Folk Pioneer Erik Darling Dies At 74

Erik Darling, the singer-songwriter who stepped in when Pete Seeger left the Weavers, has died at 74 of lymphoma in Chapel Hill, N.C. Best known for his 1960s pop hit Walk Right In and his arrangement of the iconic true-crime ballad Tom Dooley, Darling spent four years in the late 1950s and early '60s with the Weavers. The celebrated group was at the heart of the post-Second World War folk resurgence. A master of the banjo and a virtuoso on the 12-string guitar, he recorded numerous albums with the Weavers and several other groups and released five solo albums. His music — and occasionally Darling himself — also appeared in several films, including Forrest Gump and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and on television. With the Weavers, Darling was more than just a substitute for Seeger, who left the group to start a solo career.... [read full story]