On February 12th, 2002, Dave Van Ronk died in a New York hospital of cardiopulmonary failure while undergoing postoperative treatment for colon cancer. Van Ronk received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers ( ASCAP) in December 1997. Dylan recorded Van Ronk's arrangement of the traditional song ' House of the Rising Sun' on his first album, which the Animals turned into a chart-topping rock single in 1964, helping inaugurate the folk-rock movement. Folk performers he befriended include Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Phil Ochs, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and Joni Mitchell. Van Ronk was a widely admired avuncular figure in 'the Village', presiding over the coffeehouse folk culture and acting as a friend to many up-and-coming artists by inspiring, assisting, and promoting them. Louis Tickle' and Scott Joplin's ' Maple Leaf Rag'. He was also known for performing instrumental ragtime guitar music, especially his transcription of 'St. Van Ronk's work ranged from old English ballads to blues, gospel, rock, New Orleans jazz, and swing. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the 'Mayor of MacDougal Street'.
David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk (J– February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer.
