Dave Van Ronk

Biography

David Van Ronk was a pivotal figure in the American folk music revival of the 1960s, known for his influential presence in New York City's Greenwich Village scene. Nicknamed the "Mayor of MacDougal Street," he befriended and mentored notable artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Tom Paxton. Van Ronk's eclectic style spanned traditional English ballads to blues, jazz, and swing, and his instrumental ragtime guitar work was particularly renowned.