If you have any questions about why Little Richard is such a pivotal figure in the history of popular music, just listen to the 23rd second of the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There.”
“I’ll never dance with another…whoo!”
There it is. The “whoo!”
That’s Paul McCarney singing and the Beatles shaking their heads on that syllable, but the sound is pure Little Richard.
There are no Beatles without Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Little Richard, and McCartney was particularly indebted to the latter two, Holly gave him songwriting structure and ambition; Little Richard gave him joy and abandon.
Of the founding fathers of rock ‘n’ roll, there’s just Jerry Lee Lewis left. Fats Domino, Carl Perkins, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Elvis are all gone. But only Richard could justifiably claim to be the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll – and he did. The rest were all pioneers, innovators and idols, but Little Richard was the essence – truly unique, outrageous, flashy, confident and totally himself.
Were there ever more expressive lyrics than A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-wop-bam-boom?
I’ll never forget the day I spent in a hotel ballroom on Sunset Strip shooting interviews for our Speaking Freely TV show, then in about 65 U.S. markets. The show featured conversations with artists, authors and public figures about free expression in America.
On that day in Hollywood, we talked with Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, pornographer Larry Flynt and Rickie Lee Jones. And then there was Little Richard, resplendent in a red suit.
It’s a bit of an out-of-the-body experience to interview an iconic figure in full flamboyance. It’s a little like interviewing Batman.
Richard didn’t disappoint, telling tales of his early rock ‘n’ roll years and his eagerness to break barriers. Midway through the interview, though, his microphone failed, and we had to briefly interrupt the taping.
“This was supposed to be a show about the First Amendment. When do we get to that?” he asked. I was stunned, but explained that everything we had been talking about illustrated free expression in America. He was freedom of speech personified.
That didn’t satisfy him, and he reminded me he wasn’t getting paid for this. He was going to walk.
So I turned to another First Amendment right: freedom of religion. “Would you please talk about your faith?”
The devout rocker sat back down, the microphone batteries were replaced, and the interview continued.
Just out is the Reverend Shawn Amos’ new album “Blue Sky” with his band the Brotherhood. We had the pleasure of talking with Shawn about this new release a while back at the 30A Music Festival. He was excited – and we now know why.
Shawn is a dynamic artist and so is the album. Learn how Blue Sky came together and what he has in common with the Who on this edition of the Americana One Podcast.
Here’s a two-fer : Stan Garfield’s Quarantine Playlist featuring Beth Nielsen Chapman, and a reposting of our American One podcast with this talented artist.
Here’s Stan: “Sand & Water,” written in the wake of Beth’s first husband’s death, and “Happy Girl” are two of my favorites. I have seen her several times at The Ark in Ann Arbor and once at 20 Front Street.
Beth’s life story is incredible. She lost her first husband to cancer, and then survived breast cancer and a brain tumor. Beth has written 7 #1 hits and has had songs recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Bette Midler, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Michael McDonald, Keb’ Mo’, Roberta Flack, Waylon Jennings, and The Indigo Girls. She also wrote Faith Hill’s hit “This Kiss,” ASCAP’s 1999 Song Of The Year.
John Prine meant the world to our family. My wife-to-be Peggy and I went to see John, Steve Goodman, Bill Quateman and Bonnie Koloc at Ravinia Festival just after high school graduation in the Chicago suburbs.
We were so excited that I missed the exit on the way home and badly blew curfew. Peggy’s mom was …. judgmental. One of my earliest paid writing gigs was a handwritten review of John’s second album “Diamonds in the Rough.” I praised the album, but pointed out his limited vocal range. Punk. His music was everywhere in our household, and we had to convince our 12-year-old son to join us for a Prine concert in New York. He liked “Space Monkey.” Now a music writer for the Tennessean, he just wrote his own celebration of John.
We thought of John as our local musical hero because of shared Chicago ties, but then John moved to Nashville. And a decade later, so did we.
It was coincidence, but the best kind. Suddenly our favorite artist popped up all over town, on stage and in the grocery store. One night a dear friend tipped me off that John was going to hold a secret Christmas party in an hour, and sure enough, there he was with his brother Billy, friends and family in a local sports bar. John liked Christmas.
I had the privilege to host John on our “Speaking Freely” TV show on PBS stations years later and saw firsthand what I had been told so often: He was the same guy on stage as he was in-person.
And then just last fall, my wife and I attended “All the Best,” the magnificent festival he and Fiona Whelan Prine staged in the Dominican Republic. There was a truly special night when he took the stage to perform his first album from start to finish, as a full and incandescent moon was reflected in the waves. For the rest of my life, when I think of John, I’ll think of that moment and those songs.
So thankful for that, and for everything John Prine brought into the lives of everyone who loved his music – and him.
The Mastersons were remarkably prescient in recording and releasing their new album No Time For Love Songs.
We spoke with Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore on board the Cayamo music cruise, just about three weeks before a cruise ship was the last place in the world where you would want to spend time.
The timely album is about our polarized world and the willingness of so many to turn their backs on values in the interest of partisanship. And now the COVID-19 pandemic puts an explanation point on their message.
Quarantine Playlist of the Day: Aztec Two-Step was a great acoustic guitar and vocal harmony duo in the same spirit as Batdorf and Rodney and Brewer & Shipley. They seldom performed outside of the East Coast, but I was able to catch them at The Kent Stage in Ohio on April 9, 2010 with Jon Pousette-Dart and John Batdorf. Here’s a selection of some of their best work available on Spotify.
Stan Garfield is a longtime music fan, veteran Cayamo cruiser and inveterate producer of house concerts. He’s sharing his daily Spotify playlists with Americana One.
Quarantine Playlist of the Day: Nashville (the TV series). This show ran 6 seasons from 2012-18, starting on ABC and ending on CMT. It wasn’t the best dramatic show, often feeling like a soap opera. But it had some great songs written by some very talented songwriters. This Spotify list includes 12 songs from the show.
Stan Garfield is a longtime music fan, veteran Cayamo cruiser and inveterate producer of house concerts. He’s sharing his daily Spotify playlists with Americana One.
We’ve been too long without a Last Train Home album. After a decade, Eric Brace and Last Train Home have released Daytime Highs & Overnght Lows, an always ambitious and musically diverse collection that reminds us once again of this band’s excellence.
We had the chance to visit with Eric Brace on Americana One about the reunion, and the compelling release that resulted.
The 13th edition of the Cayamo festival-at-sea was another (mostly)
happy week of sun, fun and, above all, music – scores of shows performed by
world-class musicians, all on a seven-night cruise to two sunny Caribbean islands.
A week’s worth of festival sets is too much to cover even in
a long review, so here’s a highly subjective look at some high points:
Monday, Feb. 3: As the Norwegian Pearl left
Miami, Mavis Staples filled the coveted sailaway show with her high-energy mix
of soul, gospel and rock. She seemed to be fighting a cold, but powered through
with help from Jeff Tweedy and Lake Street Dive. Staples’ music is full of
spiritualism and optimism, but there’s also a healthy dose of realism about
current conditions and the need to change them. As she sang on Ben Harper’s rocking, anthemic “Change,” from
last year’s We Get By: “Say it loud, say it clear/We gotta change around
here.”
Shortly afterward, the Brian Wilson Band, featuring fellow
original Beach Boy Al Jardine and
later member Blondie Chaplin, put on a stellar performance in the ship’s
largest theater, the Stardust. The ensemble of nearly a dozen players and
vocalists led off with “California Girls” and proceeded through a string of
Beach Boys hits, including “I Get Around,” “Little Deuce Coupe,” “Little Surfer
Girl,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and so on – many of which turned into joyous
singalongs. Wilson, who’s dealt with mental health issues for decades, is
nearly 80 and his voice isn’t what it once was, so others, including Jardine’s
son Matthew, handled many of the vocal duties. Wilson took the lead on a moving
rendition of the lovely “God Only Knows,” and the show closed with his “Love
and Mercy.”
Tuesday, Feb. 4: Shortly before noon, Georgia
singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins, the
only performer to have sailed on every Cayamo, came onstage in a bathrobe and
led off his “Variety Brunch” with Steve
Martin’s “Grandmother’s Song,” starting out sweetly (“Be courteous, kind
and forgiving”) but quickly spiraling into absurdity. A string of guest artists
(most also in bathrobes or pajamas) followed, with support from the “house
band” of guitarist Trey Hensley and dobro
player Rob Ickes. Contributors included wild and crazy folkie Steve Poltz, bluegrass star Dan Tyminski, powerhouse vocalist Amythyst Kiah, Alabama-based
singer-songwriter Grayson Capps, and The
Quebe Sisters, a Texas trio of fiddlers specializing in Bob Wills-style Texas
swing. Crowell joined Mullins and Poltz to tell a funny story about a meeting
with his future father-in-law, Johnny Cash. The show ended with an all-hands
performance of “I Shall Be Released.”
Texas singer-songwriter Hayes Carll focused on his earlier
material in a windblown Tuesday night set on the pool deck, opening with “Hey
Baby Where You Been” from his 2004 sophomore album Little Rock. Other
well-aged material included “Girl Downtown,” “She Left Me for Jesus,” “Bible on
the Dash” (written with Corb Lund) and “Crimson Dragon Tattoo,” by Ray Wylie Hubbard. There were also a couple of
sweet duets with Allison Moorer (the two are married) – “None’ya,” from last
year’s What It Is, and “Love Don’t Let Me Down,” from 2016’s Lovers
and Leavers. Carll closed with a lovely rendition of Townes Van Zandt’s
“Don’t You Take It Too Bad.”
Wednesday, Feb. 5: Australian guitar prodigy Joe
Robinson, a member of Crowell’s band, was a late addition to the schedule – too
late, in fact, to have his name displayed on the huge video board behind the
stage. By the end of his set, no such identification was necessary. Robinson,
not yet 30 but already an accomplished veteran, dazzled the crowd with a
performance that included recording riffs and then layering melodies over the
playback; playing bass lines, rhythm riffs and melody simultaneously, and
playing an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar at the same time. It wasn’t
all flash, as he showed off legitimate jazz chops on a lovely rendition of
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and a take on Duke Ellington’s “Caravan” that
segued into Scott Joplin’s ragtime classic “The Entertainer.” Robinson finished
with a hip-hop story-song about growing up in the Australian outback.
Wednesday night found the Pearl’s Spinnaker Lounge
packed for “Well Rounded Women,” a singer-songwriter round featuring Dar
Williams, Ashley Monroe, Allison Moorer and Eleanor Whitmore (half
of The Mastersons), who accompanied
the other artists on violin in addition to performing her own songs. A couple
of highlights: Moorer’s rendition of “I’m the One to Blame,” with lyrics by her
father and music by her sister, Shelby
Lynne, and Williams’ rendition of “February,” a tale of aging and loss that
Moorer asked Williams to sing and then wept through, along with many in the
audience.
Thursday, Feb. 6: The music started in late afternoon,
after passengers had returned from shore time on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin
Islands. Rodney Crowell filled the Stardust Theater for his acoustic trio show,
which featured London-born fiddler Eamon McLoughlin, a former member of The Greencards, in addition to
guitarist Robinson. The band performed fine versions of several of Crowell’s
songs and a couple of Guy Clark covers,
“Stuff That Works” (which Crowell co-wrote) and “She’s Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,”
before Crowell turned the stage over to Robinson. Another brilliant performance
of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” earned Robinson a standing ovation. “I can only
follow that with this,” Crowell said before launching into his (and Vince
Gill’s) very funny “It’s Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night that Chew Your Ass Out
All Day Long.” He closed with a couple of serious songs from his 2001 album The
Houston Kid, “I Wish It Would Rain” and “Wandering Boy.”
A few hours later, the Stardust was the setting for “Buddy
Miller’s Musical Chairs,” which found the singer-songwriter-guitarist-producer
playing host to a large cast of guests, some on instruments other than those
they’re best known for (including Miller on drums and drummer Brady Blade on
guitar). The show, while fun, had a less organized feel than many Cayamo sets.
“You won’t believe how much work went into this,” Miller quipped. “In fact, you
won’t believe ANY work went into it.” Notable performances included ex-Nickel
Creekers Sean Watkins and Sara Watkins doing Ralph Stanley’s
“Daniel Prayed,” Hayes Carll and Allison Moorer singing “That’s the Way Love
Goes,” guitarist Rick Holmstrom
(Mavis Staples’ bandleader) on a Bo Diddley-esque “Will the Circle Be
Unbroken,” and Jerry Steele, a high school friend of Miller’s, performing
“Honky Tonk Blues.”
Friday, Feb. 7: Friday evening, after the Pearl
left Cayamo’s second port stop, the former British colony of Antigua, singer-songwriter
Amythyst Kiah dazzled a Spinnaker audience with her phenomenal voice and
skillful playing on guitar and banjo. Kiah, a Tennessee native, was one of the
four women who recorded the highly regarded Songs of Our Native Daughters
album last year. Her set list included several covers, such as the traditional
“Darlin Corey,” Precious Bryant’s “Broke and Ain’t Got a Dime,” and Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” Originals included
“Polly Ann’s Hammer,” about the wife of the legendary steel-drivin’ man John
Henry (written with Allison Russell of Birds
of Chicago), “Wild Turkey,” about the difficulty of dealing with loss, and
the powerful, defiant “Black Myself.”
Later on the same stage, Nashville Americana couple Drew and Ellie Holcomb, backed by Drew’s band
The Neighbors, played an energetic set of folk-rock that was focused on
positivity, but not at the expense of meaning. Clues to the content could be
found in the titles: “Family,” a rousing tribute to family life; “But I’ll
Never Forget the Way You Make Me Feel”; “What Would I Do Without You,” played
without the band, and “Love Anyway.” A highlight was a sweet rendition of Sting’s “Fields of Gold,” played to pin-drop
silence.
Saturday, Feb. 8: Allison Moorer and Rodney Crowell
took the almost bare stage of the Stardust Theater for a session called “The Art
of Memoir,” an unmoderated and fascinating conversation about Moorer’s 2019
book Blood and Crowell’s Chinaberry Sidewalks from 2011. The two
took turns praising each other’s work and quizzing each other about their
motivations and their writing processes. They took note of the different ways
their memoirs are organized – Moorer’s starting at the beginning of her story,
Crowell’s at the end – and agreed that their writing was a way of coming to
terms with their respective pasts, each of which was marred by domestic
violence. Late in the session, each performed two songs, sharing the guitar
that stood between their chairs. Crowell sang “The Rock of My Soul,” a somewhat
fictionalized account of his relationship with his abusive father, and “I Know
Love Is All I Need,” while Moorer performed “Night Light,” a tribute to her
older sister, Shelby Lynne, who helped her deal with their parents’ troubled
marriage and violent deaths, and “Heal,” the closing track of the Blood
album, which she wrote with Mary
Gauthier. When the session ended, the two embraced as the audience rose in
a well-deserved standing ovation.
Another marquee event, “Sunset at Laurel Canyon,” took place
Saturday evening on the pool deck stage, as a wide cross section of artists
performed some of the enduring songs of the singer-songwriter era. Jim
Lauderdale, accompanied by rising country singer Logan Ledger, did a nice version of
“California Dreaming” by the Mamas and the Papas, followed by Amythyst Kiah
with a fine rendition of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold.” Madison Cunningham took a solo turn on
Joni Mitchell’s “California,” while
Della Mae performed Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” and Steve Poltz gave a
heartfelt and faithful rendition of James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain.” Emily Scott Robinson and Soren Staff
of Them Coulee Boys gave a beautiful rendition
of Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” and the Brian Wilson Band, minus its namesake,
reprised “God Only Knows,” with Probyn Gregory on lead vocal. Lake Street Dive,
led by the lovely voice of Rachael Price and joined by many other artists,
closed the show with the Eagles’ “Take It to the Limit.”
Sunday, Feb. 9: Sunday morning’s gospel show, on the
pool deck under a hot sun, featured a surprise performance by Mavis Staples,
who was believed by some to have left the cruise earlier in the week. Staples,
in a Tom Petty/Bob Dylan T-shirt, was joined by vocalist Saundra Williams, a
member of her band, on “Woke Up This Morning (With My Mind on Jesus).” Other
highlights included hosts Drew and Ellie Holcomb with “The Old Rugged Cross”
and “Amazing Grace,” Dan Tyminski with his original “Money Can’t Buy,” and
Emily Scott Robinson, backed by Hulda Quebe of The Quebe Sisters and members of
the Quebes’ band, with “Wayfaring Stranger.” The all-hands finale was Hank
Williams’ “I Saw the Light.”
The Spinnaker Lounge was the setting for the 2020 edition of
the Cayamo Community Showcase, featuring seven all-passenger bands performing
songs by Cayamo artists. Most of the bands consisted of three or four members,
with professionals providing rhythm section assistance. All gave fine
performances for an appreciative audience, which at times included the artists
they were covering. Selections included “Drunken Poet’s Dream,” by Hayes Carll
and Ray Wylie Hubbard, Buddy Miller’s “Does My Ring Burn Your Finger,” Shawn
Mullins’ “Shimmer,” and Rodney Crowell’s “ ‘Til I Gain Control Again.”
Sunday night saw a Cayamo first – the wedding of an artist
during the festival. Steve Poltz and his fiancée, Sharon Daddi, were married by
Dave Scruggs, an employee of Cayamo producer Sixthman,
near the top of the Atrium staircase (the event was originally scheduled for
the spacious pool deck but was moved to the smaller Atrium because of weather
concerns). Several Cayamo artists performed before and after the vows, the
large crowd (which included Poltz’s father and his sister) shared cake and
sparkling beverages, and Poltz later returned to the stage to perform briefly.
The festival’s final show (not counting late-night passenger
jams) was the Tas-Jam, an all-star event that was to have been hosted by
singer-songwriter and Cayamo favorite Aaron
Lee Tasjan. Tasjan unfortunately had fallen victim to illness, but the
event went on, capably hosted by The Mastersons (the other half is Eleanor
Whitmore’s husband, Chris Masterson). The high-energy Atrium set included a
vigorous take on Cheap Trick’s
“Surrender” and a fine rendition of Tom
Petty’s “The Waiting” to close the evening.
The Americana Music Association reports that Hayes’ Carll’s “What It Is” was the most played album on Americana radio stations in 2019, just ahead of the most recent releases by Josh Ritter and the Lumineers.
The Top 10:
Hayes Carll – What It Is
Josh Ritter – Fever Breaks
The Lumineers – III
Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real – Turn Off the News (Build A Garden)
The Lumineers’ “Gloria” was the most-played Americana music song of the year, according to a tally released this morning by the Americana Music Association.
The Top 10:
Lumineers – “Gloria”
Josh Ritter – “Old Black Magic”
Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real – “Bad Case”
Brittany Howard – “Stay High”
The Avett Brothers – “High Steppin'”
Tedeschi Trucks Band – “Hard Case”
Mavis Staples – “Change”
Ryan Bingham “Jingle and Go”
Tyler Childers – “All Your’n”
Hayes Carll – “None’ya”
Here’s the full list of the Top 100 singles from the Americana Music Association.
It can be tricky to capture the magic of a particular era,
or a particular music scene, or a particular venue, but Bruce Bryant was up to the
task. Bryant directed and co-produced For the Sake of the Song – The Story
of Anderson Fair, a 2010 documentary about Houston’s legendary Anderson
Fair Retail Restaurant, better known simply as Anderson Fair. The small club was
instrumental in nurturing the careers of such notables as Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Lucinda Williams and Nanci Griffith, whose album One
Fair Summer Evening was recorded there in 1988.
The 88-minute film got the big-screen treatment on November
14 at Rice University’s Media Center, about four miles from Anderson Fair,
which opened in 1969 in Houston’s eclectic Montrose neighborhood. The club,
which began as a restaurant and evolved into a singer-songwriter-focused
listening room, remains a mecca for aspiring and established musicians to this
day. The free event, sponsored by Rice’s Fondren Library and the Houston Folk
Music Archive, was preceded by a reception and followed by a brief
performance by singer-songwriter Vince Bell,
prominently featured in the film, and a Q&A session with producer-director
Bryant.
The enthusiastic audience, most of which appeared old enough
to have hung out at the Fair in its early days, braved what was for Houston a
chilly and damp Thursday night. Attendees included such notables as James
Gilmer, longtime percussionist with Lyle Lovett’s bands and another of the many
musicians interviewed in the film; Houston musician and producer Rock Romano, also
known as Dr. Rockit; Norie Guthrie, director of the Houston Folk Music Archive;
Bill Moore, the film’s editor, and a sizable group of current and former
Anderson Fair volunteers.
For the Sake of the Song tells the story of Anderson
Fair – named for its two original owners, Marvin Anderson and Gray Fair – with
a mix of archival photos and film footage, more recent performance clips,
numerous on-camera interviews with musicians, and some original music by Gurf Morlix. Some of those featured in
the film – Lovett, Williams, Griffith, Keen and others – are still alive and
performing. Others, including Guy Clark, Richard Dobson, Steve Fromholz and Houston
folkie Don Sanders, have died since the film was released, adding poignance to
their words and images.
The film is more than the story of one music venue, though.
At one point, Anderson Fair is compared with the City Lights bookstore in San
Francisco, where the Beat poets of the ‘50s hung out, as the epicenter of a community
of like-minded people, a sanctuary for the hippies and free thinkers who didn’t
feel quite at home in mostly conservative southeast Texas. Things change, of
course, and today there’s little left of the funky, bohemian Montrose that gave
birth to the club. But Anderson Fair persists, true to its roots and its values
(the latter personified by longtime proprietor Tim Leatherwood), and the film’s
inclusion of younger artists such as Matt
Harlan and Greg Klyma illustrates the
continuity of those values.
By Ken Paulson – It wasn’t until about the fourth track on Dee White’s new album Southern Gentleman that I realized that something special was going on.
“Crazy Man” is a highly melodic song about redemption and a revived relationship, and is representative of the sound that works so well on this new release. Produced by Dan Auerbach and David Ferguson, the collection melds Countrypolitan with pop sensibilities circa 1968-72.
“Bucket of Bolts” is a good song about a bad car and great memories, while “Oh No” explores the opposite territory: the sheer despair of knowing that the person you love coming back. Yet even that has its earworms.
Sitting in are Ashley McBryde on “Road That Goes Both Ways” and Molly Tuttle on “Weary Blues From Waitin’.”
This could easily have been my favorite country album in 1970, but it sure sounds fresh in 2019.
The Mavericks Play the Hits is to be taken literally. The band plays the hits. Other artists’ hits.
In this edition of the Americana One Podcast, Raul Malo tells us why the Mavericks decided to cover songs like Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart,” Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and Freddy Fender’s “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” – all with new arrangements and in delightfully tacky packaging.
By Paul T. Mueller – Austin-based singer-songwriter Chuck Hawthorne’s sophomore effort is an eclectic collection of nine originals and a cover, exploring themes as diverse as Native American lore, the struggles of growing up in the shadow of a famous father, the loss of comrades, and the hardships of life on the road. Hawthorne’s writing is personal but accessible, combining literalism and metaphor to explore a range of human experience.
The
opening track, “Such Is Life (C’est la Vie),” is a tribute to a fallen buddy
that draws on the language of music and motorcycles. Dealing with a friend’s
death isn’t easy, but Hawthorne finds positivity and acceptance at the end: “His
holy wind, I gave him back/Now he’s riding on the zodiac/And such, my friends,
is life.” Another farewell song, “Worthy of the Sea,” reflects Hawthorne’s
military background – a couple of decades in the U.S. Marine Corps. “May your
gift be sailing through the end,” he sings. “Calm seas and fair winds keep her
steady as she goes.”
“Arrowhead
and Porcupine Claw” is a coming-of-age tale featuring a young Native American
acquaintance trying to find his place in the world, and the narrator’s efforts
to help him along. Fittingly, one of Hawthorne’s own mentors, singer-songwriter
Ray Bonneville, contributes of harmonica to the track.
“Broken
Good” is about as happy as this collection gets. It’s a lively shuffle and a
celebration of imperfection, describing a couple who make music together and
don’t care that it “don’t get much farther than the neighborhood.” Hawthorne
closes with a fine rendition of Richard Dobson’s “I Will Fight No More
Forever,” based on the story of Chief Joseph, leader of the Nez Perce tribe of
the Inland Northwest.
Producers
Walt Wilkins and Ron Flynt do a fine job of letting Hawthorne’s songs speak for
themselves. Contrast is used to good effect – Hawthorne shifts easily between
full volume and a voice barely more than a whisper, between fast shuffle beats
and slower tempos. The small but capable cast of musicians yields a sound
that’s clean and textured, but not cluttered. Both producers also play, mostly
guitars; other notables include Libby Koch
on vocals, Ray Rodriguez on percussion, and Geoff Queen on pedal steel and
dobro.
By Ken Paulson – Nashville’s a town full of awards shows where artists are honored and their songs are showcased. But the annual Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony is no awards show. It’s history.
Tonight, Brooks and Dunn, Ray Stevens and Jerry Bradley were inducted into the Hall of Fame in an evening filled with solemnity and joy, touching tributes and surprising guest performances from Country and Americana artists.
Brooks and Dunn went from an arranged marriage – Arista executive Tim DuBois teamed them up on a hunch – to becoming the most successful duo in country music history, recording 41 Top 10 hits.
Success came quickly, Brooks said.
“It was just weird” that the two could be teamed up and write their first two number one hits in their first week together, Brooks said.
Luke Bryan, talked about personal gestures from each of the men, and then unleashed an inspired “Red Dirt Road.” The Brothers Osborne performed “Brand New Man” and then Trisha Yearwood performed a stirring rendition of “Believe.”
Ray Stevens didn’t have extraordinary chart success in country – just three top 10 singles in the genre – but he has been at the heart of Music City for decades as a recording artist, songwriter, session player on classic records, producer, arranger, label head and entrepreneur.
Covering Ray Stevens’ comedy hits is daunting. but Keith Bilbrey and James Gregory made a valiant effort on “The Streak,” while Rickey Skaggs nailed Stevens’ 1975 bluegrass arrangement of “Misty.”
The best piece of trivia of the evening came after County Music Hall of Fame staff discovered that three of the McCrary sisters had been among the children singing on Stevens’ biggest hit “Everything is Beautiful.” A considerably taller group of McCrarys reprised their role with a stirring gospel rendition in Stevens’ honor.
Jerry Bradley had a bit of a head start in the music business. His father was legendary producer Owen Bradley and his uncle was the respected musician Harold Bradley, both of whom are already in the Hall.
With Jerry’s induction, it’s time for a wing. In his years running RCA Records, Bradley signed and launched the Hall of Fame careers of Alabama and Ronnie Milsap, and oversaw very successful recordings by Dolly Parton and Charlie Pride.
Bradley also found a way to repackage and market songs by Waylon Jennings, Jesi Colter, Willie Nelson and Tompall Glaser as “Outlaw Music,” paving the way for a movement.
He was honored by Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt with their take on “Good Hearted Woman,” Old Crow Medicine Show (with Molly Tuttle and Jerry Pendergrast) performing “Dixieland Delight” and a show-stopping Yola covering Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”
“First Couple of Americana Music” may be a fictitious title,
but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some real contenders out there. Two such
duos, Buddy and Julie Miller and Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison, stake convincing claims
on recently released albums – Breakdown on 20th Ave. South
and Beautiful Lie, respectively.
Of the two, the Millers’ Breakdown – their first
joint effort in 10 years – is the more personal. All 11 songs were written by
Julie Miller (her nephew Alasdair MacKenzie gets a co-writer credit on one).
The lyrics reflect Miller’s poetic leanings as she explores love in its various
forms. Some are cryptic – “Feast of the
Dead” begins with “Send the drummers down every street/The hurdy gurdy drones
loud and sweet.” Others are brutally direct and confessional. “I run my fingers
up and down the edge/Of my time out on the ledge,” Julie sings on the title
track. After “Thoughts at 2 AM,” a heartfelt declaration of religious faith,
the album closes with “Storm of Kisses,” a tribute to Julie Miller’s brother;
the title is one MacKenzie came up with, at age 4, for a song he had yet to
write.
The words on Breakdown may be Julie’s, but Buddy
Miller helps bring them to life with fine vocals and guitar work throughout;
songs such as “Till the Stardust Comes Apart” and “Spittin’ on Fire” come
closer to the country sound he’s known for. The Millers did most of the playing
themselves; other contributors include drummers Marco Giovino, Brady Blade and
Steve Hindalong and bassist Rick Plant.
Robison and Willis are both fine writers, but, as with their
previous collaborations, much of Beautiful Lie consists of songs written
by others. But the two always manage to put their own stamp on whatever they
record; they’re aided this time by Robison’s skillful production. The focus here
is romance (“If I Had a Rose”), and, more often, the end of romance (“Nobody’s
Perfect,” “One Dime at a Time,” “Lost My Best” and the title track, among
others). All are performed with a distinctive sound that walks the line between
traditional country and Americana.
A couple of outliers deal with other subjects. “Astrodome,”
by Robison and Jack Ingram, finds the narrator sitting in a derelict landmark,
wondering where the years went. “Can’t Tell Nobody Nothin’ ” is a funny
take on the futility of good advice, written by Adam Wright and Shannon Wright.
The album’s excellent supporting cast includes guitarist Scott Davis, bassist
John Michael Schoepf, drummer Joshua Blue, keyboardist Trevor Nealon, and the
indispensable Geoff Queen on electric guitar and pedal steel.
If this was really goodbye for Alejandro Escovedo, it was a nice way to go.
The singer-songwriter seemed to be in the mood for introspection and retrospection as he took the stage at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in Houston on Friday, July 19. He referred to his having recorded 15 albums (Wikipedia counts 16) and said he’s reaching the end of his touring days, calling his current run his “last tour.”
He spent the next hour and 40 minutes playing songs drawn from much of his long career, beginning with several from his most recent album, The Crossing, and continuing with selections from earlier days. The show had been billed as a solo gig, but Escovedo was joined by Jackson Butt, a percussionist and former Escovedo tour manager who on this night provided sparse but effective accompaniment, mostly on an Arabic tambourine known as a riq.
Escovedo punctuated the 16-song set with stories from his
colorful career, which began more than four decades ago with punk and hard rock
outfits including the Nuns, Rank and File and the True Believers. He referred
to his near-fatal bout with liver disease in the early 2000s, offering thanks
to the many who supported him in his recovery and providing an intense
rendition of “Arizona,” an account of the aftermath of that episode. Next came
the story of how he moved to Austin in 1980 and was befriended by an older
neighbor who’d been a touring musician and had many stories of his own. He
followed with a tribute to that friend, the moving “Five Hearts Breaking.” He
also found time to mention the rich musical tradition of his family, including
his brothers Pete and Coke Escovedo and niece Sheila E, among many others.
Escovedo and Butt left the stage mid-set and moved into the
audience for two songs, “Rosalie,” a sweet love story about a young couple
separated by the U.S.-Mexico border, and “I Wish I Was Your Mother,” a quietly powerful
song by ‘70s English rockers Mott the Hoople, in honor of Escovedo’s longtime
musical hero, Mott frontman Ian Hunter.
Other highlights included a lively version of crowd favorite
“Castanets” and hard-edged takes on “Fire and Fury,” a response to the policies
of the current administration, and “Sally Was a Cop,” an indictment of
militaristic violence. The show ended on a gentler note with “Always a Friend”
from the breakthrough 2008 album Real Animal.
It’s probably fair to call Alejandro Escovedo one of the
best-loved performers in American roots music. He’ll be missed when he does
leave the road for good. After the show, at least one audience member asked him
to come back, and Escovedo said he would. We can hope.
We recently enjoyed a not-so-strange chat with the engaging Mandy Barnett about her new album Strange Conversation. The setting was WMOT’s 895 Fest on the fields of the Hop Spring Beer Park, a distinctly different venue than her upcoming “Nashville Songbook” concert at Feinstein’s/54 Below on Broadway on August 13.
But that’s no surprise. Mandy Barnett’s career has always been about versatility, balancing the classics and the contemporary, as you’ll hear in this week’s podcast: