Bob Lind

Last updated

Bob Lind
Birth nameRobert Neale Lind
Born (1942-11-25) November 25, 1942 (age 81)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Genres Folk
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1965–present
Labels World Pacific Records
Website boblind.com

Robert Neale Lind (born November 25, 1942) is an American folk-music singer-lyricist who helped define the 1960s folk rock movement in the U.S. and UK. [1] Lind is well known for his transatlantic hit record, "Elusive Butterfly", [2] which reached number 5 on both the US and UK charts in 1966. Many musicians have recorded songs by Lind, who continues to write, record and perform.

Contents

Early life

Lind was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents divorced when he was five, and his mother remarried; his stepfather was in the Air Force, and the family travelled for some years before settling in Denver, Colorado. He became interested in folk music while a student at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, and abandoned his studies to become a musician. [3]

Career

In 1965, Lind signed a recording contract with Liberty Records' subsidiary, World Pacific Records, and on that label he recorded "Elusive Butterfly". The single might have done even better on the UK Singles Chart had competition not arisen from established Irish recording artist Val Doonican, who released a cover version of the song at the same time. In the end, both versions of "Elusive Butterfly" made number five in the UK in 1966. [4] [5] Lind also wrote "Cheryl's Goin' Home", which was covered by Adam Faith, the Blues Project, Sonny & Cher, John Otway, the Cascades, and others.

To date, Lind's compositions have been eventually covered by more than 200 artists. including Cher, Glen Campbell, Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Eric Clapton, Nancy Sinatra, The Four Tops, The Turtles, Richie Havens, Hoyt Axton, The Kingston Trio, Johnny Mathis, The Rokes (with the Italian covers "Ma che colpa abbiamo noi" and "E' la pioggia che va"), and Petula Clark. [6] [7]

Plagued by drug and alcohol problems, Lind gained a reputation in the business for being "hard to work with." In 1969, Lind severed ties with World Pacific. Three years later, Capitol Records released Since There Were Circles, an album that was well received by critics, but not commercially successful. Lind dropped out of the music industry for a number of years. [8] He was a friend of the writer Charles Bukowski's, who turned him into the character Dinky Summers in his 1978 novel Women and other writings. [9] He has been clean and sober since July 1977. [10] [11]

In 1988, he moved to Florida. He wrote five novels, an award-winning play, and a screenplay, Refuge, which won the Florida Screenwriters' Competition in 1991. [12] In October of 2019, his short play “A Good Night” won a place in the Delray Beach Playwright’s Festival. [13] And in May of 2023, another of his one-acts, “Spain,” enjoyed a successful run along with seven other winning plays as part of The Curtain Call Playhouse’s Short Play Festival in 2023. [14]

For eight years, he was a staff writer at the supermarket tabloids Weekly World News and Sun . [15] He has been credited as co-creator (with photo artist Dick Kulpa) of the famous "Bat Boy" Weekly World News cover story. [16]

Lind returned to music in 2004, when at the urging of his friend Arlo Guthrie, he played the Guthrie Center in Becket, Massachusetts. [17] Since then Lind has been touring.

Lind established an official website in 2006. That same year, RPM Records reissued the album Since There Were Circles, and Lind self-released the Live at Luna Star album featuring performances of new material. In 2007, Ace Records (UK) released Elusive Butterfly: The Complete 1966 Jack Nitzsche Sessions.

The British band Pulp have a song named after him: "Bob Lind (The Only Way Is Down)", from their album, We Love Life ; the song itself follows a similar musical structure to Lind's hit "Elusive Butterfly". [18] A Lind recording, "Cool Summer" was also included on the compilation album, The Trip, compiled by Pulp's Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey.

In 2009, filmmaker Paul Surratt completed a concert/documentary DVD called Bob Lind: Perspective. [19]

In October 2012, 41 years after the release of his last studio album, Lind issued a critically acclaimed [20] CD of new music: Finding You Again, produced by veteran rock guitarist Jamie Hoover of the Spongetones and released by Ace Records.

In November 2013, Lind was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, along with Judy Collins, The Serendipity Singers, and Chris Daniels. [21] Lind was inducted into the Maryland Entertainment Hall of Fame on November 17, 2019. [22]

In July 2016, Ace Records released a new album of new songs, entitled Magellan Was Wrong. [23] Jamie Hoover was once again involved in the production; other producers were Frank "Rat" Falestra, jazz master Greg Foat, and Lind himself. All songs are originals, with the exception of a folk-style cover of the Tom Paxton classic "Bottle Of Wine". [24] On February 25, 2022, Ace Records released Something Worse Than Loneliness, Lind’s third album of new music over the last 10 years. It has garnered some of the strongest reviews in his career (8/10 in Uncut and four stars in Shindig!). [25] [26]

On October 13, 2023, Lind received his first European production as a playwright when his trilogy, The Road Plays (three one-act plays running as a single evening), was presented at the New English American Theatre in Stuttgart, Germany). [27]

On February 3, 2024, Lind headlined the South Florida Folk & Acoustic Festival, closing Saturday night's main stage performances with a strong encore. [28] [29]

Discography

Singles

YearTitlePeak chart positionsRecord Label B-side Album
US UK
[30]
1965"Elusive Butterfly"55 World Pacific Records "Cheryl's Goin' Home"Don't Be Concerned
1966"Remember the Rain"6446"Truly Julie's Blues (I'll Be There)" (BB #65)Photographs of Feeling
"Hey Nellie Nellie"–– Verve Folkways Records "Wandering"The Elusive Bob Lind
"I Just Let It Take Me"123–World Pacific Records"We've Never Spoken"Photographs of Feeling
"San Francisco Woman"135–"Oh Babe Take Me Home"
"White Snow"––Verve Folkways Records"Black Night"The Elusive Bob Lind
1967"It's Just My Love"––World Pacific Records"Goodtime Special"
"Goodbye Neon Lies"––"We May Have Touched"
1971"She Can Get Along"–– Capitol Records "Theme from the Music Box"Since There Were Circles

Albums

YearAlbum Billboard 200 Record Label
1966Don't Be Concerned148 World Pacific Records
Photographs of Feeling–
The Elusive Bob Lind– Verve Folkways Records
1971Since There Were Circles– Capitol Records
2006Live at The Luna Star Cafe–self-released
2012Finding You Again– Big Beat Records
2016Magellan Was Wrong– Big Beat Records
2022Something Worse Than Loneliness– Ace Records

DVDs

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Rogers</span> Canadian folk musician (1949–1983)

Stanley Allison Rogers was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulp (band)</span> English rock band

Pulp are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. At their critical and commercial peak, the band consisted of Jarvis Cocker, Russell Senior, Candida Doyle (keyboards), Nick Banks, Steve Mackey (bass) and Mark Webber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanie (singer)</span> American musician (1947–2024)

Melanie Anne Safka Schekeryk, professionally known as Melanie or Melanie Safka, was an American singer-songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Martin Murphey</span> American singer-songwriter

Michael Martin Murphey is an American singer-songwriter. He was one of the founding artists of progressive country. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including Cowboy Songs, the first album of cowboy music to achieve gold status since Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs by Marty Robbins in 1959. He has recorded the hit singles "Wildfire", "Carolina in the Pines", "What's Forever For", "A Long Line of Love", "What She Wants", "Don't Count the Rainy Days", and "Maybe This Time". Murphey is also the author of New Mexico's state ballad, "The Land of Enchantment". Murphey has become a prominent musical voice for the Western horseman, rancher, and cowboy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliza Carthy</span> English folk musician and singer

Eliza Amy Forbes Carthy, MBE is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing the fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Gaudio</span> American songwriter and musician

Robert John Gaudio is an American songwriter, singer, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist and backing vocalist of the pop/rock band the Four Seasons. Gaudio wrote or co-wrote and produced the vast majority of the band's music, including hits like "Sherry" and "December, 1963 ", as well as "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" for Valli. Though he no longer performs with the group, Gaudio and lead singer Frankie Valli remain co-owners of the Four Seasons brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugarloaf (band)</span> American rock band

Sugarloaf was an American rock band that originated under the name Chocolate Hair in 1968. The band, which formed in Denver, Colorado, scored two Top 10 hits, with the singles "Green-Eyed Lady" and "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Val Doonican</span> Irish singer (1927–2015)

Michael Valentine Doonican was an Irish singer of traditional pop, easy listening and novelty songs, who was noted for his warm and relaxed vocal style.

<i>The Sonny Side of Chér</i> 1966 studio album by Cher

The Sonny Side of Chér is the second studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released on March 28, 1966, by Imperial, as her second album, Cher again collaborated with Sonny Bono and Harold Battiste. The album is by-and-large a covers album and contains two songs written by Bono. The title of the album is a pun on the name of Cher's first husband Sonny Bono. Cher's second successful album of the sixties, it was released on CD in 1992 by EMI together with Cher's first album as a 2fer. In 1995 EMI re-released this 2fer with the album Chér. The last version of the album was released in 2005 only in UK by BGO Records. These editions feature a different track order than the original LP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod MacDonald</span> American songwriter

Rod MacDonald is an American singer-songwriter, novelist, and educator. He was a "big part of the 1980s folk revival in Greenwich Village clubs", performing at the Speakeasy, The Bottom Line, Folk City, and the "Songwriter's Exchange" at the Cornelia Street Cafe. He co-founded the Greenwich Village Folk Festival, now a non-profit, and is still the President and co-producer of its events. He is perhaps best known for his songs "American Jerusalem", about the "contrast between the rich and the poor in Manhattan", "A Sailor's Prayer", "Coming of the Snow", "Every Living Thing", and "My Neighbors in Delray", a description of the September 11 hijackers' last days in Delray Beach, Florida, where MacDonald has lived since 1995. His songs have been covered by Dave Van Ronk, Shawn Colvin, Four Bitchin' Babes, Jonathan Edwards, Garnet Rogers, Joe Jencks, and others. His 1985 recording "White Buffalo" is dedicated to Lakota Sioux ceremonial chief and healer Frank Fools Crow, whom he visited in 1981 and 1985, and who appears with MacDonald in the cover photograph. Since 1995 MacDonald has lived in south Florida, where his cd, "Later that Night" was named "Best Local Cd of 2014" by The Palm Beach Post and reached the top ten in national roots music charts. His first novel, The Open Mike, about a young man in the open mike scene of Greenwich Village, was published on December 5, 2014, by Archway Publishing. On December 10, 2020, MacDonald released his 13th solo recording, Boulevard, on Blue Flute Music. On April 14, 2021, his second novel, The American Guerillas, was published by Archway Publications. On June 1, 2023, MacDonald's 14th solo album, Rants And Romance, a collection of 14 new songs and 3 by other songwriters, was released by Blue Flute Music, charting in the top ten on national folk music charts during the summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy LaFave</span> American singer-songwriter

Jimmy LaFave was an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. After moving to Stillwater, Oklahoma, LaFave became a supporter of Woody Guthrie. He later became an Advisory Board member and regular performer at the annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Isbell</span> American singer-songwriter

Michael Jason Isbell is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell has won six Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elusive Butterfly</span> 1965 single by Bob Lind

"Elusive Butterfly" is a popular song written by Bob Lind, released as a single in December 1965, which reached number 5 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the adult contemporary chart in the spring of 1966. In Australia, Lind's "Elusive Butterfly" entered the charts on April 10, 1966, and spent three weeks at number 2 during July of that year.

<i>The Lost 1967 Album: Rarities Vol. 1</i> 2007 studio album by The Kingston Trio

The Lost 1967 Album: Rarities Vol. 1 is an album by the American folk music group The Kingston Trio, recorded in 1967 and released in 2007.

<i>I Couldnt Live Without Your Love</i> (album) 1966 studio album by Petula Clark

I Couldn't Live Without Your Love is a Petula Clark album released in the United States and the UK in September 1966. Clark's fifth US album release, I Couldn't Live Without Your Love was the first Petula Clark album to include creative personnel besides Tony Hatch, who produced the album and arranged some of the tracks, along with Johnny Harris.

"Someday Soon" is a song composed by Canadian singer-songwriter Ian Tyson who recorded the song with Sylvia Fricker as the duo Ian & Sylvia in 1963. Cited by Richie Unterberger of Allmusic as "clearly point[ing] toward [its writer's] future C&W/cowboy direction", "Someday Soon" would be brought to prominence via a 1968 recording by Judy Collins, and subsequently recorded by a number of artists primarily in the country and western field. In 2010 "Someday Soon" was honored by the Western Writers of America as one of the "Top 100 Western Songs" of all time.

<i>So Nice</i> (Johnny Mathis album) 1966 studio album by Johnny Mathis

So Nice is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis released through Mercury Records on September 16, 1966. The singer included a trio of musical numbers from Man of La Mancha in this set as well as songs from Funny Girl, Kismet, and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, shows that he had recognized on previous releases. Mathis also covers recent imports from France and Brazil and offers a rendition of a 1944 hit record as part of the mix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Daniels (musician)</span> Musical artist

Chris "Spoons" Daniels is an American bandleader, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. A member of the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, he is best known for his work with Chris Daniels & the Kings, a band he has led since 1984. He is considered an "icon of Colorado music" and is recognized for his role as a member of Magic Music, frequently described as Colorado's first jam band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican</span> English comedy folk and parody band

The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican are a British comedy folk and parody band from Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Formed in 2006, they claim to be the hardest working comedy band in the UK, having played over 1280 shows throughout the UK. They are best known on the UK's festival scene, having played at major festivals including Glastonbury Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival, Beautiful Days, Bearded Theory, Rebellion Festival, Wychwood Festival, Kate Rusby's Underneath The Stars Festival, Towersey Festival, Wickham Festival, Shrewsbury Folk Festival and to an audience of 20,000 at Fairport's Cropredy Convention in August 2018, for their 900th show and again in 2022. Playing mainly acoustic folk instruments, they take popular songs and replace the lyrics with their own comedy reworkings, often on themes completely unrelated to the original song. They have independently released eleven studio albums, and a large number of live albums. Presenting themselves as the long-lost children of Irish entertainer Val Doonican, and claiming to be "on a mission to keep their late, great spiritual father's legacy alive", the various members of the band have adopted the singer's surname for their shows, and wear brightly coloured hand-knitted tank-tops in tribute to Doonican's traditional knitwear.

This is a list of releases by The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican, including studio and live albums, singles and other media.

References

  1. ↑ "Bob Lind's music helped define 'Folk Rock'". SouthFloridaFunTimes.com. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  2. ↑ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 40 – Ballad in Plain D: Bob Dylan. [1966] : UNT Digital Library" (audio). Pop Chronicles . Digital.library.unt.edu. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  3. ↑ Steve Thorn (May 2012). "BOB LIND: No Longer so Elusive in 2012". San Diego Troubadour. Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Val Doonican". 45-rpm.org.uk. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Retro Charts". everyHit.com. March 1, 2000. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Bob Lind songs covered by other artists". Boblind.com. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Bob Lind of 'Elusive Butterfly' fame is elusive no more". goldminemag.com. January 22, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  8. ↑ Archived December 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ "Bob Lind's favorite Links". Bob Lind Official Website. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Bob Lind of 'Elusive Butterfly' fame is elusive no more". Goldmine. January 22, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Happy Birthday Bob Lind". Testify. November 25, 2007. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  12. ↑ "In Appreciation of… Bob Lind". Mr Douglas Anderson. May 1, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Dispatch From Day 1 Of The Delray Beach Playhouse's Playwright Festival". South Florida Theatre Magazine. October 27, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  14. ↑ ""Another thank you to more friends and supporters last night at the Charlotte Burrie Center in Pompano Beach...."". Curtain Call Playhouse Facebook Page. May 14, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  15. ↑ "All the News That Seemed Unfit to Print". Washingtonpost.com. August 7, 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  16. ↑ "An Interview with the Former 'Weekly World News' Editor Who Created Bat Boy". Vice.com. September 3, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Interview with Bob Lind | Tending The Pale Bloom". Palebloomsandbeyond.wordpress.com. March 7, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Bob Lind (The Only Way Is Down) – Pulp | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. October 2, 2001. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Bob Lind Perspective (DVD)". Boblind.com. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Bob Lind – Finding You Again". Goofin Records. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  21. ↑ Solomon, Jon (November 6, 2013). "The Colorado Music Hall of Fame's class of 2013". Blogs.westword.com. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  22. ↑ "The Maryland Entertainment Hall of Fame". Facebook. November 2, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Music – Bob Lind online" . Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Bob Lind – Magellan Was Wrong – Ace Records" . Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  25. ↑ Torn, Luke. ""Bob Lind: Something Worse Than Loneliness"". UNCUT. No. April 2022.
  26. ↑ von Tersch, Gary. "Bob Lind: Something Worse Than Loneliness". Shindig!. No. 125.
  27. ↑ "THE ROAD PLAYS by Bob Lind". New English American Theatre. NEAT. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Festival 2024". Broward Folk Club. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  29. ↑ Good Times Long Island (February 3, 2024). "Bob Lind - Elusive Butterfly" (video). You Tube. Retrieved February 12, 2024. South Florida Folk and Acoustic Music Festival 2/3/2024
  30. ↑ "Bob Lind". The Official Chart Company.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.