One of the finest folk singers to emerge in the 1950s,
Bob Gibson was very much in his prime when the outstanding acoustic sides on this 1996 compilation were released.
Gibson, influenced by
Woody Guthrie and
Pete Seeger but most certainly his own man, had a direct or indirect impact on
Bob Dylan,
Phil Ochs and other folk-rockers who emerged in the '60s. And yet, this music generally lacks the anger and disillusionment that would later characterize so much folk. Not that
Gibson shied away from sociopolitical commentary -- on the painfully honest "Money Is King," he sings, "If you're poor, God help you/Even a dog is better than you." But quite often,
Gibson's outlook is sunny and optimistic. On both traditional songs and originals like "This Little Light" (
Gibson's best-known composition) and "Alberta,"
Gibson epitomizes '50s folk at its finest. ~ Alex Henderson