Artie Traum
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Artie Traum is a New Age Voice (NAV) award-winning guitarist, producer and songwriter. Traum has been featured on more than 35 albums. He has produced or recorded with The Band, Warren Bernhardt, Pat Alger, Tony Levin, John Sebastian, Richie Havens, Maria Muldaur, Eric Anderson, Paul Butterfield, Paul Siebel, Rory Block, James Taylor, Pete Seeger, David Grisman, Livingston Taylor, Michael Franks, and Happy Traum, among others. Traum's songs have been featured on PBS, BBC, ESPN, and CBS. He has toured in Japan, Europe and across the USA.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Traum became a part of the Greenwich Village folk music scene in the late 1960s. Early on, Traum co-wrote songs for the Brian de Palma debut film Greetings – the first role for Robert DeNiro – with Eric Kaz and Bear.
1969 saw Traum joined forces with his brother Happy Traum in a duo. Their self-titled debut album, Happy & Artie Traum (Capitol Records) was cited by the New York Times as "one of the best records in any field of pop music." The Traums were managed by Albert Grossman (manager of The Band, Dylan, Janis Joplin, etc.). The duo performed at the 1969 Newport Folk Festival on stage with James Taylor, Kris Kristoferson and Joni Mitchell.
In November of 1971 both Artie and Happy Traum (together with Bob Dylan, David Amram, and others) participated in an extended Record Plant (NYC) session backing up Allen Ginsberg in various songs and chants.
During the 70’s and 80’s, Artie Traum produced The Woodstock Mountains Revue featuring himself, his bother Happy, Pat Alger, John Sebastian, Maria Muldaur, Rory Block, Eric Andersen, Paul Butterfield and Paul Siebel. In the mid 1980’s Traum teamed up with singer/songwriter Pat Alger (Thunder Rolls, Unanswered Prayers). The duo recorded the album From The Heart.
Traum's 1994 release - the jazz project Letters From Joubee - captured #1 on the Smooth Jazz Radio Charts (Gavin AA chart). In 1999 his Meetings With Remarkable Friends received the Best Acoustic Instrumental Album award from the NAV.
In 2003 Traum released a singer/songwriter project, South of Lafayette, which was featured on NPR's "All Things Considered". In 2007 Traum released the album Thief of Time.
Of late, Traum has enjoyed a small side career as a documentary filmmaker. In 2002, his film Deep Water: Building the Catskill Water System (co-produced and co-directed with Tobe Carey and Robbie Dupree)was featured at the Woodstock Film Festival. Two years later, in 2004, Traum co-produced Hudson River Journeys: A Celebration of America's First River for WMHT Public Television. The latter film featured artist Len Tantillo, folksinger Pete Seeger, and writer Edward Renehan, with Renehan having crafted the screenplay for the production.
Traum has also written numerous guitar instruction books, and also been involved with many video productions at his brother Happy's Homespun Tapes.
Traum lives with his wife Beverly in Bearsville, New York, just outside of Woodstock.
