Talkin' Blues // Andy Cohen

I’m so pleased to have my first guest on the podcast, the incredibly gifted multi-instrumentalist, teacher, musicologist and songster Mr. Andy Cohen. You may remember Andy from a mention in Episode 2 of American Songcatcher, as he was the mentor of my mentor, Joan Crane. Once a lead boy soaking in the shadow of Reverend Gary Davis, Andy’s been playing music for 72 years. He’s a virtuoso finger-style guitarist and pianist who has been described as “a walking, talking folk-blues-roots music encyclopedia.” He has devoted his entire life to studying, performing, and promoting traditional blues and folk music, specializing in the pre-World War II era. Country Blues Magazine says, “One thing is for sure, the boy can play. There are few people around today who had a chance to pick it all up from the old generations, get this good at it, and continue to cherish and preserve the old traditions.”⁠

Before we started, I had a load of questions for Andy, but as you’ll hear, he holds the conversation without them. I took a backseat for this history lesson, so there’s not many words from me. Andy plays a few tunes, tells how his librarian set him on a course, about his vast knowledge of many lesser known blues artists, and shares stories about the Reverend Gary Davis that I was unaware of. Fair warning, the audio from our Zoom chat isn’t the best quality, I’m new at this.

More on Andy Cohen:
Website | Videos | Discography | Biography

Riverlark Music Site

Facebook

Interested in supporting this independent program?

• Join the Patreon community
  
• Subscribe and Share
  
• Send a donation through Venmo or PayPal
  

Host Links:

Nicholas Edward Williams

Facebook | Instagram | Website

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/americansongcatcher/support