Stephen Arkin

I miss him often. He used to listen to my stuff on SoundCloud and post his own. I miss that. I hope he's playing up a storm in some jam session on a sunny day in the hereafter.

I had been a friend of Steve's back in 1961. We were in the same French class at New Utrecht High School. We had only a casual acquaintance at that time. The next year, I ran into him while taking a walk in Boro Park, Brooklyn, where we both lived. We chatted for a while and found that we were both inclined toward counter-cultural modes of thought. He invited me to accompany him to a party in Greenwich Village, and from that point on we became close friends. During this period, we would often...

Very talented man, only got to see him play a few times at Clifftop, RIP Sir!!

I miss you, Steve. But I liked seeing you at Janie´s Jumpstart.

A life well lived.

Steve, I have an old Mastertone of his that I bought off Marc Horowitz. I understand now why it wasn't his favorite banjo, but it still sounds great. I enjoyed Steve's challenges musically, personally, and just having him around made one want to practice more. Steve could play banjo in so many styles, and he mastered them all. He told me once, "Bluegrass has to be perfect, or, not at all." We were looking at a certain band's dress (leather vests), and they didn't sing all that...

I knew and played in a bluegrass band with Steve during his Salem, MA, years in the early 1970s. I treasure those memories and appreciated his friendship. Condolences to the family.

My condolences and best wishes to Steve's family and friends. I met Steve in the early 1960s. We became good friends, but lost touch after a decade, although my brother Steve, himself an accomplished banjo player met him later and became lifelong friends. Steve and I met at a concert where he was performing, then bumped into each other later in the Village. We hit it off, although I was a fairly mediocre guitar player. I visited him at Marlboro and occasionally at his mom's house where...

I knew Steve back in the mid 1980s when we attended a weekly jam at a used bookstore in Salem, MA. I enjoyed playing with him and getting to know him and found him a remarkable resource musically and in so many other ways. In the past few years I enjoyed reconnecting with him on Facebook and sharing memories from the part of New England where I grew and where he lived for the past several years. I will treasure my time with him and his memory.