It is finished.
John Herald's Just Another Bluegrass Boy, a CD featuring all his own songs is now available!
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Top Photo: Ralph Rinzler, Bob Dylan, John Herald. Bottom Photo: John Herald, John Hartford, Tom Rush, Doc Watson. |
The Greenbriar Boys and various artists New Folks 1959 Vanguard VRS-9096 With: Jackie Washington, Hedy West, David Gude |
About a year after "New Folks" was released in 1959, Maynard told them Joan Baez was interested in them backing her on a couple of tunes for her second album, on which they played and sang harmony to "Banks of the Ohio" and "Darling pal of mine". While this was in the works, Maynard asked them to do their very own whole album for Vanguard.
The Greenbriar Boys The Greenbriar Boys 1960 Vanguard VRS-9104 |
The Greenbriar Boys Ragged But Right! 1962 Vanguard VRS-9159 (stereo VSD-79159) |
Di'an James & The Greenbriar Boys Di'an & The Greenbriar Boys 1963 Elektra EKS-7233 |
Joan's and their own album was released in 1960. With the addition of bass player Jack Cook and fiddler Buddy Pendleton, it was titled "The Greenbriar Boys". Ralph Rinzler recorded one more album with them for Vanguard entitled "Ragged But Right", released in 1962 and one for the Electra label where they backed up female singer Dian James. This album was entitled "Dian and the Greenbriar Boys" and released in 1963. Dian sang in the Molly O'Day mountain singing tradition. The album was done in Los Angeles and Electra was convinced it had crossover possibilities into the pop market. It was produced by Jim Dixon who was a bit of a visionary, seeing that shortly after he went on to produce the Byrds' first albums which contained
The Greenbriar Boys Better Late Than Never 1965 Vanguard VRS-9233 |
Meanwhile, Ralph Rinzler, who had always been interested in musicology, decided he could do more to further American folk culture and music by working on a more academic side. In 1964 he went to work for the Smithsonian Institute in D.C. where he established the division of American Folk Life, among many other major contributions. During this period Ralph also managed Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys and Doc Watson, who John (along with Ralph) had a small part in discovering. "An interesting story", says John, which he'll put into a larger biography sometime. As Ralph phased himself out of the group, "we were lucky", says John, "to be
The Greenbriar Boys The Best of the Greenbriar Boys 1972 Vanguard VSD-79317 |
John Herald & various Artists Woodstock Mountains: More Music From Mud Acres 1977 Rounder Records PA-6082 With: Pat Alger, Eric Anderson, Lee Berg, Rory Block, Paul Butterfield, Bill Keith, Jim Rooney, Roly Salley, John Sebastian, Paul Siebel, Artie Traum, Happy Traum |
The John Herald Band & various artists Bread & Roses 1979 Fantasy Records F-79009 With: Hoyt Axton, Joan Baez, Boys of the Lough, Jackson Browne, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Terry Garthwaite and Toni Brown, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Dan Hicks, David Lindley, Country Joe McDonald, Maria Muldaur, Mickey Newbury, Tom Paxton, The Persuasions, Malvina Reynolds, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Pete Seeger, Dave Van Ronk, Jesse Colin Young |
During the 1960's Maynard Solomen at Vanguard Records took a liking to John's guitar playing and asked him to play on many folk recordings, including those of Doc Watson, Ramblin Jack Elliot, Buffy Saint Marie, and three albums with Ian and Sylvia. John also recorded on other labels for Bonnie Raitt, David Bromberg, Tom Rush, Logan English, Jody Stecher, and the movies: "Hi Mom - You are what you eat", and "White Line Fever", sometimes under the pseudonym of "Daddy Bones". Starting in 1969 a group of people from the Woodstock, NY area (calling themselves the Woodstock Mountain Revue) began the first of four recordings for the Rounder label. One a double album is shown on this page. The personnel
John Herald John Herald 1973 Paramount Records PAS 6043 |
Shortly before moving to Los Angeles in 1972 John recorded his first solo album for the then major label Paramount. Among the artists helping out were many friends from the Woodstock and NYC areas including the wonderful and inventive electric guitar player Amos Garret, Howie Wyeth (piano and drums), Steve Soles and Ned Albright (harmony singing), Bob Neuwirth (co-producer), and Rob Stoner (elec bass). Howie, Steve, Rob and Bob were the first core of Bob Dylan's infamous Rolling Thunder Revue Tour in 1975. The four having come together totally by chance, walking in off the street separately and gathering around a piano with Bob Dylan at the Bitter End Bar. "I surely regret living on the west coast at the time and not being there" says John, especially since the aforementioned people met for the first time during his Paramount recording sessions, a year or two before.
John moved from LA to Philadelphia in 1976 and formed a bluegrass band there
John Herald Band John Herald and the John Herald Band 1978 Bay Records Bay-213 |
In 1977 John moved from Philadelphia back to Woodstock, NY (where he had previously lived from 1965 to 1972) and formed an electric country bluegrass band. This was about two years before the urban cowboy trend of the 80's began. The band had some wonderful musicians including Larry Campbell (fiddle, pedal steel and elec guitar, and is now with Bob Dylan's band), Jim Carter (singer extraordinaire and elec bass), Joel (Bishop) O'Brien (drums, and formerly with James Taylor and the Flying Machine - a group John was in for a couple of months), and Gordon Titcomb (mandolin and pedal steel and now with Paul Simon).
The John Herald Band The Real Thing 1984 Rooster Records RSTR 126 |
The John Herald Band Bring It On Down to My House Recorded Live at the Joyous Lake, May 1983 With: Cyndi Cashdollar, Caroline Dutton, Joe Deetz, George Quinn |
All of John's solo and Herald Band albums were on labels that went out of business a few years after the albums were recorded (Paramount, Bay, and Rooster records). That's the sad story folks, but true. These records may be collectors items. "The Best of John Herald and the Greenbriar Boys" (Vanguard) and "More Music from Mud Acres/The Woodstock Mountain Review" (Rounder), may be available from the companies themselves.
"I may put out a CD conglomeration of my older stuff or wait for a new record label. Lord knows, I have plenty of new material".
Warmest regards to you fans out there! |
From the Album "John Herald and the John Herald Band" Left to right: Caroline Dutton, Roly Sally, Wanamaker Lewis, John Herald, Gordon Titcomb |
From the Album "John Herald" Left to right: John Herald, Alan Stowell, Bob Tanner |
From the Album "The Real Thing" Left to right: Caroline Dutton, George Quinn, John Herald, Cyndi Cashdollar |
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