Folkways Years (1959-1961) (CD - 1991)

When the story of the early-'60s folk revival in Greenwich Village is told, people like Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs get lots of attention, but even more important to that scene was Dave Van Ronk. The singer/guitarist blazed a trail for young upstarts like Dylan and Ochs to follow, and decades later, has proved to be a more consistent and prolific recording artist than any of his '60s compatriots.

This album features some of Van Ronk's earliest recordings ('59-'61) for the legendary Folkways label. Though he was still developing, the key elements of his sound were already in place. On traditional blues and folk tunes like "Duncan and Brady" and "Come Back Baby" Van Ronk's gritty field holler and virtuoso finger-picking are strikingly distinctive. He sounds like he was born singing these songs, and it's easy to see why he held such sway with the early folk crowd. minimize