The Folk Song of Greater Boston is pleased to have the New Lost City Ramblers celebrate their 40 years of music making by presenting them at our November concert. The number 40 is significant for the society as well, since we will soon be celebrating our 40th birthday.
The NLCR , made up of versatile and outstanding musicians Mike Seeger,
John Cohen, and Tracy Schwarz are best known for re-vitalizing Old-Time String Band music.
They introduced the idea of performing traditional music in traditional styles, and their
concerts provided linkages between folk, country, popular, and traditional music.
The Ramblers toured heavily from the late fifties through the early seventies performing
at festivals, colleges, and clubs. They appeared many times at the Newport Folk Festival
and were recognized for their workshops and performances. At these events, they presented
many traditional musicians . The Ramblers' repertoire was mostly learned from 78 rpm
records made between 1927 and 1932 as well as from Library of Congress field recordings.
In recent years they have included songs that they either composed or collected. The NLCR
introduced many 'new' instruments to the folk revival including fiddle, autoharp, mandolin
and, through the work of Mike Seeger, the jews harp.
The NLCR have made twenty albums for Folkways, Vanguard, and Flying Fish. They have individually produced close to 40 field recordings and videos of traditional musicians such as Dock Boggs, Dewey Balfa, and Roscoe Holcomb, as well as anthologies of traditional music including Cajun, Bluegrass, Appalachian, and Andean. Their latest CD There Ain't No Way Out (Smithsonian/Folkways) was nominated for both Grammy and Naird awards this year.
The Ramblers have not only introduced traditional performers to new audiences but have greatly influenced many of today's performers and fiddle bands, such as the Highwoods String Band and the Horseflies.
Make November 20th a special day of celebration by attending the NLCR concert. Both the NLCR and the FSSGB can be proud of the influences they have contributed to folk music over the last 40 years.