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Folk performer David Roth sets real stories to music.
SUZANNE CHESSLER
I
,
Troubadour Of Truth
Days
Diviner
• Spacictiiiites Such "Ns:
.N.odts
AppitAScilad,
light
VegiefoL
avid Roth's folks got him
into folk music, but that
definitely was not their
intention. Although both
parents surrounded him with enter-
tainers during his growing-up years,
they wanted a more stable future
for their son.
Roth's dad, Irving, a Russian-
Jewish immigrant, owned
Chicago's Chez Paris, once
the hottest night spot in
the city, and introduced
his son to the talents of
some of the top club
stars of the times —
from Danny Kaye
to Danny Thomas.
Roth's mom, big-
band singer Gee
Palmer (with a stage
name taken from
Chicago's famed
Palmer House),
invited traveling col-
leagues into their
home.
Roth detoured a bit
before deciding that the
singer-songwriter spotlight
was for him, but once focused, he
stayed with his choice. The results
soon can be experienced at the Ark
in Ann Arbor, where the guitarist-
singer will showcase his music
Sunday evening, July 21.
Later in the week, July 25-27,
Roth will do short-
David Roth:
"All the music
I heard while
I was growing up
just rubbed off"
An Ark Reunion
Old pro headlines concerts.
SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News
www.detroitjewishnews.com
7/19
2002
80
Find out
before your mother!
avid Bromberg, popular on
the club circuit of the
lir 1970s as he toured with
Bob Dylan and Jerry Jeff Walker,
makes one of his rare appearances
when he headlines a reunion of
entertainers at the Ark in Ann
Arbor.
The reunion, which celebrates
nearly 40 years of the club's opera-
tion, runs July 25-27, with concerts
beginning at 8 p.m. each evening.
Bromberg, who mixes folk blues
with bluegrass, rock and narratives,
is credited with saving the Ark by
playing many benefit concerts in
the early days when the club was
located on Hill Street in Ann
Arbor.
"David Bromberg, Bob White
and Michael Cooney helped us
End our direction, stay alive and
maintain our musical integrity.
at the same time," says David
Siglin, Ark artistic director since
1967. "Without them, the Ark
would not exist today."
Bromberg, who essentially has
given up the stage and devotes his
rime to making violins, is known in
Jewish circles for taking on a
reporter who challenged his credi-
bility as a folk performer because of
er — but frequent — stints during a
performers' reunion at the venerable
Ann Arbor folk club„
"My songs range from serious to
poignant to funny," says Roth, 49,
who appears at the Ark about once a
year. "I've been writing and perform-
ing full time for 15 years, and I like
to have an eclectic blend. I want my
music to be all-inclusive."
Telling Stories
Roth's particular blend of music fea-
tures lots of true stories that he reads
or hears about and sets to music
because they resonate with him.
On the serious side, "Rosa and the
Three K's" recalls legendary
Detroiter Rosa Parks. The lyrics tell
about an actual confrontation in
Missouri, where Ku Klux Klan mem-
bers tried to get a section of highway
named for the organization by keep-
ing the roadway clean. To prevent
having to put up that dreaded sign-
post, the state legislature quickly
designated the section as the Rosa
Parks Freeway.
On the poignant side, "Dragon to
Butterfly" tells another Klan story.
This is about a Nebraska rabbi who
made friends with a Ku Klux Klan
David
Bromberg:
Coming
home to
Nthe Ark.
his ethnic background. Bromberg,
after naming a diversity of perform-
-
ers and their diverse sounds,
explained that American music is
based on sharing.
Bromberg headlines Friday and
Saturday, July 26-27, while Cooney