Dave Van Ronk
American folk musician (1936–2002) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Dave van Ronk?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of MacDougal Street".[1]
Dave Van Ronk | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk |
Born | (1936-06-30)June 30, 1936 New York City, U.S. |
Died | February 10, 2002(2002-02-10) (aged 65) New York City, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instrument(s) |
|
Years active | 1959–2002 |
Labels | Folkways |
Van Ronk's work ranged from old English ballads to blues, gospel, rock, New Orleans jazz, and swing. He was also known for performing instrumental ragtime guitar music, especially his transcription of "St. Louis Tickle" and Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag". Van Ronk was a widely admired avuncular figure in "the Village", presiding over the coffeehouse folk culture and acting as a friend to many up-and-coming artists by inspiring, assisting, and promoting them. Folk performers he befriended include Jim and Jean, Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Phil Ochs, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and Joni Mitchell. Dylan recorded Van Ronk's arrangement of the traditional song "House of the Rising Sun" on his first album, which the Animals would later cover and would become a chart-topping rock single in 1964,[2] helping inaugurate the folk rock movement.[3]
Van Ronk received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in December 1997.