My brother and I did extensive research during the Pandemic to confirm that the Steve Mann online was our high school classmate and a close friend of my brother. Since my 2021 article ‘Discovering Steve Mann’, though not actively doing research, I have continued to encounter additional information and a number of other references about Steve. I have also had some time to reflect on some of the early conversations I had with Steve’s contemporaries which contributed to confirming his identity. And, importantly, this experience has opened up a whole new chapter in my life. It has transitioned into the story of how doing research on Steve has enriched my life immeasurably. I have become interested in the history and development of several music genres that are new to me including the many variations of the blues and associated performers. The fact that Steve was influenced by many of the early blues masters had especially piqued my curiosity to learn more about them. I have continued to make friends with numerous musicians on Facebook including several who knew and/or studied with Steve. One Facebook ‘like’ of a musician led to another and I now have forty friends who are musicians. I regularly communicate with several of them and am introduced to additional musicians on their Facebook feeds. In fact, most of my Facebook posts are music related. I have also become interested in the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund which is a Mississippi nonprofit dedicated to the memorialization of blues artists.

After learning online that the musician, Rolly Brown, was a friend and admirer of Steve, I connected with him on Facebook. The information he provided was key to confirming Steve’s identity. After becoming acquainted with Steve’s style of playing, Rolly studied and performed with him on two trips he made to Berkeley where Steve made a comeback for a few years in the 2000s. Rolly has great admiration for Steve and often plays songs that Steve made popular or that are inspired by Steve’s particular style of playing. Rolly even wrote a song honoring three of his musician friends, “Cherished Angels”, and Steve is one of them. I am friends with Rolly and we still share information on Steve and other topics. I am attaching a link to Rolly’s song, “Cherished Angels” and a link where Rolly tells about meeting Steve.

https://rollybrown.bandcamp.com/track/cherished-angels

I have learned so much from listening to Rolly Brown’s live Facebook/YouTube concerts which he titled “Curve Flattening Concerts” during the Pandemic. He initially performed four days each week – now two days. In fact on August 14, 2024 Rolly shared his 658th concert. Rolly is an outstanding acoustic guitarist — a National Finger Picking Champion. Besides sharing songs by numerous notable musicians, he regularly shares his original compositions – instrumentals and a varied selection of inspired songs – tributes, philosophic, sad, funny, dog related — you name it. He also shares information about the various guitars he plays and occasional tips for his guitar playing fans. On one concert he responded to a question I asked about how he decides which guitar to use for which song. He spent several minutes demonstrating this which was very informative. I have made friends with a number of regular followers of Rolly’s live events which has been another very welcome development. Another of Steve’s musician admirers, Frank Fotusky, who also studied and played with Steve in Berkeley, also frequently shares songs that Steve wrote and/or performed. In fact, during the Pandemic after we first connected on Facebook, he dedicated an entire show to Steve. He wore a shirt named after a company Steve formed before he passed in 2009 which was called ‘Mann Made’. And last, Rolly has formed his own group of followers called ‘Denizens’ which makes it very easy to communicate with his dedicated fans.

When Rolly shares songs, he typically shares about the writer, background of the song and the name of the artist that popularized the song. I have made notes of these artists and there are literally a couple hundred of them. Mainly due to Rolly’s introductions, I have become a fan of numerous musicians, songwriters and music genres I had never heard of as well as being reintroduced to those I had forgotten about. Rolly typically likes to share folk, blues, jazz, swing, bluegrass and original fingerstyle guitar. It has been especially interesting to learn about historical blues and folk artists. It’s almost unimaginable to think that I would never have known about so many iconic artists without having been introduced to them by Rolly. And without a doubt, listening to Rolly’s live weekly concerts was my saving grace during the Pandemic. So along with his many followers, I am forever appreciative of his friendship and generosity.

Becoming familiar with treasured musicians and songwriters such as those listed here has been amazing and inspiring – Roy Book Binder, Blind Blake, David Bromberg, Big Bill Broonzy, Bo Carter, Ry Cooder, John Costello, Elizabeth Cotton, Barbara Dane, Rev. Gary Davis, Guy Davis, Jeff Deitchman, Tommy Emmanuel, Freyda Epstein, Nanci Griffith, Woodie Guthrie, Bert Jansch, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Johnson, Carl Jones, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, Mance Lipscomb, David Massingill, Jack McGann, Murray McLaughlan, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, John Prine, Willis Allen Ramsey, Tom Rush, Bill Staines, Dave Van Ronk, Townes van Zandt, Tom Waits, Tim Wallace, Doc Watson, Jimmy Webb, Josh White, Kate Wolf, Warren Zevon. The list goes on. Any time I choose, I can request that Amazon Alexa play songs by these artists which can add immediate joy to my day. And now I find that one of my favorite topics of conversation is learning about favorite artists and genres of friends and family. And last — I play selected musicians on my iPhone on my daily walks. And sometimes I can’t stop myself from dancing.

I became aware of the Greenwich Folk Festival through the recommendation of several musicians. This organization was formed to honor the music and legacy of the Village’s music. There is a live stream concert on the first Sunday of every month featuring primarily folk artists. And this has added to my appreciation of folk music and especially current artists.

I am now a dedicated fan of Hot Tuna and its two musicians – Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady who both knew Steve. Jorma Kaukonen and Steve in particular were friends and to this day Jorma admires Steve’s unique style of playing. He is one of two musicians that Jorma feels are underappreciated. The other is Ian Buchanan who was one of Jorma’s first guitar teachers.

During the Pandemic, Jorma streamed free weekly live Quarantine Concerts from his concert and guitar workshop venue, Fur Peace Ranch, in Ohio where he and his wife, Vanessa, lived. For the most part Jorma performed solo and on occasion with Jack Casady, John Hurlbut and a few other musicians. He answered a couple of questions each week and mine were chosen on his 44th Quarantine Concert performed on April 3, 2021. I was honored that he answered two questions I asked about Steve based on statements in his autobiography Been So Long. I asked what Jorma meant when he said that Steve was way ahead of his time and that no one played like him. I also asked about the background of the song “Mann’s Fate” which was inspired by Steve’s style of playing. (It was amusing that he began this concert with another reference to Steve.)

Quarantine Concert #44 – Live from Fur Peace Ranch – April 3, 2021

Jorma and Vanessa Kaukonen

5–4–3–2–1

Vanessa: Hey, hey, hey everyone. Welcome to #44 in our Quarantine Concert Series.

Jorma: 44

Vanessa: Yeah – Matching fours. Got to mean something.

Jorma: Reminds me of that Steve Mann song – “Wore my 44 so long it made my shoulder sore. When I can do what I want to, I won’t have to wear that 44 no more.”

Vanessa: Hold on to that thought. I may ask you to recall that a little bit later in the show. Welcome everyone. Thanks so much for tuning in for the last 44 weeks. If you are just tuning in, this is a free livestream. And you already know that because you don’t have to pay anyone to log on and see us.

Would you like a question?

Jorma: Of course.

Vanessa: Since you brought up Steve Mann, we have a really good question here from Charlotte Cantrell.

“I noted the references in Jorma’s book about Steve Mann with great interest. He mentioned that no one played like Steve and that he was way ahead of his time. Could Jorma describe more about these statements and what in particular made Steve’s playing stand out.”

Now hold on. There’s a second part if you can remember.

Jorma: Part A

“With reference to “Mann’s Fate,” Jorma mentions that the title was a play on words from the book Man’s Fate, by Andre Malraux and the signature tag lick was inspired by some of Steve’s playing. But was this entire song in fact meant to be a tribute to Steve? I have read different versions of this so I just thought I would just ask Jorma to clarify, please.”

Jorma: Wow

So you’re going to talk about why he was way ahead of his time and then you are going to talk about “Mann’s Fate.”

Jorma: Got it.

Vanessa: Thank you, Charlotte.

Jorma: Yes indeed. A good question.

So first of all, for guitar playing, the bar has been raised so much you know in the past half or century or so. No big surprise. That was supposed to happen. But back in 1962 or 1963 when I met Steve, there were a lot of the guys that we considered to be “The Masters” that were still alive back then playing fingerstyle guitar – Reverend Gary Davis, Brownie McGhee. There were a number of the great guys that were still alive back then. And that was their world. But of the younger generation, of  my generation, you know, I was just pretty much just a neophyte back then. When I met Steve I had only been fingerpicking like for a year and a half – maybe two years, you know. When I cut those tapes with Janis, that was right around that time also. So in any case, I was at the beginning of learning what was happening with the guitar. So Steve was a real interesting guy. He studied classical guitar. He knew a lot about stuff. He also read. He and Mac Rebennack – often better known as Dr. John – were doing a lot of sessions together. Steve plays the 12-string guitar on Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe.” Mac did all those organ parts for Captain and Tennille – all that stuff. They were part of that ’Session Mafia’ down there in those days. So Steve came up to San Jose and David Freiberg brought him by my house. David Freiberg is another one of the guys from back then. He’s playing with the Starship today. Anyway – so Steve and I hit it off immediately. Steve was doing stuff probably because of his classical training. He was doing things like – one of his flagship pieces back then was “Ray Charles Drown in My Own Tears” where he played all the band parts — where he approached it from a classical point of view and just wound up doing an arrangement. Now there are other people that can do that today, Mary Flower, a fabulous guitar player. She can do that stuff too and she’s carried it a step away. But back in those days – SORRY — nobody was doing that. There were a lot of great guitar players but nobody was doing that. And so if you get a chance and you want to know what Steve was really up to, you can probably do this on YouTube. I recently actually just found sort of a rare CD and an original vinyl of this —  Steve Mann Live at the Ash Grove. It’s kind of hard to find. It’s probably on YouTube. Who knows? Check it out and you’ll see what I mean. The other thing too is – Steve also – we’re going to gig out here a little. I’m a three- finger picker. I have picks on these two fingers and a thumb pick on this finger. And those are the only fingers I use to play. Steve played with all five of the fingers of his hand most of the time. You need to listen to his version of “Brother Can You Spare a Dime” because that’s what inspired me and Barry to work out our version of that. So in any case, like I said, he was just a masterful player in an era where the younger white guys weren’t able to do that kind of stuff. Yes, there were a lot of great session players, a lot of great rock players, a lot of great jazz players. But fingerstyle picking, in my opinion, had not yet reached that level. Ian Buchanan, of course, was a masterful player too but Steve was so sophisticated with his harmonic stuff. So that was that. So yeah, he was a really interesting guy. So he did a lot of odd stuff that is really pretty much impossible for me to replicate. Again, there are people today that can do that. Like my friend, Jim Steinke, who lives in Northern California. We went to Santa Clara together. He is a great guy that can teach that Steve Mann stuff because he knows how it is all done and he can play it.

In any case, so in “Mann’s Fate”… First of all, I love that title. I love borrowing the title from the French book. But that one lick …  (See link to “Mann’s Fate” below.) So that’s a Jorma lick but it’s inspired by a Steve thing. Keep in mind when Steve was playing a guitar it looked like a spider attacking the strings.  For me – because I’ve got a thumb pick – my thumb is here — but Steve didn’t wear a thumb pick so his hand came in like this and he had  nails. Very interesting stuff. Unfortunately, he had something of a tragic life but you know you got to check out his music, Live at the Ash Grove, if you can find a copy. Straight Life produced by Dick Rosmini, another one of these great 12 string guitar players and session players out of L.A. that very few people know about today. “Cow Boogie” – there’s a couple things. But you have to have Steve Mann Live at the Ash Grove and you will see what I am talking about. The other thing too was is that in an era when if somebody was going to do like a Ray Charles song — that they would make an effort to stylize – if they could sing that well – to stylize their delivery the way that Ray did it… Steve always from the very beginning – he sounded like Steve. He was a great singer He never imitated anybody. He was awesome. Check him out. Good question.

Vanessa: That was a good question and you are a wealth of information.

Jorma: A veritable fount.

Vanessa: Yes. Thank you.

Jorma: Whew! That was exhausting.

Vanessa: John — Thanks for forwarding that question to me. And that was a last-minute question. So I had already had some picked. So I bumped that one up to the top of the list.

Jorma: That was a good one.

Vanessa: Thank you again, Charlotte.

Jorma: Yep Steve’s gone. Mack’s gone. Time is marching on. Anyway.

“Mann’s Fate”

Jorma’s graphic description of Steve’s original playing style is invaluable from someone who knew him and his era well. The fact that Jorma still continues to describe Steve as ‘awesome’ says a lot. I hope his comments get a wider distribution because they explain so well what made Steve such an unparalleled performer. Side note: I think Jack Casady’s fingerstyle could also be described as spiderlike but with more of a gentle approach.

After listening to the Quarantine Concerts, I found that I thoroughly enjoyed Jorma’s individual performances and style of music as well as those of Hot Tuna. Hot Tuna was formed by Jorma and Jack Casady in the 60’s during the psychedelic era and they are the only official members of the band. Jorma was also a founding member of Jefferson Airplane and Jack Casady had been recruited to play with the band. Jorma and Jack formed Hot Tuna in 1969-70 as a spinoff project while still playing with Jefferson Airplane. Hot Tuna continued to perform amid the gradual dissolution of Jefferson Airplane but broke up in 1978. They reunited in 1986 and have been performing ever since. I was delighted to be able to attend two Hot Tuna concerts in California in 2022 – the first at the Lobero in Santa Barbara and the second at McCabe’s in Santa Monica. This was the beginning an expanded interest in attending live concerts other than classical which had been my previous practice. Although Fur Peace Ranch has recently closed, I still hope to travel to Ohio to hear Hot Tuna perform. And fortunately, I saw Hot Tuna again in Santa Barbara this September. And as for me, I have decided that it is never too late to become a Hot Tuna fan.

I also became a big fan of Jorma’s online Fur Peace Ranch store which recently closed along with Fur Peach Ranch. My favorite purchases include Jorma’s autobiography, Been So Long , and the Hot Tuna poster, ‘Release the Krakan’ signed by Jorma.

Jorma Kaukonen has his own blog, Cracks in the Finish, which I find to be interesting and inspiring. Jorma is a very thoughtful writer. Along with other fans, I would characterize him as a philosopher. On occasion he shares memories of Steve.

In addition to Hot Tuna, I have attended concerts in the Los Angeles area to hear The Ash Grove Alumni, Ruthann Friedmann, Hot Tuna, Taj Mahal, Tom Paxton and the Don Juans, Tom Rush and Matt Nakoa. (Matt Nakoa is an award-winning songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist.) And Taj Mahal played harmonica and banjo on Straight Life, Steve’s only studio album. At the Tom Rush concert at McCabe’s, Tom had a ‘Meet and Greet’ afterwards. I got to speak to him and take a selfie of both of us. Subsequently I subscribed to his weekly videos, Rockport Sundays  in which he generally performs one or two songs either by himself or with guests. Something I really like about these concerts is the friendliness of the audience which is in contrast to audiences at more formal concerts such as symphonies. A recent example that Guy Davis shared is a memory of musicians like Pete Seeger going into a room of strangers who end up singing together and becoming friends at the end of a concert.

Among other venues I would like to visit are the Troubadour in Los Angeles where Steve frequently performed and Freight and Salvage in Berkeley which hosts multiple folk musicians. I recently read that Steve and Will Scarlett performed at Freight and Salvage in 2004. And Steve performed along with Will Scarlett and Frank Fotusky at the Epic Arts Studios in Berkeley in 2005. In addition to Steve’s individual performances, he was also well known as a session guitarist. And he was known to compose songs while working as a session guitarist.

I am known to tell Steve’s story to anyone who will listen. (Don’t sit by me if you don’t want to hear it.) 🤣 My friends and family have heard his story and it has been interesting to share it with musicians and attendees at concerts. I have also sent unsolicited song links to virtually all my friends and family. I met a musician at the Santa Barbara Hot Tuna concert, Vlad Fedo. His band is SpiralEye Electric and they only play Hot Tuna Songs. He told me that the only song his band does not play is the Hot Tuna song “Mann’s Fate”. He said it is a very difficult song to play. We talked about Steve and how his style of playing influenced the song. He did not know much about Steve and was quite interested. So I sent him my original story and document of references about Steve.

I attended a very interesting concert by the Ash Grove Alumni at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena in 2022. Most members of this group were performers back in the day at the Ash Grove, the venue said to have put folk music on the map. Steve was a frequent performer there so after the performance, I asked two of the performers if they remembered Steve. Steve Moos responded immediately with this description, “Oh you mean the fellow who was an incredible acoustic guitarist with those long fingers?” That was definitely a description of Steve. Wendy Waldman who also performed frequently at the Ash Grove said she also remembered Steve.

I am currently beginning to study about the history of the blues. There is so much to learn which thankfully is covered by many books and recordings. I am especially interested in understanding the characteristics of various blues genres such as Country blues, Chicago blues, Delta blues, Piedmont blues, Rhythm and Blues, etc. Steve mentioned that he studied and learned to replicate blues songs by listening to recordings on the Harry Smith Folkways Collection released in 1952 and from Chicago/The Blues/Today! released in 1966. I am sure it would be educational to listen to these recordings as well.

Two books that have found to be been especially informative with some links to Steve are:

Say No to the Devil – The Life and Musical Genius of Rev. Gary Davis by Ian Zach

Rev. Gary Davis influenced countless blues players and singers including Steve. Steve mentioned on a recording that he saw Rev. Gary Davis at the UCLA Folk Festival and frequently at the Ash Grove. According to an interview of Steve by Rolly Brown and dear friend, Janet Smith, in Berkeley, Janet referred to Steve as having made a Gary Davis album and suggested Steve record another one. Unfortunately, the album Janet Smith referred to is not available today.

Been So Long – My Life and Music by Jorma Kaukonen

An outstanding and interesting autobiography by Jorma in which Jorma refers to his experiences and memories of Steve a few times.

My research spiked an interest in the San Francisco psychedelic area and I found a book which expands on the era — Long Time Gone Sixties America Then and Now – Edited by Alexander Bloom. Steve is mentioned in a chapter by Barry Melton, Country Joe and the Fish, entitled ‘Life in the Counterculture’.

“ I can almost hear the singing and solo guitar music of the young Ry Cooder, David Crosby, Jim McGuinn, Steve Mann, Taj Mahal, Michael Willhelm, and the many other fine young Hollywood folk musicians of the time.

It was heartwarming to connect with individuals who knew and appreciated Steve. My very first contact was Leda Shapiro. She and her husband, Steve, own the company FolkWorks. I had located a few fascinating stories about Steve on their website. So I contacted Leda to see if she had additional information after I learned that Steve had passed away. She referred me to Barry Smiler, a FolkWorks writer and former musician. Through Barry’s referrals, I connected with several other musicians who knew Steve personally. After I inquired about posting a story on FolkWorks about Steve, Leda and Steve scheduled a Zoom call with me. And subsequently I became a ‘Content Contributor’ when I posted my initial Steve Mann story, ‘Discovering Steve Mann’, on the FolkWorks site.

The initial contacts I connected with who knew and/or performed with Steve has expanded. These contacts included: Ross Altman, Rolly Brown, Frank Fotusky, Mike Perlowin, Mark Salerno, Will Scarlett, Leda and Steve Shapiro (FolkWorks), Barry Smiler, Janet Smith, Elijah Wald and Stefan Wirz. All of these individuals responded immediately to my request to connect with them about Steve. In fact, Mike Perlowin called me back the same day he was released from the hospital after experiencing a heart attack in 2020. Mike had a significant influence in Steve’s life. Besides being a major supporter of Steve and his music, he helped take care of Steve when he was homeless. Mike disclosed this to me in one of our conversations. Unfortunately, Mike passed away from another heart attack in 2021.

Will Scarlett is described as a pioneering harmonica player and is known for discovering and popularizing the technique of overblowing  He was a close friend of Steve’s and one of the first musicians I connected with. He said he and Steve were friends and collaborators for 42 years and he considered Steve to be his mentor. When he initially told me this, I replied that I thought he had that backwards. But he said no — that Steve was indeed his mentor and friend for all those years. And Will was instrumental in having a mutual friend bring Steve up to Berkeley in the 2000s partly so he and Steve could perform together. Will Scarlett told me he got Steve out of Napa State Hospital and arranged to have him transferred to a halfway house. He recalled one piece of advice from Steve for musicians trying to replicate early classic artists, “Always go to the original.” Will recently called me to check in and I filled him in on my latest research on Steve. I mentioned I had joined the harmonica group SPAH to learn more about this form of music. SPAH stands for Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica. My father was a self-taught harmonica player which sparked my interest in learning more about harmonica playing. Will has been a member of SPAH for many years. I have paid more attention to current and historic harmonica players since connecting with Will including DeFord Bailey, Jason Ricci, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson and others.

Another dedicated friend of Steve’s was Mark Salerno. He studied hundreds of hours with Steve and they played together in multiple venues. According to another close friend of Steve, Henry Spiegel, Mark was the ultimate player of Steve’s songs.

Rolly Brown was able to put me in touch with Janet Smith. She was a close friend of Steve’s and through her company Bella Roma Music, she produced three CDs of Steve’s songs: Straight Life, Steve Mann Live at the Ash Grove and Steve Mann Alive and Pickin’. She also developed and maintained a website dedicated to Steve which is no longer functioning. Additionally, she transported Steve to open mikes and various medical appointments when he made his comeback in Berkeley in the 2000s. She and Steve wrote and played songs together. One of their more popular songs is “Daemon Lover Variations” which is recorded on the album Imaginational Anthem. In my conversations with Janet, she did not take any credit for the support she provided Steve. The truth is that she was a significant supporter and loyal friend who likely contributed to extending Steve’s life. She sent me a photo of Steve playing his original song, “Holly”, in her house. She also shared an amusing description of the cover of the CD Steve Mann Alive and Pickin’. Note: Janet no longer performs as she is now living in a senior facility. She is an excellent songwriter, singer and guitar player in her own right.

“I do remember designing the cover for Steve Mann Alive and Pickin’ with his hand sticking out of the sound hole on my guitar. That picture was taken in front of the French Hotel. Steve looks really happy and smiling in that picture.”

Another admirer of Steve is Ross Altman. He has written stories on the FolkWorks website about Steve. When I contacted him, he was very open about his admiration of Steve. I asked him about his opinion of establishing a website for Steve since the one managed by Janet Smith was no longer functioning. This was his response.

“What I am able to do is basically in line with things I have already done–write essays on Steve’s artistry–which is of the highest order. As you can tell from the reviews and obituary I have already written I loved him and continue to be very moved by his story. He was a major American artist and musician–well deserving of your efforts to have him recognized as a notable alumnus of your high school.”

Links to FolkWorks stories by Ross Altman and Barry Smiler are listed below. Both writers are highly complimentary.

https://folkworks.org/milestone/steve-mann-rip/

https://folkworks.org/review/steve-mann-alive-and-pickin   

https://folkworks.org/review/steve-mann-straight-life/

My idea to launch a new website for Steve was not practical. I did reach out to Polytechnic High School to request that Steve be added as a ‘Noted Alumni’. Unfortunately, Polytechnic does not maintain such a list. So I am planning to add Steve on the ‘Notable Alumni’ list on Wikipedia’s listing of Polytechnic High School graduates.

I recently checked in with Joe Mackessy who was a close friend as well as a student of Steve’s in the last year or so of Steve’s life. He had heard about Steve from Paul Geremia and when Joe moved to the West Coast, he contacted Janet Smith and began lessons with Steve. To this day, Joe feels that he is one of the luckiest people on earth to have known Steve and to have had the opportunity to study guitar with him. When Steve passed, his sister, Devorah, gave Joe Steve’s Martin guitar. In a Facebook post dated August 6, 2020, Joe describes Steve’s brilliance in spite of the aftereffects of his mental health diagnosis.

August 6, 2020

Today I restrung the old Martin guitar that used to belong to Steve Mann. I was lucky to know Steve for a year or so, and in that time he taught me a lot on the guitar that I’ll always be grateful for.

The first time I met Steve in Berkeley for a guitar lesson I asked him to teach me the lick from the Hot Tuna song “Mann’s Fate” from the famous live album. He looked at me kind of puzzled. “What’s that?” He asked.

“You know, the song Jorma named after you.” “What? Play it for me.”

I went into the riffs of the song that I had figured out when it clicked in his mind, and Steve ripped out the hook run of the song so seamlessly and funky that my jaw dropped. It was effortless, still there in his memory some 40 years later. I’ve seen other people play that song, but I’ve never seen anybody play that riff as flawlessly as Steve could. Steve had a full five finger attack with his right hand, and he never played anything the same exact way twice. Steve was a patient and kind teacher, and most of the time I knew him he would play the same progressions (but always in new and creative ways). Every once in a while he would play something I’d never heard before, and one morning I heard him play something that was just out of this world from another plane of existence. I was preparing tea, and he was noodling with the 12 string when he went into it.

“What was that Steve?” I asked. “What was what?”

“That song you played earlier.”

Steve couldn’t remember it. His genius was like that when I knew him. It was in pockets of his memory that would resurface at various times and if you weren’t there to hear it you missed it. Back in the 60’s his genius was there all the time. He was an encyclopedia of roots music, he could rip out an old Joseph Spence song as easily as he could play a Ray Charles number or a Pete Seeger number. I once asked him about who some of his early heroes were. He mentioned Dick Rosmini and Hoyt Axton as being influential to him. His influences were varied and he synthesized all of them into his own style. Some additional connections I have made on Facebook who knew or played with Steve are: Roy Book Binder, David Bromberg, Ry Cooder, Erik Frandsen, Barry Melton and Henry Spiegel.

Recently, Erik Frandsen sent me a Facebook message that he was the one who took two photos that I included in the story, “Discovering Steve Mann”, posted in 2022 on the FolkWorks website. The photos he took were of Steve Mann and David Bromberg performing in Marin County and of Steve holding a copy of the San Francisco Chronicle article, “I Was a Hippie”. (According to Rolly Brown, Erik was responsible for connecting Steve and David Bromberg.) Erik is also known for saying that the best way to learn a new song was to teach a song to Steve Mann and then steal it. He also recently referred to Steve in his Facebook post of Lil’ Son Jackson’s “Roberta Blues” dated July 23, 2023. “Here’s Lil’ Son Jackson’s “Roberta Blues.” As the late, great Steve Mann often said, “This is a great lyric, actually …”

Paul Geremia is a lifetime dedicated fan known for his version of Steve’s original song “Holly”. He stated in a 1990 concert in Cosenza, Italy that he considered Steve to be one of the most influential American guitar players of the last twenty or so years. Rolly Brown noted that although Paul put his own stamp on the songs he played at the concert, he could see Steve’s ‘footprints’ all over them. Paul is currently in a care facility in Providence, R.I. after having experienced a stroke in 2014. I recently sent him all the articles I have written on Steve to date.

Although I have not had the opportunity to connect with Stefan Grossman, he is among Steve’s most loyal friends and followers. Stefan is a well-known American acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and singer, music producer and educator and co-founder of Kicking Mule records. He is especially known for his instructional videos. He describes Steve as a “dear friend and a great guitarist from California who had a dynamic and original approach to fingerstyle guitar.” The instrumental song “Blues for the Mann” is the title song of his CD Blues for the Mann and a tribute to Steve. The song combines ideas and licks from Steve’s playing with blues phrases from the playing of Robert Johnson, Son House, Tommy Johnson and other Delta players. Janet Smith states in a United Mutations article that Stefan sent Steve CDs, videos and DVDs over the years when Steve was hospitalized and living in board and care half-way houses. And that says everything about his friendship, loyalty and admiration of Steve.

An interesting development is my connection with Ruthann Friedman who was a close friend of Steve. I have had the pleasure of attending a several of her concerts in the Los Angeles area which I totally enjoyed. Most recently I heard her perform with her band in Pasadena at the concert venue ‘Healing Force of the Universe’ which was incredible. Ruthann is a talented musician described online as a singer-songwriter of contemporary and psychedelic folk. Although most well-known for writing the song “Windy”, she has produced several highly regarded LPs and CDs. She and Steve Mann were good friends and Ruthann continues to honor many memories of their friendship. And Ruthann continues to have many dedicated fans and is an important musician going back to the ’60s.

While doing research I had the opportunity to speak with one of Steve’s closest friends, Robert Loveless. Steve, Robert and I were in the same graduating class at Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley. Steve and Robert connected at Sun Valley Junior High through their mutual interest in chess. My brother had also become a close friend of Steve’s beginning at Sun Valley Junior High although he graduated two years earlier than Steve at Polytechnic High School. It took us several weeks to convince Robert that the Steve online was his best friend. Robert had never heard Steve play the guitar although he later heard that Steve was a folk music artist. He commented that after Steve dropped out of college, he observed the beginning signs of brain dysfunction eventually leading to Steve’s diagnosis of schizophrenia. In spite of this, Steve continued to study and learn from recordings of blues masters, write songs and perform in multiple venues. Robert commented that Steve was always kind and considerate in his interactions with friends and colleagues.

As most followers of Steve know, Steve was diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent time in Camarillo State Mental Hospital and later at a number of board and care facilities. Mike Perlowin stated that at one time doctors at Camarillo thought it might be therapeutic for Steve to jam with some of his guitarist friends. So several musicians did visit Steve and tried to play with him. But Mike stated it didn’t work. Steve would play some amazing lick and then rapidly recede into his mental disorder. According to Mike, he along with Tom Horsky and Mark Salerno visited Steve at Camarillo. And per several sources on the Web, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady also visited Steve at the hospital. Mike stated that musicians who visited Steve actually recorded some of Steve’s licks which they used in their songs. Hot Tuna released the song “Mann’s Fate” in 1970 as a tribute to Steve’s style of playing. The main lick was Jorma’s but it was inspired by a Steve Mann lick. It is encouraging to note that when Steve made his comeback in the 2000s, per Rolly Brown who visited and played with him, his memory of musicians, songs and their back stories was almost encyclopedic. He also continued to be a talented chess player. This was more than amazing after all he had been through including ECT treatments.

Mike Perlowin said that he was responsible for getting the original tapes from Steve’s performance at the Ash Grove which were later made into the Steve Mann Live at the Ash Grove LP. Per Mark Salerno, he first had the tapes for a few years and then gave them to Henry Spiegel. Initially Mike Perlowin stated in this exact quote, “I went to the Pleasure Fair in Ventura and saw a man playing some Blind Blake tunes on a guitar that used to belong to me. This man was Henry Spiegel and he was a major drug addict at the time. He had a dog with him. He had tapes from the Ash Grove. I broke into his house to get the tapes – made a copy and then returned the originals. Subsequently, Rick Smith put up the money to turn the Ash Grove tapes into the LP.” Rick subsequently wrote a highly complimentary tribute in the accompanying liner notes. And Mike stated, “This is the record that will give Steve the immortality that he wanted. And in his more lucid moments, he was aware of it.”

It turns out that Henry Spiegel was a very important person in Steve’s life. He recovered from his drug use and has owned a drug recovery home in West Hollywood for many years. According to Mark Salerno, Steve lived with Henry in the ‘60s and early ‘70s and Henry took care of him 24/7. Henry also occasionally booked engagements and drove him to and from gigs according to the liner notes of Alive and Pickin’. I spoke to Henry in 2023 and he told me he had been sober for 47 years. He said that Mike’s story about the Steve Mann Live at the Ash Grove LP was accurate except Mike did not return the original tapes. So two different versions of this story.

Side Note: I was able to get a copy of the magazine Guitar Player, March 1977, Volume 11, Number 3 that makes reference to Steve’s LP Steve Mann Live at the Ash Grove. This brief article is said to have been the incentive for the LP’s popularity. (This particular issue also has an interesting article about the opening of McCabe’s.)

Most of the contemporary musicians of Steve that I connected with have said that he did more for them than they did for him. Although Steve was not known to be particularly sociable in high school, this changed during his life as a musician. I have read multiple times that he introduced many musicians to each other. He also was described as an outstanding guitar teacher. Although some of Steve’s musician associates were taken aback by his early drug use; nonetheless, there appears to be universal appreciation and reverence for his musicianship. It is heartening to see that Steve is remembered by colleagues and friends with annual postings on Facebook on the dates of his birth and death.

Because Steve is mentioned numerous times on the internet and in several books and is remembered fondly today by multiple musicians, it seems that his legacy is secured which is a comforting thought. And the online discography prepared by Stefan Wirz is an incredible reference of his entire career. Most interestingly, I recently learned that Steve was the incentive for Stefan to initiate this discography.

“Since Steve Mann’s obvious obscurity (which I felt was a shame for the whole internet) originally started my discography building craze … it’s my pleasure to announce the upcoming release of the first CD containing nothing but Steve Mann on vocals and guitar (plus a few Janis Joplin vocals) on the Bella Roma label. The CD will be out mid-June 2005.” Stefan Wirz, Mudcat Café, January 4, 2004 (The CD he referred to is Steve Mann Alive and Pickin’.)

Note: Stefan has recently added additional information to Steve’s discography. www.wirz.de/music/mann_st.htm

A new development is that I am in touch with Steve’s brother, James. Recently he accepted a friend request I made on Facebook that appeared to be Steve’s brother. And now my brother who was a close friend and I are in touch with him and hope to learn more about his memories of Steve and family history that he is comfortable sharing.

I recently learned that Steve’s sister and James’ twin, Devorah, passed away in 2021. My brother, Ken, Robert Lovelace and I had tried to reach her when we started our research. Ken had located her in Arizona. Subsequently, I sent her a few letters but did not hear back. So unfortunately we did not get to connect. On the liner notes of Steve Mann Alive and Pickin’, Janet Smith mentions Devorah’s support of Steve. “To Steve’s younger sister Devorah, whose cards and gifts to her big brother through the years have been a source of sunshine on many a grey day – big hugs and thank you’s.”

On a whim, I recently looked up ‘Steve Mann Performing at the Ash Grove’. And surprisingly, an amazing recording showed up. Steve is very chatty on this recording and in my opinion his performance rivals those on the recording Steve Mann Live at the Ash Grove. I would be interested in what his musician friends think of this recording.

www.wolfgangs.com/music/steve-mann/audio/20053286-8895.html?tid=4849728

There are multiple posts by many admirers of Steve but I think this one by Janet Smith sums it up, “He was beloved and admired both as a gentle soul and as a world class musician.”

To conclude, learning about Steve’s life story has been a rewarding and life changing experience. I continue to be drawn to his life story – how he became a highly talented original instrumentalist, songwriter and performer within just a handful of years. It was truly a thrilling discovery when not a single fellow high school classmate had a clue of his incredible talent and unique musical accomplishments. It is encouraging to know that he continues to have many dedicated followers to this day. In addition to appreciating Steve and his music, I am grateful for being introduced to so many talented musicians and music genres that will continue to enrich my life. My life will never be the same — and this is definitely a good thing.

Charlotte Cantrell – September 30, 2024