Stephen Wade (musician)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Wade is an American
folk music
ian, writer, and researcher.
in the 1950s and 60s, he was exposed to folk musicians who had moved north from the Mississippi Delta
and the Southern Appalachians.
He began playing blues
guitar
at age 10. Eventually he switched to the banjo
. In 1971, began studying with Fleming Brown
at the Old Town School of Folk Music
in Chicago. By 1974, Wade had taken over Brown’s class at the school. He also began an association with old-time radio singer Doc Hopkins. Under the tutelage of his two mentors, the young Wade immersed himself in studying the banjo, folk and traditional music, and American folklore. Later, he traveled to across the U.S. to research American humour and folk tales, and meet with folk musicians in the field.
In the late 1970s, he developed a theatrical performance combining storytelling, traditional American music and skillful dance entitled "Banjo Dancing". The show opened in Chicago in 1979 and ran for thirteen months, at which time Wade took his show on the road. The show ended up at the Arena Stage
in Washington D.C. and ran for ten years.
In the mid-1980s, Wade was featured in the television documentary, The Unquiet Library, wrote and appeared in the documentary, Catching the Music and composed the score for the Sam Shepard
play, A Lie of the Mind.
On the Way Home, his second critically acclaimed theatre show opened in 1989 in Washington. In the early 1990s, he took both of his shows on a national tour. This tour was recognised in the U.S. national media and he appeared on The Today Show and the CBS Evening News
.
Wade has written a book and produced a companion CD
, “The Art of American Folk Music, Encounters with The Legendary Library of Congress Field Recordings.” In addition, he has appeared regularly on the National Public Radio programmes "All Things Considered
" and "Morning Edition
."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
ian, writer, and researcher.
Biography
Growing up in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in the 1950s and 60s, he was exposed to folk musicians who had moved north from the Mississippi Delta
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
and the Southern Appalachians.
He began playing blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
at age 10. Eventually he switched to the banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
. In 1971, began studying with Fleming Brown
Fleming Brown
Fleming Brown, 1926–1984, born in Marshall, Missouri. He was a banjo player and one of the early teachers at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. As an artist, Brown specialized in traditional songs of the Southern Appalachians. He was influenced by old-time banjo players such as Uncle Dave...
at the Old Town School of Folk Music
Old Town School of Folk Music
The Old Town School of Folk Music is a Chicago teaching and performing institution that launched the careers of many notable folk music artists...
in Chicago. By 1974, Wade had taken over Brown’s class at the school. He also began an association with old-time radio singer Doc Hopkins. Under the tutelage of his two mentors, the young Wade immersed himself in studying the banjo, folk and traditional music, and American folklore. Later, he traveled to across the U.S. to research American humour and folk tales, and meet with folk musicians in the field.
In the late 1970s, he developed a theatrical performance combining storytelling, traditional American music and skillful dance entitled "Banjo Dancing". The show opened in Chicago in 1979 and ran for thirteen months, at which time Wade took his show on the road. The show ended up at the Arena Stage
Arena Stage
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest Washington, D.C. Its declared mission"is to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Arena has broad shoulders and a capacity to produce anything from vast epics...
in Washington D.C. and ran for ten years.
In the mid-1980s, Wade was featured in the television documentary, The Unquiet Library, wrote and appeared in the documentary, Catching the Music and composed the score for the Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard is an American playwright, actor, and television and film director. He is the author of several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child...
play, A Lie of the Mind.
On the Way Home, his second critically acclaimed theatre show opened in 1989 in Washington. In the early 1990s, he took both of his shows on a national tour. This tour was recognised in the U.S. national media and he appeared on The Today Show and the CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
.
Wade has written a book and produced a companion CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, “The Art of American Folk Music, Encounters with The Legendary Library of Congress Field Recordings.” In addition, he has appeared regularly on the National Public Radio programmes "All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
" and "Morning Edition
Morning Edition
Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
."