CSPS debut |
Maria Muldaur is an
acclaimed interpreter of American roots music: blues, early jazz, gospel,
folk, country, R&B and more. Best known for her ‘70s pop hit “Midnight at
the Oasis,” the ever-amazing Maria is touring behind the release of her
new album, Maria Muldaur and Her Garden of Joy Jug Band. Special
guests on the album include John Sebastian, David Grisman, Taj Mahal,
Fritz Richmond, Suzy Thompson, Dan Hicks and new discovery Kit Stovepipe.
The live band features Stovepipe on guitar, Kurt Jensen on bass and
washtub, and the Gallus Brothers (Devin Champlin and Lucas Hicks) on
multiple acoustic instruments (mandolins, fiddles, banjos, jugs, tubs,
kazoos, harmonicas).
Growing up in New York City’s Greenwich Village, Muldaur was surrounded by
bluegrass, old-timey, jazz, blues and gospel music, but her very first
musical influences were country/western singers Hank Williams, Kitty
Wells, Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb. At age five, she would sing Kitty Wells’
“It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” while her aunt accompanied her
on the piano. As a teenager, Maria tuned into early rhythm and blues and
was an avid fan of Fats Domino, Little Richard, Clyde McPhatter and Ruth
Brown. She became interested in the girl groups coming onto the scene and
formed her own, The Cashmeres, while still in high school.
As pop radio became less soulful, Maria turned to the wealth of American
roots music that was being rediscovered right in her own backyard. On any
given day, she could stroll through Washington Square Park in the Village
and hear blues, jug band, gospel and old-timey music. Soon she was hanging
out and joining in on nightly jams and song swaps called hootenannies.
In the Village, Maria soon became involved with The Friends of Old Timey
Music, a group of that traveled to the rural South to find legendary
artists like Doc Watson, Bukka White, Skip James and Mississippi John
Hurt, then bring them north to present them in concert to urban audiences.
Aspiring young musicians like John Sebastian, Bob Dylan, John Hammond, Jr.
and Muldaur were both pursuing and creating a new wave in American roots
music.
Deeply inspired by the pure mountain music of Doc Watson and the Watson
Family, Maria left the intense New York scene and traveled to North
Carolina to learn fiddle. During her extended visits with the Watson
family, she soaked up Appalachian music and culture from the nightly
gatherings on Doc’s back porch.
From there, Maria’s musical adventures and explorations only accelerated.
From joining jug bands with John Sebastian, David Grisman and eventual
husband Geoff Muldaur, to hitting the Top 40 with the ‘70s classic
“Midnight at the Oasis,” Maria’s amazing roll continued.
In the ‘80s, she recorded two critically acclaimed jazz albums, two gospel
albums and an album of swing tunes for “kids of all ages.” Her frequent
gigs with Dr. John led to a growing appreciation and fondness for the New
Orleans sound. She incorporated that flavor into her own musical
repertoire and dubbed this gumbo of straight ahead blues, R&B and
Louisiana music, “bluesiana.”
Maria later recorded a string of critically acclaimed records with Black
Top Records and Telarc Blues. Last year’s Yes We Can!, showcased the work
of some of the most socially conscious songwriters of the past
half-century: Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Allen Toussaint, Earl King and Garth
Brooks. Joining Maria were Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, Jane Fonda, Odetta,
Phoebe Snow and Holly Near.
Wed Oct 21
| 8 pm CSPS | 1103 Third St SE | Cedar Rapids $24
+ fee in advance | $30 at the door
