Often compared to The Violent Femmes because of their acoustic primitivism, The Swamp Zombies are not nearly as mannered as Gordon Gano and his bunch. And while The Zombies don't make great LPs, they certainly make enjoyable ones, loaded with smarts, good tunes, and an attitude that is neither condescending nor too self-aggrandizing...From the comic LSD-tinged Bo Diddley tale ("Mr. Freako") to the very bright indictment of mindless hatred ("Denny's Incident"), The Zombies bop and strum with great feeling and vigor, tapping into the very au courant genre of neo-folk... ~ John Dougan, Option 27_89, All Music Guide
Mike Zook,
Rico Petrucelli,
Ralph Gordon,
Tim Eyermann,
Pete Kennedy,
Jim Robeson,
Terry Leonino,
Mike Stein,
Robbie Magruder
Born: August 09, 1953, Baltimore, MD
Active: '80s, '90s, 2000s
Genres: Folk
Instrument: Banjo
Representative Albums: "The Leading Role", "Grandma Slid Down the Mountain", "When the Rain Comes Down
Representative Songs: "Talk to Me", "Susie and the Alligator", "Shakin' Hands
Biography
Cathy Fink may be best-known for the many children's albums she has recorded over the years, but she is also a key figure in feminist-oriented folk and country music. Born and raised in Baltimore, she got her professional start in 1973 at the Yellow Door coffeehouse in Montreal, at the height of the folk revival. There she became well-known for her excellent banjo and guitar playing, as well as her yodeling. The following year she debuted on CBC Canada and has since played in every major North American folk festival. She and Duck Donald teamed up that year and stayed together until the end of the decade. Fink made her recording debut in 1975 with Kissing Is a Crime for Likeable Records. Three years later, she and Duck released a self-titled album on Flying Fish; the two released their first children's album, I'm Gonna Tell, in 1980. Following the breakup with Duck, she moved to Takoma Park, Maryland and has immersed herself in the folk, bluegrass and old-time music scene, playing over 5,000 concerts. In 1983, she teamed up with Marcie Marxer. In 1985, she recorded The Leading Role for Rounder (her first "adult" album in several years) and began producing other artists a year later. In 1988, she moved to Sugar Hill and recorded Blue Rose; the next year, Fink and Marxer released a self-titled album. She also produced an album for Great Dreams and, along with Marxer and Si Kahn, released cassette tapes of the best-selling children's books The Runaway Bunny/Goodnight Moon for Harper & Row. In 1991, she released a solo album on Sugar Hill and then put together 80 songs to contribute to the Macmillan/McGraw-Hill reading curriculum, a project entitled A New View (1992). In 1993 she produced Si Kahn's children's album Goodtimes and Bedtimes. Fink returned in 1995 with A Parent's Home Companion. Two years later, she released Voice on the Wind.~ Sandra Brennan, All Music Guide
