such as Johnny Cash, Eddy Arnold, Flatt & Scruggs and Homer & Jethro) and gospel (The Staple Singers, Clara Ward, Bessie Griffin and Alex Bradford). The second season also added a spot for stand-up comedy; the best-known participants being Woody Allen, Bill Cosby (in his network TV debut), Jackie Vernon, Pat Harrington, Jr. and Stiller & Meara. Changes in the format continued as the season progressed. Commencing with episodes airing in January 1964, all the artists remained on stage throughout the show, seated behind whoever was performing; and Jack Linkletter no longer made all the introductions - many were handled by the artists themselves, one act introducing another. A permanent theme song was also introduced this season: Hootenanny Saturday Night, written by Lewine and Alfred Uhry. The theme was performed by the artists appearing that particular week; although the Chad Mitchell Trio were the first to sing it, the version performed by The Brothers Four at the University of Pittsburgh was released by Columbia Records as a single. The second season also saw the debut of Hootenanny's "home-grown" creation, The Serendipity Singers. "Discovered" by talent coordinator Fred Weintraub, the Serendipities were a nine-member folk chorale closely patterned after The New Christy Minstrels. The group appeared in eight of the 30 shows produced that season, and had a major hit in spring 1964 with "Don't Let the Rain Come Down (Crooked Little Man)". The group, with various member changes, continued for decades after Hootenanny's demise. Boycott Even before it reached the airwaves, Hootenanny created controversy in the folk music world. In mid-March, word circulated that the producers would not invite folk singer Pete Seeger, nor Seeger's former group The Weavers, to appear on the show. Both Seeger and the Weavers were alleged to have overly left-wing views; in Seeger's case, he had been convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to discuss his political affiliations with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1955 – although the conviction had been overturned on appeal in May 1962.Variety broke the story in its March 20, 1963, issue, reporting that folksinger Joan Baez had refused to appear on the show because of the blacklisting. That same week, several folk artists gathered at The Village Gate in New York City to discuss forming an organized boycott, but opted instead to send telegrams of concern to ABC executives, producer Lewine and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).