A steamboat pilot becomes a musician, and a vow of silence leads to singing beautiful songs. This is episode 30 of Caffe Lena : 60 Years of Song . Thanks to Sarah a the Caffe for creating the of songs and artist for the feature. John Hartford fell in love with two things: music and the Mississippi River. In the 1970’s, he earned his steamboat pilot’s license and would have done that full time but music got in the way. During his later years, he returned to the river every summer to work as a

A self-described anarchist who slept on the Caffe floor while recording an album, and a songwriter whose stories have been used for protest, weddings and funerals. This is episode 29 of the Caffe Lena: 60 years of Song podcast . Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for the list of songs and artists for the feature. Music has always played a role in providing social commentary. Utah Phillips, a self-described anarchist, was once homeless, riding the rails as a tramp out west. He wrote songs about his

After 30 years a folk trio ends their live performances, and Saratoga gains a nationally renowned singer to call its own. This is episode 28 of Caffe Lena 60 years of Song. Thanks to Sarah for creating this list of songs and artists. Devonsquare got their start in the pubs and folk stages in the northeast. This trio toured the US and Europe developing a devoted fan base. After the passing of one of the founding members, the remaining two decided the 30th anniversary of their recording of

A pioneer of open tunings, and an artist who raised over $100,000 in three hours. This is episode 27 of Caffe Lena : 60 Years of Song . Thank you to Sarah for helping to select the songs and artists for this feature. Mary McCaslin drew influence from a wide range of artists like Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell to the Beatles and The Bee Gees. Regarded as a pioneer in guitar open tunings, Mary’s versions of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” and The Who’s “Pinball Wizard” are noted for her claw hammer banjo

He was almost a papa in San Francisco’s The Mamas and the Papas, and they were a rock band that evolved into a folk trio. This is episode 26 of Caffe Lena: 60 Years of Song. Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for coming up with the list of artists and songs. Scott McKenzie sang in a high school group with Tim Rose and went on to start The Abstracts and The Journeymen with John Phillips. He was given the opportunity to join The Mamas and The Papas but he turned it down to do his own thing. He found

Today, we hear about two artists who both wanted to play guitar so badly, one started on an instrument from K-Mart and the other made one herself. This is episode 25 of Caffe Lena: 60 Years of Song. Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for selecting the list of artists and songs for this feature. Priscilla Herdman’s mother kept her musical instruments in the attic when her kids were little. Her older sister took the guitar off to college, leaving Priscilla the banjo. On her 16th birthday, she was

As a married couple, these touring musicians established a 3-day music festival with their friends that was an annual occurrence for eight years. This is episode 24 of Caffe Lena: 60 Years of Song. Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for compiling the list of artists and songs for the feature. Robin and Linda Williams have been performing Bluegrass music for more than forty years. They met and fell in love in 1971 while she was a school teacher and he was a full time musician on the coffeehouse

Who can say they were friends with the Rev. Gary Davis, Pink Anderson and Robert Lockwood? Stay tuned for the original, the bare-knuckle, the low-down... the blues. This is episode 23 of Caffe Lena: 60 Years of Song. Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for compiling the list of artists and songs for this feature. Roy Book Binder is an American blues guitarist, singer-songwriter, and storyteller . He moved out of his New York City apartment in the 1970s and lived in his tour bus, going around the

He listed Lightnin' Hopkins, Bob Dylan and Hank Williams, and such varied artists as Muddy Waters, The Rolling Stones, Blind Willie McTell, Tchaikovsky, and Jefferson Airplane as having had a major impact on his music. This is episode 22 of Caffe Lena: 60 Years of Song. Thanks to Sarah at the Caffe for compiling the list of artists and songs for the feature. In the mid-60’s, Towne’s Van Zandt was playing mostly covers in Houston clubs for $10 nightly. In 1966, his father convinced him to begin

Known for their tight vocal harmonies, often a cappella , plus their inventive arrangements and lively humor-filled performances, they were favorites with audiences in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions for years. This is episode 21 of Caffe Lena : 60 Years of Song. Thank you to Sarah for her work in compiling the list of artists for this feature. Teresina Huxtable, Carol Christensen and Liz Hood sang popular music of five centuries, including traditional music of the British Isles and North