Sing Out! Vol. 8 (1958–59) – Odetta, Richard Dyer-Bennet & More | Voices of Change and Tradition

Description

By 1958, folk music was gaining traction outside its underground roots — edging toward campuses, hootenannies, and eventually, the pop charts. But Sing Out! remained stubbornly principled, offering a stage for performers who still sang with one foot in the protest tradition and one in the living room. This was folk before it became fashion — songs not yet commercialized, but raw, regional, and politically awake. In these three issues from Volume 8, we see a shift — not yet full-blown mainstream attention, but a definite broadening of the revival’s reach. At 50¢ an issue, it was still an outsider’s magazine, but the names on these covers would soon be carried far beyond coffeehouses and union halls.

This lot includes three issues from Volume 8: Spring 1958 (Vol. 8, No. 1), featuring the great Odetta, often called the “voice of the civil rights movement” and one of Bob Dylan’s formative influences; Summer 1958 (Vol. 8, No. 2), with a bold illustrated cover symbolizing the collective spirit of folk harmony and group singing; and Spring 1959 (Vol. 8, No. 4), spotlighting Richard Dyer-Bennet, a classically trained balladeer who helped elevate folk to recital-level respectability.

Together, these issues reflect the tension and richness of the late ’50s folk scene — a mix of the radical, the traditional, and the refined. It’s a fascinating glimpse into a genre stretching toward national prominence while still holding tight to its grassroots ideals.