Art Thieme (July 9, 1941 - May 26, 2015)
It's a rare thing to have your hero and
your best friend and your father all rolled up in the same person. Art
Thieme is much more than what's reflected in the perception of a son,
but I'll tell you the little I know of this great musician.
Art
Thieme was born to Harriet and Carl Thieme in Chicago, IL on July 9,
1941. He graduated from Lakeview High School and attended college at
UIC when they had a satellite campus on Navy Pier. There, he cut
class on a regular basis to play guitar in the cafeteria. Nelson
Algren bought Art his first beer in a bar on Wells St. Chicago was
just that kind of place back then. Art was swept into the budding
folk scene that had caught the national attention during the 50's and
60's. Yet when others plugged in and the drummers got all the girls,
Art had fallen head over heals with the traditional ballads, stories
and songs from the soul and heart of the country. He just kept on
picking, which he said is “why it never healed.” While working as
a manager at the Old Town School of Folk Music, he met a young girl
who had recently moved to Chicago because she liked the city after
seeing the Beatles perform there. Carol Bail soon became Carol
Thieme, and the two crazy kids toured the country in a VW microbus.
They settled into Depoe Bay, Oregon where they tried to keep a little
folk art shop going. When that panned out, they traveled a bit more.
Somewhere in Canada on the way to Alaska, the bus started to falter.
They were hit with a snowstorm and camped out on the side of the
road. Legend has it that the two became three. They limped their
way back to Chicago and settled into a small basement apartment that
flooded every time the sewers backed up.
And Art kept picking.
Sometime in 1969, Art came came home
and declared his intentions to become a full time, bonafide,
professional folk singer. Carol told him she was pregnant. Art took
a walk down to Lake Michigan, dangled his feet over the icy water, and
decided to not give up that dream. Clubs and coffee houses like The
Quiet Knight, The Earl of Old Town, Orphans, Somebody Else's Troubles
and The No Exit offered stages to hone his trade. He made the rent
with odd jobs. Drove cab. Worked as a forklift driver. A job he
quit by driving a load of Mickey Mouse coloring books through the
wall of his boss's office and depositing the load on his desk.
And Art kept picking.

He met amazing artists, writers and, of
course, musicians. Utah Phillips, Fred Holstein, Bob Gibson, Steve
Goodman and a pantheon of amazing souls poured into what Art brought
to the stage. Art had the ability to make an entire auditorium of
people feel like they were all just sitting in his living room. Art combined
the stories, songs and some god awful puns into an experience that
left listeners smiling and singing on their way home. As he would often say after delivering a well tuned joke, “you
can groan now, you'll be telling them tomorrow.” He played all
across the continent, but never stayed too long away from Chicago.
Art hosted a folk variety show on WBEZ called the Flea Market,
broadcast live from the Old Town School. Then in 1984 he moved the
family to a place “50 years behind the times.” Now based in
Peru, IL, it wasn't too far from Chicago to get in for a gig.
However, another opportunity came along the shores of the Illinois
River. The Julia Belle Swain, stern-wheel steamboat based out of
Peoria, IL, was making runs up to nearby Starved Rock Lodge. John
Hartford was a fixture on the Julia Belle, and through him, Art met
Dennis Trone, owner, designer, builder and captain. When the boat
moved to the Mississippi, Art followed to do two shows a day on the
Julia Belle and her sister ship, the Twilight.
And Art kept picking.
In the early 1990's, steps became a bit
unsteady. His hands couldn't quite fret they way they used to. After
several trips to Mayo Clinic, Art was finally diagnosed with Multiple
Sclerosis. Even after he could no longer play, he could frequently
be counted on to dip into the his vast reservoir of experience and
post on the Mudcat Cafe website. Art and Carol now live in Crystal
Lake, IL, close enough for his five grandchildren to come and visit,
bring him a cake, and sing him happy birthday.
And the Thiemes keep picking.
C.T. Thieme – July 9, 2014
Update: May 29, 2015 - Dad passed away from complications related to Multiple Sclerosis on May 26, 2015 at 8:30 p.m. CST in Crystal Lake, IL. He was surrounded by family as he passed. He is survived by his wife, Carol, son, brother, Richard and five grandchildren, Chloe Moon, Siera Sunshine, Byron Sky, Eviey Star and Daisy Snow.
Art Thieme Memorial Fund - National M.S. Society
Obituary in "Sing Out" magazine on-line
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