A vanguard is, by definition, a position at the forefront of new ideas or developments. And in the fertile musical stomping ground of the early 1960s, some of the newest, most avant-garde ideas were being espoused on the Vanguard Records label. Yet these so-called radical, even "dangerous" thoughts were being espoused in forms so traditional, they might have seemed as old as time. Vanguard was formed in 1950 by Maynard and Seymour Solomon as a classical label and later moved into jazz. The
The Newport Folk Festival was created in 1959 in Newport, Rhode Island as a response to the rising prominence of folk music in America. In 1961, one of the great groups of the genre was formed when Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers lifted their voices in song as Peter, Paul and Mary. The trio frequently took the stage at Newport with many of their classic songs, and now, Shout! Factory is collecting eighteen such performances on a new set coming to CD, DVD, and digital formats
Woody Guthrie remains one of the most significant figures in folk music. His legendary songs of freedom and struggle laid the groundwork for the folk revival that arose in the fifties and sixties, and his music endures as part of America's rich musical heritage. In 1970, renowned folk artists like Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Country Joe McDonald, Odetta, Richie Havens, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Earl Robinson, The Band, and Woody's son Arlo Guthrie, convened to pay tribute to the legendary songwriter,