June 15, 2020
by Rosalin Moss
Steve Kolbus
Steve Kolbus, Clarksdale Bluesman
If he had not told me, I would never have guessed that Steve Kolbus was
a former standup comedian -- I'm still kicking myself for not asking him
to tell me a joke. And the way he fits right into the flow of Clarksdale
and southern life, it's hard to believe he was not born and raised in
Mississippi. Steve Kolbus
was actually born in Indianapolis, Indiana, but like many who have been
captured by her charm, he ended up making Mississippi his home.
Now, he is one of Clarksdale's most well-known musicians and
founder of Steve Kolbus and the Clarksdale Blues Revue band.
Kolbus has had quite a journey becoming the bluesman that he is today.
He started following the blues when he was about 27 years old, getting
his first taste of it at a blues club called Kingston Mines in Chicago.
"I liked it so much, I just
kept going up there to see more blues, then I started seeking out other
places that had good blues. The music just made me want to jump out of my seat."
He started coming down to
Clarksdale around 1998 as a blues fan and became a Pinetop Perkins fan.
Kolbus spent so much time hanging out with Pinetop and his band, the band members encouraged
him to learn how to play an
instrument. He took them up on that suggestion and learned how to
play the harmonica while he was convalescing from medical treatments in Indianapolis. Although
he was never a regular band member, he recalls fondly how he was
welcomed by the Pinetop Perkins band to play with them on several
occasions.
"They were the first band I ever
played with," he said.
After spending so much time there, Kolbus found himself feeling more at
home in Mississippi than Indiana and decided to make Clarksdale his new
home. He opened Tricia's
Italian Restaurant shortly after moving to Clarksdale 2008.
The restaurant was a family-style place that served Italian food
with a side of live blues.
Although successful for a while, the restaurant's business began slowing
down when the area was populated by less family-friendly businesses.
Having put all of his assets into the business, he was left in
dire straits when he closed the restaurant in 2010.
At one point, he went back to Indiana in an attempt to get back
on his feet; however, he found himself longing for Mississippi.
He decided to go back to Mississippi, and through sheer
determination, "I fought and
scratched my way back."
Having survived several twists and turns in the road, Kolbus certainly knows a thing or three about the blues. It seems only natural that he would form his own blues band in 2011. He embraced what had drawn him to Clarksdale in the first place, and now he is living what he loves. Having recently celebrated 10 years with Steve Kolbus and the Clarksdale Blues Revue, Kolbus says he has a lot to be thankful for. He has a strong desire to give back and is thankful for being able to support the things he believes in. He is proud of starting the Annual Pinetop Boogie and Crawfish Boil, which honors Pinetop Perkins and raises funds to help future musicians learn the blues. Steve Kolbus and the Clarksdale Blues Revue also gives support to St. Jude Children's Hospital.
Steve Kolbus and his band also regularly support the Clarksdale Care
Station, which is dear to his heart. The Clarksdale Care Station
is a soup kitchen that feeds the hungry and where Kolbus was once a
recipient of their kindness. "The Clarksdale Care Station is
the soup kitchen that fed me when I was broke and hungry. There
were a lot of days, almost two years, where the only food I got to eat
was that meal I got at the Clarksdale Care Station. I fell like I
couldnt have survived in Clarksdale without them, and now that I'm back
on my feet and in a position to raise some money, it's my turn to feed
some people, and I'm proud to be able to do that." The band's
latest CD release will give 25% of proceeds to the Clarksdale Care
Station.
Seth Hill, Mark Miller, Walt Busby, Lee Williams, Steve Kolbus
Steve Kolbus and the Clarksdale Blues Revue can be regularly seen at the
Ground Zero Blues Club. They
also perform at other spots in town such as Buesberry Cafe and Levon's.
You can find music by Steve Kolbus and the Clarksdale Blues Revue on
Amazon at:
Steve Kolbus and the Clarksdale Revue.
Read more about Steve Kolbus and the Clarksdale Blues Revue at:
·
Steve Kolbus: Clarksdale Blues
Revue
·
Meet with extraordinary Steve Kolbus and the Clarksdale Blues Revue
·
Reverbnation - Steve Kolbus and the Clarksdale Blues Revue
·
Facebook - Steve Kolbus and the Clarksdale Blues Revue
One of the things I noticed right away while talking with Steve Kolbus
was how fondly he spoke about the music and the people who make that
music. His admiration and
gratitude to musicians like Pinetop Perkins, Willie Smith and Bob
Stroger is genuine. He spoke
affectionately of Little Arthur Duncan, who became his great friend and
mentor, and is proud of being at one time Duncan's backup harmonica
player. He also speaks
highly of his band members and the local talent that he interacts with
on a regular basis. Kolbus
is definitely a man who loves the music and the people who make it
happen.
When it comes to romantic relationships, Steve is happy with his life as
it is right now.
"I'm at a point in my life where
I'm never going to have any more kids.
It's not like I'm going to start a family again.
So why get married?
I'm happier than I've ever been in my life."
I got the feeling that this was a man who truly was loving the
life he was living.
" I've got everything I need, I
got a decent little home in the country, got great friends here, I got a
job that involves me having fun and showing other people to a good time.
I figure what more can a guy ask for?
I thank God everyday for what little I got."
Something tells me that it will take a woman that walks on
water to get Steve Kolbus to take that plunge again.
When I asked Steve what he would say if he could get the world to
listen, he said without hesitation,
"I would tell the world to quit hating on people who don't think like
you think. I think that has
become a real problem in recent years.
I think it might lead to the end of our country as we know it a
lot sooner than we think."
The last thing we talked about was places to eat in Clarksdale.
I wanted to know what was Steve's favorite place to eat
-- I specifically asked if he had eaten at Levon's.
"That's a tough one,"
he said
"I might make somebody mad by naming just one place.
Levon's is great. I
would say that's my favorite upscale place to eat.
And I really like the fried catfish and the barbecue at Ground
Zero. The Bluesberry Cafe is
a pretty fun and unique place to eat, it's the only place in town where
you can listen to the blues while eating your breakfast."
He summed it up with "My
favorite breakfast would be at the Bluesberry Cafe, and my favorite
lunch would be at the Ground Zero Blues Club, and my favorite dinner
would be at Levon's. All
three of those places have treated my band really well."
Lee Williams,
It was truly a pleasure chatting with Steve Kolbus.
I am always looking to get a glimpse of a person's core, that
place where who they really are lives. It is never so much about the art
or craft that they do, but rather
who is this person?
After chatting with Steve Kolbus, my take away was a man who had been on
the mountaintop and in the lowest part of the valley, and a man who
appreciates what he has whether it is much or little.
Steve Kolbus, in my mind, is also a man who can endure whatever
life throws at him and still have enough fight left to keep standing.
And most importantly, Kolbus loves where he has landed in this
life.
"I don't have as much money as I
used to have," he said.
And it was clear to me that money is not his main concern.
"I'm in a position now
where I'm having the most fun I've had in my life, and I have almost no
responsibility," he said.
There is no doubt in my mind that Steve Kolbus is content and at
peace. Steve Kolbus is a man
who lives the life he loves, and loves the life he lives.
--Rosalin Moss
The Mississippi Club
June 15, 2020