THAD BECKMAN

Photograph by Paul Svenson
Photograph by Paul Svenson

The dust-filled wind sweeps steadily down and across the flat, arid plains of Woody Guthrie’s America. Beginning many hundreds of miles from Portland, Oregon it carries with it the hopes and dreams of those who have gone before…the dreamers and seekers.   It whispers a birthright to the singular voice of a modern compatriot-in-arms… singer/songwriter Thad Beckman.

A professional musician for more than 25 years, Thad Beckman has paid his dues on these same dusty roads which run from California to New Jersey and points in between. His finely-crafted original songs are the story of life, the voice of modern America…from the growling delta blues of the Deep South to evocative contemporary folk…bound by the common thread of experience gleaned from the road . You can hear it in his voice….he’s been there.

Moving from Portland to northern California in the late 1980’s, Thad was quickly recognized by music promoters as an exceptional talent. As a guitarist, Thad Beckman has been hired by Tom Russell, Bo Diddley, The Shirelles and Earl ThomasAs a bandleader he soon found himself sharing the stage with such renowned artists as B.B. King, Albert Collins, James Cotton, The Band,  Emmylou Harris,  The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks.

Realising his natural talents lay in painting tapestries of lyrical narrative, Thad moved to Austin, Texas in 1993. Quickly rising to the top of the burgeoning local acoustic live music scene, Thad began performing withDave Heath, (Robert Earl Keen) and Merel Bregante, (Loggins and Messina) and recording his fine all-original CD, Carry Me Back (1998), with Dave and Merel acting as co-producers. His writing blurs the lines in “…dusty increments between Steve Earle and John Hiatt”(John T. Davis, Austin-American Statesman) and he has received critical local acclaim as a songwriter in a songwriter’s town.  The real thing is hard to find, but as Jim Beal Jr.of the San Antonio Express-News says, when it comes to Beckman, “…Woody Guthrie would be proud”.

Now living back in the Northwest, Thad splits his time touring in Europe, The USA and Canada.

UK audiences will of course remember Thad playing guitar for US troubadour Tom Russell on his UK tours and now in 2014 they get their chance to hear Thad Beckman performing solo, playing his own songs telling his own stories. Thad will be playing songs from his latest album When The Sun Goes Down along with tracks from his previous five solo album releases.

“If you have never heard Mr. Beckman play, you have really been missing out.  Anyone in the audience could instantly recognize Mr. Beckman as a master of his craft.” No Depression

“Thad Beckman goes a long way to assuage guitar thirst on the stunning “Guadalupe,” one of the many that hold up with Russell’s best.” Acoustic Guitar

 “With commanding yet understated vocals as strong as his finger-style guitar playing.” Blues Review

Artist’s website: www.thadbeckman.com