ID Mandolin Player with Steve Goodman 1976

[MikeEdgerton]

Can anyone identify the mandolin player in this 1976 photo taken of Steve Goodman at the Philadelphia Folk Festival?

[stevo58]

I tnought it looked a little like Steve Burgh, who played with Goodman some, but there’s too much hair.

[Ranald]

Not Levon is it? Perhaps joining Steve onstage at a festival. The more I look, the more I think it is.

[MikeEdgerton]

Not Levon is it? Perhaps joining Steve onstage at a festival. The more I look, the more I think it is.

I don't think it's Levon Helm. Not the same match I'd expect either.

[jim simpson]

I was at that festival in '76, I think I still have the program. I'll dig it up and see if I can find any clues.

[Mandobart]

I assumed Jethro Burns (he played with Steve a lot) when I saw the thread title. Then I saw the pic. Not Jethro.

[Ranald]

Sam Bush was at the festival. I don't know him well enough to tell if it's him, but I see similarities.

[20MartinA]

Looks like Levon Helm to me.

[Mark Gunter]

I don’t have a clue, but doesn’t look like Sam bush or Levon Helm to my eye. Maybe Jim’s program will give a clue.

[James Vwaal]

Looks like Levon Helm to me.

Same here. Looks like Levon Helm in profile. If you look at other photos from that time period, the beard is the same.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/m...t-waltz-29048/

[Steve 2E]

It doesn't look like Sam to me. I see a resemblance to Levon, but it doesn't line up logistically. The Band played Santa Cruz,CA on 8/27 and played in Stockbridge,MA on 8/29. Steve Goodman played the folk fest on 8/29.
https://www.setlist.fm/search?artist...+1976-12-31%5D
https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/stev...b.html?page=11

[Jeff Mando]

It wouldn't make any sense, but it kinda looks like Ginger Baker

[M19]

Same here. Looks like Levon Helm in profile. If you look at other photos from that time period, the beard is the same.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/m...t-waltz-29048/

Nose isn't right IMO.

[Jeff Mando]

Nose isn't right IMO.

I guess I never went around noticing other men's noses.......except maybe Jimmy Durante when I was a kid watching the after-school movies...

OTOH, We were watching a Harrison Ford movie on tv and it showed a closeup of his face and I mentioned to my wife that I never noticed his scar. She replied, oh yes, he's known for that and went on and on in great detail before she noticed my surprise at her enthusiasm for discussing his face, and then became embarrassed. We both got a big laugh out of that one!

[Christine Robins]

I looked this up in Clay Eals's detailed biography, Steve Goodman:Facing the Music. It appears to be Lew London, described in the book as an "Atlantic City mandolin /dobro player." Here he's playing on the left, with Jethro, Saul Broudy, Steve, and Steve Burgh.



He's still active as a musician. Here's a photo of him & Steve Goodman at a mid-70s Phil. Folk Fest, from his Facebook page:

https://scontent.fhio2-2.fna.fbcdn.n...GQ&oe=649C823D

[M19]

I guess I never went around noticing other men's noses.......except maybe Jimmy Durante when I was a kid watching the after-school movies.

In comparing two images, who wouldn't compare facial features to try to decide if they are the same or different? You thought he looked like Ginger Baker how? Facial features....I'm guessing?

[Mark Gunter]

I think the Mr. Baker reference was basically just a joke. I had a similar one, that of The Band, he looks more like Garth than Levon, but I’m pretty sure if I had actually posted it, the post would have been equally misunderstood. All in jest, y’know.

[MikeEdgerton]

I looked this up in Clay Eals's detailed biography, Steve Goodman:Facing the Music. It appears to be Lew London, described in the book as an "Atlantic City mandolin /dobro player." Here he's playing on the left, with Jethro, Saul Broudy, Steve, and Steve Burgh.



He's still active as a musician. Here's a photo of him & Steve Goodman at a mid-70s Phil. Folk Fest, from his Facebook page:

https://scontent.fhio2-2.fna.fbcdn.n...GQ&oe=649C823D

That is what I would have expected, a fairly local musician. Levon wouldn't have been playing folks festivals at that point in his career and although I do love Levn Helm he isn't the type of mandolin player I would have expected to be matched up with Steve Goodman. There's a reason Jethro played with Steve and Steve played with Jethro.

[MikeEdgerton]

I'm pretty sure this is Lew London looking at old pictures and I was somewhat surprised I didn't know him. I have some older musicians friends that apparently played with him over the years. He's a pretty hot guitar player and would have given Steve Goodman a real run for his money.

[Bill McCall]

Both fellows were pretty hot guitar players. I saw London in 74 or 75 in Buffalo and he was a swing monster. I saw Goodman later in 74 or 75 at a bluegrass festival in western Virginia, if memory hasn’t failed. Traditional, with the Stonemans, etc. He opened with a great version of ‘Goody, Goody’. The crowd was fairly stunned, both with the tune choice and his playing. It was great.

[Peter Coronado]

[Jim Garber]

I remember Lew London in the NYC scene in the 1970s. He played banjo with Bottle Hill along with Barry Mitterhoff.

[Glassweb]

I remember Lew London in the NYC scene in the 1970s. He played banjo with Bottle Hill along with Barry Mitterhoff.

Jim's got that right... Lew was guitarist and singer with The Bottle Hill Boys... will never forget Barry's version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow... yeah!