David Kenneth Ritz "Dave" Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 - February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer, born in Brooklyn, New York, who settled in Greenwich Village, New York, and was eventually nicknamed the "Mayor of MacDougal Street". He was an important figure in the acoustic folk revival of the 1960s. His work ranged from old English ballads to blues, gospel, rock, New Orleans jazz, and swing. He was also known for performing instrumental ragtime guitar music, especially his transcription of "St. Louis Tickle" and Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag". Van Ronk was a widely admired avuncular figure in "the Village", presiding over the coffeehouse folk culture and acting as a friend to many up-and-coming artists by inspiring, assisting, and promoting them. Folk performers whom he befriended include Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Phil Ochs, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Guthrie Thomas, and Joni Mitchell. Bob Dylan recorded Van Ronk's arrangement of the traditional song "House of the Rising Sun" on Dylan's first album. A few years later the Animals had a No. 1 hit single with a rock version of the Van-Ronk arrangement of the song, [1] a hit which helped to inaugurate the folk-rock movement. Van Ronk received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in December 1997.
K**H
excellent music yet technical difficulties
original item defective (unable to load into cd player for both discs on original item purchased)... received a replacement within a couple days & again experienced difficulty loading discs on cd player yet after treating the disc like an old nintendo game (blowing on it) was able to get the discs working... the content/music is great though... would have been a 5 star rating if not for the technical difficulties...
F**7
Really liked this one.
This double disc, is a generous sampling of what Dave Van Ronk was singing in the mid-sixties, lots of blues, rags and old folk tunes. A tape of a show Dave put on at Indiana University, the original recording quality is excellent. Dave's singing and guitar come through exactly as I remember him from back then. As anyone who saw him back then will recall, Dave's singing voice was loud and brash, but his speaking voice, between songs, could be soft and quiet, at least until he'd had his third or fourth glass of "pineapple juice". This is a concert recording, and Dave is supplying commentary between the songs. On the cd, the songs come through loud and clear, but Dave's in between chats and barely be heard. I listen to this in the car, and I must crank up the volume when he's speaking and quickly lower it once the next song starts. If the engineer had ridden the gain when transcribing the original tape, this problem wouldn't exist. So the missing star is for the cd production, not Dave, who could give a 5 star performance in his sleep.
B**N
Well worth the money
A wonderful live recording of Dave Van Ronk from about 4 years before I had heard a recording of his during my college years. Ever since he has been one of my favorites and I made a six hour trip to see him perform about 2 years before he died at The Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. It was well worth the drive. This double CD is from an interesting time and well worth the money. These are classic folk blues and jazz sons with interesting historical patter by Dave. By the way Dave should be a lot more famous than he was.
P**L
Good blues, jazz, traditional and other styles form a distinct singer and a master guitar player
I have not heard a Dave Van Ronk CD I did not like, and this is no exception
W**.
Applause too loud! When Dave Howls, it is ...
Applause too loud! When Dave Howls, it is also too loud.
M**N
Van Ronk Live and at his Best
Dave Van Ronk was at his best the night he performed this 24 song solo acoustic show at Indiana University. An enthralling and diverse set of songs. Bonus track of "He Was a Friend of Mine" from the 1977 Phil Ochs Memorial Concert.
G**.
Not real silver discs
No complaints about the artist or the music. The problem is that the discs are cd-r's, not real silver discs. I do not usually buy "burned" discs, they just do not sound as well and/or last as long as regular silver press discs. What upsets me the most is that this key piece of information should have been clearly stated in the description of the product. It is not. So just keep in mind that you are paying a lot of money for a subpar product.
J**M
Like being on audience.
My favorite Dave V. CD.
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