Jim Post
Encyclopedia
Jim Post is an American folk singer-songwriter
, composer, playwright and actor. In 1968 his pop song "Reach out of the Darkness
" charted on the Billboard Hot 100
for 14 weeks, peaking at number 10.
with his wife at that time, Cathy Conn Post. He worked as a solo singer-songwriter in Chicago and throughout the Midwest in the 1970s and 1980s. Post was a regular performer at the Earl of Old Town and other Chicago folk music bars, and was a contemporary of notable singer-songwriters Steve Goodman
, John Prine
, Fred Holstein
and Bonnie Koloc
, and a frequent collaborator with singer/songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Mick Scott
and the late Tom Dundee
. In 1971, he produced and played on an album of Chicago folk musicians, Gathering at the Earl of Old Town, that included the first recording of Goodman's City of New Orleans
. Starting in 1985 he hosted the "Flea Market" folk show played on WBEZ live at Navy Pier. During the 1990s and 2000s, he focused on performing in the character of Mark Twain
in one-man shows. Post has also recorded an album of children's songs. He lives in Galena, Illinois
with his wife Janet. He was shown in Ellen in the section "Awesome Album Covers", where he was made fun of for his album "I Love My Life".
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, composer, playwright and actor. In 1968 his pop song "Reach out of the Darkness
Reach out of the Darkness
"Reach out of the Darkness" is a song by American folk duo Friend and Lover. Peaking at #10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, it was the duo's most successful single, and they are often regarded as a one-hit wonder for the track because the duo's only other Hot 100 entry stalled at #86 a few...
" charted on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for 14 weeks, peaking at number 10.
History
Post performed and recorded in the 1960s as the duet Friend and LoverFriend and Lover
Friend and Lover were an American folk-singing duo composed of husband-and-wife team, Jim and Cathy Post. They are best known for their hit single "Reach Out of the Darkness", which reached number 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1968....
with his wife at that time, Cathy Conn Post. He worked as a solo singer-songwriter in Chicago and throughout the Midwest in the 1970s and 1980s. Post was a regular performer at the Earl of Old Town and other Chicago folk music bars, and was a contemporary of notable singer-songwriters Steve Goodman
Steve Goodman
Steve Goodman was an American folk music singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. The writer of "City of New Orleans", made popular by Arlo Guthrie, Goodman won two Grammy Awards.-Personal life:...
, John Prine
John Prine
John Prine is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a recording artist and live performer since the early 1970s.-Biography:...
, Fred Holstein
Fred Holstein
Fred Holstein was a folk music singer in Chicago, IL. Holstein was a prominent figure in the Chicago folk music scene in the 1970s. He owned a sequence of clubs in the Old Town and Lincoln Park neighborhoods...
and Bonnie Koloc
Bonnie Koloc
Bonnie Koloc is an American folk music singer-songwriter, actress, and artist who was considered one of the three main Illinois-based folk singers in the 1970s, along with Steve Goodman and John Prine forming the "trinity of the Chicago folk scene."...
, and a frequent collaborator with singer/songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Mick Scott
Mick Scott
Michael "Mick" Scott is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1970s, '80s and '90s who at club level has played for Halifax , and Wigan, playing at , i.e. number 11 or 12.-Challenge Cup final appearances:...
and the late Tom Dundee
Tom Dundee
Tom Dundee was a singer/songwriter born in Chicago, Illinois, United States.He began his career in Corrales, New Mexico in 1969. A year later he became a principal member of the Chicago folk scene that spawned such performers as John Prine, Steve Goodman, Mick Scott, and Bonnie Koloc...
. In 1971, he produced and played on an album of Chicago folk musicians, Gathering at the Earl of Old Town, that included the first recording of Goodman's City of New Orleans
City of New Orleans
The City of New Orleans is a nightly passenger train operated by Amtrak which travels between Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana. Before Amtrak's formation in 1971, the train was operated by the Illinois Central Railroad along the same route . The train currently operates on a 19½ hour...
. Starting in 1985 he hosted the "Flea Market" folk show played on WBEZ live at Navy Pier. During the 1990s and 2000s, he focused on performing in the character of Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
in one-man shows. Post has also recorded an album of children's songs. He lives in Galena, Illinois
Galena, Illinois
Galena is the county seat of, and largest city in, Jo Daviess County, Illinois in the United States, with a population of 3,429 in 2010. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its history, historical architecture, and ski and golf resorts. Galena was the residence of Ulysses S...
with his wife Janet. He was shown in Ellen in the section "Awesome Album Covers", where he was made fun of for his album "I Love My Life".
Discography
| Year | Title | Label | Number | Notes |
| 1969 | Reach Out of the Darkness | Verve Forecast Verve Forecast Records Verve Forecast Records is a record label specializing in cutting-edge material which was founded in 1967 by Verve Records and since been revived twice.... |
FTS 3055 | As Friend and Lover Friend and Lover Friend and Lover were an American folk-singing duo composed of husband-and-wife team, Jim and Cathy Post. They are best known for their hit single "Reach Out of the Darkness", which reached number 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1968.... |
| 1972 | Slow To 20 | Fantasy Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is a United States-based record label that was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record-pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label... |
9408 | |
| 1973 | Colorado Exile | Fantasy Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is a United States-based record label that was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record-pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label... |
9401 | |
| Rattlesnake | Fantasy Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is a United States-based record label that was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record-pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label... |
9425 | ||
| 1976 | Looks Good to Me | Fantasy Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is a United States-based record label that was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record-pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label... |
9451 | |
| 1977 | Back On The Street Again | Mountain Railroad | 52778 | Live |
| 1978 | I Love my Life | Mountain Railroad | 52784 | |
| 1979 | Magic: In Concert | Flying Fish Flying Fish Records Flying Fish Records was a Chicago-based eclectic blues and country record label. It was founded in 1974 by Bruce Kaplan, former president of the University of Chicago's Folklore Society.... |
FF-216 | Live |
| 1980 | Ship Shape | Flying Fish Flying Fish Records Flying Fish Records was a Chicago-based eclectic blues and country record label. It was founded in 1974 by Bruce Kaplan, former president of the University of Chicago's Folklore Society.... |
FF-240 | Live |
| 1984 | The Crooner from Outer Space | Freckle | 1905 | |
| 1987 | Jim Post & Friends | Flying Fish Flying Fish Records Flying Fish Records was a Chicago-based eclectic blues and country record label. It was founded in 1974 by Bruce Kaplan, former president of the University of Chicago's Folklore Society.... |
FF-419 | |
| 1987 | Galena Rose | self released | CD | |
| 1989 | The Heart Of Christmas | Chicago Master Works | 1263 | CD |
| 1996 | Mark Twain And The Laughing River | Woodside Avenue | WA-006-2 | CD |
| 2000 | Frog In The Kitchen Sink | |CD, children's songs |