Sue Draheim

Sue Draheim
Draheim in San Francisco, 2011[1]
Draheim in San Francisco, 2011[1]
Background information
Birth nameSusan Ann Draheim
Born(1949-08-17)August 17, 1949
Oakland, California, U.S.
DiedApril 11, 2013(2013-04-11) (aged 63)
Berea, Kentucky, U.S.
GenresFolk rock, Celtic, Old Time, Cajun, Zydeco, Classical
Occupation(s)Fiddler, singer, composer
Instrument(s)Fiddle, violin, viola, voice
Years active1967–2013
LabelsArhoolie, Transatlantic, Island, etc.
Websitesuedraheim.com/music

Sue Draheim (/ˈdrɔːhaɪm/ ⓘ DRAW-hyme; August 17, 1949[2][3] – April 11, 2013)[4][5] was an American fiddler, boasting a more than forty year musical career in the US and the UK. Growing up in North Oakland, Draheim began her first private violin lessons at age eleven, having started public school violin instruction at age eight[6] while attending North Oakland's Peralta Elementary School. She also attended Claremont Jr. High, and graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1967.[7][8][9]

Originally trained as a classical violinist, Draheim became involved in many other genres and recorded albums with groups representing Cajun, Old Time, country, Zydeco, folk jazz, Irish and British folk music. Early on in her career, Celtic fiddle became Draheim's major focus.

While Draheim was primarily a fiddler, she never lost touch with her classical training, and was a member of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and the Bay Area Women's Philharmonic[10] as well as UC Berkeley's University Chamber Chorus;[11] Draheim, along with fiddler Kerry Parker, also "augmented" the harp trio "Trillium".[12] She also played in the US premiere of Frank Zappa's experimental orchestral piece A Zappa Affair.[13] She was described by Gael Alcock, cellist/composer with whom she performed one of Alcock's pieces, as "fiddler extraordinaire".[14]

  1. ^ photo courtesy of Earl Crabb (aka "The Great Humbead"), long time friend of Sue Draheim.
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The encyclopedia of popular music The encyclopedia of popular music.] London: Oxford University Press. p. 100. ISBN 1561592374
  3. ^ see also californiabirthindex.org and old time birthdays for August for verification of birthdate
  4. ^ The Mudcat Café, R.I.P. fiddler Sue Draheim
  5. ^ News of Sue Draheim's passing reached across the Atlantic; fRoots, a UK monthly music journal, reported the news immediately (see Sue Draheim RIP Archived 2014-02-21 at the Wayback Machine), and an article memorializing her appeared in The Independent, a major UK newspaper (see: Hunt, Ken (29 May 2013), Sue Draheim: Widely admired folk violinist). An obituary article for Draheim appeared also in Folkwales, an on-line journal based in Wales. That she was appreciated and loved outside the English speaking world is indicated by a tribute to her (including a link to a recording of her playing Little Sadie) on the Spanish language blog of Yesternow, a radio station originating in Madrid (see "...ese gran sonido al violín de Sue Draheim. Descanse en Paz.").
  6. ^ "Berkeley Farms liner notes, page 4" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  7. ^ "Peralta, Claremont, and Oakland Tech attendance dates (classmates.com)". Classmates.com. 2000-09-17. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2013-06-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ "Notable Alumni". Oaklandtech.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Susan Draheim '67". Oaklandtech.com. April 9, 2015.
  10. ^ Young Fogies Gazette, Sue Draheim biography (scan courtesy of Susie Goehring, Field Recorders Collective)
  11. ^ UC Berkeley, Dept. of Music - Past Performances, University Chamber Chorus
  12. ^ San Francisco Early Music Society - Three Harps and Two Fiddles...
  13. ^ Berkeley Symphony Orchestra - A Zappa Affair
  14. ^ gaelalcock.com - "Minor Excursions"