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Ralph Rinzler

At the same time Rinzler was also a diligent folklorist who began helping American folk singers who were not at that time well known, including Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, Hazel Scott, and others.

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After graduation he went to New York City where he eventually became one of the famous Greenbriar Boys, a popular folk group that was the main event at Greenwich Village's Gerde's Folk City, with Bob Dylan as his warm-up opening act.

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Ralph Rinzler (July 20, 1934 – July 2, 1994) was the co-founder of the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall every summer in Washington, D.C., where he worked as a curator for American art, music, and folk culture at the Smithsonian.

The Greenbriar Boys

Weissberg was soon replaced by Paul Prestopino, who, in turn was later replaced by Ralph Rinzler (mandolin) to form their most successful combination.

Smithsonian Folkways

In 1984, looking for someone to continue the Folkways Records collection after him, Asch found Ralph Rinzler, who was then artistic director of the Smithsonian’s annual Folklife Festival.

see also