Richard Dyer-Bennet 1

Richard Dyer-Bennet | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 21, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Smithsonian Folkways
• ASIN: B000001DJO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,230 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Richard Dyer-Bennet was a major figure in the folk music revival of the 1950's and 1960's. He founded his own record company in 1955 in order to produce recordings without making compromises in sound quality, repertory, and style. This is a reissue of the first album of Dyer-Bennet Records, all of which are now available through Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Booklet includes new notes by Bonnie Dyer-Bennet, Conrad L. Osbourne, and Anthony Seeger, and a complete catalogue listing of Dyer-Bennet Records. This is a masterpiece. -The Record Changer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Remembrance of a Gentle Genius, February 10, 2001

By 

Joel Marcus Johnson "chesapeakebishop" (Easton, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Richard Dyer-Bennet 1 (Audio CD)

Would I be redundant to say I first heard him on the Midnight Special on WFMT while an undergraduate? But hearing him in concert was quite another reality. You should recall that in the 'sixties we had a social purpose behind "folk music," but never seemed to know from which folk the music came. So onto the stage walked this tall, lean fellow, in white tie and tails, his guitar fastened to him by a burgundy sash --- so that I knew I had an evening of art ahead of me. But how high that art I could not have guessed. This album is a reissue of the original vinyl which I possessed, a treasure to my soul, containing many of the songs I heard that night. As his agent Sol Hurok proclaimed him, he was indeed "The 20th Century Troubador." And as for those self-loving lads of the social cause, after this album, you'll never go back to them if it's real folk music you're after.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My all-time favorite album, July 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Richard Dyer-Bennet 1 (Audio CD)

Imagine my ecstasy when I moved to a small town in Massachusetts and found I could once again listen to WFMT on my cable, with The Midnight Special and Richard Dyer-Bennet's closing song of The Lonesome Valley. Imagine my dispair when cable dropped radio super stations. Fortunately the Smithsonian has released this absolute gem. All the tracks are superb. The guitar work is intricate and clear. His voice carries you. Listen to it alone with no distractions. When are the rest of the albums being released. Can't wait for #3 and #4.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful performances by a compelling artist, April 22, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Gilroy, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Richard Dyer-Bennet 1 (Audio CD)

I can only echo the plaudits of the prior reviewers. These performances by Richard Dyer-Bennet are a treasure. The singing is beautiful and technically refined and the performances are studied in the best sense, without losing their emotional impact.

Bennet was always a great interpreter of a text, and displays a meticulous yet un-contrived diction that allows the listener to unreservedly appreciate it- rare for an essential "classical' singer in this genre.

My oldest recollections of hearing him are from the Midnight Special program in Chicago when I was a child and my father was a young Opera singer. My dad, who had relatively catholic musical tastes, was a great admirer of both Richard Dyer-Bennet's musicality and vocal refinement. I regret that I never had the opportunity to hear him in live performance. I am thrilled that these beautifully recorded performances are finally available on CD and eagerly await the other discs in the series. Anyone who appreciates fine singing owes it to themselves to buy this CD.