Jackson C. Frank

This is a piece of folk history that slipped through the cracks. Buffalonian Frank traveled to London in the mid-'60s and recorded this album with the help of his still unknown pal Paul Simon. After its release, Frank became the toast of the town, though his music never hit the States. His poetic, Dylan-influenced lyrics, complex fingerpicking, and artsong-like structures influenced everyone from Bert Jansch to Nick Drake. Except for a young Al Stewart's recorded debut playing second guitar on "Yellow Walls," BLUES RUN THE GAME is just Frank--his lilting tenor arcing over his delicate acoustic guitar accompaniment. The sparseness adds to the emotional impact. Beset by physical and psychological traumas, Frank soon disappeared, never to make another album, but this stands as one of the most important singer-songwriter offerings of the '60s.