Name: Wasn't That A Time: The Boston Folk Revival 1958-1965
Start: 2025-09-27T09:00:00-04:00
Location: Arrow Street Arts

Wasn't That A Time: The Boston Folk Revival 1958-1965

The Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame, in partnership with the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, will present a collaborative symposium on September 27, 2025 at the Arrow Street Arts Center in Cambridge. This will be the first in a series of events between the affiliate organizations as we honor the past, celebrate the present, and nurture future artists and academics.
Boston has always been a music town and was at the epicenter of the Folk Revival during the 1950s and '60s. The symposium, entitled Wasn’t That A Time: The Boston Folk Revival, 1958-1965, shines a light on that history through discussions with artists, academics, and those who were there.
TOPICS ADDRESSED DURING THIS DAY-LONG SYMPOSIUM INCLUDE:
- Club 47: Hear about the impact of Cambridge’s legendary listening room from musicians that played there
- Joan Baez is an icon whose career started in Boston. This panel will chronicle her start in Cambridge and meteoric rise
When Bob Met Woody, the true story told by Guthrie’s granddaughter Anna Canoni
- A conversation with former J. Geils lead singer and songwriter Peter Wolf about his new book WAITING ON THE MOON: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters and Goddesses
- Dylan Goes Electric at Newport. The single set that transformed the scene
- Post-Revival Folk: How Boston’s scene continues to evolve
Keynote address from Noel Paul Stookey, member of the legendary folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: NOEL PAUL STOOKEY (FROM PETER, PAUL & MARY) & PETER WOLF
PANELISTS INCLUDE:
Anna Canoni: Woody Guthrie's granddaughter and President of Woody Guthrie Publications.
Betsy Siggins: Founding member of Club 47, Executive Director of Club Passim, and long-time friend of Joan Baez.
Bob Santelli: GRAMMY Award-winning music historian, producer, and educator; Executive Director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music.
Douglas Brinkley: Prominent presidential historian, author, and Bob Dylan biographer.
Ellis Paul: Singer-songwriter, author, and artist; recipient of 14 Boston Music Awards.
Jeannie Brand: Daughter of Oscar Brand and representative of his estate.
Jim Brown: Documentary film producer and recipient of four Emmy Awards.
Jim Rooney: Producer, performer, writer, and pioneer in Americana music.
Tom Paxton: Folk singer-songwriter, educator, and advocate for over 60 years; recipient of the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tom Rush: Folk and Blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter for over 60 years.