|
 Steve Young – alone, standing on stage with his guitar, moved the
audience into the many corners of his musical world on the 29th of January 2004 at the
SNTI Auditorium in Jamshedpur. In an evening of spell-binding music, co-sponsored by U.S.
Consulate General, Public Affairs Office, Kolkata and Tata Steel, Young found a common
thread with the listeners, categories faded and what was left was a pure contact with the
soul of a genuine troubadour – a dynamic performer who delivered his songs with
humility and passion. Even if you’ve never heard of Steve Young, you know his songs
– “ Seven Bridges Road” by the Eagles, “ Montgomery in the Rain”
by Hank Williams, Jr. “ Lonesome, Orn’ry and Mean” by Waylon Jennings are
some of the songs that have been created in the soul of this musician. Young follows his
own musical and spiritual quest, travelling around the world as an ambassador of American
music, weaving together his Southern roots with a wide experience of life, creating new
traditions in music along the way.
“ It is my goal to combine different things I’ve heard…… The ethnic
Deep South – Blues, Hillbilly, Appalachian,” Young says. “ I want my music
to be vibrant…… like the people it represents.”
Part Cherokee Indian, raised on Baptist fundamentalism as a child, then later
transformed by Buddhist teachings, Young has created his own form of American roots music
– one that matches the global perspective of one who has travelled across five
continents.
Speaking to his audience that evening, Young commented “ Indian music is deeper
and more spiritual in content, compared to country music, which came up with more attitude
and realistic content. Country music originated in the cotton fields of Texas, Alabama and
Georgia where from different styles like the Blues, the Gospels marked the beginning of
the era of rock culture.” Referring to the present day American music industry, Steve
said: “Nowadays every music label is looking for a Britney or a Shakira, which will
pump up sales. Sadly, there’s nothing creative. For people like me, the best option
is to do what I’m doing or making a self label.”
Jamshedpur was privileged to witness this great musician, live and unplugged. |
