Folk and Acoustic: Post Your Favorite Artists, Groups, and Songs

[Drumguy]

Loggins and Messina:

iirc Loggins wrote that when he was 16

 

[TerpWomenFan]

Always loved this song.

 

[Bigboote]

My favorite folk band for the last 50 years is Steeleye Span. Here's one of my faves of theirs.

 

[Bigboote]

Here's one from Planxty, an Irish traditional supergroup. This is called the Raggle-taggle Gypsy, but it's the same song that Steeleye (and Sandy Denny) did as Black Jack Davy and Cathal McConnell did as The Dark-eyed Gypsy. The instrumental tacked on was probably written by harper Blind Rory O'Cahan in the early 17th century.

 

[Bigboote]

Janis Ian is probably my favorite modern "folk" singer-songwriter. Here's a live version of Stars, the title song from her "comeback" album, recorded when she was a grand-old 22 or 23. The intro that's cut off from this says (from memory) that she wrote this thinking of a star who can't go anywhere without encountering fans, hecklers, etc. She doesn't say it, but she did go through some of that when she was 15-16.

She's a shy person, and had great difficulty playing for a crowd. It really says something about her that she could absolutely put herself out there, as in this performance.

 

[Scud49]

This Richard Thompson song......I play it over and over, such a beautiful lament on lost love:

 

[Scud49]

Iris DeMent with a gem about life:

 

[Kaizen]

One of Albert Hammond best,

 

[Kaizen]

 

[Kaizen]

Home of the ranch, original 1874 lyrics.

 

[Kaizen]

 

[Scud49]

Jackson Browne made it famous, but Danny O'Keefe wrote it- maybe the best song ever about life on the road for a starving artist:

 

[DeepThreat]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DOVhA01J0Zsg&ved=2ahUKEwi6t7Hs1KyHAxWwGtAFHYosCM8QsPgBegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw0BvhZBfD9xafhlZQcP9323

Can't believe I'm the first person to pay homage to the great John Prine on this string. An American treasure.

 

[Scud49]

Can't believe I'm the first person to pay homage to the great John Prine on this string. An American treasure.

I was just about to go there, loved John. Saw him do "Hello in There" live in Indianapolis about 1988 or so, small club. One great night it was.

 

[Puppy Love]

Home of the ranch, original 1874 lyrics.

This brought me a huge smile. My dad sang barbershop quartet and this brought back memories of him singing this song. Unfortunately, I inherited nothing of his talent and cannot carry a tune in a bucket.

 

[UpstateNY]

 

[meyers7]

Silver Threads and Golden Needles:

Always liked this version.

Eagles (early, with Bernie Leadon) and Linda Ronstadt

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Always liked this version.

Eagles (early, with Bernie Leadon) and Linda Ronstadt

Love Linda and The Eagles, but that is about as acoustic as a can of corn.

 

[Bigboote]

@UpstateNY post brought Traffic to mind. I got John Barleycorn Must Die when I was probably 9 or 10. The title song is a brilliant rendition of an oft-performed folk song. When I was young I didn’t understand that Little Sir John wasn’t a person. I love Traffic’s last stanza:

The huntsman he can’t hunt the fox, nor so loudly to blow his horn
And the tinker he can’t mend kettle nor pot
Without a little barleycorn

Steeleye Span‘s last verse makes John’s role as a personification patenr:

They’ve worked their will on John Barleycorn, but he’s lived to tell the tale
For they pour him out of an old brown jug, and they call him home-brewed ale

Here’s a brilliant rendition by Traffic, somewhat older than they were in 1970:

 

[Bigboote]

Love Linda and The Eagles, but that is about as acoustic as a can of corn.

OTOH, I’ve never heard of an electric can of corn. Electric Prunes, yes, although I don’t remember much of their stuff.

 

[meyers7]

Love Linda and The Eagles, but that is about as acoustic as a can of corn.

This is page 6, we can diverge.

 

[Scud49]

Taj Mahal's wonderful driving song - "Truck Driver's Two Step"

Love the steel drums and the ladies backing chorus:

 

[Bigboote]

This is the first Bruce Cockburn song I ever heard, when he was still doing very folky stuff. I played this at a couple of gigs.

Lordy, Bruce can play a guitar!

 

[uconnfan68]

This is the first Bruce Cockburn song I ever heard, when he was still doing very folky stuff. I played this at a couple of gigs.

Lordy, Bruce can play a guitar!

If I had a rocket launcher.

 

[Kaizen]

Kanas - Dust in the wind