Died On This Date (January 25, 1986) Albert Grossman / Legendary Artist Manager
themusicsover Albert Grossman
May 21, 1926 – January 25, 1986
Albert Grossman is best remembered as an artist manager representing, among others, Bob Dylan between 1962 and 1970. He also co-founded the Newport Folk Festival with George Wein in 1959. In 1961, Grossman put three folk singers together, Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers, otherwise known as Peter, Paul and Mary. Over the years, Grossman also represented John Lee Hooker, Johnny Average, Ian & Sylvia, Odetta, Janis Joplin, and the Band. Grossman also built the legendary Bearsville Recording Studio outside of Woodstock, NY and formed Bearsville Records. Acts like Todd Rundgren, Foghat, NRBQ and Jesse Winchester recorded for the label. On January 25, 1986, Albert Grossman died of a heart attack while flying from the U.S. to London aboard the Concorde. He was 59 years old.
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 