REGISTER FOR THE WAITLIST

The Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame, in partnership with the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, will present a collaborative symposium on September 27, 2025 at the Arrow Street Arts Center in Cambridge. This will be the first in a series of events between the affiliate organizations as we honor the past, celebrate the present, and nurture future artists and academics.

Boston has always been a music town and was at the epicenter of the Folk Revival during the 1950s and '60s. The symposium, entitled Wasn’t That A Time: The Boston Folk Revival, 1958-1965, shines a light on that history through discussions with artists, academics, and those who were there.

Schedule of Events

8:00 AM – DOORS OPEN; CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

9:00 AM – “Origins of Boston and Greenwich Folk Scenes”
Discussion about the folk revival origins, why Boston and Greenwich Village were such significant hubs for the music, and how the scenes were alike and different.
Speakers: Melissa Ziobro, Mitch Greenhill, Jim Brown, Jim Rooney, Tom Paxton

10:00 AM – “Club 47”
During the Folk Revival era, Club 47 in Cambridge emerged as one of the most significant venues for artists to gather and share music. What was so special about this venue, how did it evolve over the years, and why is it seen as a pivotal part of the folk revival scene?
Speakers: James Sullivan, Betsy Siggins, Jim Rooney, Tom Rush, Ken Irwin, Matt Smith

11:00 AM - MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION “WHEN BOB MET WOODY”
Woody Guthrie’s granddaughter, Anna Canoni, will share family images and video to tell the full story of how Bob Dylan met Woody Guthrie, and the later years of Woody’s life with Huntington’s Disease when Dylan would visit his musical idol in the hospital.

Noon – “Joan Baez in Cambridge and Beyond”
Joan Baez first played Club 47 when she was 17 and performed there every Tuesday night until her career took off at Newport Folk Festival. How did this shift from local coffee house performer occur, who and what were the pivotal influences on Joan and her career, and how do music archaeologists study her career?
Speakers: Aimee Zoeller, Betsy Siggins, Mitch Greenhill, Douglas Brinkley, Mitch Blank

12:50 PM – LUNCH BREAK

1:30 PM – KEYNOTE
Noel Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul & Mary) discusses the importance of the folk revival and the trio’s part in the movement.

2:30 PM – Conversation with Peter Wolf
Music historian Bob Santelli leads a discussion with Peter Wolf about his career, the folk revival, and Wolf’s recently published book Waiting on the Moon.

3:30 PM – “Dylan Goes Electric at Newport ‘65”
When Bob Dylan traded his acoustic guitar for electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, he ushered in a shift to the traditional folk scene. How did the audience and his fellow performers respond, and why? How did this change folk at the time and continue to influence the genre?
Speakers: Bob Santelli, Elijah Wald, Douglas Brinkley, Jeannie Brand, Court Carney

4:30 PM – “Post-Revival Folk”
After the folk revival era, how has “folk” changed? What were the pivotal moments and artists who influenced these changes, while continuing the traditions of folk? What do you see as today’s folk scene, and why is it still relevant?
Speakers: Deana McCloud, Tom Paxton, Ralph Jaccodine, Ellis Paul, Jim Brown

5:30 PM – COCKTAIL RECEPTION

Thank you to    for your support!