This Group Best Represents the Urban Folk Music of the Early 1950s
This group best represents the urban folk music of the early 1950s. They have a unique sound that is a blend of country, blues, and gospel.
The Weavers
Formed in 1948
The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. They are best known for popularizing commercial adaptations of traditional folk songs. Formed in October 1948, they were one of the most commercially successful of the many acts to emerge from the post-war American folk music revival. The group’s repertoire included topical songs about nuclear proliferation and early support for the civil rights movement, as well as hits like Lead Belly’s “Goodnight, Irene”, which topped the Billboard charts for 13 weeks in 1950.
The Weavers’ reunion concert at Carnegie Hall on Christmas Eve 1955 was one of their most famous performances. The event was a sellout, with over 3,000 people attending and an estimated 6 million listeners tuning in on radio station WBAI-FM.
Members included Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman
The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in New York City. They specialized in traditional pop music and
formed in October 1948. Their best-known recordings were “Goodnight, Irene”, “Tzena, Tzena, Tzena”, and “On Top of Old Smokey”,
all of which sold millions of copies and were top ten hits on the Billboard pop charts. The group’s popularity helped propel
the folk music craze of the 1950s and early 1960s and served as a model for many future folk and country-influenced groups.
Best known for their hit song “Goodnight, Irene”
The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. They maintained a large following in the United States throughout their active career from the early 1950s to the early 1960s, and were, according to music historian Robert Santelli, “the single most influential group in reviving interest in traditional pop, country, and folk music during the postwar era.”
The group’s repertoire included both traditional folk songs and contemporary ones by artists such as Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, and Pete Seeger, who was a close friend and associate. The Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era for their political beliefs and involvement with the Communist Party. In 1955, they recorded their most successful single, “Goodnight, Irene”, which topped the Billboard sales chart for 13 weeks.
The Limeliters
The Limeliters were a group who best represented the urban folk music of the early 1950s. The group was composed of Lou Gottlieb, Alex Hassilev, and Glenn Yarbrough. The group was known for their close vocal harmonies and their use of humor in their songs.
Formed in 1959
The Limeliters were an American folk music group, formed in 1959 by Lou Gottlieb, Alex Hassilev and Glenn Yarbrough. They were known for their close harmonies and light-hearted humorous songs. The Limeliters’ first recordings were made for the Lin label in early 1960; the first, self-titled album was released in April of that year.
Members included Lou Gottlieb, Alex Hassilev, and Glenn Yarbrough
The Limeliters were one of the most popular folk groups of the early 1960s. They were known for their close harmonies and light-hearted songs. The group’s members included Lou Gottlieb, Alex Hassilev, and Glenn Yarbrough.
The Limeliters began as a barbershop quartet in San Francisco in the early 1950s. They soon began performing at local coffeehouses and clubs. In 1961, they released their first album, This Is The Limeliters. The album was a hit, and the group became popular folk performers. They continued to release successful albums throughout the 1960s, including Tonight: In Person and Folk Matinee.
The Limeliters disbanded in 1968, but reunited in 1980 for a reunion tour. Since then, they have occasional performed together. In 2012, they released a new album, The Best of the Limeliters.
Best known for their hit song “A-Round the Corner”
The Limeliters were a San Francisco-based folk music trio popular in the early 1960s. The group was founded by Lou Gottlieb, Glenn Yarbrough, and Alex Hassilev. They are best known for their hit song “A-Round the Corner,” which reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1962. The group was inducted into the Folk Alliance Hall of Fame in 2006.
The New Lost City Ramblers
The New Lost City Ramblers were an American folk music group, originally formed in New York City in 1958. The group was founded by John Cohen, Tom Paley, and Mike Seeger, who were all students at the time. The group is perhaps best known for their work reviving and popularizing old-time music.
Formed in 1958
The New Lost City Ramblers were a progressive bluegrass band formed in Greenwich Village, New York City, in 1958. Progressive bluegrass is a subgenre of bluegrass music that takes traditional bluegrass styles and instrumentation and incorporates elements of other genres like folk, old-time music, jazz, and blues. The New Lost City Ramblers were at the forefront of this movement and did more than any other band to bring progressive bluegrass to a wider audience.
The group was formed by John Cohen, Mike Seeger, and Tom Paley, who were all music collectors and enthusiasts with an interest in traditional American music. They started playing together informally at parties and other events around Greenwich Village before making their formal debut at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival. Over the next few years, the group released several albums of traditional songs and instrumental tunes, as well as hosting a popular radio show on WNYC called “The New Lost City Radio Hour.”
The New Lost City Ramblers were not only responsible for popularizing progressive bluegrass, but they also influenced a generation of musicians who went on to form their own bands and further develop the genre. The group continued to perform and record together until 1968 when they parted ways. They re-formed briefly in 1981 for a series of concerts celebrating their 20th anniversary, but otherwise have remained inactive since then.
Members included Mike Seeger, John Cohen, and Tracy Schwarz
The New Lost City Ramblers were an American old-timey band, formed in New York City in 1958 by three young musicians and musicologists: Mike Seeger, Tom Paley, and Tracy Schwarz. The band was instrumental in reviving interest in traditional music forms such as folk songs, fiddle tunes, ballads, and blues. They took their name from the 1929 film The New Lost City Ramblers, which Seeger had recently seen.In 1963, Pete Seeger bowed out and was replaced by banjo player John Cohen. The classic lineup of the group lasted until 1968 when Ralph Rinzler left to pursue a solo career. The New Lost City Ramblers continued as a trio until 1981 with various personnel changes along the way; they disbanded that year.Although they only recorded sporadically after 1968, the group reformed in 1989 for a reunion concert at Carnegie Hall
Best known for their hit song “Freight Train”
The New Lost City Ramblers were a highly influential American folk music trio, founded in 1958 and best known for their association with the country’s old-time music revival movement. The group featured John Cohen on guitar and banjo, Mike Seeger on mandolin, fiddle, and guitar, and Tracy Schwarz on guitar and fiddle. The New Lost City Ramblers’ recordings and live performances did much to rekindle interest in traditional American music during the 1950s and 1960s. In the process, they helped create an audience for a new generation of old-time and bluegrass musicians who emerged in the 1970s.
