I'm Steve Suffet and I call myself an old fashioned folksinger. I was born in 1947, and I've been singing as far back as I can remember. My Mom was a jazz singer and she played the ukulele. She couldn't stand what she called "hillbilly music," so rebel that I was, when I was about five years old I used to insist on listening to Tennessee Ernie Ford sing Sixteen Tons. Around the same time I got a harmonica as a gift and I went around tooting it just to annoy people. Eventually, I learned to play a few simple tunes, like Oh, Susannah, and that drove everyone even crazier.

My Mom showed me a few chords on the ukulele, but I really never got into it. However, when I was in high school I spent $17 and bought a Harmony Stella guitar, and from then on I was completely hooked. I started hanging out in New York City's Washington Square Park and I tried to absorb everything I heard. In a year or two I got my courage up to start performing in public. I never stopped.

The stuff I do I call folk music, but if you would rather call it roots music, or traditional music, or old time music, or even hillbilly music, that's OK with me. Essentially I take any song I like, from whatever source, and sing it in a manner that suits me. Sometimes I change the tune a little, and sometimes I change the words. More and more I find that I'm making up my own songs, but they always sound traditional. Old fashioned folksinger suits me just fine.

People's Music Network Winter Gathering: Saturday, November 14, 2009. Just in case you're wondering where I've been these past two months let me tell you. I've been keeping myself busy helping to organize the next annual Winter Gathering of the People's Music Network, which will take place in New York City this coming January 29-31. The theme will be Opening Doors / Welcoming Change.

People's Music Network is an organization of musicians and others who actively use music and culture to promote politically progressive ideas and values. Our main activity is to come together twice a year to learn from, support, and have a good time with one another. Our Summer Gathering (actually a Late Spring Gathering) takes place early ea...

Entering the Digital Age!: Thursday, September 24, 2009. Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Steve Suffet enters the digital age!

That's right, I just released my very first album available exclusively as a digital download. I call it Old Fashioned Folksinger and it's now available from CD Baby. There are 20 tracks, and you can purchase them individually at 99¢ each. But you can get the entire album for just $9.99. That comes to less than 50¢ a song. At that price, how can you go wrong? Please click this link for complete information.

But if that isn't enough, I'm happy to add that my usual gang of accomplices provide vocal and/or instrumental accompanimen...

Married 40 Years!: Monday, June 22, 2009. Happy anniversary to us!

Marilyn Levine and I were married June 22, 1969, in the backyard of her parents' house in Babylon, Long Island, New York. What more is there to say other than we hope to be around for another 40 years, at which point we will each be 102 years old?

Yes, the photo is of us at our wedding.

--- Steve

Open Your Hearts to the Paradise: Wednesday, May 13, 2009. Open Your Hearts to the Paradise / The Best of the Woody Guthrie Birthday Bash / New York City 2001-2008 is finally here! The official release celebration for this CD will be at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City from 7:00 to 9:30 PM on Sunday, July 12, but you can order your copy from CD Baby right away. Just click here for all the information you need.

Open Your Hearts to the Paradise features 13 artists and 17 tracks. Among them are the last recorded performances of my dear friend Eric Levine who passed away a year ago at the young age of 51. Eric sings solo on two songs and leads the group singing on o...

Birthday Blog: Friday, February 13, 2009. Today is my 62nd birthday. Hooray! Yes, I applied for Social Security. The first payment should arrive in April.

Meanwhile, you've probably noticed that I haven't written too much lately. Partly that's because I've been very busy, mostly with music but also with other things in my life. But partly it's because I've been worried about my health. I won't go into details. Suffice to say I had a close call last July, and I just underwent some tests to see if the procedure I had back then was working. The results were as good as could be expected, so it looks like I dodged the proverbial bullet this time around.

Meanwhile I have been eating better, getting lots of...

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