Frank Kresen and I share a deep, lifetime affection for unique songwriter John Stewart, who died six years ago on January 19, 2006. Frank is writing a book about John, and we will be publishing it here in installments. This is the third installment – enjoy! You can click on it and read it online, or right click (control click on a Mac) and download it. Many thanks to Frank Kresen for sharing this with all of us.
Prelude: Flashback and Foreshadow
Introduction: “On Becoming a Household Name” — or, “One Amp Short”
Johnny They Hardly Knew Ye by Frank Kresen
Frank W. Kresen
May 1, 2014 at 7:53 amFrom my good friend and former bandmate in our acoustic duo, The Dinosaurs (1996-2009), Doug Breckenridge:
There aren’t a lot of people — even serious Folkies — who are
familiar with the life and works of John Stewart. I confess that, until
I spent a dozen-plus years as Frank Kresen’s bandmate and friend, I
was among that number. But now, thanks to Frank’s elegantly
impassioned (and deeply researched!) prose, music fans everywhere can
get to know the significance of this great American songwriter. That’s
a good thing!
Frank W. Kresen
April 28, 2014 at 6:49 pmNEXT INSTALLMENT: April 27, 2014: “Chapter One: ‘Twixt Trio and Solo — What Was It Really Like?”
It covers the two-year time period (late 1966 to late 1968) between the breakup of The Kingston Trio and the release of John’s first solo LP, SIGNALS THROUGH THE GLASS.