Freedom Folk

GROWING UP THE son of New York folk singer and Broadway actor Leon Bibb in the 1960s, Eric Bibb’s worldview stretched far beyond his family’s Queens home — even though the now 70-year-old fingerstyle guitarist and singer-songwriter met many of his heroes, including Bob Dylan, in his own living room.

At the time, Bibb was just beginning to find his own path on the instrument by studying classical and jazz guitar. But by his own admission, he wasn’t the best student. “I was mostly interested in learning how to accompany myself as a singer-songwriter,”