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John Cohen (August 2, 1932 – September 16, 2019) was an American musician, photographer and film maker who performed and documented the traditional music of the rural South and played a major role in the
American folk music revival The American folk music revival began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Billie Holiday, Richard Dyer-Ben ...
. In the 1950s and 60s, Cohen was a founding member of the
New Lost City Ramblers The New Lost City Ramblers, or NLCR, was an American contemporary old-time string band that formed in New York City in 1958 during the folk revival. Mike Seeger, John Cohen and Tom Paley were its founding members. Tracy Schwarz replaced Paley, ...
, a New York-based string band. Cohen made several expeditions to
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
to film and record the traditional culture of the
Q'ero Q'ero (spelled Q'iru in the official three-vowel Quechua orthography) is a Quechua-speaking community or ethnic group dwelling in the province of Paucartambo, in the Cusco Region of Peru. The Q'ero became more widely known due to the 1955 ethn ...
, an indigenous people. Cohen was also a professor of visual arts at SUNY Purchase College for 25 years.


Life and career


Early life

Cohen was born in
Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
, where his father, Israel, owned a shoe store. Throughout most of his life John grew up in the eastern parts of Long Island where he learned to play the guitar and banjo. He later attended Yale University where he studied painting. He later on met one of his good friends Tom Paley. They began organizing small concerts for people on their universities campus. Later on, he and Tom both moved to New York City and formed the New Lost City Ramblers. This newly formed band introduced several generations of musicians and audiences to the music styles of rural string bands from the 1920s and '30s. When living in New York John was in the heart of a diverse world of art and music forms. He began taking photos of many painters and artists around the area and this brought in his love for photography.


College career

In 1958, Cohen formed the
New Lost City Ramblers The New Lost City Ramblers, or NLCR, was an American contemporary old-time string band that formed in New York City in 1958 during the folk revival. Mike Seeger, John Cohen and Tom Paley were its founding members. Tracy Schwarz replaced Paley, ...
with
Mike Seeger Mike Seeger (August 15, 1933August 7, 2009) was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, mouth harp, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, and ...
and Tom Paley. In 1962, Paley was replaced by Tracy Schwarz. The Ramblers introduced young urban folk music fans to the work of rural performers such as
Dock Boggs Moran Lee "Dock" Boggs (February 7, 1898 – February 7, 1971) was an American old-time singer, songwriter and banjo player. His style of banjo playing, as well as his singing, is considered a unique combination of Appalachian folk music and A ...
, Elizabeth Cotten and
Blind Alfred Reed Blind Alfred Reed (June 15, 1880 – January 17, 1956) was an American folk, country, and old-time musician and singer-songwriter. He was one of the artists who recorded at the Bristol Sessions in 1927, alongside more famous names such as Jim ...
. The influence of the Ramblers has been compared to Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music. It has been suggested that
The Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...
song " Uncle John's Band", released on the album '' Workingman's Dead'', was about Cohen and his band. Cohen called this "a true rumor." Cohen described the outlook of the Ramblers: “We made it possible for urban-based musicians to step out of the demands of the music business and look out into America to get in touch with the genuine energy, drive and craziness out there.” Rather than pursuing commercial success through a polished sound, Cohen and the Ramblers undertook numerous research field trips to the South.


Photography/ Film Career

John Cohen had taken photos and pursued photography for many years. Cohen also enjoyed filmmaking. He created a film called ''The High Lonesome Sound'.'' This documentary shows the many emotions of life among the poor in those times. It illustrates how music and religion helped people in the Appalachian region maintain hope and traditions during hard times. In 1962, Cohen returned to Kentucky, where he spent six weeks filming the documentary ''The High Lonesome Sound'' which centred on Roscoe Holcomb. (The title of the film became synonymous with the Appalachian music he captured.) Cohen subsequently recorded Dillard Chandler and made the documentary ''The End of an Old Song'' about Chandler and his world. With
Ralph Rinzler Ralph Rinzler (July 20, 1934 – July 2, 1994) was an American mandolin player, folksinger, and the co-founder of the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall every summer in Washington, D.C., where he worked as a curator for American a ...
and
Izzy Young Israel Goodman Young (March 26, 1928 – February 4, 2019), known as Izzy Young, was a noted figure in the world of folk music, both in America and Sweden. He was once the owner of the Folklore Center in Greenwich Village, New York, and from 197 ...
, Cohen created the organization Friends of Old Time Music. They produced a string of concerts featuring traditional musicians in New York in the 1960s In 1959 he worked as an assistant photographer to Robert Frank and participated in the production of his film ''Pull My Daisy'', the
Beat Generation The Beat Generation was a literary Subculture, subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced Culture of the United States, American culture and Politics of the United States, politics in the post-war era. T ...
film directed by Frank and Alfred Leslie, written by
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian anc ...
and featuring
Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Generat ...
,
Peter Orlovsky Peter Anton Orlovsky (July 8, 1933 – May 30, 2010) was an American poet and actor. He was the long-time partner of Allen Ginsberg. Early life and career Orlovsky was born in the Lower East Side of New York City, the son of Katherine (née ...
,
David Amram David Werner Amram III (born November 17, 1930) is an American composer, arranger, and conductor of orchestral, chamber, and choral works, many with jazz flavorings.
, and
Gregory Corso Gregory Nunzio Corso (March 26, 1930 – January 17, 2001) was an American poet and a key member of the Beat movement. He was the youngest of the inner circle of Beat Generation writers (with Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burrough ...
. In New York, John was at the center of wildly diverse worlds of art and music. He photographed poets Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso; painters Franz Kline and Red Grooms; and a young Bob Dylan, who had just arrived in the city. Influenced by Frank, Cohen photographed the
Abstract Expressionist Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of t ...
painters and Beat writers who congregated in artists' studios and at the Cedar Tavern. Once out there in the world, John got in contact with Life Magazine, and Life paid him for early publication rights of his "beat generation" photos. Cohen learnt about weaving customs of Peru through an archaeology course at Yale. He travelled to the Peruvian Andes in 1956 to write his master's thesis on their weaving techniques. Cohen visited Peru eight times between 1956 and 2005. His work in Peru included audio recordings of Andean music and documentary films as well as books about weaving, music, festivals, and dance. Cohen's recording of a Peruvian wedding song was included on the
Voyager Golden Record The Voyager Golden Records are two phonograph records that were included aboard both Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977. The records contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for ...
which was attached to the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. Cohen ceased to perform with the New Lost City Ramblers in the 1970s, though they would re-unite for a 20th anniversary concert at New York's
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built b ...
in 1978 and for a 35th anniversary tour in 1993. From 1972 to 1997, Cohen was a Professor of Visual Arts at SUNY
Purchase College Purchasing is the process a business or organization uses to acquire goods or services to accomplish its goals. Although there are several organizations that attempt to set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary greatly between ...
where he taught photography and drawing. John made 15 films, including ''The High Lonesome Sound'' (1963), ''Sara and Maybelle: The Carter Family'' (1981), and ''Mountain Music of Peru'' (1984). He himself was the subject of the Smithsonian Channel's 2009 film ''Play On, John: A Life in Music''


Music career

In spring 1959, Cohen went to
Hazard, Kentucky Hazard is a home rule-class city in, and the county seat of, Perry County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,263 at the 2020 Census. History Local landowner Elijah Combs Sr. laid out the town in 1824 as the planned seat of the n ...
in search of traditional musicians. A series of chance encounters led him to
Roscoe Holcomb Roscoe Holcomb, (born Roscoe Halcomb September 5, 1912 – died February 1, 1981) was an American singer, banjo player, and guitarist from Daisy, Kentucky. A prominent figure in Appalachian folk music, Holcomb was the inspiration for the term ...
who played "Across the Rocky Mountain". "My hair stood up on end," Cohen recalled. "It was the most moving, touching, dynamic, powerful song. Not the song itself, but the way he sang it was just astounding." Cohen's recording trip resulted in the album, ''Mountain Music of Kentucky'', released on the Folkways label. In 1998, Cohen released his first solo album, ''Stories the Crow Told Me''. Steve Leggett wrote in AllMusic that the record is "not so much a redefinition of Appalachian music as it is an attempt to enter it fully and completely. Cohen does this so well that the album sounds exactly like some great, lost Alan Lomax field tape, and although by definition what Cohen has done here is a facsimile, it sounds so much like the real deal that it hardly matters." Cohen was associate music producer on the movie '' Cold Mountain'' (2003), working with
T Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in film ...
. Cohen appeared in the
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...
documentary about Bob Dylan, ''
No Direction Home ''No Direction Home: Bob Dylan'' is a 2005 documentary film by Martin Scorsese that traces the life of Bob Dylan, and his impact on 20th-century American popular music and culture. The film focuses on the period between Dylan's arrival in New ...
'' (2005), describing Dylan's development in the context of the 1960s folk music revival. From 2008 onwards Cohen performed with The Down Hill Strugglers, an old-time string band featuring younger performers. In 2009, the
Smithsonian Channel The Smithsonian Channel is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its media networks division under MTV Entertainment Group. It offers video content inspired by the Smithsonian Institution's museums, research facilit ...
released a documentary about Cohen, ''Play On, John: A Life in Music''. In 2011, the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
acquired the John Cohen archive of manuscripts, films, photographs and audio recordings. Cohen's archive includes interviews with Harry Smith,
Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a ...
,
Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...
,
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
, Gary Davis and Roscoe Holcomb. The photographs include these artists and
Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...
,
Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, American socialism and anti-fascism. He ...
,
Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music of the 20th century. He was also a musician himself, as well as a folklorist, archivist, writer, sch ...
,
Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...
,
The Stanley Brothers The Stanley Brothers were an American bluegrass duo of singer-songwriters and musicians, made up of brothers Carter Stanley (August 27, 1925 – December 1, 1966) and Ralph Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016). Ralph and Carter perform ...
,
Merle Travis Merle Robert Travis (November 29, 1917 – October 20, 1983) was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Rosewood, Kentucky, United States. His songs' lyrics often discussed both the lives and the economic expl ...
,
Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago ...
and many others. Cohen resided in
Putnam Valley, New York Putnam Valley is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 11,809 at the 2010 census. Its location is northeast of New York City, in the southwestern part of Putnam County.Putnam Valley calls itself the "Town of Lakes". ...
. Through the 1960s, John continued to make albums for Folkways. The artists included ballad singer Dillard Chandler, “Singing Miner” George Davis, and Roscoe Holcomb. Most of John's recordings of Roscoe can be heard on two Smithsonian Folkways CDs, ''The High Lonesome Sound'' and ''An Untamed Sense of Control''. John's 1953 recordings of Reverend Gary Davis were released by Smithsonian Folkways on the 2003 CD ''If I had My Way''. In 1998, Cohen released his first solo album, ''Stories the Crow Told Me''. Cohen was associate music producer on the movie ''Cold Mountain'' (2003), working with T Bone Burnett.


Personal life

In 1965 Cohen married Penny Seeger, a member of the musical
Seeger Seeger is the surname of various people. Etymology ''Seeger'' is one of the variant forms of ''Seagar'', a surname of Middle English origin based on the given name ''Segar'', which was formed from Old English ''sæ'' ("sea") and ''gar'' ("spear"). ...
family. They had a daughter, Sonya Cohen Cramer, a singer who died in 2015, and a son, Rufus. Penny accompanied her husband to Peru and collaborated on recording music. She died in 1993.


Monographs

*''There Is No Eye: John Cohen Photographs'', introduction by Greil Marcus. New York: powerHouse Books, 2001. , *''Young Bob: John Cohen’s Early Photographs of Bob Dylan'', Brooklyn: powerHouse Books, 2003. *''Past, Present, Peru'', Göttingen, Germany: Steidl, 2010. *''The High & Lonesome Sound: The Legacy of Roscoe Holcomb'', Göttingen, Germany: Steidl, 2012. *''Here and Gone: Bob Dylan & Woody Guthrie & the 1960s'', Göttingen, Germany: Steidl, 2014. *''Walking In the Light'', Göttingen, Germany: Steidl, 2015. *''Cheap Rents…and de Kooning'' Göttingen, Germany: Steidl, 2016.


Recent publications

*''Beat Generation: New York, San Francisco, Paris'', Paris, France: Centre Pompidou, 2016. *''Pull My Daisy'', Paris, France: Editions Macula and Centre Pompidou, 2016. Text by Rollet, Patrice; Sargeant, Jack. * Petrus, Stephen and Cohen, Ronald. ''Folk City: New York and the American Folk Music Revival'', New York: Oxford University Press, 2015. Foreword by Peter Yarrow. *Glimcher, Mildred L.''Happenings: New York, 1958-1963'', New York: The Monacelli Press LLC. 2012


Selected filmography

*''The High Lonesome Sound'' (1962). Streaming on Folkstreams *''Fifty Miles from Times Square'' (1970) *''The End of an Old Song'' (1972). A DVD version is in print as part of '' Dark Holler: Old Love Songs and Ballads'' (2005-09-27). Washington: Smithsonian Folkways. Streaming on Folkstreams. *''Musical Holdouts'' (1975) Streaming on Folkstreams. *''Q'eros: The Shape of Survival'' (1979) *''Peruvian Weaving: a continuous warp'' (1980) *''Sara and Maybelle'' (1981) *''Gypsies Sing Long Ballads'' (1982), streaming on Folkstreams *''Mountain Music of Peru'' (1984) *''Dancing with the Incas'' (1990) *''Carnival in Q'eros'' (1992) *''Play on John: A Life in Music'' (2009) on
Smithsonian Networks The Smithsonian Channel is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its media networks division under MTV Entertainment Group. It offers video content inspired by the Smithsonian Institution's museums, research facilit ...
*''Visions of Mary Frank'' (2014)


Selected discography (as producer)

*'' High Atmosphere: Ballads and Banjo Tunes from Virginia and North Carolina'' (1975) *''There Is No Eye: Music for Photographs'',
Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fou ...
SFW CD 40091 (2001), companion to the book *'' Back Roads to Cold Mountain'' (2004)


References


External links

*
John Cohen representation at L. Parker Stephenson PhotographsFolkstreams: ''The High Lonesome Sound'' (1963); ''The End of an Old Song'' (1969); ''Musical Holdouts'' (1975); ''Gypsies Sing Long Ballads'' (1982)Webcast of a Library of Congress presentation, "'The High Lonesome Sound Revisited': Documenting Traditional Culture in America" (2009)
*
The Down Hill StrugglersOldtone Roots Music Festival Tribute Video by Fred Robbins
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, John 1932 births 2019 deaths American folk singers American photographers Appalachian music Musicians from Queens, New York