Biography of a Hunch

Portraits of Dawn

History

Jo Mapes

"I first met Dawn Greening on my trips into Chicago to play the clubs. Dawn was the 'Folk Momma,' 'Mother Dawn' to the folk music community. Her big old house saw them all: Pete Seeger, Cisco Houston, Doc Watson, and so many more. Pickers, pluckers, singers, pipers, all passed through Dawn and Nate's house to enjoy the welcome, the good food, good people and good times. Dawn, big, gregarious, warm, wonderful, lusty, gusty, and joyful, loved the music, and the folk who made it.

My fondest memory of Dawn was on the stairway at Mother Blues. The house was full and we were lining the stairway overlooking the stage, listening to someone on stage and singing along. Dawn was caught up in the spirit and was gustily singing and that big happy voice of hers sailed over the bannister. I looked at her, loving what I was hearing and seeing. She was lustily singing, in a key that still defies identification. Or maybe she covered five or six, but it didn't matter. Her face was beaming that wonderful big smile and happy eyes made her a celebration itself. I loved it. Her spirit and warmth gave the school something rare."

Dawn never knew who would be waiting for her when she got home. Once she returned from work to find Pete Seeger baking apples in her kitchen.

Fred Holstein

"Dawn was a bridge between the performers and the students; we were all just people to her. She knew that I woshipped Pete Seeger; when I first met Dawn, I was trying to grow up to be Pete. Soon after I met her, he came to town to give a concert. She came up to me, grabbed my arm, said 'Come over her,' and led me to a corner. There sat Pete. I was shaking! Dawn said, 'Pete, I want you to meet somebody,' and introduced me. Then she invited me to go out to her house with Seeger and several other people. I was flabbergasted - I was only 19 or 20, and had not known her long at all. But she knew how much it meant to me, so I passed that evening sitting on Dawn's floor, listening to Pete talk with Studs Terkel and Win Stracke. What a wonderful thing to do for someone whe hardly knew! She knew every single student, and which performers they liked, and she would make sure that they got tickets to see those performers , anywhere in town, whenever they appeared.... I don't have many heroes, but Dawn Greening is most certainly one of them."

Next → Frank Hamilton

In the Classroom

On Stage

Support Your School

Music Store

Resources

About Us

Biography of a Hunch

These moments in Old Town School history are reprinted from Biography of a Hunch: The History of Chicago's Legendary Old Town School of Folk Music, written by Lisa Grayson.