Dave Van Ronk - Philadelphia Folk Festival 1981

[reykjavik82]

the one and only. saw him a number of times. the first time was at the 2nd fret in phila in 63/64

[raggedclown]

What a brilliant performance! Thanks for uploading.

[TheChinared8]

Is this a dream? Completely unreal and surreal. I believe this is the finest music to date.

[k1ngofmiaea]

did john fahey  make the original

[mlewsimpson51]

He was original and brilliant. Tom Waits v1.0

[2006moorem]

Tom Waits got it from Captain Beefheart, Check out the good captain

[babbchuck]

Dave was doing his thing in the late 50's and early 60's....

[surfmost]

more crusty taters for the big brass band.please

[surfmost]

Salty Dog

[caroltubeyou]

Hugely creative - there is nobody like Dave Van Ronk, never will be again. My sister said it right in her comment a year ago - Philly Folk Fest and The Main Point were the places we heard him play and it was always memorable! We were so lucky to have seen this guy in action for so many years.

[64chrisnickey]

i was there ...what a great time ......RIP dave

[coyoteguy45]

He was drunk here, as he often was. Still, he was one of the greatest and a really nice guy. I met him several times and he was always open and friendly. He inspired many, many musicians and deserves his place in history.

[WROGIE80]

Sometimes I think his vocals sound like Captain Beefheart

[Dulcimerea]

one of the all time greats.

[DavidDowneyJr]

this is absolutely amazing.

[xxxcatfishxxx1]

The late "Mayor of MacDougal Street" - Dave Van Ronk - great NYC folk/blues artist born this date 1936.

[BlutusMaximus316]

Yes, it is art. And most of today's "stuff" is much less thought out and heartfelt.

[BlutusMaximus316]

Yes, it is art. And most of today's "stuff" is not nearly as well thought out or heartfelt.

[Squarekn0t]

Took my daughter to see him at THE MAIN POINT in Bryn Maur when she was 8, she aint been the same since

[banjostead]

Yes! I played that venue once; I know what you mean!

Joe

[frankforall]

è un mito!

[1canyonguy]

I like this version better then his most often heard version on vinal-

Thanks so much for posting!

[HempFriend]

God he is funny

[dcwishing]

Yes!... Tom Waits and a great many others!..and I'm a HUGE Tom Waits fan!

[babbchuck]

OK, now I understand where Tom Waits got his inspiration...

[revbricenichols]

@babbchuck Kinda sounds like em, eh?

[zenradio]

@babbchuck Hmm...Tom Waits was doing his thing in the early 70's.

[laoban1954]

Utterly fantastic!!! Thanks so much for this post. God we miss him!

[Myworthi]

DITTO!! As kids, we used to go to the festival and whenever we saw Dave perform, I remember laughing so hard my stomach would hurt for hours. He could be just hysterical with tiny voice changes as he was singing. He could also sing a chillingly beautiful ballad that would bring tears to your eyes. He was SO amazing. Thanks, Dave! I hope you're singing wherever you are.

[stinji]

The Greatest.

[batpuller]

Hell. Yes! Thank you.

[kaspergore]

pure dave van ronk genius.... salty dog

[AreYouWetYet]

you better take off your Homburg

cause your overcoat is too long

[jadbronson]

Alright, i'm sure i'll sound like an idiot but what's the draw with this guy? I mean, it's hilarious and all but it really reminds me of Wesley Willis.

[karenkumler]

i think he was high on something. it's one of the worst performances of his i've ever seen. try some more videos or tunes. the disc version of Cocaine Blues is one of his best.

[S2Cents]

What's so bad about it?

[shitdog1234]

haha. im a big fan of van ronk. not only is this some of his best work but also one of the best performances i think ive seen! love it. "BEEP BAAHP DAA DAA!!!!!"

[AreYouWetYet]

LOL, I don't think I heard him BEEP

[wojo403]

He plays Candy Man as good or better than: Mississippi John Hurt, Rev Gary Davis, or Hot Tuna. That's about as good as you can get. Listen to him play Maple Leaf Rag or The Pearls, and you will understand.

[Dalero2]

Brings back memories of Saratoga 1965 - Motherless Child Great.

chip

[tanDlegen]

Great! Thanks for posting!

Does anybody know if this concert is available on the internet?

[happyjack6string]

drunk? heheheh damn he's good though

[ricardblanc]

nice!!!!! lol.. I was in the audience for that concert, remember it well.

[pobpitts]

Ha... this is gold. Whats his poison. i want some.you gotta digggg real deap to go there.ROCK ON VAN RONK!

[JimmyGianlu]

WONDEFUL!!!!! TNX LELA!!!! <3

[emifolk]

simply fantastic

thanks Lena for sharing

[bluesmaen]

Great job !!! Really cool !!!

[mrkkerekes]

looks like nick nolte's mugshot

[lenaspieltblues]

My god, this is too good ... thank so much for posting it! :=))

[cinderellalifestyle]

dittos, the too good! thanks Lena for the sendalong,..it was a wonderful way to start a(my) dreary monday--likely I will re-visit this for a few punches on the replay button

:-) today........thanks to the poster, too:-)

[jacobsimon]

One of the very best folk singers

[GeorgieWise]

Dave Van Ronk was a white man born with a black man's heart and soul. He was bridging the gap beore the Rolling Stones were.

[evenatomato]

this blew me, flew me to alaska

[revdolaf]

Wonderful! Thx for posting...

I'd strongly recommend anyone to read his autobiography "The Mayor of McDougal Street".

Full of wonderful anecdotes and social and historical commentary. For example, the story of how Big Dave and 2 of his 'larger friends' talked Mississippi John Hurt into joining their armwrestling competition....that gentle old farmhand/songster from Avalon beat men twice his size with ease...

Here's to people larger than life!!

Peace n Love

[riley501111]

That IS an art! Yayyyyaaaa!

[friendlyisle]

a brilliant performance - can you dig it?

[friendlyisle]

with raisins for his eyes . . .gonna eat 'em just as quick as I can!

[doctorpep1]

This song is over 110 years old. The Reverend Gary Davis said that this song and this style of playing was from before he was born, which was in 1896, I believe. Amazingly beautiful.

[TrishHC]

So cool to see this again! It was amazing in the original and now I can see it whenever I want. Thanks.

[gd303uk]

yep a true artist,

[N3XU551X]

Hahahah, I don't know much about art but that sure was a fine performance! I'm a BIG fan of Dave's and I've never hear that exact version before... but then again he always did like to improvise add and substitute verses in his songs. Thanks for posting!