Bob Gibson (musician)

Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson, circa 1960
Background information
Birth name	Samuel Robert Gibson
Born	(1931-11-16)November 16, 1931
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died	September 28, 1996(1996-09-28) (aged 64) Portland, Oregon, United States
Genres	Folk
Occupation(s)	singer, songwriter
Instruments	vocals, guitar, banjo
Labels	Riverside, Elektra
Associated acts	Hamilton Camp
Website	bobgibsonlegacy.com

Samuel Robert "Bob" Gibson (November 16, 1931 – September 28, 1996) was an American folk singer and a key figure in the folk music revival in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His principal instruments were banjo and 12-string guitar. He introduced a then-unknown Joan Baez at the Newport Folk Festival of 1959. He produced a number of LPs in the decade from 1956 to 1965. His best known album, Gibson & Camp at the Gate of Horn, was released in 1961. His songs have been recorded by, among others, the Limeliters, Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon & Garfunkel, the Byrds, the Smothers Brothers, Phil Ochs, and the Kingston Trio. His career was interrupted by his addiction to drugs and alcohol. After getting sober he attempted a comeback in 1978, but the musical scene had changed and his traditional style of folk music was out of favor with young audiences. He did, however, continue his artistic career with albums, musicals, plays, and television performances. In 1993 he was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and died of that disease at the age of 64.

Gibson was born on November 16, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York, between his older sister, Anne, and younger brother, Jim. He and his siblings grew up in various communities outside New York City – Tuckahoe, Yorktown Heights, and Tompkins Corners. His early interest in music was, primarily, vocal. He left high school in his senior year and hitchhiked around the country.