An iconic artist, who sold more than 50-million records worldwide, Whittaker was best known for his 1969 hit “Durham Town (The Leavin’)” as well as “New World in the Morning” (1970), and “The Last Farewell,” which, although released in 1971, reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. With his smooth baritone voice, his ability to sing in several languages, and his prowess in whistling, Whittaker developed a worldwide following, and was particularly popular in Germany.

[Here’s a link to listen to Roger Whittaker’s “Durham Town:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OYySY-6dKw.]

Born on March 22, 1936 to British parents who were then living in Kenya, Whittaker began learning guitar at age 7 and also sang in his school choir. However, he wouldn’t pursue music professionally until he was in his 20s after initially studying medicine and, later, teaching. He moved to Britain in 1959, where he played the workingmen’s clubs of northeast England and released his first singles in the early 1960s. He began touring internationally in the late 1960s and had radio hits across Europe and the U.S.

Whittaker was formerly signed to RCA Records; however, the label dropped him in the mid-1970s. This prompted Whittaker, who made frequent television appearances worldwide, to turn to the medium to independently promote his 1977 album, All My Best, which sold one-million copies. With assistance from Natalie, his wife of 59 years, Whittaker published an autobiography entitled So Far, So Good in 1986.

The couple retired to southern France in 2012. It was there “in peace in the presence of his family” that Whittaker passed away on Sept. 13, according to a statement from his family that was issued earlier this week. “His legacy will forever live on in our hearts and in his art,” the statement read in part.

It seems appropriate to end this article with a link to listen to Roger Whittaker’s well-known song “The Last Farewell:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uqo1KC1PXs.

Post, who billed himself as a ‘modest minstrel and entertainer, ‘ was born in Houston ,Texas on October 28, 1939 and raised in the deep woods of southeast Texas. Initially engaged in church revival and backwoods music, Post embarked on a music career in the 1960s as part of a Houston-based folk group known as the Rum Runners. Later that decade, he formed a duo, Friend & Lover, with his then-wife Cathy. Post’s anthemic song “Reach Out of the Darkness” off the then New York-based duo’s debut (and only) album of the same name on Verve Forecast became a national hit in the summer of 1968 — reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 music charts. After splitting from his wife, Post moved to the Chicago area, where he became a regular presence on the city’s Old Town folk circuit and in 1971 produced and performed on Gathering at the Earl of Old Town, along with other Chicago folk artists. Among them was Steve Goodman, whose first recording of “City of New Orleans” appears on the album.

Post recorded and released many albums as a solo singer-songwriter and toured extensively throughout the Midwest during the 1970s and 1980s — and beyond. He accompanied his clear tenor voice with guitar and also injected a good dose of humor into his concerts.

“To attend a Jim Post concert was to look forward to an evening of great songs – some serious, some humorous – glorious almost angelic singing, and exuberant and often improvised storytelling,” recalled Sue Kessell, host of The Folk Show on WNUR in Evanston, Illinois. “ It was always a memorable event, which left you with a smile on your face. You were never disappointed.”

Scheduled to perform (in order of performance) at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country on Saturday, May 28, from 1:30-4:30 p.m., are Jason Erie (Nashville, TN), Belle-Skinner (Albany, NY), Mike Ryan (Clifton, VA), Sarah Jane Nelson (Little Rock, AR), Jesse Correll (Nashville, TN), Calista Garcia (Arlington, VA), Ryan T. Miller (Madison, MS), Jana Pochop (Austin, TX), Kyle Rasche (Alto, MI), Beth//James – Jordan & Mikaela Burchill (Austin, TX), Dan Weber (Richardson, TX), and Javier Jara (Austin, TX)

New Folk Finalists slated to perform on Sunday afternoon, May 29, include Mark Ettinger (New York, NY), Jean Rohe (Brooklyn, NY), Robin Bienemann (Oak Park, IL), Siena Christie (Vancouver, WA), R.O. Shapiro (San Diego, CA), Flagship Romance – Shawn Fisher & Jordyn Jackson (Truth or Consequences, NM, Madeleine Nelson (Chicago, IL), Jeremy Facknitz (Colorado Springs, CO), Sadie Gustafson-Zook (Nashville, TN), Ryan Bitter (Flagstaff, AZ), The Singer & the Songwriter – Rachel Garcia & Thu Tran (Oakland, CA), and Chuck McDermott (Hingham, MA).

After performing, six songwriters will be selected as 2022 New Folk Winners by a panel of judges. The six, to be announced during the evening concert on May 29, will receive a $650 cash prize and some Kerrville Folk Festival swag, as well as the opportunity to return the following weekend to each perform during the 2022 New Folk Winners Concert at the festival on Saturday afternoon, June 4.

Established in 1972 at the urging of Peter Yarrow, the Kerrville New Folk Concerts have become a highlight of the annual festival that is geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. In addition to receiving cash awards and additional performance opportunities, being named as a New Folk Award Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor.

Besides concerts each evening, the Kerrville Folk Festival features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, campfire jam sessions, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe and kayak trips on the Guadelupe River, Hill Country bike rides, guided nature walks, yoga, beer and wine seminars, a Young Artists’ Performance Incubator, a professional development program for teachers, a songwriters school, and instrumental workshops. The festival runs for 18 straight days – Thursday, May 26– Sunday, June 12. For more information, visit kerrvillefolkfestival.org.

Ryan Biter (Flagstaff, AZ), Sav Buist (Nashville, TN), Campbell Davis (Nashville, TN), Jackson Grimm (Asheville, NC), Shawnee Kilgore ((Austin, TX), Grace Morrison (Rochester, MA), Daniel Neihof (Paducah, KY), Sarah Peacock (Ashland City, TN), Michelle Rivers (Eureka, MT), Sam Robbins (Nashville, TN), Abrielle Scharff (Brooklyn, NY), Shanna in a Dress ((Nashville, TN), Erin Ash Sullivan (Harvard, MA), Glenn Thomas (Nashville, TN), and David Tribble (Fort Worth, TX) were selected as semifinalists by a panel of judges comprised of Susan Gibson, Josh Grider and Walt Wilkins (who will also lead a songwriting workshop for the semifinalists on May 8). The semifinalists were chosen from among nearly 130 entrants spanning 29 states and Canada.

There were no fees to enter the annual competition that was established in 2007 to provide performing songwriters with a platform to showcase their skills before their peers, a panel of esteemed judges and an appreciative audience of Americana, folk and roots music lovers. Songwriters had to submit four songs in mp3 format that were written and/or copyrighted within the last three years. They were evaluated based on lyrics (imagery, story, creativity, and originality), melody (structure, phrasing and rhythm), and performing ability (vocals, musicianship). Stage presence/audience rapport will also be taken into consideration. During the semifinals and finals.

Each of the 15 semifinalists will perform two songs before the judges and an audience from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Following an hour-long lunch break, seven selected finalists will perform one different original song between 3 and 4 p.m. Prize money will be awarded to all participants immediately after the finals, while an awards ceremony is slated for 4:30 p.m. Ken Gaines, an award-winning Texas singer-songwriter and longtime host of a songwriters’ series at Houston’s famed Anderson Fair, will be the event’s emcee. Public tickets are available for $15 and may be purchased online at songwriterserenade.com, where more information also may be found. For the first time in its history, the Songwriter Serenade will also be livestreamed.

In addition to prize money, he first-place winner will open a concert featuring the three judges that evening at the TR Ranch in Halletsville, TX. Tickets for that may also be purchased online.

As previously reported on AcousticMusicScene.com, Beth Snapp, a folk-pop singer-songwriter who hails from northeast Tennessee, took top honors during last year’s 14th annual Songwriter Serenade.

The May 29th KFF Virtual Celebration is slated to begin at 10 a.m. CT with a special montage of Kerrville Folk Festival video footage and photos. Artists slated to perform during the afternoon and evening include Dana Cooper (2 p.m.), Shake Russell (3 p.m.), Ray Prim (4 p.m.), The Deer (5 p.m.), Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis (7 p.m.), and Jackie Venson (8 p.m.). More Video clips and images from past festivals will be shared during set changes.

The Virtual Celebration will stream online at https://kerrvillefolkfestival.org and on the festival’s YouTube channel and will be re-aired on Saturday, June 5. Virtual campfires hosted by members of the Kerrmunity are also in the offing. More details will be posted on the website in coming days. Although the virtual celebration is free to view, donations to the Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation are welcome.

Named as finalists in the Grassy Hill-Kerrville New Folk Competition are (in alphabetical order): Taylor Abrahamse (Toronto, ON, Canada), Beth // James (Austin, TX), Randy Lewis Brown (Mineola, TX), Sav Buist (Traverse City, MI), Shawn Byrne (Nashville, TN), Chaislyn (Baton Rouge, LA), Sam Luke Chase (Marshfield, MA), Scott Cook (Edmonton, AB, Canada), Paul Demer (Dallas, TX), Lacy Green (Nashville, TN), Donal Hinely (Denton, TX), Humbird (Minneapolis, MN), Kennedy Road (Toronto, ON, Canada), Spencer LaJoye (Denver, CO), My One And Only (Nashville, TN), Jeremy Parsons (San Antonio, TX), Kyle Rasche – Chain of Lakes (Oak Park, MI), Sam Robbins (Nashville, TN), Alexa Rose (Asheville, NC), Rachel Summer (Winchester, MA), Andy Sydow (Denver, CO), Dan Weber (Richardson, TX), Tiffany Williams (Nashville, TN), and Brad Yoder (Pittsburgh, PA). They were chosen from among nearly 700 entries.

After performing the two songs that they submitted during the New Folk Concerts, six songwriters will be selected as 2021 New Folk Winners. The six, to be announced during the Virtual Celebration on May 29, will each receive $650 cash honorariums and other prizes, and will be invited to perform (in-person) during a New Folk Award Winners Concert on the first weekend of the 49th Annual Kerrville Folk Festival that is tentatively slated for Oct. 1-10, 2021.

Established in 1972 at the urging of Peter Yarrow, the Kerrville New Folk Concerts have become a highlight of the annual festival that is geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. In addition to receiving cash awards and additional performance opportunities, being named as a New Folk Award Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor.

Years ago, I encouraged Lois to attend the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) conference and to apply for showcases at it. Accompanying herself on a mini-piano during the Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase at the 2011 NERFA Conference, she drew a standing ovation from an audience that was captivated by her and thoroughly enchanted with her funny songs. Selected for an official juried showcase in 2012, Lois repeated that feat (a rarity at NERFA conferences). At my urging, she applied for and secured another official juried showcase a few years later.

Lois earned the praise of noted folk DJs like John Platt and Rich Warren. “Don’t be deceived. Underneath Lois Morton’s sweet grandmotherly demeanor lurks a wickedly clever songwriter,” Platt, host of Sunday Supper on New York’s WFUV, once commented. “The legacy of Tom Lehrer lives on in Lois.” Warren, the recently retired host of the long-running, nationally syndicated The Midnight Special, played her songs frequently and also invited her to perform live in Chicago on his WFMT radio program and concert series, Folkstage. Her song “The Diet is Cast” received an Imprint Radio Award from the late upstate New York folk DJ Terry Doyle for Best Live Performance and also was nominated for a 2012 MAC Award by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs. She received a 2014 MAC Award for a New York City cabaret revue, 20th Century Girl (featuring songs from her 2013 album of the same name), that was performed at Don’t Tell Mama and The Duplex.

[Here’s a link to a video of Lois Morton performing “The Diet is Cast:”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZb30xZjUZc.]

Lois was also the subject of a cover feature in Acoustic Live! in New York City & Beyond. Richard Cuccaro, its editor & publisher, opined: “For any concertgoer who loves intricate wordplay, Lois is a lodestone discovery. Truly a gem.” Singer-Songwriter Jimmie Dale Gilmore, with whom she took courses at the Omega Institute, described her songs as “a beautiful blend of biting wit, constant surprises and poignant, human stories. They alternately provoke us to laughter at our modern foibles and touch our hearts with timeless, tender, heartfelt sharing.” Lois was also a frequent attendee of the Summersongs and Wintersongs songwriting camps in upstate New York.

She released three CDs of original songs – As I See It, Doorways In Time and 20th Century Girl – and, in November 2019, a six-song EP entitled Thinking It Through. In addition to her own topical songs, which she began writing in the late 1960s, and several of which were published in Broadside Magazine, Lois brought to life the legendary Edith Piaf in a lecture-cabaret program featuring songs and stories and also performed a show called “Raisins and Almonds: Jewish Songs for the Heart.”

Lois leaves behind a daughter (Amy), a son (Philip), three grandchildren, and a trove of songs that I hope will be discovered and enjoyed by people for years to come. Below are links to just a few of the many videos of her performing them that appear on YouTube:

“Twentieth Century Girl”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQaY9R2aBtk

“The Cell Phone Song”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f84Kg2n-cTI

“Confessions of a Clutterholic”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5kbjYkFR58

“The Diet Is Cast” (performed live at the 2016 NERFA Conference)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PemwZlKZzA

Since 2014, the Woody Guthrie Prize has been given annually to an artist who best exemplifies the spirit and life work of Woody Guthrie by speaking for the less fortunate through music, film, literature, dance or other art forms and serving as a positive force for social change in America. “We hope that the Woody Guthrie Prize will shed an inspirational light on those who have decided to use their talents for the common good rather than for personal gain,” said Nora Guthrie, daughter of Woody Guthrie. Past recipients who have used their talents to speak for those without a platform include Chuck D, Kris Kristofferson, Norman Lear, John Mellencamp, Pete Seeger, and Mavis Staples.

“As I have followed in the footsteps of Woody Guthrie, it has been my mission to use my music as a voice for those who cannot be heard or have been silenced by fear and powerlessness,” Baez said in a news release issued by the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“In his lyrics to ‘Tom Joad,’ Woody wrote ‘Wherever people ain’t free/Wherever men are fightin’ for their rights/That’s where I’m gonna be,” said Deana McCloud, the center’s executive director. ’”For the past seven decades, that’s exactly where Joan Baez has been. A staunch activist, Ms. Baez has consistently been on the front lines in the fight for social justice, peace and equality. As a true child of Woody Guthrie, she has continued the work he began during his short life, and we are proud to present her with this well-deserved recognition.”

Baez has released nearly 70 albums – including compilations and live ones — and has inspired a generation of female singer-songwriters. Besides scoring hits with her own compositions like “Diamonds in the Rust” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” the soprano with a three-octave vocal range also has drawn accolades for her interpretations of songs by the likes of The Beatles, Donovan, Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin, Phil Ochs and Malvina Reynolds.

Baez has been the recipient of many awards and honors. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. The National Academy for the Recording Arts & Sciences (the organization behind the Grammy Awards, for which she ‘s been an eight-time nominee) presented her with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. Baez’s seminal 1960 debut album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011. The Americana Music Association has honored her with its Spirit of Americana Free Speech Award, which “recognizes and celebrates artists who have ignited discussion and challenged the status quo through their music and actions.”

A longtime committed social activist, as well as a seminal recording artist, Baez has been engaged in a number of social movements and causes over the years — notably including the civil rights and anti-war movements. A recipient of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Earl Warren Award for commitment to human and civil rights issues, she sang out for and about freedom and civil rights on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famed March on Washington in 1963 and helped inspire Vaclav Haval in his fight for a Czech Republic. Baez participated in the birth of the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley during the turbulent 1960s and co-founded the Institute for the Study of Nonviolence that today operates as Resource Center for Nonviolence, as well as the Humanitas International Human Rights Committee. She stood in the California fields along with Cesar Chavez and migrant farm workers pressing their case for fair wages and better treatment. She marched, sang and fought against the Vietnam War, helped establish Amnesty International’s presence on the West Coast and participated in the international human rights organization’s first concert tour. In 1985, Baez opened the U.S. segment of the worldwide Live Aid telecast. She also stood alongside South Africa’s Nelson Mandela when the world celebrated his 90th birthday in London’s Hyde Park. Amnesty International has honored Baez with its Ambassador of Conscience Award in recognition of her exceptional leadership in the fight for human rights. Over the years, Baez has also been involved with Human Rights Watch and Bread and Roses — the latter of which was founded by her late sister, Mimi Farina.

Baez was the focus of a 2009 PBS American Masters series documentary entitled Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound that chronicles the private life and public career of the living folk legend who made her debut appearance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1959 and returned to that stage in August 2009 as part of her worldwide tour celebrating 50 years as a recording artist and performer.

Woody Guthrie Center to Also Host a Stage at Virtual Philadelphia Folk Festival

In addition to accepting the Woody Guthrie Prize during the virtual Philadelphia Folk Festival, Baez will engage in a conversation moderated by Bob Santelli, founding executive director of the GRAMMY Museum. A center of investigation for inspiration — featuring exhibits, an extensive outreach and education program, and a concert series — the Woody Guthrie Center (which is currently closed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic) is also partnering with the Philadelphia Folksong Society to present an array of artists whose music will stream online during the festival.

The Center’s virtual stage will feature music from all along Woody’s Ribbon of Highway — including his granddaughter Cathy Guthrie as part of Folk Uke (with Willie Nelson’s daughter Amy), a spotlight on Tulsa’s hip-hop artists and the Fire in Little Africa recording project being done to commemorate the centennial of Tulsa’s race massacre, a Tulsa Revue, and a preview of an album that Tulsa artists recorded at Leon Russell’s Grand Lake home studio that will drop the end of August, entitled Back to Paradise. according to McCloud. “With all that music history as part of our stage, having the presentation of the Woody Guthrie Prize to Joan Baez was a perfect choice to complement it,” she said, noting that the prize event usually serves as a fundraiser for programs promoting Guthrie’s legacy and message of social justice.

A pay-what-you-can ticket must be purchased to view the program. Tickets and more information about the virtual Philadelphia Folk Festival are available at folkfest.org.