Dave Van Ronk - "Spike Driver Blues" [Live at The Barns At Wolf Trap 1997]

[@CatherineSTodd]

Oh, how I miss the Village from the late sixties and early seventies, when Dave Van Ronk and everyone else and music was EVERYWHERE! Singing and playing was in the coffee houses, "in the air" and even "in the water!" Thanks for posting. Great reminder of the "good old days!"

[@CatherineSTodd]

Read Van Ronk's book about the Village "back in the day"... I think it was called "The Mayor of MacDougal Street." Best one I've read of those days!

[@davidhague2840]

+Catherine S. Todd I used to watch Dave play in Cambridge, Mass, off Harvard Square at the old Cklub 47 coffeehouse on Palmer Street.

[@stephenhenion8304]

Thanks Dave!! For living music, for playing music. It's an inspiration to me of all that you did! Green green dr essed in green!!!

[@donk9132]

Very nice to hear Dave and the respect he had for MJH too.

[@feaw3]

Dave was one of the unique greats. I feel honored to have seen him.

[@slepycitron]

Thanks. Lovely music, lovely reminiscing.

[@jackwarshawmusic]

Once sat up with Big Dave all night after a concert, singing and discussing songs and singers. Some of his comments on other singers are unrepeatable. Also met MJH at Newport. My take on Tom Paxton's "John Hurt" adds a tribute to Dave, from whom I first heard the song.. www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=ntt_srch_drd_B006JCHKI8?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Burns%20%26%20Warshaw&index=digital-music&search-type=ss

[@stephenhenion8304]

What a great story!

[@dariusmolark6820]

Yeap, Mississippi John Hurt, a great man- Candyman and all.

[@randyhobson]

I LOVE YOU Folkways. That is all.

[@RonIrelandMusic]

Beautiful. I just bought the anthology. It's wonderful.

[@bweags4194]

God Dave Van Ronk was special

[@jayrobb9]

That guitar line is just breathtaking. Truly haunting and creepy.

[@123must]

Beautiful ! Thanks

[@danielking2289]

Another great story is Van Ronk sharing his rendition with John Hurt. John hurt pointed out that he had the bass picking backwards.

[@stephenhenion8304]

Maybe backward, but I kinda like to think of it as an arrangement....🎵🎶🎵

[@joeybologny6746]

He keeps screwing with that D to E note out of time at random (4th string) that John Hurt did a straight 4/4 rhythm on, very sweet.

[@macfunkey]

Yeah, there are other faults too ... but it's hard. Doc Watson managed to pretty much nail it. I'm trying to learn it now ... if I can get to being able to play and sing it, I'll be happy. Seek out the live recording of John Hurt playing to an audience and speeding up ...

[@stephenhenion8304]

Hope you could get it right, then....

[@robertkristiansen3085]

Just Great !

[@johnnybx3254]

Thanks! Great 👍

[@toddfischer1519]

He was a friend of mine

[@victorwadsworth821]

His whispering, talking, voice kind of remind me of Charles Nelson Reilly. Listen to Reilly & see what you think.

[@lynettekomidar]

His voice was much raspier as I remember it. He may be in the early stages of throat cancer

[@lorenwhitaker4903]

@Kellen Witsell: this is in standard tuning, key of G, all the notes are played around a G and G7 chord. Tricky to play, but not impossible. : )

[@davidhague2840]

+Loren Whitaker Actually with a capo on the fifth fret he's actually playing in C.

[@andrewpearson1903]

I play it in open Gb, or open G with a capo on the first fret. Sounds a lot more like the original than this one.

[@bendummitt888]

Nina Joy turned me on to Dave Van Ronk back in the mid 70's. Did it effect my writing? I have no idea...

[@oldbladderhorn949]

much as i like Dave, you can't beat the original version by MJH Mississippi's picking is better in every way and his voice... This sounds second hand and removed and not from the hurt of being there. or of finding that bloody hammer. The one that killed old' John. Or that feeling of wanting to get back to your people the loneliness, of thankless back breaking (HARD) labour (Mississippi) Mr John Hurt must have seen it to sing it so knew where to look to find that hurt and anger hidden in his sweet soft spoken singing voice tell's it too you before you realise. you can't run, cause where you going to run to Boy what/who killed John Henry, it sure, wasn't the hammer.

[@JadenJahci]

"My Quèen Bee!" ~ Taj Mahal

[@ezradickey505]

That last bit, after the song, starting at 7:00, is most interesting. Were some 78s manipulated? Probably so.

[@lollo1991]

Most famous example is Robert Johnson's. almost all of his songs are speed adjusted to fit them into the 78. What we have been listening for all these years is quite possibly not the real vocie of Robert, but you can find some corrected versions on YT. Yeah!

[@vincentmurphy7847]

@@lollo1991 I'm sure that by now you know that this is a myth that has been well and truly debunked ...

[@treceur6195]

anyone know what tuning this is in?

[@micoveliki8729]

Kellen Witsell standard

[@territhal3478]

Great story...but for Dave, God was Gary Davis. And whoever wrote the notes erred--David met John in 1963, not in 1997.

[@Chris_Richard]

Jerry Garcia brought me here.

[@stephenhenion8304]

Me too!!

[@douglesw]

Absolutely terrible and an injustice to the great, and very soulful, MJH. This guy is a big bag of wind. You want to hear "SDB" played with real expression?... watch the YT vid of a live performance on an old Pete Seeger show. Appreciate the bounce/swing/groove that MJH plays. His body and guitar are one as they almost dance to the beat.

[@sundown798]

Don't mind your critique, you have to remember these guys/girls in the early 60"s late 50s had pure love for MJH also the Reverend Gary Davis played back then in NYC and Boston. College students also my father who was studying at the conservatory then met MJH, Even Rev. Gary Davis, also saw Segovia played in those days. Imagine that when you were young to see all.of this. Goes on and on and was a wonderful time for them. To just respect the early 60's generation then passing the music into even 2 or more generations they did a wonderful job! And I am.a huge fan of Seeger too)) Cheers)

[@lonesomelou4188]

You're referring to "Rainbow Quest". Just Pete in a sparse studio with his musical buddies. I found these shows in the local library on vhs. Later, I bought all of them on DVD through Amazon. They're great pieces of American musical history.

[@stephenhenion8304]

And who made you the expert???

[@douglesw]

@@stephenhenion8304 I'm not sure why you would think me an expert. Just a snarky reply to feed you own ego? I trust you didn't take the time to see how SDB should be played by the Master MJH. Listen and Learn! You, like Dave, are a big bag of wind, otherwise.

[@7550375503]

John Hurt was also a CIA operative.

[@stephenhenion8304]

Huh????