Historical significance of Jerry Burgan, the 'tribal storyteller' of folk music, and We Five found in book; reception at 4 p.m. at Best of Books, concert at 7 p.m.

                

We Five’s historical significance in rock 'n’ roll becomes clear in Jerry Burgan’s book “Wounds to Bind: A Memoir of the Folk-Rock Revolution.”

 

                  And you will have two chances to meet Jerry Burgan, co-founder of the group, his wife and singer Debbie Burgan, and bassist Thowlow Chan, or hear the We Five alums during “The Burgans & Chan Songs & Stories Concert.” One is free, and the concert will cost you only $20 each. A limited supply of collector hard-bound editions of “Wounds to Bind” also will be available for sale at both events.

                 Here are the events:

n  4 to 5 p.m. TODAY at Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth in Edmond’s Kickingbird Square Shopping Center: A special reception for Jerry Burgan and his book. The reception is free and open to the public. Debbie Burgan and Tholow Chan are also expected to attend.

                                                       7 to 9 p.m. TODAY at the UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E. 5^th Street, Edmond: “The Burgans & Chan Songs & Stories Concert” featuring Jerry Burgan, Debbie Burgan and Tholow Chan. Cost: $20 per ticket.

 

                  This is only the second time that Jerry Burgan has performed in Oklahoma, according to a story by Leilah Naifeh in Saturday’s edition of The Oklahoman. The other time was 50 years ago in 1965 when We Five came to the state with The Righteous Brothers. At the same time, the band’s hit song “You Were on My Mind” was climbing to near the top of the Billboard charts.

                   The historical significance of the band is also shown in the book:

1.       It was one of the first bands, if not the first, to have a lead woman singer.

2.       It was one of the first groups to be integrated with an African-American drummer.

3.       It started as a folk group and blended sounds to become one of the first folk-rock groups.

                  Jerry Burgan and We Five played a key role in the early history of rock ‘n’ roll; his book about his days with We Five includes names such as The Rolling Stones, Dylan, Streisand, Zappa, Van Halen, Seeger, Ronstadt, Peter, Paul and Mary, Lennon, Lightfoot, Redding, The Doors, Eagles, Kingston Trio, Everly Brothers, Righteous Brothers, Mammas and Pappas, Bonos, Beach Boys and many more. His group performed on “Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars” with The Byrds, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Bo Diddley and The Duchess.

                    You still have time to buy tickets for “The Burgans & Chan Songs & Stories Concert.” They can be purchased by ordering online at www.bestofbooksok.com, reserved by calling 340-9202 or by purchasing them when the doors open at 6 p.m. The two-hour concert will begin at 7 p.m. TODAY in UCO Jazz Lab. Hideaway Pizza will be providing the food and drink.

                     And, even if you can’t attend the concert, you can meet We Five co-founder Jerry Burgan. Best of Books will be the host of a reception for Jerry and his book “Wounds to Bind: A Memoir of the Folk-Rock Revolution” from 4 to 5 p.m. TODAY at Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth in Edmond’s Kickingbird Square Shopping Center.

                     Best of Books will have a limited supply of “Wounds to Bind,” too. Best of Books is offering the book at both events for only $30; it retails new at $50 or $45 on Amazon or used $32. It's sure to become a collector's item with Jerry's signature.

                     A paragraph written in the Oklahoma Gazette by Greg Horton perfectly sums up Jerry Burgan and his book:

                      

 

                        "Burgan runs through lists of folk musicians and their relationships to each other and the music like a tribal storyteller. He is an oral archivist, which is what folk music has always tried to do: chronicle the human experience from the perspective of common folk.”