Guest artist with Ex-Nashville Cats John Bunzow and Denny Bixbu
Celebration of and Tribute to Thad Beckman
Monday August, 21 2023
Multnomah Arts Center, Portland, OR
Thank you to all who were able to make it out for our tribute to and celebration of Thad. It all turned out quite beautifully. It was a great turnout of friends, family and fans. I wish I’d been able to talk with every person there. We all know that everyone who couldn’t be there was with us in spirit and in heart.
An amazing group of our friends worked with me on this ceremony for quite some time, including Thad’s fellow artists; others came out early and were crucial to the successful setup of the auditorium; many stayed late to help clean up. The music was extraordinary, the slideshow was appreciated; the food and drink were great. Those of us speaking were grateful for a loving, attentive and engaged audience.
Nonprofit CD sales collected $360 for the Oregon Humane Society and $250 for the Oregon Food Bank. Donations of those amounts will be made in the name of Thad Beckman.
We raised over $600 that will, in a few weeks, be given toward the development of the Portland Chapter of Swan Songs. www.swansongs.org This is a truly generous foundation that provides musical last rites for those with terminal illness or nearing the end of their life. I will provide more information on this organization in the near future.
These nonprofit organizations, and others, meant something to Thad, they were important to him (and are to me).
It was a good thing for us to move more of Thad’s CDs, his music - the art to which he stayed perfectly true - out in the world and at the same time generate some funding for the crucial work of these nonprofit organizations.
In addition to continuing to share Thad’s music, these are some of the ways we can all honor Thad.
When the film of the event is available for viewing, I’ll let everyone know. It’s going to be a gorgeous film and I know everyone will appreciate it.
With love & gratitude,
Susan
*******************************************
Mourning the loss of our beloved friend and supreme artist –
Thad Beckman died at home on Jan. 16, 2023 of natural causes related to chronic illness.
His long-time partner, Susan, and their little dog, Penelope, were with him at the time.
For information regarding CD and book sales,
please contact Susan Anderson at sooz2417@gmail.com or 720-244-0274.
(Thank you for your patience while this website is under reconstruction.)
Critical Acclaim for Streets of Disaster
“Beckman has released a knockout of an album with lots of stylistic variety. This is powerful stuff, beautifully performed and exquisitely produced. Quite a find!” - Blair Jackson, Acoustic Guitar Magazine
"One of America's best guitar players and a damn good songwriter." - Tom Russell
"As good as the songs were on Me Talkin’ to Me, released in 2008, Streets of Disaster is a giant step forward. Seamlessly working in blues, country and contemporary folk styles, Thad’s songwriting – and his fine performances – now seems classic and timeless."
- veteran music journalist and broadcaster Mike Regenstreif
What others are saying about Thad Beckman
"Beckman plays an engaging blend of folk, singer-songwriter and blues music. Not everyone can pull off such a combination, but Beckman has chops, writing talent, a big personality and a bag full of true stories which all dovetail for a cool show.”
- Jim Beal, San Antonio Express-News
"With commanding yet understated vocals as strong as his finger-style and slide guitar playing, Beckman crafts a quietly compelling set."
- Tom Hyslop, Blues Review
“A splendid player and a more than able vocalist -doing some of the smartest finger-picking you could wish for.”
- Maurice Hope, The Northern Echo
“Thad Beckman, first class picker”
– British Country Music Web Site
“If you have never heard Mr. Beckman play, you have really been missing out. Anyone in the audience could instantly recognize Mr. Beckman as a master of his craft.”
- No Depression
“Thad Beckman goes a long way to assuage guitar thirst on the stunning “Guadalupe,” one of many that hold up with Russell’s best.”
- Celine Keating, Acoustic Guitar
“A finely-honed bluesy voice to go along with his finger picking talents.”
- Rod Williams – LMA Street Team Member
“With a voice that rasps like shoe leather on roadside gravel, and a finger-picked guitar on which notes fly by like railroad ties under a fast moving freight, not to mention a long history of vagabonding behind him, Thad Beckman seems ideally suited to the wandering troubadour's tradition.”
- John T. Davis - Austin-American Statesman