Eric Darling
b. 25 September 1933, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. An accomplished songwriter/guitarist/banjo player, Darling initially found success as a member of the Tarriers, whose hootenanny version of The Banana Boat Song was a USA pop hit in 1956 (made famous by Harry Belafonte). Darling subsequently replaced Pete Seeger in the Weavers but left to pursue a solo career four years later. Erik also formed the Rooftop Singers, with Bill Svanoe and Lynne Taylor. Infatuated with a song he had discovered, Darling added a resonant 12-string guitar to its restructured arrangement and emerged with an international success, Walk Right In. This energetic performance reached number 1 in the USA and number 10 in the UK in 1963, but the group was unable, and unwilling, to sustain its momentum and following several personnel changes, split up in 1967. 
Darling had meanwhile continued his individual path, recording solo albums for Elektraand Vanguard, and appearing as a sessionman on countless folk selections. He later formed a songwriting partnership with Patricia Street, the final female lead in his erstwhile group, and they performed and recorded together throughout the '70s. A respected musician, Erik Darling's contribution to the development of traditional American folk should not be under-emphasized.