Beautiful losers

The film of the Cohen brothers “Inside Lewin Davis” was released. The prototype of the protagonist- a loser musician- was Dave Van Ronk, Bluesman, who was admired by Bob Dylan, but who remained little-known. Colta.ru remembered Van Ronka and other people with guitars, to whom fate could be more supportive.

1.

Dave Van Ronk

One of the first white bluesmen in America, Van Rock was born in Brooklyn in 1936, and in the fifties moved to Greenwich Willidge, where he spent his whole life. Started with blues, ballads and Spirichuels (one of his records was called - “ V An Ronk Sings Ballads, Blues and A spiritual " ), in the sixties switched to songs of political content. Like many American intellectuals of that time, Van Ronk was a leftist and was even in the Trotskyist fourth international. As Bob Dylan said about him: "He had a passionate, piercing voice ... He sounded like a man who paid a great price."

Joan Baes, Joni Mitchell and many other folk performers studied on his music. Despite the recognition from students who have reached fame, Van Ronka records have never been sold in large circulations. He suddenly died of intestinal cancer in 2004, leaving his autobiography called “Mayor of McDul Street” unfinished.

2.

SIZTU Rodriguez Aka Sugar Man

Unlike Van Ronka, Siztu Diaz Rodriguez , albeit late for several decades, was able to enjoy glory. At the very beginning of the seventies, Detroit Songgiter released two records - “Cold Facts” and “ Coming From Reality ” , who went unnoticed in the States, but subsequently brought incredible popularity to the author in South Africa. After Rodriguez disappeared from the stage, they began to say that he died - among the causes of death, an overdose of heroin was called and even self -immolation on stage. In fact, Rodriguez worked as a little worker at the construction site, until one day three decades later several old fans found his house and organized a tour of South Africa. In 2012, Swedish director Malik Bengellul removed the sensational Bayopic “In Search of Shugarmen”, who received a whole heap of cinematic awards, including Oscar for the best documentary film. After that, engagements from all over the world rained down on a seventy -year -old Songlite, and recently he announced that he wrote thirty new songs - so, perhaps, a new record is not far off.

3.

Harry Nilsson

Born in a dysfunctional family from Brooklyn, for a long time he worked where he had to, once he even robbed a shop, got a job (without a higher education) and established himself as a valuable employee. And he constantly wrote music until his songs fell into the repertoire of the then stars - Yardbirds and Shangri La's . Nielsson's own records received the highest marks of professionals and stars - so, the album “Pandemonium Shadow Show” was appreciated by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. But he was truly glorified by the cover version of the song “Without You” by the British group Badfinger -those whose childhood was in the nineties remember her performed by Mariah Carey. The obstacle to the popular glory was that Nielsson was very shy and was afraid of the scene. In addition, after the brief success of its record “Nil S Son Schmil S Son” , its next opuses of commercial success did not gain.

4.

Wathi Banyan

Former student of the art college, Wathi Banian wrote in 1969 only one record- “Just Another Diamond Day” , which was missed. Despite the fact that her album, produced by the eminent Joe Boyd, was an unconditional masterpiece - weightless, as if in one light breath, the songs of the baths did not lose their freshness and forty years later. The failure so upset the singer that she stopped even listening to music for some time-not only to perform her. And she went with her boyfriend on a horses drawn by horses from London to Sky Island to Scotland, then to Ireland - the next decades they will educate children and care for animals in rural wilderness. But during this time, the Banians had so many admirers that her second, released in thirty -five years, the Lookafftern record was accompanied by Devendra Banghart, Joanne News and Max Richter.

5.

Caroline Hester

The path of the Texas singer, like many American folk performers, who ended up in the early sixties in Greenwich Willidge, is especially winding. I dreamed of an actress’s career on Broadway. I released three “traditional” folk-plate folk (on the last of them, “this life i'm lining” , on a gover, the then unknown Bob Dylan played the then, which was not known to anyone)-to no avail. She decided that the folk music has outlived herself, and rejected the proposal for the cooperation of Peter Yarrow and Paul's knocks (later he and Mary Trevers will create a super-vibrant trio Peter, Paul & Mary ). I wrote down covers on The Beatles and even Ravi Shankara - also by. In the early seventies, in order to be in the wake, psychedelic rock played as part of her own group The Carolyn Hester Coalition -began to move from one label to another until she abandoned everything, moved to California and opened with a new husband a club of ethnic dancing in Los Angeles. So the most striking moment in her career was a performance at a concert dedicated to Dylan to Madison-Square-Garden. Perhaps the mistake of Hester was that she mainly recorded her versions of imperishable, and not the author’s material - but now it is difficult to judge this. But she raised two daughters and, despite her 77 years, continues to perform to this day - now with them. Texas breed - nothing will take it.