Harry Peter "Happy" Traum was an American folk musician and a central figure in the Greenwich Village music scene of the 1960s and the Woodstock community in the 1970s and 1980s. Born in The Bronx, New York City, to a family of German Jewish, English, and Dutch heritage, Traum began playing music as a teenager at Washington Square Park. He made his recording debut in late 1962 on Broadside Ballads, Vol. 1, alongside artists such as Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger, and with The New World Singers released the first version of Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” in early 1963. Traum formed a duo with his brother Artie, releasing albums including Happy and Artie Traum (1970), Double Back (1971), and Hard Times in the Country (1975). As a solo artist, he released albums such as American Stranger (1977) and Buckets of Songs (1989) and was the founder of Homespun Music Instruction. He also collaborated with Bob Dylan on several recordings and participated in sessions with Allen Ginsberg. Traum passed away on July 17, 2024, at the age of 86.
