Written in 1965, ‘Blues Run the Game’ became one of the defining songs of the folk revival. This article traces Jackson C. Frank’s journey from Buffalo to Soho, his years at Les Cousins, and the New Bond Street recording session that produced the song. Drawing on eyewitness accounts, archival material, and contemporary reviews, it examines how the song emerged, how it spread rapidly through the British folk scene, and how it came to outlive its author.

At FolkEast 2025, I was given the extraordinary opportunity to play Nick Drake’s Martin 000-28 — the guitar heard on his final recordings, including Black Eyed Dog. With little preparation and 200 people watching, I stepped on stage to see if I could find something of his sound in the wood and wire. It was a rare and quietly overwhelming moment.