Nanci Griffith describes the late folk musician and promoter Jack Hardy as "The Dean." (Dipti Vaidya/The Tennessean)
Folk musician and promoter Jack Hardy died last Friday of lung cancer at age 63. Though Hardy was based in New York, his impact was felt by artists who have been integral to the Nashville music scene, including Lyle Lovett, Suzy Bogguss, Steve Forbert and Nanci Griffith.
“I would call him ‘The Dean,’ ” said Griffith. “He helped people, and mentored people.”
Hardy was a prolific touring and recording artist himself, but he also recorded Griffith and others for his Fast Folk music magazine. With Fast Folk, Hardy compiled various independent artists’ recordings and sent them to subscribers and radio stations, gaining recognition for Griffith, Boggus, John Gorka, Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, Tracy Chapman and many others.
“He was to New York folk music what (Country Music Hall of Famers) Harlan Howard and Chet Atkins were to Nashville country music,” Griffith said. “Jack welcomed young writers and took them seriously.
Hardy hosted weekly “workshops” in his Greenwich Village flat, encouraging songwriters to bring newly penned works and then offering constructive criticism.
Jack wasn’t a flowery person,” said Griffith, who was introduced to Hardy in the early 1980s by legendary folk performers Dave Van Ronk and Odetta. “He’d give you grief if he felt you were paying attention to your songs, but he always had people’s best interest at heart.”
