Herb Metoyer (September 8, 1935 – July 24, 2015)[1] was a Detroit-based singer-songwriter and novelist, best known for his folk music and other work involving New Orleans and Louisiana.
He was an early mentor to, and lifelong influence on, Mike Taylor, who performed extensively with John Denver and co-wrote the song "Rocky Mountain High".
Metoyer wrote songs for more than 40 years, and was one of the few African Americans to come out of the 1960s folk movement, being prominently associated with Fred Neil and his group of musicians.
[2] It has been said about Metoyer and Neill that "Though the folk movement of the early sixties has always been seen as white and middle class, it included many compelling black folk acts, such as Odetta, Richie Havens, and lesser known names like Herb Metoyer, Josh White Jr, Terry Callier, Major Wiley and many others that were part of Fred Neil's circle of friends and were touched by his music.
His last novel, Small Fires in the Sun, chronicles the struggles of three cultures trying to coexist in colonial Louisiana – the French, the Spanish, and the African slaves.