Clay Eals

I can try to answer the question about Goodman and the Old Town School. He took several classes there in summer 1962 when he was 14, and he often came came back through the late 1960s and into the 1970s to be an informal teacher. He played many benefits for the school as well. He was as much at the hub of the Chicago folk scene as the OTS, a huge spiritual influence if not an in-person, day-by-day presence. Probably the most important and tangible factor is that "City of New Orleans" long ago became the anthem of the Old Town School. No one learning guitar at OTS gets out of there without lear

Good to see your implied reference to "Lincoln Park Pirates" by Steve Goodman. He often doesn't get his due. You might be interested in my 800-page biography, "Steve Goodman: Facing the Music." The book delves deeply into the genesis of XXX. You can find out more at my Internet site (below). Amazingly, the book's first printing sold out in just eight months, all 5,000 copies, and a second printing of 5,000 is available now. The second printing includes hundreds of little updates and additions, including 30 more photos for a total of 575. It just won a 2008 IPPY (Independent Publishers Associ