Jon Gailmor — a 1966 Staples High graduate, one of the most legendary of all the school’s musical talents, and an official Vermont “state treasure” — died peacefully last night, at his son’s New Orleans home. He was diagnosed with leukemia 18 months ago.
Jon’s family sang and played music at his bedside — including the playful, upbeat “Gonna Die With a Smile If It Kills Me,” which Jon wrote 50 years ago.
Jon Gailmor
At Staples Jon sang in Orphenians, directed by George Weigle. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Jon and fellow Orphenian Rob Carlson formed a folk duo.
Their debut album — “Peaceable Kingdom” — remains a timeless classic for all who heard it.
But Polydor Records did not market it — or them — well. Disillusioned, the singers went their separate ways.
Jon spent time in Europe. In 1977 he moved to Vermont, and became an icon there for nearly 50 years. He was a concert performer, singer-songwriter, musical album creator, kids’ radio show host, and songwriting workshop leader for children and adults.
Jon Gailmor (left) accompanies a group of Vermont schoolchildren. His workshops taught them how to write songs — and perform them.
He recorded 6 albums, won numerous awards, was named a “state treasure” by the governor, and was Vermont’s representative to perform during the 25th Anniversary Celebration at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Jon received the Mayor’s Peace Prize in Burlington, and a Silver Citation from the Vermont Arts Council. In 1996 he carried the Olympic Torch through Brattleboro, on its way to Atlanta.
Jon was also a longtime moderator of the annual meeting in his town of Elmore. When the AP explored the role of town meetings in polarized times, they focused on Elmore — and Jon. Click here to read that story.
Jon Gailmor, at the Elmore Town Hall. (Photo courtesy of AP/David Goldman)
His ties to his adopted state were strong. He expressed his deep love for Vermont in his song “Long Ago Lady.”
Jon and Rob played together again 15 years ago, at the Staples Class of ’66 reunion. For all who were there, it was a magical moment.
Jon Gailmor (left) and Rob Carlson in 2018, at the Weston Grange. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Jon performed several times this past decade in Westport, most recently to a sold-out “First Folk Sunday” crowd at the Boathouse restaurant.
Last year, after Jon moved to New Orleans — where his son Aaron lives — for leukemia treatment, he continued giving back.
SIR Development’s Rob Haroun responds to yesterday’s photo of trees that were recently cut on Hideaway Lane, off Hillspoint Road. He says:
“The 7 or 8 trees, most of which are on town property as shown in the Google Earth photo and acknowledged by the Westport tree warden, were all posted for removal. No one objected.
“After the requisite period of time and with permission from the tree warden, the trees were removed, some by the town. This was due to the extreme hazard to walkers and vehicles and the lack of maintenance over many years both by the town and the prior owner of 149 Hillspoint.
“The Google Earth photo (below) shows how the trees in the background leaned perilously over Hillspoint Road. Even though most of them were town trees, the tree warden requires replacement trees, from the town-approved list, which will be planted in the fall.
“Additionally, the ‘after’ photo (below) was not taken from the same vantage point as the Google Earth photo, as it does not show the remaining trees on both the left and right sides of Hideaway Lane.”
It’s hardly a surprise that Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario — Staples High School’s 2 Pulitzer Prize-winning photographers — have images in this year’s “Year in Pictures” supplement.
Tyler’s was taken on July 12 in Herat, Afghanistan.
(Photo/Tyler Hicks for New York Times)
Tyler says: “This photograph was taken at a checkpoint where Afghan police were inspecting vehicles arriving from nearby Taliban controlled villages. As cars were stopped and checked I turned and saw that a family who was fleeing that area was packed into a car with a girl looking out the back window, back toward where they had come from. I could see the concern in her face and to me that’s what stood out about this moment.
“Although only one person is seen in this photograph, her face says everything about what was soon to come. You can always tell what’s coming by the mood of the population. There was an urgency among the people that was obvious. This is when it became clear to me that there would be no turning back the events that followed.”
Lynsey’s photo was shot on October 26 in Paliau, South Sudan.
(Photo/Lynsey Addario for New York times)
She says: “I was traveling with UNICEF through this very flooded area of South Sudan. It was the first time people had been given masks and they were trying them on. There is so much flooding, malaria, hunger. Covid is not first and foremost on peoples’ minds.”
Congratulations to Tyler and Lynsey, on their superb images. Let’s hope they’ll be able to capture more pleasant and peaceful scenes for the 2022 Year in Pictures.
If you’re heading to tonight’s Christmas Eve services at Greens Farms Church: you’ll need to register in advance (click here). COVID restrictions will keep each service — at 4:30, 6 and 9 p.m. — below the 180-seat meetinghouse capacity.
Each service will last about 30 minutes, and include opportunities for participation by children. All services feature candlelight, too.
Masks are required in the meetinghouse. Congregants are asked to arrive early, for check-in.
Greens Farms Congregational Church (Photo/Candace Dohn Banks)
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Dozens of Westporters took time from hectic last-minute shopping yesterday, to contribute toys, books, coats and fundsto OneWestport’s collection. All donations will be given to Person to Person, the Fairfield County organization serving needing families.
James Dobin-Smith — founder of Staples High School’s OneWestport Club — says, “We were overwhelmed by how many people showed up. A 1st grader named George Gitto used the allowance he had saved up for months to buy picture books to donate from Barnes & Noble. We even got a cash donation from England!
“Thank you, everyone. We can’t wait to deliver the gifts on Christmas Eve!”
Congratulations to club members Dobin Smith, Caroline Caggiano, Isabelle Ormsby, Ian Patton, Cooper Sadler and Melanie Stanger.
OneWestport Club members with donations (from left): Melanie Stanger (with the two stuffed animals) and Ian Patton, Isabelle Ormsby, Cooper Sadler & me. Caroline Caggiano also volunteered but isn’t pictured.
More than 55 years after graduating from Staples, Rob Carlson still writes and records music. He’s better than ever. And he’s doing it with great local talent.
His latest effort was assembled over the last 3 years. With some new and some new recordings of older songs, it’s called simply “Rob Carlson.” It’s typically eclectic: folk, rock, jazz, pop, Americana, R&B, comedy and reggae.
COVID enabled Rob to record with other non-gigging greats like Westport session guitarist Jeff Southworth, jazz keyboardist Chris Coogan, and old friends like Jon Gailmor.
Yes — the legendary Carlson & Gailmor duo, whose long-out-of-print Polydor record is one of the all-time, hard-to-believe-it-never-made-it great records — is back together for a bit.
“Rob Carlson” is on Spotify, YouTube and other streaming services. The CD or tracks can be bought at Rob’s Online Store, or downloaded from Bandcamp.com. Find out more about the songs and artists by clicking here.
This month, the Greens Farms Garden Club’s annual wreath-making workshop and lunch was special. They surprised long-time member Mary Lou McGuire with a Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut life membership.
She was cited for her many years of service, depth of experience, and breadth of talents in chairing and serving on almost all positions in the club.
All wreaths made by club members were donated to local non-profit groups.
Greens Farms Garden Club past [resident Ann Watkins, current president Kathy Mitchell, and Mary Lou McGuire
Friends and relatives of Kuti Zeeva gathered last Sunday for a memorial soccer game, at PJ Romano Field.
Zeevi — a stalwart member of the Late Knights men’s soccer team, and a popular jeweler in town — was killed 10 years ago this month, in a robbery at his Compo Shopping Center store.
Regular and former players joined younger ones — including Kuti’s 10-year-old grandson — for soccer and stories. He lives on in the hearts of many. (Hat tip: Alex Anvari)
And finally … if you never heard Carlson & Gailmor sing together in their all-too-brief heyday time together after Staples, you missed some beautiful music.
Here — thanks to the magic of the interwebs — they live again.
“By the time we got to Woodstock we were half a million strong …” Joni Mitchell sang.
Not quite. But a ton of people were at Yasgur’s farm, 49 years ago this month.
There won’t be quite as many at Weston’s Coley Homestead (104 Weston Road) on Saturday, September 15 (2 to 8 p.m.). They won’t get naked, sleep in the mud, and hear Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Country Joe rock America.
Hey, this is 2018, not 1969. But it will still be very, very cool.
The festival is the finale of the Weston Historical Society’s summer-long retrospective of ’60s music. Exhibits, concerts and forums have explored the impact of rock, psychedelia, folk, Motown, soul and more on our country — and our little slice of Fairfield County.
Like Woodstock though, Westonstock is about more than just music. There’s a ’60s car show, and kids’ activities too. (Those kids are of course the grandchildren of people who were stardust, golden children of God, back in the day.)
But music is key. Westonstock features Old School Revue — the popular local band fronted by 1966 Staples High School graduate Roger Kaufman. The Saugatuck Horns — a 6-piece R&B band — will be decked out in vintage ’60s attire.
Other performers include local favorites (and talented neighbors) Chance Browne, Rob Carlson, Crispin Cioe, Chris Coogan, Tim DeHuff, Charlie Karp, Jeff Southworth and David Weber.
All have long and storied musical pedigrees. They’ve played with the Rolling Stones, Buddy Miles, Jimi Hendrix (though not at Woodstock) and many more.
Roger Kaufman (center, with hat) and his Old School Revue.
The cars, meanwhile, will take you back to the days of listening to great music while cruising (or “watching the submarine races”). Many are on loan from Dragone Classic Motors.
There are also ’60s music trivia contests, and ’60s dance demonstrations.
Jr’s Hot Doggin’ Food Truck and Olive & Julep Craft Cocktails head the list of food and beverage suppliers.
Whether you recall the ’60s, can’t remember them (“if you do, you weren’t there,” Grace Slick or Timothy Leary or Robin Williams supposedly said), or were not yet born, Westonstock is for you.
All you need is a blanket, a lawn chair and some patchouli.
(Click here for tickets and more information. They’re also available the day of the event. Proceeds help renovation projects at Coley Barn and Coley Farmhouse.)
For anyone living in Westport in the early 1970s — or a music coffeehouse fan in New England and nearby — Carlson and Gailmor were close to gods.
Rob Carlson and Jon Gailmor were classmates (and fellow Orphenians) in Staples High School’s Class of 1966. After college (Brown and Penn, respectively), they formed a folk duo.
Their Polydor debut album — “Peaceable Kingdom” — is remains a classic for who heard it.
But before hitting the big time, the singers went their separate ways.
Carlson headed to the Caribbean, played local spots like Grassroots and the Tin Whistle, ran an independent production company, produced song satires and jingles, formed the Modern Man trio, and reconstituted his old Providence band, Benefit Street.
Gailmor moved to Vermont. Running music-writing workshops in schools, and (of course) performing, he’s became an icon. He was actually named an official “state treasure.”
Seven years ago — at their Staples 45th reunion — they sang together for the first time in decades.
They were on stage again last month, at the Weston Historical Society’s “Life in the ’60s” coffeehouse.
Jon Gailmor (left) and Rob Carlson, last month at the Weston Grange.
The audience loved them. Apparently, they loved it too.
The next day, Gailmor dropped by Carlson’s Fairfield studio. Backed by Paul Payton (keyboard), they laid down vocals on a ’70s song Carlson always thought they’d do well: King Harvest’s “Dancin’ in the Moonlight.”
Carlson later added Westporter Jeff Southworth’s guitar, and his own son Sam’s drums, and did the final mix.
It’s an upbeat, joyful tune — perfect for Carlson and Gailmor’s first studio collaboration in 45 years.
In a society that celebrates specialization, Rob Carlson is a generalist.
He’s a singer-songwriter. A corporate entertainer. An author. And a lot more.
Rob Carlson
For over 50 years — even before his 1966 graduation from Staples High School — Carlson has entertained generations of fans. He’s funny and fun. He’s got a wicked eye for the absurd, and a Robin Williams-like talent for picking out a wide range of targets.
Staples played a seminal role in Carlson’s musical career. As president of Orphenians, he helped organize the elite a cappella group’s 1st-ever trip (to the Virgin Islands).
He played trombone (“a useless instrument”), but discovered guitar (“you can actually play chords”). His folk band — the Triumvirate — opened for some of the famous rock bands like the Beau Brummels and Remains who played at Staples.
At Brown University — where he majored in American Civilization — Carlson was part of a burgeoning music scene. His most famous band — Benefit Street — included Staples classmate Josh Barrett. They earned New England renown.
In 1973 Carlson joined another former Staples classmate, Jon Gailmor, in a folk duo. Their Polydor debut album — “Peaceable Kingdom” — is still considered a classic by all who heard it.
But before hitting the big time, the 2 went their separate ways. Carlson headed back to the Virgin Islands, where he fell in love with Caribbean music.
Back in this area, he had a 10-year run playing local spots like Grassroots and the Tin Whistle.
When his son was born — and Grassroots closed — Carlson got a steady gig running an independent production company. As “Ramblin’ Bob,” he wrote and produced a weekly tune in the style and voice of Bob Dylan, about whatever was happening in the news. The delivery was dead-on.
Christine Lavin heard Carlson in Portland, Maine, and gave his career a boost. He formed the Modern Man trio, which perfected send-ups of songs by the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry and many others. After 15 years, Modern Man played its last gig in October.
Carlson describes his music — reluctantly, because he dislikes categorizing it — as “folk/rock/Americana.” It includes elements of show tunes, R&B, Caribbean — you name it.
He’s “pretty much acoustic. I like the sound of wood.”
Benefit Street has now been reconstituted — with former Westporter Beth Bradley. This month they play the Grange in Greenfield Hill. On November 12, they and Beth Bradley will be at the Westport Unitarian Church’s Voices Cafe.
Befitting an American Civilization major, Carlson spent 30 years — “on and off,” he clarifies — researching and writing “Palatine Ship,” about the legend of an 18th-century vessel lost near Block Island.
But it’s music for which Carlson is best known. His audience, he says, is “mostly boomers. Every generation is fixated on the music it liked between the ages of 13 and 25. That’s pretty much what you like for the rest of your life.”
It’s a life Rob Carlson has known — and embraced — for over half a century. Westporters have long loved his distinctive voice.
It’s a good thing he gave up that useless trombone.
Staples High School’s Class of 1966 has always been special.
Growing up in postwar Westport, then coming of age in high school as a turbulent decade picked up steam, they were an active, accomplished bunch.
The Class of ’66 included 14 National Merit semifinalists, 29 All-State musicians and 5 All-State actors. The Orphenians traveled to the Virgin Islands; student government brought the Beau Brummels and Animals to Staples, and as a gift to the school — a tradition that unfortunately has disappeared — the class donated a handsome sign for the entrance on North Avenue.
John Lupton (left), Class of 1966 president, shakes hands with ’67 president Dick Sandhaus at the sign’s dedication ceremony. Principal Jim Calkins looks on.
But in the 50 years since graduation, the Class of ’66 has really stepped up its game. A few years ago they paid to refurbish the exterior of the Lou Nistico Fieldhouse at Staples, and added lighting to the current North Avenue entry sign. They’ve also organized their own special scholarship fund through Staples Tuition Grants.
Over the years I’ve become friends with many of the members, who I knew only by name and legend as a kid growing up in town. They’ve accomplished amazing things — in music, the arts, journalism, religion, education, even modeling and wine importing — but for half a century they have remained tight and loving. (Very, very fun-loving too).
A number of them remain — or became — reconnected to their hometown through “06880.” I’ve been honored to be a guest at their 2 most recent reunions.
This year’s 50th was fantastic. It began Friday night at the VFW (with kick-ass music from, among others, Rob Carlson, Jon Gailmor and Roger Kaufman). It continued with a lobster dinner last night at the Westport Woman’s Club (and a moving memorial to the 65 classmates who have died). It ended this afternoon at the beach.
Jon Gailmor, Steve Emmett and Rob Carlson reprised the famed Triumvirate group at the VFW. Gailmor replaced the late Chris Avery.
There were many highlights for me, as I mingled with so many heroes and heroines from my youth. But the coolest came as I was leaving.
Each class member received a goody bag. In every one was a stone — collected, over a long time, from Compo Beach. They were stamped “Staples High 50th reunion, Class of 1966.”
And wrapped around them were these words:
Each stone carries memories created by the gentle and loving spirit of Compo Beach — our playground, our retreat, the safe haven of our youth. Compo loves us unconditionally. It is the beautiful link that will — like each stone and echoes of friendships — last forever.
While they were growing up, the members of the Class of 1966 — like most teenagers — probably did not realize the gifts they were gaining from their school, and town. I did not realize it several years later, and kids today don’t either.
The passage of time does something powerful and good. But it takes a special group of people to actually stop, think about and honor that time.
Well done, Class of ’66. Very, very classy indeed.
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