Fred Holstein (December 9, 1942 – January 12, 2004) was an American

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

singer. Holstein was a prominent figure in the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

folk music scene in the 1960s through 1980s. He co owned two clubs in the Old Town and Lincoln Park neighborhoods. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was not a songwriter, but his talent for singing with his resonant baritone and arranging was well recognized.

Early life

Holstein was born on December 9, 1942, and grew up in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood. According to his obituary, his parents ran a drug store at 79th Street and Michigan Avenue.Kogan, Rick. "Fred Holstein, 61." ''Chicago Tribune''. January 14, 2004.
Accessed February 1, 2018. After seeing a

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

concert, he decided he wanted to study folk music.

Career

He started his future career by buying a guitar and teaching himself to play by singing along with records and studying songbooks.Larry Rand. 1975, "Fred Holstein in the port of Chicago", ''The Chicago Guide'', p.152-153 Fred took lessons at Chicago's

Old Town School of Folk Music The Old Town School of Folk Music is a Chicago teaching and performing institution that launched the careers of many notable folk music artists. Founded by Folk musicians Frank Hamilton and Win Stracke, and Dawn Greening, the School opened in th ...

starting in 1960. He had a long relationship with the school afterward, even working in the Folklore center music store. Of the Old Town School Fred said: Holstein began playing around Chicago in the 1960s, first at places like the Old Town Pub and a bar in Morton Grove called Scot's Cellar. At Scot's, Holstein first met and began mentoring younger fellow musician Steve Goodman. He briefly tried making a living as a performer in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

and

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, but soon returned to Chicago. Holstein's fame did not extend much beyond Chicago, as he did not tour or record much, but within Chicago he was well known. He was a resident musician at the now defunct Chicago clubs, "Somebody Else's Troubles" and " The Earl of Old Town". Holstein first played at the Earl in 1966. Fred had an easy-going stage presence, routinely tailoring set lists to friends birthdays or requests, but would not tolerate a disruptive audience and tell them to "shut up".Emily Friedman. (January 1975), ''Fred Holstein: Your Friendly Neighborhood Troubadore'', Come For To Sing 1 (1) p.8-9 Fred loved to constantly share new songs with his audience as soon as he could, he would attempt a new song as soon as he could stumble through it. An anchor of the Chicago folk scene and a contemporary of Steve Goodman,

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

Bonnie Koloc Bonnie Koloc (born February 6, 1946) is an American folk music singer-songwriter, actress and artist. She was considered one of the three main Illinois-based folk singers in the 1970s, along with Steve Goodman and John Prine forming the "trinity ...

. Holstein co-owned two folk music clubs in the Old Town, and Lincoln Park, neighborhoods, including Somebody Else's Troubles and Holstein's. Holstein was known for his knowledge of several hundred songs and "instant recall," as well as being able to accompany himself on guitar, banjo, and twelve string. Holstein was an admirer of ballad singers like

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

and

Utah Phillips Bruce Duncan "Utah" Phillips (May 15, 1935 – May 23, 2008)
, KVMR, Nevada City, California, May 24, 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2008 ...

. He would remind aspiring musicians to "Understand the song. It is a lot more important than you are."Fred Holstein. (January 1975), ''Focus on Chicago''. Come For To Sing 1 (1) p.7 Holstein and his brother Ed would regularly open shows his club, and sometimes headline them. The club closed in 1987. In his later years, Holstein performed two or three times a year at the Abbey Pub, an Irish bar on the Northwest Side of Chicago, often with Ed as the opener. In his final years, Holstein suffered from various illnesses and was unable to perform at the annual New Year's Eve concert at

WFMT WFMT is an FM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, featuring a format of fine arts, classical music programming, and shows exploring such genres as folk. The station is managed by Window to the World Communications, Inc., owner of WTTW, Chicago ...

on December 31, 2003.

Personal life

He died at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago of complications from emergency abdominal surgery on January 12, 2004. He was survived by his mother and two younger brothers, Ed and Alan.

Discography

Albums

* ''Chicago and Other Ports'', 1977 Philo Records * ''For All The Good People'', 1978 Holstein (Self-released) * ''A Collection'', 2001 (Self-Released) - Compilation 1977-1983 * ''Remembering Fred: A Tribute to Fred Holstein'', 2004 Old Town School Recordings - Recorded live at a memorial concert at the

, April 3, 2004 * ''Live at the Earl of Old Town'', 2008 Eddie Holstein (Self-Released) - Recorded June 30, 1969

Other Appearances

* ''Gathering at the Earl of Old Town'', 1971 Dunwich - performs "Jimmy Newman", "The Man Who Sings", "Goin' Home" * ''Tribute To Steve Goodman'', 1985 Red Pajamas Records - performs "The Thanksgiving Song" * ''Rebel Voices: Songs of the Industrial Workers of the World'', 1988

Flying Fish Records Flying Fish Records was a record label founded in Chicago in 1974 that specialized in folk, blues, and country music. In the 1990s the label was sold to Rounder Records. Bruce Kaplan, the label's founder, was a native of Chicago and the son of ...

- performs "Banks Of Marble", "Stung Right"

References

External links

Fred Holstein.com
- Fred's website, his recordings are here for purchase as well.

Sing Out Magazine, 3/22/2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Holstein, Fred American folk musicians American folk singers American male singer-songwriters American banjoists Fast Folk artists Folk musicians from Chicago Old Town School of Folk musicians 1942 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American singers Singer-songwriters from Illinois 20th-century American male singers