As noted by Wesleying, Wes grad Dave Fisher, one of the founding members of the Highwaymen, died Friday. The Highwaymen had a number one song in 1961 with Michael Row the Boat Ashore, a traditional song from the Georgia Sea Islands, while they were still underclassmen at Wesleyan. They spent weekends touring the country during the original folk scare. The New York Times obit is here.
The group has performed a number of times during Wesleyan reunion weekends.
post says "original folk scare" - pretty sure this should be "scene".
ReplyDeleteNo, "scare" is correct. Being stopped and robbed by a highwayman is a pretty scary experience.
ReplyDelete"Folk scare" is the term coined by folkies (maybe even Pete Seeger), when folk music made a brief, but significant crossover to the pop charts. The Highwaymen where joined on the pop charts by the very popular Kingston Trio, The Clancy Brothers, the Rooftop Singers, the New Christy Minstrels and the like.
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