Advertisement

'Folksong Festival' radio host Oscar Brand dies at 96

The manager for folk singer, writer and longtime New York radio host Oscar Brand says that he has died. He was 96.

Los Angeles: The manager for folk singer, writer and longtime New York radio host Oscar Brand says that he has died. He was 96.

Manager Doug Yeager said Saturday that Brand, host of public radio station WNYC's "Folksong Festival," died Friday at his home in Great Neck, New York. He had been suffering from pneumonia, his manager said.

Brand was on the air with "Folksong Festival" for more than 70 years, earning it a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest-running radio program with a single host.

The Canadian-born Brand became part of the American folk music revival in the 1940s, collaborating with artists including Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Burl Ives, and Pete Seeger. He also wrote books, composed for Broadway, films and wrote pop songs.