Peter Stampfel

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Peter Stampfel
Peter Stampfel interview.jpg
Stampfel in 2000
Born (1938-10-29) October 29, 1938 (age 86)
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, United States
OccupationAssociate editor at DAW Books
Spouse(s) Betsy Wollheim (1970s-present, as of 2020); Antonia (a.k.a. Barbara Ann Goldblatt, 1960s–1970s, d. 2017) [1] [2] [3] [4]
Musical career
Genres Folk
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s) fiddle, violin, harmonica, guitar, banjo
Years active1963–present
Labels

Peter Stampfel (born October 29, 1938) is an American fiddle player, old-time musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a founding member of The Holy Modal Rounders.

Contents

Biography

Peter Stampfel was born on October 29, 1938, in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. [5] In the late 1950s, he relocated to New York City, settling in Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side, joining the emerging American folk music revival scene just as Bob Dylan and others were arriving. In 1961, Stampfel was living on MacDougal Street and playing more traditional roots music at local coffeehouses. Two years later he founded The Holy Modal Rounders with Steve Weber, then expanded the lineup to include drummer and playwright Sam Shepard during the second half of the 1960s. [6]

The Holy Modal Rounders’ early recordings are often cited as among the first examples of psychedelic folk, and they reached a greater audience after “The Bird Song,” was included on the Easy Rider soundtrack. [7] Stampfel was also briefly a member of The Fugs and has been the leader of several musical projects, including the Bottlecaps, the Du-Tels, and the WORM All-Stars. He has performed with Bob Dylan, They Might Be Giants, the Roches, Richard Barone, Jeffrey Frederick, Yo La Tengo, Bongwater, Jeffrey Lewis, Michael Hurley, Baby Gramps and Loudon Wainwright III. [8]

Legacy

Music Critic Robert Christgau has asserted that “next to Bob Dylan, Stampfel is the closest thing to a genius" to come out of the New York folk revival scene of the 1960s. [9]

Stampfel performs in 2012 Peter Stampfel 08.jpg
Stampfel performs in 2012

Discography

References

  1. ↑ Vila, Benito (February 27, 2019). "Peter Stampfel: The Last Holy Modal Rounder Tells All". Please Kill Me . Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Antonia Duren". Discogs. 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  3. ↑ McFadden, John (2007). Bear Suit Follies: The Songs, Stories and Letters of Antonia. Lulu.com. ISBN   978-0615137735.
  4. ↑ Sisario, Ben (March 6, 2020). "Steve Weber, 76, a Founder of an Influential Folk Band, Dies". New York Times . Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  5. ↑ Layne, Joslyn. "Peter Stampfel". Allmusic. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Peter Stampfel". The Downtown Pop Underground. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Welcome to the weird world of Peter Stampfel". The Irish Times. December 8, 2001. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  8. ↑ Gross, Jason (September 1996). "Peter Stampfel interview". Perfect Sound Forever . Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  9. ↑ The Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose (2006), May 10, 2023, retrieved September 8, 2023
  10. ↑ "The Fugs - Virgin Fugs Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic .
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