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Guitarist, educator, and historian
Stefan 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 '60s,
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-'80s, but Kicking Mule's 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 '80s,
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.
Grossman's solo discography goes all the way back to 1966, when he recorded
How to Play Blues Guitar for Elektra Records; his sessionography also 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. In the early '80s,
Grossman began a long relationship with Shanachie Records of Newton, NJ, recording extensively and issuing such albums as
Shining Shadows (1988),
Guitar Landscapes (1990),
Love, Devils & the Blues (1992), Northern Skies, Southern Blues (1997), and
Shake That Thing: Fingerpicking Country Blues (1998) for the label. He also helped Shanachie launch their Guitar Artistry imprint series, showcasing such artists as himself,
Renbourn, and
Traum. While based in northwest New Jersey,
Grossman toured infrequently and concentrated his efforts on running his Vestapol instructional video business, releasing videos (many of which are now available on DVD) by guitarists ranging from
Merle Travis and
Chet Atkins to
Dave Van Ronk and
Brownie McGhee.
During the 2000s,
Grossman could be found recording in duo and trio settings (2007’s
Bermuda Triangle Exit with
Tokio Uchida and
Played a Little Fiddle with
Danny Kalb and
Steve Katz) and releasing the results on his Guitar Workshop label -- which also issued albums by the likes of
Davy Graham,
Happy Traum, and
David Laibman as well as archival recordings and a number of various-artist collections. In 2006 he began touring once again, making appearances in the U.S., England, Europe, and Japan.
Grossman remains one of the world's foremost authorities on acoustic blues guitar. ~ Richard Skelly