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.
Sonic Soul Boogie
Seasick Steve Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lyrics of Seasick Steve's song 'Sonic Soul Boogie' are a tribute to the blues and boogie-woogie traditions of early 20th century America. The song celebrates the power and energy of music, and its ability to reach people in a deep and meaningful way. The lyrics suggest that music has a transformative power, capable of transporting the listener to another place and time.
In the first verse, Seasick Steve sings about the sound of the boogie-woogie piano and how it makes his body feel. He says that the music fills him up and that he can't help but tap his feet and nod his head. In the chorus, he declares that the sound is pure magic, and that it has the power to make him feel alive.
The second verse continues the theme of music's transformative power, with Seasick Steve singing about how it can take you on a journey beyond your ordinary life. He says that the sound of the boogie-woogie piano can lift you up and carry you away, to a place where everything is all right. The lyrics suggest that music is more than just entertainment, but rather a force of nature that can heal and inspire.
Overall, the lyrics of 'Sonic Soul Boogie' paint a vivid picture of the power and magic of music, and its ability to connect people across time and space.
Line by Line Meaning
It sounds so boogie
The music has a distinct and upbeat sound that is characteristic of the boogie genre
Ain't it just the thing to soothe your soul
The energetic and soulful nature of the music can provide a calming and rejuvenating effect on the listener
Got that Sonic Soul Boogie
The combination of soulful and bluesy sounds, along with high-energy instruments, creates a unique and powerful sonic experience
It sure feels good to me
The artist personally enjoys the feeling and energy that the music provides
Can't help but move your body
The upbeat and infectious rhythm of the music naturally makes the listener want to dance or move in some way
Can't help but move your feet
The energy and rhythm of the music is so compelling that it even stimulates physical movement in the listener
Got that Sonic Soul Boogie
The singer reiterates the unique and powerful nature of the music that he is describing
Writer(s): Steve Gene Wold
Contributed by Liliana V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tøm tøm
tolle handgemachte Musik und ein völlig authentischer Steve - das ist Blues, danke mein Freund
James Gledhill
All stripped down to the basics. Don't get much better than this little boogie. Not to mention he is the king of the 3 string and Diddley Bow. If your not sue what that is try google. Thankfully he's found an appreciative home in Europe. Been up for a few Brit awards over the years. Giver sh?t Steve.
Darth Vader
It's impossible not to start foot tapping and getting your grunt on to this ..same with Barracuda 68 and I'm English we don't even have a deep south or Barracuda or moonshine but fuck as soon as I hear seasick Steve my shit just wants to move
Darth Vader
People who can't use their legs should listen to this because I'm pretty sure those legs will start twitching and they will be up and footstomping with their grunt face in no time
Dirk Feische
Sure!!! 👍
Classiccarshop International
JUST GREAT !!
robert accornero
perfection
Fra Cosimo Nuzzo
❤️❤️❤️
Yo no soy, no cierto si soy
Lyrics? please!
Darth Vader
He can't talk about it