Lucy Kaplansky with Doug Mishkin
Schedule
Sat, 26 Apr, 2025 at 07:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
18388 Coastal Hwy, Suite 11, Lewes, DE 19958, United States | Lewes, DE
Lucy Kaplansky started out singing in Chicago folk music clubs as a teenager. Then, barely out of high school, she took off for New York City. There she found a fertile community of songwriters and performersâSuzanne Vega, Steve Forbert, The Roches, and others. With a beautiful flair for harmony, Lucy was everyoneâs favorite singing partner, but most often she found herself singing as a duo with Shawn Colvin. People envisioned big things for them; in fact, The New York Times said it was âeasy to predict stardom for her.â But then Lucy dropped it all.
Convinced that her calling was in another direction, Lucy left the musical fast track to pursue a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Upon completing her degree, Dr. Kaplansky took a job at a New York hospital working with chronically mentally ill adults, and also started a private practice. Yet she continued to sing. Lucy was often pulled back into the studio by her friends, (who now had contracts with record labels) wanting her to sing on their albums. She harmonized on Colvinâs Grammy-winning "Steady On," and on Nanci Griffithâs "Lone Star State of Mind" and "Little Love Affairs." She also landed soundtrack credits, singing with Suzanne Vega on "Pretty in Pink" and with Griffith on "The Firm," and several commercial credits as wellâincluding âThe Heartbeat of Americaâ for Chevrolet.
Then Shawn Colvinâwho was itching to produce a recordâhooked up with Lucy, her ex-singing partner. They went into the studio, and when Lucyâs solo tapes got into the hands of Bob Feldman, president of Red House Records, he was blown away. Suddenly, Lucy was back in the music business. She signed with Red House Records and started playing gigs. Red House released The Tide in 1994 to rave reviews, and within six months Lucy signed with a major booking agencyâFleming Artistsâand began touring so much it required leaving her two psychologist positions behind.
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Doug Mishkin is a singer-songwriter best known for âWoodyâs Children,â his song celebrating the legacy of Woody Guthrie. Doug says he was âborn the night my mother took me to my first Pete Seeger concertâ and then âcame of age at the campfire where I first heard the songs of Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs and the rest of that crew. Those songs spoke to meâand they still do.â
Dougâs music flows from that tradition--from his earliest songs about civil and human rights (âMake Those Waters Partâ and âAnatolyâ) to later songs celebrating freedom (âPrague Swingâ) and decrying food insecurity (âSing For Your Supperâ), and finally to recent songs like âIf Theyâd Been Black,â âTip of the Spear,â âReading Names (George Floyd)â and âSave Your Prayers.â
Dougâs musical interests range wide. He pleads guilty to being under the influence of the great lyricist Yip Harburg (âThe Wizard of Oz,â âFinianâs Rainbow,â âBrother Can You Spare A Dimeâ and many others). Youâll hear that influence in songs like âBumpers,â âOur Cardiac Condition,â and âSmitten.â Dougâs explanation? âI donât hear the boundaries. A good song that tells a good story or makes a good pointâcall it folk music (I do), call it whatever youâd like.ââ
Dougâs songs are also personalâwhether about love remembered (âSuite: Sweet Sycamore Streetâ), friends lost (âPour Me Another Yearâ), the joy of grandparenthood discovered (âWho Knewâ and âThe Delicious Partâ) or of being home at last (âEgremontâ).
Doug has recorded two albums, âWoodyâs Childrenâ (1986) and âClimbing That Ladderâ (2008). On the latter, Doug recorded Peter Yarrowâs âSweet Survivorâ accompanied by Peter, with whom Doug has performed. Yarrow wrote: â[T]his version of âSweet Survivorâ âŠis one of the most beautiful Iâve ever heard. Iâm most proud to have recorded it with him.â
Where is it happening?
18388 Coastal Hwy, Suite 11, Lewes, DE 19958, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays: