Expect songs and humor in this self-produced performance by an experienced comic and musician with a little help from his friends. Singer/Songwriter, Yodeler, Comedian, Harmless Crazy Person, that is Stephen Lee.
Stephen Lee Rich's 40-yr. music career includes a start in California, the 1970's in Chicago's folk scene, later in Chicago's comedy clubs and a move to Madison in 1995.
 Most teenage boys hang up their guitars after securing their first full-time job, but Stephen Lee Rich, after winning a talent contest at the county fair in Mariposa, California in 1969, has kept the music, jokes, and yodels coming. The 1970’s found Rich learning and honing his craft at such seminal Chicago clubs as the Earl of Oldtown, the Barbarossa, Somebody Else’s Troubles, and the No Exit Cafe.
An article about him as a street musician was published in August of 1979 by the Reader, Chicago’s alternative newspaper, inspired then-mayor Jane Byrne to put city-sponsored street musicians at strategic places around the city the following summer. They called it the Troubadour Program. In the 1980’s, when the folk venues started to disappear, he began working at comedy venues like Zanies, the Comedy Cottage, and Kobart’s Komedy Kove. He soon joined forces with a number of variety acts to inaugurate the Revolving Door Revue, a touring troupe whose peripatetic engagements first brought Stephen Lee to Wisconsin, specifically Fort Atkinson’s Cafe Carpe and Madison’s Wild Hog In The Woods Coffeehouse.
Relocating to Madison in 1995 to sing country music for The Road Band, he soon found work at the Anchor Inn, in Madison, as the host of their weekly acoustic jam. He also became one of the rotating hosts of the open mic at Mother Fool’s Coffeehouse. Eventually he found his own venue running the open mic at Speed Jump Java Joint, then Urban Market and Coffeehouse, and finally Escape Java Joint. He kept that open mic going for another six years. It got popular enough to get written up in a mainstream, daily newspaper, Madison’s Capitol Times. In 2002 he released the CD, “Facing Monday” to much critical acclaim. In 2001 he started working with Sandy Andina to form the duo Andina and Rich.
Stephen volunteers at the Wild Hog, using his experience, genius and connections to select and schedule performers at our Friday concerts.
Please visit Stephen's web site at www.stephenleerich.com and his Facebook page. |
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Tips are being split between the performer and the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center to support the Center's social services during these trying times.Wil-Mar is the neighborhood center where the Coffeehouse rents space. Both Wil-Mar and the Coffeehouse are 501(c)3 charities.
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