Founded in 1957 by Manuel Greenhill as Folklore Productions, now FLi Artists, this three generation family run agency has faithfully represented artists of exceptional talent for nearly seventy years.
In addition to arranging personal appearances and recordings, the company publishes songs through Folklore Music, Chandos Music and Hillgreen Music, and administers Tortoise Music and Terrapin Music.
Since Mitchell Greenhill joined his father in 1976, the company has expanded into the areas of record production and sound design/music composition for theater. Representing the third generation, Mitch’s son Matthew Greenhill joined in 1997, and has helped to broaden the company’s international horizons.
We have come a long way since 1957, when founder Manny Greenhill (pictured at left) first presented a series of concerts at Boston’s Jordan Hall. Featured artists included his old guitar teacher, bluesman Josh White, and a hero from his days as a labor activist, Pete Seeger.
He decided to call the presenting entity Folklore Productions.
After it’s founding, Folklore quickly grew into the areas of artist representation, publishing (including songs recorded by Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones), record production (including a Grammy winner and several nominees), and eventually theatrical sound design. The agency has guided the careers and cared for the interests of important artists such as Joan Baez, Taj Mahal and Reverend Gary Davis. We continue today to represent the finest artists world-wide.
Now, many years after its founding, FLi Artists remains a dynamic, forward-looking family business. Matt Greenhill continues the work of his father and grandfather, Mitch and Manny.
The company is proud of its strong roster of talented artists as well as its world-wide network of agent and publishing affiliates. It regularly sends artists to Europe and Asia, and brings them from Europe (especially Ireland and the UK), central Asia and Africa. Appalachian artist Doc Watson, having journeyed from busking the streets of North Carolina to receiving the National Medal of Arts at the White House, was a mainstay of the roster for forty-three years until his passing in 2012.
NEW YORK
1916 Birth of Manuel A. “Manny”Greenhill, born Mendel [other names?] Greenberg.
1940 Manny meets Leona Wechsler at a May Day event. They marry that December.
“I think it was Alan Lomax who said that as far as he was concerned the folk song revival begun when Pete Seeger met Woody Guthrie in 1940 and they shook hands and that was the beginning of what we call the folk song revival – and I think he’s got a point. (And) I sort of relate to that too.” (Manny Greenhill, Interview with Jim Rooney)
1944 Birth of Mitchell Reed Greenhill.
1948 Birth of Deborah Greenhill
194? Josh White
BOSTON
1948
(December) The Weavers formed. [Pete Seeger Interview, 02/04/02]
Wallace Campaign
1956
Pete Seeger questioned by congressional committee, cited for contempt of Congress 1956, indicted 1957, tried and convicted 1961. Acquitted in 1962 on the basis of improper instructions given by the judge. [Pete Seeger Interview, 02/04/02]
Manny meets Pete Seeger after a concert at MIT. “He is the Johnny Appleseed of the folk song revival. […] I’m one his seeds.”[Interview with Jim Rooney]
1957
(summer) The Weavers concert in Tanglewood
(winter) The first Folklore Concert Series at Jordan Hall. Manny presents three concerts: Josh White, Tony Saletan [and Shep Ginandez?], and Pete Seeger, who came with Sonny Terry. [George Wein Interview, 01/28/02, p. 1]
Manny first booked Pete Seeger through Harold Leventhal. [Pete Seeger Interview 02/04/02]
1957 Manny establishes Folklore Productions [or 1964?].
Folklore presents Alan Lomax with Sonny and Brownie at Jordan Hall.
1958 or 1959
Manny meets George Wein (Storyville, Newport Folk Festival…)
1959
First Newport Folk Festival. Joan Baez’s first appearance there.
“[…] Wein, who was the foremost entrepreneur in this kind of thing, recognized that, and preceded to try – that’s when he had the first Newport Folk Festival idea which was run in 1959 and 1960 by the Newport Jazz Festival. Which meant R. J. Reynolds, the tobacco company by the way, as far as the financing was concerned – and… it failed. Nobody seems to realize that. It went belly up, in 1960, and just to finish that part of the story, George called me and in the summer of ’62 – I’m pretty sure it was, the early part of the summer – and said he wanted to revive the idea because he still thought there was a market for a Newport Folk Festival. I agreed that there was a market but I said you have to do in a different way. You can’t do it the way you do the jazz festival. There just isn’t that kind of money involved, and there’s whole different approach to this sort of thing.” [Interview with Jim Rooney]
1959 or 1960 The Ballad Room nightclub formed in collaboration with George Wein: Joan Baez, The New Lost City Ramblers, Ed McCurdy, Keith and Rooney, Rolf Cahn, Eric Von Schmidt, Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon. [see Eric von Schmidt’s original artwork for the newspaper ad]
1960’s
1960 Albert Baez asks Manny to “take care” of Joan, then nineteen.
1960 Representing Joan Baez, Josh White, Pete Seeger [?], Ted Alevizos, Tony Saletan.
1961 Representing Joan Baez, Josh White, Pete Seeger, Tony Saletan, Jack Elliot, New Lost City Ramblers.
1962 Representing Joan Baez, Pete Seeger (for the New England area), New Lost City Ramblers, Tony Saletan, Mitch Greenhill, Jackie Washington, Oscar Brand, Keith & Rooney, The Weavers, Jean Ritchie, Rolf Cahn, Rev. Gary Davis, Flatt & Scruggs, Josh White, Bonnie Dobson, Jim Kweskin, Rambling Jack Elliot, Ted Alevizos, Lightnin’Hopkins (two weeks at the 2nd Fret).
1962-63 Folklore Concert Series: Pete Seeger; Judy Collins; Inbal dance Troupe of Israel; Alfred Deller & Desmond Dupre; The New Lost City Ramblers w/ Bonnie Dobson & Jackie Washington; Odetta; Tony Saletan/ Jack Elliott/ The Greenbriar Boys/ Eric Von Schmidt; Jose Molina and the Bailes Espanoles; Theodore Bikel; Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Lightnin’ Hopkins; Joan Baez.
1962 Grammy nomination, Best Folk Recording, Joan Baez for Joan Baez in Concert.
1963 Representing JB, JW, PS, Bonnie Dobson, Flatt & Scruggs, Jack Elliott, Tony Saletan & Mitch Greenhill, Johnny Hammond, Rev. Gary Davis, Jean Richie, The Jim Kweskin Jug Band, Charles River Valley Boys, Tom Rush, Jesse Fuller, Rolf Cahn.
1963-64 Folklore Concert Series: Mahalia Jackson; Bob Dylan; Clancy Bros. and Tommy Makem; Theodore Bikel; Sabicas [flamenco guitar]; Jackie Washington; Miriam Makeba; Chad Mitchell Trio; Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys w/ Grandpa Jones; New York Pro Musica [Elizabethan concert].
1964 Representing Joan Baez, Jackie Washington, PS, Bonnie Dobson, Flatt & Scruggs, Jack Elliott, Tony Saletan & Mitch Greenhill, Johnny Hammond, Rev. Gary Davis, Jean Richie, The Jim Kweskin Jug Band, Charles River Valley Boys, Jesse Fuller, Tom Rush, Rolf Cahn, Taj Mahal, Ray Pong, Dave van Ronk & Jesse Fuller, Elizabeth Cotten & Taj Mahal, Sonny Terry.
1964 Roster: Joan Baez, Rev. Gary Davis, Bonnie Dobson, Bob Dylan, Jack Elliott, Johnny Hammond, Jim Kweskin and the Jug Band, Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, New Lost City Ramblers, Jean Redpath, Tony Saletan, Mike Seeger, Pete Seeger, Jackie Washington, Charles River Valley Boys, Barbara Dane, Jesse Fuller, Mitch Greenhill, Lilly Bros. & Don Stover.
1964 Folklore Productions, incorporated in Boston, with Manuel Greenhill, Leona Greenhill and Arthur Gabel as partners.
Office at 176 Federal Street, Boston.
1964 Manny starts managing Rev. Gary Davis.
“I was happiest or let’s say more fulfilled working with people who really needed attention. And I mean sometimes physical attention. […] three of the people I managed were blind, for example. There’s no doubt that I had to be there, you know. You don’t question yourself what am I doing here. You got to be there. Some of them had problems – some of the most gifted singers were illiterate, and I’m speaking in very technical terms. Some of our greatest performers and composers were illiterate people. And needed some help along those lines, to get out there and get things done, and have things happen for them. And I’m speaking about Davis, for example, and Fuller, people like those who you have no reason to expect that kind of flowering of music from – even poetry. And it comes out of these sources. To me it was the most fascinating part of the business and so I gravitated towards that sort of – I guess I still do, where ever I can find it. Anyway, that’s…” [Interview with Jim Rooney]
1964 Joan Baez at Constitution Hall. The incident ends up on the front pages of all the major newspapers. (Marian Anderson did the exact same thing in the 1930’s)
1963-64 The Southern Colleges Tour with Joan Baez. Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, [???].
1965 Representing Joan Baex, Jackie Washington, PS, CRVB, Tony Saletan, Mitch Greenhill, JR, JH, Reverend Gary Davis, Jesse Fuller, Alice Stuart, Jack Elliot, Koerner, Ray Pong, Kweskin, Rush, Chambers Bros, Johnny Cash.
1965 [?] roster adds The Staple Singers, the Muddy Waters Blues Band [no gigs booked in the calendar]
1965-70 or ’71 Nancy Dawson working at Folklore.
“But one thing I learned from Manny, you could have a company and be very caring about your employees. […] I think he was a good businessman. But he was also very fair. And there would be times, even when he would deal with a promoter who had lost money, and he would go ahead and make adjustments to compensate for that. And I really liked that about Manny. On the other hand, he could be hard when he had to be hard, in terms of pressing a fee or whatever.
I learned a lot from Manny about not just business, but what it meant to be good person.”
Nancy Dawson Interview, p. 18.
1964-65 Folklore Concert Series: Pete Seeger; Ewan McColl & Peggy Seeger; Josh White; Alfred Deller & the Deller Consort; Jackie Washington; Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee/ Reverend Gary Davis/ Barbara Dane/ Johnny Hammond/ Eric Von Schmidt.
1965-66 Folklore Concert Series: Flatt & Scruggs; The Establishment/ Jackie Washington/ Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry; Narcisco Yepes.
1966 “Blues” at CBC-TV.
1966 Representing Joan Baex, Jackie Washington, PS, CRVB, F&S, TS, Mitch Greenhill, JR, JH, Rev. Gary Davis, Jesse Fuller, Alice Stuart, Jack Elliot, Koerner, Ray Pong, Kweskin, Rush, Chambers Bros, Van Ronk, Son House, Doc Watson, Mimi & Dick, Mark Spoelstra
1966-67 Folklore Concert Series: The Stockholm Marionette Theatre of Fantasy; The Deller Consort; Pete Segger; The Little Angels [Korean folk ballet for children]; The Salzburg Marionettes; Tom Paxton; Sabicas; Theodore Bikel.
1966 or 1967 presenting The Jefferson Airplane in concert – “dabbling in rock & roll”.
“The Airplane did very well. It was also Manny’s first venture into using radio ads. […] I think after that he started doing more things. I mean, he presented the Doors. The Doors and Iron Butterfly at the old Boston Arena. He did the Byrds at BC. Sly and the Family Stone – and that was awful, because they were late – everybody was tearing their hair about that one. Tim Buckley. Manny was the only promoter in town who could get rock shows into Symphony Hall.” (Nancy Dawson Interview, p. 10)
1966 or 67 presenting Simon and Garfunkel in concert.
1967 Representing Joan Baez, Jackie Washington, PS, New Lost City Ramblers, Doc Watson, CRVB, F&S, Tony Saletan, Mitch Greenhill, John Koerner, JH, Rev Gary Davis, Jesse Fuller, Kweskin, Louis Killen, Bill Monroe, Chris Smithers, Jean Redpath.
1968-69 Folklore Concert Series: Irish Rovers; Olaeta [check] Basque Festival of Bilbao; Pete Seeger; the Lords of Boston; Doc Watson/ New Lost City Ramblers; Jackie Washington; Enrico Macias; Judy Collins; Arlo Guthrie.
1968 Representing Joan Baez, Jackie Washinton, PS, New Lost City Ramblers, Doc Watson, CRVB, F&S, Tony Saletan, Mitch Greenhill, John Koerner, JH, Rev Gary Davis, Jesse Fuller, Louis Killen, Chris Smithers, Kweskin, Cooney.
1968 Grammy nomination for the Best Album Notes, Pete Seeger, for Pete Seeger’s Greatest Hits.
1969-70 Folklore Concert Series: Osipov Balalaika Orchestra of Moscow; Pete Seeger; A Program of Jazz Dance w/ Al Minns and Leon James; Irish Rovers; Enrico Macias; Nana Mouskouri; Judy Collins; Arlo Guthrie.
1969 Representing Joan Baez, Jackie Washington, Pete S, Doc Watson, CRVB, F&S, Tony Saletan, John Koerner, John H, Gary D, Jesse Fuller, Louis Killen, Chris Smither, Kweskin, Jean Redpath, Cooney, John Fahey.
1970’s
1970 Representing Joan Baez, Jackie Washington, Pete Seeger, New Lost City Ramblers, Doc Watson, CRVB, Tony Saletan, Mitch Greenhill, Koerner & Murphy, John H, Gary Davis, Jesse Fuller, Louis Killen, Chris Smithers, Kweskin, Jean Redpath, Muddy Waters, Mimi & Tom, Harris, Cooney, Brownie & Sonny, McColl & Seeger
1971 Representing Joan Baez, Jackie Washington, Pete Seeger, New Lost City Ramblers, Doc Watson, CRVB, Tony Saletan, Koerner & Murphy, John H, Gary Davis, Jesse Fuller, Mimi & Tom, Chris Smither, Muddy Waters, Kweskin.
1971 Grammy nomination (Best Female Vocal Performance, Pop, Rock and Folk Field) Joan Baez for The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Song spends 13 weeks on Billboard charts, reaching #3.
1972 Santa Monica office opens.
1972 Joan Baez, Jackie Washington, PS, New Lost City Ramblers, John Koerner, Chris Smither, Tony Saletan, Mimi & Tom, Rev Gary Davis, Jesse Fuller, CRVB, Watson, Jim Kweskin, Happy & Artie, Geoff, Jean Redpath, Stefan Grossman, Mimi, MW, Bessie Jones, Mimi Farina & Tom Jans, Leon Bibb, Dawson Sound.
1972 Reverend Gary Davis dies (May 5).
1973 Joan Baez, PS, Watson, Smither, Koerner, Tony Saletan, Mimi, Grossman, New Lost City Ramblers, Kweskin, Dawson Sound, Eric von Schmidt, Mitch Greenhill w/ Rosalie Sorrels.
1973 Grammy (Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording) for Then and Now by Doc and Merle Watson.
1974 Joan Baez, PS, Watson, Chris Smither, John Koerner, Tony Saletan, Mimi, Grossman, Eric von Scmidt, Leon Bibb, Dawson Sound, Mercedes Sosa (one tour).
1974 Grammy (Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording) for Two Days in November by Doc and Merle Watson.
Late 60’s Folklore involved in Dinky Dawson’s sound company. Bernie Gelb.
“Then after a while [Manny] left Boston and went to Santa Monica, where life was easier and he was a semi-hippy”. (Steve Gardner, Interview, 01/19/02, p.4)
1976 (?) “[Bernie Gelb] was still with Folklore. And actually, he’d been taking over Joan, in terms of being the road manager for her, and I think her lover at that time period. Which then led to all kinds of things…” Nancy Dawson Interview, p. 16.
1976 Joan Baez leaves Folklore
1976 Mitch joins the business. “[…] one of the reasons I showed up in 1976 was that I wanted to help out my dad. And from his point of view, he was trying to help me out. Except for Doc, the thing could have probably just died a natural death [after Joan left].” Mitch Greenhill, in Nancy Dawson Interview, p. 16.
1976 Jesse Fuller dies (Jan 29).
1979 Grammy Award (Best Country Instrumental Performance) for Big Sandy/Leather Britches by Doc and Merle Watson, produced by Mitch Greenhill.
1980’s
1980 Mitch appears on screen in The Long Riders, directed by Walter Hill.
1981 Grammy nomination for the Best Country Instrumental Performance, Chet Atkins and Doc Watson for Reflections.
1982 New: Taj Mahal, Frankie Armstrong (-1998), Chambers Bros. (-1993), Bonnie Dobson (-1993), Jack Elliott (-1987), Mitch and Mayne, Jim Ringer, Stefan Grossman (-1994)
1982 (?) Grammy nomination, The John Renbourn Group, Live in America.
1983 New: Alan Stivell (-1996), Pierre Bensusan
1985 Merle Watson dies.
1985 New: Henry Butler.
1986 New: Beausoleil.
1986 Grammy (Best Traditional Folk Recording) for Riding the Midnight Train by Doc Watson.
1987 New: Memphis Slim
1988 New: Pentangle (-1992), Robin Williamson, David Grisman (briefly)
1989 Roster: Doc Watson, Taj Mahal, Renbourn / Grossman, Van Ronk, Buffy Saint-Marie, Henry Butler, Rosalie Sorrels, Robin Williamson, Mary Mccaslin, BCH, Savoy, GHS, John Fahey, Santiago Jimenez Junior, G&S , RMR, KW, BEA, PUJ, BDS, DILL, HB, ROT, Tony Saletan, Bert Jansch, David Grisman.
1990’s
1990 Roster: Doc Watson, Taj Mahal, Robin Williamson, Rosalie Sorrels, Dave Van Ronk, Renbourn & Grossman, Buffy Saint-Marie, MM, Toumani Diabate, SAM, DHX, AB, CB, KW, Santiago Jimenez Jr, Rosalie Sorrels, PEN, AS, BCH, BDS, LAT, John Fahey, GRE (with Taj mahal, Japan) Mitch Greenhill, R&J, GUM, SG, Richard Watson, Brave Old World, Santiago Jimenez Junior, BBZ, HB, New: Toumani Diabate (-1992), Brave Old World (briefly).
1990 Grammy (Best Traditional Folk Recording) for On Praying Ground by Doc Watson.
1991 Doc Watson, Taj Mahal, Dave Van Ronk, Rosalie Sorrels, John Renbourn, Stefan Grossman, Pentangle, Buffy Saint-Marie, MM, New: The Battlefield Band, Balafon (-1998), Paul Ubana Jones (again in 1994)
1992 New: Bert Jansch (for the year), Jones Benally family Dancers (-2000)
1993 Doc Watson, Dave Van Ronk, Rosalie Sorrels, Battlefield Band, MFL, Richard Watson, Taj Mahal, PUJ, SG, John Renbourn, MM, RTC, John Koerner, BAL, BBZ, RC, AS, Savoy Family Cajun Band, SIM, BON.
1993 (?)Grammy nomination, John Renbourn and Robin Williamson, Wheel of Fortune.
199? Eric Clapton covers SF Bay Blues by Jesse Fuller.
1994 Doc Watson, Dave Van Ronk, Rosalie Sorrels, Taj Mahal, Battlefield Band, Richard Watson, Savoy Family Cajun Band, BEN, John Renbourn, BBZ, PUJ, AAD, CB, Santiago Jimenez Jr, SIM, Floyd Dixon, Spider John Koerner, MM.
1995 Taj Mahal leaves Folklore.
1995 Doc Watson, Dave Van Ronk, Rosalie Sorrels, Battlefield Band, Richard Watson, John Renbourn, BEN, MM, CHE, BBZ, DED, AR, Hassan Hakmoun, Floyd Dixon, BAL, RTC, Bert Jansch.
1995 (?) Doc Watson is awarded the National Medal of Arts.
1996 Manny dies.
1996 Representing Doc Watson, Dave Van Ronk, Rosalie Sorrels, Battlefield Band, Richard Watson, John Renbourn, RTC, CHE, Bert Jansch, Spider John Koerner, Savoy Family Cajun Band, Adam Rudolph, Hassan Hakmoun, SAD.
1997 Matthew starts working at Folklore.
1997 Doc Watson, Dave Van Ronk, Rosalie Sorrels, Battlefield Band, Richard Watson, John Renbourn, BEN, SKJ, BBZ, Santiago Jimenez Jr, Eric Bibb, Savoy Family Cajun Band, CHE, SAM, Linda Tillery, Archie Fisher, Bert Jansch.
1997 New: Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, Archie Fisher (-1998)
1998 Doc Watson, Dave Van Ronk, Rosalie Sorrels, Battlefield Band, CHE, SB, Savoy Family Cajun Band, Linda Tillery, PB, Floyd Dixon, Archie Fisher, BJ, SAD, Frankie Armstrong, KB, LAW
1999 New: Sharon Shannon, Lunasa, Paddy Keenan (-2003), Waterson:Carthy (-2002), Dervish, Karan Casey , Frifot , Donal Lunny’s Coolfin, Campbell Brothers.
2000’s
2000 New: Lila Downs (-2002).
2001 New: Lúnasa
2001 John Fahey dies.
2002 Dave Van Ronk dies.
2002 Rosalie Sorrels’ Farewell Concert at the Saunders Auditorium, Harvard.
2002 New: Otis Taylor.
2002 Otis Taylor wins the Handy Award for the best new artist.
2003 Roster: Balfa Toujours, Battlefield Band, Ben, Eric Bibb, Campbell Brothers, Martin Carthy, Karan Casey, Dervish, FD, Hamza El Din, Fri, Hassan Hakmoun, Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill, David Holt, Jim, Lun, Dirk Powell Band, John Renbourn, Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali, Mike Seeger, Sharon Shannon, Otis Taylor, Rosalie Sorrels, Linda Tillery, Wat, Williamson.
2001 Campbells play the Miles Davis Tribute at the Symphony Space.
2002 Campbells play the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, TN.
2002 Grammy (Best Traditional Folk Album) for Legacy by David Holt and Doc Watson.
2002 Campbells win the Indie Award for the best gospel album.
2002 Pierre Bensusan wins the Indie Award for best acoustic album (Intuite).
2002 Hassan Hakmoun wins the Indie Award for best world music album
2002 Mitch does the sound design for the Broadway play An Almost Holy Picture.
2003 Lúnasa wins the Prix Miroir for their performance at the Festival d’ete de Quebec, Quebec City.
2003 “Three pickers” (Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs, Earl Scruggs) Grammy nomination.
