Have you heard of Steve Gillette? If you were alive in the 1960s and liked folk music, there’s a chance the name rings a bell. Gillette never reached the top of the charts, but he’s a very talented singer/songwriter. Many of his songs have been performed by artists you have heard of, including John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot, Ian and Sylvia, Nanci Griffith, and Linda Ronstadt.
“The Bells in the Evening” appears on Gillette’s debut album, released in 1967. The album, simply titled “Steve Gillette,” stands as one of Steve’s finest recordings. “The Bells” is a bittersweet (actually sweet-bitter) song of love blossoming in the spring and fading away in the fall. I find the melody and lyrics deeply moving. Perhaps you will, too. The song is also replete with imagery. When you listen, what images come to your mind?
I’ve revisited “The Bells of the Evening,” adding a new background track by Giovanni Egusquista. Here’s my cover.
“Bells In The Evening” With Backup Instrumentation
“Bells In The Evening” Solo
Heart Banter by David Gittlin 
4 replies on “Steve Gillette: Influential Folk Artist and Songwriter”
We’re long-time friends and fans of Steve Gillette. We have listened to his music since the 60s. We first heard him sing at the Prison of Socrates coffee house in Balboa, CA. We heard him many times at the Glendale Ice House and later the Pasadena Ice House, and countless other coffee houses and venues. We still on occasion tease him about a night he appeared at a little known coffee house called The Whole that was in an alley off Colorado Bvd. That night, after driving from Garden Grove to appear at the coffee house, they paid him a mere $20.oo. He told us after the show, “It kind of hurt my feelings.” It was so pitiful we broke out laughing; he did too. Steve is a real gentleman. His first album onm Vanguard remains our favorite album, and yes, we know why he didn’t make a second Vanguard album. That is also a rather humorous story. How we loved his early self-penned songs.
Nick and Mike Campbell, Atascadero, California
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It’s so amazing that you know Steve personally. I agree with you about his first album. I think it was his best. Every song on it is a classic. Thank you for letting me know Steve a little better through the stories in your comment. He is a rare talent that never received the widespread recognition he deserved. Nice to hear from fellow pure folk music lovers.
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We love your recording of “The Bells in the Evening.”
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Thank you.
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