The Greenbriar Boys

The Greenbriar Boys
Origin	New York City, New York
Genres	Folk, bluegrass
Years active	1960s
Labels	Vanguard
Associated acts	Joan Baez
Past members	John Herald Bob Yellin Eric Weissberg Paul Prestopino Ralph Rinzler Frank Wakefield Jim Buchanan (musician)

The Greenbriar Boys were a northern bluegrass music group who first got together in jam sessions in New York's Washington Square Park. Along with the New Lost City Ramblers, their urban traditional country sound inspired a generation of musicians and fans.

In 1959, guitarist/vocalist John Herald formed The Greenbriar Boys, along with Bob Yellin (banjo) and Eric Weissberg (fiddle, mandolin, banjo). Weissberg was soon replaced by Paul Prestopino, who, in turn was later replaced by Ralph Rinzler (mandolin) to form their most successful combination. The trio often played the Greenwich Village scene, but were notable enough to be the first Northern group to win the likes of the Union Grove Fiddlers' Convention competition, where Yellin also took top honors for banjo.

They were credited as guest artists on two tracks from Joan Baez's 1961 album Joan Baez, Vol. 2. In 1962, they released their first eponymous album on Vanguard Records. Three more albums followed: Dián and the Greenbriar Boys in 1963 for Elektra (with Dián James, d. 18 May 2006),Ragged but Right! in 1964, and Better Late Than Never in 1966 (with the additions of mandolinist/vocalist Frank Wakefield, who replaced Rinzler, and fiddler, Jim Buchanan). The 1966 album included the original recorded version of Mike Nesmith's "Different Drum", which was made into a hit song the following year by the Stone Poneys. This album was also the source for a subsequent Stone Poneys single, "Up To My Neck In High Muddy Water," with author credit to Wakefield, Herald, and Yellin.

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