Dec. 7 Concert in NYC Celebrates 50 Years of “Woody’s Children”

Some of Bob Sherman’s favorite folk artists — including David Amram, Tom Chapin and Tom Paxton – will help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the longtime New York City broadcaster’s popular, award-winning radio show Woody’s Children, during a nearly sold-out December 7 concert at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space. The event, hosted by Sherman, will be filmed for future airing on PBS television stations.

Also slated to perform during the two-hour celebratory concert are Kim and Reggie Harris, Anne Hills, Christine Lavin, John McCutcheon, Noel Paul Stookey, Josh White, Jr., and Peter Yarrow. Woody Guthrie’s daughter, Nora Guthrie, and Doug Mishkin will be special guests, as will Tom Chapin’s daughters Abigail and Lily (The Chapin Sisters). Chapin’s frequent accompanists Jon Colbert (keyboards) and Michael Mark (bass) will serve as the house band. For more information and to purchase concert tickets, visit www.symphonyspace.org.

Now the longest continuous and continuing folk music radio program in America, and among the most influential, Woody’s Children, was created and has been hosted by Sherman since is inception in January 1969. Although it has aired on New York’s WFUV since the fall of 1999 (and can currently be heard from 4-5 p.m, on Sundays), Woody’s Children began its lengthy run in January 1969 on NY classical radio station WQXR, where Sherman, 86, also served a long stint as program director and later as senior consultant – having begun his career there as a clerk-typist and become its music director before ever going on the air. Prior to launching Woody’s Children, Sherman had programmed but not hosted another show called Folk Music of the World.

Pete Seeger, Sherman’s guest on the very first program, is credited with coining the name “Woody’s Children” out of reverence for Woody Guthrie and the singer-songwriters following in his footsteps. Seeger was a frequent guest on the show, as were Judy Collins, Odetta, Peter, Paul and Mary, and Paxton, among others.

Woody’s Children features live performances and interviews, along with recorded music, and is often presented in a thematic way. “I try to involve intriguing patterns, and I have thematic concepts,” Sherman has stated. “There’s always a thread, some kind of connection, that leads one song to the next.”

Although WQXR dropped Woody’s Children 30 years ago, Sherman, whose background is in classical music, continued to host a number of programs at the classical station as well from the late 1970s to the 2000s – including Young Artists Showcase. He also hosted television programs (Vibrations and Camera Three) on PBS and CBS during the 1970s.

Sherman taught at both New York University and The Julliard School for nearly 20 years, was a contributing music critic and columnist for The New York Times for 40 years, is the co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Classical Music, and, with musical comedian Victor Borge, and co-wrote two books (My Favorite Intermissions and My Favorite Comedies in Music). He and his brother, Alexander Sherman, compiled a pictorial biography of their mother, the noted pianist Nadia Reisenberg. He’s also been a frequent emcee and a concert narrator for Canadian Brass, The United States Military Academy (West Point) Band, and other ensembles; and has served on advisory boards for a number of cultural organizations.