Posts by Steve Wildsmith
Bluesman, harmonica ace Jason Ricci reflects on recovery, relapse and the shadowlands between the two
Harmonica ace Jason Ricci has been sober for the better part of 20 years, and on days when his struggle with addiction get him down, he tries to keep that in perspective. Continuously, Ricci is approaching eight months clean and sober after his most recent relapse, and while his story includes a few such stumbles,…
Read MoreNow more than two decades sober, Foreigner’s Lou Gramm reflects on the dark days of his addiction
Courtesy of RIT Production Services During the 1980s, Lou Gramm was the singer for one of the biggest rock bands on the planet, but success still wasn’t enough to buy him happiness. Today, Foreigner remains one of the most successful groups of all time, with worldwide record sales in excess of 80 million — much…
Read MoreFolk artist Steve Poltz finds sobriety is still ‘Ballin’,’ even after 14 years
Standing at an airport pay phone, his coke-fueled heart hammering like an out-of-control oil derrick slamming into Texas hardpan, singer-songwriter Steve Poltz found the scrap of paper he was looking for. “Michael the Drunk Lawyer,” it said. Technically, Michael was a sober attorney by then, back in November 2004, and one of the only clean…
Read MoreSinger-songwriter Dane Ferguson on sobriety: ‘Every day was another step in the right direction’
Courtesy of Mikey Rodriguez When a teenage boy gets an on-stage shout-out from one of his musical mentors, the path forward seems like it’s got to be destiny. Such was the case for singer-songwriter Dane Ferguson, the Los Angeles-based artist who’s juggling a solo career and a gig with the band Built to Fade. His…
Read MoreOut of addiction’s flames, singer-songwriter Anders Osborne sets up a nationwide sober lifeline of ‘Friends’
Courtesy of J. Mimna Photography There’s a five-day period from his early 30s that singer-songwriter Anders Osborne will never get back. He’s been told what happened during that particular alcoholic blackout, but hearing the stories are like watching a cringe-worthy film of someone else’s misfortune. Despite the success he had before and has experienced since,…
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