Died On This Date (January 23, 1976) Paul Robeson / Folk Great
themusicsover Paul Robeson
April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976
Paul Robeson was an amazing renaissance man. He was an internationally famous stage and screen actor, multi-lingual orator, scholar, professional athlete, social justice activist, lawyer, and a singer who possessed a booming baritone voice. With all that came controversy. Due to his vocal social justice beliefs and worldwide fame, he found himself to be a direct target by the government and media during the McCarthy era. Robeson is perhaps best known as the first African-American actor to portray Othello on Broadway. He was also played the iconic character, “Joe” (which was written for him) in the London, Broadway, and film versions of Show Boat. His version of the show’s “Ol’ Man River,” is considered to be definitive one. Other recordings, like 1939’s Ballad For Americans, made him a hero to the ’60s folk movement. There is far too much about this remarkable man to be included here, so do yourself a favor and read more about him elsewhere. Paul Robeson was 77 when he died of a stroke on January 23, 1976.
What You Should Own
Kate McGarrigle, along with her sister Anna McGarrigle, made up the popular Canadian folk duo, Kate and Anna McGarrigle. They began singing and playing in folk groups during the ’60s, but went off on their own during the early ’70s, releasing their debut album in 1975. Over the course of their career together, they released ten albums, two of which won Juno Awards (Canada’s answer to the Grammys). Their songs have been recorded by the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Billy Bragg, and Emmylou Harris. They have also collaborated with Nick Cave. Having been married once to Loudon Wainwright III, Kate is the mother of popular contemporary singer-songwriters, Martha Wainwright and Rufus Wainwright, with whom she made her final television appearance on a 2008 episode of Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…. Diagnosed with cancer in 2006, Kate McGarrigle died of clear cell sarcoma on January 18, 2010. She was 63.
Lhasa de Sela was an acclaimed Mexican American folk singer songwriter who although born in New York and raised in Mexico, spent most of her adult life split between Canada and France. That multi-National background mixed beautifully throughout her music. De Sela released her first album, La Llorona, in 1997, and though sung completely in Spanish, it incorporated elements of South American, Mexican, Eastern European gypsy and alternative rock. Embraced by fans and critics alike, the album won her a Best Global Artist Juno award in 1998. That album was followed by The Living Road in 2003 and Lhasa in 2009. Her albums have sold in excess of 1 million copies combined. In 2005, the BBC World Music Awards named her the Best Artist of the Americas. Lhasa de Sela died of breast cancer on January 1, 2010.
Tim Hardin was an American folk singer and songwriter who is best remembered for his “If I Were a Carpenter” and “Reason to Believe.” After serving a tour of duty as a marine in Vietnam, Hardin moved to New York City where he became immersed in the local folk scene. In 1963, he moved to Boston where he was signed to a recording contract with Columbia Records. Unfortunately, Columbia didn’t quite understand what they had in Hardin, so he was dropped from the label before any records were released. He was soon snapped up by Verve who began releasing a series of albums that are considered milestones of the folk movement. His songs have been made into hits by the likes of 
Tim Hart is best remembered as a founding member of British electric folk band, Steeleye Span, who released a handful of moderately successful albums while Hart was in the group between 1970 and 1982. He played guitar and sang for the band while writing some of their more traditional sounding songs. In later years, Hart released a handful of solo releases included two children’s albums. In late 2008, he was diagnosed with lung cancer which caused his death on December 24, 2009. Tim Hart was 61 years old when he died.