Randy Burns, the folk singer-songwriter whose guitar work helped define the Greenwich Village coffeehouse scene of the late 1960s, has died at age 78.
His sister, Sue Burns Baker, announced his death in a tribute on Facebook. "Randy Burns, my big brother, folksinger, songwriter and friend to many from New Haven, Connecticut, born April 14, 1948, passed from this earth into the hands of God today, August 8, 2026," she wrote. The New Haven Register described Burns as a "folk revival icon."
Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, Burns began performing in local coffeehouses at just 17 years old. By 1966, he had moved to Greenwich Village, where he busked on the streets before landing a regular opening slot at the legendary Gaslight Cafe. He went on to share stages with folk giants Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, Carolyn Hester, and Dave Van Ronk.
In 1967, ESP-Disk label founder Bernard Stollman invited Burns to record his debut album, "Of Love and War." He later formed the Sky Dog Band, releasing music through Mercury and Polydor Records in the early 1970s. After stretches performing in Dublin, Ireland, and working outside the music industry, Burns returned to regular performing in 2009, releasing new albums into his final years.
For a family who chose to mark his passing not with mourning alone but with the assurance of where he now rests, Burns's story closes as it began - rooted in New Haven, carried by faith, and remembered through the songs he left behind.
