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Richard Hagopian with oud

Jean Ritchie with dulcimer

The late professor Gene Bluestein directed a program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, which brought many nationally-known folk artists to Cal State University, Fresno, among them: Kenny Hall, Bessie Jones, Lydia Mendoza, and Dewey Balfa. The artists taught courses in their specialties and were available to local schools, at no charge. In 1979 the honor fell to Kentucky native Jean Ritchie and to San Joaquin Valley native Richard Hagopian. They each taught for an entire semester. With Bluestein's help, both artists went on to receive the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Gene Bluestein Memorial Committee is proud to celebrate the Second Gene Bluestein Memorial Concert by featuring these two internationally-recognized artists. Brief bios follow.

Richard Hagopian was born in Fowler, California in 1937. At an early age, he became interested in music and was known for his dancing ability (with his father) at various Armenian functions. At age 9, he began studying the violin; at age 10, the clarinet; and at age 11, the oud. According to Richard, "The oud is the father of the lute and grandfather of the guitar." The instrument is often played with an eagle quill. It has 11 strings, five in pairs that are tuned in unison. Like the violin, the oud has no frets. Its sound resembles a 12-string guitar. "I was awed by the sound," Richard says. "Music was in our household. My mother played the piano. My father sang and played tambourine and danced a lot. There was no television. All there was was radio. When you had company, people would dance and sing." Private lessons on clarinet and violin continued from masters Harley Freeman and Artyhur C. Nord, who also taught him western music, theory and composition. At age 13, by invitation from the internationally-renowed kanoonist, Kamuni Garbis Bakirgian, Richard started studying eastern music theory, notation and also the oud. By 1969, Richard was conferred the title "Oudi" meaning Master or Doctor from the internationally-acclaimed oud virtuouoso Oudi Hrant, a blind artist and master of the instrument. Richard has criss-crossed the nation performing oud on many famous stages at well-known festivals, clubs, and theatres. In the 1960s, he could be heard at Las Vegas' Flamingo Hotel. Today, Richard lives in the San Joaquin Valley City of Visalia, where he may be found running his Armenain deli. Past honors include the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship fromt he National Endowment for the Arts. He was the first person of Armenian heritage to receive this award. To date, he has produced 7 albums of Armenain music. Most are for sale at his Visalia deli and carry titles that include the word "kef," a Middle Eastern word meaning "party time or good time."

Jean Ritchie was born and raised in Viper, Kentucky, the heart of southern Appalachia. She was the youngest of 14 children born to Balis and Abigail Ritchie. According to local history, James Ritchie, with five brothers, came from Scotland in 1768. He pioneered into the Kentucky wilderness and died near Carr's Fork of Troublesome Creek. His family, one of the first in the region, settled in Kentucky. Through the generations, they continued to farm the rugged hillsides, and entertain themselves with old ballads, love plaints and play-parties handed down from their Scottish, Irish and English ancestors. When Jean was growing up, the favorites were not the new hillbilly tunes nor the catchy Tin-Pan Alley songs, but "Barbry Ellen," "Over the River, Charlie," "Sourwood Mountain," "Lord Randall . . ." The locals made up songs, too: news accounts of hangings, elections, groundhog hunts, elopements, feuds and so on. Jean graduated from the University of Kentucky with the highest honors and a Phi Beta Kappa key. She earned a bachelor's degree in social work and found work at the Henry Street Settlement on New York City's lower east side, where she taught Kentucky songs and games to the children. Friends and Settlement visitors began inviting her to bring her mountain dulcimer to parties and classrooms. Folk historian Alan Lomax recorded her songs for the Library of Congress Folksong Archive and introduced her at Oxford Press. Her first book, Singing Family of the Cumberlands, published in 1955, was widely reviewed as an American classic and is still in print today. Other books followed, and concerts, festival appearances, TV and radio shows, and recording contracts have been natural outgrowths of those early beginnings and have taken her around the world. She was one of the seven original directors of the Newport Folk Festival, and served a three-year term on the folklore panel of the National Endowment for the Arts. She has been a visiting professor at many universities, and is currently president of Geordie Music Publishing Company, vice-president of Greenhays Recordings and a partner in Folklife Productions in New York. Her album, "None But One," received the Rolling Stone Critic's Award for Best Folk Album, and a similar Melody Maker Award in England. She has had numerous biographers and is listed in the Encyclopedia of Folk, Country, and Western Music and in Who's Who of American Women.

New CD! Gene Bluestein Retrospective 1956-1986

Features 21 songs, including:
Recently discovered recordings from the Gene Bluestein Archives
Cuts from Gene Bluestein Folkways lps (late 50s & early 60s)
Cuts from Bluestein Family lps never released on CD
Live concert recordings, solo and with the Bluestein Family
(see reviews below)

$16 Price Includes
U.S. Shipping & Handling!



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Other Bluestein CDs you might like:

Shut Up & Sing THE BLUESTEIN FAMILY SAMPLER
Includes something from almost every recording in the Bluestein discography.

Good Mornin' Blues
THE BLUESTEIN FAMILY --- Features a terrific variety of instrumentation and musical styles from many places, specifically for kids. "...a very wonderful tape of people singing and having fun--a welcome relief from the world of synthesizers and rock 'n' roll."-Early Childhood Music.

A Horse Named Bill and Other Children's Folksongs!
THE BLUESTEIN FAMILY CD--- This album is a favorite for all ages-- infants to seniors-- a classic children's record and a survey of American folk influences and styles . Fun and participatory!

Evoharp, Evo Bluestein's autoharp album. Previously released on vinyl as "Evo's Autoharp." Now on CD with 5 bonus tracks (seventeen cuts total). Special guests include Gene Bluestein, Mike Seeger, Kenny Hall and more.

More cds, Instructional Videos, etc.

Review from Sing Out! magazine
Gene Bluestein Retrospective 1956 - 1986
Gene Bluestein qualified as a modern day renaissance man: a folklorist, professor, author, and last, but certainly not least, musician and singer. Gene Bluestein: Retrospective 1956-86 captures this last aspect by pulling together various recordings from a long, productive career. Steeped in history, this album gives witness to one man's ongoing commitment to spreading traditional music.

Pete Seeger wrote: "spent a fine hour and more listening to Gene and family and friends, and reading the booklet. I hope it gets heard around the world, giving hope for the human race."

Review from the Folknik (San Francisco Folk Society)
Gene Bluestein Retrospective 1956 - 1986
What an amazing CD! Gene Bluestein was a man who defied categories and we are all richer for his skills and diversity. Here are songs from many traditions - Norwegian, French Canadian, Caribbean steel drum, Yiddish, Appalachian both white and black, Scottish - all played with style and substance.
The songs are grand. You'll probably find yourself taking time to learn some of them. His love for the people from whom he gathered music is evident in every cut. But this CD manages to be both entertaining and something more significant at the same time. It offers us a glimpse into the work and life of a complex man; one who saw the similarities in seemingly different cultures.
The notes and pictures have been beautifully put together to compliment the music. You'll learn about Gene's life, travels, family and his impact on the rest of us. This CD will become a treasured part of your collection. Highly recommended!

--Ray Frank