“The object for me is to interpret classic tunes, largely from the early twentieth century, by honoring them and attempting to show the timeless value offered by these still inspiring and musically edifying songs written by some of the finest composers and lyricists to ever walk the earth.”

Steve Howell: Music Time Traveler

Fingerpicking guitarist and songster Steve Howell is a man of many musical talents, but his secret power is time travel – scouring the past for music he loves in order to make it fresh again. On his latest album, I Don’t Mind (2026), Howell dips into the tuneful well of the last century for a delicious re-creation of a dozen wisely chosen songs with the consummate assistance of Dan Sumner on guitar and album-producer Jason Weinheimer on bass. Sumner is a Louisiana-based, internationally acclaimed guitarist, arranger and producer. Weinheimer records and produces albums at his studio, Fellowship Hall Sound in Little Rock, Ark. Steve Howell is a fingerstyle guitarist and vocalist based in East Texas. His fifteen album releases have garnered wide international radio airplay and nearly unanimous critical acclaim. A lifelong lover of rural, folk-blues styles and traditional jazz, his chord melody-rooted guitar approach lends itself splendidly to his chosen repertoire and has been featured in the Hal Leonard-published “Fingerpicking Early Jazz Standards,” a book containing fifteen of his arrangements of classic tunes. He was also instrumental in the production and release of the book “Snoozer Quinn: Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar Pioneer” by Katy Hobgood Ray and Dan Sumner.

(Steve Howell, Dan Sumner and Jason Weinheimer / Photo by Isaac Alexander)

A veteran of the East Texas-North Louisiana music scene since the 1970’s, he has presented his music over the years from the United Kingdom and Italy to Oregon and Mississippi, and many places in between. With the quartet, Steve Howell and The Mighty Men, he has recorded and performed for nearly forty years from Little Rock to Shreveport and Memphis to Houston. He also spent several years recording and playing gigs with the great Wrecking Crew bassist, Joe Osborn. Steve is the recipient of the 2012 Academy of Texas Music Historical Significance Award.

Interview by Michael Limnios                         Archive: Steve Howell, 2025 Interview

Special Thanks: Betsie Brown (Blind Raccoon) & Jim White

The title of your new album, I Don't Mind, carries a sense of freedom and ease. What was the central vision or need that led you to create this particular collection of tracks, and how did you select the material for it?

Dan, Jason and I have played some of the tunes on this record for quite a while and I have long wanted to capture them on record. I couldn’t have asked for better partners to present these tunes in an honest, hopefully inspired and engaging way.

Critics often mention that your secret strength is "time travel"—taking old, traditional songs and making them sound fresh. How do you maintain that balance in I Don't Mind, honoring the history of each song while giving it a modern breath of life?

The object for me is to interpret classic tunes, largely from the early twentieth century, by honoring them and attempting to show the timeless value offered by these still inspiring and musically edifying songs written by some of the finest composers and lyricists to ever walk the earth.

Ever since you first heard Mississippi John Hurt at the age of 13, his fingerstyle country-blues technique has shaped your career. How did this lifelong love influence the way you approached the guitars and arrangements on this new record?

I think what attracted me to John Hurt’s music was the completeness of his approach to playing and singing. I always loved music as a young child but had never heard anyone play and sing the melody of a tune simultaneously. This revelation led me on the path of trying to adapt and expand this approach in my own way.

You have always treated the acoustic fingerstyle guitar almost like a mini-orchestra. What were the biggest challenges you faced in the studio for I Don't Mind when trying to deliver that rich, full sound using primarily your fingers?

Segovia said that “the guitar is the orchestra through the wrong end of the telescope.” This idea fascinates me and opens up a musical approach that makes for endless possibilities for solo and ensemble playing. With Dan and Jason we are constantly searching to each create a part that leaves plenty of room for each player to develop their own interpretation of the music.

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(Steve Howell, Dan Sumner and Jason Weinheimer / Photo by Isaac Alexander)