John Cohen (musician)

John Cohen
Born
John Cohen

(1932-08-02)August 2, 1932
Sunnyside, Queens, NY
DiedSeptember 16, 2019(2019-09-16) (aged 87)
Putnam Valley, NY
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
Instruments
Labels
Formerly ofNew Lost City Ramblers

John Cohen (August 2, 1932 – September 16, 2019) was an American musician, photographer and film maker who performed and documented the traditional music of the rural South and played a major role in the American folk music revival. In the 1950s and 60s, Cohen was a founding member of the New Lost City Ramblers, a New York-based string band. Cohen made several expeditions to Peru to film and record the traditional culture of the Q'ero, an indigenous people. Cohen was also a professor of visual arts at SUNY Purchase College for 25 years.