John Cohen of the New Lost City Ramblers passes at 87

John Cohen, a founding member of the folk collective New Lost City Ramblers, passed away last night as confirmed by his son on Facebook. He was born on August 2, 1932.

My father John Cohen passed away this evening at home in his living room. David Amram had stopped by and played him Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia” on the old out-of-tune piano. John was gone a couple of minutes later. Last week he said “Thank you everybody for making me who I was”

It’s notable for Grateful Dead fans that John Cohen was likely the source of muse for the song “Uncle John’s Band” which is a staple of their legacy.

John was also a noted photographer and filmmaker well-known for his early photos of Bob Dylan.

He was scheduled to play The Linda with Eli Smith (Dust Busters, Down Hill Strugglers) on October 5th (featured image).