As academic and folklorist
Stekert's first teaching position was at Wayne State University in Detroit. As director of Wayne State's Folklore Archives,Stekert built upon the pioneering work of Thelma James in the collection of urban folklore traditions. [17] In 1968,Stekert organized a symposium,"The Urban Experience and Folk Tradition",at Wayne State. She and University of Texas professor Américo Paredes later edited the presentations into a special issue of the Journal of American Folklore ,which was itself expanded into the 1971 book The Urban Experience and Folk Tradition. The four essays which made up the book focused on how the study of folklore,at the time considered largely a study of rural folk groups,could be applied to populations in large urban cities. Stekert's essay examined the difficulties and changing beliefs of Appalachian migrants who had settled in Detroit. [18]
From there,she moved to the University of Minnesota where she was based for the rest of her academic career,as a professor in the English and American Studies departments. [1]
Stekert was president of the American Folklore Society from 1976 to 1978,and served on its board from 1970 to 1978. [6]
Stekert was appointed Minnesota's first state folklorist. [1]
In 1986,Stekert was a consultant for the Science Museum of Minnesota exhibit Wolves and Humans:Coexistence,Competition,and Conflict,writing and giving lectures on the often contradictory lore and mythology of wolves in folklore. The exhibit traveled to several museums across the U.S.,including the American Museum of Natural History. [19] [20]
As folksinger
Stekert began performing in high school and continued at Cornell,where she became involved with the 1950s folk-music scene in Greenwich Village. She released four albums during the 1950s and also appeared on numerous folk-music compilations. [1] She is proficient in guitar,banjo,harmonica,and mandolin. [21] Although Stekert's academic career took precedence over her musical career,she continued to perform frequently for many years. [22]
In his memoir Chronicles:Volume One ,Bob Dylan wrote that during his days living in Minneapolis,he learned some of his early material from watching Stekert perform. [7]
She recorded as a duo with Milt Okun on several occasions,most notably on the 1957 album Traditional American Love Songs,a collection of songs mainly from English,Scottish and Irish sources. Bruce Eder of AllMusic called the album a "low-key and serious entry in the late-'50s folk music revival",and speculated that Stekert and Okun's version of "The Cambric Shirt" may have inspired Simon and Garfunkel's adaptation of the song as "Scarborough Fair/Canticle". Eder also praised Stekert's "considerable solo talents" on the song "Shule Aroo." [23] [24] David Dicaire,in his 2011 book The Folk Music Revival. Biographies Of Fifty Performers And Other Influential People,called Stekert and Okun's "The Cambric Shirt" a "folk classic" and likewise suggested that it may have been an influence on Simon and Garfunkel's version. He called the album "by far the best record Okun released as an artist." [25]
On 1958's Songs of a New York Lumberjack,Stekert sang 18 songs she had collected from 81-year-old Ezra "Fuzzy" Barhight as part of her work as an academic folklorist. Reviewer Ed Cray of the journal Western Folklore called the album "outstanding". [26] [27]
Although Stekert did not release an album after the late 1950s,she continued to record her concerts and other performances and built up a large archive of unreleased music. In 2025,Stekert began working with producer and musician Ross Wylde to remaster these tapes. The first collection of material,10 songs recorded between 1954 and 1980,was released in March 2025 as Go Round Songs,Vol. 1. [22]
Other recordings followed,including Camera Three,recorded in 1959 for the CBS news show of the same name,which included a version of the previously unknown and undocumented Woody Guthrie song "High Floods &Low Waters". The performance also featured notable folk musicians Jean Ritchie,Oscar Brand,Dave Sear,and the New Lost City Ramblers. [28]
