Raun MacKinnon had the distinction of being one of a tiny handful of folk artists ever recorded by Parkway Records. The youngest of four children born into a musical family, she was raised in Berwyn near Philadelphia, and began singing at an early age, even when she worked as a babysitter (which helped lead one of her charges, Cliff Eberhardt, into a career as a folk singer as well). She learned her first folk songs from her mother, material like "I Know Where I'm Going," and later added Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly to her repertory She played the local folk clubs in Philadelphia and was signed to the Cameo-Parkway label, where she recorded one album, American Folk Songs, with Dick Weissman backing her on guitar and Bill Lee (Spike's father) playing bass. The bulk of the album was made up of new arrangements of traditional songs, augmented by one MacKinnon original, "What Says The Heart." She was best known in the northeast from various performing venues in New York City, and remained popular throughout the '70s and early '80s, appearing at various clubs and showcases. Her song "Circle of Fifths" was covered by Michael Johnson, and in 1985, she appeared on Fast Folk 202 doing an original song called "Amazing Love." She has been a mentor, friend, and confidante of Christine Lavin since the '70s. ~ Bruce Eder