General Note:  1972 through 1976 Finalist Lists were found in the KFF office almost 30 years after the fact. The content on this page reflects the original author and editor Doug Coppock's best effort at decoding the information, although some of the original notes were hand-written and the format was not consistent. Many of the footnotes are his interpretation or exact recollections from folks who were there at the time. The winners from 1975 and 1976 were not included in the info. Doug noted that there were lots of opportunities for errors both in the data entry process, as well as the propagation of errors found in festival programs and production notes, not to mention individual recollections.  Some errors found in the programs and notes have been corrected or noted, but errors may still exist. If you find what you believe to be an error or would like to contribute any missing or additional information, please email: info@kerrvillefolkfestival.org.
 

(1) 2001 - Karen Mal was listed in the 2001 program as Karin [sic] Irwin

(2) 1996 - Marianne Osiel was unable to perform in 1996 New Folk due to a death in the family, but made it to the Mainstage in 1998 and 1999. She still "out there" playing and often performs as a "sideman" with Nancy Griffith when she plays in New York area.

 

(3) 1990 - Fred Small resigned from New Folk and was booked for the mainstage the following year. Allen Damron, one of the KFF board members and New Folk Emcees had recorded Fred's song "Heart of the Appaloosa" --- It was widely felt that Fred was not "emerging" talent.

 

(4) 1987 - Kathy Korniloff was listed in the program, but according to a reliable source, Laurie Freelove was the songwriter of the entered songs. They both were members of a group called Two Nice Girls along with Gretchen Phillips. They all three played on stage and the finalist (and winner) was officially listed as Laurie Freelove.

(5) 1982 - Alex Abravanel who was a finalist in 1982 (and a winner in 1983) recalls that Allen Damron was one of the judges. The three original judges were not listed in the program.  Kelly Gazzaway who was a winner in 1982 remembered that Allen Damron subbed for Bob Zentz.  Norris Mealer, also a winner in 1982, thought Fred Carter showed up late and Steve Fromholz was asked to fill in for him. He also remembers that Fred Carter (after arriving late) was really impressed with his buddy Michael Tomlinson and went on to try and get Michael a label deal in Nashville, but doesn't think Fred actually took part in the judging. He's pretty sure it was Steve Fromholz. If anyone out there has further clarification on this one, let us know!
 

(6) 1976 - There was a conflict in collective memories as to who were judges for this year. Doug heard from David Amram, who confirms that the judges as listed above are correct, but for the sake of completeness, I should mention that John Garza felt certain that Peter Yarrow was also a judge; but as detailed at the end of this note, Katherine Dines confirms that Peter was the host and emcee. David Amram also recalls that Peter was the host, but not a judge. Mike Mathis recalls that the judges list also included Jubal Clark. According to Amram, Jubal was not a judge, but was there and performed a great version of "The Dying Cowboy". Mike Mathis also helped by naming some of the winners for certain. He recalled that Jubal may have been listed as a judge because he was a last minute replacement for Townes Van Zandt who was supposed to be a judge but was missing in action. Apparently that may have been some other year. Doug tends to trust Amram's account. Mike recalled that the judges sat on hay bales on the stage which turned out to be infested with chiggers! David Amram confirms this bit of trivia and says that "We all got Chiggers!".

   Dani Lee DeVere mentions that there was an honorable mention given in 1976 and she was the recipient and came in 7th. I should mention that it has become a tradition that everyone who was not one of the six winners in recent years is considered to have been in a tie with the other Finalists for 7th place (See Club 7 below). I've also received information that John Garza has been involved in a project to put up a web page on a record put out by Mike Williams featuring New Folk Finalists from 1976 including John Garza, Frank Zigal and Will Walker called the BF Deal Sampler Vol. 1. - Nanci Griffith (New Folk Finalist in 1978) was also included on the record. The songs from the album are available on this site: bfdealsampler.com - the website doesn't mention the date, but I figure it must have been within a year or two of the 1976 KFF.  As of March 14th 2016, I have heard from Katherine Dines who confirmed that she was the missing sixth winner in 1976, and also that the judges listed were correct. She recalls that Peter Yarrow spent time talking to her, and may have also talked to some other finalists, giving them the feeling in their memories that he may have been a judge, but I consider Katherine's input to confirm David Amram's recollection as to the list of judges.

 

(7) 1975 - Patricia Hardin and Tom Russell became known as Hardin & Russell and performed at the Kerrville Folk Festival in '76 and '77. Patricia is now known professionally as Patricia M. Long. She now is a composer of classical orchestral and vocal music (although she still writes songs). Patricia Hardin recalls that Shane and Kitty Appling also won in 1975, but since she used the words "seem to recall" I'll resort to a question mark and a footnote for now....

 

(8) This is from Paul Colbert concerning 1972-1974:"The reason you don't have New Folk winners for those years is because it wasn't a contest. I sang in 1974 (as Rod's notes indicate) when we were on a little stage at the Arts and Crafts Festival and there was no discussion of judging, winning or anything like a contest. The "contest" was getting selected to perform. It was just a showcase of emerging performers. The first New Folk as a contest was in 1975, when I also sang. I know for sure that two of the judges that year were Carolyn Hester and Mike Seeger -- I'll try to remember who the third one was."

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(9) 1974 - Doug Gittings (aka Doug Gittins), who was a finalist in 1973 and 1974, told the original author: In the fall of 1974, he drove to his native state of Missouri for Thanksgiving and Lucinda accompanied him on the trip to visit her father, Miller Williams in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Doug also supplied me with an image of the New Folk line-up from the 1974 program, as well as the cover page (shown above).

 

(10) 1974 - Bill and Lucille originally were flagged as "no confirmation yet". I've heard from Lucille and here's the rest of the story: Their baby daughter Colleen was born on March 27th and Bill and Lucille DID perform with their daughter in a crib beside them on May 27th. Colleen had a magical voice and she grew up to sing with her dad, Bill Cade. They made a CD and released it at Anderson Fair in Houston, New Years Eve 2002. Colleen died in a car wreck on the way home from the release of that first CD. Please see: http://nativetexas.com/_memorium/colleen/colleen.html (A beautiful memorial web site for Colleen)

 

(11)  Jimmy Ray Harrell contacted me and supplied a list of some 1974 winners in addition to Lou-Ray (Jimmy Ray was 1/2 of the duo "Lou-Ray"). Those winners were noted with a question mark, since it was a recollection rather than a concrete memory. He and Christy Lou appeared on main stage the following year (1975) and those he noted as possible winners also appeared on the main stage that year as well. He also mentioned Plum Nelly as a possible winner in 1974 for that same reason, but that name does not appear on the 1974 finalist list. It does, however, appear on the 1973 finalist list and Plum Nelly has been suggested as a winner that year. On a sad note, Christy Lou was killed in an motor cycle accident in 1977. Jimmy Ray lives in Ft. Davis and continues to play and perform in west Texas.

 

(12) 1974 - Michael Hawthorne of T&M Express didn't recall whether they won or not, and could not confirm any info on other winners, but recalled specifically that after KFF '74 Rod announced at a club in Austin that they would be appearing on the mainstage in 1975. Thereafter they played many benefits to raise money for the Festival, which facilitated the purchase of Quiet Valley Ranch. Additional info & background from Tim York of T&M Express: Tim York, co-founder of T&M Express, attended festivals from 1972 though 1976 and had assisted on a couple of KFF "On the Road" events before being selected by Rod Kennedy to be on staff for the '74 Festival. The group formed in the interim and Rod included Michael Hawthorne to the staff, where the two worked the parking lots, amongst other staff duties that season. Tim (agreed with Michael) did not recall the group to be a winner that year, as he believed the winner appeared on the main stage one evening to perform a song. He believed Rod, Carolyn Hester, Allen Damron and perhaps Rev. Charlie Sumners could have been among the judges. After the festival, a group of staff and players convened at a club back in Austin for a little celebration and music. Rod did indeed announce at that time that T&M would perform on the mainstage for the 1975 Kerrville Folk Festival. The group was also included on bills for several concerts produced by Rod to raise funds for Quiet Valley Ranch and KFF. The group was based out of Columbus, Ohio during these years, though Tim and Mike met in San Antonio and are originally from Texas

(13) Gordon Barth had some wonderful recollections of the early years ('72-'74) that he sent Doug Coppock, the original editor of the New Folk History. "I decided to leave Gordon's email as is with only minor modifications. There are references to Townes and B.W. drinking. My hope is that those of us who knew and loved these guys will not be offended by any of the story.  What follows is a treasure and a very good representation of what those early years at KFF were like." -- Doug Coppock

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~~ I'm  Gordon Henry Barth,

   I played Kerrville in 1973 as a new folk artist.  I was reminiscing about those days and decided to google things and came up with your web site.  I was nineteen at the time and was going to Texas Tech.  Allen Damron was playing tunes at a place in Lubbock called The Brookshire Inn where I earned money for school. He sat me down in the apartment where he was staying and made a tape of me and sent it in for the New Folk entry.

   Back then, it was pretty rusty.  I remember playing on the grounds of the Schreiner Institute.  Bill and Bonnie were front row.  It was pretty relaxed at that time and if I knew that Kerrville would turn into something BIG...I might have put in a little effort into the deal.  It was pretty informal and relaxed back then.  If I remember correctly, they didn't have "winners or losers".  The deal was that if there was a good artist, he or she would get to play at the concert at the auditorium that night.

   I went to the first festival in 1972 at the auditorium and was wowed by the excitement of the deal.  My cousin wanted to go to the States arts and craft fair at the Schreiner and when we went, there was advertisement for the music festival so we decided to go.  What magic!

   This is a little story about the days back in 1972-1974.  I never was a STAR but was invited to play at the cabins north of Kerrville where the top artists were staying and was known as a backup player for Bill and Bonnie, Allen Damron, Jerry Jeff, Bobby Bridges and Townes (he was pretty drunk back then). Those days were the original campfires.  I was staying in a tent with friends at the state park back then and I remember EVERYONE stayed up all night playing tunes.  This was before they moved the festival to the ranch.  Music was played 24 hours a day. I can't remember the name of the cabins where everyone was staying but it was up the road on the Guadalupe. I wish I could have remembered more but to me it was just playing and jam sessions and there was a "Woodstock" feeling of peace and love at that time. A time of magic. This is a semi accurate account of what I remember.

   Side note.  B.W. Stevenson came to Lubbock about that time and Allen sent me back stage to talk to him to tell him to come to the Brookshire Inn (now known as Gardski's Loft)  B.W. was staying in the Holiday Inn in Lubbock, so we went to pick him up to take him to the Brookshire to meet with Allen.  He was pretty drunk at the time and he came with us.  He had opened for the Doobie Brothers back then.  Michael Raphael told us not to "abuse BW" and he was laying in the 2 double beds that the four member group was staying.  B.W. spent about an hour and a half entertaining us with an audience of about 30 people.  Went back to Allen's apartment to play some tunes but B W drank about a liter of  Wellers bourbon and passed out in the bathtub.  We stayed up till about dawn and I never knew what happened to B. W.   ......pretty exciting times for a 20 year old going to Texas Tech and getting to play with some of these guys.

  Just thought I would send my memories of some events in those early days of the Festival. It's my story of those days and it really was a Texas Magic back then.  Sorry to see Allen D. pass away, he was always so good to me.

Dr. Gordon Barth  (Yorktown, Texas)

(14) Jerrie Jo's ex-husband (Peter Jones) submitted the following info on the group: "Plum Nelly (as best I can recollect) played the folk festival for 3 years. I can confirm their having won in 1973. I was there! The group's members always considered the band to be leaderless. Jerrie Jo started singing at a pizza parlor on the drag in Austin after we married (way too young!). It was there that Bill, Ernie, and Benny were drinking one night and heard Jerrie Jo singing and invited her to play with them. At that time, they were forming and had not played live anywhere. That is how Plum Nelly started in 1972. Plum Nelly played many venues including Eddie Wilson's Armadillo and after they morphed into Mother of Pearl played the likes of Austin City Limits in the late 70's. Eddie Wilson's mom and dad owned 5 houses in Austin. I lived in the house at 405 W 35th street. I let his brother crash in the garage apartment in my back yard. My wife, Jerrie Jo, worked in Eddie's mother's day-care when she was in high school. So we were friends when all that went down."

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(16) 1973 - Mac Truck Amateur Night is actually Glenn Myers and J. L. Quelch who played the New Folk Concert in 1972 (with Bill Oliver) as well. Glenn later performed as Glen Alyn.