Happy Traum Tribute (Saturday)

As a storyteller Adam Traum wraps his catchy hooks with infectious grooves. His songs have a consistent verve, which reflects his belief in music as an essential element of the human experience. The material Adam writes evokes images of an Americana landscape spinning tales of love, heartbreak, beauty and the occasional observational diatribe. When he performs live Adam brings his sunny disposition and genuine love of playing music to the stage. His tasteful instrumental chops and relaxed but powerful voice are a great compliment to his well-crafted songs.

The rootstock of Traum’s music germinated in the fertile ground of the Catskill Mountains. He was raised in a musical family in Woodstock, New York, with a front row seat to music history. His passion for music was enhanced by going to many festivals and shows in his formative years. As an aspiring guitarist Traum was always welcome to pick along at jam sessions with family friends, many of whom happened to be musical luminaries.

Traum regularly raided his father’s record collection listening to the masters of electric blues, country and folk in addition to regular doses of rock albums he got at the local record store. He would spend hours playing along and figuring out his favorite riffs. Thanks to the time spent exploring these musical avenues, he became a well-rounded musician able to nimbly shift between genres.

After tenures in several rock bands as a young musician, Traum found the truth, beauty and honesty in the roots music he was raised around. One year at MerleFest in North Carolina, he had a musical epiphany after seeing Tony Rice play guitar. No gimmicks, no effects: just wood and steel! It was music made by people, for people. The authenticity of that performance is the benchmark he continually strives for whether playing acoustic or electric music.

In addition to being a busy performer, Adam is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and active music educator with several popular videos on Homespun Music Instruction. his band Wolf Run is completing their debut album, and has a more electrified sound while still holding fast to his musical sensibilities. Go to wolfrun.net to hear songs from their upcoming release.

Happy Traum was smitten by American folk music and began playing guitar and 5-string banjo as a teenager. He was an active participant in the legendary Washington Square/Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1950’s and 60’s and studied guitar with famed blues master Brownie McGhee. A first-rate fingerstyle guitarist and singer, he performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan, as a soloist and member of various groups, including The Woodstock Mountains Review. His avid interest in traditional and contemporary folk music earned him recognition as a performer, writer, editor, session musician, teacher and recording artist.

Happy’s first appearance in a recording studio was at a historic session in 1963 when a group of young folk musicians, including Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger, Peter LaFarge, and The Freedom Singers gathered in Folkways Records’ studio for an album called Broadsides. Happy with his group the New World Singers, then cut the first recorded version of “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and Happy sang a duet with Dylan on his anti-war song “Let me Die in My Footsteps.” John Sebastian, Maria Muldaur, Cindy Cashdollar, Larry Campbell, and Allen Ginsberg are just a few of his many celebrated collaborators. Over the years happy and his son, Adam Traum, played many live shows and appeared on each other’s recordings together.

A true stalwart of the Woodstock music scene, Happy is know as one-half of Happy and Artie Traum, a duo he began with his late brother. Together they put out several albums including Happy and Artie Traum (1969),  Double Back I(1971), Hard Time in the Country (1975), and Test of Time (1993). Some of Happy’s solo releases include American Stranger (1975), Bright Morning Stars (2000), I walk the Road Again (2005), Just for the Love of It (2015), and his most recent critically acclaimed CD, There’s a Bright Side Somewhere (2022).

He founded Homespun Music Instruction with his wife and partner, Jane Traum, in 1967. This treasure trove of instructional lessons continues to grow and to be available at Homespun.com.

Happy’s immense musical impact will be felt for generations to come.