Seasick Steve

With his beaten-up three-string guitar, diddley bow and wooden stomp box, hobo bluesman Steve Wold has become an unlikely cult star, charming the festival crowds with ramshackle 12-bar boogie and heartfelt stories. He was born in Oakland, California, on March 19, 1951. Leaving home at 13 to escape an abusive step-father, he spent years sleeping rough, working for carnivals, hopping freight trains and busking, before finally finding stardom in his sixties. Launched into the mainstream by a memorable appearance on Jools Holland's Hootenanny TV show on New Year's Eve 2006, he quickly became a word-of-mouth sensation with his second album, Dog House Music, which went gold in the UK. Dressed in scruffy dungarees, check shirts and with trademark bushy beard, his raw authenticity and humble nature won many admirers, with KT Tunstall, Nick Cave and Ruby Turner all contributing to his third album, I Started Out With Nothin, And I Still Got Most Of It Left, in 2008. The record went platinum in the UK, where it charted at number 9. The follow-up records Man From Another Time and  You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks enjoyed T0p 10 success, as well. Seasick Steve remained active throughout the 2010s and early 2020s, as well, releasing albums like 2020's Blues in Mono and 2024's A Trip a Stumble a Fall Down on Your Knees.