''Somebody Else, Not Me'' is a 1980

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

folk and blues singer

Dave Van Ronk David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of Mac ...

. ''Somebody Else, Not Me'' continues Van Ronk's return to basic blues, folk and jazz accompanying himself on guitar. It was reissued (with a slight change of name) as ''Someone Else, Not Me'' on CD by Philo in 1999. It was originally to be released in late 1970s as the follow-up to '' Sunday Street''. The cover of

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 ...

's "

Song to Woody "Song to Woody" was written by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and released on his debut album, ''Bob Dylan,'' in 1962. The song conveys Dylan's appreciation of American folk legend Woody Guthrie. The song is one of two original compositions ...

" was the second original Dylan song Van Ronk recalled hearing, at

the Gaslight Cafe The Gaslight Cafe was a coffeehouse in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. Also known as The Village Gaslight, it opened in 1958 and became notable as a venue for folk music and other musical acts.Al AronowitzThe Gaslight, ...

Reception

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' called the album "a powerful, if unfocused, assortment of traditional blues and ragtime, plus a dose of whimsy and more current material." For

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, critic William Ruhlman wrote: "If the result was not quite the equal of Sunday Street, it was in the same league and continued Van Ronk's mature renaissance."

Track listing

#"Michigan Water Blues" ( Clarence Williams) – 3:05 #"Somebody Else, Not Me" (Van Ronk,

Bert Williams Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922) was a Bahamian-born American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He is credited as being ...

) – 4:04 #"Old Hannah" (Traditional) – 5:41 #" The Entertainer" (

Scott Joplin Scott Joplin ( 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, he was dubbed the "King of Ragtime." During his career, he wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces, one ra ...

) – 4:57 #"Did You Hear John Hurt?" (

Tom Paxton Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer-songwriter who has had a music career spanning more than fifty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

) – 3:12 #" Old Blue" (Traditional; arranged by Dave Van Ronk) – 3:50 #"Sportin' Life" (

Brownie McGhee Walter Brown "Brownie" McGhee (November 30, 1915 – February 16, 1996) was an American folk music and Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaboration with the harmonica player Sonny Terry. Life and career McGhee wa ...

) – 3:42 #"Casey Jones" (

Furry Lewis Walter E. "Furry" Lewis (March 6, 1893 or 1899 – September 14, 1981) was an American country blues guitarist and songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. He was one of the first of the blues musicians active in the 1920s to be brought out of retirem ...

) – 4:46 #" Pastures of Plenty" (

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 socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

) – 4:27 #"

" (

) – 3:57

Personnel

*Dave Van Ronk – vocals, guitar

Production notes

*Produced by Mitch Greenhill & Charles Eller *Mastered by Matt Murman *Liner notes by Dave Van Ronk *Photography by David Gahr *Design by Francisco Gonzalez *Reissue liner notes by

Elijah Wald Elijah Wald (born 1959) is an American folk blues guitarist and music historian. He is a 2002 Grammy Award winner for his liner notes to ''The Arhoolie Records 40th Anniversary Box: The Journey of Chris Strachwitz''. Life Wald was born in 1959 ...

References

{{Authority control Dave Van Ronk albums 1980 albums