Remembering Oscar Brand

Oscar Brand was something of a Renaissance man — an indefatigable folksinger, composer, song collector, Broadway playwright, actor, author, TV and radio host — though perhaps best known for Folksong Festival, which he hosted for more than 70 years on WNYC, a Guinness World Record. He was also a world-class raconteur, with a seemingly limitless trove of stories to share.

In January 2010, Bob Sherman of Woody's Children and I invited Oscar to WFUV for a session to celebrate his 90th birthday. He told us about the way The Weavers got their name, the tall tales Bob Dylan told on his radio program in 1961, his discovery of a young Joni Mitchell, and his lifelong friendship with Jean Ritchie. 

With his passing at the age of 96, perhaps the last of that generation of American folksingers from the 1940s is gone. I hope you enjoy this dip into the archives to appreciate a rare, now lamented talent.