Dan Einbender

Daniel “Danny” Einbender, 68, died May 25, 2018, at Ryder Farm in Brewster.

Born Nov. 14, 1949, Dan was a songwriter, storyteller, sloop singer, sailor, educator, stage manager, festival organizer, cook, activist, organizer, host, camp counselor, music teacher, gardener, history buff and music therapist.

At age 7, while attending Camp Willoway, he met Pete Seeger, who inspired him to learn guitar. He studied theater at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he co-founded the counterculture venue, Amazingrace Coffeehouse. After graduating in 1971, he moved to Eugene, Oregon, where he was involved with the Oregon Country Fair, the Arts Center and the People’s Food Co-op. In 1975 he received a grant to pioneer a program playing music for Alzheimer patients.

In 1977, he returned to New York, where in 1980 he became an educator for Clearwater, which Seeger had founded and where Dan worked for 30 years. In 1989 he was one of a group of American and Soviet crew members who took the Te Vega on a roundtrip sail to St. Petersburg to promote environmentalism and world peace.

Dan is best known as a musician for his song, “It Really Isn’t Garbage,” from his album, Dinner Alone is a Bore. He was instrumental in creating a program in the Beacon elementary schools to encourage children to sing, which led in 2010 to a Grammy Award as one of three producers of Seeger’s Tomorrow’s Children.

At the end of his life, Dan grew a beard, vowing not to cut it while Donald Trump was president.

His survivors include two sisters, Deborah Einbender and Paula Einbender, and two stepsiblings, Lauren Resnick and Don Brown, as well as four nieces and two nephews. A memorial service is being planned.

Behind The Story

Type: Obituary

Obituary: Reports the death of an individual, providing an account of the person’s life including their achievements, any controversies in which they were involved, and reminiscences by people who knew them.

Articles attributed to "staff" are written by the editor or a senior editor. This is typically because they are brief items based on a single source, such as a press release, or there are multiple contributors, such as a collection of photos.

6 replies on “Dan Einbender (1949-2018)”

    1. Thanks. I have corrected that in Dan’s obituary.

      Chip Rowe
      Managing Editor

  2. Thanks for this obit. I sailed with Dan on the Clearwater beginning in 1988 and Soviet American Sail in 1989 and he was a music buddy, boon companion and close friend for the next 30 years. He was a hub of community in the Hudson Valley and it’s a painful, present truth, not just a cliche, to say he is sorely missed. He had a particular connection to Philipstown because in the 1980s he lived on the Garrison Landing in the red house with the gambrel roof next to the yacht club, known then as the “Clearwater house,” where the roommates were underpaid crew members on the boat, many long-term couples were formed and children who are now adult members of the community were conceived.

  3. This is really sad news, a huge loss to the mid-Hudson environmental and music community. He was a wonderful and talented man! R.I.P.

  4. I am so saddened to learn of Dan’s passing. I was looking forward to seeing and hearing him sing at the Clearwater Festival, when I saw a listing for a tribute to him. We worked together at Burke Rehab, he was a sensitive, caring music therapist for the Alzheimer’s patients. He got them singing, smiling, and dancing. And me, too.

Comments are closed.