"Love Letter: An Hour With Kate Wolf" 1985 Interview by Tim Van Schmidt (2021 Version)
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- Опубліковано 12 кві 2021
- This is a revised version of the Kate Wolf interview I posted on UA-cam in 2020. Several people commented they didn't like the slideshow so I have tried to make it less distracting. I've also tried to boost the audio some. The interview is what's important here:
"Love Letter: An Hour With Kate Wolf"
California singer-songwriter Kate Wolf had a voice like warm velvet and lyrics that aimed close to the heart. She was a very independent artist, carving out a career that was cut too short by illness. But throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, Wolf left some gorgeous songs and refreshingly organic recordings. Despite my rock and roll nature, I fell in love with Wolf's gentle acoustic music on a cross-country road trip that had only one tape in the car- Wolf's "Lines on the Paper." Some years later, I was inspired to write a letter to Wolf- there was no e-mail- because I wanted to write about her career. She responded and we arranged for me to visit her at her studio out in the woods in Marin County, north of the Bay Area. I was with Wolf for a couple of hours, perhaps, but the main event was we sat in the middle room of her modest artist's sanctuary and taped a full interview, covering life, career and philosophies about music, expression and love. This was in August 1985. Wolf had invited me to two local shows- one at the Cotati Cabaret and another at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco- and I've used some photos here from those shows. There are a few from the interview visit as well. When we met for the interview, we didn't use my little journalist tape recorder I had brought, but Wolf set up a unit she said she used for interviews herself when working in radio. She proudly said she had interviewed Mike Bloomfield with that machine. The sound is good and Wolf purposefully fielded all of my questions- she was so kind, sincere and careful with her answers. I've edited out some of the mundane parts of the interview, but have left it largely intact. In editing, I came to realize that, for some reason, Wolf chose to tell me everything. By the time I got to the end of the project, it made me weep a little that this musician- this human person- was gone. I've called this whole piece "Love Letter" because I think that's what Wolf left me with- a full and personal document that grazes the usual music business stuff, but then goes much, much further. 35 years later, we still need a voice like this- perhaps more than ever. Posting this document is a "love letter" to the world- at least to Kate Wolf fans.
Everything about Kate Wolf is a blessing overlooked by many who did not know her . Even after all these years her voice can still bring you to tears through her music
Such a sad story and still in a short time left us so much beautiful music
I used to listen to her DJ on the radio late Sunday nights. She is/was a beautiful soul. All I can say is "Thank you Tim" for this act of love.
Kate herself “had a heart of a maker of songs”. Few artists have touch me quite like Kate. There’s some quality about her sensibilities and sensitivity that’s unnamable and powerful. I feel a soul connection to her. I’m not American and she passed over when I was six, but I feel a kindred spirit with her. My kind of woman. What a artist!
I pull this up and listen to her talking about what she'd experienced in life and how she viewed the world. I love how she was able to put all of that into her word and music. She was indeed a poet in the truest sense♡
How did you even know of Kate?
Thanks Tim ,
T his is a treasure of a beautiful musical soul .
Kate we love you, remembering you KATE WOLF. We feel you ìn your music.
Thank you Tim for this absolute treasure of an interview with the wonderful Kate Wolf. What an amazing human she was. As someone who only recently discovered her and from the first few seconds of her singing I felt the solid sense of connectedness she gave out. A sense of universal love and consciousness. Greatly appreciated this, thank you Tim!
she had a soothing voice, just like her singing.💐
This is absolutely incredible!! Almost impossible to find Kate interviews! Wow! Do you have any others? Thank you so much! Have you seen the new live footage?
My god….a veritable autobiography !! What a found treasure. Thank you.
Kate had a great naturalness and wisdom. I loved hearing her talk and think as she answered the questions put before her. In her life and her music she strived for connectedness and love, and she did it quietly with dignity and integrity. That her songs strike a chord in so many people, and can bring you to tears at times, is a testament to her honesty and her willingness to plumb her own depths and share them with her audience. She was a beautiful, gentle woman and a beautiful soul, a weaver of words and visions. That is why we love her so much.
Tim: Thank you so much for posting this great interview with Kate - I am a long time Nanci G fan but got to know Kate's music through Nanci - There are many great vids of Kate and her band on UA-cam but to hear her talk about her life and music is a big, big bonus - John H (UK KW fan and follower)
John how did you discover nanci
Hi Zach - Here in the UK there is a strong 'underground' following for folk/new country type music - The BBC ran a series of live music programmes called 'Transatlantic Sessions' some of which I luckily locked on to - They featured a house band consisting of Aly Bain, Jerry Douglas, Michael Doucet, Russ Barenberg, Breda Smith, Danny Thompson and Tommy Hayes, all brilliant musicians - Many solo artists were invited to play the Sessions such as John Martyn, Ricky Scaggs, Rodney Foster, Rosanne Cash and Nanci Griffith etc - In mini type concerts she performed 'Trouble In the Fields' 'Boots of Spanish Leather' 'Road to Aberdeen' 'Always Will' and a beautiful version of 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes' which turned my head back to Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention - I bought the dvd 'Transatlantic Sessions, The Complete Second Series' 1998, which is a 7 programme, 26 artist, 48 track masterpiece to be found on Amazon - So that started my love of Nanci and Kate's songs and music etc - Regards - John H
ps: It was Nanci's recording of Kate's 'Across The Great Divide' that pointed me to Kate W
Love her voice, Green Eyes makes me cry every time
Thanks for your efforts & the revised edition!
Tim, I am so glad to hear this interview and delighted to see it was your project!
Thanks Steve- great to hear from you!!
Bom ouvir a voz de Kate Wolf...
There is nothing like intimate interviews with amazing artists. My favorite aritst Brianna Lea Pruett left this world at 32 years old in a much different way but it was a shock to me when I found out 4 days after she was gone, on UA-cam. Much different world. I have a feeling Brianna must have loved Kate Wolf's music and am surprised she never covered a song by Kate. I have known about Kate for so long but never heard her music until I made a series of DVD video Compilations from UA-cam where I included a couple of her songs on one and the last I made included 3 songs. (These are for me to keep me sane. Music has been a powerful healing force since my angel bride passed 9 months before Brianna). It didn't stop there and a few days later I made a DVD comp of Kate's music and a second this week! Her music is amazing and gorgeous.
Thank you ❣️
Such a beautiful recording. Thanks for posting this.
She said she was 43 in this interview.
Kate died at age 44.
i think she is still underrated compared to the well known "giants"- For example Joan Baez is wunderful but i set Kate on place #1 anyway. And : I love Joan Baez, no doubt. But Kate's voice is so unique - simply incomparable.
Appreciate that she was aware that she could be a bridge between folk and country music---and I think she would have been, although the push-back from Nashville would have been strong. Who does she mention here besides Merle and James Talley--had a hard time hearing that segment.
During the early Kate Wolf festivals, I discovered how many Grateful Dead fans were also Kate fans.
Don Williams and his song "What'll they do with good ol' boys like me?".
Tim, Susan madden interviewed her late in her short life. For kbcs in Bellevue. It was never aired..... I wish it had been
I can't fathom I never heard of Kate, even listening to Baez, (when she talked between songs), or chapin - carpenter, Emi-lou don't talk much, I respect that. Kate's songs had reaching for the kleen-nex. God bless Kate wolf. Rip
Kate ainda vive?onde.guero ver a biografia da carreira dela
Yes yes ❤❤🎉🎉RAa
How long did she live? Didn't she die at 44? She was 43 in this recording?
Yes. Very weird hearing this when she didn't have any idea of little time she had left.
44 years old died 1986
leukaemia