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A Final Tribute to Veteran Flagstaff Guitarist Steve Reynolds

Jill Richards of Jill Richards Photography

Last month, the Flagstaff music community lost one of its most skilled and influential members to cancer. Steve Reynolds, 66, was a veteran guitarist, singer and songwriter who combined elements of folk, blues, jazz and rock to create a singular style. As Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports, Reynolds’ family and friends are paying tribute by putting the finishing touches on an unreleased album he left behind.

The new batch of songs by the late guitarist was recorded over the last year of his life. Steve Reynolds was inspired by legendary guitarists like Leo Kottke and Doc Watson, and he worked for decades to perfect the complex fingerpicking style that became his trademark.

Credit Courtesy photo
Steve Reynolds performing with Williams-based musician and longtime friend John Carpino at Cruiser's Route 66 Cafe in downtown Williams.

One of the new songs, “Salty Tears,” explores mortality and seems to foreshadow his own death.

Last winter, Reynolds began working on the songs at his brother Stu’s Monterey, California recording studio. Steve had battled prostate cancer for a number of years before it spread to his liver, but neither brother could have imagined it would be the last recording session they’d have together.

Credit Courtesy of Roger Smith
The Sonic Swamis, one of Steve Reynolds' many bands, circa 1990. Reynolds is second from the right and bassist Roger Smith is on the far left.

Stu, who is also a professional musician, says his brother’s illness did nothing to diminish his passion for music.

“I’d say he was on a real streak in the last year or two. He wrote some really, really great tunes. He made it his whole life. He never worked a day job his entire life, which, you got to admire that. He made a career out of art and really made it work,” Stu Reynolds says.

One of the many friends and family members working on the album is Flagstaff bassist Roger Smith.

I think Steve was a great talent and also a great friend and touched a lot of lives … His legacy – all who knew and listened to him – was that he was a masterful entertainer who took his music seriously and really enjoyed it,” Smith says.

The two musicians played together for nearly three decades. They teamed up for Steve’s 1998 debut album, Too Much Coffee, an ode to the guitarist’s caffeine addiction.

Steve began performing in the late ’60s in East Lansing, Mich., where he went to college. He went on to live in Austin, Texas, where he shared stages with artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Lucinda Williams. He settled in Flagstaff in the late ’80s where he made music his fulltime career.

“The first time I met Steve Reynolds, or actually I should say the first time I heard Steve Reynolds was about three blocks away … my first thought was, ‘Boy, this guy’s loud.’ My second thought was, ‘This guy’s really good. Really good.’ … I was very impressed and we became friends very quickly shortly after that,” says, longtime friend and musician John Carpino.

He says Steve was constantly perfecting his craft, and that sentiment is echoed by Lynda Fleischer, owner of Altitudes Bar and Grill in Flagstaff. She booked Steve as the venue’s very first performer when it opened in 2003.

“I think he set the bar maybe for some musicians here in our community,” Fleischer says.

Steve was scheduled to play there two days after his death – a gig he sadly never made.

“He was the epitome of a small-town, local musician. He is really what it’s all about in terms of music in our community. It’s a big part of all of us that is gone,” Fleischer says.

Steve Reynolds’ final album remains untitled at this point, but the friends and family who are finishing it expect it to be released sometime early next year.

One of the songs – “The Way You Said Goodbye” – features Steve’s brother Stu on soprano sax. It captures a wistful moment between the two – a look back at a life sustained by music till the end.

On Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m., local musicians will perform Steve Reynolds’ songs at Altitudes Bar and Grill in Flagstaff. You can find out more about the “Remembering Reynolds” event on Facebook.

Ryan Heinsius joined KNAU's newsroom as an executive producer in 2013 and became news director and managing editor in 2024. As a reporter, he has covered a broad range of stories from local, state and tribal politics to education, economy, energy and public lands issues, and frequently interviews internationally known and regional musicians. Ryan is an Edward R. Murrow Award winner and a Public Media Journalists Association Award winner, and a frequent contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and national newscast.
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