Steven Clint
Singer/Songwriter
Steven Clint was born in Iowa the youngest of three children, in a family where music was always part of daily life. While neither his mother nor dad ever had any formal training, both played instruments. And because Steve's brother and sister were teenagers when Steve was a baby, many of Steve's earliest memories include a steady soundtrack of the Byrds, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and just about everything from Lawrence Welk to Ed Sullivan.
By the time Steve was in grade school his family had moved to Eastern SD and he was learning to play the accordion. Soon Steve was playing concerts for veterans and retirement homes and learned what it was like to perform for an audience. Before he went to middle school, he was playing drums.
While in middle school at the suggestion of a favorite music instructor and mentor Ricky Anderberg, Steve expanded his interest in music to include chorus and choir and did a short stint as a trombonist in the school band. In addition, Mrs. Anderberg also encouraged Steve to explore his own musical creativity. By the time Steve enrolled in high school, he bought his first 6 string guitar, formed a rock band called 'Crystal' with his friends and was on his way to making music his life's work.
Before the end of Steve's freshman year, he was writing songs of his own. Crystal (the band) had a rather dramatic breakup, and Steve was playing drums in The Doug Bowden Band. Steve was gigging with the band, performing in school talent shows, local clubs and just about anywhere he had an audience. Eventually, The Doug Bowden Band (with Steve on Drums) recorded a vinyl EP titled "Beginnings" at a local recording studio. Several hundred copies were pressed, and the record was available in local and area music stores for several months. And Steve was hopelessly hooked on sound engineering.
About the time the Doug Bowden Band disbanded and several of its members graduated from high school, Steve began playing guitar, writing and recording music with his brother Darrel and dating his future wife Winnie. They started recording themselves on a portable cassette deck and quickly graduated to an early multi track system. In addition to writing and recording music with his brother, Steve had also began playing drums in a local lounge trio, Ricky Bryant and High Society and for the first time, Steve started getting paid to play music.
When High Society's keyboard player went off to college so did Steve. While Steve was in college, he took up piano, classical voice and music theory, saxophone and bass. Steve also bought his first synthesizer with money he made playing cover music in clubs as a solo performer under the name of Steven Clint. During the summers Steve worked as a session drummer and played in a traveling lounge act called Phil n' the Blanks. Throughout his college years Steve continued to write and record music with his brother. By the time Steve finished school, he had become a seasoned solo performer with a fan club, mailing list and a growing catalog of recorded and copy written original songs.
When Steve finished school he and Darrel began construction of their first real recording studio with multi-track and mastering capability and an isolation booth. To finance the project that became Deadhorse Studio they began performing and touring the region as the Steve Arrel Band. As a guitar and bass duo, Steve and Darrel experimented with a very early rhythm generator that Steve's long time girlfriend, Winnie, affectionately named Bonzo. A short time later they began using an electronic midi drum sequencer as a permanent addition to their act.
Shortly after Steve and Darrel completed the construction of Deadhorse Studio, they were performing at a local musicians jam, and were introduced to another guitar duo. Things went well, personalities meshed, song lists matched up and Cousins merged with The Steve Arrel Band to become Smokey Pockets. Winnie drew a memorable (and provocative) logo and put together a press pack, and Steve was again a drummer and lead singer, in a very popular rock-n-roll bar band. Even though Steve continued to write original music, Smokey Pockets specialized in playing covers of everything from Elvis to Creedance.
When the fire went out for Smokey Pockets Steve took his first (and only) full time job outside the music business. During Steve's hiatus from performing there were several bands that formed but never made it out of rehearsal, and he and Winnie got married, bought a house and began construction on Steve's first commercial recording studio. After a couple years, Steve was introduced to ¾ of a thrash rock band that was looking for a guitarist/singer for a pop/rock cover band. Several practices later, Blackjack and the Shuffletones began playing cover music in local clubs and private parties as a variety rock band and continues to play several private parties and special events every year.
Shortly after Blackjack formed, Steve quit his day job, incorporated the studio business, joined the local chamber of commerce and opened Prairie Dog Studios to the public as a studio for hire. Over the course of the next few years, Steve was involved in several duos that performed original music throughout the region. Among them were Monroe and Chellars; a Guitar and Cello duo, and OPM; a Guitar and Vocal Duo.
In addition to collaborations with many long time friends and area musicians, Steve continues expand the genre's of music in which he composes his own music to include, folk, rock, pop and country. His circle of friends in the music industry extends to Minneapolis, Chicago Boston, Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, Seattle, Spain, London and Japan, and his album credits as a studio musician are too numerous to mention.
Steve is an active and voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences or NARAS (The Grammy's), The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers or ASCAP.an active member of the Nashville Songwriter Association International and a charter member of the local chapter of that organization. He is also an active partner in Coolrnl Music Publishing Company , LLC, ASCAP , NMPA and co-owner of Crow Caw Records, LLC, an independent record label. Both of which were founded to help musicians make a living at their life's work. Steve is also a sustaining contributor to SD Public Broadcasting, SD Symphony and Musicares Foundation.
Steve and Winnie live in Sioux Falls, SD with their two dogs Ringo and Foxy. Steve has succeeded in making music his life and livelihood, and Winnie will eternally be his number one fan and partner. Steve and Darrel continue to collaborate, write and record their music.
After decades of urging by friends and family, Steve is releasing Ravens Fly Coyote's Cry as his first full length CD of original music. Winnie says it's just the beginning......
A list of Steve's published works can be provided by his publisher at www.coolrnl.com.
Steve can be reached for booking and interview requests at 605-361-0939 or online at steve.peterson@prairiedogstudios.com.
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