STEVE PLAYS STEVIE

The musical legacy of my Uncle Steve (technically my second cousin) is fairly well preserved on YouTube. This Captain Caveman-looking bluesman crashed in my bedroom when I was a teenager and became one of my most beloved family members of all time. His untimely death at the age of 49, caused by his addiction to alcohol, was a tragic end for a man with such innate talent—as both a vocalist and a guitarist. It feels even more heartbreaking when I watch old clips of him playing and think about just how unique he was as a musician, and how many more amazing performances the world could have enjoyed if he’d stuck around.

Highly regarded by his peers, including Dr. John and Albert King, Steve played with incredible musicians across the globe, but he always kept his feet on the ground—often returning to the Half Moon pub in Herne Hill, South London, where he held something close to a permanent residency with his band, especially on Sundays.

I was delighted to discover a video on YouTube this morning of him playing “’Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers.” Stevie Wonder originally wrote the song for his wife, Syreeta, before passing it on to Jeff Beck as a thank-you for the ex-Yardbirds guitarist’s contributions to his album Talking Book. I can distinctly remember Steve introducing me to the albums of Stevie Wonder (of whom he was a huge fan), so it seemed doubly poignant somehow.

The soulfulness my Steve brings to the classic melody is typical of his seemingly effortless ability to get right inside the guts of a song and play from a place of deep, personal pain.

Perhaps it's that same direct emotional channeling through his music that still keeps him alive in some way.