Citizendia

Dave Van Ronk
BornJune 30, 1936(1936-06-30)
Brooklyn, New York
DiedFebruary 10, 2002 (aged 65)
Genre(s)Folk
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1960s
Label(s)Folkways Records

Dave Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was a folk singer born in Brooklyn, New York, who settled in Greenwich Village, New York City, and was nicknamed the "Mayor of MacDougal Street. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Folkways Records is a Record label that documents folk and world music Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Greenwich Village (ˌgrɛnɪtʃ ˈvɪlɪdʒ often simply called the Village, is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern Manhattan The City of New York A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government MacDougal Street is a one way street in New York City in Greenwich Village. "

He was best known as an important figure in New York City during the acoustic folk revival of the 1960s, but his work ranged from old English ballads to Bertolt Brecht, rock, New Orleans jazz, and swing. The City of New York A steel-string acoustic guitar, is a modern form of Guitar descended from the Classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter louder sound The American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States in the 1950s to mid-1960s A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song. (born; 10 February 1898&ndash14 August 1956 was a German Poet, Playwright, and Theatre director. Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Dixieland or Dixie is a name for the southeastern portion of the USA; see Southern United States, Dixie. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of Jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United He is often associated with blues but he pointed out at concerts that he actually had only a limited number in his repertoire. The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression He became known for performing instrumental ragtime guitar music, and he was an early friend and supporter of Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Phil Ochs and Joni Mitchell, among many others. Ragtime (alternately spelled Rag-time) is an American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918 The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is a well-known American folk singer and Singer-songwriter who has been writing Patrick Sky, born Patrick Lynch in Georgia in 1940 is a musician singer and songwriter of Irish and Native American (Creek Indian ancestry Philip David Ochs ( December 19 1940 – April 9 1976) was a U Joni Mitchell, CC (born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7 1943) is a Canadian Musician, Songwriter, and

Van Ronk died of cardio-pulmonary failure while undergoing post-operative treatment for colon cancer in a New York hospital. Failure ( fail, phail or flop) in general refers to the state or Condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective Colorectal cancer, also called colon cancer or large bowel cancer, includes Cancerous growths in the colon, Rectum and New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for [1]

Contents

Career

Van Ronk moved from Brooklyn to Queens in 1951 and began attending Richmond Hill High School. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. Richmond Hill High School is a four-year Public high school located in Richmond Hill, Queens, as part of the New York City Department of Education He had been performing in a barbershop quartet since 1949, but left before finishing high school, and spent the next few years bumming around lower Manhattan, except for shipping out twice with the Merchant Marine. Barbershop Vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era (1940s-present is a style of A cappella, or unaccompanied Vocal music characterized Overview The merchant marine is a civilian auxiliary of the U

His first professional gigs were with various traditional jazz bands around the New York area, of which he later observed: "We wanted to play traditional jazz in the worst way. . . and we did!" The jazz revival didn't take off though, and Van Ronk turned to performing blues music he'd stumbled across and enjoyed years earlier, by artists like Furry Lewis and Mississippi John Hurt. Furry Lewis ( March 6 1893 - September 14 1981) was a Country blues Guitarist and Songwriter "Mississippi" John Smith Hurt ( July 3 1893 or March 8, 1892, Teoc, Carroll County, Mississippi - November Van Ronk was not the first white musician to perform African-American blues, but became noted for his interpretation of it in its original context. By about 1958 he was firmly committed to the folk-blues style, accompanying himself with his own acoustic guitar. He performed blues, jazz and folk music, occasionally writing his own songs but generally arranging the work of earlier artists and his folk revival peers. The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous

He became noted both for his large physical stature and his expansive charisma, which belied an intellectual, cultured gentleman of many talents. Among his many interests: cooking, science fiction (he was active for some time in science fiction fandom [he referred to it as "mind rot"] and contributed to fanzines), world history, and politics. Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community of people actively interested in Science fiction and Fantasy literature, and in contact with one another A science fiction fanzine is an amateur or semi-professional magazine published by members of Science fiction fandom, from the 1930s to the present day During the 1960s he supported radical left-wing political causes and was a member of the Libertarian League. Libertarian League was a name used by two American Anarchist organisations during the twentieth century Somewhat by accident, he took part in the famous Stonewall Riots during which he was arrested, abused and briefly jailed. The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28 1969 at the Stonewall Inn In 1974 he appeared at a concert with his old friend Bob Dylan, to aid refugees from the military coup by Augusto Pinochet in Chile. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (November Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the

In 2000 he performed at Blind Willie's in Atlanta, clothed in garish Hawaiian garb, speaking fondly of his impending return to Greenwich Village. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the He reminisced over tunes like Good Ol Wagon, a song teasing a washed-up lover, which he ruefully remarked had seemed humorous to him back in 1962. He was married to Terri Thal in the 1960s, lived for many years with Joanne Grace, then married Andrea Vuocolo, with whom he spent the rest of his life. He continued to perform for four decades and gave his last concert just a few months before his death. He found it amusing to be called "a legend in his own time. "

Van Ronk died before completing work on his memoirs, which were finished by his collaborator, Elijah Wald, and published in 2005 as The Mayor Of MacDougal Street. In 2004 a section of Sheridan Square, where Barrow Street meets Washington Place, was renamed Dave Van Ronk Street in his memory.

Cultural impact

Van Ronk has been described as an irreverent and incomparable guitar artist and interpreter of black blues and folk, with an uncannily precise ability at improvisation. Joni Mitchell often said that his rendition of her song Both Sides Now (which he called Clouds) was the finest ever. Joni Mitchell, CC (born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7 1943) is a Canadian Musician, Songwriter, and " Both Sides Now " is a song by Joni Mitchell. Her recording first appeared on the album Clouds, released in 1969 and later on the album of

He is perhaps underestimated as a musician and blues guitarist. His guitar work is noteworthy for both syncopation and precision. In its simplest form, it shows similarities to Mississippi John Hurt's, but Van Ronk's main influence was the Reverend Gary Davis, who conceived the guitar as "a piano around his neck. "Mississippi" John Smith Hurt ( July 3 1893 or March 8, 1892, Teoc, Carroll County, Mississippi - November Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis, ( April 30, 1896 &ndash May 5, 1972) was a Blues and gospel singer " Van Ronk took this pianistic approach, and added a harmonic sophistication adapted from the band voicings of Jelly Roll Morton and Duke Ellington. Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton ( ca September 20, 1885 or October 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941) was an Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29 1899 &ndash May 24 1974 was an American Composer, Pianist, and Bandleader. He ranks high in bringing blues style to Greenwich Village during the 1960s, as well as introducing the folk world to the complex harmonies of Kurt Weill in his many Brecht-Weill interpretations, and being one of the very few hardcore traditional revivalists to move with the times, bringing old blues and ballads together with the new sounds of Dylan, Mitchell, and Leonard Cohen. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Kurt Julian Weill ( March 2, 1900 &ndash April 3, Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ (born September 21, 1934 in Westmount, Quebec) is a Canadian Singer-songwriter During this crucial period, he performed with the likes of Bob Dylan and spent many years teaching guitar in Greenwich Village, including to Christine Lavin, David Massengill, Terre Roche and Suzzy Roche. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Christine Lavin (born January 2, 1952) is a New York City -based singer songwriter and promoter of contemporary Folk music. David Massengill (born in 1951 in Bristol Tennessee) is an American folk Singer/songwriter, Guitar and Appalachian dulcimer player The Roches ( Maggie, Terre and Suzzy Roche) are a female Vocal group of three songwriting Irish-American sisters from Suzzy Roche (Suzzy pronounced to rhyme with "fuzzy" originally from Park Ridge New Jersey, is best known for her work with the female vocal group The Roches He influenced his protégé Danny Kalb and The Blues Project. Danny Kalb (born September 9, 1942, Mt Vernon, New York) is a blues guitarist and former founder of the 1960's group Blues Project The Blues Project was a short-lived Rock and roll band from the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City that was formed in 1965 and split up The Japanese singer Masato Tomobe, American pop-folk singer Geoff Thais and the musician and writer Elijah Wald learned from him as well. Known for making interesting and memorable observations he once said "Painting is all about space, and music is all about time. "

Thanks to what he had learned from Davis, Van Ronk was among the first to adapt traditional jazz and ragtime to the solo acoustic guitar. His guitar arrangements of such ragtime hits as St. Louis Tickle, The Entertainer, The Pearls and Maple Leaf Rag continue to frustrate and challenge aspiring guitar players. He also did fine compositions of his own in the classic styles, such as Antelope Rag.

Personal characteristics

Van Ronk refused for many years to fly and never learned to drive (he would use trains or buses or, when possible, recruit a girlfriend or young musician as his driver), and he declined to ever move from Greenwich Village. Van Ronk's trademark stoneware jug of Tullamore Dew was frequently seen on stage next to him in his early days. Stoneware a Vitreous or semivitreous ceramic ware of fine texture made primarily from nonrefactory fire clay Tullamore Dew is a blended Irish whiskey. It was first distilled in 1829 in the small town of Tullamore, County Offaly,

Robert Shelton described Van Ronk as, "the musical mayor of MacDougal Street, a tall, garrulous hairy man of three quarters, or, more accurately, three fifths Irish descent. Robert Shelton may refer to Robert Shelton (critic (1926-1995 music and film critic Topped by light brownish hair and a leonine beard, which he smoothed down several times a minute, he resembled an unmade bed strewn with books, record jackets, pipes, empty whiskey bottles, lines from obscure poets, finger picks, and broken guitar strings. He was Bob (Dylan's) first New York guru. Van Ronk was a walking museum of the blues. Through an early interest in jazz, he had gravitated toward black music -- its jazz pole, its jug-band and ragtime center, its blues bedrock. . . . . his manner was rough and testy, disguising a warm, sensitive core. Van Ronk retold the blues intimately. . . . for a time, his most dedicated follower was Dylan. "

Partial discography

The early phase

The band phase

During this phase, Van Ronk's recorded albums featured elaborate backing musicians.

Solo once again

Dave then made some albums in the mid-to-late 1970s solo.

Jazz albums

Always a jazz fan, Dave made two albums of jazz standards.

Live Album

References

  1. ^ Influential Folk Artist Dave Van Ronk Dies | Medicine & Health > Diseases & Disorders from AllBusiness.com

External links

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