Bob Gibson Biography
Samuel Robert Gibson, 16 November 1931, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA, d. 28 September 1996, Portland, Oregon, USA. Although commercial success proved illusive, Gibson was one of US folk music's most influential figures. His songs were recorded by the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul And Mary and he was responsible for launching and/or furthering the careers of Bob Camp, Judy Collins and Joan Baez. Having recorded his debut single, "I'm Never To Marry", in 1956, Gibson embarked on a series of excellent albums including Offbeat Folksongs (1956) and Carnegie Concert (1957). Indifferent to marketplace pressure, his novelty collection, Ski Songs, was issued in 1959 at the height of the hootenanny boom while Yes I See, arguably the nadir of his recording career, appeared in 1961 as Bob Dylan began to attract peer group acclaim. These disappointing releases were followed by a duet with Bob (Hamilton) Camp, At The Gate Of Horn, paradoxically one of American folk's definitive works.
Gibson was absent from music for much of the 60s due to drug and alcohol addiction, but he re-emerged early in the 70s with a melodic album which featured Roger McGuinn, Spanky McFarland and Cyrus Faryar. His style of folk music had long since fallen from fashion, however, and subsequent releases failed to find an audience. He pursued a more public path, touring with Tom Paxton and performing frequently at international folk festivals. Gibson was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy in 1993 and died from the disease three years later.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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