John Herald, 65; Greenbriar Boys Lead Singer, Folk Songwriter
John Herald, 65, a songwriter, bluegrass guitarist and lead singer for the Greenbriar Boys, died Monday at his home in West Hurley, N.Y., of apparent suicide.
Herald and his group were at the forefront of the early 1960s folk music scene in New York’s Greenwich Village, where Herald was born and brought up.
The Greenbriar Boys, formed by Herald, Eric Weissberg and Bob Yellin in the late 1950s, were the first “Yankee†band to win the Galax Fiddlers Convention in Virginia.
After the band broke up in the late 1960s, Herald worked as a session musician, recording with Bonnie Raitt and Bette Midler among others.
As a songwriter, Herald was known for “Stewball,†which became a hit recording for Peter, Paul and Mary and was featured in the motion picture “The Champ,†starring Jon Voight. Linda Ronstadt recorded his “High Muddy Water.â€
Herald said he was inspired to become a musician when he attended summer camp as a child and heard folk singer Pete Seeger perform.
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