Art Thieme

America has long cherished Art Thieme as its favorite troubadour. Decades earlier, the renowned vocalist T. Texas Tyler earned the nickname “the man with a million friends.” Although Tex is gone, that honor now belongs to Art Thieme. Functioning as a one-man skiffle ensemble, Art centers his performances on guitar and banjo yet also commands an array of unconventional devices ranging from the saw and jew’s harp to the nose flute and roughly a dozen other odd contraptions. His sense of humor, however, outstrips all of them in eccentricity. He delivers such wildly inventive puns and anecdotes that listeners chuckle even after hearing the same material many times over. Art has freely contributed his skills to launch numerous folk clubs and has instructed youngsters in crafting and playing homemade instruments, extending similar guidance to fellow performers. Any willing audience receives his songs, while his articles appear regularly in folk periodicals and his radio programs spotlight the genre. Venues ranging from classrooms and concert halls to campfires and riverboats have hosted his shows. Traveling nationwide, he has gathered songs and questionable jokes from hoboes, children, and fellow musicians alike. In true balladeer fashion, he rarely renders a piece identically twice, instead introducing fresh nuances at every performance. He remains a genuine treasure! ~ Don Stevens