Erik Darling, the folk musician who performed with The Tarriers, The Weavers and The Rooftop Singers, died on August 3rd 2008 in a hospice near Chapel Hill, N.C. He was 74.
In Don McLean’s biography published in 2007, Don remembered Darling as “a genuine philosopher and perfectionist.” The two became friends when Don was 16 years old. Darling thought Don “a bright and creative thinker, fun to talk to about anything.”
“He was one of those people who weren’t locked into one particular perspective. He was willing to think about things, to go to new places in thought…He wanted to bring himself to this music, and let it run free. That made us allies.”
Looking back at the early 1960s, Don says “I appreciated the time he spent with me so long ago. Undivided mental attention to every aspect of music making and performing is a hallmark of Erik’s work, and I believe some of that rubbed off on me.”
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