Stefan Grossman has been at this guitar thing for a while now. You might say he wrote the book on blues guitar—five volumes worth—the Oak Anthology of Blues Guitar. And his instructional LP, How to Play Blues Guitar, recorded in 1966 with his friend Rory Block, has inspired generations of guitarists. He’s released more than 70 albums, and his playing is clear, clean, and shimmering, as though the artist himself has disappeared and left only the music.
Born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens, schooled at the “Hoots” in Washington Square Park, with graduate study from the Reverend Gary Davis, Stefan traveled south in the 1960s and met such masters as Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Skip James, and Mississippi Fred McDowell. He learned from all of them and developed his own system of tablature to write down what he learned. In 1964, he and a few friends – including John Sebastian, Maria Muldaur, and David Grisman – formed the Even Dozen Jug Band. Soon after, he was playing with such future legends as Janis Joplin, Taj Mahal, and Eric Clapton, not to mention the Fugs. After several years in Europe, playing with John Renbourn, John Fahey, and many others, he returned to America and started his own company, Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop, which features instructional videos not only from Stefan himself, but also from such artists past and present as Chet Atkins, Larry Coryell, Merle Travis, Dave Von Ronk, and Brownie McGhee. Stephan is a guitar master whose musical roots go deep. Tonight’s your chance to hear him at the Freight.
Stefan Grossman has been at this guitar thing for a while now. You might say he wrote the book on blues guitar—five volumes worth—the Oak Anthology of Blues Guitar. And his instructional LP, How to Play Blues Guitar, recorded in 1966 with his friend Rory Block, has inspired generations of guitarists. He’s released more than 70 albums, and his playing is clear, clean, and shimmering, as though the artist himself has disappeared and left only the music.
