Rick's passing is an incaluable loss to all of us who love the Kingston Trio and folk music in general. Condolences to his family.

http://www.folkusa.org/ is of course a major site, much more than simply the message board that we all know and love. It was clearly a labor of love for Rick, and I hope that it can somehow be maintained both for its intrinsic value and as a memorial to Rick.

The Facebook notice is here:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=824185656507690&set=a.417772737148986

I believe it's accessible to everyone and that a Facebook account isn't necessary to see it. Hope so.

When I went to my first Fantasy Camp in 2003, it was Rick I wanted to meet most of all. He had created FolkUSA six years or so before then, and it was a glittering gem of pop-folk relevance in an ocean of musical mediocrity and dross, folk and otherwise. It was clearly a labor of love.

More than that, Rick was a great bear of a man whose warmth and humor were matched by his unfailing generosity and love of music and people.

Someone like Rick should have had a longer life, much longer, but as his site attests, he made the most of the time that he had. He will always be missed by those of us who have shared his love of this special music.