Country Roads

Country Roads Appalachian Crafts Shop, 124 Mt. Auburn St.

The crafts shop was run by Nancy Sweezy, a potter and former president of the board at Club 47; Norman Kennedy, a Scottish singer and weaver; and Ralph Rinzler, a talent scout for the Newport Folk Festival and founder of the still-running Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife in Washington D.C., which was patterned on Newport. Many traveling musicians, including the founder of bluegrass, Bill Monroe, hung out at the shop when they passed through the area. Among other things, the shop sold crafts acquired during fieldwork for the Newport Folk Festival. During its heyday from 1959 to 1969, the Newport Folk Festival was inextricably linked to Club 47. Many local musicians tried out their Newport sets at the club before their festival performance, and Club 47 also hosted tours by musicians from the South, particularly blues musicians, who had come north for Newport.