John Herald: 1939 to 2005
Greenbriar Boys co-founder John Herald (born John Whittier Sirabian) took his own life in his upstate New York home July 18. Born to a Greenwich Village poet in 1939, Herald was one of those drawn to folk music at Washington Square Park, where he first met Eric Weissberg. The band they formed went on to open for Joan Baez, and to have a young Bob Dylan open for them, before disbanding. They went on to tour with Johnny Cash, the Louvin Brothers and Jim Reeves. Herald’s best-known songs include “Stewball”, “John The Generator” and “Up To My Neck In High Muddy Water”, recorded by Peter, Paul & Mary, Maria Muldaur, and Linda Ronstadt, respectively. Alumni of the John Herald Band include Dylan guitarist Larry Campbell and steel player Cindy Cashdollar. He was 65.