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Steve Goodman

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Musician

The Resume

    (July 25, 1948-September 20, 1984)
    Born in Chicago, Illinois
    Recorded the albums 'Steve Goodman,' 'Somebody Else's Troubles,' 'Jessie's Jig and Other Favorites,' 'Words We Can Dance To,' 'Say It In Private,' 'Hot Spot,' 'Affordable Art,' 'Santa Ana Winds' and 'Unfinished Business'
    Wrote 'City of New Orleans,' made famous by Arlo Guthrie
    Wrote the 1984 tune 'Go, Cubs, Go,' the official Chicago Cubs victory song
    Died of leukemia in Seattle at age 36
    Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn declared October 5, 2007 Steve Goodman Day in the state

Why he might be annoying:

    He dropped out of the University of Illinois twice to pursue his music career.
    The only way he got Guthrie to listen to the tune he created was to buy him a beer.
    He was never 'Top 40 friendly.'
    Some of the songs he wrote about his beloved Chicago were a tad macabre, such as 'The Ballad of Flight 191' about a horrific plane crash at O'Hare, and 'Daley's Gone,' about the fact that Mayor Richard J. Daley was dead.
    When he wrote 'A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request' and sang it for Cubs manager Dallas Green, he cryptically mentioned how depressing it was, giving him the spark to create 'Go, Cubs, Go.'
    He was set to sing the Star-Spangled Banner after the Cubs clinched the 1984 Eastern Division title in the National League (their first post-season appearance since 1945), but died eight days before it could happen, so his friend Jimmy Buffett did the honors and dedicated the game to him.

Why he might not be annoying:

    In 1965 he graduated from Maine East High School in Park Ridge, Illinois where he was a classmate of Hillary Rodham (Clinton).
    He discovered he had leukemia in 1967, and decided that music was most important to him and he would embrace it to its fullest since he knew he was on 'borrowed time.'
    He began performing at the Earl of Old Town in Chicago in 1969 and became a fixture, raising a cult following.
    His albums always scored well with the critics, he just never found mainstream commercial success.
    Willie Nelson's version of 'City of New Orleans' earned him a posthumous Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1985.
    In 1988 his 'Unfinished Business' earned him a second posthumous Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
    As a long suffering Cubs fan, some of his ashes were scattered at Wrigley Field in April 1988.
    In 2010, Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley introduced a bill renaming the Lakeview post office on Irving Park Road in honor of Goodman (the bill was signed by President Barack Obama August 3, 2010).

Credit: Scar Tactics


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 13 Votes: 84.62% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 17 Votes: 52.94% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 23 Votes: 52.17% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 10 Votes: 40.0% Annoying