''Dirty Linen'' was a bi-monthly magazine of folk and world music based in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland. The magazine ceased publication in the spring of 2010. The magazine offered extensive reviews of folk music recordings,

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, books, and

concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety an ...

as well as in depth profiles of musical artists and

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. They also maintained a schedule of concerts and

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of folk music performances in North America in their "gig guide" which was available within the magazine or through their web site. Other features included, "The Horse Trader" classified ads, and a "Wireless" discussion of whats on the air waves.

History

''Dirty Linen'' originated in 1983 as a publication titled ''Fairport Fanatics'', a fan magazine for the British band Fairport Convention created by T.J. McGrath of

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan are ...

. In 1987 Paul Hartman took over as editor and publisher, renamed the magazine ''Dirty Linen.'' "Dirty Linen" was the title of a traditional tune, arranged as an instrumental by Dave Swarbrick on Fairport Convention's 1970 album, ''

Full House ''Full House'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend Joey Gladstone to help raise his thr ...

.'' The publication expanded its scope to cover genres of rooted music from many countries and cultures. Based in Baltimore, Maryland, the magazine grew with direction from Hartman and his wife, Susan, who also served as co-editor of the magazine for many years. The photocopied

fanzine A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share t ...

became a glossy color publication in the early 1990s. ''Dirty Linen'' began international distribution and gained sales in North American chains such as

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, Barnes & Noble, and Chapters.

2007 merger with VisioNation

In September 2007, ''Dirty Linen'' announced a merger with VisioNation, Inc., publishers of '' Blues Revue'' and the e-zines '' BluesWax'' and ''FolkWax''. The merger was greeted enthusiastically by both parties who announced plans for new projects for ''Dirty Linen'' such as the inclusion of a sampler CD for subscribers, and planned growth for all four of VisioNation's roots music publications, including entry into radio and cable markets and sponsorship of music festivals. In April 2010, Paul and Sue Hartman left ''Dirty Linen'' and VisioNation. ''Dirty Linen'' canceled their March/April and May/June 2010 issues. VisioNation, Ltd., was an Iowa entity established August 13, 1999. Chip Eagle ''(né'' Charles Arthur Eagle, Jr.; born 1959) was president. The Secretary of State of Iowa VisioNation, Ltd., administratively dissolved VisioNation, Ltd., August 6, 2010. Chip's father, Charles Arthur Eagle (1936–1996), had been vice president of marketing for ''

Look To look is to use sight to perceive an object. Look or The Look may refer to: Businesses and products * Look (modeling agency), an Israeli modeling agency * ''Look'' (American magazine), a defunct general-interest magazine * ''Look'' (UK ma ...

'' magazine before it ceased publication in 1971.

Writers

A number of writers for the magazine also provide music content elsewhere on the web: * Kerry Dexter * Steve Ide * Anil Prasad (former writer) now runs ''Innerviews'' and is a contributing editor for ''Guitar Player''. * Chris Nickson * Bill Nevins * Paul Hartman (editor) * Duck Baker * Cliff Furnald (former writer) now runs ''Roots World'', ''Hollow Ear'', and ''CD Roots'' * Chris Kocher ''(né'' Christopher Kocher; born 1973) writes for the '' Press & Sun-Bulletin'' of Binghamton, New York, and has a blog on the paper's website.

References

External links

''Dirty Linen'', Former Editor's Blog: "What Happened to Dirty Linen?" (Official web site deleted)
{{Folk music Bimonthly magazines published in the United States Defunct magazines published in the United States Folk music magazines Magazines established in 1983 Magazines disestablished in 2010 Magazines published in Baltimore Music magazines published in the United States