Folk New England

Folk New England FOLK New England’s mission is to create a dialogue between the history of folk music and the future o

FOLK New England is a 5-year old non-profit organization based in Massachusetts, not far from Harvard Square where the folk music revival of the 1960s kicked off a cultural revolution. FOLK New England is a living repository of folk music history materials, featuring 50 year-old audio recordings of rare performances and interviews; a photograph collection documenting the past and the active presen

t of folk music; and a growing archive of personal papers, folk journals, and ephemera related to the folk music scene. FOLK New England is also an intimate performance venue for folk and roots musicians from the United States and abroad. FOLK New England prepares and travels curated exhibitions to cultural centers across America. FOLK New England provides area elementary schools with classroom materials and in-class musicians to teach the relationships between folk musicians, their songs, and social issues; the organization’s educational arm also presents salons, lectures, and films, treating audiences to both intelligent discourse and soulful entertainment. FOLK New England has worked in partnership with fellow cultural institutions such as the Cambridge Historical Society, Harvard’s Loeb Music Library, Rounder Records, the Putney School, the American Repertory Theatre, and the Cotuit Center for the Arts. All of FOLK New England’s work has been supported by grants from the Grammy Foundation, ASCAP, the Cambridge Arts Council, and by individual donors and volunteers.

https://www.boston.com/culture/entertainment/2026/03/23/one-new-englander-is-in-this-years-class-at-bostons-folk-america...
03/24/2026

https://www.boston.com/culture/entertainment/2026/03/23/one-new-englander-is-in-this-years-class-at-bostons-folk-americana-roots-hall-of-fame-tom-rush/?fbclid=iwy2xjawqu9xhlehrua2flbqixmabicmlketfxawlrmw9dr1vfmvzvd2dgc3j0ywzhchbfawqqmjiymdm5mtc4odiwmdg5mgabhhtkjcfayljj2ujnuprzt62mo3i6insrmbj8i-hxmrud1idgneyl9hvozixy_aem_09at3xdb7-tzqjqpapnfza

The Boston’s Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame inductee talks pot brownies, discovering Joni Mitchell, and riding a train with the Grateful Dead.

Congrats to Chris Smither for winning an Oscar!!! Best live-action short film.
03/16/2026

Congrats to Chris Smither for winning an Oscar!!! Best live-action short film.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CK8u5rDNE/
03/07/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CK8u5rDNE/

Del McCoury @87
Friends, I recently attended the Joe Val Festival in Framingham, Massachusetts, where we celebrated Joe’s 100th birthday, the 40th anniversary of the Boston Bluegrass Union and the 30th Anniversary of the Festival itself. The weekend was capped off by the Del McCoury Band giving one of the best performances of Bluegrass music (or any other kind of music) I have ever seen.

I first met Del in 1963 when he was playing with Bill Monroe when Bill Keith was also in the band. Del was the perfect choice Monroe made as lead singer and solid guitar man. I saw that band (including Kenny Baker on fiddle) play many times and live recordings show that it was definitely one of the best bands Bill ever had, and it totally reinvigorated his career.

A couple of years later I had started running the Club 47 coffeehouse in Cambridge. Del had started his own band, The Dixie Pals, with his brother Jerry and I brought them up. Del was totally comfortable leading his own band. His easy smile and relaxed demeanor was in contrast with the intensity of his singing, his total commitment to the song and his solid as a rock guitar playing.

Over the years I would run into Del at festivals. At some point his boys Robbie and Ronnie came along. Del had started out as a banjo player, so it was natural that he passed that skill on to Rob. Ronnie took up the mandolin and was mentored by the likes of David Grisman and rapidly got to be as good as his teacher. Ron also wanted to sing, and became the perfect singing partner for Del. The Del McCoury Band came into being and before long they were winning every award there was to win in the Bluegrass world as well as Grammy’s.

Del recently turned 87, and you wouldn’t blame him if he felt like it was time to retire or ease off a bit. The performance I saw the other day was proof that, f anything, Del McCoury is better than he ever has been and that goes for the band as well, now including grandson Evan on guitar, long time bass player Alan Bartram and the latest addition, brilliant young fiddler Christian Ward. Del did a two hour show, never sitting down, with material ranging from classics like “High On A Mountain,” “White House Blues,” “Dark Holler,” to Richard Thompson’s “1952 Vincent Black Lightning ,” or Shawn Camp’s “Travellin’ Teardrop Blues,” as well as countless requests shouted out from the audience. It was an absolutely stunning performance from beginning to end. If you get a chance to see them in person, do not pass it up.

Afterwards, Del and I visited for a few minutes, talking about Bill Keith and Don Stover and Joe Val and how our paths keep crossing and recrossing over the years. Music has been a blessing in our lives—a blessing we take great pleasure in sharing with others wherever we happen to be. We treasure our friendship. Long may it continue!

More from the Besty Siggins Papers Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Centerhttps://tiny...
02/05/2026

More from the Besty Siggins Papers
Robert S. Cox Special Collections and
University Archives Research Center
https://tinyurl.com/bp6n5fpr
Betsy Siggins and Charlie Frizzell, ca. 1963

Happy Heavenly Birthday to Dick Pleasants.
01/28/2026

Happy Heavenly Birthday to Dick Pleasants.

If you see Jim Rooney today, wish him a Happy Birthday!
01/28/2026

If you see Jim Rooney today, wish him a Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Joan Baez, here with Folk New England Founder Betsy Siggins.
01/09/2026

Happy Birthday, Joan Baez, here with Folk New England Founder Betsy Siggins.

The Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame celebrates the artists, songwriters, and industry leaders who have shaped and pres...
12/25/2025

The Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame celebrates the artists, songwriters, and industry leaders who have shaped and preserved folk, Americana, and roots music. Inductees are selected by a diverse committee of experts and board members representing a broad range of musical and cultural perspectives.
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