Anthony “Lonnie” Donegan
April 29, 1931 – November 3, 2002
Lonnie Donegan was one of the most popular performers of the ’50s and early ’60s skiffle scene of the UK. Skiffle was a raved up version of traditional folk, blues, jazz and country influences from the US. British Invasion bands like the Beatles rose out of the skiffle scene and claim Donegan as a direct influence. Donegan began playing guitar at the age of 14, and in 1952, he formed his first band, the Tony Donegan Jazz Band. He switched to “Lonnie” a few years later and began playing in bands that were evolving into skiffle music by adding such instruments as banjo and washboard. His first recording was a 1956 rave up of Lead Belly’s “Rock Island Line” which became a massive hit, selling in excess of three million copies. Donegan continued to release UK high-charting records into the early ’60s, but his sound never really caught on in the U.S. He struggled to stay relevant during the ’70s and ’80s even with such fans as Elton John, Brian May and Ronnie Wood paying tribute to his work. His last shots of major exposure came in 2000 when he appeared on Van Morrison’s acclaimed The Skiffle Sessions album, and peformed at the Glatonbury Festival. On November 3, 2002, Lonnie Donegan, 71, suffered what would be his final of at least three heart attacks in his later years, this last one being fatal.
Hoyt Axton was country singer songwriter and actor who came to prominence as a folk singer in the ’60s and then again as country singer in the ’70s. Even though he released several successful albums and acted in and performed on numerous television shows and films, it was Axton’s skills as a songwriter that separated him from the pack. Over the years, his songs were made into hits by the likes of Ringo Starr (“No-No Song”) Steppenwolf (“The Pusher”) and of course, Three Dog Night (“Never Been To Spain” and most famously, “Joy to the World” aka “Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog”). His songs have also been covered by Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez and John Denver. Axton, 61, died of a heart attack on October 26, 1999.
Elliot Smith was a celebrated contemporary folk and indie rock singer-songwriter who quietly gained a legion of fans in the late ’90s. After several years in a rock band, Smith went solo in 1994, first recording for hip indie labels, Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars, and then major, Dreamworks Records. In 1997, his “Miss Misery” was nominated for an Academy Award after it appeared Good Will Hunting. Elliott Smith died after being stabbed twice in the chest. Initial reports indicated that he committed suicide, but autopsy reports were inconclusive and his case is still considered open by the Los Angeles Police Department.
John Denver (Born Henry Deutschendorf) December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997
John Denver was an American folk rock singer-songwriter who released several pop hits during the ’70s. His 300-strong catalog of popular songs included “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” “Take Me Home Country Roads,” “Rocky Mountain High,” “Annie’s Song,” and “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” and “Sunshine on My Shoulder.” Denver also had a strong presence on television and film during the height of his career. He was featured in a handful of Muppet specials, hosted the Grammy’s five times, and sat in for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show several times. In 1977, he starred alongside George Burns in the popular comedy, Oh God!. In later years, Denver devoted most of his time to various humanitarian causes. He was also a licensed pilot and flying enthusiast. On October 12, 1997, John Denver died when the experimental aircraft he was piloting crashed shortly after take off from a Central California coast airport. Witnesses say the plane made a sudden dive into the ocean, leading experts to conclude that he likely accidentally pushed the right rudder pedal while maneuvering in the seat. Denver was 53 when he died.
Woody Guthrie was arguably America’s most important folk singer and songwriter. Over a career that spanned a quarter century, Guthrie penned 100s of songs, many lending a voice to the common man. He also wrote many children’s songs. He wrote about the plight of the migrant worker, stories he learned first-hand as he traveled among them throughout the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. Many such songs are archived in the Library of Congress, and one in particular, “This Land Is Your Land,” is sung in elementary schools across the US. In the late ’40s, Guthrie’s health began to deteriorate while his mental state seemed to come into question. At the time, some thought it might be due to schizophrenia and alcoholism. As it turned out, he was diagnosed in 1952 with a neurological disorder called Huntington’s disease. He spent several of his final years in psychiatric hospitals. With his health and mind failing during the folk revival of he early ’60s, he eld court with some of the day’s up-and-coming troubadors who admired him, most famously, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. Woody Guthrie died of complications from the disease at the age of 55.
Nick Reynolds was a founding member of the Kingston Trio, one of the premier groups of the ’60s folk revival. Formed in northern California in the late ’50s, the group were a direct descendant of the Weavers, but thanks in part to their youthfulness, they were able to bring folk music further into the mainstream. Their harmonies would, in turn, heavily influence such groups as the Beach Boys in years to come. The Kingston Trio won two Grammy’s during the early part of their career. The group broke up in 1967 as harder rock music started becoming more popular with American kids, so Reynolds took some time off from music to enjoy his other love, auto racing. He made a name for himself driving formula B and C cars along the Northwest circuit. He reunited with the Kingston Trio in the early ’80s and played with them on and off until his retirement in 1998. Nick Reynolds was 75 when he died of respiratory disease on October 1, 2008.
Steve Goodman was a two-time Grammy winning singer songwriter who made his mark on popular music with “City of New Orleans” which has been widely covered, but most notably by Arlo Guthrie in 1972. Goodman learned he had leukemia in 1969, the dawn of his music career. He worked through it for the next 15 years of his life. Sadly, Goodman’s two Grammys came after his death; in 1984 thanks to Willie Nelson’s recording of “City Of New Orleans, and again in 1988 when his posthumous album, Unfinished Business won in the Best Contemporary Folk catagory. Chicago Cubs fans may recognize Goodman for another song, “Go Cubs Go” which is played at Cubs games. Steve Goodman was 36 when he finally succumbed to leukemia.
Mary Travers
November 9, 1936 – September 16, 2009
Mary Travers is best remembered as one-third of the iconic folk trio, Peter, Paul and Mary. Formed in 1961, the trio gained world-wide acclaim during the ’60s folk revival with such hits as “If I Had A Hammer,” “Puff The Magic Dragon,” and their cover of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind.” They were one of the premier folk groups for many years to come. The trio disbanded in 1970 after which Travers recorded five solo albums throughout the ’70s. Peter, Paul and Mary regrouped in 1978 and stayed active, both touring and recording, until recent years. Mary Travers died of leukemia at the age of 72.
Thanks to Fred Osuna at Spitball Army for the heads up
Beau Jocque (Born Andrus Espree)
November 1, 1953 – September 10, 1999
Beau Jocque was a Zydeco singer and accordion player who came to prominence in Louisiana during the ’90s. With his band, the Zydeco Hi-Rollers, Jocque injected rock and funk into the Zydeco sound, endearing him to fans throughout the local clubs. A big man, standing 6′ 6″ and weighing in at nearly 275 pounds, Jocque died of a fatal heart attack at the age of 46.
No doubt effected by the lynchings he witnessed as a child, Lee Hays grew up to become a voice of the people, first as a union activist and later as a folk singer who co-founded the Weavers in 1948. With the Weavers, Hays co-wrote such classic folk songs as “If I Had A Hammer,” “Wimoweh” and “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine.” Because of his connections with radical groups during his days as an activist, the group was targeted as “communist sympathizers” during the McCarthy era. In 1950, they were blacklisted, and when brought before the House Committee Of Un-American Activities, Hays pleaded the 5th when questioned about his perceived connections with communism. No longer able to perform publicly, the Weavers disbanded in 1952. Hays performed and recorded periodically over the years, most notably on children’s albums as part of Alan Arkin’s the Baby Sitters. The Weavers reunited in later years for special concert events. Lee Hays died of heart disease attributed to diabetes on August 26, 1981. He was 67.
Best remembered as the front man of the Dubliners, Ronnie Drew was a world renowned Irish folk musician and singer. He formed the group in the early ’60s and soon they were one of Ireland’s most popular folk bands thanks to many shows throughout the pubs and hotels in Dublin and beyond. Drew left the group in the mid ’90s and found a new audience thanks to collaborations with the likes of Dropkick Murphys, U2’s The Edge, the Pogues and Christy Moore. He died after a long struggle with cancer on August 16, 2008. He was 73.
Jerry Garcia is best remembered as a co-founder of influential jam band, the Grateful Dead who will forever be linked to the San Francisco rock and hippie scenes of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Although a democratic band with multiple “lead” singers, Garcia was considered the leader of the group by most outside the band. Garcia was extremely busy outside the Dead as well, recording and playing with New Riders Of The Purple Sage (withJohn Dawson), Old and in the Way, Legion Of Mary, as well as his own Jerry Garcia Band. He also had numerous collaborations with David Grisman. His unique guitar playing found its way on to numerous albums as a guest artist also, likely leading to Rolling Stone magazine placing him at #13 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Players Of All Time. During the summer of 1995, Garcia checked into a rehabilitation center; he had struggled with drug addiction. On August 9, his lifeless body was discovered at the facility, dead of a heart attack. It was likely the result of his addictions as well as his heavy weight sleep apnea. Four days later, a public memorial was held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Over 25,000 people attended.
Mike Seeger was a traditional folk singer and musician who was a direct influence on Bob Dylan. It was his passion for traditional folk music that struck a chord with the younger generations who explored the genre and incorporated it into their own music. Born into a musical family – Pete Seeger was his half brother – Seeger taught himself to play the guitar at the age of 18. He soon began making and collecting field recordings of old-timey musicians. In 1958, Seeger co-founded an old time string band called the New Lost City Ramblers who were instrumental in the folk revival of the 1960s. In 1964, he released his solo debut on Vanguard Records. Throughout his career, Seeger was nominated for six Grammys. In July of 2009, Mike Seeger went into hospice care after a long battle with cancer. He succumbed to the disease on August 7, 2009 at the age of 75.
Erik Darling was a folk singer-songwriter who found success in two of the genres most influential groups, the Weavers and the Rooftop Singers. Prior to replacing Pete Seeger in the Weavers in 1958, Darling had a group with future film star, Alan Arkin. The group was first called the Tunetellers and later, the Terriers and they scored a Top 5 Billboard hit with their version of “Banana Boat Song (Day-O).” Darling was in the Weavers for four years after which he formed the Rooftop Singers, a hipper folk group whose “Walk Right In” landed at #1 on pop charts in 1963 and was certified gold for selling over 1 million copies for Vanguard Records. Darling died of lymphoma at the age of at the age of 74. Upon learning of Darling’s passing, Vanguard’s Morgana Kennedy said, “That’s sad.”
Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the lead.
Chan Daniels was an orginal member of ’60s folk group, The Highwaymen who scored a couple of hits with “Michael,” and “Cottonfields.” Formed in 1958, The Highwaymen were very popular along the college folk circuit due, in part, to their political songs. More pop-leaning and less confrontational than Bob Dylan or Phil Ochs, the Highwaymen found their audience alongside the likes of the Kingston Trio and New Christy Minstrals. The group disbanded in 1964 as Daniels, Bob Burnett and Steve Butts opted to go to grad school. They reunited on occasion in later years. Chan Daniels passed away on August 2, 1975.
Nicknamed “Marmaduke” by Jerry Garcia, John Dawson was a co-founder and leader of New Riders Of The Purple Sage, a psychedelic country rock band that made the scene during San Francisco’s scene of the ’60s. By the early ’70s, Dawson formed the New Riders with Dave Nelson, with it’s original line up including Garcia, Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart. Dawson guested on a handful of Dead albums, including Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty. He also co-wrote their classic “Friend of the Devil.” New Riders continued well into the ’90s with Dawson calling it quits in 1997. The band was resurrected by Nelson in 2005 with Dawson making guest appearances at a some shows. John Dawson died of stomach cancer at the age of 64.
Artie Traum, was an award winning guitarist who has recorded with the likes of the Band, David Grisman, Paul Butterfield, and James Taylor. He died of complications from liver cancer at the age of 65.
Mimi Fariña (Born Margarita Baez)
April 30, 1945 – July 18, 2001
Mimi Fariña was a folk singer-songwriter who came of age during the ’60s folk revival in America. A few years younger than sister, Joan Baez, Fariña performed at many of the same clubs and festivals, including the legendary Newport Folk Festival. In 1963, she met writer and singer-songwriter, Richard Fariña, and within a year, they were married. Together the recorded a couple of noteworthy albums as Mimi & Richard Fariña for revered label, Vanguard Records, also home to Morgana Kennedy. On the night of Mimi’s 21st birthday, Richard left the party on his motorcycle only to be killed in an accident. Vanguard released a third album of “rarities.” By the ’70s, Fariña was performing and recording but her attention turned more toward activism. In 1974, she founded Bread and Roses, an organization that puts together free concerts for people bound to hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons. Over the years she’s had such artists as Bonnie Raitt, Odetta, Pete Seeger and Carlos Santana perform at such shows. By the ’80s, Fariña was rarely performing or recording as she becomng more and more involved with Bread And Roses and other human rights organizations and events. Mimi Fariña passed away of neuroendocrine cancer in 2001. She was 56.
Nico (Born Christa Päffgen)
October 16, 1938 – July 18, 1988
Nico was a German-born singer, actress and model who is best remembered for her work with Velvet Underground as well as Andy Warhol. As a young adult, Nico worked as a model, appearing in such magazines as Vogue and Elle. After landing the lead in the 1963 French film, The Strip-Tease, Nico recorded the Serge Gainsbourg produced theme song. In 1965, Nico recorded her first single with the help of Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. It was around this time that Nico began working with Andy Warhol who managing the Velvet Underground at the time. The band reluctantly agreed to let Nico sing lead on three songs on their 1967 debut, The Velvet Underground & Nico, considered one of the most influential albums of the era. The partnership soon dissolved with Nico moving on to a critically acclaimed solo career. She recorded and performed into the 1980s. On July 18, 1988, Nico fell from her bicycle after suffering a minor heart attack. Unconscious, she was taken to a hospital where she was misdiagnosed with heat stroke. She died the next day of a cerebral hemorrhage from the fall.
A highly regarded singer-songwriter of the ’70s, Harry Chapin is perhaps best remembered for his timeless classics, “Taxi” and “Cats In The Cradle.” After graduating from high school in New York City, Chapin originally set his sights on film making, directing the a boxing documentary, Legendary Champions, which was nominated for an Academy Award. Chapin moved on to music, releasing his debut album in 1972. It included the top 40 hit, “Taxi.” It wasn’t until his fourth album, 1974’s Verities & Balderdash, that Chapin scored a bonified hit with “Cats In The Cradle.” The heartwarming song shot to #1 and forever cemented his musical legacy. What many don’t know is how much philanthropic work Chapin quietly did. Weather helping colleges on Long Island or to wipe out hunger in the US, Chapin unselfishly donated time and money. It has been reported that Chapin donated in the neighborhood of 30% of his concert earnings to charity. On July 16, 1981, Chapin was involved in a fiery car accident and was airlifted to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead of cardiac arrest. It was never determined if the heart attack factored in the accident. He was 38 years old at the time of his death.
Lonnie Donegan was one of the most popular performers of the ’50s and early ’60s skiffle scene of the UK. Skiffle was a raved up version of traditional folk, blues, jazz and country influences from the US. British Invasion bands like the Beatles rose out of the skiffle scene and claim Donegan as a direct influence. Donegan began playing guitar at the age of 14, and in 1952, he formed his first band, the Tony Donegan Jazz Band. He switched to “Lonnie” a few years later and began playing in bands that were evolving into skiffle music by adding such instruments as banjo and washboard. His first recording was a 1956 rave up of Lead Belly’s “Rock Island Line” which became a massive hit, selling in excess of three million copies. Donegan continued to release UK high-charting records into the early ’60s, but his sound never really caught on in the U.S. He struggled to stay relevant during the ’70s and ’80s even with such fans as Elton John, Brian May and Ronnie Wood paying tribute to his work. His last shots of major exposure came in 2000 when he appeared on Van Morrison’s acclaimed The Skiffle Sessions album, and peformed at the Glatonbury Festival. On November 3, 2002, Lonnie Donegan, 71, suffered what would be his final of at least three heart attacks in his later years, this last one being fatal.
Hoyt Axton was country singer songwriter and actor who came to prominence as a folk singer in the ’60s and then again as country singer in the ’70s. Even though he released several successful albums and acted in and performed on numerous television shows and films, it was Axton’s skills as a songwriter that separated him from the pack. Over the years, his songs were made into hits by the likes of Ringo Starr (“No-No Song”) Steppenwolf (“The Pusher”) and of course, Three Dog Night (“Never Been To Spain” and most famously, “Joy to the World” aka “Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog”). His songs have also been covered by 
Nick Reynolds was a founding member of the Kingston Trio, one of the premier groups of the ’60s folk revival. Formed in northern California in the late ’50s, the group were a direct descendant of the Weavers, but thanks in part to their youthfulness, they were able to bring folk music further into the mainstream. Their harmonies would, in turn, heavily influence such groups as the Beach Boys in years to come. The Kingston Trio won two Grammy’s during the early part of their career. The group broke up in 1967 as harder rock music started becoming more popular with American kids, so Reynolds took some time off from music to enjoy his other love, auto racing. He made a name for himself driving formula B and C cars along the Northwest circuit. He reunited with the Kingston Trio in the early ’80s and played with them on and off until his retirement in 1998. Nick Reynolds was 75 when he died of respiratory disease on October 1, 2008.
Mary Travers is best remembered as one-third of the iconic folk trio, Peter, Paul and Mary. Formed in 1961, the trio gained world-wide acclaim during the ’60s folk revival with such hits as “If I Had A Hammer,” “Puff The Magic Dragon,” and their cover of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind.” They were one of the premier folk groups for many years to come. The trio disbanded in 1970 after which Travers recorded five solo albums throughout the ’70s. Peter, Paul and Mary regrouped in 1978 and stayed active, both touring and recording, until recent years. Mary Travers died of leukemia at the age of 72.
Nicknamed “Marmaduke” by 
Mimi Fariña was a folk singer-songwriter who came of age during the ’60s folk revival in America. A few years younger than sister, Joan Baez, Fariña performed at many of the same clubs and festivals, including the legendary Newport Folk Festival. In 1963, she met writer and singer-songwriter, 
