Biography

JUST FOR THE LOVE OF IT is legendary folk artist Happy Traum’s first new CD in nearly a decade. The renowned fingerstyle guitarist, singer, performer, session player, writer, instructional video producer and long-time veteran of the Woodstock, NY music scene has puts his indelible stamp on fourteen songs, most of which are either traditional or have been composed in that style by writers with deep connections to what is now called “American Roots Music.”

Happy is accompanied by a cast of A-list musicians and singers, most of whom have been playing with him on and off for most of his professional life. They include co-producer and multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, Elvis Costello, David Bromberg); harp player/guitarist John Sebastian (Lovin’ Spoonful); bassist Byron Isaacs (Levon Helm, Amy Helm, Ollabelle); drummers Jerry Marotta (Indigo Girls, Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney) and Justin Guip (Levon Helm); vocalist Teresa Williams (Levon Helm, Mavis Staples, Emmylou Harris) and the ever-brilliant David Amram on pennywhistle.

Happy says about these sessions: “My idea for this recording was to play and sing “live” in the studio, to try and capture that wonderful interaction that happens spontaneously with musical friends…. For the most part the music on this CD reflects the way it happened in the moment - no frills and as honest as I could make it.”

All of the songs on this CD highlight Happy’s strong, confident acoustic fingerpicking on a variety of six- and twelve-string guitars. The tracks include two acoustic blues numbers that were learned directly from Happy’s guitar teacher and mentor, Brownie McGhee: Careless Love Blues and In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down, along with powerful versions of Leadbelly’s In the Pines; Bob Dylan’s Down in the Flood (Happy’s son, Adam Traum, contributes some smokin’ slide guitar); Woody Guthrie’s I Ain’t Got No Home; Bessie Jones’ rollicking Things Are Coming My Way; and the sardonic old railroad blues, Jay Gould’s Daughter. One of the standout cuts is the mysterious, Caribbean-flavored folk song, Deep Blue Sea.

More contemporary but still firmly in the roots music category are rich versions of Norman Blake’s classic Church Street Blues; the late John Herald’s High Muddy Water; and a solo version, with twelve-string, of Pete Seeger’s poignant Sailing Down My Golden River.

Happy’s guitar arranging skills are evident in the quieter, more heartfelt ballads, such as The Water is Wide, featuring Larry Campbell’s intensely beautiful fiddle and pedal steel, and Spanish Is the Loving Tongue, accompanied by the brilliant British guitarist Martin Simpson and Celtic cellist Abby Newton. An improvised instrumental rendition of the pop/country standard, Tennessee Waltz, with Martin Simpson, further highlights Happy’s skills as a first-rate guitarist and arranger.

For a full bio: www.happytraum.com/biography