SPILL BOOK REVIEW: MIKE DALEY – YORKVILLE: HOW A 1960s COFFEEHOUSE SCENE REWROTE POPULAR MUSIC

MIKE DALEY – YORKVILLE: HOW A 1960s COFFEEHOUSE SCENE REWROTE POPULAR MUSIC

SUTHERLAND HOUSE

BOOK REVIEW BY AARON BADGLEY

I was eager to read this book, as this is an era and place that has not had deep dives written about it. From 1954 until 1968, Yorkville, in Toronto, was Canada’s Greenwich Village. It was a breeding ground for artists of all kinds, but in particular, music. With Yorkville: How A 1960s Coffeehouse Scene Rewrote Popular Music, Mike Daley sets out to not only document the time and place but place it in the context of its lasting influence on music, even though it has been gone for nearly 60 years. And Daley does point out that it was not just folk music. All forms of music thrived in these small(ish) coffee houses.

Daley sets the scene with a brief history of the area that has come to be known as Yorkville. It is important in terms of understanding the origins of the area and how it gradually became an artist’s hub. He discusses the brief career of Greg Curtis, considered to be the first folk singer in Yorkville and the world-famous Canadian artists who followed (Ian Tyson, Sylvia Tyson, Bruce Cockburn, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Murray McLaughlin and so many more). He also documents the American artists who frequented the coffee houses. One thing is clear, it was a magnet for talent.

Daley interviews people who played there, attended shows there, promoters, and so many others to help him paint a picture of the time and the area. The book is quite academic in its structure (and numerous footnotes) but utilizing quotations from those involved balances it out so it does not read like a thesis but rather a very detailed history.

There is a lot to love about Yorkville: How A 1960s Coffeehouse Scene Rewrote Popular Music, not the least which being the story. It has been covered in other books and documentaries, but Yorkville: How A 1960s Coffeehouse Scene Rewrote Popular Music goes into great detail, and that is one of the things I enjoy. The absolute detail Daley goes into is very impressive. He also addresses the fall of the iconic area and discusses its transformation into something very opposite (i.e. an exclusive, upscale neighbourhood). If one wants to know what the fuss was all about, Yorkville: How A 1960s Coffeehouse Scene Rewrote Popular Music provides the answer.

ISBN-10: 1997701561
ISBN-13:‎ 978-1997701569

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