Where does Steve Suffet come from

Subject: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: Muttley
Date: 15 Jan 07 - 03:50 AM

I only have the lyrics to "Willie McBride's Reply"; written by Steve Suffet - almost as a rebuke to Eric Bogle's "No Man's Land".

However, I have no idea who Steve Suffet is - his origins, CD's, Age etc.

Who can help?

Muttley

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: catspaw49
Date: 15 Jan 07 - 07:10 AM

LOL.......My guess would be Steve himself.....He's an active 'Catter. Send him a PM. Go to the Quick Links and find "Send a Personal Message" and enter the name Suffet

Spaw

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: SINSULL
Date: 15 Jan 07 - 07:17 AM

Sunnyside Queens NYC

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: Suffet
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 12:40 AM

Greetings:

SINSULL is right. I live in Sunnyside, Queens, New York, USA. Anything else you can read on my main website: http://suffet.home.att.net/

I am almost sorry that I wrote Willie McBride's Reply. I did not mean it as a rebuke to Eric Bogle's No Man's Land / Green Fields of France. I admire Eric's antiwar sentiment, and I have told him so in person. However, I felt there was another side of the story that needed stating: that of the countless young men (and some women) who served in the Great War because they honestly believed the Allied cause was right and just. How history judges their beliefs is another matter.

I said that I am "almost sorry," because the more I think about it, the more I remain convinced those views are worth remembering, whether or not we agree with them.

Just for the record, I wrote a song called Marlyn Garcia which gives voice to a young woman who was killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. Marlyn (pronounced Marlene) was more a less a Christian pacifist, something that I am not. However, I try to state her position as accurately as I can because I feel it worth hearing, even if it is not the same as mine. Marlyn Garcia and 22 other songs are available for free from my SoundClick website. Go to http://www.soundclick.com/steve suffet and then follow the link that says Music. I never recorded Willie McBride's Reply, nor do I ever intend to. It's just too easy to misinterpret.

If you wish to contact me, I prefer e-mail to personal messaging. I check my e-mail at least twice a day, but sometimes I dn't log onto Mudcat for weeks. Here is a clickable e-mail link.

--- Steve

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: GUEST,Joel Landy
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 01:43 AM

Don't be fooled by cheap imitations. There is only one Steve Suffet.

Steve was born in a log cabin at the age of four. He showed early promise as Jerry Garcia, but we already had one. He then instead launched himself with great energy into orbit and then farming in Ireland. The experience left its musical mark upon the young lad, who learned how to feel oppressed while not eating much. Those were the lean years.

Chapter two in young Steve's life began when he was whisked away by pirates and was forced to sing on boats throughout the Mediterranean. His fortune changed when he married a Barbary doll. PT Barnum was amused by the young sailor and brought him to America where he was shot out of a cannon three times a day. One big shot landed him in New York and thus began his career on Broadway. He starred as the streetcar named Desire before playing the title role in Bus Stop. Yessir, hard travelin' was in this young man's bones!

It was this dedication to pain and suffering which qualified him as a folk singer, and the rest, as you now know, is history.

I met Steve at a gathering of Folk Singers Anonymous, where he introduced himself as Woody Guthrie. He then played a song with 47 verses about a rebel who dies differently in every chorus (clever writing!)and finished his set with a tribute to the historical contribution of smoked salmon. We were all wowed and hungry when he was done.

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: GUEST,Ada
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 11:30 AM

I can't top what Joel wrote, but here's a little more info, some of it actually truthy.

Steve was once a finalist in the "World's Biggest Teddy Bear" contest. He lost out to a Yeti but was featured as a caveman in a fashion magazine. He's about to celebrate a significant birthday, which, strangely enough, is not exactly his 30th but is a significant anniversary of that event.

His wife Marilyn has learned to tolerate his guitars all over the house, his groupies calling at 2am, and (worst of all) his philately. She's a strong woman, that Marilyn. (And just for the record, he wasn't REALLY married to that Barbary doll; she was just another of his groupies. Anyway, it's all in the past, before he met Marilyn.)

Steve's musical career really got started when he borrowed a guitar from the late "Sis" Cunningham and sang "Pastures of Plenty" for her, and she founded a new chapter of Steve's groupies. Soon thereafter he shared a cab with Pete Seeger, and the rest is oral history.

Steve was educated in Rochester, New York, where he was a classmate of a future famous Hollywood writer, but left to continue his education in New York City, where he enrolled in second grade. In New York he learned to talk like a cab driver, which has hampered his career ever since, to such a degree, indeed, that he had to become an educator to get any respect. He is President-for-Life of the New York Philatelic Bandits.

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 11:32 AM

He hails from Music Heaven, sent to us to light our way.

~S~

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: Suffet
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 09:00 PM

Greetings:

Here's an alternate version.

I was born and raised in East Virginia early on a frosty monrning. My Daddy was a miner, and I'm a miner's son. My Mama would rock me in the cradle, but I left home when I was just nine days old. That's when I picked up a shovel and I walked to the mine. The captain said, "I got me a steam drill 'round," so I told my captain, "Your men a-gonna leave you" and I said farewell to Nova Scotia, you sea bound coast. Then I traveled all over this country, a-digging, prospecting for gold. I found rocks and gravel make a mighty fine road, so with a ten dollar horse and a twenty dollar saddle they sent me to New Bedford, that famous whaling port. But I caught me the end of a long freight train and fanned my tail to the Oregon line. I was walking down the track with tears in my eyes, trying to read a letter from my home, when along comes the sheriff from Cornersville saying, "Pay me my money down. Pay me or go to jail. Pay me my money down." Well, I ran so fast the hounds couldn't catch me, down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. So if you ever see me coming back, I'll extend to you my paw, but it's gonna be through a telescope from the great Atlantic Ocean to the wide Pacific shore.

--- Steve

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: Bill D
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 09:17 PM

golly gee! With a career like that, Steve, you could almost write songs about it! ;>)
But it's hard, and it's hard and it's hard to walk that long, long trail....and a man must be blind to walk that lonesome valley by himself when there are acres of clams to......ummmm....

Anyway...we have a clearer picture now. Come down to the FSGW Getaway sometime, and explain it in detail..*grin*

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: Suffet
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 11:23 PM

Whoops! Try this SoundClick link http://www.soundclick.com/stevesuffet instead of the one shown above. Sorry.

--- Steve

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: Muttley
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 12:10 AM

Jeez Steve - could you have squashed any more folk tunes into that last post but one?

Mutt

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: GUEST,Chris Lang
Date: 17 Jan 07 - 10:16 AM

Oh well...
There's no way to compete with the past postings on a humor level or on any level of deep folk knowledge...all I will say is that whatever strange place Steve comes from (and the consensus, I can see, is that it is SOME strange place) everybody that knows Steve is glad he got here to spend some time and share his music with us. Steve is a true "mensch"...classy and giving in all realms.
Chris

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: Suffet
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 09:50 AM

Greetings:

In case you're still want to know where I come from, there is little more anyone can add. But if you are wondering where I am going, you are welcome to erase all uncertainties and put all doubts to rest. Just continue reading. Here are the gigs I have booked so far for the remainder of the year.

Saturday, March 10, 2007, 8:00 PM. Peoples' Voice Cafe at the Workmen's Circle. 45 East 33rd Street. New York City. Come celebrate the release of my newest CD, I've Been Up On the Mountain. The rest of MacDougal Street Rent Party will provide instrumental and vocal back-up. Sharing the evening will be anarcho-feminist folksinger-songwriter Holly GoAnarchy. Suggested admission: $12. Peoples' Voice Cafe or Workmen's Circle members: $9. More if you chose, less if you can't. TDF vouchers accepted. No one turned away for lack of money. For information, please call 212-787-3903.

Friday-Sunday, April 20-22, 2007. New England Folk Festival (NEFFA). Mansfield Middle and High School. Mansfield, MA. I will be presenting a workshop on Friday, beginning at 7:00 PM, called Folk City Interlude, featuring the songs I learned during New York's Greenwich Village folk scene in the 1960s. On Saturday at 9:00 PM, I'll be part of MacDougal Street Rent Party as we once again present Songs of Struggle, where you will have the chance to sing along, clap, holler, shout, and show everyone which side you are on. And finally, on Sunday morning at 10:00 AM, I will again be part of MacDougal Street Rent Party as we present Kids Sing Freedom, a fully participatory, family oriented workshop of songs of freedom, peace, and friendship for children and grown-ups alike. For additional information and a complete schedule, visit the NEFFA website.

Friday-Saturday, May 4-5, 2007. Jacob's Ladder Folk Festival. Nof Ginosar, Israel. I will be doing two 45-minute sets. One will be a tribute to Woody Guthrie and the other will be an eclectic assortment of North American folksongs. Additional information is available at the Jacob's Ladder website.

Sunday, July 8, 2007, 7:00 PM. Bowery Poetry Club. 308 Bowery. New York City. Come enjoy the Seventh Annual Woody Guthrie Birthday Bash at its new location. This round robin songfest will feature MacDougal Street Rent Party plus Jessica Feinbloom, Mimi LaValley, and special guests to be announced. $6 cover charge + one drink minimum. For information, please call 212-614-0505.

Saturday, September 1, 2007, 6:00 PM. Alternative Bookstore. 35 North Front Street. Kingston, NY. Anne Price and I will be sharing several sets until the store closes at night. Free admission. For information, please call 845-331-5439.

Saturday, October 13, 2007. Dissident Folk Festival. Howland Cultural Center. 477 Main Street. Beacon, NY. 1:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Anne Price and I will open the festival with a tribute to Woody Guthrie, and then we will appear again later as part MacDougal Street Rent Party. Full details are not yet available, but don't be surprised if one of Beacon's better known residents once again shows up to share a song or two!

Also I will likely be at the following, either as a performer or as an attendee, but it is much too early to confirm:

Friday-Sunday, June 1-3, 2007. Peoples' Music Network Summer Gathering. Epworth Center. High Falls, NY.

Friday-Sunday, November 2-4, 2007. NOMAD Festival. Wilbur Cross High School. New Haven, CT.

I hope to say "hello" lots of Mudcatters at these events.

--- Steve

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: Suffet
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 06:45 PM

Here's a little update on where I am going.

• Sunday, September 30, 2007, 4:00 PM. Woody Rediscovered House Concert. Upper West Side New York City location. The Folk Music Society of New York will once again present Anne Price and me in this house concert style workshop of Woody Guthrie's less known songs. Space is limited, and the event is currently sold out. Please call me at 718-786-1533 if you want to be placed on the waiting list. Donation: $13. FSMNY members: $10. Children and full-time students: $6.

• Saturday, October 13, 2007, 1:00 to 11:00 PM. Dissident Folk Festival. Howland Cultural Center. 477 Main Street. Beacon, NY. Anne Price and I will do a one hour tribute to Woody Guthrie starting at 1:20, and they will appear again as part MacDougal Street Rent Party from 4:00 to 4:30. All day festival admission is just $10, and for that small sum you get to hear twenty or more performers. Don't be surprised if one of Beacon's better known residents once again shows up to share a song or two! For information, please call 845-831-4988.

• Sunday, November 4, 2007, 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. NOMAD Folk Festival. Wilbur Cross High School. 181 Mitchell Drive. New Haven, CT. In the morning, I will join other members of MacDougal Street Rent Party in Kids Sing Freedom, a family concert of songs about freedom, peace, and friendship for children and grown-ups alike. Then in the afternoon, I will be co-leading a fully participatory Woody Guthrie Jam Session with Heather Lev. For information about this annual weekend festival of music, art, and dancing, please click here for the NOMAD website.

• Friday-Sunday, November 16-18, 2007. Exact time to be determined. Eisteddfod New York. The Renaissance Charter School. 35-59 81st Street. Jackson Heights, Queens, NY. I will once again be participating in one or more workshops at this festival of traditional folk music. However, the schedule has not yet been published. Please click here for the festival website.

• Saturday, December 8, 2007, 7:00 PM. Vox Pop Cafe. 1022 Cortelyou Road, one block east of Coney Island Avenue. Brooklyn, NY. Anne Price and I will share the bill. Admission is free, but musicians' tips are welcome. For information, please call 718-940-2084.

• Saturday, December 15, 2007, 8:00 PM. Yippie Museum Cafe. 9 Bleecker Street. New York City. Exactly one week after our appearance at the Vox Pop in Brooklyn, Anne Price and I will again share the bill, this time in Manhattan. This is another "admission is free, but musicians' tips are welcome" venue, so come prepared to give what you can afford. For information, please call 212-677-5918.

• Saturday, May 3, 2008, 8:00 PM. Peoples' Voice Cafe at the Workmen's Circle Building. 45 East 33rd Street. New York City. Joel Landy and I will each be performing in concert, and we will likely share a few songs. Suggested donation: $12. Peoples' Voice Cafe and Workmen's Circle members: $6. TDF vouchers accepted. No one turned away for lack of money. For information, please call 212-787-3903.

• Sunday, July 13, 2008, 7:00 PM. Bowery Poetry Club. 308 Bowery. New York City. Come enjoy the Eighth Annual Woody Guthrie Birthday Bash, a two hour round robin songfest with Steve Suffet as part of MacDougal Street Rent Party, plus other performers. $6 cover charge + one drink minimum. For information, please call 212-614-0505.

Still in the works for 2008: a trip to the United Kingdom with Anne Price and our respective spouses, most likely in October. Stay tuned for details.

--- Steve Suffet

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: Suffet
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 09:56 PM

Yipes! I was just spotted in New York City's Central Park playing guitar for some banjo picker I ran into. That's my singing partner Anne Price between us. Click here to see what I mean.

:-)

--- Steve

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: Midchuck
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 10:05 PM

PT Barnum was amused by the young sailor and brought him to America where he was shot out of a cannon three times a day. One big shot landed him in New York and thus began his career on Broadway.

...and Barnum was never able to find another employee of his caliber...


P.

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 10:35 PM

yikes indeed!

and kids in the audience are still singing this song, along with their parents & grandparents & ...

sandra

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 11:54 PM

Pretty darn kewl, if ya ask me!

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: stallion
Date: 06 Oct 09 - 03:21 AM

Thanks for sharing that with us Steve..................wish i had been there!
Pete

Subject: RE: Where does Steve Suffet come from
From: Suffet
Date: 06 Oct 09 - 07:49 AM

There is a back story to the video, of course. At some point in the middle of his set Pete was supposed to call on Anne Price and me along with Ray Korona and Joel Landy (both at the left of the screen, Joel barely visible), and we were all going to perform Malvina Reynolds' The Faucets Are Dripping in Old New York City to accompany a trio of young interpretive modern dancers. However, the show was running late and Pete somehow forgot to get to that number before the time had come to end the festival, so the dancers never got to perform and we never got to sing that song.

The dancers were disappointed, but at least Anne and I got the chance to be in Pete's chorus for the entire set and back him up with out guitars on the finale. Meanwhile, the dancers did get to perform earlier in the day at another location in New York City with the four of us -- Ray, Joel, Anne, and me -- accompanying them. Pete was present and watching, but he had to pack his belongings to get to another gig and didn't have time to join us with his banjo.

I understand that Pete had four performances that day, all in different locations. First he was in New York City, then back in his hometown of Beacon, then in New York City again (as shown in the video), and finally in Nyack, a town about halfway home. And he's 90 years old!

--- Steve