Oscar Brand

Folksinger, songwriter, author and musicologist Oscar Brand has been inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. Brand, 90, who has written more than 300 songs (ranging from bawdy ballads to songs of social commentary), recorded some 100 albums, serves as curator of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and hosts what is now the oldest continuous radio show in history (Folksong Festival on New York’s WNYC), was among the third class of inductees honored during a gala event, Nov. 16, at Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York.

Brand and the evening’s other inductees were selected by the nonprofit hall of fame’s board of directors from an evolving and growing list of people, artists and entities that were born, raised, founded, or have resided on Long Island for a significant portion of their career and who have made historically important and significant contributions to Long Island’s rich musical heritage.

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Brand has lived on Long Island for many years and raised his family here. In late 1945, upon returning from active duty in the U.S. Army during World War II, he began hosting Folksong Festival on New York Public Radio. The show, which is broadcast on Saturdays from 10-11 p.m. on WNYC-AM 820 and streams live worldwide at www.wnyc.org, marks its 65th anniversary in December. His guests over the years have included a virtual who’s who of folk, jazz and blues artists from the post-war-period.

A two-time recipient of Peabody Awards for broadcast excellence, Brand also has been involved with hundreds of television shows – hosting the top-rated Canadian series Let’s Sing Out for four years and The First Look and NBC’s syndicated Spirit of ’76 stateside. He also served stints as music director for NBC-TV’s Sunday Show, Treasure Chest, and others, and was on the advisory panel that created the Children’s Television Network and Sesame Street. During his long association with the National Public Radio Network, Brand has also been host of Voice in the Wind and has interviewed artists for Morning Edition. He’s also been engaged in film and Broadway shows (notably helping to score the musical The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N), and he is the author of several folk song histories and anthologies – including The Ballad Mongers: Rise of the American Folk Song and Songs of ’76: The Folksingers’ History of the Revolution. Over the years, Brand has worked with such folk legends as Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Pete Seeger, The Weavers and Josh White, among others.

Oscar Brand and Theodore Bikel spoke at the recent NERFA Conference (Photo: Jake Jacobson)

On Nov. 13, Brand joined fellow music luminaries David Amram and Theodore Bikel during a special panel discussion entitled “Wisdom of the Elders” that drew a capacity crowd at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference in Kerhonkson, NY. The three shared stories and perspectives on folk music and the folk community, along with some of their music, during the two-hour session.

The Long Island Music Hall of Fame was created based on the premise that Long Island’s musical heritage is an important resource to be celebrated and preserved for future generations. Although lacking a permanent home at present, the nonprofit museum and membership organization seeks to inspire the desire to explore and celebrate music in all its forms and to be a place where the music community will find the support, resources and leadership necessary to aid in that exploration. For more information on the organization, visit http://limusichalloffame.org.