Susan Alcorn

Susan Alcorn (1953-2025) was an American pedal steel guitarist, composer and improviser. She came up playing pedal steel in country and western swing bands in Texas, then carried the instrument into free improvisation, contemporary composition, Indian raga and folk traditions. She lived in Houston and later in Baltimore, where she died in January 2025. Alcorn studied with Pauline Oliveros and worked with Eugene Chadbourne, Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark, Mary Halvorson, Evan Parker, Fred Frith and Ingrid Laubrock, among many others.