Folk balladeer, playwright, producer and musician Oscar Brand has served as the host of Folksong Festival on WNYC AM for more than six decades.
The program debuted on December 10, 1945 and airs every Saturday at 10 pm in New York City. According to The Guinness Book of World Records, it is the longest-running radio program with the same host. In 1995, on its fiftieth anniversary, the program won a prestigious Peabody Award for its contribution to American culture. Through his show, Mr. Brand has championed folk music and has provided a platform for artistic expression for talent such as Woody Guthrie, The Weavers, Huddie Ledbetter, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Harry Belafonte, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs, Harry Chapin, Arlo Guthrie, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, Peter, Paul & Mary, Kingston Trio, Pete Seeger, and many others.
When not presenting Folksong Festival, Oscar Brand is the curator of the Songwriters' Hall of Fame, author of seven best-selling books, has recorded 90 LPs, written songs for Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Belefonte, the Smothers Brothers, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He has been on the faculty of The New School, New York University, and Hofstra University. He has a BS in Psychology from Brooklyn College, a Laureate from Fairfield University, and an honorary Doctorate from the University of Winnipeg.
Shows:
Oscar Brand appears in the following:
Doc Watson Philadelphia Folk Festival circa 1970
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Join the Archives department in celebrating the life of Doc Watson with this rare interview and performance at the Philadelphia Folk Festival.
Squirrel Nutkin
Friday, January 01, 1960
The exact date of this episode is unknown. We've filled in the date above with a placeholder. What we actually have on record is: 196u-uu-uu.
This episode is from the WNYC archives. It may contain language which is no longer politically or socially appropriate.
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