Denver’s Godfather of Folk, Harry Tuft, grew up singing and playing a series of instruments, from the piano to the clarinet, ukulele, baritone uke, and, in college, a six-string guitar. Philadelphia’s lively folk scene provided the setting for his first ventures into public singing. From there, friendships with Dick Weissman and Roger Abrahams fostered a growing interest in Anglo-American folk music.
In 1960, needing a break from his studies, Harry traveled out to the Rocky Mountains for some skiing. He found a job at The Holy Cat in Georgetown, as a dishwasher, busboy, waiter, bartender, janitor, and—if there was a lull in the work at night—he could sing in the bar. There he met Hal Neustaedter, owner of Denver folk club The Exodus, who suggested that he look into starting a folklore center in Denver.
With further encouragement from Izzy Young, owner of the first and (then) only Folklore Center in New York’s Greenwich Village, Harry opened the Denver Folklore Center in March 1962. He went on to promote some of the biggest shows in Denver, including Joan Baez’s first Denver show at Red Rocks in 1964. He went on to found Swallow Hill Music Association in 1979 where, to this day, he hosts hootenannies. In addition, his Folklore Center is still going strong and he performs here and there from time to time with his band, Grubstake.
Dick Weissman is also a Philadelphia native, and he began on piano at age seven, and then took up the banjo during his teenage years. After graduating from college, Dick moved to New York and spent the next four years alternating between attending graduate school and becoming active in the folk music scene in Greenwich Village. Eventually he dropped out of Columbia, performed with Happy Traum, did a two-week gig at Folk City opening for Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry, and with John Phillips and Scott McKenzie formed the folk-pop band, The Journeymen.
Three and a half years, three Capitol albums and several hundred concerts later, Dick moved back to New York and became a studio musician, record producer, and songwriter. In 1972 he moved to Colorado. He has played on hundreds of recording sessions, produced numerous albums, written two feature film scores, and performed as a soloist and accompanist in many live and recorded musical contexts. He has also taught many college classes on music and the music industry, and has written 12 published books on these subjects.
