Wold was born in Oakland, California. When he was four years old, his parents split up. His father played boogie-woogie piano and Wold tried to learn when he was five or six, but could not. At the age of eight, he learned to play the guitar from K. C. Douglas, who worked at his grandfather's garage, later realizing that he had been taught the blues. Douglas wrote the song "Mercury Blues" and had played with Tommy Johnson in the early 1940s. Wold left home at 13 to avoid abuse at the hands of his stepfather, and lived rough and on the road in Tennessee, Mississippi and elsewhere, until 1973. He would travel long distances by hopping freight trains, looking for work as a farm labourer or in other seasonal jobs, often living as a hobo. At various times, Wold worked as a carnie, a cowboy and a migrant worker. Paraphrasing H. L. Mencken, Wold described this time of his life by saying "Hobos are people who move around looking for work, tramps are people who move around but don't look for work, and bums are people who don't move and don't work. I've been all three."
When asked about his nickname, Wold has said: "because it's just true: I always get seasick". When he was ill on a ferry from Norway to Copenhagen, later in his life, a friend began playfully using the name and, despite Wold not rising to it for a while, it stuck. When asked about his name on British Sunday morning television show, Something for the Weekend, he replied, "I just get sick on boats". On Top Gear, when asked about his name, Wold replied "Well, I guess I just don't like boats!"
Wold made his first UK television appearance on Jools Holland's annual Hootenanny BBC TV show on New Year's Eve 2006. He performed a live rendition of "Dog House Boogie" on the "Three String Trance Wonder" and the "Mississippi Drum Machine". After that show his popularity exploded in Britain, as he explained in an interview:
"I can't believe it, all of the sudden I'm like the cat's meow!"
He was well received in the UK, winning the 2007 MOJO Award for Best Breakthrough Act and going on to appear at major UK festivals such as Reading, Leeds and Glastonbury. In 2007 he played more UK festivals than any other artist.
Wold toured early in 2008, playing in various venues and festivals in the UK. He was joined on stage by drummer Dan Magnusson. KT Tunstall also dueted with Wold at the London Astoria in January 2008.[20] Wold also played many other festivals throughout the world in 2008, including Fuji Rock in Japan, East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival in Australia, also in April 2008,[21] and Roskilde in Denmark.
Wold's major-label debut, I Started Out with Nothin and I Still Got Most of It Left was recorded with Dan Magnusson on drums, was released by Warner Music on September 29, 2008, and features Ruby Turner and Nick Cave's Grinderman.
He has toured the UK extensively since 2007 being supported by Duke Garwood, Gemma Ray, The Sugars, Billie the Vision and the Dancers in January 2008, Amy LaVere in October 2008, Melody Nelson at the Brighton Dome on 7 October, and Joe Gideon & The Shark in January 2009. His tours in October 2008 and January 2009 were all sold out and included performances at the Royal Albert Hall, the Edinburgh Queen's Hall, the Grand Opera House in Belfast, the Apollo in Manchester, the City Hall in Newcastle and the London Hammersmith Apollo.
In 2009, Wold was nominated for a Brit Award in the category of International Solo Male Artist, That same year, BBC Four broadcast a documentary of Wold visiting the southern USA entitled Seasick Steve: Bringing It All Back Home. On January 21, Wold hosted "Folk America: Hollerers, Stompers and Old Time Ramblers" at the Barbican in London, a show that was also televised and shown with the documentary on BBC Four as part of a series tracing American roots music.
In an interview with an Australian magazine, Wold attributes much of his unlikely success to his cheap and weather-beaten guitar, "The Trance Wonder" and reveals the guitar's mojo might come from supernatural sources. "I got it from Sherman, who is a friend of mine down in Mississippi, who had bought it down at a Goodwill store. When we were down there last time he says to me, 'I didn't tell you when you bought it off me, but that guitar used to be haunted'. I say, 'What are you talking about, Sherman?'. He says, 'There’s 50 solid citizens here in Como who'll tell you this guitar is haunted. It's the darnedest thing – we’d leave it over in the potato barn and we'd come back in and it would be moved. You'd put it down somewhere and the next morning you’d come back and it would have moved. When you took that guitar the ghost in the barn left'. He told me this not very long ago and I said to him, 'Sherman! Why didn't you tell me this before?' and he said, 'Well the ghost was gone – I didn't want it around here no more!'"
On January 3, 2010, Wold appeared on the popular BBC motoring show Top Gear as the Star In A Reasonably Priced Car. He was the last star to drive in the blue Chevrolet Lacetti.
In February 2010, Wold was nominated for a Brit Award in the category of International Solo Male Artist for the second consecutive year.
In 2010, Wold made numerous festival appearances throughout the summer, including the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, the main stage at V Festival, the main stage at the Hop Farm Festival and many more.
In February 2011, Wold signed to Play It Again Sam to release his new album with the exception of the US, where it will be released on Third Man Records. Subsequently his new album You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks was released on his new labels and it was announced that former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones had played on the new album, and performed alongside Wold to promote it.
On 16 August 2014 he was the headline act at Beautiful Days in Exeter, UK, and on the 24th August he headlined at 'Victorious Festival' in Southsea, Portsmouth, UK.
Diddley Bo
Seasick Steve Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And this here song is called
Yeah, you guessed it
Diddley bo!
Diddley bo!
Diddley bo!
On the side of your house got to find a room
Get two cans and a couple of nails
Hook up the wire and you’re ready to sail
Come on now
With only one string you can’t go wrong
So go ahead and make yourself a song
Make it kinda funky everybody gonna know
You got yourself a diddley bo
Diddley bo, diddley bo all the time
Lord, have mercy gonna have a good time
Diddley bo, diddley bo all the time
Lord, have mercy gonna have a good time
Come on
If you want one just like mine
You need a two by four and a little bit of time
Decorate it up and you’re ready to go
You got yourself a diddley bo
Diddley bo, diddley bo all the time
Lord, have mercy gonna have a good time
Diddley bo, diddley bo all the time
Lord, have mercy gonna have a good time
Diddley bo, diddley bo all the time
Lord, have mercy gonna have a good time
Diddley bo, diddley bo all the time
Lord, have mercy gonna have a good time
Diddley bo, diddley bo…
The song "Diddley Bo" by Seasick Steve is a tribute to a homemade instrument known as the diddley bow, which has been used in American blues music for over a century. The diddley bow is a simple stringed instrument that consists of a single wire stretched between two points and played with a bottleneck or slide. In the opening lines of the song, the singer introduces the diddley bo with enthusiasm, encouraging everyone to join in and enjoy the funky, rhythmic sound it produces.
The lyrics go on to describe how to make a diddley bo using an old broom wire, two cans, and a couple of nails. The singer emphasizes that with just one string, anyone can make music and have a good time. He encourages listeners to get creative and decorate their diddley bows, making each one unique and personal. The repeated refrain of "Diddley bo, diddley bo all the time/Lord, have mercy gonna have a good time" reinforces the joyful, celebratory nature of the song.
Overall, "Diddley Bo" is a testament to the power of simplicity and the ability of music to bring people together. Through Seasick Steve's infectious enthusiasm and catchy lyrics, listeners are invited to join in the fun and make their own diddley bows, fostering a sense of community and shared creativity.
Line by Line Meaning
Here come the one string diddley bo
Introducing the one stringed diddley bo which is the focus of the song
And this here song is called
The following song is entitled 'Diddley bo'
Take the wire off an old broom
The necessary item to construct the diddley bo is an old broom from which you will remove a piece of wire
On the side of your house got to find a room
Search for a space, preferably outside and adjacent to your house, to set up your diddley bo
Get two cans and a couple of nails
Obtain two cans and a few nails which are required for constructing the diddley bo
Hook up the wire and you’re ready to sail
Once you attach the wire to the cans with nails, your diddley bo is complete and ready to be played
With only one string you can’t go wrong
Even with just one string, you can create great music on the diddley bo
So go ahead and make yourself a song
Encouragement to create and play your own tune on the diddley bo
Make it kinda funky everybody gonna know
Adding some groovy flair to your diddley bo tune will catch people's attention and draw a crowd
If you want one just like mine
For any interested listeners, instructions are given to create a diddley bo similar to the one Steve is playing
You need a two by four and a little bit of time
All you need to make your own diddley bo is a piece of wood and some time to assemble it
Decorate it up and you’re ready to go
Spruce up your diddley bo with some decorations and it will be ready to be played
Lord, have mercy gonna have a good time
Expressing joy and anticipation for the good time that will be had playing the diddley bo
Contributed by Kaelyn I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Randall Burgess
OMG! I have just started following this man the last couple days and I must say he is one of the greatest and original talents of my lifetime. Unbelievable! Long live the Blues. 📕
Glyn Price
Been a fan for about 12 years. The man is a legend. Only managed to see him once in the UK was blown away
Zidders Roofurry
If this guy can rock out with a board, one string and three notes why the hell am I so down on my own guitar playing? I'm so done putting my playing down. Thanks, Steve!
74dart man
Ya brother...don't put yourself down. Just play and have fun! A lot of great songs are really simple ones...a lot of 2 string power chords! Bands like AC/DC...simple 3 chord stuff. Having fun is what it's all about! Good luck!👍😎🎸🎶
demuredemented
dont quit, play play play!!
Hermien Jonkers
Music man 🎶🎵🎸🚜🚛wauw....👍👍
Nathan
Should have the opposite effect 🤣
AchtungDan
@74dart man well said!
Leon E.
The drummer is great! Awesome duo, entertainin all those people
. 👍
Chris Nicholson
Here we go!