S – is for Seasick Steve

Saturday 19th November

Authenticity is a rare commodity, but it would seem that Seasick Steve is a completely authentic person.  He was apparently discovered in his native America playing in some run-down bar joint and brought over, almost a novelty act, to Glastonbury about ten year ago.  Well, he went down a storm with his very basic rock and country blues and was snapped up and has made a few records since.  And even now I am not sure he is not a record company construct, but he sounds completely genuine.

He was a hobo, a wandering itinerant for many years, poorly educated, often imprisoned for vagrancy and quite a character.  His records are quickly recorded, mostly just with him on guitar, often a basic electric model, nothin’ fancy,  just basic 4 bar blues and country rock, very tex-mex.  He intersperses these basic and sometimes very funny songs about life on the road, or critters, or dogs or being poor – with tales of sleeping behind food stores and eating the food which Supermarkets throw out as out of date.  He tends to ramble, which somehow suits the records anyway.  His first record was called ‘I started out with nothin’ and I still got most of it left’.  I don’t buy everything he puts out, a new record each year, but I have a handful – which actually is enough, they aren’t that different from each other, but they do sound authentic at least.

I am not recommending him at all, but you can look him up on Youtube if you are mildly curious….