Mentored by the likes of Jimmy Buffett and John Prine, his big-hearted ballads told of heartache even as his humor revealed a steadfast optimism.
Category: Folk Music
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A Zohran Mamdani Ad Used a Bob Dylan Song. The Music Was Removed.
New York’s next mayor played “The Times They Are a-Changin’” in a spot on social media. The company that owns Dylan’s catalog said his songs can’t be used for politics.
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Danny Thompson, Bassist Who Defied Folk Conventions, Dies at 86
A bedrock of the idiosyncratic British group Pentangle, he went on to play with a host of luminaries, including Roy Orbison, Eric Clapton and Kate Bush.
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Overlooked No More: Violeta Parra, Folk ‘Genius’ Who Redefined Latin American Music
A self-taught composer and interpreter, she led an unconventional and itinerant life devoted to spreading Chilean folkloric music.
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For Madison Cunningham, ‘Ace’ Is a Hard Reset
The California guitarist’s last LP, “Revealer,” was named best folk album in 2023. But after a divorce at 27, she returns with a defiant edge.
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As Farm Aid Reaches 40 Years, It Deals With Familiar Farming Crises
Saturday’s star-studded concert will air on TV for the first time in years as the hotline for farmers gets more calls about a mix of complicated problems.
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Hermeto Pascoal, Prolific Brazilian Composer, Dies at 89
A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, he rose from a childhood of rural privation to become a favorite of jazz musicians and audiences around the world.
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Tom Shipley, Whose Ode to Weed Reached the Top 10, Dies at 84
With their “One Toke Over the Line,” he and Michael Brewer saw a musical in-joke turn into a timeless cultural phenomenon.
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45 Albums, Concerts and Festivals Coming This Fall
A crop of artists on the verge of what’s next are returning with new releases, and Taylor Swift is reuniting with some of her poppiest collaborators.
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Joe Hickerson, 89, Dies; Helped Preserve America’s Folk Song Tradition
He was both the longtime archivist of folk music at the Library of Congress and a widely respected singer and songwriter.
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10 New Songs You Need to Hear: Khalid, Jay Som, Steve Lacy and More
Listen to tracks by Dijon, Woody Guthrie, iLe and others.
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He Survived the Khmer Rouge and Built a Musical Legacy
Kong Nay, a blind lute player who endured the horrors of a totalitarian regime, exposed a new generation of Cambodians to their country’s traditional music.