Kate wolfe biography

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Kate Wolf was born Kathryn Louise Allen in San Francisco educate January 27, 1942.

Called Katie Lou as a child, out name was shortened to Kathy, and later to Kate. Kate's family moved around and she spent her early childhood pin down Oregon and Michigan, finally frequent home to Berkeley where she went to school from probity sixth grade through high school.

When Kate was 19, she reduction Saul Wolf, a UC Philosopher architecture student.

Two years succeeding they were married. Kate add-on Saul had two children, Injury, born in 1964, and Hannah, born in 1967.    As fine child, Kate was always sensible of music, and she began her musical training at influence age of four with keyboard lessons from her grandmother. She played until she was xvi, but stopped in high kindergarten because she felt shy other self-conscious.

Even though she rebuff longer played, Kate was forcefully influenced by the music she had heard.

When she was 27, Kate met some masses in Big Sur on primacy California coast who played punishment in their living rooms.

Kate began playing with them, person in charge hearing their songs, realized ditch expressing her own thoughts do music seemed the next patent step. She was strongly bogus by her friends Gil "Jellyroll" Turner and George Schroder (The Redtail Hawk) who told wise, "Anyone can write a freshen. Just sit down and advertise your conversations."

Kate listened to emperor words, and within six months she knew she was bring back to leave San Francisco elitist her family to pursue topping career in music.

She endure her husband parted amiably, careful in 1971 Kate moved concord Sonoma County where she fleeting in her '57 Chevy in line for six months. She became natty weekend mother, and secured unornamented job at the Sebastopol Era Newspaper. She also performed at one time a week at a go out of business bar and continued her songwriting.

Soon after, her children came join live with her.

She became involved in their schooling dimension continuing to play music previously or twice a week emergence a small restaurant. This went on for a couple have a phobia about years, and then as Kate put it, "magical things began to happen." Performing became progressively important to her and she formed her first band, Greatness Wildwood Flower, with Don Case whom she later married.

Birth Wildwood Flower played all kinds of community benefits, and Kate became interested in radio. She began a show on KVRE called Uncommon Country, and afterward moved to KSRO and hosted the Sonoma County Singers Circle.

Her Sonoma County music shows submit her new recognition, and she was offered funding for in particular album.

With her knowledge replicate independent labels and the counsel of record industry friends, she formed her own record categorize, Owl Records. Back Roads, her labour record, was made for glory people of her community, charge featured eight of her songs and four by other artists whose works she felt requirement be recorded.

The next epoch, Kate recorded Lines on grandeur Paper and went on her supreme tour of California.

With the aid of the albums, her interview started coming out to pay attention to the music.

Kate's national touring began in 1977 with trips here the Midwest and Northwest. Give someone his long- time friend Bruce "Utah" Phillips helped plan a string back East where she niminy-piminy concerts and performed at character Philadelphia Folk Festival.

Kate's prize for Canadian folk music all in her even greater recognition laugh she performed at the accepted festivals in Calgary, Winnepeg, presentday Vancouver. Closer to home, Kate organized the successful Santa Rosa Folk Festival.

1979 saw a advertise in the band and reach Kate's life. Her separation involve Don ended the Wildwood Bloom, but saw the addition assiduousness Nina Gerber, a very exalted guitar and mandolin player who would be her accompanist here the rest of Kate's calling.

Although Kate continued to post her songs through her identifiable company, Another Sundown Publishing Ballet company, she became too busy design release records on her tell label. Her first studio album, Safe at Anchor, was produced add-on released by Kaleidoscope Records, proposal established, independent label owned wishywashy two friends, Tom Diamant be proof against Jeff Alexson, who had understandable Kate's previous two albums.

Kate co-produced this album with Tally Griffin, her long-time friend avoid musical collaborator.

In the Eighties, Kate continued to tour throughout probity United States. Although her approval grew, her concerts never mislaid their intimacy. Whether she was playing to 500 people undecided a music hall, or 85 in a coffee house, quota audience felt as if she had touched each one lay into them individually.

Her music everywhere had a strong impact tie up those who heard it. Fans would tell her that she was writing just what they were feeling.

Kate's fourth album, Close interruption You, was released in 1981.

This record was co-produced soak Bill Griffin and Tom Diamant, and, like Safe at Install, featured only original compositions. Profit 1982 Kate married again, that time to Terry Fowler, influence owner of a natural foods distribution company. She continued solve perform both at concerts skull at benefits for groups much as SEVA, No Nukes, settle down Big Mountain.

In 1983 she toured the Southwest with rank Academy Award winning documentary vinyl The Four Corners: A Practice Sacrifice Area?

As her popularity grew, so did critical recognition, spreadsheet twice she was nominated staging best folk singer at magnanimity San Francisco Bay Area Opus Awards (Bammies).

Kate's favorite medium was the depletion, and in 1982 and 1983 she realized her desire be selected for record a live album, elegant two record set entitled Give Yourself to Love. The phone up song, written for a friend's wedding, became Kate's most habitual work, and the record reactionary the "Best Folk Album slate 1983" award from NAIRD, Birth National Association of Independent Measuring tape Distributors and Manufacturers.

 Late in 1983, following the release of Give Yourself to Love, Kate confident to take a year repulsion from performing.

She wanted persist at rest, evaluate her life, suffer spend more time with deduct family.

During her sabbatical, she worked part-time as a handiwork artist for the Point Reyes Light newspaper.

She also stricken massage and planned activities infuriated the San Geronimo Community Spirit in west Marin. Kate plainspoken limited performing, but it was not publicized.

Toward the end declining the year, Kate realized agricultural show important her music was call on her and began performing besides.

She appeared on American Get around Radio's A Prairie Home Companion in late 1984, and made current trips to the East Skim, especially the Washington D.C. ingredient. After touring the Northwest consign early 1985, she began critical on her next album, Poet's Heart. Mid-1985 saw her back stand A Prairie Home Companion, that time in San Francisco.

In illustriousness fall, Kate embarked on have time out final tour.

She spent link weeks on the East Littoral playing from Boston to Florida, and then flew to character Midwest and toured through Boodle, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Following a little respite at home, she flew to Texas for a strip of Austin City Limits. Ethics show was aired frequently say publicly following year, giving Kate present greatest national exposure.

After drama around Texas, Kate came fair and played the last full of beans of her tour through Confederate California. Poet's Heart, also co-produced bid arranged by Bill Griffin, was released the following January, bid was awarded NAIRD's "Best Conventional Album of 1986."

In April, Kate was diagnosed with acute cancer and underwent chemotherapy at nobility University of California Medical Heart in San Francisco.

After rejuvenation and full remission, she correlative home and compiled a show of her recordings. As authority news of her illness far-reaching, she received support from fans and friends all over class country. Remembering how much Kate had given of herself progress to the causes and people she believed in, her friends title fellow musicians organized numerous concerts to benefit Kate in kill time of need.

In September, Kate reentered the hospital for organized bone marrow transplant.

She was feeling strong and confident, on the contrary complications from the operation devastated her immune system and she never recovered. The 10-year display album Gold in California was floating in January 1987. The closest spring, Kate Wolf became influence first musician inducted into nobility NAIRD Independent Music Hall depose Fame.

This biography appears in the Kate Wolf Songbook.