07/27/2020
I love this picture! 3 of my favorites. And a great story to boot.
Photo of myself, Richie Havens, & Dave Van Ronk, taken at Mira Sound Studio, NY, by George Schowerer circa 1966. George's wonderful site is https://www.historyofrecording.com/ ; high recommend for anyone interested in the history of recording. Back story: I was recording my first album, for what was then Verve Forecast, owned by MGM. One of the things I wanted was a frank discussion of the music industry as it was then, jukeboxes controlled by "outside interests", payola, the works. I believe the conversation also contained Van Ronk's thesis (which I subscribe to) that MGM needed tax losses, so in the midst of what Dave called "The Great Folk Scare", they signed up everyone in Greenwich Village who they thought would lose money for them. Myself, Richie , Dave, Tim Hardin, Laura Nyro, the New Lost City Ramblers, The Blues Project... Fortunately, the Verve Forecast label was headed by Jerry Schoenbaum, who signed artists he believed in, period. Because of Jerry, "Society's Child" was released three times, each with publicity and backing from the label. It would never have been a hit without Jerry, and the help of Leonard Bernstein (who featured it in April, 1967, 8 months after the album was recorded).
The title of the conversation was "A Grape Masher With Dirty Feet", which I thought was funny and deep at the time. (I was fifteen. Please bear with me....) The first run of my album had it on there; the covers had it printed at the end of side one I believe. Then, someone at MGM heard it. Run was re-called and destroyed. The album was released, but without that cut. To this day, I've never heard it, and no one at what is now UMG is able to find it. I can only assume the tape itself was destroyed.
This photo brings back really great memories for me, because at a time when certain elements of the folk community felt I'd come too far, too fast, and hadn't "paid my dues", Dave and Richie took me in as a colleague and friend.
One funny thing I just noticed. Dave has a pack of ci******es and an ash tray. Richie has a bottle of soda. I, on the other hand, have both ci******es and soda. Lead singer to the max...
