California singer/songwriter Steve Spurgin has had a long career in acoustic music, weaving his way in and out of the bluegrass world over the years.
Moving out west from his native Texas in the 1960s, he eventually found his way into Sundance, which featured Byron Berline and Vince Gill. He came around to Berline again in the early ’80s playing bass in California, with Dan Crary, John Hickman and John Moore. Throughout this time, Spurgin was gaining a solid rep as a tunesmith, working for both Gene Watson and Reba McEntire, and winning acclaim for his song A Walk In The Irish Rain, which has been recorded many times in a wide variety of styles.
Steve popped up in bluegrass again playing bass and singing for the short-lived Sawmill Road, who recorded two stellar albums before disbanding in 2010. That group also included Dick Brown on banjo, Mark Miracle on mandolin, Doug Bartlett on fiddle and Charlie Edsall on guitar.
In 2011, Spurgin released a bluegrass record, Past Perfect, with assistance from Rob Ickes, The Kruger Brothers, Rusty Holloway and Adam Steffey.
His latest album, Folk Remedies is, as the name suggests, more inclined towards an imitate folk setting. The tracks find Steve with just guitar and bass accompaniment, provided by Jim Hurst and Missy Raines on a dozen new Spurgin compositions.
