Ash Grove plans anniversary bash

The Troubadour just had a notable 50th anniversary celebration when James Taylor and Carole King returned to the club that helped launch their careers, and now Los Angeles’ other major folk club of the 1950s and ‘60s, the Ash Grove, is preparing to mark its semi-centennial with a weekend of events in April.

The program of concerts, workshops, song swaps and other events will feature such artists as Van Dyke Parks (who recorded a live album at the club), Taj Mahal, Ry Cooder, Dave Alvin, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Mike Seeger and Roland White. It will be April 18-20 at Royce Hall and other UCLA venues.

The Ash Grove opened on Melrose Avenue in 1958 and for 15 years presented traditional artists from the blues, folk and bluegrass fields. The club was also an incubator for such young musicians as Cooder, who had his first paying job there, and the members of the Byrds.

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-- Richard Cromelin