Paul Clayton and the Folksong Revival (American Folk Music and Musicians Series)
Well-researched tome. (Craig HarrisDirty Linen, June 2009)Coltman's book is thoroughly detailed and annotated, with interviews with colleagues, family, friends, lovers and creative collaborators. . . . Bob Coltman's friendly prose, eye for detail and exceptional research capture a significant, if overlooked, player in the mid-century folk revival. . . . Recommended. (Sing Out!, July 1, 2009)Coltman's book was published in 2008, and it is a fine study of a nearly forgotten but still significant figure in the folksong revival of the 1950s and 1960s. The discography is useful, especially in its listing of non-commercial recordings, but equally fascinatingis the appendix of Clayton's copyrighted songs, divided into original compositions hybrids, and traditional songs. While there may not be many who have been longing for a book-length biography of Paul Clayton exists, there may be more people discovering the song and voice that I have respected for over twenty years. (Morris S. Levy, December, 2009)Coltman, writing with obvious love for the time, the music, and the people who made the folk music revival of the mid-1900s a resource for all of us, provides a glimpse into the story of a man often walking the thin line between genius and insanity. As one who lived that era, I relived many times, places, and feelings reading this book. A must-read for old folkies, scholars of the folk revival, and indeed anyone who wants to read a vivid portrait of a man possessed with immeasurable talent and demons who left an indelible footprint on the folk music of his time." (Ed Trickett, folk recording artist)