Pophistory: music, movies, history, and life.
Folksinger Gilbert Vandine “Cisco” Houston was born in Wilmington, Delaware on August 18, 1918. Houston is probably best-known for his work with Woody Guthrie, but he also performed with artists like Lead Belly and the Almanac Singers. Houston had a great voice and was a wonderful interpreter of traditional songs and folk songs written by … Continue reading “You and Me and Cisco Know”
Merry Christmas to our readers who celebrate the holiday. Today’s Christmas song is “Christmas in Washington” by Steve Earle. The song first appeared on his El Corazón (1997) album, which is one of my all-time favorite records. As Earle explains in this Austin, Texas performance from 2000, the song is about some of his heroes. … Continue reading “Christmas in Washington: A Song About Heroes”
A certain beer commercial gives viewers glimpses of the life of “the most interesting man of the world.” If the commercials were to choose a famous singer, a good choice for the most interesting man would be folk singer Glenn Yarbrough, who passed away recently on August 11, 2016 in Nashville at the age of … Continue reading “Folk Singer Glenn Yarbrough, the Real Most Interesting Man in the World”
Elliot Charles Adnopoz was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 1, 1931. Although his birth name and location are not generally associated with cowboys, the boy became fascinated with cowboys and at the age of 15 ran away from home to join a rodeo. Eventually, he would achieve a more cowboy-like handle, Ramblin’ Jack … Continue reading “Ramblin’ Jack and “Don’t Think Twice””
On June 15, 1920, residents of Duluth, Minnesota lynched three African-American circus workers: Isaac McGhie, Elias Clayton and Elmer Jackson. An 8-year-old child named Abraham Zimmerman lived in Duluth at the time. And he grew up to have a son named Robert, who would later become famous with the name Bob Dylan. So, the lynching … Continue reading “They’re Selling Postcards of the Hanging: The Real Lynching in Dylan’s “Desolation Row””