Stefan Grossman

by Richard Skelly
Guitarist, educator and historian Steffan Grossman was a student of acoustic blues and gospel singer/guitarist Rev. Gary Davis. Beginning when he was 15, Grossman studied with Davis on weekends, spending eight to ten hours at his house in Harlem, absorbing all he could. After studying with Davis for eight years in high school and college, he learned and studied with other country blues guitarists: Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Skip James, Mance Lipscomb and Fred McDowell. Other early influences for Grossman included Elizabeth Cotten, Sam McGee, Willie Brown and Charley Patton.
In the early 1960s, Grossman formed the Even Dozen Jug Band and worked with the political rock band the Fugs before moving to Great Britain. In 1968, he co-founded Kicking Mule Records with Ed Denson, a label that showcased idiosyncratic acoustic blues and folk guitar styles. The co-founders dissolved their partnership in the mid-1980s, but Kicking Mules catalog was purchased by Fantasy Records. Some of the vinyl sides have seen the light of day on compact disc.
From 1967 to the early 1980s, Grossman lived in Great Britain, where he carved a reputation on the European blues and folk festival circuit, playing with British-raised acoustic guitarists like John Renbourn and John Fahey.
Grossmans solo discography goes all the back to 1966, when he recorded How to Play Blues Guitar for Elektra Records. Since the early 1980s, when Grossman began a long relationship with Shanachie Records of Newton, NJ, he has toured infrequently, but recorded extensively. Recent albums include Northern Skies, Southern Blues (1997), as well as Love, Devils and the Blues (1992) Guitar Landscapes (1990) and Shining Shadows (1988) for the same label. Grossmans sessionography includes recordings with the Even Dozen Jug Band (which also included such future luminaries as John Sebastian, Maria Muldaur and David Grisman), as well as albums by Paul Simon, John Fahey, Charlie Musselwhite and Happy Traum. He also helped Shanachie launch their Guitar Artistry imprint series, which showcases such artists as himself, Renbourn and Traum.
Based in northwest New Jersey, Grossman concentrates his efforts these days on running his instructional video business, Vestapol Videos. His videos feature guitarists from Merle Travis and Chet Atkins to Dave Van Ronk and Brownie McGhee. He remains one of the worlds foremost authorities on acoustic blues guitar.