Roots Music Report

About the Album

Art Podell – From the Village to the Canyon – A Songwriter’s Journey

A product of the early Greenwich Village folk music scene, Art’s roots lie in the music of the early greats – Seeger, Bikel, Gibson, Rosmini. He and his partner, Paul Potash, performed as Art and Paul alongside friends Peter Yarrow, Noel (Paul) Stookey and Odetta at the Café Wha? on Bleecker Street.

Art and Paul, now considered by many to be cult heroes, created a new look at folk music and carried that look to California where they met and performed with a young Charlie Haden as their bass player, further coloring their unique style unmatched to this day.

Later when Art and Paul broke up, Art did a stint as writer, performer, and arranger with several popular folk entities, The Smothers Brothers, the original New Christy Minstrels, Bud and Travis and Rod McKuen, picking up a Grammy along the way.

In ‘From the Village to the Canyon’, Art returns to his roots and chronicles one troubadour’s journey in a personal and intimate collection of original songs. When asked about the album, Art describes it as: “It’s just me with a little salt and pepper.”