Topic: Art Rosenbaum RIP

[lindy]

This brief obituary from Athens, Georgia doesn't do justice to Mr. Rosenbaum's work with the banjo, so I encourage everyone to wait a day or two and then search for something with greater detail.

Lindy

https://flagpole.com/arts-culture/culture-briefs/2022/09/04/artist-musician-folklorist-and-educator-art-rosenbaum-has-died/

[eric]

He did a lot for traditional music, among other things.  His Kicking Mule LPs got me hooked on Old Time Banjo. RIP

[Johnm]

I'm sorry to hear about Art Rosenbaum's death. In addition to being an excellent Old-Time banjo player and singer, he did a lot of great field recordings of both blues and Old-Time music, and in particular is close to being single-handedly responsible for documenting the Country/Acoustic blues-playing scene in Indianapolis in the late '50s and early to mid-'60s. Without his work there, we might very well have no rediscovery recordings of Scrapper Blackwell, and would probably never have heard of or heard anything by Shirley Griffith, Guitar Pete Franklin, J. T. Adams or Brooks Berry. Condolences to Art Rosenbaum's friends and family.

[Stuart]

Thanks for the link, Lindy. I read the sad news earlier today. Like Eric, I picked up the Kicking Mule LP early on and also his LP with Al Murphy. And, of course, there's his "Art of Field Recording" sets on D2D. Like John says, he did the boots on the ground field work and found people who would have otherwise remained unknown. Some people simply just "have it." Art was one of them, IMHO.

I found the album by Art and Al Murphy on YouTube:



Rest In Peace, Art. Your life really did make a difference.

[banjochris]

And his "Old Time Mountain Banjo" book (the one with the man scratching his nose on the cover) I think is the greatest-ever old-time banjo instructional book. He covers just about every style of old-time up- and down-picking with simple explanations and tab in about 90 pages, using some great songs to illustrate.
Chris

[jostber]

R.I.P.. to one of the most important Blues and Folk field collectors and folklorists. He was a brilliant painter as well:

http://artrosenbaum.org/v2/
https://eu.onlineathens.com/story/news/local/2022/09/06/uga-art-professor-folk-musician-art-rosenbaum-passed-away-cancer/8001954001/

[Rivers]

R.I.P.. to one of the most important Blues and Folk field collectors and folklorists. He was a brilliant painter as well:

http://artrosenbaum.org/v2/
https://eu.onlineathens.com/story/news/local/2022/09/06/uga-art-professor-folk-musician-art-rosenbaum-passed-away-cancer/8001954001/

Thanks jostber, amazing paintings, I had no idea.

[lindy]

Here's a much more detailed obituary for Mr. Rosenbaum. Quite a remarkable man.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/14/us/art-rosenbaum-dead.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Obituaries

[RobBob]

I was learning old time banjo styles in the desert of California, keeping you all safe from communism during Vietnam, when I came across Art's first book. It cleared up a lot of what I was hearing on the few recordings I had. After getting out I bought anything with his name on it and listened/read and kept learning.  I met him several years ago and we got some tunes in.  He was a delightful man who touched my life on many levels.  He shared his knowledge and wisdom and his artwork is among my favorite. He is missed greatly.

[jostber]

Remembering Art Rosenbaum, December 6, 1938 — September 4, 2022
The passing of a colleague, friend, and mentor.

Dust-to-Digital and Lance Ledbetter

https://dusttodigital.substack.com/p/remembering-art-rosenbaum-december