The Joy of Steve Goodman

One of my musical influences was the Chicago-based singer-songwriter Steve Goodman. I saw him several times at the Main Point in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in the early to mid 1970s, when I was a young teenager. Goodman was such a joyful presence on stage that I always left feeling buoyed. Although I loved his voice, I was especially captivated by his percussive guitar style. When he died in 1984 at the age of 36, I was completely unaware that he had been battling leukemia. He had been living with the disease since he was 20 and was in and out of treatment throughout his career, yet I never sensed that he might be ill. What I remember is the energy he brought to the stage, the musicianship, and the sense of joy he conveyed to the audience.

Arlo Guthrie's recording of Goodman’s “City of New Orleans” became a hit in 1972 and helped establish Goodman as a major artist. The song became an American standard, and was recorded by numerous artists including Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Chet Atkins, and Willie Nelson. Here is Goodman below singing “City of New Orleans.”