Mike Seeger, 1933-2009
Mike Seeger, who, as a solo performer, collector of songs, and member of the New Lost City Ramblers, helped to revive and widen interest in southern traditional music, died at his Lexington, Virginia home on August 7, just a week shy of his 76th birthday.
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Sandy Paton, Folksinger and Founder of Folk-Legacy, 1928-2009
Sandy Paton, a traditional folksinger, folklorist and co-founder of Folk-Legacy, has died at the age of 80. Paton, who launched the independent label based in Sharon, Connecticut with his wife Caroline and the late Lee Haggerty in 1961, passed away on July 26.
Report Examines ‘The State of Music Online’
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the official launch of Napster, the revolutionary file-sharing network application that led to millions of people downloading music files online and prompted many music industry observers to sound the death knell for record labels long before sales figures had shown any marked decline. In a June 15 report prepared for the Pew Internet & American Life Project and posted on its website (www.pewinternet.org), Mary Madden examines “The State of Music Online: Ten Years After Napster.”
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Theodore Bikel Tribute Concert at NYC’s Carnegie Hall, June 15
Acclaimed actor and folksinger Theodore Bikel, who turned 85 last month, will be feted on Monday evening, June 15, during a tribute concert at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall, where the versatile baritone made his debut in 1956. Joining him on stage will be Alan Alda, Arlo Guthrie, Noel Paul Stookey, Peter Yarrow, Tom Paxton, The Klezmatics, Judy Kaye, Susan Werner, David Amram, Beyond the Pale, Artie Butler, Patricia, Conolly, David Krakauer, Hankus Netsky, Sarah Horowitz, Serendipity 4 (featuring Bikel, Tamara Brooks, Merlima Kljuco and Shura Lipovsky), and Michael Wex.
Several photos taken during a reception preceding the concert now accompany this article.
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‘Performing Songwriter’ Ends 16-Year Run
Performing Songwriter is ceasing publication after 16 years. The magazine’s June 2009 issue, sent to subscribers and newsstands this week, will be its final edition, Lydia Hutchinson, its editor and publisher, has announced.
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Grammy Awards Folk Field Renamed and Expanded
The Recording Academy announced today that its trustees have voted to rename and expand the Folk Field in the Grammy Awards.
Citing the increasing growth of traditional music, the Academy has split the category Best Contemporary Folk/Americana into two categories: Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Americana Album. In addition, the Folk Field has been renamed American Roots Music.
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NEA Honors Mike Seeger with Bess Lomax Hawes Award
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) last week named Mike Seeger as the recipient of its 2009 Bess Lomax Hawes Award. The award is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the preservation and awareness of our cultural heritage.
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Stephen Bruton, ‘the Soul of Texas Music,’ 1948-2009
Stephen Bruton, an Austin, Texas-based guitarist, songwriter and actor, has died at age 60, after battling throat cancer for more than two years. Bruton died peacefully in his sleep on May 9, at the Los Angeles, California home of his childhood friend, musician and producer T Bone Burnett, who considered him “the soul of Texas music” and with whom he was working on the soundtrack for Jeff Bridges’ film “Crazy Heart.”
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‘For Pete’s Sake, Sing!’ as Seeger Turns 90
Pete Seeger, the inspirational American folk music icon, political activist and humanitarian, whose songs have helped to provide a musical backdrop for many of the historical movements of the past 50-plus years, marks a historic milestone himself on Sunday, May 3. Throughout the country and the world over, many special events are planned in celebration of Pete’s 90th birthday. In addition, a five-CD box set of Seeger songs has just been released, and a number of folk radio programs airing over the weekend are likely to focus on his life and legacy.
[To read the entire article, including listings of more than a dozen "For Pete's Sake, Sing" events across the U.S., click on the headline.]
Finalists Named in 2009 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition
Thirty-two songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2009 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among 800 submissions from around the world, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted during the New Folk Concerts slated for Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 23 and 24, as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival.
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George Wein Secures Permit for Folk Festival 50 in Newport
Fifty years after launching the first Newport Folk Festival, George Wein, 83, a pioneer among producers of outdoor music festivals, will return to steer another one this summer at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island. Following months of negotiations, the Newport City Council last night approved a permit for what will be called George Wein’s Folk Festival 50. Slated for July 31-August 2, the event will feature several notable established folk artists who performed during the festival’s early years, as well as some more contemporary singer-songwriters and musicians. Tickets go on sale May 6 at www.folkfestival50.com.
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George Wein May Return to the Helm of the Newport Folk Festival
Fifty years after launching the first Newport Folk Festival, George Wein, 83, a pioneer among producers of outdoor music festivals, hopes to return to steer another one this summer at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island.
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