Voting Station

Cisco Houston

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Vocalist

The Resume

    (August 18, 1918-April 29, 1961)
    Born in Wilmington, Delaware
    Birth name was Gilbert Vandine Houston
    Folksinger, songwriter, and guitarist
    Frequently travelled and recorded with Woody Guthrie
    Recorded the albums 'Cowboy Ballads' (1952), 'More Songs by Woody Guthrie and Cisco Houston' (1955), 'Songs of the Open Road' (1960), and 'I Ain't Got No Home' (1962)
    Appeared on Broadway in 'The Cradle Will Rock' (1947-48)
    Hosted the TV special 'Folk Sound U.S.A.' (July 16, 1960)

Why he might be annoying:

    He liked to claim he came from Virginia, as he felt that Delaware was unlikely to produce folksingers or political activists.
    When he first arrived in New York City, he worked as a barker for a burlesque house.
    His smooth baritone was sometimes criticized as being too polished for folk music.
    He tends to be remembered more as Woody Guthrie's companion than as a singer in his own right.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He had limited vision due to nystagmus (involuntary eye movements).
    Despite his vision problems, he joined the Merchant Marine during World War II and twice survived being on ships that were torpedoed.
    He said about the accusations that he lacked 'authenticity' as a folksinger, 'Some of our folksong exponents seem to think you have to go way back in the hills and drag out the worst singer in the world before it's authentic. Now, this is nonsense.'
    Woody Guthrie called him 'one of our manliest and best of our living crop of ballad and folksingers.'
    Shortly before his death from stomach cancer, the Kingston Trio covered his song 'Bad Man's Blunder' because they 'wanted to do something for this artist who had contributed so much to the folk movement, but had somehow failed to receive the commercial recognition one would expect for a talent of his magnitude.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying