Ned Treanor is a folk historian, with more memories than you’d expect from someone who was part of the Woodstock generation. Maybe the haze only filtered out the boring events.

I was compelled to share his recent enlightening and funny emails to me in what I hope will become a monthly series.

You want credentials? Shawn Colvin used to baby-sit his kids. Take it away, Ned.

Fran-

Here’s one that might hit a familiar chord with someone, especially with the singer-songwriter crowd…

… like the nite that Don McLean, fresh from the success of his “American Pie” ditty, was doing one of Pete Seeger’s round-robin events, where the hard and fast rule was ONE SONG EACH.

Well, ol’ Don did his endless “hit”, but then broke into “Vincent”, which he finished. But as he broke into a third tome, the rest of us, without saying a word, picked him up , lock-stock-and gittar, and physically carried him off the stage and continued in the previous order of the round-robin, with everyone but Don in hysterics!

Don also lived across the Hudson from Lee Hays of the Weavers; and got to baking brownies for Lee, who had become bed-ridden with diabetes. He’d also help Lee tend to his garden and would “just happen” to bring his newest song for Lee’s opinion. Invariably, he’d ask Lee, “Well, what do you think?” [referring to the song, of course], to which Lee would reply, “Kid, you make pretty good brownies” [NEVER mentioning the music... and driving Don nutso!]

When Lee’s diabetes got to the point where he had a series of amputations of his lower extremities, he’d call Toshi Seeger with “Hi, Toshi…this is Lee Hays, more or less - we diabetics keep gettin’ shorter and shorter” - never losing his great sense of humor and life, until the day he died.

He’d also observe,”If it weren’t for the HONOR, I could’ve gotten along just fine without the “black-listing.” God broke the mold when He made Lee Hays!

I don’t know if this kind of material “works” for many; but for the singer-songwriter who learned his/her craft at “camp”; or playing the Weavers, Limeliters, Kingston Trio, Brothers 4, Journeymen, etc. I think they might enjoy some of the “humanizing” stuff that makes these icons seem more like one of them… which they were/are. I’ll send more later.

-Ned

Disclaimer: CIYH does not encourage the baking of brownies for diabetics - unless they are fortified with “herbal supplements.”