Music Lovers & Songwriters:
David Van Ronk (1936–2002) was an American folk singer and important figure in the 60s folk
revival in New York’s Greenwich Village in the 1960s. River Come Down (or Bamboo) was first
released on the album Van Ronk Sings in 1961.
Van Ronk was a widely admired figure in the Village, presiding over the coffeehouse folk culture.
He befriended the Washington Square crowd: Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Phil Ochs,
Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and Joni Mitchell. Dylan recorded Van Ronk's "House of the Rising Sun" on
his first album, which the Animals turned into a chart-topping rock single in 1964, helping
inaugurate the folk-rock movement. Van Ronk's work ranged from old English ballads to blues,
gospel, rock, New Orleans jazz, and swing and ragtime guitar.
I saw Van Ronk in college, while sitting on the gym floor. His manner was rough and testy,
disguising a warm, sensitive core. He mesmerized me… I seemed unable to take my eyes off
him! He’d get into brash wailing, grunting, and a whole host of other guttural sounds or gravel,
all to add emphasis and grit. He got my attention!
This recording of me and my Martin, totally different from Van Ronk’s delivery, took place at an
Armadillo Day Festival near Reading, Pa… when I wore a younger man’s clothes.
To listen, click URL below:
http://rattlesnakehill.org/Web_Music/edsmusic.html
I hope you enjoy it!
Ed
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