Caffè Lena History Project

" . . . And the early folksingers, strangers to us at first, but soon to become close and devoted friends: Dave Van Ronk and Dick Weissman and Logan English and Molly Scott who recommended and introduced us to their fellow artists and the list was started."
—Lena Spencer, in a 25th anniversary message, 1985

The following is a tiny sample of especially influential artists who have graced Lena's stage during the past forty-five years:

Dave Van Ronk
"I'd heard Dave Van Ronk back in the Midwest on records and thought he was pretty great, copied some of his recordings phrase for phrase. He was passionate and stinging, sang like a soldier of fortune and sounded like he paid the price. Van Ronk could howl and whisper, turn blues into ballads and ballads into blues. I loved his style. He was what the city was all about. In Greenwich Village, Van Ronk was king of the street, he reigned supreme."
- Bob Dylan, Chronicles, Volume One

Dave Van Ronk played at Caffè Lena from 1960 until his death in 2002 without missing a year.

And the list grew and grew, to eventually include thousands of musicians, poets, storytellers and actors. Through weekly forays into the vibrant folk scene of Greenwich Village, and regular dialogue with the leading folklorists of the day, Lena brought to her tiny upstate club the most sought after artists on the scene, plus some daring newcomers who interpreted the folk tradition in whole new ways. She chose so wisely that word of her club and munificent personality traveled far and wide, and it wasn't long before a big family of music lovers gathered around her, permanently placing Saratoga Springs on the map of American Folk Music.
Since Lena's passing in 1989, the booking and management of the club has continued to reflect Lena's core principals of generosity, dedication to kindness above profit, respect for our inherited folk culture, and support for new spins on old traditions. The Caffè Lena stage is still hailed as one of the warmest and most welcoming to artists who are creating quality art outside the confines of the commercial music industry.
It is one of those rare but essential places where musical craft and knowledge are passed from generation to generation, keeping the finest sounds of America ringing true.

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"Compiled and edited by Jocelyn Arem, Caffè Lena historian/Board of Directors with special thanks to the Saratoga History Museum"

This project is made possible by the generous support of The Sparkplug Foundation & Skidmore College’s President’s Discretionary Fund