Seasick Steve: Tales of a Travellin' Man

by Matthew Wright

Until New Year's Eve, 2006, former hobo Steven Gene Wold, a 65-year-old blues musician, playing a beat-up, three-string guitar (aka The Three-String Trance Wonder, or "the biggest piece of shit in the world") and stomping on a wooden box with a Mississippi motorcycle plate stuck on, was hardly known outside his tiny community of fans. A performance before on Jools Holland's New Year's Even special projected Seasick Steve into the big league. Dog House Music sold out overnight, and 2008 brought his major label debut. Behind this unique performer's rise is 65 years of fascinating life story: he left a violent home at 13, and his professional career only began after decades on the road. He learned from blues legend KC Douglas in his grandfather's garage. Part of Steve, the hollerin', stompin' blues, and the gorgeous homemade guitars is magical musical history. But he's also a modern, versatile musician, who has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, and Kurt Cobain.

Genres: Biography, Music

288 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2016

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Barry Avis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book about the 'real' history of Seasick Steve. The book was not completed with the help of Steve and although the author appears to be a Seasick Steve fan it nonetheless debuncts the whole Seasick Steve back story of him being a hobo travelling the trains of the US and shows that Steve has created a character just as Bowie did with the Starman. The book quotes some good sources that are publicly available and also people from his past including one of his somewhat estranged sons. My only negative with the book is that it jumps a little backwards and forwards chronologically and so repeats sections several times (at one point I thought I had put my page mark in the wrong place and was rereading a chapter).
If you are a fan of Steves' music (as I am) this shouldn't really change that but if you bought into the whole hobo history then this will cause you to rethink.
If the book is 100% accurate (and I haven't seen that Steve has sued Matthew Wright so that should tell you something) then I am just surprised that Steve doesn't just admit that it is a character. Don't think it would affect his sales - surely most people just couldn't care less.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't say I'm a fan of Seasick Steve, nor of this biography. I only picked this book off the library shelf out of curiosity. Having perused this artists catalogue on Spotify, I struggled to pick out any highlights of note. Yet, I do have many great blues recordings in my collection and attended the tour of the 'American Folk Blues Festival' in 1968 at age fifteen.
I have some sympathy for author Mathew Wright's difficulty in assembling some chronological form to what is described as 'He appears to feel highly sensitive about topics that others cheerfully discuss openly, and so has wrapped himself in amnesiac hobo cotton wool.' It can also be described as BS!
However, even Wright gets confused on p22 with, 'he has led a settled, even conventional, family life, first in Tennessee, then Olympia, Washington, DC'
Certainly it isn't the first musician to invent imaginative aspects to a life story. Bob Dylan also produced a 'travellin' man' persona in early press interviews in 1962 for one example. Seasick Steve has loaded the hobo, riding the rails and associations with Hendrix, Joplin, Beach Boys, Joni Mitchell et al that I found nauseous. More incredulity when Mr Wright asks, 'is there a live entertainer to match him?' I think he needs to get out more!
Two stars, and I'm being generous.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poor and boring , although obviously researched didn’t hold me
Too much hear say not and guess work , not enough interviews with people who actually worked or really knew him to get a true picture

[NIKITA ALLAN · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well researched but no new interviews from those that know him. Didn't hold me enough to finish it after 130 pages. Complete guesswork.

[Edwin Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting (if unexpected) life story that’s unfortunately ruined by conjecture and bad writing.

[Pete · Rating 2 out of 5]

annoyingly poor, all third-hand accounts and guesswork, repetitive filler.. it did inspire me to write this review though which I don't usually do!

[John Simes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject is truly fascinating. Steven Gene Wold burst on to the music scene in Jools Holland's Hootenanny. The story of his earliest days in LA playing with all the music greats and his extraordinary life - including as a paramedic - and relationships, moving to Norway and now residing in Cornwall. Matthew Wright had no co-operation from the great man in making the book but did talk to his son and many other musicians. Despite the awkwardness of Wright's written style, it is a worthwhile and revealing journey that will take you to the unexpected. Having seen him play live three times, Wright's verdict on Wold's exceptional and versatile talent cannot be challenged.

[Steve Chilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good account of a musician who appeared on the scene recently but who seems to have a disputed past. Did he 'develop' the stories about his upbringing for musical advancement? It seems from other sources that parts of his life has been expanded and coloured slightly but as an introduction it is not a bad read, that you need to take as it is given really.

[joker enigma · Rating 5 out of 5]

in my opinion is one of the best stories and I read , I recommend it to anyone who wants to read something amazing