Carolyn Hester (b. 1937, Waco, Texas) was an important, if marginal, figure of the early '60s folk revival, singing traditional material in the manner of Joan Baez and Judy Collins. Joan Baezs 1975 bestseller Diamonds & Rust. ... Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939 in Seattle, Washington) is an American folk and standards singer. ...

Hester's first album was produced by Norman Petty in 1957. In 1960, she made her second album for the label run by the Clancy Brothers, thrusting Hester into the thick of the folk revival. She became known for such standards of the movement as "The House of the Rising Sun" and "She Moves Through the Fair," sung in a high and girlish voice. Norman Petty (May 25, 1927 - August 15, 1984) was an American musician, songwriter, and pioneer record producer who helped shape modern pop music. ... Irish folk music band, most popular in the 1960s, who are often credited with popularizing Irish traditional music in the United States. ...

Hester was one of many young Greenwich Village singers who rode the crest of the '60s folk wave to brief international recognition, and appeared on the cover of the May 30, 1964 issue of the Saturday Evening Post. According to Don Heckman of the Los Angeles Times, Hester was "one of the originals--one of the small but determined gang of ragtag, early-'60s folk singers who cruised the coffee shops and campuses, from Harvard Yard to Bleeker Street, convinced that their music could help change the world." Hester was dubbed "The Texas Songbird," and was politically active, spearheading the controversial boycott of TV's "Hootenanny" when Pete Seeger was blacklisted from it. The Washington Square Arch Greenwich Village (pronounced Grennich Village; also called simply the Village) is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern) Manhattan in New York City. ... There have been many publications called the Saturday Evening Post; several were/are local British newspapers. ... The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the western United States. ... Seegers album Clearwater Classics. ...

In 1960, Hester met a struggling songwriter and novelist named Richard Farina. They married 18 days later, and according to biographer David Hadju, their brief, rocky marriage was cultivated and exploited by Farina in a calculated attempt to gain fame and notoriety. They separated after less than two years. Richard Farina was an influential and important figure in both the Counter culture scene of the early to mid sixties as well as the budding folk rock scene of the same time. ...

In 1961, Hester met an unknown, 19-year-old newcomer named Bob Dylan, who had an engaging harmonica style, and Hester invited him to play on her third Columbia album. Her producer, John Hammond, quickly signed Dylan to the label. Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and poet whose enduring contributions to American song are often compared, in fame and influence, to those of Stephen Foster, Irving Berlin, Woody Guthrie, and Hank Williams. ... There are two John Hammonds of note. ...

However, while other performers of the early 1960s folk revival made great strides forward in sales and influence--including Dylan, Baez, and Collins--Hester remained relatively obscure. She turned down a chance to form a folk trio with Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey, offered by manager Albert Grossman; that position went to Mary Travers, and the trio found stardom as Peter, Paul & Mary. Though she collaborated with Bill Lee and Bruce Langhorne, she stuck exclusively to traditional material, falling behind the folk curve. Unable to succeed as a folk-rock artist, she explored psychedelic music before largely drifting out of the business. Peter Yarrow (born May 31, 1938) is a Jewish-American singer best known as Peter from Peter, Paul and Mary. ... Noel Paul Stookey (born December 30, 1937) is a singer-songwriter best known as Paul in the trio Peter, Paul and Mary. ... Albert B Grossman Born 1926 Chicago (d. ... Mary Travers is the name of two popular singers: Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary (United States) Mary Travers, better known as La Bolduc or Madame Bolduc (Quebec) Mary Travers is also a reporter for Action7 on an ABC affiliate, WKBW-TV This is a disambiguation page — a navigational... Bill Lee can refer to different people: Bill Lee: a former pitcher who played in the American and National Leagues between 1969 and 1982 Bill Lee: a former pitcher who played in the National League between 1934 and 1947 Billy Lee: a former outfielder who played in the American League... Bruce Langhorne is an American folk musician. ...

Hester has disputed Hadju's depiction of her marriage to Farina, and of supposed exaggerations in his description of the relationships between Dylan, Baez, Hester, and the Farinas. Hester denies that Farina was as close to Dylan as rock historians claim, and strongly disputes that Farina was in any way responsible for Dylan’s success, as Hajdu insinuates.

Hadju also suggested that Hester had an ongoing rivalry with Joan Baez and her sister Mimi (who later married Farina). To this day, Hester maintains that she didn't--and doesn't--know Joan very well, and that they were never rivals, personally or professionally. Joan Baezs 1975 bestseller Diamonds & Rust. ... Mimi Farina Solo, Rounder, 1985 Mimi Farina (born 4/30/45, died 7/18/01) was a singer, songwriter and activist. ...

In 1969, Hester remarried jazz pianist/producer/songwriter David Blume, and they formed the Outpost label. They also started an ethnic dance club in Los Angeles, and in the 1980s, she returned to recording and touring. She performed Bob Dylan's "Boots of Spanish Leather" at Dylan's 30th Anniversary Tribute Concert at Madison Square Garden in 1992. She also appeared on A&E's "Biography" of Dylan in August 2000. Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and poet whose enduring contributions to American song are often compared, in fame and influence, to those of Stephen Foster, Irving Berlin, Woody Guthrie, and Hank Williams. ... A&E is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below: A&E Network (Arts and Entertainment), an American television network the Accident and Emergency department of a hospital This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page—a list of articles associated with...

Sources

• The Washington Post, "The Ballad of Carolyn Hester: Four Decades After Stardom Passed Her by, She's Singing Her Heart Out," January 12, 2005, pg. C1, by Bob Thompson

• Ballad Tree, "Negatively 4th Street: A Talk With Carolyn Hester," Hugh Blumenfeld, July 22, 2001

• VHI - Carolyn Hester bio