Bruce Conforth - The 1960s

The 1960s

Conforth joined the early 1960s folk scene in New York City's Greenwich Village. He knew, and studied with performers such as Dave Van Ronk, Happy and Artie Traum, Izzy Young, Reverend Gary Davis, Antonio Vivaldi and Allen Ginsberg. He frequented Izzy Young's Folklore Center, the Fretted Instruments music center, The Cafe Au Go Go, Cafe Wha? (where Jimi Hendrix performed as Jimi James and the Blue Flames), The Balloon Farm in the East Village (which later became the Electric Circus), the 8th Street Bookstore, and Washington Square Park.

During this time he also made the acquaintance of Drs. Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (better known as Ram Dass), and began his interest in altered states of consciousness.

Conforth received a scholarship to art school after graduation from high school and while enrolled spent one summer as an apprentice to the American abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning at the latter's Springs, New York studio. He had several shows of his work but then seems to have dropped painting to turn his attention to music. He played with several bands during this time, although their exact names are unknown (much time and speculation has been devoted to identifying the names of these bands).