“Long Black Veil” (Written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkins) “The scaffold is high and eternity near.” Those words, perhaps the most chilling from “Long Black Veil,” one of the most haunting murder ballads you’ll ever hear, have been sung by a whole lot of folks over the years, including iconic voices like Burl Ives, Jerry [...]

The inimitable Donovan has countless tales to relay and advice to dispense. We sat down with him at the Sony office in Manhattan, where he was eager to reflect on the songs and stories that populate the new Essential Donovan’s 36 tracks. Clad in leather jacket, Starbucks venti in hand, the 66-year-old legend discusses a [...]

Taken from Paul Zollo’s interviews for SongTalk. Neil Young: Dylan was a great influence on me. I admire his work very much. Especially his newest work. Randy Newman: Dylan at his best is great. Leonard Cohen: At a certain point, when the Jews were first commanded to raise an altar, the commandment was on unhewn [...]

Joan Baez epitomizes the ideal of the American folk singer. Ever since rising to national prominence in the early ‘60s, she’s stood at the crossroads of music and social protest, adhering firmly to the belief that music can in fact change the world. Baez cut her teeth as a singer in the Cambridge, Massachusetts folk [...]

“The Cherry-Tree Carol” is one of the few Christmas songs that was also collected by the American scholar James Francis Child, in his famous Child Ballads, published in ten volumes beginning in 1882. The narrative focuses on an apocryphal story of the Virgin Mary and Joseph, traveling to Bethlehem – Mary pregnant with the baby [...]

Last year, the Newport Folk Festival celebrated it’s 50th Anniversary, with performances from folk music legends Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Arlo Guthrie. This year, the venerable festival turns 51, and will welcome Levon Helm’s Ramble on the Road, My Morning Jacket’s Yim Yames, The Swell Season, John Prine, Andrew Bird, The Avett Brothers, and [...]

On October 14, PBS series American Masters will debut an installment called Joan Baez: Sing Me Home. Baez, who just celebrated her 50th year as a performer at this year’s Newport Folk Festival, has enjoyed a colorful and enduring musical career. According to a press release, the film “examines her history as a recording artist and performer as well as her remarkable journey as the conscience of a generation.”

Half a century ago, Pete Seeger helped found the Newport Folk Festival, a weekend notorious for its dichotomies- Rhode Island high society and scrappy folk singers, old time traditions and new sounds, social rebellion and responsible activism. At this year’s 50th anniversary, the festival came full circle for Seeger and other Newport regulars.

Newport Folk Festival Gets A Makeover