Mark Spoelstra – The Songs of Mark Spoelstra (1963)

"The Songs of Mark Spoelstra" (full original title: "The Songs of Mark Spoelstra with a Twelve-String Guitar") is the second studio album by American folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist Mark Spoelstra, released in 1963 on the renowned Folkways Records label.

Mark Spoelstra was one of the most striking—yet undeservedly forgotten—figures of the Greenwich Village folk scene in New York during the early 1960s, where he frequently performed on the same stage and played duets with a young Bob Dylan.
The record "The Songs of Mark Spoelstra" showcases his masterful command of the 12-string guitar and his deep grounding in American roots music. The album features a blend of Spoelstra’s original compositions—often carrying humanistic and anti-war themes—alongside reinterpretations of folk classics, gospel songs, and blues standards (such as "Sugar Babe," "Working on the Building," and "Corrina Blues").
This release solidified Spoelstra’s reputation as a compelling lyricist and a virtuoso guitarist within the folk underground, which soon led to him signing a contract with the major label Elektra Records.