Joe Goldmark

Blue Steel

Lo-Ball Records

Joe Goldmark grew up in Tucson, Arizona where he studied cello and guitar. He moved to San Francisco and started playing bass in soul bands. He became enamored with the San Francisco Sound and got bitten by the pedal steel bug after seeing Jerry Garcia play with The New Riders of The Purple Sage. In 1977 Goldmark was a member of The Billy C. Farlow Band, former lead singer for Commander Cody.

Goldmark recorded his solo debut in 1977. He got married in the 1980’s and went into the pizza business. Later he became a part owner in Amoeba Music, the great San Francisco record store. Best known for his honky-tonk and Americana, Goldmark has since played with Jim Lauderdale, Jim Campilongo & the 10 Gallon Hats, Bill Kirchen, Peter Rowan, The Nighthawks’ Johnny Castle, David Bryne and Laurie Lewis.

In 1996 Goldmark released a retrospective of his first three albums “Goldmark Round Up Steelin’ From His Past” with guest Norton Buffalo. 1997 saw Goldmark release “Steelin’ Beatles” on which he covered his favorite Beatles songs. On his 1999 album “All Hat No Cattle” Goldmark covered the Grateful Dead’s “China Cat Sunflower”. He began recording with his own band The Seducers in 2007; his last album being 2012’s “The Wham of That Steel Man”.

Goldmark recorded “Blue Steel” with some of the best Bay area musicians including Paul Revilli, drums from The Bey Paule Band; either DeWayne Pate, Karl Sevareid, or Hank Maninger, bass; keyboardists Tony Lufrano (also from The Bey Paule Band) and Henry Silva; saxophonists Jeff Ervin and Robb Sudduth; and assistant producer guitarists Garth Webber and Gary Potterton.

Goldmark has written four original honky-tonk instrumentals. He states the album’s cover is based on an old Starday Records album “Blue Guitar” from Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith. However I believe it’s more like a cover from one of Pete Drake’s steel guitar albums. Also covered are two more instrumentals: Jim Campilongo’s “I Want To Be With You Forever” and Bob Marley’s “Natty Dread” the latter featuring the “Angelic Choir” of Revelli, Pate, Webber, Potterton, and Goldmark.

Blues radio will be delighted with the inclusion of Rufus Thomas’ “All Night Worker”; Jimmy McCracklin’s “The Wobble” and B. B. King’s “Beautician Blues”. These are beautifully sung by Glenn Walters’ former lead singer from The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils.

In order to give equal time to Goldmark’s country side the fabulous Dallis Craft sings on Lefty Frizzell’s “Look What Thoughts Will Do”; on Dallas Frazier’s “True Love Travels On a Gravel Road”; on Graham Parker’s “Howlin Wind” and on Jeff Lynne’s “A Love So Beautiful”.

Goldmark combines honky-tonk and blues in a most delightful way.

Richard Ludmerer

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