Steve Howell profile picture

Steve Howell

Endeavor to Persevere.

About Me

When Steve Howell first heard Mississippi John Hurt's style of fingerpicking country blues in 1965 at the age of thirteen, he immediately knew that the tame, folky style of strumming the guitar was a thing of the past for him. This revelation opened the door to a new musical universe for him. As his journey progressed, Mississippi John Hurt begat Blind Willie McTell and Leadbelly. They in turn begat Robert Johnson, Son House, Rev. Gary Davis, Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Blake and a host of other black acoustic guitar players and vocalists. His interest in rural, folk-blues styles and the history of the music led him to learn more about how this music came to town and melded with the horn-oriented bands prevalent in the cities, creating a strong affinity for him with the traditional jazz and New Orleans music of the first half of the twentieth century. This led to a journey through music which, of course, included the pop, country, rock and blues music of the times, as well as the music of Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Lester Young, Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, Art Tatum, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Chet Atkins, Johnny Smith, Wes Montgomery, Bucky Pizzarelli, Joe Pass, George Van Eps, Lenny Breau, and many other great jazz artists. Although very interested in many other music styles (bebop, rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues, and others), the heart of his playing and singing is very much rooted in the rural acoustic blues and traditional jazz genres born in the American South.
Born in Marshall, Texas, Steve lived in Kilgore, Texas, until the age of seventeen, when his family moved to Shreveport, Louisiana. Upon Steve's graduation from Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport, he lived in Dallas, Arlington, Austin, and spent some time in Pennsylvania during 1972-1973. Late 1973 brought the beginning of a hitch in the U.S. Navy which took him to Key West, Florida, and then to Havorfordwest, South Wales, for 3 1/2 years. During this time, he played folk clubs in South Wales, as well as in the South of England with his partner, fingerstyle and slide guitarist and mandolinist, Arnie Cottrell. They also played several folk music gatherings including the Pembroke Castle Folk Festival in the spring of 1976.
Upon his return to the United States in 1977 and his return to Shreveport, Louisiana, he attended Louisiana State University in Shreveport and graduated in 1980 with a degree in Communications. During this time he played on the Shreveport club scene through the late seventies and the eighties, with numerous gigs around East Texas, initially as a duo with guitarist David Dodson in 1977 and then with his partner, Shreveport restauranteur Jim Caskey, beginning in 1978. Steve and Jim have been regular performers at Shreveport's Red River Revel Arts Festival, having played the festival every year, except three, since its inception. Their duo, Howell & Caskey, has opened for Country Joe and the Fish, Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets, Bugs Henderson, Ponty Bone and the Squeezetones, and shared the stage with blues legend Brownie McGee. They have also played together in rock 'n' roll and blues bands over the years, most notably The Deadbeats and The Movers, with musicians from the Shreveport and the Ark-La-Tex area such as Dave Hoffpauir, Mark Roberts, Chris Michaels, Steve Ramey, and Randy Guynes. They also played traditional jazz and blues as a trio with Kathryn Hobgood singing and playing mandolin for about two years.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 3/18/2007
Band Website: stevehowell.ws
Band Members: Joe Osborn, Darren Osborn, David Osborn, Dave Hoffpauir, Chris Michaels, Jim Caskey
Influences: Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mance Lipscomb, Blind Willie Johnson, Ramblin' Henry Thomas, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Willie Brown, Kid Bailey, Mississippi John Hurt, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Skip James, Bo Carter, John Miller, Duck Baker, Jamie Findlay, Chet Atkins, Lenny Breau, Bucky Pizzarelli, George Van Eps, Jim Hall, Joe Pass, Johnny Smith, Ted Greene, Frank Vignola, Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, Fats Waller, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Kurt Weill, Mose Allison, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Hampton Hawes, Geoff Muldaur, Ry Cooder, Dave Van Ronk, Dan Hicks, Taj Mahal, Doc Watson, Joe Osborn, Doug Sahm, The Gourds, Nick Lowe, Geraint Watkins, Ian McLagan, Don & Juan, the guys I am fortunate enough to play with, and many, many more.....

Bookings: Bruce Flett (318.773.3034 or [email protected] )

Steve Howell's Reviews

“It has a steady beat, soft and cool, plenty of melodies, each as crisp as the next, played with incredible perfection, the thing that takes you wherever it wants, whenever it wants and you never even feel the time is dragging, it's that beautiful....Played by a quartet of virtuosos in a laid-back, easy style. A quartet that serves you a sharp-dressed music, concise, but careful — notice that I didn't say sterile! Mustn't get it wrong! A gentle and fresh music that we would like to hear more often, a music in which each instrument shines like the sun, where everything is all happiness and precious. Steve Howell is a warm singer and excellent guitarist...it's all great, it's all rolling in silk, a listening gem that's a long way from the noise and the fury. A pearl recommended for aficionados of beautiful guitar, but also for all blues lovers who still know where the blue note comes from......”

- Blues & Co. Magazine (France) Jan. 2007

“Wow. Talk about your complete breath of fresh air! This is an awesome, awe inspiring collection of classic old tunes remodeled and reinterpreted by Steve Howell and company. Fantastic renditions of some time honored classic tunes. Howell shows a delicate balance of respect and admiration for his source material while still taking it to a new place for us. A wonderful album of great work.”

- Southwest Blues (April 2006)

“Howell and his sidemen display an obvious comfort with the material and guitar fans will enjoy the warm tones he coaxes from his Benedetto archtop. Howell's vocals easily glide over the music, but with enough character to make these interpretations his own. Engineered and mixed at Shreveport's Sandbox Recording Studio, the cd's crisp production lets all instruments shine, sure to please even the most discriminating high-end audio enthusiasts. This easy-going and enjoyable release will certainly gain Howell wider recognition. Simply put, this is how the pros do it.”

– Living Blues Magazine

“The natural ease of Steve’s Chet Atkins-styled picking and the jazz trio format seamlessly blends these artifacts of Americana together. The intros to “Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams” and the absolutely gorgeous cover of Satchmo’s “When it’s Sleepy Time Down South” convey so much emotion on their own that the verses are almost anticlimactic. When he switches into a higher register...., as on Blind Teddy Darby’s “I Never Cried (Built Right On The Ground),” Steve finds a gentle yearning that suits him well, sort of a cross between Clapton and Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson. There’s true gold just beyond the pastoral horizon of “Out Of The Past...”

- OffBeat Magazine

"Steve Howell simply shines on his new release. Country, Blues and Jazz sounds that feature the guitar and vocal workings of a master musician. "Out of the Past" features a variety of music styles that are clean and uncluttered and are more than enjoyable to listen to. Steve presents his songs with an uncommon feel for the past music of days gone by. This album is excellent and should make waves throughout the music industry."

- Roots Music Report

"Steve plays these songs his way. He has been playing them for years, but he does it without changing them. That's where his heart is. Of all my fingerpicking friends, Steve is the fingerpickingest."

- Joe Osborn (legendary bassist who has played on hundreds of Top 40 pop, rock and country hits)

“Howell’s arch-top picking, marked by a lovely melodic sensibility, is immaculate, his vocals relaxed and honest. Songs like Charley Patton’s Moon Going Down” and Blind Teddy Darby’s “I Never Cried” surprisingly work as well in the small band arrangements created by Howell and Joe Osborn on bass.”

- Blues Revue, February March 2006

“The [Texas] guitarist/ vocalist’s preference for roots music and vintage Tin Pan Alley in an intimate trio setting affords a rare, close-up opportunity to hear Joe Osborn work his masterful way with a song.”

– Bass Player magazine ‘BP RECOMMENDS’ section, January 2006

"Out of the Past" is a delightful acoustic journey back in time to the Great American songbook. A must listen disc for today's songwriters and pickers alike."

- James "The Blues Hound" Nagel - 90.1 KPFT Houston, TX

Sounds Like: Steve Howell
Record Label: Out Of The Past, LLC
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

American Primitive Guitar

This is a great article on the style known as American Primitive Guitar pioneered by John Fahey and a handful of others. http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/cover/2006/cover0707.html ?navedit  ...
Posted by Steve Howell on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 05:57:00 PST

Mission Statement

Mission Statement:  We have not succeeded in answering all your problems.  The answers we have found only serve to raise a whole set of new questions. In some ways we feel we are as confused...
Posted by Steve Howell on Mon, 11 Jun 2007 02:23:00 PST

How we settle disputes in Texas...

A Philadelphia lawyer went duck hunting in rural Texas. He shot a duck and it fell across a fence into onto the adjacent property. As the lawyer climbed over the fence to get his duck, ...
Posted by Steve Howell on Thu, 03 May 2007 06:32:00 PST

via Ian McLagan

Paddy Murphy limps into a Belfast pub looking as if he'd just been run over by a train. His arm in a sling, his nose is broken and his face is cut and bruised."What happened to you?" asks Sean, the ba...
Posted by Steve Howell on Thu, 03 May 2007 06:26:00 PST

Banjo & Trombone

A banjo player and a trombone player have a New Year's Eve gig. Everything is going very well, and the people at the party really enjoy the evening. They go to get paid and the woman that booked ...
Posted by Steve Howell on Thu, 03 May 2007 06:25:00 PST

F. Scott Fitzgerald

One day young F. Scott in his gloom Took a lesbian up to his room They argued all night Concerning who might Do what and with which and to whom...
Posted by Steve Howell on Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:49:00 PST

Garden Of Eden

In the Garden of Eden lay Adam, Complacently stroking his madam, And loud was his mirth For he realized on earth There were only two balls  and he had 'em...
Posted by Steve Howell on Thu, 26 Apr 2007 02:55:00 PST

Surrogate

The Smiths were unable to conceive children and decided to use a surrogate father to start their family. On the day the proxy father was to arrive, Mr. Smith kissed his wife goodbye and said, "We...
Posted by Steve Howell on Mon, 23 Apr 2007 03:36:00 PST

via T-Bone

T-Bone Burnett's MySpace page contains the following link to a great Harper's article. It's long, but it's worth it. The Ecstasy of Influence.http://www.harpers.org/TheEcstasyOfInfluen ce.htm...
Posted by Steve Howell on Sun, 08 Apr 2007 07:16:00 PST