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Previous Artists

Singing Oak House Concerts has been blessed with the opportunity to host many amazing artists. We enourage you to continue to follow them on their musical journey.

 

John Flynn performed
January 5, 2015
and April 30, 2017

John Flynn
John Flynn
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John Flynn is an American singer-songwriter and activist known for his powerful music and tireless efforts on behalf of “the lost and the lonely, the shackled and scarred”. His career has embodied an authentic troubadour odyssey that moved legendary folk DJ Gene Shay to call Flynn "the most quintessential folk singer in my life", and Andrew L. Braunfeld of the Philadelphia Folk Festival to say, "It has been disappointing that the world of folk music has not, during the last half century, been creating many new heroes. John Flynn is a notable exception, and is worthy of our respect as he follows the paths of Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs and Kris Kristofferson."

Over three and a half decades, John Flynn’s music has carried him from Jersey shore bars to Nashville’s Music Row; from home plate performances in major league ballparks to concerts in maximum-security prisons; from star-studded benefit shows at Tipitina’s in New Orleans to awareness-building appearances at the Walter Reed Military Hospital and the Dover Air Force Base. Along the way Flynn has continued to make new friends and fans as he has given of his defiantly unguarded heart and optimistic spirit from large and small stages, living rooms, pulpits and schools across this country.

Learn more about John Flynn by going to johnflynn.net

David Wilcox performed
Sunday, February 8, 2015

David’s performance at Singing Oak on Sunday followed his shows at The Iron Horse in Northampton and Club Passim in Cambridge.

David Wilcox
David Wilcox
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Cleveland-born David Wilcox was inspired to play guitar after hearing a fellow college student playing in a stairwell.  His lyrical insight is matched by a smooth baritone voice, virtuosic guitar chops, and creative open tunings, giving him a range and tenderness rare in folk music.

Now, 17 albums into a career marked by personal revelation and wildly loyal fans, David continues to find and deliver joy, inspiration, and invention.

Learn more about David Wilcox by going to davidwilcox.com.

The Honey Dewdrops performed
Monday, April 13, 2015

The Honey Dewdrops
The Honey Dewdrops
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This talented duo embodies the sound of Americana. Their 2012 release, Silver Lining was a top ten record on national Folk and Americana radio stations.

“With tight harmonies and a musical ensemble that includes claw hammer banjo, mandolin and guitars, the effect is to leave listeners with only what matters: the heart of the song and clarity over ornamentation.”

In the summer of 2014, after a long stretch of living on the road, performing and writing across the U.S., Americana songwriters and Virginia natives Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish, collectively known as The Honey Dewdrops, decided to settle down in Baltimore, MD. "Touring is like collecting images of landscapes, sounds of voices, contents of stories, moods of places and environments," says Wortman. "All of that can be useful. It tells you something about human nature, about how the world works, little by little.” And so the couple took their experiences on the road, and dug in to write and record their fourth album, Tangled Country, in their new home. It’s a beautiful and engaging take on modern American roots music and the first album of theirs entirely written, arranged, and recorded in one place; a testament to the power of home.

Throughout Tangled Country, Wortman and Parrish perform as if the most honorable thing to be is honest in themselves. In the song "Guitars," Wortman's voice considers the long lineage of songwriters and stewards of the American roots tradition: "We are born unto our own, sapling seeds from old growth...many hands and many years gone...everyone with a song to teach, some sing pain, some sing peace." But through this long convergence of tradition and history, the chorus makes clear the binding factor: "Sing we all true songs / We sing them right, we sing them wrong / Tuned up tightly and passed along / Like old guitars, we breathe songs." Tangled Country bears witness to The Honey Dewdrops' simply being themselves, stewards of the Americana tradition, having seen the world and grown a little older and now finally come home.

Learn more about The Honey Dewdrops at thehoneydewdrops.com.

Jack Williams performed
Sunday, May 3, 2015

Jack Williams
Jack Williams

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Singing Oak House Concerts’ commitment to offering a venue to full-time traveling singer/songwriters passing through New England couldn't have been put to better service than by presenting Jack Williams!

Here are a couple of review snippets:
“…his artistry…. Is nothing short of amazing. Dazzling picking, expressive voice, unique and interesting songs. He is a showman in the best sense of the word and just wowed our audience. I think they would have followed him anywhere.”
Rich Warren. WFMT “Midnight Special”, Chicago, IL.

Learn more about Jack at jackwilliamsmusic.com.

Cosy Sheridan performed
Sunday, June 7, 2015

Cosy Sheridan1
Cosy Sheridan
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Cosy is a fantastic songwriter, singer, guitarist, performer and all-around human doing. Her songs deal with a wide range of subjects from the woman’s journey to hilarious commentary on Boston drivers. Always smart and compelling, she delivered an unforgettable evening of original music.

For more info visit Cosy's website at cosysheridan.com.

Mouths of Babes performed
October 5, 2015 and November 6, 2017

Mouths of Babes
Mouths of Babes
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We opened our 2015 and 2017 fall season with this duo of singer songwriters!

“If I was forced to categorize it, I’d call it modern folk. It’s powerful, romantic, and giddy. And the two are insanely infectious together onstage, like a musical and a personal love fest all at once.” – Huffington Post

With more than a dozen albums and over a thousand shows between them, Ty Greenstein and Ingrid Elizabeth of Mouths of Babes are no strangers to the contemporary folk music scene. For years, their respective bands Girlyman and Coyote Grace captivated thousands of loyal fans as they criss-crossed the country, rocked festival main stages, and toured with the likes of the Indigo Girls and Dar Williams. Now, as Mouths of Babes, Ty and Ingrid have distilled the very best of the songwriting, musicianship, and humor of their previous groups into a new duo that brings more style and depth than ever before.

The key to the Mouths of Babes magic is in the contrast; the differences in both their songwriting and personal styles makes for an unusually satisfying yin and yang.

Check out more about Mouths of Babes by going to mouthsofbabesmusic.com.

Joe Crookston performed
Monday, November 23, 2015 and April 8, 2019

Joe Crookston
Joe Crookston
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We continued our 2015 fall season and opened our 2019 spring season with this fabulous performer, songwriter, and musician, Joe Crookston.

This comment on Youtube was so true: "I've watched audiences glued to their seats at the end of Joe's shows simply not wanting the evening to end. There is a spirit in his music that is simultaneously sacred, celebratory, artful and solidly grounded in tradition. Go see this man perform, and don't be surprised if you drive home singing his songs with a renewed sense of what's possible."

Through his spirit and playfulness and his unwavering courage to be himself, we were moved in ways we didn’t expect. He is literate, poignant and funny. We were all glad we came.

Learn more about Joe Crookston at joecrookston.com

Tracy Grammer performed
Monday, January 18, 2016

Tracy Grammer
Tracy Grammer
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We were fortunate to have Tracy Grammer opening our 2016 season of Singing Oak House Concerts. Tracy is a marvelous singer, songwriter and musician. We agree with these quotes from her website:

“Tracy Grammer is a brilliant artist and unique individual. Her voice is distinctive, as is her mastery over the instruments she plays.” - Joan Baez

“One of the finest pure musicians anywhere in folkdom.” - Boston Globe

“Her pure voice conveys the simple truths of these songs; her gifts as a musician are like that of a painter who is a master of chiaroscuro, offering light and shadow at every turn.“ - Mary Chapin Carpenter

Learn more about Tracy Grammer at tracygrammer.com.

Joe Jencks performed
Monday, March 7, 2016 and May 14, 2018

JoeJencks
Joe Jencks
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We were so excited to host the amazing singer, songwriter Joe Jencks at Singing Oak House Concerts.

From Joe's website:
Joe Jencks is an international touring performer, songwriter, entertainer, and educator, based in Chicago, IL. From venues like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, to coffee houses, festivals, spiritual communities, and schools, Joe Jencks has spent the last 12 years touring full time. His songs have traveled to every continent via his own performances, radio, CDs, web casts, and other musicians. He is noted for his unique merging of musical beauty, social consciousness, and spiritual exploration.

On the stage, in the studio, or in the classroom, Jencks applies conservatory training to contemporary genres, bridging styles and techniques. Drawing on his Irish heritage (dual U.S./Irish Citizen), Jencks uses his lyrical voice to enchant, heal, and inspire.

Learn more about Joe Jencks by going to joejencks.com.

Cliff Eberhardt performed with special guest Louise Mosrie April 4, 2016

Cliff&Louise
Cliff Eberhardt & Louise Mosrie
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Spring finally arrived with the amazing singer, songwriters Cliff Eberhardt and Louise Mosrie.

Cliff Eberhardt  is a long-time veteran of the singer-songwriter scene. He has been touring since the age of fifteen. He moved to New York in 1978 and honed his craft with the likes of John Gorka, Suzanne Vega, Julie Gold, and Shawn Colvin, at iconic clubs such as the Bitter End. He toured as a guitarist for Richie Havens and others.

Since the 1990’s Cliff’s albums, beginning with The Long Road,  have received critical acclaim. The High Above and Down Below was named the #5 album of 2007 by USA Today.

In 2011 he was hired to write original songs for a modern version of Shakespeare’s  “The Taming of the Shrew”. The play was a huge success and Cliff was awarded the Helen Hays Award for sound design.

Please visit www.cliffeberhardt.com to find out more about Cliff.

Louise Mosrie   grew up just outside of Nashville.  She has been referred to as “William Faulkner with a guitar”, due to her artful depiction of Southern life through her songs.  She has won top honors at the Kerrville Folk Festival, Wildflower Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. Her album,  “Home” debuted at #1 on the Folk DJ charts in January 2010 and was one of the most played albums that year.

Please visit www.louisemosrie.com to find out more about Louise.

Lula Wiles performed
Monday, May 9, 2016

Lula Wiles
Lula Wiles
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Singing Oak was rocked by this great acoustic trio! It's been said that a Lula Wiles show is like a whiskey-slap to the heart. Gathered around one microphone, Isa Burke, Ellie Buckland, and Mali Obomsawin pass around instruments and frontwoman duties with style and ease. Their effervescent vocal harmonies, deep musical chemistry, and evocative arrangements create a dynamic and spirited live show. Lula Wiles are equally at home in a rowdy bar of two-steppers, a sweltering midsummer festival stage, or a quiet candlelit club.

As songwriters, these young women navigate hope and heartbreak with clever lyrics and fearless honesty. All proficient multi-instrumentalists, the three women of Lula Wiles are each uniquely powerful in their own right, but combined, they are a force to be reckoned with.

For more info visit Lula Wiles' website at http://www.lulawiles.com/

Anne Hills performed
Monday, October 10, 2016

Anne Hills
Anne Hills
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We kicked off our Singing Oak House Concerts fall season with this amazing singer/songwriter.

Anne Hills has become one of the better known voices of the contemporary folk music scene, receiving awards and recognition for her live performances, her unique solo and collaborative recording projects, and her overall artistry and benefit work.

Whether she is singing her own song, the words of 6 year old Opal Whiteley, or the Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley; accompanied with her guitar, banjo, or simply a Tibetan bell, she puts her whole heart and soul into the moment.

The AllMusic Guide says, “A stunning soprano tone has made Anne Hills one of contemporary music’s premiere vocalists … Her knack for writing heartfelt songs [has] brought her to the upper echelon of her craft.” and Tom Paxton says, “Anne Hills is such an exquisite singer that it’s understandable that people might be swept up in the pure beauty of her voice and thereby overlook her writing. That would be a mistake. For me, Anne’s writing, in songs like ‘Follow That Road’ and many others, is as direct, melodic and deep as any work being done today. She is quite simply one of my absolute favorite songwriters.”

Check out the sweet sounds of Anne Hills on her website at www.annehills.com

Dave Gunning performed
Monday, November 7, 2016 and April 17, 2023

Dave Gunning
Dave Gunning
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Dave Gunning wowed our Singing Oak audience with his amazing songwriting chops, beautiful vocals, and incredible skills on the guitar.

We were so glad to be one of Dave Gunning’s stops on his way through New England! Dave makes his home in Nova Scotia where the cold and snowy winters provide a perfect excuse for this gifted songwriter to stay inside and write.

He has been the recipient of numerous awards including winner of the East Coast Music Association song of the year in 2013 for “These Hands”(what a song!!!) and solo recording of the year 2014 for his recording, “No More Pennies”.

Dave’s newest album is titled LIFT, about which he says:

“The 13 songs on Lift cover refreshingly broad lyrical terrain. Story and character-based songs fit snugly alongside more personal material, and in true folk music tradition, some numbers could be considered protest songs. Gunning acknowledges that ‘this album has more personal and introspective songs than my past recordings. I do still love songs that are about things and tell a real story, like the songs of Stan Rogers. They inspire me.’ “

For more information about Dave visit his website at www.davegunning.com

 

Catie Curtis performed
Monday, January 16, 2017

Catie Curtis
Catie Curtis
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Singing Oak kicked off 2017 with the amazing singer/songwriter Catie Curtis.

Catie Curtis's list of accomplishments spans 14 albums, songs featured on TV shows “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Dawson’s Creek”, and “Felicity”; and movies like “Finding Graceland” and “A Slipping Down Life”. For over 25 years, she has been a perennially popular headliner, appearing at Lilith Fair, Carnegie Hall, performing arts centers, concert halls, folk clubs, music festivals and the White House! She was even dubbed a “folk rock goddess” by The New Yorker.

Catie’s newest album speaks in that familiar, frank and reassuring voice about life events everyone encounters: love, loss, and the search for redemption. “While We’re Here” rides the wave of tumultuous life transitions (divorce, death and falling in love) with clear-eyed courage and soulfulness. As the title cut says “we could all die tomorrow, I’m not gonna live in fear, don’t ever stop giving living a shot, while we’re here.”

For more information about Catie visit her website at catiecurtis.com

Kate Campbell performed
Sunday, March 5, 2017

KateCampbell
Kate Campbell
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Kate is “originally from the Mississippi Delta and the daughter of a Baptist preacher. Kate’s formative years were spent in the very core of the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, and the indelible experiences of those years have shaped her heart and character as well as her songwriting.”

Her music’s power comes from the way she unites tradition with individualism. She has tremendous personal skill as a narrative songwriter, but she’s also willing to claim her roots; her music draws equally on what belongs to a community and what belongs to her personally, on the traditions of the Baptist church in Mississippi—which she knows intimately—and on her private artistry as a storyteller. Maybe this is what she figured out by seeing the civil rights movement with a kid’s-eye view: the artist has to have some critical distance from the community, has to stand enough apart from it to see it clearly—but she also has to love the community, or she has no business singing about it. It’s evident in every note of Kate’s music that she loves her roots."

Please visit Katecampbell.com to learn more about this fine singer/songwriter.

Pat Donohue performed
Monday April 3, 2017

Pat Donohue
Pat Donohue
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Grammy Award winner, master guitarist, songwriter and performer Pat Donohue amazed and entertained concert goers at Singing Oak.

Pat first picked up his sister’s guitar at the age of 12 and since then has gone on to become known as “a guitarist’s guitarist”. His early influences were the great “roots” figures such as Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Johnson and Blind Blake. He has played with the household names of guitar greats like Chet Atkins and Leo Kottke.

Pat spent 20 years as a songwriter and house band member for “A Prairie Home Companion”. Pat is now touring the US playing a variety of venues including Performance Halls, Coffeehouse series and in blues, folk and eclectic listening rooms. Pat also conducts guitar workshops and teaches at prestigious guitar camps across the country.

Please go to PatDonohue.com to learn more about this fine singer/songwriter.

Dan Weber performed
Monday, June 12, 2017

DanWeber
Dan Weber
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Award Winning songwriter Dan Weber has been described as “The classic mid-life overnight sensation.” A gifted storyteller and inspiring performer, in 2014 he won 2nd place in the prestigious Woody Guthrie songwriting contest and was honored to become a rare 2-time finalist in the legendary Kerrville Folk Festival ‘New Folk’ competition. In 2014 he also received several other national songwriting contest honors.

Please go to DanWebermusic.com to learn more about this fine singer/songwriter.

Seth Glier performed
December 4, 2017

Closing out our Singing Oak 2017 season was Grammy nominated singer, songwriter and producer, Seth Glier.

Seth Glier
Seth Glier
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Massachusetts born Seth Glier has been compared to Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. He combines a soulful voice with music and lyrics that are deep and engaging.

Seth Glier’s new album Birds is steeped in conflict and contradictions. There’s grief and loss, but also strength and resilience; doubt and dismay, but also a sense of optimism as Glier confronts heavy topics and wrestles them into the daylight.

Glier (pronounced “Gleer”) recorded Birds in an airy loft in western Massachusetts outfitted with a grand piano and floor-to-ceiling windows. Birds roost just outside those windows, on the roof of the converted mill building where he lives, and they became his sympathetic audience while Glier made the album. “I felt a tremendous amount of comfort talking to the Birds,” he says “I’d check in with them regularly to see how they thought things were going so far.”

Birds is Glier’s fifth album, and the latest entry in a burgeoning career that has included a Grammy nomination and a pair of Independent Music Awards while touring with artists including Ani DiFranco and Ryan Adams.

Please go to SethGlier to learn more about this amazing singer/songwriter.

Cindy Kallet & Grey Larsen performed
February 5, 2018

Launching our Singing Oak 2018 season was the dynamic duo Cindy Kallet and Grey Larsen.

Cindy Kallet & Grey Larsen
Cindy Kallet and Grey Larsen
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Individually well-known and loved for their decades of music making, Cindy and Grey have been performing together since 2004. Cindy is a superb singer, guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Grey is one of America’s finest players of the Irish flute and tin whistle, as well as an accomplished singer and concertina, fiddle, piano and harmonium player. As composers each has contributed to the tapestry of contemporary folk and world music as it flourishes in America today. Their songs and tunes are woven with vibrant color and rich texture.

The duo’s repertoire includes Cindy’s sparkling original songs, distinctive settings of traditional Irish music, Scandinavian fiddle duets, old-time fiddle and guitar tunes from southern Indiana, and new music that Cindy and Grey are inventing together. There is plenty of variety and breadth of musical territory here, all deeply rooted in folk traditions, and interwoven with the renaissance and baroque counterpoint in which both Cindy and Grey, coincidentally, were immersed while growing up. Included are vocal duets, guitar, Irish flute, Irish alto flute, tin whistle, concertina, harmonium, and duet fiddling, and plenty of stories that put the music into a personal context.

Nan Collie wrote "Cindy Kallet and Grey Larsen are exquisite musicians and gentle souls, both of which make for a wonderful evening of music. The gifts of their writing, arranging, and exceptional instrumental talents combine with a genuine warmth and charm that leaves an audience walking away smiling, uplifted, and humming a tune."

Songwriters in the Round
March 9, 2018, March 8, 2019
and March 10, 2023

Our Singing Oak House Concert folks got a special treat...a concert in the round! In 2018 David gifted us with Freebo, Sloan Wainwright with Glen Roethel, and Tret Fure. In 2019 he returned with Sloan Wainwright with Glen Roethel, and Harold Payne, and after a long hiatus due to COVID, returned in 2023 with Sloan Wainwright and Glen Roethel. Wow! What line-ups! We look forward to their annual return next March.

David Roth
David Roth
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David Roth strikes many chords, hearts, and minds with his unique songs, offbeat observations, moving stories, sense of the hilarious, and powerful singing and subject matter. As singer, songwriter, recording artist, keynote speaker, workshop leader, and instructor, David has earned top honors at premier songwriter competitions – Kerrville (TX) and Falcon Ridge (NY) – and taken his music, experience, and expertise to a wide variety of venues in this and other countries full-time for three decades.

Freebo
Freebo
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Folk-Rock Blues Icon - From world renowned bassist (Bonnie Raitt 10 years, CSN, John Mayall, Maria Muldaur, Ringo Starr, Neil Young, Dr. John, Loudon Wainwright) to award winning singer/songwriter,  Freebo's music touches your heart with songs of life, love, dogs, and the human condition. He is well regarded for his high level of musicality coupled with his thoughtful and powerful use of words in song lyrics as well as in prose and narrative. He has also appeared on the classic TV shows Saturday Night Live, Midnight Special, The Tonight Show, and in concert with the legendary Spinal Tap.

Sloan Wainwright
Sloan Wainwright
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“Defying standard categorization, singer/songwriter Sloan Wainwright, consistently demonstrates her easy command of a variety of American musical styles — pop, folk, jazz and blues — held together by the melodious tone of her rich contralto, with the end result being a unique and soulful hybrid.

Her family tree (brother and folk-music luminary Loudon Wainwright, nephew Rufus Wainwright, nieces Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche) reads like a who’s who of contemporary folk music. Sloan’s incredible gift is not only her unique songwriting ability but also her dramatically voiced rendition of original songs.

With a solid and impressive discography of 10 original CD releases to her credit, Sloan continues to write, sing and perform live and has won two songwriting awards at the annual EmPower Posi Music Awards.  In addition, Sloan has written numerous musical compositions for theater and dance and teaches at many of the best-known master songwriter series and workshops.”

Sloan was accompanied by Glen Roethel, an accomplished singer and songwriter in his own right.

Tret Fure
Tret Fure

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Tret Fure began her career at the age of 16, singing in coffeehouses ad campuses in the Midwest. At 19, she moved to LA in hopes of obtaining a record deal. Within a year she was performing as guitarist and vocalist for Spencer Davis, touring with him and penning the single for his album “Mousetrap”. She went on to record her own album in 1973 with the late Lowell George of Little Feat as her producer.

A prolific artist in the contemporary singer-songwriter arena, Tret Fure has released 15 albums and CDs over the course of her 48 year career. Now after 7 acoustic releases on her own label, Tomboy girl Records, she has re-established herself in the folk world, winning the South Florida Folk Festival Singer/Songwriter Competition for Best Overall and Best Up-Tempo Song, as well as the prestigious Jane Schliessman Award for Outstanding Contributions to Women’s music. In 2009, Tret was voted “Pride in the Arts Favorite Female/Lesbian Musician”. Her song “Freedom” is currently #1 on the top 10 song charts for OutVoice.net and she is the #1 folk artist for Reverbnation in Newport News, VA.”

Harold Payne
Harold Payne
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Harold Payne is a multi-platinum award-winning songwriter whose soulful uplifting songs and husky heartfelt vocals have graced stages around the world. He has written songs for such diverse artists as Rod Stewart, Patti LaBelle, the Temptations, and long time collaborator, Bobby Womack—literally from Peter Paul and Mary to Snoop Dogg. Most recently, Rudimental reached #1 on the UK album charts containing the Womack/Payne song “New Day”, “Daylight” charted with Kelly Rowland plus the CD “Bravest Man in the Universe” which was co-written by Payne, Bobby Womack, Damon Albarn (Gorillaz) & Richard Russell (XL Recordings) received the prestigious “Q” award in the UK for “Best Album of the Year.

Jay Mankita and Spook Handy
April 16, 2018

A double treat for our Singing Oak House Concert folks...two great performers!!

Jake Mankita
Jay Mankita
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Jay Mankita is a Northeast-based Americana songwriter and recording artist. A celebrated songwriter, innovative guitarist, and upbeat, often hilarious touring performer, who truly engages, inspires, and entertains.

Jay has recorded 6 albums, performed in over 1,500 venues, and has recently seen 3 of his iconic songs, 'Living Planet', 'I Am A Dolphin', and 'From A Dog's Stance', in the new 'Rise Again’ songbook, the follow-up to the much-loved ‘Rise Up Singing’ collection.

He is a masterful guitarist, singer, and songwriter who for the past 30 years, has presented thousands of concerts for adults and for children.

The strength and  clarity of Jay's unique style of guitar playing provides a rich rhythmic ground for his dynamic and original melodies and lyrics.

Spook Handy
Spook Handy
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Spook Handy’s new CD “Pete, Woody and Me, Volume I – Keep the Flame Alive” charted at No. 3 on the International Folk Radio Charts in both June and July 2016 with three songs charting in the top 20.

Spook performed alongside Pete Seeger at festivals and concerts more than 50 times from 2003 – 2013. In 2003, Pete invited Spook to perform with him at the Pumpkin Festival in Beacon, New York. The two hit it off.  What happened that day profoundly changed the direction of Spook’s life. Over the next ten years, Spook learned a lot of Pete’s songs and the stories behind them. And he learned a lot about who Pete Seeger was and what he stood for.

“I’ve always felt that an individual can leave a positive mark on the world,” says Spook. “I eventually came to realize that the way I could make a difference was through music. The songs we choose are very important because all songs reflect and promote values. We want to sing songs that promote values we can espouse. But, Pete showed me that it’s not just the content of a song that makes the difference. It’s the humanity and the interaction you have with people. That’s what touches people most. Pete knew how to make an audience feel comfortable, get involved in the conversation, and be part of the collective experience.”

Joe Jencks and Gathering Sparks
performed May 14, 2018

Joe Jencks
Joe Jencks
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Joe Jencks is an 18-year veteran of the international folk circuit, an award-winning songwriter, and celebrated vocalist based in Chicago. Merging conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing, Joe delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove and grit. Having penned several #1 Folksongs including the ever-relevant Lady of The Harbor, Jencks is also co-founder of the harmony trio, Brother Sun. From Festivals like Falcon Ridge, Kerrville, Mariposa, and Old Songs, to venues like Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, Jencks has enthralled diverse audiences with his approachable style. Joe is noted for his unique merging of musical beauty, social consciousness, and spiritual exploration. Blending well-crafted instrumentals and vivid songwriting, Jencks serves it all up with a lyric baritone voice that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel.

Gathering Sparks
Gathering Sparks
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You will come to listen, and walk away singing. Gathering Sparks is the graceful collision of Eve Goldberg and Jane Lewis—musical friends who blend tight harmonies, finely crafted songs, and a love of participatory singing to create an intimate and uplifting experience. Their inclusive approach embraces folk, pop, blues and gospel influences tastefully played on acoustic guitar, piano, accordion, and ukulele.

 

Reggie Harris performed
Monday, September 17, 2018

We were thrilled to launch our fall season with an incredible singer/songwriter, Reggie Harris!

Reggie Harris
Reggie Harris
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Reggie is aptly described as: “A songwriter of great depth and passion, Reggie Harris writes from a personal sense of mission that merges a world wise point of view with a singularly hopeful stance that life, though often challenging, is filled with possibility and hope. His songs reveal thoughts about life and love and some of the deep aspects of the human experience and cover topics from his own personal journey to world issues and history.

Steeped in the tradition of African American spirituals, folk, gospel, rock and the music of civil and human rights, Reggie is recognized as one of the foremost presenters of songs, who, in the spirit of his mentors Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte and Bernice Johnson Reagon, gets people smiling and singing.”

A truly gifted and inspiring storyteller, Reggie’s storytelling ranges from the historical, cultural base of the Underground Railroad and the Modern Civil Rights Movement to stories that frame the rich context of our American past and present. He is also a master of sharing inspiring personal tales of lessons learned in the twists and turns along life’s moments of discovery.

Please go to reggieharrismusic.com to learn more about this amazing performer.

Freebo and Alice Howe performed
November 5, 2018

Singing Oak House Concerts welcomed legendary bass player and singer/songwriter Freebo, along with the rising star, Boston area singer/songwriter Alice Howe. Freebo and Alice have been performing and recording together for a few years now and have taken their musical magic around the country and abroad.

Reggie Harris
Freebo
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Folk-Rock Blues Icon, from world renowned bassist (Bonnie Raitt 10 years, CSN, John Mayall, Maria Muldaur, Ringo Starr, Neil Young, Dr. John, Loudon Wainwright) to award winning singer/songwriter,  Freebo's music touches your heart with songs of life, love, dogs, and the human condition. He is well regarded for his high level of musicality coupled with his thoughtful and powerful use of words in song lyrics as well as in prose and narrative. He has also appeared on the classic TV shows Saturday Night Live, Midnight Special, The Tonight Show, and in concert with the legendary Spinal Tap.

Please visit Freebo's website at FreeboMusic.com to learn more about this amazing performer.

Reggie Harris
Alice Howe

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With her soulful, impeccably tuned voice and crafted poetry, Boston singer-songwriter Alice Howe is "at once of the moment and timeless, personal and universal" (Mark Walton, Americana UK).  Her pure, distilled sound reflects a musical sensibility rooted in '60s folk and '70s Southern California songwriters. Credit is due to Alice's parents for raising her on a steady diet of Taj Mahal, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Jackson Browne, and Joan Baez. As a performer, she is sure-footed and captivating, familiar to her audience from the very first song.

Please go to AliceHowe.com to learn more about this amazing singer/songwriter.

Vance Gilbert performed
Monday, February 11, 2019

Singing Oak House Concerts was thrilled to open its 2019 calendar with the renowned singer/songwriter Vance Gilbert!

Vance has been a fixture of acoustic folk music since he burst onto the scene in the early 90’s. It was then that a buzz started spreading in the folk clubs of Boston about an ex-multicultural art teacher who was knocking ‘em dead at open mics. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Vance started out hoping to be a jazz singer, and then discovered his affinity for the storytelling sensibilities of acoustic folk music. Once word got out about his stage- owning singing and playing, Shawn Colvin invited him to be a special guest on her Fat City Tour.

Reggie Harris
Vance Gilbert
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Noted not only for being the consummate performer, Vance has recorded 12 albums. Along with being opener of choice for artists as varied as Aretha Franklin, Arlo Guthrie, and Anita Baker, in 2006 and 2007 he opened 140+ shows for comedian George Carlin.

Please visit VanceGilbert.com to learn more about this amazing artist.

Tret Fure performed
Monday, May 13, 2019

Singing Oak welcomed back the fabulous singer, songwriter, and musician, Tret Fure!

Tret Fure began her career at the age of 16, singing in coffeehouses ad campuses in the Midwest. At 19, she moved to LA in hopes of obtaining a record deal. Within a year she was performing as guitarist and vocalist for Spencer Davis, touring with him and penning the single for his album “Mousetrap”. She went on to record her own album in 1973 with the late Lowell George of Little Feat as her producer.

Tret Fure
Tret Fure
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A prolific artist in the contemporary singer-songwriter arena, Tret Fure has released 15 albums and CDs over the course of her 48 year career. Now after 7 acoustic releases on her own label, Tomboy girl Records, she has re-established herself in the folk world, winning the South Florida Folk Festival Singer/Songwriter Competition for Best Overall and Best Up-Tempo Song, as well as the prestigious Jane Schliessman Award for Outstanding Contributions to Women’s music.

In 2009, Tret was voted “Pride in the Arts Favorite Female/Lesbian Musician”. Her song “Freedom” is currently #1 on the top 10 song charts for OutVoice.net and she is the #1 folk artist for Reverbnation in Newport News, VA.”

Please visit the website of Tret Fure at tretfure.com to learn more about this amazing performer.

Mary Gauther & performed
September 30, 2019

Singing Oak House Concerts was thrilled to welcome the amazing Mary Gauthier!

Mary Gauthier
Mary Gauthier
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Gauthier's first nine albums presented extraordinary confessional songs, deeply personal, profoundly emotional pieces ranging from “I Drink,” a blunt accounting of addiction, to “March 11, 1962,” the day she was born — and relinquished to an orphanage — to “Worthy,” in which the singer finally understands she is deserving of love. Maybe that's where the confessional song cycle ends, for she has midwifed these eleven new songs in careful collaboration with other souls whose struggle is urgent, immediate, and palpable. And none are about her.
 
Each song on Rifles & Rosary Beads is a gut punch: deceptively simple and emotionally complex. From the opening “Soldiering On” (“What saves you in the battle/Can kill you at home”) to “Bullet Holes in the Sky” (“They thank me for my service/And wave their little flags/They genuflect on Sundays/And yes, they'd send us back”), while “Iraq” depicts the helpless horror of a female military mechanic being dehumanized and sexually harassed by fellow soldiers.

Greg Tamblyn performed
Monday, November 11, 2019

We closed our 2019 Singing Oak House Concerts season with an amazing singer-songwriter and philosophical humorist, Greg Tamblyn. Who knew it would be over three years before our next concert. He was so amazing it helped us make it through.

Greg Tamblyn
Greg Tamblyn
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Greg has been a successful singer, songwriter, speaker, and humorist for over 20 years. He combines outstanding audience rapport with an irreverent sense of humor, and has a special interest in the relationship of music, laughter, and lifestyle to physical and emotional well-being. Greg's humorous musings on cultural absurdities, as well as his messages of effectiveness, optimism, and service, have garnered him a large international following.

Please visit the website of Greg Tamblyn at gregtamblyn.com to learn more about this amazing performer.

Dave Gunning performed
Monday, April 17, 2023

Dave Gunning wowed our Singing Oak audience in 2016 with his amazing songwriting chops, beautiful vocals, and incredible skills on the guitar and delivered once again in 2023.

Greg Tamblyn
Dave Gunning
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With a career spanning over two decades, Dave Gunning is one of Canada’s folk music treasures – a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter who has earned multiple Canadian Folk Music Awards, a Juno nomination and nine East Coast Music Awards for his well-crafted work.

For more information about Dave visit his website at davegunning

       
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