Geoff Muldaur

Geoff Muldaur
Born (1943-08-12) August 12, 1943
Pelham, New York, United States
Genres Folk, blues and folk-rock
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instruments Guitar, banjo, penny whistle
Years active 1960s–present
Website Official website

Geoff Muldaur (born August 12, 1943, Pelham, New York, United States)[1][2][3] is an American musician. He is an accomplished solo guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer, and arranger. He was a founding member of the Jim Kweskin Jug Band[4] in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a member of Paul Butterfield's Better Days.

Career

Having established an impressive reputation with the Kweskin Jug Band during the 1960s, Geoff and Maria Muldaur (who were then married) recorded their first album, Pottery Pie, for Warner Bros. Records in 1969.[5] It was on this album that Muldaur recorded his celebrated version of "Brazil" (original title "Aquarela do Brasil"), which became the title inspiration and the opening theme for Terry Gilliam's 1985 film Brazil.[6] After recording Pottery Pie, the Muldaurs moved to the burgeoning folk, blues, and folk-rock scene in Woodstock, New York. They separated in 1972, shortly after Geoff joined the group Paul Butterfield's Better Days.[7]

After leaving the Butterfield band in 1976, Muldaur recorded two more solo albums for Warner Bros., an album with Amos Garrett, a solo album for Flying Fish Records, and a jump band album, Geoff Muldaur and the Nite Lites, for Hannibal Records. During this period, he also recorded with Bobby Charles, Jerry Garcia, Eric Von Schmidt, Bonnie Raitt, and John Cale. In the early 1980s, Muldaur left the stage and recording studio for a working sabbatical.[8] During this period, he composed scores for film and television, winning an Emmy Award, and produced albums for Lenny Pickett and the Borneo Horns and the Richard Greene String Quartet.

Muldaur emerged in 1998 with The Secret Handshake. After two more albums in 1999 and 2000, he recorded the semiclassical jazz album Private Astronomy: A Vision of the Music of Bix Beiderbecke for Deutsche Grammophon in 2003.

In 2009, Muldaur formed a roots supergroup for work on a new album. Dubbing themselves Geoff Muldaur and the Texas Sheiks, folk and American music luminary Stephen Bruton, Grammy-winning Dobro player Cindy Cashdollar, fiddle virtuoso Suzy Thompson, guitarist Johnny Nicholas, and bassist Bruce Hughes joined Muldaur in the studio for a pair of recording sessions in 2008. Bruton died in May 2009. Texas Sheiks was released on September 22, 2009, on the Tradition & Moderne label.

His sister is the actress Diana Muldaur. His daughters Jenni Muldaur and Clare are also musicians. His daughter Dardanella Slavin is a chiropractor.

Muldaur is the author of "Moles Moan", which was recorded by his friend Tom Rush. This song has been used as a theme song for many folk music radio programs, notably by Gene Shay.[9]

Discography

Solo albums

  • Sleepy Man Blues – Prestige (1964)
  • Is Having a Wonderful Time – Warner Bros/Reprise (1975)
  • Motion (Geoff Muldaur album) – Warner Bros/Reprise (1976)
  • Blues Boy – Flying Fish (1979)
  • I Ain't Drunk – Hannibal (1980)
  • The Secret Handshake – HighTone (1998)
  • Beautiful Isle of Somewhere – Tradition & Moderne (Germany) (1999)
  • Password – HighTone (2000)
  • Private Astronomy: A Vision of the Music of Bix Beiderbecke – Deutsche Grammophon

With Maria Muldaur

  • Pottery Pie – Warner Bros/Reprise
  • Sweet Potatoes – Warner Bros/Reprise

With Amos Garrett

  • Geoff Muldaur & Amos Garrett – Flying Fish
  • Live in Japan – Yupiteru (Japan)

Jim Kweskin Jug Band

  • Jim Kweskin & the Jug Band – Vanguard
  • Jug Band Music – Vanguard
  • See Reverse Side for Title – Vanguard
  • Garden of Joy – Warner Bros.
  • Jug Band Blues (with Sippie Wallace) – Mountain Railroad
  • Greatest Hits – Vanguard

Paul Butterfield's Better Days

  • Better Days – Warner Bros/Bearsville
  • It All Comes Back – Warner Bros/Bearsville

Various artists

  • The Blues Project – Elektra
  • The Bluesville Years – Prestige
  • Newport Folk Festival 1964 Evening Concerts Vol. 1 – Vanguard
  • Newport Folk Festival 1965 – Vanguard
  • Festival 1967 – Vanguard
  • The Record Show – Warner Bros
  • Goodbye – Suspex
  • Avalon Blues – Vanguard

With the Texas Sheiks

  • Geoff Muldaur and the Texas Sheiks – Tradition & Moderne

Collaborations

References

  1. ↑ "Geoff Muldaur". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  2. ↑ Zac Johnson. "Geoff Muldaur | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  3. ↑ Archived March 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ Lankford, Ronnie D., Jr. "Jim Kweskin & the Jug Band | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  5. ↑ Brian Beatty. "Pottery Pie - Geoff & Maria Muldaur | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  6. ↑ Archived May 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ "Geoff Muldaur: Information from". Answers.com. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  8. ↑ "Geoff Muldaur Bio". Geoffmuldaur.com. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  9. ↑ "Folk Show". Xpn.org. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
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