Here's a shot of the original Dirdy Birdies at Gerde's Folk City in 1965. Folk City was a club
in Greenwich Village that featured all the major folk acts of the '60s, including The Jug Band
for The Millennium. We played there throughout college, often just showing up on a whim, and we
were always welcomed by all the folks who worked there, especially Mike Porco, the owner. Mike
couldn't quite figure out what we were doing, but he appreciated the fact that people drank lots
of beer while we were doing it.
Gerde's was the first place in NYC that Bob Dylan played; it was on the corner of Mercer and
(Positively) 4th Street. Simon and Garfunkel also played there. We played alongside John Hammond,
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and a bunch of others.
Another person we met at that point was Domenick Chianese, who was the emcee at the club.
Domenick remains a friend to this day; as an actor, you may know him as Johnny Ola, from The
Godfather Part II, and a bunch of other character roles throughout the years. Look for him as
Uncle Junior in The Sopranos, a new HBO series that's a big hit all over the place.
Here's a picture of Domenick and me outside The Museum of Television and Radio in NYC.
Maria Muldaur was a member of The Even Dozen Jug Band in the early 60's, a
member of The Jim Kweskin Jug Band in the late 60's and remains today one
of the finest blues singers around. Her picture is here, just because.
For more info on Maria,
look here.
Guano Records is proud to present this exciting
compilation of all your favorites from
The DIRDY BIRDIES Jug Band.
For ordering information, and a run-down of what's included on
Endangered
Species,
look here.
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