"AT FIRST, I thought every kid had a music store in their family," Ben Harper recalls. "But I realized when I was young that this place was called the Folk Music Center because it was the center of something special. Not every grandmother can play the entire Pete Seeger catalog on autoharp, dulcimer and guitar."
Yale Avenue in the heart of Claremont, California, has a timeless college town quality, with shops that have been there for decades. Founded by Harper's grandparents, Charles and Dorothy Chase, the Folk Music Center is in its 66th year of operation very near to its original location. Entering the storefront is like stepping into a time machine and landing in the late '60s to early '70s. The walls bear posters for the Claremont Folk Music Festival they presented, as well as the Golden Ring, the venue they ran from 1965 to 1970, which hosted icons like Doc Watson, John Fahey, Reverend Gary Davis, and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Acoustic instruments from around the world adorn every corner, and some truly historic examples sit behind glass in the museum area established in 1976.
But the Folk Music Center isn't all about the past. It also offers plenty of new instruments on its racks, alongside the vintage models. None of it is very pricey. Kids come in for gear, lessons and repairs, and there's a stage where the staff hosts open mic nights and other performances every week. The Folk Music Center has always catered to real players, social activists and passionate performers.
"My grandmother could sing as beautifully as any sound you've ever heard in your life," Harper says. "She was the musical spark in the family. She knew the Seegers and the Guthries. My mom inherited that perfect folk voice. She hung out with Hendrix and was getting attention for her chops and songs. But my grandparents needed her here, because she intimately understands this business."
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
How I Wrote..."Year of the Cat"
AI Stewart reflects on his beguiling hit, some 10 years in the making.
UAFX
Teletronix LA-2A Studio Compressor
LINE 6
POD Express
MAN OF STEEL
He brought the Dobro to centerstage with his dazzling talent. As he drops his first album in seven years, Jerry Douglas reflects on his gear, career and induction in the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.
HIGH TIME
The new MC5 album took more than 50 years to arrive. The band members have all passed on, but the celebration is just beginning.
58 YEARS OF GUITAR PLAYER
As Guitar Player moves full-time to its online home, we look back at some of its greatest stories in print.
DRAGON TALES
In a Guitar Player exclusive, Jimmy Page sheds light on the amplifiers behind his Led Zeppelin tone and how they live again in his line of Sundragon signature amps.
CLOSER TO HOME
Rehearsal space, studio, vessel and abode Diego Garcia's boat is the home base for his new album, as well as his musical life as the seafaring Spanish guitarist Twanguero.
Funk Noir
With The Black Album, Prince made his greatest-and most infamousmusical statement.
Medium Cool
Striking the middle ground between its Thinline brethren, Gibson's ES-345TD remains a versatile, if underrated, gem.
