Seasick Steve Roots Music As Raw As It Gets
by Oscar on Jul.08, 2010, under Music
Mississippi Bluesman An Instant Success At 67 Years Of Age
I can’t say that I’m any kind of a musical critic, and I really don’t stay current with the latest trends, but I DO know what I like. So how does one discover NEW music given the horrible state of music radio today? For ME it is my subscription to Napster that allows me to sample whatever strikes my fancy. For less than $100 a year Napster allows me to sample anything on their catalog using their music player and even lets me create my own radio station. Thank heavens for the internet!
One day, while checking out the Blues listings, I saw the name “Seasick Steve” and was intrigued. I’d never heard of him, who was he, and what style of Blues did he play? What I was afraid of was that he just might be a “gimmick” artist, a “flash in the pan”, a “one hit wonder”, but what I discovered was something much different.
“Seasick Steve” Wold was born into a musical family and at 13 years of age left home to avoid abuse at the hands of his step father. Wandering around the country, hopping freight trains and sleeping under bridges Steve made ends meet by playing his guitar for spare change and by picking up odd jobs here and there. By the early seventies he traveled to Europe, as did a whole generation of young wanderers, and continued his wandering, busking in the subways and on street corners, honing his skills and stretching his imagination.
Never really forsaking his gypsy ways, Wold worked as a sound technician, recording engineer and session musician, bouncing from place to place and, according to his first wife, moving at least 59 times. By this time he had become content with what life had given him, never thinking that fame would come upon him, but after moving back to Europe Steve recorded his first album and that is when things changed with an invitation to play on the British Jools Holland Show.
Seasick Steve Wold became an overnight sensation, attracting a rabid following and gathering numerous invitations to music festivals and various gigs around the Island. Soon he found himself performing across the continent, amused and pleased that at the age when most Americans would be thinking of retirement Steve finally enjoying fame.
How does he handle this newfound fame? Just check out the following video:
Admittedly, there is nothing very original in his style, consisting of echoes of Howlin’ Wolf, a little Robert Johnson, and even That Little Ol’ Band From Texas, ZZ Top. But what attracts people to Steve and his music is the genuine nature of his personality, his original lyrics drawn from his life experience, along with a humility that is too seldom seen in today’s music scene.And lest you think that Steve’s style is just boogie blues check the following video and see his softer side.
There’s plenty more that can be found on the internet, but it would be best to start with his website,www.seasicksteve.com for news, forums and itinerary.
SEASICK STEVE, Check Out His Music!
