Bob Gibson | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Bob_Gibson_c_1960_(JJH).jpg) Bob Gibson, circa 1960 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Samuel Robert Gibson |
| Born | November 16, 1931 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 28, 1996 (aged 64) Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Genres | Folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, banjo |
| Labels | Riverside, Elektra |
| Formerly of | Hamilton Camp |
| Website | bobgibsonlegacy |
Samuel Robert Gibson (November 16, 1931 – September 28, 1996) was an American folk singer and a key figure in the folk music revival in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His principal instruments were banjo and 12-string guitar.
He introduced a then-unknown Joan Baez at the Newport Folk Festival of 1959. He produced a number of LPs in the decade from 1956 to 1965. His best known album, Gibson & Camp at the Gate of Horn, was released in 1961. His songs have been recorded by, among others, The Limeliters, Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon & Garfunkel ('You Can Tell The World'), The Seekers, The Byrds, The Smothers Brothers, Phil Ochs, The Kingston Trio and Bob Dylan.
His career was interrupted by his addiction to drugs and alcohol. After getting sober he attempted a comeback in 1978, but the musical scene had changed and his traditional style of folk music was out of favor with young audiences. He did, however, continue his artistic career with albums, musicals, plays, and television performances. In 1993, he was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and died of that disease on September 28, 1996, at the age of 64.