Sandy Paton 1929-2009

I received word this morning that folksinger-folklorist-record producer Sandy Paton – pictured here with wife Caroline – passed away yesterday evening at age 80. Sandy had been suffering from emphysema and congestive heart failure over the past few years and just last month faced the tragic death of his 15-year-old grandson, Kaelan, in a drowning accident.

A 1950s-era folksinger and recording artist, Sandy was best known as the main producer behind Folk-Legacy Records, a labour-of-love record company he founded in 1961 with Caroline and the late Lee Haggerty. Folk-Legacy recorded scores of albums by traditional artists like Frank Proffitt, Hobart Smith and Norman Kennedy and in-the-tradition contemporary artists like Art Thieme, Gordon Bok and Margaret Christl & Ian Robb. Many years ago, I operated a small booking agency for folk artists and two of my client-friends, Rosalie Sorrels and Bill Staines, had LPs on Folk-Legacy.

I first met Sandy – and Caroline and Lee – in the mid-1970s when I went to the Fox Hollow Folk Festival to help run the Philo Records booth and we were set up next to Folk-Legacy. From then, right through this decade, I’ve always made it a point to spend time catching up with Sandy whenever we were at the same festival (which seemed to average about once a year). And in the past 10 or 12 years we often exchanged e-mail messages.

Sandy and Caroline were supporters of Folk Roots/Folk Branches from the beginning of the program’s run in 1994 and always made sure that I had their latest releases and any of their reissues I was interested in. Two weeks ago, I made a rare live return to CKUT to guest-host the Sunday night bluegrass and country hours and included a song from Jim Ringer’s great Folk-Legacy album, Waitin’ for the Hard Times to Go.

For a good bio of Sandy, please see this birthday tribute to Sandy that Ron Olesko wrote a couple of years ago.

Sandy Paton was a real mensch who will be missed by all who ever knew him.

--Mike Regenstreif

CKUT Bluegrass & Country hours

Sunday July 12, 2009 – 7:00-9:00 pm

I made a rare return to live radio to guest-host the Bluegrass Ramblings and Country Classics hours on CKUT (90.3 FM in Montreal).

This program is available as a podcast (for two months) for streaming or downloading at

http://secure.ckut.ca/64/20090712.19.00-21.04.mp3

The program begins 18 seconds into the download.

This program was dedicated to the memory of the late jazz broadcaster extraordinaire Len Dobbin who passed away Thursday at age 74. Earlier today I was privileged to participate in CKUT’s special five-hour homage to Len.

STEVE MARTIN- Pitkin County Turnaround
The Crow (Rounder)

DIAN & THE GREENBRIAR BOYS- Cannon Ball Blues
Dian & the Green Briar Boys (Collector’s Choice)
CHARLIE HADEN featuring RACHEL HADEN & TANYA HADEN- Oh, Take Me Back
Charlie Haden Family & Friends: Rambling Boy (Decca)
ROBIN & LINDA WILLIAMS- Maybelle’s Guitar and Monroe’s Mandolin
Buena Vista (Red House)
TONY TRISCHKA w/MICHAEL DAVES- Molly and Tenbrooks
Territory (Smithsonian Folkways)

Country Kicks Cancer – A Benefit for Cancer Research Organization “Team in Training” with Notre Dame de Grass, Ladies of the Canyon, Yonder Hill, Lake of Stew, Terry Joe “Banjo”, Mike O'Brien and Colin Moore, Wednesday, July 29, 8:00 pm, at Café Campus, 57 Prince Arthur East. Visit http://hellodarlinproductions.com/ or call 514-524-9225 for info or tickets.

NOTRE DAME DE GRASS- New Canada Road
New Canada Road (Hello Darlin’)
YONDER HILL- Missing Me
Yonder Hill (Yonder Hill)
LAKE OF STEW- The 105
Ain’t Tired of Lovin’ (Woodhog)
TERRY JOE “BANJO”- Blackberry Blossom
Mountain Calling (Terry Joe Banjo Rodrigues)

BERGGREN/KIRK/SHAW featuring ANN DOWNEY- Log Driver’s Waltz
North River/North Woods (Sleeping Giant)
SHEARWATER BLUEGRASS- Argyle Street
Shearwater (Shearwater)
STEVE MARTIN- Wally on the Run
The Crow (Rounder)

DIANA JONES- All God’s Children
Better Times Will Come (Proper American)
RITA HOSKING- Little Joe
Come Sunrise (Rita Hosking)
ALECIA NUGENT- Hillbilly Goddess
Hillbilly Goddess (Rounder)

CROOKED STILL- The Absentee
Still Crooked (Signature Sounds)
CEDAR HILL REFUGEES (lead vocal: RALPH STANLEY)- Keys to the Kingdom
Pale Imperfect Diamond (Effigy)
MARGOT LEVERETT & THE KLEZMER MOUNTAIN BOYS- High Lonesome Honga
2nd Avenue Square Dance (Traditional Crossroads)

NANCI GRIFFITH- The Loving Kind
The Loving Kind (Rounder)
RONNY COX- Can I Come Back Home
Songs…with Repercussions (Wind River)
CORIN RAYMOND- There will Always be a Small Time
There will Always be a Small Time (Corin Raymond)

GRETCHEN PETERS w/TOM RUSSELL- Guadalupe
One to the Heart, One to the Head (Frontera/Scarlet Letter)
TOM RUSSELL w/DAVE ALVIN- Blue Wing
The Tom Russell Anthology: Veteran’s Day (Shout! Factory)
KERRY GROMBACHER- Never Come Again
It Sings in the Hi Line (Kerry Grombacher)
JAMES TALLEY- Sometimes I Think About Suzanne
Tryin’ Like the Devil (Cimarron)

I’ll be hosting The Montreal Folk Reunion with Jesse Winchester, Penny Lang, Bruce Murdoch, Willie Dunn and Ron Bankley on Saturday, July 18, from 3-4:30 pm, at the Apple Hollow Music Fest in Franklin Centre, QC. All of those artists, and many others, will also be doing full concert sets at some point during the day or evening. Visit http://www.applehollowmusicfest.org/ or call 450-827-2748 for info or tickets.

JESSE WINCHESTER- Bless Your Foolish Heart
Love Filling Station (Appleseed)
PENNY LANG- (Up To My Neck In) High Muddy Waters
Stone + Sand + Sea + Sky (Borealis)
BRUCE MURDOCH- As Soon as Possible
Matters of the Heart (Bruce Murdoch)
WILLIE DUNN- School Days
Metallic (Aural Tradition)
JESSE WINCHESTER- It’s a Shame About Him
Love Filling Station (Appleseed)

JOE ELY- Lift Your Leg
Man of Somebody’s Dreams: A Tribute to Chris Gaffney (Yep Roc)
DAVE ALVIN & THE GUILTY WOMEN- River Under the Road
Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women (Yep Roc)

TISH HINOJOSA w/DALE WATSON- Count Me In
Our Little Planet (Varese Sarabande)

Len Dobbin 1935-2009

I got the very sad news this morning that Len Dobbin, Canada’s finest jazz broadcaster, passed away after suffering a stroke last night at the Upstairs jazz club.

I think Len started at CKUT about a month or so after I did back in 1994. Before that, of course, he did his essential weekly jazz show for many years on commercial radio. For some years, before he moved over to Sundays, Len and I were neighbours in the 9:00-11:30 am slot -– Dobbin’s Den was on Wednesday mornings and Folk Roots/Folk Branches on Thursdays.

Len and I were friends long before we were radio colleagues. I first got to know him when he'd come and see concerts that I produced in the 1970s and ‘80s with artists like Odetta and David Amram.

More than the jazz festival, or any particular club, Len was the glue that held the Montreal jazz scene together for at least 50, if not 60, years.

I learned a lot from Len over the years and feel very honoured that he asked me to sit in his chair and host Dobbin’s Den a few times.

This picture of me, David Amram and Len was taken June 30, 2002.

--Mike Regenstreif

In Tribute to Jackie Washington

Folk Roots/Folk Branches with Mike Regenstreif is now a 30-minute feature heard occasionally on CKUT, 90.3 FM in Montreal.

Thursday July 9, 2009

In Tribute to Jackie Washington

When Jackie Washington, the legendary folk/jazz/blues singer, guitarist, pianist and raconteur from Hamilton, Ontario passed away on June 27 at the age of 89, Canada lost one of our most beloved performers, and, I would hazard to guess, our most venerable performer. Although he was already in his mid-50s when he made his first LP, Jackie began performing at the age of five as one of the Four Washington Brothers.

For more about Jackie, please see my posting of June 28.

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 1

JACKIE WASHINGTON- What That Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam’
Midnight Coo Choo (Borealis)
JACKIE WASHINGTON- Sugarfoot Rag
Midnight Coo Choo (Borealis)

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 2

JACKIE WASHINGTON- Street of Dreams
Midnight Coo Choo (Borealis)
JACKIE WASHINGTON- Triscadecaphobia
Midnight Coo Choo (Borealis)

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 3

JACKIE WASHINGTON- Take the “A” Train
Keeping Out of Mischief (Pyramid)
JACKIE WASHINGTON- Alabamy Bound
Midnight Coo Choo (Borealis)

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 4

SCARLETT, WASHINGTON & WHITELEY- Walking Down the Line
Sitting on a Rainbow (Borealis)
SCARLETT, WASHINGTON & WHITELEY- We’ll Meet Again
We’ll Meet Again (Borealis)

MIKE REGENSTREIF- commentary 5

This feature is available as a podcast (for two months) for streaming or downloading at

http://secure.ckut.ca/64/20090709.09.45-10.14.mp3

The feature begins five seconds into the download.

Special Program Note: I’ll be doing a rare live show on CKUT on Sunday evening, July 12, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, with a program of bluegrass and country roots and branches.

Apple Hollow Music Fest

The Apple Hollow Music Fest in Franklin Centre, QC is next up on my folk festival agenda. Franklin Centre is in the Chateauguay Valley near the New York border about an hour, as the car drives, from Montreal.

This is Year 2 for Apple Hollow, and it’s a really nice little festival put together by Adrien Doucette, who was previously the artistic director of the Branches & Roots Festival in Ormstown. Last year’s Apple Hollow was a great day in the country filled with some excellent music and I’m anticipating an even better festival this year.

The festival begins Friday, July 17, with an open stage jam session and then continues all afternoon and evening Saturday, July 18, with a very impressive line-up that's worthy of a much bigger festival and that includes Jesse Winchester, Bruce Murdoch, Penny Lang and many more. A whole incredible day with lots of great artists for $15 – you’d usually have to pay three times that just to see Jesse on his own.

I’ve always felt that workshops are the real heart and soul of a folk festival and Apple Hollow’s schedule includes an incredible workshop – The Montreal Folk Reunion – that I wouldn’t want to miss even if I wasn’t hosting it. Imagine, Jesse Winchester, Bruce Murdoch, Penny Lang, Willie Dunn, Ron Bankley and me, all on stage together with stories and songs that recall the fabled days of the Montreal folk scene of the 1960s and ‘70s (and, no doubt, some new songs and stories too).

Be sure and say “hi” at Apple Hollow.
--Mike Regenstreif