The World Folk Music Association is a non-profit organization
formed in 1983 by folk singer/songwriter
Tom Paxton and
Dick Cerri, a radio host from Washington D. C.
The first chairman of the board was Paxton
and Cerri served as president.
Paxton and Cerri declared that the WFMA was "dedicated to promoting contemporary and traditional folk music, spreading the word to fans, and keeping the folk community informed and involved".
WFMA presents a monthly showcase in
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which ...
,
and from 1984 to 2011 hosted an annual benefit concert. The WFMA presented its Lifetime Achievement Award, Kate Wolf Award, and John Denver award at its annual concert through 2006.
''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' described the 6th annual concert as "nostalgic and topical, competent and compelling".
To celebrate
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 inspire ...
's 82d birthday, WFMA presented a Woody Guthrie Tribute Concert in 1994.
A two-night concert in tribute of
The Kingston Trio's 45th anniversary was held by WFMA in 2002.
In 2013, WFMA hosted a benefit concert to support the Madison House Autism Foundation.
WFMA also sponsored the final
Chad Mitchell Trio concert in 2014.
WFMA Lifetime Achievement Award
The first recipient of the WFMA Lifetime Achievement Award was
Odetta in 1994. Other winners include:
*
Lou Gottlieb of the
Limeliters
The Limeliters are an American folk music group, formed in July 1959 by Lou Gottlieb (bass violin/bass), Alex Hassilev (banjo/baritone), and Glenn Yarbrough (guitar/tenor). The group was active from 1959 until 1965, and then after a hiatus of ...
, 1995
*
Oscar Brand, 1996
*
Bob Gibson
Robert Gibson (born Pack Robert Gibson; November 9, 1935October 2, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975). Nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot" ...
, 1997 (posthumous award)
*
John Denver, 1998 (posthumous award)
*
Tommy Makem, 1999
*
Rod Kennedy
John Roddick Kennedy (March 17, 1882 – September 28, 1935) was a Canadian amateur and professional ice hockey player. Kennedy, a defenceman, played most of his hockey in the amateur era, representing two storied clubs in the Montreal Wanderers ...
, 2000
*
John Stewart, 2001
*
Joe Glazer, 2002
*
Carolyn Hester
Carolyn Sue Hester (born January 28, 1937) is an American folk singer and songwriter. She was a figure in the early 1960s folk music revival.
Biography
Hester's first album was produced by Norman Petty in 1957. She made her second album for Tr ...
, 2003
*
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 M ...
, 2004 (posthumous award)
*
Dick Cerri, 2005
*
Tom Paxton, 2006
Kate Wolf Memorial Award
Established in 1987 to honor the memory of
Kate Wolf, a singer/songwriter who died from leukemia, the Kate Wolf Memorial Award is presented "to the performer who best epitomizes the music and spirit of Kate Wolf." It has been awarded to:
*
Utah Phillips, 1988
*
Christine Lavin
Christine Lavin (born January 2, 1952) is a New York City-based singer-songwriter and promoter of contemporary folk music. She has recorded numerous solo albums, and has also recorded with other female folk artists under the name Four Bitchin ...
of
Four Bitchin' Babes, 1989
*
Rosalie Sorrels, 1990
*
Robin Batteau
Robin Batteau (born January 12, 1948) is an American composer, singer-songwriter, and music producer. Batteau is the brother of singer/songwriter David Batteau. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover and should have graduated from Harvard Un ...
, 1991
*
Hugh Romney, also known as Wavy Gravy, 1992
*
Peter Yarrow of
Peter, Paul, and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary was an American folk group formed in New York City in 1961 during the American folk music revival phenomenon. The trio consisted of tenor Peter Yarrow, baritone Paul Stookey, and contralto Mary Travers. The group's repertoir ...
, 1993
*
Crow Johnson
A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifica ...
, 1994
*
Nanci Griffith, 1995
*
Jack Hardy, 1996
*
Tom Chapin
Tom Chapin (born March 13, 1945) is an American musician, entertainer, singer-songwriter, and storyteller.
Chapin is known for the song " Happy Birthday", released in 1989 in his ''Moonboat'' album. It takes its melody from "Love Unspoken", a so ...
, 1997
*
David Buskin
David Buskin (born December 13, 1943 in New York City) is a singer, songwriter, performer, author, playwright, jingle composer and girls' basketball coach. He is well known for composing numerous television and radio commercials produced in the 19 ...
, 1998
*
Nina Gerber
Nina Gerber is an American guitarist who first came to attention when she accompanied singer-songwriter Kate Wolf from 1979 until Wolf's death in 1986.
Gerber was born and raised in Sebastopol, California. In 1975, Gerber was still at high school ...
, 1999
*
Noel Paul Stookey of
Peter, Paul, and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary was an American folk group formed in New York City in 1961 during the American folk music revival phenomenon. The trio consisted of tenor Peter Yarrow, baritone Paul Stookey, and contralto Mary Travers. The group's repertoir ...
, 2000
*
The Kennedys, 2001
*
Anne Hills, 2002
*
David Massengill, 2003
*
Tom Rowe of
Schooner Fare
Schooner Fare is a Maine-based folk band, consisting of Steve Romanoff (vocals, six and twelve-string guitar, five-string banjo), Chuck Romanoff (vocals, twelve-string guitar, tenor banjo), and formerly Tom Rowe (vocals, bass guitar, tin ...
, 2004 (posthumous award)
*
The Shaw Brothers, 2005
John Denver Award
Established in 1998, the John Denver Award was awarded in 1999 to Denver's original publisher and producer,
Milt Okun
Milton Theodore Okun (December 23, 1923 – November 15, 2016) was an American arranger, record producer, conductor, singer and founder of Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. Okun transformed the careers of a dozen or more major U.S. a ...
. Other recipients include:
*
Kenn Roberts, 2000
*
Bill Danoff, 2001
*
Tom Wisner, 2003
*
Greg Artzner and
Terry Leonino (
Magpie), 2004
*
Dawn Publications, 2006
References
{{reflist, refs=
[{{Cite book, title=Number #1 : the story of the original Highwaymen, last=Noble, first=Richard E., publisher=Outskirts Press, year=2009, isbn=9781432738099, location=Denver, pages=142–161; 265–267, oclc=426388468]
[{{cite book, title=College & Research Libraries News, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wJ5JAQAAIAAJ, date=January 1996, page=206, publisher=Association of College and Research Libraries]
[{{Cite journal, date=1983, title=Changing Scene, journal=Music Educators Journal, volume=70, issue=2, pages=22, doi=10.2307/3401206, issn=0027-4321, jstor=3401206]
[{{cite news , title=Dick Cerri (obituary), url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/dick-cerri-folk-music-radio-host-in-dc-area/2013/10/18/d46cb6b0-383a-11e3-ae46-e4248e75c8ea_story.html, access-date=9 Nov 2019 , work=The Washington Post , date=30 Oct 2013]
[{{cite web , title=Showcase Series , url=http://www.wfma.net/PRshowcase.htm , website=World Folk Music Association , access-date=9 November 2019]
[{{cite web , title=WFMA Past Events , url=http://www.wfma.net/wfmapast.htm , website=World Folk Music Association , access-date=9 November 2019]
[{{cite news , last1=Joyce , first1=Mike , title=Folk's Global Gathering , work=The Washington Post , date=21 Jan 1991 , id={{pq, 307355472 ]
[{{Cite news, url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-07-01-1994182143-story.html, title=Woody's music is our music and will be played today, last=Adamarczyk, first=Peg, date=1 Jul 1994, work=The Baltimore Sun, language=en-US, access-date=2019-11-17]
[{{Cite web, url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2003/apr/19/20030419-090925-7185r/, title=If I had a camera, website=The Washington Times, language=en-US, access-date=2019-11-17]
[{{cite web , title=Collaborating with World Folk Music Association , url=https://www.madisonhouseautism.org/collaborating-with-the-world-folk-music-association/ , website=Madison House Autism Foundation , access-date=9 November 2019]
[{{cite web , title=Concerts , url=https://chadmitchelltrio.com/concerts.html , website=Chad Mitchell Trio: Then & Now , access-date=17 November 2019]
External links
Official website
American folk music