I saw him playing in 1967 (Ware, Hertford, UK). He was a complete entertainer. No words can do justice to what he could do on the guitar and the audience.
I will say something that will sound like a cliché but the truth is that people like Stefan Grossman are the ones that are responsible for making our world a better place to live. There is such a great amount of positive energy coming from his books, cd's, dvd's... He is a beautiful person.
Stefan lives in Sparta Nj and Iived close to him----and I am pleased to say he is one fantastic person in addition to being one of the best pickers of all time---and has the deepest knowledge base and respect for all those that came before him. WORLD CLASS GUY!!!! And his wife is too!!!! Play on Stefan!!!!!
I've begun to hate any kind of social media. Everyone's a critic these days. 'this is shit' 'he can't play' 'he can only play blues' blah blah blah. Would any of these people say this to Stefan Grossman's face? No, I didn't think so. A great player. a tremendous ambassador for the guitar, and he's met many of the great blues players. I met him briefly, he is one of the nicest people I have met and was the main reason why I still play guitar after forty years. Why don't these so called guitar fans/players just watch, enjoy and if you don't like it, go somewhere else and keep your opinions to yourselves.
"He's not the greatest guitarist" - it's true, but who cares; he is excellent. More important to me is the fact that thanks to this man I discovered, fell in love with, and am still riveted by music that has given me more joy than I can ever describe.
Because most people are cruel and jealous at their core and it is easier to express their loathsome cowardly opinions from their basements on the internet.
Phenomenal on so many levels. A delta Blues historian and preservist. Crazy talented player and researcher of a largely unwritten body of work that would have been lost if he hadn't learned and performed it in the internet age. Top job Stefan Grossman. I've got a recording of one of his gigs and it's insanely entertaining. He's so personable and humorous with the audience and also has so much facility with the tunes to be able to translate them into whatever style of era he chooses. Truly a virtuoso picker. Luv and Peace.
I was introduced to Stefan Grossman from a fan of his at Uni. We're still good friends. He could cover a few of the tunes Grossman played pretty well. I was blown away. I'm also a guitarist but more of a van halen type guitarist. I love the fact that Stefan ios tracking down old American delta blues songs and preserving them. It truly is an amazing act of Cultural preservation. If no-one new learns them they are gone forever. We have a similar tradition in Scotland of Folk songs learnt by ear and 1-1 tuition. The folk tradition thrives here and I'm glad the same is happening in the states. Luv and Peace.
First heard Stefan Grossman at Maria Grey College of Education in London 1970 or 71. Sadly there were very few in the audience, but it was one of the finest concerts I ever went to. He got his first applause when he tuned his guitar.
Thank God for people like Alan Lomax and Stefan Grossman so I could learn to play this stuff. Certainly a lot of other people responsible too but these two come to mind first, and Happy Traum and his wife.. Thank you for all you have done.
If you could play all the shred, sweep picked, tapping diminshed7th arpeggio, alternate picking 300bpm stuff that has ever existed it would NEVER captivate people in the same way this does. It's just so cool and listenable.
What a great video! I think the first time I heard this I was maybe 14. Back in the mid 70s took guitar lessons at Elderly Instruments from a guy named Jeff Hollingsworth and he could play this song to a bloody pulp. I learned it from him with the help of the Stefan Grossman tab in a little spiral bound photocopy book from Kicking Mule, I think...can’t really remember now. But the little syncopations used to be so fascinating to me in this ditty and I would listen to Jeff play it and go home trying to remember it and it was so hard to remember all the little nuances. I’m sure that I wasn’t playing it completely right, but it made my dad think I was a guitar hero. So cool to finally watch Stefan Grossman play it on this old video. He really owned it! Gotta listen to some more of his videos. Maybe one day I can relearn to pick it and do it right.
To this day I have that book and I got it from kicking mule records after ordering it of off the album “How to play the blues” volume 1. There is a volume 2 also
Stefan Grossman's Kicking Mule records in the eighties brought a wealth of fingerstyle blues, ragtime, jazz, folk, bluegrass, Irish etc. arrangements within the reach of the self taught guitarist. Wonderful. And the reason now why I can entertain myself by twanging Mississippi Blues on my own guitar. I was lucky enough to see him play it live at the Glenda Jackson Theatre in Birkenhead (now demolished along with the college)
Alastair, I saw him in Birkenhead also, but I think I saw him at Birkenhead Town Hall with John Renbourn. I had also attended his afternoon workshop which was stunning! Would have been 1984 or 1985 - Wirral International Guitar Festival.
He was my inspiration around 1970. A superb musician. Loved his LP "Hot Dogs!!" I think he bears a striking resemblance here to James Lipton (The "Actors Studio" host)
I attended Stefan's Blues workshop in Sparta,NJ and this was one of many old blues songs that I learned and love playing to this day. GREAT TIME and a great talent and teacher.
He inspires me because he's damn good. I would love to have a teacher with his personality one on one. He's as good as teaching as he is at performing. Makes learning easy. Five stars to you brother!
Aaahh... I learned this tunr in '77, coming down from a most wonderful acid trip, like Stephan, pulled an all-nighter. Been playing it ever since. This tune is a must-learn for anyone taking on fingerstyle guitar. Observation: Notice how polite the audience is. Back then, people actually listened to performers instead of talking over them. I watched this happen in the 90's, as a full-time pro musician. As computers and cell phones became prominent, the public's attention span went from digging the scene, to... "me, me, me.... let me tell you about me. .. oh... and then more about me. .. gee, wish that musician wasn't so loud, I want to talk about me, inconsiderate bastard."
Hats off to my esteemed friend Bil. Thx for that Bil. Eternally grateful for introducing me to Steffan Grossman. I think this might be the concert that you had the audio off. Gonna go looking for Candyman now. :-)))))
He's never been my favourite guitar player, BUT, without his dedication to the blues and ragtime guitar my world would have been a lot poorer. And my playing too. I've not been a fan of his own compositions, but they are undeniably well thought out and executed. However, his dedication to bringing the blues guitar to the world is unsurpassed. His first album with Rory Block was an album I was very excited to get. It had a tab book! I had just learned to finger-pick with my first ever attempt being the relatively easy Rev Davis - Delia. I got this from a Stefan Grossman book. There were no others, not for a long while. And being in Australia, it was even harder to find learning material that was a bit off the mainstream. That first album basically became my repertoire of finger-picking music, and it taught me a lot of the signature blues passages , which then allowed me to start learning others by ear because those passages gave me 'an in' to what was being done. I might not like his originals, but I owe him a huge debt of gratitude for all he has done to bring the blues and ragtime guitar to us. And look at his Guitar Workshop! Bravo Stefan.
I agree with you entirely. I doubt I would ever have learned to play blues without him as there were no other learning resources available back in the '70s & '80s.
Great stuff i've been trying to master the Acoustic Blues for ages now and learn something new all the time but the likes of Grossman, Jansch, Renbourne, Phelps ect they are just outstanding players. brilliant
Don't know if you'll get to see this comment or not, Stefan, but that was BRILLIANT! Thanks for posting. I'm a student of the Fingerstyle Blues & Acoustic slide with ambitions to learn this tune myself, regardless of how long it takes me.
I recall learning it from his now ancient instructional LP "Blues & Ragtime Guitar" which came with a tablature booklet(very rare for an LP back then). It was originally done by SG in the key of "A". Took me alot longer than just two nights though.
I saw him playing in 1967 (Ware, Hertford, UK). He was a complete entertainer. No words can do justice to what he could do on the guitar and the audience.
Haha..I grew up in hoddeson…been a big fan of SG..what a coincidence 🙂
I will say something that will sound like a cliché but the truth is that people like Stefan Grossman are the ones that are responsible for making our world a better place to live. There is such a great amount of positive energy coming from his books, cd's, dvd's... He is a beautiful person.
100% agreed with you !
Yes, yes! A genuinely good man!!
BTW....anyone know where this gig took place?
Yes, yes! A genuinely good man!!
BTW....anyone know where this gig took place?
A great guitar player, a great entertainer, a great teacher, what else? M Grossman, thanks for everything you've done for guitar players.
So many blues players learned from this man . Thank you Stefan .
Just gorgeous playing - & amazing to watch the back of Stefan’s shirt & back of his head whilst his fingers are doing magical stuff.
Stefan lives in Sparta Nj and Iived close to him----and I am pleased to say he is one fantastic person in addition to being one of the best pickers of all time---and has the deepest knowledge base and respect for all those that came before him. WORLD CLASS GUY!!!! And his wife is too!!!! Play on Stefan!!!!!
I've begun to hate any kind of social media. Everyone's a critic these days. 'this is shit' 'he can't play' 'he can only play blues' blah blah blah. Would any of these people say this to Stefan Grossman's face? No, I didn't think so. A great player. a tremendous ambassador for the guitar, and he's met many of the great blues players. I met him briefly, he is one of the nicest people I have met and was the main reason why I still play guitar after forty years. Why don't these so called guitar fans/players just watch, enjoy and if you don't like it, go somewhere else and keep your opinions to yourselves.
I totally agree
"He's not the greatest guitarist" - it's true, but who cares; he is excellent. More important to me is the fact that thanks to this man I discovered, fell in love with, and am still riveted by music that has given me more joy than I can ever describe.
Bravo.
Because most people are cruel and jealous at their core and it is easier to express their loathsome cowardly opinions from their basements on the internet.
Thanks Clive for your comment. I totally agree, Grossman is an ambassador for the guitar.
Stefan Grossman is a fabulous player, musician, teacher, and great guy.
Stefan has been my go to guy for acoustic blues for 40 yrs now.
Phenomenal on so many levels.
A delta Blues historian and preservist.
Crazy talented player and researcher of a largely unwritten body of work that would have been lost if he hadn't learned and performed it in the internet age.
Top job Stefan Grossman.
I've got a recording of one of his gigs and it's insanely entertaining. He's so personable and humorous with the audience and also has so much facility with the tunes to be able to translate them into whatever style of era he chooses.
Truly a virtuoso picker.
Luv and Peace.
Beautifully played.
I was introduced to Stefan Grossman from a fan of his at Uni. We're still good friends. He could cover a few of the tunes Grossman played pretty well. I was blown away.
I'm also a guitarist but more of a van halen type guitarist.
I love the fact that Stefan ios tracking down old American delta blues songs and preserving them.
It truly is an amazing act of Cultural preservation. If no-one new learns them they are gone forever.
We have a similar tradition in Scotland of Folk songs learnt by ear and 1-1 tuition. The folk tradition thrives here and I'm glad the same is happening in the states.
Luv and Peace.
His playing in amazing
Stefan is a great player and teacher. Big respect for him.
First heard Stefan Grossman at Maria Grey College of Education in London 1970 or 71. Sadly there were very few in the audience, but it was one of the finest concerts I ever went to. He got his first applause when he tuned his guitar.
Thank God for people like Alan Lomax and Stefan Grossman so I could learn to play this stuff. Certainly a lot of other people responsible too but these two come to mind first, and Happy Traum and his wife.. Thank you for all you have done.
wonderful music ,thanks for all
I second that.
If you could play all the shred, sweep picked, tapping diminshed7th arpeggio, alternate picking 300bpm stuff that has ever existed it would NEVER captivate people in the same way this does. It's just so cool and listenable.
Enjoyed this so much! Wonderful.
What a great video! I think the first time I heard this I was maybe 14. Back in the mid 70s took guitar lessons at Elderly Instruments from a guy named Jeff Hollingsworth and he could play this song to a bloody pulp. I learned it from him with the help of the Stefan Grossman tab in a little spiral bound photocopy book from Kicking Mule, I think...can’t really remember now. But the little syncopations used to be so fascinating to me in this ditty and I would listen to Jeff play it and go home trying to remember it and it was so hard to remember all the little nuances. I’m sure that I wasn’t playing it completely right, but it made my dad think I was a guitar hero. So cool to finally watch Stefan Grossman play it on this old video. He really owned it! Gotta listen to some more of his videos. Maybe one day I can relearn to pick it and do it right.
To this day I have that book and I got it from kicking mule records after ordering it of off the album “How to play the blues” volume 1. There is a volume 2 also
Right on,brother. Tremendous ambassador for guitar and blues music.
Awesome playing! I have been learning a lot from you! Thank you!
The guy who taught me the blues! Amazing!
Stefan Grossman's Kicking Mule records in the eighties brought a wealth of fingerstyle blues, ragtime, jazz, folk, bluegrass, Irish etc. arrangements within the reach of the self taught guitarist. Wonderful. And the reason now why I can entertain myself by twanging Mississippi Blues on my own guitar. I was lucky enough to see him play it live at the Glenda Jackson Theatre in Birkenhead (now demolished along with the college)
Alastair, I saw him in Birkenhead also, but I think I saw him at Birkenhead Town Hall with John Renbourn. I had also attended his afternoon workshop which was stunning! Would have been 1984 or 1985 - Wirral International Guitar Festival.
Fantastic! 還好有透過攝影機錄下， 1981年，40年前的錄影，到今天來看 真是非常經典！
He was my inspiration around 1970. A superb musician. Loved his LP "Hot Dogs!!"
I think he bears a striking resemblance here to James Lipton (The "Actors Studio" host)
Mr Grossman. I salute you. Brilliant. I am trying to play Mississippi Blues - it will take me a while. Thanks for posting this.
Absolutely stunning !
Beautifully done. Loving the narration he does - really adds great entertainment to it.
I attended Stefan's Blues workshop in Sparta,NJ and this was one of many old blues songs that I learned and love playing to this day. GREAT TIME and a great talent and teacher.
this man is simply AMAZING plus he has an awesome first name
Its been ten years but man your comment is funny is shit when one reads your name
He inspires me because he's damn good. I would love to have a teacher with his personality one on one. He's as good as teaching as he is at performing. Makes learning easy. Five stars to you brother!
I learned to play this by means of a CD and tab in 2010 as a new years resolution .Play it all the time as a warm up .
This is my dad and none of you know how fucking great he is as a guitarists and as a dad...
Well, we now know what a hostile toilet-mouth YOU are . . .
Dropping the ‘F’ bomb is very disrespectful for your father, and also for this great American music traditions.
Man you have it going on Stefan! Burning it up! Play it brother!
Rolling Stones Magazine has go to put Stefan in their top 10 guitarists list. He has taught so many and has been an inspiration to even more..
I have new found inspiration. A big thanx for all your sharing of know how
Maaannnnn, that's some good jams right there. Love that stuff
Thanks Teacher!
Stunningly good ! Thanks much !
Willie Brown is nodding his approval, and Mississippi John Hurt is smiling too.
Aaahh... I learned this tunr in '77, coming down from a most wonderful acid trip, like Stephan, pulled an all-nighter. Been playing it ever since. This tune is a must-learn for anyone taking on fingerstyle guitar.
Observation: Notice how polite the audience is. Back then, people actually listened to performers instead of talking over them. I watched this happen in the 90's, as a full-time pro musician. As computers and cell phones became prominent, the public's attention span went from digging the scene, to... "me, me, me.... let me tell you about me. .. oh... and then more about me. .. gee, wish that musician wasn't so loud, I want to talk about me, inconsiderate bastard."
I was lucky to be in the audience that night. Thanks to Stefan I discovered this wonderful guitar music.
Amazing and superb!
Hats off to my esteemed friend Bil.
Thx for that Bil.
Eternally grateful for introducing me to Steffan Grossman.
I think this might be the concert that you had the audio off.
Gonna go looking for Candyman now.
:-)))))
He's never been my favourite guitar player, BUT, without his dedication to the blues and ragtime guitar my world would have been a lot poorer. And my playing too.
I've not been a fan of his own compositions, but they are undeniably well thought out and executed. However, his dedication to bringing the blues guitar to the world is unsurpassed. His first album with Rory Block was an album I was very excited to get. It had a tab book! I had just learned to finger-pick with my first ever attempt being the relatively easy Rev Davis - Delia. I got this from a Stefan Grossman book. There were no others, not for a long while. And being in Australia, it was even harder to find learning material that was a bit off the mainstream. That first album basically became my repertoire of finger-picking music, and it taught me a lot of the signature blues passages , which then allowed me to start learning others by ear because those passages gave me 'an in' to what was being done.
I might not like his originals, but I owe him a huge debt of gratitude for all he has done to bring the blues and ragtime guitar to us. And look at his Guitar Workshop!
Bravo Stefan.
I agree with you entirely. I doubt I would ever have learned to play blues without him as there were no other learning resources available back in the '70s & '80s.
Why so many dislikes? Are those from people who realise they will never come close to anything like Stefan's musicianship?
seriously how can you dislike this..7 people dont appreciate good music...for shame..:(
Wonderful version of this tune!
Truly an inspirational guy. Thankyou Stefan! These Guitar Workshop clips are absolutely amazing.
L'ho sentito dal vivo a Milano, troppo bravo!!!
Great stuff i've been trying to master the Acoustic Blues for ages now and learn something new all the time but the likes of Grossman, Jansch, Renbourne, Phelps ect they are just outstanding players. brilliant
Unbelievably excellent.
Brilliant performance ...
great song and great teacher
Simply awesome, and entertaining.
Very enjoyable.
It might be just the camera angle, but his bottom E string seems to be hovering right over the edge of the fretboard.
Really great! Love it. 😊
NOT BLUE AFTER,HEARING YOU PLAY, FANTASTIC♥️🐾♥️🐾♥️🐾♥️
Don't know if you'll get to see this comment or not, Stefan, but that was BRILLIANT! Thanks for posting. I'm a student of the Fingerstyle Blues & Acoustic slide with ambitions to learn this tune myself, regardless of how long it takes me.
Wonderful!!
stefan is a great inspiration
I recall learning it from his now ancient instructional LP "Blues & Ragtime Guitar" which came with a tablature booklet(very rare for an LP back then).
It was originally done by SG in the key of "A".
Took me alot longer than just two nights though.
Outstanding!
this is amazing!!!!
Extraordinary. Wonderful...
This is the classic rendition!
sooo beutiful i could listen all day.
Stefan “ blues man “Grossman great playing
JUST LOVE IT !!!!
Awesome. Love it!
Great song great player
I love it! 🤩
beautiful
How can anyone dislike this!?
Been a fan since I bought a copy of "Crosscurrants" an album that he recorded with Danny Kalb.
Good golly,this here,to me,is glorious.This is i guess retro in a way,timeless in another.Interestingly great music and a great player of course.
This man's a genius.
great stuff!!
Fantastic
Hi difficulty. All those walking bass lines while playing the high strings. But so smooth. No sound of a struggle, that’s the key.
Long life Stefan Grossman!!
Here's the master folk version of Mississippi Blues. This is one of the few artists I would pay to see perform. ...
Talent like no other
He's my master and ever he will be
damn..how i love blues
A TRUE MASTER.
How lucky he was to study with the amazing Reverend Gary Davis!!!!!! Wish I could have been a fly on the wall for those sessions.
Great Guitarist
So clean
I really wanna play like this :((
This really got me motivated to practice allot more my guitar skills.
Love this!
It's fantastic
stellar!
No one plays Mississippi Blues like Stefan...
The one and only Stefan Grossman
He could play then and today he still can strut his stuff!
Magic!
YAY!!! Stefan Grossman.
master of the guitar
His fingers never leaves his hands!!!!
SMOOOOOOOTH LIKE BUTTER ***** stars
thank my master. buy to Marcello in Frascati Italy.
love this defo