6
Malvina Reynolds found kindred spirits among the People’s Songs activists. With
Seeger’s encouragement she became a master composer of satiric, poignant and enduring
songs.
Although People’s Songs dissolved in 1949, it helped seed a vital West Coast folk
community. Terry Gilkyson, a Pennsylvania native who moved to Los Angeles in 1947,
struck gold with his folk-flavored
The Cry Of The Wild Goose.
Gilkyson’s understated
Decca recording spawned multiple cover versions, including Frankie Laine’s chart-
topping Mercury single in 1951. In a joint session with The Weavers, Gilkyson sang
the lead on
On Top Of Old Smoky
, which rose to No. 2 on the Billboard pop chart. In
1955 he joined Dehr and Miller’s Easy Riders. Besides jointly collaborating on
Memories
Are Made Of This,
the Easy Riders accompanied Dean Martin on his No. 1 hit single.
If the early NewYork folk scene fostered an alluring Bohemian atmosphere, the West
Coast singers created a sunnier approach. Many performers were tied to the
entertainment industry, writing scores or acting in films and television. Performers like
Rod McKuen, Mason Williams, Mike Settle, Travis Edmonson, Van Dyke Parks and
John Stewart were gifted lyricists and skilled, melodic composers. When Bob Dylan
shook up the East Coast folk music community in 1962, their careers and styles were
already established.
