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Steve Dawson
Steve Dawson was born in California, raised in Idaho, and currently lives in Chicago. His songs show evidence of all 3 places – the California folk-rock of the '70s, the country music he heard growing up in Idaho, and the blues, gospel and soul music of Chicago. Steve learned to play guitar in the Idaho public schools and began writing songs and performing with local rock and country bands almost immediately.
After high school Steve studied jazz composition and songwriting at Berklee College of Music in Boston, while also performing in the Cambridge folk music scene. The lure of Chicago’s rich musical history of Blues, Gospel and Jazz and the city’s vibrant live music scene drew Steve to his current hometown in the late '80s. His first band was Stump the Host, an eclectic and twangy high energy group that featured the firey two-part singing of Steve and his wife and singing partner, Diane Christiansen. The band caught the attention of national press and record labels and led to a publishing deal with PolyGram Music. Stump The Host evolved into Dolly Varden in the mid 90’s and became Steve’s main musical focus through the early 2000’s, releasing a string of acclaimed albums and touring all over the U.S. and Europe.
In the mid 2000’s Steve decided to do less touring and began teaching guitar and songwriting at the legendary Old Town School of Folk Music. He also opened a recording studio, Kernel Sound Emporium, and began producing and recording his own solo albums, along with other Chicago-area singer-songwriters. His solo albums, “Sweet Is The Anchor (2006),” “I Will Miss The Trumpets and the Drums (2010)” and “Funeral Bonsai Wedding (2014),” have expanded and reinforced Steve’s reputation as “One of the most underrated songwriters in American music,” and “a classic artist hiding in plain sight.” In 2016 Steve co-wrote a book, “Take It To the Bridge: Unlocking the Great Songs Inside You,” with Mark Caro, based on his popular songwriting classes at The Old Town School. Steve is currently finishing a forth solo album at Kernel to be released in late 2020, and the follow-up album with Funeral Bonsai Wedding, “Last Flight Out,” featuring the Quartet Parapluie string quartet will be released in May, 2020.
After high school Steve studied jazz composition and songwriting at Berklee College of Music in Boston, while also performing in the Cambridge folk music scene. The lure of Chicago’s rich musical history of Blues, Gospel and Jazz and the city’s vibrant live music scene drew Steve to his current hometown in the late '80s. His first band was Stump the Host, an eclectic and twangy high energy group that featured the firey two-part singing of Steve and his wife and singing partner, Diane Christiansen. The band caught the attention of national press and record labels and led to a publishing deal with PolyGram Music. Stump The Host evolved into Dolly Varden in the mid 90’s and became Steve’s main musical focus through the early 2000’s, releasing a string of acclaimed albums and touring all over the U.S. and Europe.
In the mid 2000’s Steve decided to do less touring and began teaching guitar and songwriting at the legendary Old Town School of Folk Music. He also opened a recording studio, Kernel Sound Emporium, and began producing and recording his own solo albums, along with other Chicago-area singer-songwriters. His solo albums, “Sweet Is The Anchor (2006),” “I Will Miss The Trumpets and the Drums (2010)” and “Funeral Bonsai Wedding (2014),” have expanded and reinforced Steve’s reputation as “One of the most underrated songwriters in American music,” and “a classic artist hiding in plain sight.” In 2016 Steve co-wrote a book, “Take It To the Bridge: Unlocking the Great Songs Inside You,” with Mark Caro, based on his popular songwriting classes at The Old Town School. Steve is currently finishing a forth solo album at Kernel to be released in late 2020, and the follow-up album with Funeral Bonsai Wedding, “Last Flight Out,” featuring the Quartet Parapluie string quartet will be released in May, 2020.
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Interview
Steve Dawson: Finding the Secret of a Song
by Jakob Baekgaard
It might be that singer/songwriter Steve Dawson was born in California and raised in Idaho, but he has become a son of the city he calls home: jny: Chicago. He is teaching at the acclaimed Old Town School of Folk Music and while preparing others for a life in music, he has also followed his own musical path as a part of the band, Dolly Varden, and not least as a solo artist. He has released a string of noteworthy ...
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