The Mayor of MacDougal Street [2013 edition]: A Memoir

Biography & Autobiography. Nonfiction. HTML:Dave Van Ronk (1936-2002) was one of the founding figures of the 1960s folk revival, but he was far more than that. A pioneer of modern acoustic blues, a fine songwriter and arranger, a powerful singer, and one of the most influential guitarists of the '60s, he was also a marvelous storyteller, a peerless musical historian, and one of the most quotable figures on the Village scene. The Mayor of MacDougal Street is a first-hand account by a major player in the social and musical history of the '50s and '60s. It features encounters with young stars-to-be like Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, and Joni Mitchell, as well as older luminaries like Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, and Odetta. Colorful, hilarious, and engaging, The Mayor of MacDougal Street is a feast for anyone interested in the music, politics, and spirit of a revolutionary period in American culture.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Sullywriter

Great memoir about the heydays of the Greenwich Village folk music scene.

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LibraryThing member bjkelley

An interesting look at the folk scene in Greenwich Village. I picked the book to see what someone who was there when Dylan arrived on the scene. While there wasn't a lot on Dylan, what there was, agreed with what I always thought. The rest of the book was well written and really gives the reader a

look at NYC in the 50s/60s.

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LibraryThing member k6gst

Wonderful and hilarious.

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