The Marshall Gazette, Lewisburg, Tennessee, February 2, 1993

by Rhonda Pruitt Poole

Steve Sedberry has been surrounded by beautiful chords of music his entire life. His mother would sing as she did her daily chores; his father listened to music every chance he got; his grandmother received a certificate in 1921 for her magnificent talent playing classical music on the piano. And even though he never met his Grandfather Sedberry, Steve learned that the man was very proficient in writing tunes. There were "a lot of creative people" around the Sedberry home. It's no wonder this 44-year-old artist has a natural talent for singing and writing songs.

Having recently completed recording his fifth cassette tape, What We Dream, Steve Sedberry is furiously traveling the south promoting his music. Steve calls his travels "the treadmill test" because he bases the tour on endurance. He will travel until "I have no more engagements and I'm worn out."

Sedberry's music has been described in different ways. Some people would call it folk, some acoustic. Steve says, "There's a whole lot of variety in my songs. The themes, text-wise and musically. It's hard to describe."

Steve uses his life experiences when writing. His father passed away in 1975 of lung cancer, so that prompted the young writer/singer to compose several anti-smoking songs; his most popular being 'How I Choke When I Smell Smoke.' Then his mother died of breast cancer in 1982 motivating Steve to write even more.

He went on to say, "Everyone has different segments of their lives during the day. I write songs to reflect my mood during each segment. My songs help me remember what I'm about." Sedberry has appeared live on the Country Boy Eddie Show out of Birmingham and has realized huge success playing for men's clubs, such as the Lions Club and Exchange Club. He does a lot of street singing and is very interested in performing at schools, nursing homes, churches, summer camps, birthday parties and anniversaries.

This artist enjoys performing on the street for passers-by. Much of his inspiration and lyrics come from talking with those who stop to listen. "I'm real interested in meeting people and sharing my songs," said Steve, "meeting people who have stories to tell who would like those stories in a song."

His song, 'The Good Luck Kid' came from one such conversation. While street singing one day, an elderly gentleman approached Steve and told him a story about meeting Billy the Kid, a meeting which occurred several years after The Kid supposedly died. Sedberry took this idea and added lyrics and a tune to come up with one of his most popular songs.

If you would like a copy of Steve Sedberry's latest cassette, What We Dream, write: Steve Sedberry, 100 CR 525, Newell, Alabama 36270-4312. The tape includes 12 of Steve's newest songs.

This self-financed musician left Lewisburg last week heading south to Huntsville where he will continue his tour. Many stops are left before he can lay down in the comfort of his own bed. But he doesn't mind, for he knows with each stop he will meet new people and gather ideas for new songs. Songs related to vision. Songs related to dreaming. Songs related to life.