Lee Murdock | Woodstock Wednesdays | Encore Presentation November 11, 7pm/CST

A Message From Woodstock Folk Festival President Carol Obertubbesing

This week the Woodstock Folk Festival salutes the 50th Anniversary of the Two Way Street Coffee House in Downers Grove by offering an encore of the July 15 Woodstock Wednesday that featured Lee and Joann Murdock.  Lee, along with Andrew Calhoun, will be part of the Coffee House’s virtual celebration on Friday night, December 4 at 8 p.m./CST.  It will be on the Two Way Street Facebook page and YouTube channel.  Go to twowaystreet.org for additional information about the celebration and how to watch this concert.  

The history of the Festival and Two Way Street Coffee House are interwoven; many artists have performed at both, and often Two Way Street featured a Festival musician on the Friday night before the Festival. Andrew Calhoun (December 4), Mark Dvorak (November 27), Lee Murdock (December 4), and Small Potatoes (November 20) are all part of the Two Way Street celebration and all have received Woodstock Folk Festival Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Dave Humphreys, who founded Two Way Street and served as its director for over 45 years, received one of the the Festival’s Inaugural “Woody” Awards in 2018. Heather Styka, featured in the celebration on November 6, was part of the Festival’s “Power of Song” concert earlier this year. That concert is still available in the Video Gallery of the Festival website. In 2010 the Festival helped the Coffee House celebrate its 40th Anniversary by presenting Cheryl Niemo & the Down Home Boys at an all-day celebration in Downers Grove. We regret that we cannot celebrate in person this year.

The prominence of Chicago on the national folk scene is due in part to the collaborative nature of folk venues, festivals, and performers in this area. Together we make each other stronger. Two Way Street Coffee House’s illustrious history is truly indicative of the “Power of Song,” and the Festival salutes everyone who has performed at or been associated with the Coffee House. 

Serendipitously, this fall Joel Simpson, along with Jennifer Ashley, became Directors of the Two Way Street Coffee House. Now Joel has joined the team presenting Woodstock Wednesdays. We hope this symbiotic relationship will strengthen the bond between our organizations even further.

Joel and his business partner Jennifer Ashley are the musical duo Ashley & Simpson; they will perform at next year’s Woodstock Folk Festival on Sunday, July 18, 2021. Joel will also perform with the George Mattson Trio as part of the 50th Anniversary on November 13.  

Thanks to the entire team who bring you Woodstock Wednesdays – Mike Breen, Leslie Cook, Julie Roberts, Annemarie Serra, Mary Sherman, and Joel Simpson.  

And now for Lee & Joann Murdock, this week’s Woodstock Wednesdays encore performance . . .

Join us for Woodstock Wednesdays! Woodstock Folk Festival is excited to bring high quality storytelling and music to our community and to enjoy and support these artists who have worked with us over the years.

Read all about Lee and Joann Murdock and enjoy their video HERE at 7pm/CST, Wednesday, November 11. It will remain in our Gallery after the show if you would like to see it again or share it with others. You can enjoy watching other past performers’ shows as well by visiting on our Video Gallery.

Supporting the Performers Who Support Us

Your donations and purchases are a great way to thank Lee and Joann for creating this Woodstock Wednesdays video! Please show your support by visiting http://leemurdock.com/.

We need your help spreading the word! When you receive our email each week, please visit Facebook or Twitter (or both!) and search for the Woodstock Folk Festival page. You can always tell who we are by the raccoon logo. Take the top post and share it with your Friends and Followers. Remember to look at all the previous performers in our Video Gallery and view their videos again and share with your friends and family.

To support the Woodstock Folk Festival, go to the button on the right. If you are not on our mailing list, please sign up in the right column of our website.

_{Views expressed by performers and others who appear at Woodstock Folk Festival events or on the website are solely the views of these individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Festival or its Board members.}