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.

TOPICS ADDRESSED DURING THIS DAY-LONG SYMPOSIUM INCLUDE:

• Club 47: Hear about the impact of Cambridge’s legendary listening room from musicians that played there
• Joan Baez is an icon whose career  started in Boston. This panel will chronicle her start in Cambridge and meteoric rise
• When Bob Met Woody, the true  story told by Guthrie’s granddaughter Anna Canoni
• A conversation with former J. Geils lead singer and songwriter Peter Wolf about his new book WAITING ON THE MOON: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters and Goddesses
• Dylan Goes Electric at Newport. The single set that transformed the scene
• Post-Revival Folk: How Boston’s scene continues to evolve
• Keynote address from Noel Paul Stookey, member of the legendary folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: NOEL PAUL STOOKEY (FROM PETER, PAUL & MARY) & PETER WOLF

PANELISTS INCLUDE: 

Anna Canoni: Woody Guthrie's granddaughter and President of Woody Guthrie Publications.

Betsy Siggins: Founding member of Club 47, Executive Director of Club Passim, and long-time friend of Joan Baez.

Bob Santelli: GRAMMY Award-winning music historian, producer, and educator; Executive Director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music.

Douglas Brinkley: Prominent presidential historian, author, and Bob Dylan biographer.

Ellis Paul: Singer-songwriter, author, and artist; recipient of 14 Boston Music Awards.

Jeannie Brand: Daughter of Oscar Brand and representative of his estate.

Jim Brown: Documentary film producer and recipient of four Emmy Awards.

Jim Rooney: Producer, performer, writer, and pioneer in Americana music.

Tom Paxton: Folk singer-songwriter, educator, and advocate for over 60 years; recipient of the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tom Rush: Folk and Blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter for over 60 years.