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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Parts of Normal Neighborhood Plan approved ... Pacific fisher sculpture dedicated in Ashland ... Techtoberfest has high-tech speakers and exhibits ... Parts of Normal Neighborhood Plan approved ... Pacific fisher sculpture dedicated in Ashland ... Techtoberfest has high-tech speakers and exhibits ... MUSIC Songs of the '60s highlight 'Those Were the Days' Though he's been performing "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Blowin' in the Wind" since high school, William Florian says he still has fun doing it. Comment By Garrett Adams The News-Review MailTribune.com By Garrett Adams The News-Review Posted Jan. 23, 2015 at 9:00 AM By Garrett Adams The News-Review Posted Jan. 23, 2015 at 9:00 AM » Social News Though he's performed "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Blowin' in the Wind" since high school, William Florian says he still has fun doing it. "It always feels fresh and new to me, because the audience is different every time. You can just feel the spark and the emotions moving between us on stage and the audience," Florian, 62, said by phone from Northern California on a rare week off from touring. He and his wife live out of a motor home even when they're not on the road. Florian will present "Those Were the Days," a program of folk music from the '60s, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, in the auditorium at North Medford High School, 1900 N. Keene Way Drive. Along with the high points of folk songs, Florian's shows include humorous firsthand accounts of his experiences with such notable artists as Peter, Paul and Mary, John Denver, Pete Seeger and The Mamas and the Papas. The concert is part of Jackson County Community Concert Associations' 2014-15 season. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased online at jcconcerts.org or at the door. By the time he's through touring in May, he'll have performed classic folk music in small towns in all regions of the United States. But this isn't Florian's first time. He's been playing the hits of the '60s since they were new, and he was a member of the innovative folk group The New Christy Minstrels. The New Christy Minstrels was perhaps the first large commercial folk act in the U.S., formed by singer Randy Sparks in 1961. After its big break on "The Andy Williams Show," the folk collective went on to record more than 20 albums, with hits including "Green, Green" and "This Land is Your Land." Literally hundreds of musicians have played in the lineup, including notable alums Kenny Rogers, Barry McGuire and Gene Clark. Florian was added to the group along with his sister, Nanette, in the mid-1970s. A year before, the two had taken a trip by motor home to Los Angeles and tried out for The New Christy Minstrels. He was 23 at the time; she was 18. "We wanted to be stars. We wanted to be the next Carpenters," he said.' Writing on her website, Nanette Florian said their parents assumed the older brother would keep a sharp eye on his sister. "Well, I think HE needed more monitoring than me," she wrote. Growing up in Connecticut, Florian was so into music, his seventh-grade teacher is said to have told Florian's mother to take his guitar away from him until he did better in math. "I got into music because of The Beatles, or, I should say, I got into music because of all the girls screaming at The Beatles," he said. After winning the spot in The New Christy Minstrels, he often sang lead in the group, including on one of its biggest hits, "Today." He took over parts from the group's founder, Sparks, who by then had quit the band. For years now, Florian has played the folk songs that influenced him growing up in his folk revue "Those Were the Days: The Spirit and Songs of the '60s." "Over the last 10 years, I've honed a wonderful show that I pretty much keep the same because it works," he said. "We've been getting rave reviews and great testimonials all along. Florian calls his show an "amazing, fun time." It's heavy on reminiscences of life in the early 1960s, and singing songs in a hit-making group. "What happens mostly is a lot of laughter, and a lot of emotions come up," he said. "People sing those songs with me; the whole audience gets into it." Sparks has restarted The New Christy Minstrels and still performs, claiming 54 years of history. Florian knows of no other former members doing a show like his though. He still identifies with the term "minstrel." "I guess I am a traveling minstrel, bearing stories and songs and emotions." By Garrett Adams The News-Review MailTribune.com By Garrett Adams The News-Review Posted Jan. 23, 2015 at 9:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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