The best voice in Americana, Folk: Kate Wolf. Song Give yourself to love This unauthorised page about singer songwriter Kate Wolf does not supply free download or mp3 or free cd no lyrics here or whatever. Anyone interested in Wolf's music and songs is invited to contact me. alt Kate Wolfe Kate Wolve Kate Wulf Katey Wolf Breezes Lionell Killberg
Kate Wolf

My favourite vinyl:
KATE WOLF - Her debut 1973 LP



Kate Wolf (1942-1986) recorded her first album in 1973. A result of a chance meeting with 'old' folkie Lionel Kilberg (1930-2008), who was traveling across the country. In a day or two they composed 12 songs and recorded them prompt.
It was released as Volume 6 of Lionel's series "Sociologically Singing" as the (mono!) LP "We Walked By The Water" on the independent Shoostryng label.
Lionel Kilberg

Kilberg (pic left) had recorded as one of The Shanty Boys in 1958 for Elektra and been part of the New York folk scene in the Village days of the early sixties. From that period he knew Gil Turner (1933-1974), nowadays best known as a footnote in Bob Dylan hagiographies: Turner recorded in 1962 with the young Robert 'Blind Boy Grunt' Zimmerman.
When Kilberg ran into Gil 'Jellyroll' Turner in 1973, Kate Wolf sang and played with Turner. (A beautiful cover by Kate Wolf of Turner's signature song, "Carry It On", an impressive folk anthem, would much later be released in a KPFA live version on a 1996 posthumous released Kate Wolf album.)

So Lionel and Kate recorded with a little help of Kate's partner Don Coffin their 12 songs. It was to be Kate's first album. Though... this album should not be considered a Kate Wolf album, at least that's what the Wolf heirs want us to believe. See Wolf family excuse.
But to me this is a genuine Kate Wolf album. It is largely a Kate Wolf album with Lionel's accompaniment. Kate is prominent: these are her melodies, and -most of all- this is her voice. One of the finest voices ever in Americana folk/ singer songwriters.
Some of these sober, clean & instant recorded songs have great strength: 'You', 'Help', 'Sonja F' and 'Breezes' are excellent. Kate at her best: this matches her best album, 'Poet's Heart' (1985).
It's a pity that the collection contains no more than 12 short songs, not much more than half an hour of music. The lyrics may not have been written by her, but some could have been hers, with subjects like bums, music, traveling, freedom, nature. Themes she later frequently would use in her own lyrics.

The album is not easy to find, but if you try hard you should be able to find it at a fair price. I was lucky to find a mint copy at eBay for a few dollars (shipping the LP to Europe still was more than the price the seller asked for the vinyl).
It was also released on cd in 1995, by Gadfly, a singer-songwriters label; cd title: "Breezes".
I prefer the original vinyl though, in the beautiful sleeve with the brownish picture.

kate wolf LP


Liner Notes (by Lionel Kilberg) and LP information


liner notes

WE WALKED BY THE WATER
Lionel Kilberg and Kate Wolf with Don Coffin

Sociologically Singing Volume 6

Dedicated to Gil (Jellyroll) Turner who brought us together for a concert in San Francisco

Lyrics By Lionel Kilberg
Music By Kate Wolf

This album could have many names and might have well never happened. I think that this fits the thought behind the song 'Breezes' that is in this collection and talks of the unexpected breezes that help make the big decisions in life for us. I was on my annual 15,000 mile singing and playing and writing trek around the country and had written seven songs by the time I arrived in San Francisco. I had expected many things(anecdotes to be recounted elsewhere). I heard about a folk-music campout at Kirby Cove, a place that I could fill this page with descriptions of. It's beautiful, maybe as much for the members of our folk family that I shared it with as for its natural beauty. Well, anyway, there I met that jovial mountain of song Gil (Jellyroll) Turner, whom I hadn't seen in 10 years and after a half hour of lying, swearing and making music, he signed me for two appearances with him. The group 'Gil (Jellyroll) Turner and the Donut Holes.' I, as you have probably guessed was one of the holes. Two others were Don Coffin and Kate Wolf.

I guess you're beginning to see the point of the story. We liked each other instantly and kept talking about working together. Kate is a songwriter and offered to write melodies for any lyrics that I hadn't finished tunes for. Finally, with one day left in San Francisco, we arranged for me to go to their home, Sebastopol, and once there, Kate picked twelve of the lyrics that I had with me that needed melodies. Some of them had been written on the trip out. She wrote all of the melodies that afternoon. A neighbor of theirs, Phil Bray, a professional photographer, shot a roll of pictures of us for a cover picture, and we found Dan Dugan and his recording studio on 22nd Street in San Francisco. Dan was able to offer constructive and objective aid in the actual recording of this album. He made himself and his studio available at a price that reflects love for music and musicians. In three hours that first night we laid down the basic tracks for the 12 songs. Kate sang the leads because she was the only one who really knew the melodies and because she has a beautiful voice and a convincing smile. The next night we went back and did the overdubs. These liner notes were written that day and I slept for four hours and left on the next morning for the East Coast. I haven't seen Don and Kate since, but I will see them and we will write and record together again. I hope that you people out there will feel the beauty of these people while you're listening. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, and thanks for reading me.

Lionel Kilberg


1. WE WALKED BY THE WATER - A chronicle of change as seen by someone looking back at the good old days. Isn't it odd that for a whole generation, these days are the good old days.

2. EQUALITY - Means different things to different people. I've discussed it with people for twenty years it's hard to remember two people who didn't limit, categorize or in some way try to set controls on the equality of others.

3. LIBERATION - from anything requires the giving up of certain privileges inherent in the system being escaped. Sometimes we struggle to escape from things and practices that we desperately need and want. Have we the strength to accept the price of 'Liberation'?

4. I'M 82 - What does one do when one is alone and old? A mind whose self image remains always relatively young, trapped in a failing body and surrounded by disinterested strangers who are afraid to face the image of their own future and thus reject or misread.

5. HELP - In New York City and many other cities, one sees alcoholics lying in some streets. People step over them, ignore them and their pleas for help and generally dismiss them as non-existant (non-people).

6. YOU - Are there ever too many beautiful love songs? This is for the special woman in my life wherever she may be

7. BREEZES - How many times have you made a major decision in your life because of a minor incident that blew suddenly across your life experience borne on one of these breezes.

8. NEVADA - This is a true story which I experienced not three weeks ago (late May 1973) and wrote the song a few miles later.

9. YOU CAN'T GO BACK - We always try, but it's always painful and rarely works. The chapter ends and never more reads the same.

10. THERE ARE NO MEDALS FOR LONELINESS - This theme has been written since the first advent of separation of people and gave birth to blues , torch songs and anti-war songs. It doesn't stop people from being separated but it gives them a way to share their feelings about it.

11. IT ONLY TAKES - I've often thought, how little it takes to unbalance our reality. For one person, one family, one town, one country, one world. A voice for love or an unhappy cry of hate.

12. SONJA FROMEROVA - Dear Sonja, please forgive me. In 1963 or 4, I received a telephone call from a voice that identified herself as Sonja Fromerova. She was a friend of a friend who needed some information. Her name and her voice inspired this lyric, which I showed her on our one face to face meeting. She then was to leave the country for Canada.


CAST OF MUSICAL CHARACTERS

KATE WOLF
Voice on 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12
Guitar on 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12

LIONEL KILBERG
Voice on 1,9,10,11
Kazoo on 3,8
Bass on 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12

DON COFFIN
Voice on 1
Mandolin on 1,2,3,8,9,11
Harmonica on 4,5,6,10
Guitar on 7,8,10,11,12

KATE WOLF - Singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist. Born in San Francisco and raised in Oregon, Michigan and Berkeley California. Writing and performing regularly in and around San Francisco since January 1971. Drawing from a lifelong love of singing, a musical grandmother, fortunate coincidences, and many supportive friends and musicians along the way.

DON COFFIN - Plays guitar, mandolin and harmonica. Born and raised in rural northern California. Has been performing locally solo and with groups since 1968. Always interested in music as a means of communication and self-expression.

COVER PHOTO: Phil Bray
Left to right: Don Coffin, Kate Wolf, Lionel Kilberg

SHOOSTRYNG RECORDS
220 E. SECOND STREET
NEW YORK, N.Y. 10009


(c) K van der Hoeven, Eindhoven NL, (c) 2008

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