15 Facts About Sue Draheim

Sue Draheim was an American fiddler, boasting a more than forty year musical career in the US and the UK.

Originally trained as a classical violinist, Sue 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.

Sue Draheim played in the US premiere of Frank Zappa's experimental orchestral piece A Zappa Affair.

In writing her short biography in 1970 to accompany the album notes for Berkeley Farms, Sue Draheim gives us some background on that transition:.

In 1970 Sue Draheim got involved with several musicians at what was known as Sweets Mill Music Camp, about 200 miles east of Oakland on the edge of the Sierra National Forest.

From late 1970 to early 1977 Sue Draheim lived in England, where her talents as a fiddler soon became so well recognized that Austrian music journalist Richard Schuberth counted her among the "creme de la creme of the English folk-rock scene".

Sue Draheim brought with her a background of US genres of folk music which blended well with the British folk-rock scene.

Sue Draheim had begun her association with John Renbourn in 1971, and joined the John Renbourn Group, cutting the album Faro Annie with John Renbourn, Keshav Sathe, and Jacqui McShee in 1972.

In 1972, Sue Draheim debuted live with the then unknown Albion Country Band.

Just before leaving the UK to return to the US in 1977, Sue Draheim recorded again with John Renbourn to produce the album A Maid in Bedlam.

In 1998 Sue Draheim collaborated with John Cohen, David Grisman, and Jody Stecher on tracks included in Stories the Crow Told Me, Cohen's only album released without the New Lost City Ramblers.

In 1999, Sue Draheim joined Golden Bough, a Northern California group which focuses on traditional Celtic folk music.

Sue really gets to the heart of the song with her playing and makes the melodies come alive, without overpowering the band" and "Sue Draheim is a revelation on fiddle, bringing years of playing with her, adding texture and tone.

Sue Draheim got together with Golden Bough again in 2006 for a 25th anniversary reunion concert, which resulted in an album release of traditional British folk music.

Sue Draheim died on April 11,2013, in Berea, Kentucky, at the age of 63.