DENVER, COLO. (06/05/08) -- Swallow Hill is delighted to host long-time friends and folk performers Harry Tuft and Dick Weissman as they appear together on Saturday, June 21 at 8 p.m.

Denver's Godfather of Folk, Harry Tuft, grew up singing and playing a series of instruments, from the piano to the clarinet, ukulele, baritone uke, and, in college, a six-string guitar. Philadelphia's lively folk scene provided the setting for his first ventures into public singing. From there, friendships with Dick Weissman and Roger Abrahams fostered a growing interest in Anglo-American folk music.

In 1960, needing a break from his studies, Harry traveled out to the Rocky Mountains for some skiing. He found a job at The Holy Cat in Georgetown, as a dishwasher, busboy, waiter, bartender, janitor, and—if there was a lull in the work at night—he could sing in the bar. There he met Hal Neustaedter, owner of the legendary Denver folk club, The Exodus, who suggested that he look into starting a folklore center in Denver.

With further encouragement from Izzy Young, owner of the first and (then) only Folklore Center in New York's Greenwich Village, Tuft opened the Denver Folklore Center in March 1962. He went on to promote some of the biggest shows in Denver, including Joan Baez's first Denver show at Red Rocks in 1964. He went on to found Swallow Hill Music Association in 1979 where, to this day, he hosts hootenannies on a regular basis. In addition, his Folklore Center is still going strong and he performs here and there from time to time with his band, Grubstake.

Dick Weissman is also a Philadelphia native, and he began on piano at age seven, and then took up the banjo during his teenage years. After graduating from college, Weissman moved to New York and spent the next four years alternating between attending graduate school and becoming active in the folk music scene in Greenwich Village. Eventually he dropped out of Columbia, performed with Happy Traum, did a two-week gig at Folk City opening for Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry, and with John Phillips and Scott McKenzie, formed the folk-pop band, The Journeymen.

Three and a half years, three Capitol albums, and several hundred concerts later, Dick moved back to New York and became a studio musician, record producer, and songwriter. In 1972 he moved to Colorado. He has played on hundreds of recording sessions, produced numerous albums, written two feature film scores, and performed as a soloist and accompanist in many live and recorded musical contexts. He has also taught many college classes on music and the music industry and has written 12 published books on these subjects.

In addition to performing with Harry Tuft, Weissman will be conducting two special artist workshops the following day at Swallow Hill's Julie Davis School of Music. On Sunday, June 22 at 10 a.m. he will deliver the workshop, "Making a Living in Your Local Music Market: Strategies for Survival," followed by "Developing an Original Banjo and Guitar Style" at 1 p.m.

For tickets to the performance, as well as to register for Weissman's workshops, visit www.swallowhillmusic.org or call (303) 777-1003. Discounts are available for Swallow Hill members. Buy/register in advance and save! This press release is available as a RSS Feed at www.swallowhillmusic.org/xml/newsroom/rss/SwallowHillNews.xml.

About Swallow Hill Music Association
Helping people make and enjoy music since 1979, Swallow Hill Music Association is one of the largest nonprofit institutions of its kind in the United States as a source for folk, roots and acoustic music. With more than 2,300 members, Swallow Hill provides a place to celebrate music that is rarely heard elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain Region. Three concert venues house more than 200 performances a year, featuring some of the world's great artists as well as up-and-coming new talent. Swallow Hill’s Julie Davis School of Music offers classes for every interest, skill level and member of the family. Each year, a faculty of 60 instructors provides training to more than 4,000 students. A Tier II member of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), Swallow Hill has won both the Mayor's and Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts, countless "Best of Denver" awards, has been recognized by the the North American Folk Alliance, and is one of the most sought-after venues by folk and roots performers in the country.