When I was in Junior and Senior High School, one of my best friends was Jon Pickow, and his mother was Jean Ritchie. I spent so much time at their house that she was often like my second mother, and was a woman of amazing beauty, grace, and talent. She and husband George were always so kind to me, involved me in a lot of musical things. They took me to a few folk festivals in the summers as well, and because of that I met Rev. Gary Davis, Utah Phillips, and a bunch of others. Those two have had a wee bit of influence on me, and I'll be eternally grateful to her for exposing me all to that. RIP to a true American treasure. From Jon's Facebook page:
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