Our History from the Beginning
and used the wood to build a greenhouse. While he’s con- tinued to tour the world and record his unique brand of blues ever since, locally Bishop is as renowned for his fish- ing and garden. His 2005 song “That’s My Thing” declares, “I raise a big ole garden because it really gets old eating that junk out on the road. You see I’m from the country and I know what I need. My home-grown tomatoes and potatoes and peas.” His 2014 album with its Bishop-esque title, Can’t Even Do Wrong
Right , was recorded at his Hog Heaven Studio in Lagunitas. As Guitar World said, it’s “rousing, down-home, feel-good music.” Many musicians have become active members of the community, most notably folk singer- songwriter Kate Wolf (see story on page 68). She’d recorded four critically acclaimed albums when she married Terry Fowler and came to the Valley in 1982. The next year, she
Joy of Cooking: Toni Brown, Fritz Kasten, Ron Wilson, David Garthwaite, Terry Garthwaite, 1971
but it didn’t work out. Then I was shown a couple of places in San Geronimo and it was too charming to resist.” Terry’s brother, bassist David Garthwaite, “brought his family to the Valley after I’d been here for a bit, raising his three daughters here.” The Joy of Cooking recorded three albums which have aged better than many of their better selling contemporaries. Brown and Garthwaite then recorded the excellent Cross Country . Brown became a youth counselor and photographer. Terry remained in the Valley and con- tinues singing, writing, recording solo albums, and produc- ing. “The Valley was close enough to venues for me (there were some fine clubs in Marin)—and far enough away to offer peace of mind. There’s no feeling like coming home after a gig, late at night, driving over White’s Hill, and breathing in the calm of country. This is home. In ’76 my son was born and I found this to be a wonderful place to raise a child. Friendly neighbors, good school, great kids, plenty of sports . . . . Why leave?” And there’s only one meadow’s way to go And I, and I say “Geronimo” And there’s only one meadow’s way to go And we say “Geronimo” Those lines conclude Van Morrison’s “Fair Play” from Veedon Fleece , the reflective masterpiece recorded in 1974 after he moved to San Geronimo from Fairfax. Morrison and his Caledonia Soul Orchestra played a memorable school fund- raiser at the Woodacre Improvement Club. One of Morrison’s neighbors was tabla master Zakir Hussain. Morrison “would come and hang out in the living room and just see what we were doing.” Hussain ended up playing on Morrison’s 1979 album Into the Music . Shortly thereafter, Morrison moved from his Meadow Way home (now owned by the Giacomini family) to England and Ireland. Elvin Bishop, after three albums with the Chicago- based Paul Butterfield Blues Band, decided to become his own bandleader. He brought a house in Lagunitas in 1974, dismantled the deck outside his 1915-era hunting cabin,
Elvin Bishop in his garden (elvinbishopmusic.com)
released her live Give Yourself to Love, and then decided to take a year off. She worked part-time as a production artist for the Point Reyes Light , and took classes, planned activi- ties, and performed at the Community Center. In 1985, she was back on the road with a new album, Poet’s Heart . Her appearances on Prairie Home Companion and Austin City Limits gave her national exposure and increased her growing reputation and following. In April 1986, Wolf was diagnosed with acute leuke- mia and underwent chemotherapy. After recovery and full remission, she compiled a retrospective of her recordings, Gold In California , before succumbing to the disease. Possi- bly the finest American folk singer/songwriter of her gener- ation, Wolf created a musical and personal legacy for which she remains revered. She was the first musician inducted into the NAIRD Independent Music Hall of Fame. The annual Kate Wolf Music Festival in Laytonville features an eclectic mix of music from both up-and-coming acts and big-name stars inspired by Kate and her timeless music. Since the heyday of the late 1960s and 1970s, the Val- ley has been a place where musicians often stay, content to live in a place they love. Woodacre resident and renowned jazz drummer Harold Jones (Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan) is “on call” for Tony Bennett, and leads workshops at colleges and universities around the country. Walt Dickson and the Sky Blue Band, and Sheri Cooper and Clancy Bounds (Cooper Bounds) forge their own
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50 th Anniversary
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