Dave Van Ronk left a deep mark on the entire folksong revival. His jazz-trained voice, masterful guitar technique, and sharp wit endeared him to audiences everywhere; his generosity of spirit earned him friendship with artists such as Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Mississippi John Hurt, and Christine Lavin. This October 2001 recording of his last concert features the incomparable "Mayor of MacDougal Street" at his lively best.

The Unfortunate Rake: Edited by Kenneth S. Goldstein

Folkways Records – FS 3805

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1960
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A01 The Unfortunate Rake: A. L. Lloyd and Alf Edwards (2:59)
A02 The Trooper Cut Down in His Prime: Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger (4:30)
A03 The Young Sailor Cut Down in His Prime: Harry Cox (1:57)
A04 Noo I'm a Young Man Cut Down in My Prime: Willie Mathieson (2:17)
A05 The Bad Girl's Lament: Wade Hemsworth (2:49)
A06 One Morning in May: Hally Wood (2:36)
A07 Bright Summer Morning: Viola Penn (2:24)
A08 The Girl in the Dilger Case: D. K. Wilgus (1:08)
A09 The Cowboy's Lament: Bruce Buckley (2:39)
A10 Streets of Laredo: Harry Jackson (4:59)
B01 St. James Hospital: Alan Lomax (3:33)
B02 Gambler's Blues: Dave Van Ronk (2:44)
B03 I Once Was a Carman in the Big Mountain Con: Guthrie T. "Gus" Meade (1:12)
B04 The Lineman's Hymn: Rosalie Sorrels (1:49)
B05 The Wild Lumberjack: Kenneth S. Goldstein (1:51)
B06 A Sun Valley Song: Jan Brunvand and Ellen Stekert (1:28)
B07 The Ballad of Bloody Thursday: John Greenway (3:44)
B08 Streets of Hamtramck: Bill Friedland, Mark Newman, and Morris Howarth (2:23)
B09 The Ballad of Sherman Wu: Pete Seeger (2:07)
B10 The Professor's Lament: Roger Abrahams (3:25)
[Credits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Kenneth S. Goldstein, Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
The story is basically this: a soldier is dying, evidently of venereal disease he contracted from a young woman, and he requests a funeral. Hear how this story has been spun over centuries into a whole collection of similarly themed songs, the earliest possibly dating to 1790. In this recording we are essentially witnessing the evolution of the Anglo-Saxon ballad tradition.

Classic African-American Ballads from Smithsonian Folkways

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40191

Series: Smithsonian Folkways Classic Series
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2006
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Mouse on the Hill (Froggie Went a-Courting): Warner Williams with Jay Summerour (3:44)
02 Casey Jones: K.C. Douglas (1:23)
, 03 John Hardy: Lead Belly (2:43)
04 Railroad Bill: John Jackson (3:33)
05 Stewball: Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon (3:33)
06 John Henry: Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (4:04)
07 St. James Infirmary: Snooks Eaglin (2:20)
08 Staggerlee (Stackolee): John Cephas and Phil Wiggins (5:03)
09 Lost John: Convict Group, Ramsey and Retrieve State Farms (4:54)
10 Betty and Dupree: Josh White (3:45)
11 Old Riley / Here, Rattler, Here: Lead Belly (1:58)
12 The Race of the Jim Lee and Katy Adam: Jazz Gillum, Memphis Slim (2:27)
13 The Titanic: Pink Anderson (2:49)
14 Frankie and Johnny: Big Bill Broonzy (2:07)
15 White House Blues: Earl Taylor and the Stoney Mountain Boys (1:59)
16 Louis Collins: John Jackson (3:18)
17 Bad Lee Brown (Late One Night): Woody Guthrie (2:14)
18 Luke and Mullen: Horace Sprott (2:25)
19 Duncan and Brady: Dave Van Ronk (3:00)
20 Gallis Pole (The Maid Freed from the Gallows): Lead Belly (2:45)
21 Boll Weevil: Pink Anderson (3:04)
22 Delia's Gone: Josh White Jr. (3:45)
[Crtedits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Barry Lee Pearson, Designer: Joe Parisi, Engineer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
Classic African-American Ballads is a sampling of an important, historic, and engaging slice of America's Black music heritage. The heyday of the Black ballad tradition (1890-1920) left a lasting strain of creativity and a monument to African American life of the time. Ranging from songs created from the heritage of the English ballad, to social commentary vilifying abusive white authority figures, to "blues ballads," this album reminds us of the enormity and constant evolution of African American musical tradition. 36-page booklet. 22 tracks. 67 minutes.

Smithsonian Folkways American Roots Collection

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40062

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1996
Genre: Jazz, Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Gospel, Bluegrass, Cajun, Folk, Country
[Tracklist]
01 Penitentary Blues: Lightnin' Hopkins (2:56)
02 Sweet Old Chicago: Roosevelt Sykes (2:58)
03 Blue Moon of Kentucky: Bill Monroe (2:02)
04 If I Had a Hammer (Hammer Song): Pete Seeger (2:13)
05 Lafayette: Lucinda Williams (3:45)
06 Bosco Stomp: Nonc Allie Young, Bessyl Duhon, and Rodney Balfa (3:04)
07 Better Day: Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (3:04)
08 Long Road to Travel: Lonnie Johnson (2:22)
09 The Cuckoo Bird (The Coo-Coo Bird): Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley (2:35)
10 Pretty Saro: Doug and Jack Wallin (2:32)
11 Freight Train: Elizabeth Cotten (2:46)
12 Old Joe Bone: The New Lost City Ramblers (2:00)
13 Have a Feast Here Tonight: Bill Monroe and Doc Watson (2:24)
14 Freedom Road: Josh White (2:21)
15 This Land is Your Land: Woody Guthrie (2:19)
16 Two Good Men (Sacco and Vanzetti): Woody Guthrie (3:49)
17 Black Girl (In the Pines): Lead Belly (2:10)
18 Irene (Goodnight Irene): Lead Belly (2:18)
19 Somebody's Been Fooling #1: Big Joe Williams (2:52)
20 Hesitation Blues: Dave Van Ronk (2:34)
21 I'm Gonna Be an Engineer: Peggy Seeger (4:31)
22 Delgadina: Mercedez López (2:16)
23 I Was Standing by the Bedside of a Neighbor: Michele Lanchester and Sweet Honey (3:22)
24 Virgo: Mary Lou Williams (2:29)
25 Syl-O-Gism: Mary Lou Williams (3:31)
26 We Shall Overcome: The Freedom Singers, Dorothy Cotton, and Pete Seeger (2:42)
[Credits]
Compiler & Producer: Anthony Seeger & Amy Horowitz, Designer: Visual Dialogue, Engineer: David Glasser & Lea Anne Sonenstein
[Notes]
Twenty-six tracks from outstanding Smithsonian Folkways recordings present a panorama of American Roots music. Blues, Bluegrass, ballads, topical songs, and jazz are performed by master musicians. If you have never heard of Smithsonian Folkways or Folkways before, this collection will take you on a trip through American Music; if you have heard some already, you will still be delighted by the breadth and variety of this collection.

Dave Van Ronk Sings

Folkways Records – FA 2383

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1961
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country Blues, Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Bed Bug Blues (2:46)
A2 Yas-Yas-Yas (2:09)
A3 Please See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (2:56)
A4 Tell Old Bill (4:24)
A5 Georgie And The IRT (3:35)
A6 Hesitation Blues (2:36)
A7 Hootchy Kootchy Man (3:15)
A8 Sweet Substitute (2:36)
B1 Dink's Song (3:46)
B2 River Come Down (3:47)
B3 Just A Closer Walk With Thee (3:04)
B4 Come Back Baby (3:55)
B5 Spike Driver's Moan (3:17)
B6 Standing By My Window (5:00)
B7 Willie The Weeper (3:01)
[Credits]
Dave Van Ronk (guitar/vocals)
Artwork: R. Von Schmidt, Liner Notes: Eric Von Schmidt
[Notes]
Born in Brooklyn in 1936, Dave Van Ronk was Bob Dylan's "first New York guru," writes Dylan's biographer Robert Shelton. "Dave Van Ronk was the musical mayor of MacDougal Street," Shelton continues, "and...a walking museum of the blues." This album features fifteen songs, including a parody of "Nearer My God to Thee": "Georgie and the IRT.

Dave Van Ronk: Down in Washington Square

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW CD 40213

Format: 3 x CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: Oct 29, 2013
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country Blues, Folk
[Tracklist]
1-01 Duncan and Brady (3:06)
1-02 River Come Down (Bamboo) (3:48)
1-03 Spike Driver Blues (3:15)
1-04 John Henry (2:29)
1-05 Backwater Blues (3:04)
1-06 K.C. Moan (3:03)
1-07 Haul on the Bowline (1:21)
1-08 Just a Closer Walk with Thee (3:03)
1-09 Gambler's Blues (2:46)
1-10 Sweet Substitute (2:34)
1-11 Bed Bug Blues (2:48)
1-12 Winin' Boy (2:40)
1-13 Georgie and the IRT (3:33)
1-14 Betty and Dupree (3:38)
1-15 Come Back, Baby (3:55)
1-16 My Baby's So Sweet (2:36)
1-17 Black Mountain Blues (4:04)
1-18 Yas-Yas-Yas (2:06)
2-01 Willie the Weeper (2:51)
2-02 Dink's Song (3:46)
2-03 Santy Anno (1:46)
2-04 Leave Her, Johnny (1:31)
2-05 Tell Old Bill (4:30)
2-06 Careless Love (2:58)
2-07 Standing by My Window (4:58)
2-08 Please See My Grave Is Kept Clean (2:58)
2-09 Had More Money (3:09)
2-10 If You Leave Me, Pretty Mama (3:09)
2-11 Hesitation Blues (2:35)
2-12 In the Pines (3:09)
2-13 Oh, What a Beautiful City (3:16)
2-14 Mean Old Frisco (2:57)
2-15 Stackalee (2:46)
2-16 How Long (3:52)
2-17 Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down (4:53)
2-18 House of the Rising Sun (6:10)
3-01 Hootchie Kootchie Man (3:15)
3-02 Reckless Blues (2:31)
3-03 Trouble in Mind (2:26)
3-04 Oh Lord, Search My Heart (3:57)
3-05 God Bless the Child (3:18)
3-06 Losers (3:18)
3-07 Another Time and Place (4:30)
3-08 Garden State Stomp (2:52)
3-09 Motherless Children (3:13)
3-10 Don't You Leave Me Here (I'm Alabama Bound) (4:43)
3-11 Spike Driver Blues (6:50)
3-12 Down South Blues (5:12)
3-13 St. James Infirmary (Gambler’s Blues) (4:26)
3-14 Ace in the Hole (4:23)
3-15 Going Down Slow (3:29)
3-16 Buckets of Rain (3:55)
3-17 Jelly Jelly (3:03)
3-18 Sometime (Whatcha Gonna Do) (2:37)
[Credits]
Dave Van Ronk (guitar/vocals)
Photographer: Craig Mierop, Designer: Jackson Foster, Engineer: Pete Reiniger, Compiler: Jeff Place
[Notes]
Called "The Mayor of MacDougal Street," Dave Van Ronk (1936-2002) was a leading figure in the Greenwich Village music scene for more than four decades. He epitomized the urban "folksinger"— apprenticing through immersion in the music revival's New York City epicenter of Washington Square Park. Drawing from and developing a wide repertoire of songs, guitar techniques, and performing skills, he mentored younger musicians and songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Jack Hardy, Suzanne Vega, Christine Lavin, and many others. Down in Washington Square includes 16 never-before-released recordings coupled with tracks from the Smithsonian Folkways archive, spanning early live recordings made in 1958 (one year before his first Folkways album) to his final studio recordings in 2001, just months before his death. It paints a musical mosaic of Van Ronk's artistry and expands his legacy, keeping alive the genius of a legendary performer who inspired audiences, musicians, and a major motion picture — Inside Llewyn Davis, written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Three CD box set, 54 tracks, nearly three hours of music, 40-page booklet with extensive notes.

The Harry Smith Connection: A Live Tribute to the Anthology of American Folk Music

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW 40085

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1998
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Gospel, Blues, Cajun, Country, & Jug
[Tracklist]
01 East Virginia Blues: Roger McGuinn, Jeff Tweedy, and Jay Bennett (2:45)
02 I'm on the Battlefield for My Lord: Ethel Caffie-Austin (2:36)
03 John Henry: John Jackson (3:21)
04 A Lazy Farmer Boy: Greg Hooven String Band (3:17)
05 Old Dog Blue: Lonnie Pitchford (3:03)
06 Home Sweet Home: The New Lost City Ramblers (3:13)
07 The Butcher Boy: Ginny Hawker and Tracy Schwarz (4:12)
08 John the Revelator: Ethel Caffie-Austin (2:36)
09 His Tapes Roll On: Peter Stampfel (4:43)
10 Minglewood Blues: John Sebastian and the J Band with Geoff Muldaur (3:42)
11 The Coo Coo Bird: Ella Jenkins (2:49)
12 Frankie and Johnny: John Jackson (2:51)
13 Sugar Baby: Roger McGuinn, Jeff Tweedy, and Jay Bennett (2:59)
14 Le Vieux Soulard et sa Femme (bon vieux mari): Balfa Toujours (2:37)
15 Spike Driver Blues: Dave Van Ronk (4:25)
16 Darling Corey: Greg Hooven String Band (2:31)
17 The Coo Coo Bird: Toshi Reagon (3:29)
18 James Alley Blues: Roger McGuinn, Jeff Tweedy, and Jay Bennett (3:23)
19 Nothing: The Fugs (3:01)
[Credits]
Recorder & Producer: Pete Reiniger, Producer & Liner Notes: Robert Santelli and Jeff Place
[Notes]
Powerful new interpretations of Southern musical traditions, recorded live in October, 1997, at the Barns of Wolf Trap. These contemporary versions of songs that either appeared on the Grammy-Award winning Anthology of American Folk Music or are associated with its compiler, Harry Smith (tracks 9 and 19), are a wild mix of styles from "gangsta folk" to gospel, blues, Cajun, country rock, jug band, and more. A stellar group of musicians pays tribute to the past and dramatically demonstrates the enduring vitality of America’s traditional music. Extensive notes, discographies, and photographs. Produced by Pete Reiniger, Jeff Place and Bob Santelli, and annotated by Jeff Place and Bob Santelli.

Classic Folk Music from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40110

Format: CD, Album, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2004
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Pastures Of Plenty: Woody Guthrie (2:25)
02 We Shall Overcome: Pete Seeger (4:39)
03 Rock Island Line: Lead Belly (2:02)
04 No More Auction Block: Paul Robeson (2:09)
05 Deportees (Plane Wreck At Los Gatos): Barbara Dane (5:44)
06 John Henry: Doc Watson (3:41)
07 John Hardy: Mike Seeger (2:40)
08 Betty And Dupree: Brownie McGhee (3:58)
09 Gallis Pole: Fred Gerlach (3:43)
10 Polly Von: Paul Clayton (3:09)
11 Butcher Boy: Peggy Seeger (2:17)
12 Duncan And Brady: Dave Van Ronk (3:00)
13 Railroad Bill: Hobart Smith (2:35)
14 Wayfaring Stranger: Burl Ives (1:12)
15 Big Rock Candy Mountain: Haywire Mac (2:06)
16 Born 100,000 Years Ago: Cisco Houston (1:07)
17 Sugar Babe, It’s All Over: Mark Spoelstra (1:58)
18 Changes: Phil Ochs (4:16)
19 Black And White: Earl Robinson (2:56)
20 Most Fair Beauty Bright: Jean Ritchie (2:17)
21 Cielito Lindo: Pete Seeger (2:31)
22 Tom Dooley: The New Lost City Ramblers (2:52)
23 Freight Train: Elizabeth Cotten (2:43)
24 Down On Me: Mary Pickney And Janie Hunter (3:02)
25 This Train (Bound For Glory): Big Bill Broonzy (2:58)
[Credits]
Compiled and Liner Notes: Jeff Place, Designer: Communication Visual, Photographers: Diana Davies, Galen Lawson and David Gahr, Engneer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
We often take for granted the supremacy of artists such as Doc Watson, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee, and other folk music legends. Classic Folk sheds new light on the success of the urban intellectual-driven movement that made rural white and African-American artists and their music favorites of audiences everywhere. This recording features classic performances by classic artists doing some of their classic songs during the great folksong revival of the 1940s through 1960s. It features some of the great performances from the vaults of Folkways Records. (Compiled and annotated by Jeff Place)

The Philadelphia Folk Festival 1977

Flying Fish FF-064

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: United States
Released: 1978
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Scots Piping: Bruce Martin (0:42)
A2 Did You Hear John Hurt?: Tom Paxton (3:34)
A3 Jerusalem Ridge: Norman Blake (2:37)
A4 Lady Isabel And The Elf King: Michael Cooney (4:51)
A5 Irish Dance Medley: The Boys Of Ballisodaire / The Longford Collector: De Danann (3:54)
A6 Then Came The Children: Kate Wolf (3:41)
A7 Step It Up And Go: John Jackson (2:36)
A8 I Gotta Be Me: Odetta (2:15)
B1 Green, Green Rocky Road: Dave Van Ronk (5:27)
B2 All For Me Grog: Lou Killen (3:08)
B3 Wild Goose Chase: Roger Sprung, Hal Wylie & The Progressive Bluegrassers (4:04)
B4 A Little Piece Of Wang: Debbie McClatchy (2:01)
B5 The Glory Of Love: Lew London Trio (4:15)
B6 Dance All Night: Highwood String Band & The Green Grass Cloggers (4:20)
[Notes]
Recorded at the Old Poole Farm, Upper Salford, Pa., August 16, 27, 28, 1977