Singer-songwriter and Texas native Hayes Carll launched his Grateful for Christmas Tour with a couple of sold-out shows at Houston’s Heights Theater. The second, on Dec. 2, was a great time for all concerned. Carll, in fine voice and fine humor, performed only a couple of actual holiday songs (his own “Grateful for Christmas” and Buck Owens’ “Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy.” But he threw in nice covers of John Prine’s “Christmas in Prison” and Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December,” as well as some others that he described as sort of holiday songs in that they at least mentioned drinking. Scattered throughout were funny and sometimes touching anecdotes from his years growing up in the Houston area (his parents were in attendance) – and frequent declarations of his gratitude for his audience.
Emily Gimble, Melissa Carper, Hayes Carll, Allison Moorer, Rebecca Patek Photo by Paul T. Mueller
Singer-songwriter and acoustic bassist Melissa Carper opened the show, accompanied by pianist Emily Gimble and fiddler Rebecca Patek. Highlights included a nice rendition of “Christmastime Is Here,” familiar from the holiday classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
Carll opened his set solo with “Beaumont” (which is set in December) and then brought out the band (including guitarist Scott Davis, bassist Jared Reynolds and drummer Mike Meadows, plus Patek and Gimble) for the lovely “Love Is So Easy.” He followed with longtime favorite (and Ray Wylie Hubbard co-write) “Drunken Poet’s Dream.” Others old and new ensued, before Hayes turned over the stage to his wife, singer-songwriter Allison Moorer, and Gimble, for a theatrical and comically steamy duet on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Gimble followed with “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem,” accompanied by Carper and Patek.
Returning to the stage for more familiar tunes (“Jesus and Elvis,” “KMAG YOYO,” “Nice Things” and a few not so familiar, Carll closed the 22-song show with a fine rendition of the sad but sweet “Family Reserve,” a meditation on life and death by fellow Texan Lyle Lovett.
Singer-songwriters are plentiful these days. Have a guitar, smartphone and social media account? Suddenly you’re giving concerts.
There was a time, though, when anyone stepping on stage at a coffeehouse had to truly engage an audience with songs, stories and a sense of humor. If you wanted to work, you had to entertain.
Ellis Paul is old school in all the best ways. His Oct. 21 performance for the Americana Community Music Association had him demonstrating how an acoustic guitar can sub for drums and bass, explaining why he’ll be buried with that guitar and hopping off stage and into the audience for a touching encore of “Over the Rainbow.”
Ellis Paul at Americana Community Music Association in Fort Myers
Paul is on his 30th anniversary tour and he reflected on the evolution of his songs. Early on, young songwriters tend to focus on romance and relationships, but over time, you need to expand your perspective, Paul explained.
That explained his raucous “Kick Out the Lights,” an account of the Man in Black losing his temper on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, with its refrain “Johnny Cash, Johnny Cash.”
Paul’s reflection on dysfunctional families led to a memory of his own family’s worst day, a reunion documented in “Five Alarm Fire on the 4th of July.”
Paul, whose most recent album 55 was inspired by his birthday of that number, also offered up “You’ll Never Be This Young Again,” a buoyant song about never giving up on your dreams.
And so the evening went: wildly diverse songs, entertaining stories, the occasional singalong and an absolute rapport with the audience. Talent and experience make all the difference.
Opening up the show was Gene Martin, an 84-year-old retired radiologist, living the lyrics to Paul’s song about dream-chasing. Miller’s brief set was warm and fun and featured the evening’s most memorable song “Prep Day.”
Gene Martin
“That was the best song about a colonoscopy I’ve ever heard,” Paul proclaimed, beaming at his opening act sitting in the front row.
Gretchen Peters, wrapping up a long touring career, gave her fans in Houston a fine show to remember her by. The prolific singer-songwriter and her husband and musical partner, Barry Walsh, performed for a nearly full house at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on June 22, the final show in the church’s Coffee House Live spring concert series.
Peters fittingly opened with “The Show,” a ballad about the life of a touring musician. The next few songs included some dark stories of violence and death, including “Wichita” and “Blackbirds” (she introduced the latter by noting, “There’s always a high body count at my shows”). The murder tales eventually gave way to gentler fare, including a lovely rendition of Tom Russell’s “Guadalupe” and “When You Love Someone,” one of the dozens of songs Peters has written with Canadian singer Bryan Adams.
Gretchen Peters and Barry Walsh (photo by Paul T, Mueller)
Walsh alternated between piano and accordion and provided vocals on most of Peters’ songs. He got a turn in the spotlight mid-show, performing the instrumental “Belgian Afternoon” from his album Silencio. Peters returned for a lovely rendition of “Say Grace,” a call for compassion and forgiveness from her 2018 album Dancing With the Beast. Other highlights included a fine performance of “Independence Day,” with Peters accompanying herself on piano, and a sweet version of “On a Bus to St. Cloud,” with a callout to the late Jimmy LaFave, who memorably covered the song.
Peters closed with another song appropriate to the occasion, “To Say Goodbye” (she has announced her retirement from touring, although she does plan to play some festivals and other gigs). After a standing ovation she sat on the edge of the stage and crooned an excellent rendition of the Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer classic “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road),” accompanied by Walsh’s excellent piano. After the show she and Walsh stayed to sign autographs and share memories with their many fans and well-wishers.
The Mastersons – guitarist/singer Chris Masterson and multi-instrumentalist/singer Eleanor Whitmore – finished up their current tour March 12 with a matinee show at the Old Quarter Acoustic Café in Galveston, Texas.
Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore (Photo by Paul T. Mueller)
The duo, longtime – and now former – members of Steve Earle’s band, The Dukes, got rhythmic support from Eleanor’s sister Bonnie on bass and drummer Falcon Valdez, playing 12 songs, including several from their most recent album, 2020’s No Time for Love Songs. The Mastersons’ sound might be described as folk with a rock ‘n’ roll heart – thoughtful lyrics and two- and three-part harmonies backed by Chris Masterson’s skillful guitar and Eleanor Whitmore’s excellent violin, guitar and synthesizer. Highlights included “Eyes Wide Open,” an anthem to taking life as it comes, and an encore cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “No Place to Fall,” in honor of Van Zandt’s March 7 birthday. Bonnie Whitmore, also an accomplished singer-songwriter, performed a couple of her own songs mid-set – “Fine” from her 2020 album Last Will and Testament and “Cardiac Disaster” from an upcoming EP. Opening the show was a set by the Whitmore Sisters – same players, different name – featuring six songs from their 2022 album Ghost Stories.
A tribute to the late Rusty Young of Poco has paid a welcome dividend: the birth of a new band.
Five artists, all with significant ties to Young and Poco, teamed up late last year for My Friend: A Tribute to Rusty Young on Blue Elan Records. The quintet, dubbed Cimarron 615 for the recording, contributed five songs to the collection and apparently had enough fun to continue as an ongoing band.
Tonight Cimarron 615 took the stage at the 5 Spot in Nashville for what was described as their “first real live gig.”
Cimarron 615 at the 5 Spot in Nashville
These are true veterans of country rock and that showed throughout their lively set.
The line-up:
Jack Sundrud, who first joined Poco in the ’80s and was also a member of Great Plains.
Tom Hampton, who joined Poco shortly before Young’s passing, and a member of Idlewheel along with Sundrud.
Bill Lloyd of Foster and Llloyd, who formed the Sky Kings with Young, and who has sat in with Poco many times while maintaining his own solo career.
Michael Webb, a member of Poco since 2010, and a touring musician in both John Fogerty and Hank Williams Jr.’s shows.
Rick Lonow, a member of Poco since 2016, also wrote the group’s hit “Call It Love.
There’s a lot of Poco DNA in that band and harmonies abound. The songwriting appears to be evenly divided among all 5 members, but it all holds together, unified by a very familiar sound.
The set was just 10 songs long, cut short either because of Webb’s looming laryngitis or because that’s all this new band has mastered. Either way, the show was an eye-opening introduction to Cimarron 615, a group that taps into decades of collective experience to create a compelling sound today.
Singer-songwriter James McMurtry released his first CD in 1989, so it’s pretty much inevitable that his shows these days resemble career retrospectives. At an August 26 solo acoustic show at Houston’s McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, McMurtry led off with “Melinda,” from his 1995 album Where’d You Hide the Body.
James McMurtry (photo by Paul T. Mueller)
Next came the title track of 2002’s Saint Mary of the Woods; more songs from other stages of his career followed, accompanied by masterful work on six- and twelve-string guitars. They included “a medley of my hit,” the raucous “Choctaw Bingo,” and “Levelland,” which McMurtry described as “one of the Robert Earl Keen songs that I wrote.” Four songs from last year’s excellent The Horses and the Hounds made the cut; the later-in-life romance tale “Canola Fields” might have held particular significance for audience members, many of whom were old enough to have been fans from the beginning. McMurtry closed on a upbeat note with “If It Don’t Bleed,” a wryly humorous look at aging that tempered ruefulness (“there’s more in the mirror than there is up ahead”) with acceptance (“it don’t matter all that much if it don’t bleed”).
Mention the late Levon Helm to a fan of Americana music and you’re likely to get a very strong response.
The quick comeback could focus on The Band, for which Levon played drums and mandolin, and sang. And there are, of course, those iconic Band songs that Levon sang, “Up On Cripple Creek,” “Ophelia” and “The Weight” among them.
Levon and The Band performed and recorded with Bob Dylan. Levon played on Ringo Starr’s First All Starr Band tour in 1989. And after recovering from cancer of the vocal cords and nearly losing his home-recording studio to the bank, Levon during the early 2000s staged a colossal comeback.
Design by Mike DuBois, photo by Dino Perrucci
And after recovering from cancer of the vocal cords and nearly losing his home-recording studio to the bank, Levon during the early 2000s staged a colossal comeback.
His winning formula revolved around house concerts he held at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, New York, that he called the “Midnight Ramble.” What started out as rent parties and a last hurrah ended up saving Levon’s home and setting him on a path to triumph. The Midnight Rambles were presented to a bankruptcy judge as a source of revenue, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Rambles drew sold-out crowds and attracted the likes of Emmylou Harris and Ricky Skaggs. These intimate performances set the stage for three Grammy-winning solo albums, and as they reconnected Levon to his loyal fans, the Rambles introduced him to new ones.
But for all that he accomplished in the music industry, the Levon Helm that I got to know, while collaborating on a book with him, has more to do with things that may seem a bit more, well, routine.
When I think of Levon Helm, I recall the guy who grew up in Turkey Scratch, Arkansas, and never lost his passion for farming, tractors and harvest time. Let’s not forget that the Midnight Rambles were based on the traveling medicine shows Levon saw as a kid, growing up in Phillips County, Arkansas. And his 2007 comeback album was called Dirt Farmer.
The Levon Helm I knew loved to watch college football. He indulged his passion for sushi and Popeye’s chicken. And he liked a lot of ice in his beverages of choice—Coca Cola and Boylan’s grape soda—which he drank in a red plastic Solo cup, slipped inside another red Solo plastic cup.
In the wake of Levon’s death in 2012, I continued to work on the book we were collaborating on. Levon Helm: Rock, Roll & Ramble—The Inside Story of the Man, the Music and the Midnight Ramble was recently published and I think that Levon would have been as proud of the final product as I am.
One reason for this is that Rock, Roll & Ramble—with a foreword written by Ringo Starr—covers the ups and the downs of Levon’s life, rather than just his successes.
I traveled often with Levon during his Midnight Ramble era, and during those trips to concerts in the Northeast, and a journey on his tour bus to Bonnaroo in 2008, I recorded our conversations and used them to write the book.
In February 2009, I was traveling with Levon from Manhattan back to Woodstock, after the Levon Helm Band had performed on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.”
This was during the early stages of the book and I asked Levon if he was comfortable talking about his cancer, his bankruptcy and nearly losing Levon Helm Studios to foreclosure. I am paraphrasing here, but he replied by explaining that a stool needs three legs to work properly, and if you only have two legs, it’s going to fall over. In other words, Levon was saying, we needed all three legs of the stool—we needed to tell the entire story, his entire story.
And so I am very proud to present these excerpts from that story, from Levon Helm: Rock, Roll & Ramble—The Inside Story of the Man, the Music and the Midnight Ramble:
“We were just about at the end of our rope financially,” Levon said. “So the Midnight Ramble was going to be one big rent party or go out with a bang. We were going to have one more tear ‘em down night or two, and all of a sudden, the thing started getting legs of its own and people started wanting to come and pay to get in.
“That was just about the time when the shit was ready to hit the fan. All of a sudden, you’re sick and you can’t work and you haven’t been able to work and the bills don’t stop and they’re still coming in. You’ve got your hands full trying to get well, and then to have the other stuff heaped on top is certainly an unfair way to go. Those radiation treatments, after a while, they can get ahold of you. It’s a little bit raw. The bankruptcy part—that was just getting ready to cloud over and really rain—that don’t scare you after all that radiation.”
On growing up in Arkansas:
“I’ve been to all day sing-alongs with dinner on the ground,” Levonsaid. “They’d lay out those cotton sheets—a big row of them. And putout a couple of tubs of iced tea at the end of one of them; another tub full of Kool-Aid. And all up and down those cotton sheets would be platters of cold fried chicken and coleslaw and potato salad. My mom would always make chicken salad. I would stand right in front of her chicken salad while the blessing was getting said and I’d attack that first.
“I’d go up and down the row of sheets, looking for stuff like angel food cake, things I’d never seen before. That angel food cake was something else. That was the wildest damn thing I’d ever chewed on. Anything you could chew on that was cold, they’d have a bunch of it. It was all gospel groups. In the morning part would be the local church and their choir people. Then everybody’d eat dinner, then other churches would bringin their choir. I could eat, fight and raise hell and listen to music all at the same time”
On The Band, Band manager Albert Grossman and Bob Dylan:
“There weren’t any real albums after the first two, first three. Everything else was ‘Best of,’ ‘Live at You-Know-Where.’ The Band was just a miserable fucking deal. The Band wasn’t never no fun, shit. TheBand always, you know, Albert always wanted to lock everyone in the room, have that stand-offish bullshit, like with Bob. ‘You can’t see Bob.’ Fuck all that, you know? I don’t want to be like that. Shit. There is a lot of arrogance to that bullshit. In fact, that’s why I never could stomach that shit. That ain’t me. No. Uh-uh.”
On the Midnight Ramble:
“The easiest thing I’ve ever done. The whole place turns into a temple for me. There is nothing else and time and everything else is kind of suspended. All I’m conscious of is the pitch, if the pitch is correct. There are no echoes or fancy sound devices. And about 50 percent of what you hear, even on a full electrical tune, is acoustic.
“And walking out of your living room and playing a show—it’s the best. It’s the best. Especially the way the room responds. All I have to do is go shave, take a shower and head out there. We usually stop when it feels like it’s time to stop. When the show’s over, I just walk next door and take my boots off. I believe this might be my payback for all the traveling and stuff. Musicians, their years are like dog years. All that traveling around and now, all of a sudden—I don’t know how we got it to happen. They’re coming here and we don’t even have to crank a car. We leave everything set. And we’ve got all my best equipment; we can sound better here than we can anywhere.
“Each band plays at least an hour, and we probably play at least twohours. By the time we quit, which is between 11:30 and midnight, they’ve had four-to-five hours of music and that’s just about enough in one day. You really can lose the outside world and all those aggravations. At the end of each tune, you can kind of feel that embracement, where you start to realize—music being medicine, you know?
“There is no pressure around here. When you play, you can start prettymuch and finish when you want to and play what you want to. We try toleave it that way, let it be what it wants to be.”
And here are some of my thoughts from the book, as the author, regarding Levon Helm:
When Levon sang, you could feel your own heart aching in his voice. The conviction with which he sang gave you courage. His signature vocal tone was part growl, part roar, part plea for help and it served as a lightning rod for all of our troubles, not just for a few hours at a gig, but across generations.
When Levon sang—with one turn of a phrase, one note, one lyric—he somehow managed to capture the despair we all feel, the hope that keeps us going and the resolution for which we never stop longing. He tapped into that terrifying sensation of solitude that every one of us has experienced, at those times in our lives when you feel like you haven’t got a friend in the world. But Levon also made you feel like he was right there with you, clinging desperately to any solid ground that remained, as his world fell apart in a manner that wasn’t much different than the way in which your world might be falling apart.
Levon Helm had resolve. He did not give up. And he maintained that
sparkle in his eye and that laugh in his gut through all the calamity. Levon Helm represented much of what we value in those we admire, and a lot of what we wished to be true of ourselves.
All of this resonated so strongly with his audience because just like youand me, Levon was forced to manage the madness of life and make sense of insanity. There was a bond of familiarity he shared with millions of people he never met.
To quote Levon about Levon, “There was a guy who never met a stranger.” Here’s a Coke, have yourself a chair, I’m glad to know ya.
John W. Barry first met Levon Helm while working as music writer for the USA Today Network/Poughkeepsie Journal in New York’s Hudson Valley.
You can learn more about Levon Helm: Rock, Roll & Ramble by visiting rockrollramble.com and https://amzn.to/3Q7FHOI.
By Paul T. Mueller – Texas singer-songwriter BettySoo’s July 7 show at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in Houston celebrated the release of Insomnia Waking Dream, a CD-only collection of 15 demos recorded over more than a decade and assembled with the help of fellow singer-songwriter Curtis McMurtry. BettySoo was the sole performer on the album, but for this show and others on her current tour, she was accompanied by guitarist Jon Sanchez and bassist Gary Calhoun James, both of whom provided excellent support. BettySoo performed the entire album, including three songs solo, showcasing her beautiful vocals and skillful guitar playing.
The show was livestreamed, but in-person audiences at the Duck are usually rewarded with a little extra after the end of the main set. On this night, it was a lovely rendition of Guy Clark’s “Dublin Blues.”
(The Americana One Postcard series features quick takes on Americana music performances in concerts and on recordings.)
Robert Earl Keen, who earlier this year announced his intention to retire from touring after more than four decades, probably could have phoned in his farewell tour. His legions of fans likely would have eaten it up in any event. Instead, the beloved Texas singer-songwriter seems to be taking his last go-round very seriously, while having a lot of fun to boot.
Keen brought his “I’m Comin’ Home” tour to the Martin Center for the Arts at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee, on June 5. His set, which lasted a little more than an hour and a half, featured several of his biggest hits, along with seldom-heard deep cuts and a few well-chosen covers. The audience responded enthusiastically, often singing along on choruses, but listening respectfully during the quieter passages.
Robert Earl Keen in concert (Paul T. Mueller)
Playing before a large backdrop captioned “I’m Comin’ Home” and “41 Years on the Road,” Keen opened with several older songs, including “Mr. Wolf and Mamabear,” from his 2014 album What I Really Mean. He noted that a fan had once sent him a 12-page essay detailing how the song’s somewhat fanciful lyrics were in fact an explanation of World War II. A few songs later he sang “Charlie Duke Took Country Music to the Moon,” a true story that he described as “a fake song” from Burn Band, a little-noticed album he and fellow Texan Randy Rogers recorded under the fictitious name The Stryker Brothers. The song describes how astronaut Duke, one of the last people to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 16 crew, had taken a mixtape of classic country songs with him on his lunar journey.
Remembering John Prine, Nanci Griffith
Keen introduced his raucous fishing tale “The Five Pound Bass” by noting that guitarist/fiddler Brian Beken had spent some happy time fishing earlier that day. Next came a funny anecdote from his days opening for John Prine, and a sensitive cover of Prine’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness.” That in turn was followed by stories of touring with revered singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith, who he said treated him with respect and kindness early in his career. After setting the scene with a lovely description of a wee-hours hotel room performance of Ralph McTell’s “From Clare to Here” by Griffith and two other singers – a moment he called the single most beautiful musical of experience of his life – he shared his own rendition of the song.
Keen eventually moved into more familiar musical ground with “Feelin’ Good Again,” segueing quickly into fan favorite “Gringo Honeymoon.” Next up were a couple of his older and funnier songs, “Copenhagen” (“Copenhagen, what a wad of flavor”) and “It’s the Little Things,” an ode to marriage featuring that rarest of moments, an acoustic guitar solo by Keen (it was more than competent). The main set finished with “Corpus Christi Bay,” a tale of two brothers whose relationship is fueled by sometimes irresponsible behavior, and the rousing “The Road Goes on Forever.” After a brief break, Keen returned solo for the wildly popular “Merry Christmas from the Family.” A pretty good Aggie joke (Keen attended Texas A&M University, where such humor is a staple) led into “The Front Porch Song,” which Keen wrote with fellow Aggie Lyle Lovett about their college days. Keen closed with “I’m Comin’ Home,” rejoined partway through by his band, which along with Beken featured his longtime rhythm section, bassist Bill Whitbeck and drummer Tom Van Schaik. It made for a fine end to a joyous and very enjoyable evening.
The chorus of one of Keen’s best-known songs declares that “the road goes on forever and the party never ends.” That might prove wishful thinking, if he’s serious about retiring. And even though, song lyrics notwithstanding, all parties must end at some point, this one seems destined to continue for a while yet. Keen’s tour continues through the summer, including a July 9 date at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, and is scheduled to end in Texas in early September.
Nashville-based singer-songwriter John R. Miller opened the show with a 30-minute set featuring well-crafted and personal lyrics backed by excellent guitar playing. Fiddler Chloe Edmonstone contributed fine playing and vocals.
Words never spoken after a Steve Forbert concert: “I’m just so tired of him playing the same set on every tour.”
Forbert, a former Nashville resident, returned to the town’s City Winery tonight with a performance that promoted his new album Moving Through America, but seemed to be largely fueled by whim.
I was just telling George we might do “Complications,” he said mid-show, nodding toward his guitarist, the affable and adept George Naha.
It was a set that included two compositions by his idol Jimmie Rodgers in the first half-dozen songs, and spanned more than four decades of his recorded music.
At one point, he emphasized the title of his album by recalling the cities he and George had already visited on the tour, briefly confusing Pascagoula with Pensacola. Still, the point was made. Forbert’s music has always had a travelogue quality, from songs like “Strange Names (North New Jersey Has ‘Em)” to his art exhibits.
Steve Forbert at the City WInery @copyright 2022 Ken Paulson
Highlights included the title song and “Fried Oysters” from the new album, plus audience favorites like “What Kinda Guy?”, “Sure Was Better Back Then” and “Romeo’s Tune,” plus a sampling of “Sunny Side of the Street” and the Beatles’ “Good Night.”
It was the kind of show we’ve come to anticipate from Steve Forbert, with energy, intelligence and idiosyncrasies wrapped up in a melodic package.
The Delevantes return
Opening the show was the Delevantes, playing songs from their new album A Thousand Turns.
Mike and Bob Delevante
@copyright Ken Paulson 2022
The duo of brothers Mike and Bob Delevante emerged in the ’90s with two excellent albums, but A Thousand Turns is their first release together in more than 20 years. As they hit the stage at the City Winery tonight with “Little By Little. the harmonies made clear that the Delevantes truly were back.
The new album was produced with E-Streeter Garry Tallent and Dave Coleman of the Coalmen. Coleman also joined the Delevantes onstage, playing impeccable guitar throughout the show.
Dave Coleman waits patiently as a sound engineer sorts out an audio problem. @copyright 2022 Ken Paulson
What could have been an evening of mourning instead became a celebration of life and music as the Country Music Hall of Fame inducted its class of 2022.
The sudden death of honoree Naomi Judd might have cast a pall over the event honoring the Judds, Ray Charles, pedal steel guitarist Pete Drake and session drummer Eddie Bayers, but the Hall captured exactly the right tone for the ceremony, respectfully acknowledging Naomi’s passing while celebrating the music that led the inductees to this night.
Wynonna Judd ((Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
If there was any tension in the room, it quickly dissipated when Hall of Fame Director Kyle Young noted that the Judds – mother Naomi and daughter Wynonna – sang in perfect harmony, but didn’t always live that way. Wynonna was quick to add an “Amen!” from the audience.
Hall of Fame member Ricky Skaggs inducted the duo, recalling that he first met the Kentucky women backstage at a club date in San Francisco and then learned a few years later that they had been signed to a recording contract. They opened for him on a number of tours, but not for long, he noted.
A tearful Wynonna Judd, along with sister Ashley, accepted the award.
“I didn’t prepare anything tonight because I knew Mom would do most of the talking,” she said.
Celebrating the Judds musically were Carly Pierce with a version of “Grandpa, Tell Me About the Good Old Days,” Gilliam Welch and David Rawlings with “Young Love” and Tommy Sims performed “Love Can Build a Bridge.”
Pedal steel guitarist Pete Drake became the first musician on his instrument to be inducted. His work has been at the heart of dozens of country classics and he was tapped by Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr and George Harrison to work on their respective projects. Elizabeth noted the Dylan connection with her version “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” followed by Wendy Moten’s stirring take of “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” the George Jones hit fueled by Drake’s playing.
Bayers was honored for his drumming and percussion on decades of country hits, including Vince Gill’s “I Call Your Name” and Trisha Yearwood’s “I Call Your Name.” Both artists performed their songs in Bayers’ honor.
The late Ray Charles was the final honoree for the evening. His 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music was groundbreaking in multiple ways, in addition to being both a historic release and commercial success,
Americana artists The War and Treaty performed Charles’ “You Don’t Know Me,” Garth Brooks followed with “Seven Spanish Angels” and Bettye LaVette closed out the salute with an impassioned “I Can’t Stop Loving You.”
(L-R) Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Blount of The War and Treaty perform onstage for the class of 2021 medallion ceremony at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on May 01, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
After a year lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cayamo cruise returned in mid-March, rewarding passengers and artists alike with nearly a week’s worth of floating music festival. The chartered cruise, produced by Norwegian Cruise Lines subsidiary Sixthman and held aboard the NCL Pearl, featured more than 40 bands and solo artists and around 2,000 passengers. Cayamo is a happy event in any case, but seemed even more exuberant this year after the unwanted hiatus. It was also an especially poignant year for the festival – the 14th since 2008’s maiden voyage – because of the loss of a number of prominent musicians in the past two years, most notably Cayamo veteran John Prine.
In retrospect, the week is something of a blur of stages, songs and singers. As always, seeing one great show meant missing another scheduled at the same time. Your correspondent was not able to attend every set. But certain moments stand out; here are some impressions from particularly memorable performances.
The Mavericks, Pool Deck, Friday: Cayamoans have been clamoring for The Mavericks for years, and this year they got their wish, with the high-energy band kicking off the March 18 departure from Miami (ports of call were St. Thomas and St. Kitts). The pool deck set was a showcase for frontman Raul Malo’s otherworldly vocals, backed by a very capable three-piece horn section, a tight rhythm section and other instrumentation including guitar and accordion.
Raul Malo (photo by Paul T. Mueller)
Grace Potter and Friends, Stardust Theater, Saturday: The songwriter-in-the-round format has become a Cayamo favorite over the years, and for good reason. It’s highly entertaining to get to see not only artists performing their own songs, but also the reactions of those artists to each other’s performances. Cayamo first-timer Grace Potter’s show featured Malo, the iconic Emmylou Harris, and Taylor Goldsmith, frontman of Los Angeles-based band Dawes. Goldsmith made a big impression with “The Game,” which he described as “my attempt to write a Guy Clark song,” and “House Parties,” an ode to the quiet joys of family vacations. Harris’ selections included a couple of songs from her landmark Red Dirt Girl album – “My Antonia” and “The Pearl (Hallelujah).”
Grace Potter (photo by Paul T. Mueller)
Madison Cunningham, Spinnaker Lounge, Saturday: Singer-songwriter and guitarist Madison Cunningham first played Cayamo in 2020, and this year’s festival was a showcase for her impressive artistic growth since then. Leading an accomplished small band, she played and sang with confidence and joy, with a sound that one observer later described on social media as “Joni Mitchell meets King Crimson.” As is common practice among Cayamo musicians, Cunningham also made several guest appearances during other artists’ sets.
Madison Cunningham (photo by Paul T. Mueller)
Quitters Coffee Acoustic Mornings, The Atrium, Sunday: The 9 a.m. show, curated by Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards, was an enjoyable start to the day for those fans and artists able to answer the early-morning call. Edwards, who famously left the music business several years ago to start a coffee shop named Quitters in an Ottawa suburb, recently quit that business, selling the shop in March. Her guests for the show, the second of the weekend, were Robbie Fulks, Steve Poltz, Aoife O’Donovan and John Paul White. Highlights included Fulks’ rendition of Cowboy Copas’ Sunday-appropriate “We’ll Walk Along Together” and O’Donovan’s lovely take on Joni Mitchell’s “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio.”
Kathleen Edwards (photo by Paul T. Mueller)
Six Questions with Maple Byrne, The Atrium, Sunday: Sixthman staffer Trae Vedder conducted a wide-ranging interview with Maple Byrne, longtime guitar tech to Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller and other Nashville notables. Topics included Byrne’s memories of a late ‘70s tour featuring Steve Martin and Steve Goodman, laundry tips for tour T-shirts (wash them inside out), Byrne’s top 10 Cayamo moments (he’s a longtime veteran of the festival), and his extensive collections of records and musical instruments. It was a fascinating peek behind the curtain with someone who’s played a crucial, if not always very visible, role in the success of Cayamo.
Aoife O’Donovan, Spinnaker Lounge, Sunday: Boston-based singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan brought along an excellent band, but for this show – a full performance of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 acoustic album Nebraska – she was mostly on her own. Notwithstanding the incongruity between her lovely voice and guitar and Springsteen’s often dark tales, O’Donovan delivered a nuanced performance, adding her own twists to the songs while staying true to the album’s roots. She got assists from fiddler and former Crooked Still bandmate Brittany Haas on “Highway Patrolman” and brilliant young mandolinist and singer Sierra Hull on the closing “Reason to Believe.” Audience reactions, aside from pin-drop silence, included not a few tears and too many smiles to count.
Aoife Donovan (photo by Paul T. Mueller)
Tré Burt, Spinnaker Lounge, Monday: Sacramento, Calif.-based singer-songwriter Tré Burt started off with a nice rendition of John Prine’s “The Late John Garfield Blues” and proceeded through a set of mostly original material, accompanied at times by a young female singer named Levi. Burt’s voice, delivery and lyrics were, to some observers, reminiscent of the early Bob Dylan. A Dylanesque outrage at injustice was certainly evident in “Under the Devil’s Knee,” a pointed commentary on the killing of George Floyd in which Burt called not for sympathy but for action. Burt, who records for the Prine-founded Oh Boy Records label, closed with a sweet tribute to Prine titled “Dixie Red.”
Tré Burt (photo by Paul T. Mueller)
Paul Thorn’s Campfire Sessions, Stardust Theater, Wednesday: This songwriter round, on a stage decorated with fake foliage, a fake campfire and even a fake owl, featured Cayamo veterans Paul Thorn and Richard Thompson along with newcomer Jerron Paxton. Paxton, a California-based artist with Louisiana roots, features an old-timey sound that recalls blues recordings from the early decades of the 20th century. That sound is supported by his astounding command of a variety of instruments, ranging from guitar and banjo to piano and bones. Paxton also dropped one of the best onstage lines of the festival, stopping a song to admonish the audience about clapping along. “The last thing I need is a bunch of white people helping me with my rhythm,” he said with a big grin, earning laughter and applause. Thorn contributed his trademark mix of humor and poignancy, while Thompson applied his virtuosic acoustic guitar playing and expressive voice to “She Moved Through the Fair” and several other songs.
The Mavericks and Friends, Stardust Theater, Thursday: Raul Malo and his merry band opened their cruise-ending set with an impressive rendition of “Us and Them” from Pink Floyd’s landmark The Dark Side of the Moon album. The hit parade went on from there: “Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down” by “stowaway” Jim Lauderdale; a sultry take on “Friday’s Child” by Kristi Rose, accompanied by husband Fats Kaplin (“I think I need a cigarette,” Malo said at song’s end, “and I don’t even smoke.”); Kathleen Edwards performing the Linda Ronstadt hit “When Will I Be Loved?” with high energy and unbridled joy; “Moon River,” with Malo crooning to the accompaniment of Australian guitar whiz Tommy Emmanuel; JD McPherson’s energetic take on Little Richard’s “Lucille,” and Nicole Atkins’ brilliant rendition of The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby,” complete with professional-grade dance moves and backup vocals (and dancing) by vocal trio Rainbow Girls. The Mavericks and all their guests closed out the set with an extended workout on one of the band’s big hits, “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down.”
Of course there was much, much more: An all-star tribute to musicians no longer with us; an “All the Best” show featuring friends of John Prine; another Prine tribute dubbed “Souvenirs: Songs of John Prine”; a nautical-themed sailaway show by Punch Brothers, featuring frequent shouts of “Ahoy!” by frontman and ace mandolinist Chris Thile; a Stowaway Reveal Show with “stowaways” Jim Lauderdale and Steve Poltz, featuring an album’s worth of songs written especially for Cayamo; the popular Sunday morning pool deck show, this year called Sunday Soul Session; Brady Blade’s Drum and Music Extravaganza, featuring the seemingly omnipresent drummer; an onstage conversation between Emmylou Harris and Fiona Prine, John’s widow; Cayamo debuts that included Austin blues legend Ruthie Foster, UK folk-rock duo Ida Mae, and others, and too many other shows and events to mention.
Next year’s Cayamo is scheduled for Feb. 10-17, 2023, sailing from Miami with stops at Tortola and St. Maarten.
John McEuen, a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, revisited songs spanning decades in a nostalgia-rich show at the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, TN tonight.
It was an informal and entertaining evening that began with a singalong to “The Ballad Of Jed Clampett” and featured McEuen’ and his band’s rendition of big Dirt Band hits, including “Dance Little Jean,” “Mr. Bojangles” and a traditional take on “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?”
The band included Les Thompson, another Dirt Band founder, who left the group in the early ’70s to become a goldsmith. He looked right at home. Here’s Thompson talking about the origins of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
McEuen has a new album called The Nashville Sessions. Here he briefly talks about the new release, as well as the Dirt Band’s biggest record.
Steve Cropper sits on stage watching the performances in his honor at the Ryman
There was a nice event honoring guitar legend Steve Cropper on his 80th birthday last week. He sat at stage right for the entire first half of the show and then took the stage to play with folks like Felix Cavaliere, 84-year-old Eddie Floyd and Billy Gibbons. “Knock on Wood,” “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,” “Green Onions” and many more. The Ryman was slow in implementing vaccine requirements, and the audience was largely made up of tourists, but they now have some wonderful stories to take home.
TheFree Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University wants all Americans to know and use their First Amendment rights, and its new awareness effort has some star-studded support to get out the word across the country.
Nashville’s taking center stage in the center’s new 1 for All Campaign for the First Amendment effort with help from artists, authors and athletes including multi-Platinum award-winning artist Kane Brown; the legendary Loretta Lynn; multi-Grammy Award-winning musicians Rosanne Cash, Jason Isbell,Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker; Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton; and bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Ann Patchett.
They’re among nearly two dozen Nashvillians sharing the critical need nationwide for Americans to know, and practice, our First Amendment rights to free speech, a free press, peaceable assembly, religion and petitioning the government.
“Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen the First Amendment in action on the streets of America,” said Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center in MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment. “Citizens using their freedom of speech, right to assemble, freedom of the press, the right to petition and freedom of faith have changed America for the better. (Disclosure: Paulson is also the editor of Americana One.)
“Our goal is to have Americans better understand the scope and impact of the First Amendment and never take it for granted.”
Surveys by the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center indicate that one-third of Americans can’t name a single freedom in the First Amendment and that a vast majority have very little understanding of these liberties.
Lynn, a multi-Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and author with a career spanning six decades, makes her appreciation for the First Amendment clear in her typical blunt and succinct manner.
To remedy that, the campaign ads direct members of the public to http://1forall.today, where they can learn all they need to know about the First Amendment, including tips on how to help preserve and protect these essential freedoms.
“My free speech showed up in songs like ‘The Pill’ and ‘You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man).’ I always say — and sing — exactly what I mean,” Lynn said in supplying the text for her poster for the campaign.
Using lyrics from his latest release, “Worldwide Beautiful,” a song urging peace, reason and equality that’s already topped the U.S iTunes sales charts as well as Billboard’s new music poll, Brown called for using the First Amendment to create more harmony.
“We’ve still got some work, but we still got a dream,” Brown said, adding, “let’s use our freedoms of speech, press and assembly to build understanding and mutual respect. The dream is within our reach.”
Hamilton, a U.S. and world figure skating champion who won Olympic gold in the 1984 competition, said that protecting one of the First Amendment’s freedoms helps preserve them all.
“My faith is the driving force in my life every single day. Thanks to the First Amendment, what I believe, say and write is protected by this amazing one-of-a-kind nation,” Hamilton said.
This new 1 for All effort, which includes support from 1 for All program-founding partners The Tennessean, Gannett/USA Today, the Tennessee Press Association and the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, also includes national support from the Associated Press and news organizations from across the country.
Brown, Lynn, Cash, Isbell, Paisley, Rucker, Hamilton and Patchett are being joined in the campaign by fellow First Amendment advocates:
• Ruby Amanfu, singer-songwriter and co-writer of the Grammy-nominated “Hard Place,” performed by H E R.
• John Cooper,
co-founder of the multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated and Billboard Music Award-winning rock band Skillet.
• Billy Ray Cyrus, singer-songwriter and actor featured in Lil Nas X’s No. 1, 10-million-plus-selling hit “Old Town Road” and the “Still the King” TV series.
• Colton Dixon,
singer-songwriter and former American Idol fan favorite/finalist.
• Mary Gauthier, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter whose “Rifles & Rosary Beads” album, featuring songs co-written with U.S. military veterans and their families, earned the International Folk Music Awards’ 2018 album of the year honor.
• Marcus Hummon, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, performer and member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
• Amy Kurland, founder of Nashville’s famed Bluebird Cafe.
• Kathy Mattea, multi-Grammy-winning and platinum-selling singer featured in Ken Burns’ “Country Music” documentary.
• Ketch Secor, co-founder of the multi-Grammy-winning Old Crow Medicine Show and featured in the Burns “Country Music” documentary.
• Aubrie Sellers, singer-songwriter and 2020 nominee for the Americana Music Association’s emerging artist of the year.
• Ruta Sepetys, bestselling author and winner of the Carnegie Medal.
• The Rev. Becca Stevens, social entrepreneur, author, priest and founder of the Thistle Farms organization for women’s recovery.
“We’re grateful to the artists and authors who support the campaign,” Paulson said. “They’re critical to ensuring that a new generation takes notice. We’re marketing the First Amendment to young citizens who can make history using its freedoms.
“The 1 for All campaign is nonpartisan and apolitical. Our only positions are that the First Amendment’s five freedoms are at the heart of a great nation and that every American needs to better understand and respect these core liberties.”
Established in August 2019 as a nonpartisan public policy center, the Free Speech Center at MTSU strives to build understanding and support for the five freedoms of the First Amendment through education and information.
The Free Speech Center’s resources include the unique First Amendment Encyclopedia, the world’s single most comprehensive free reference work on the five freedoms guaranteed by the first item on the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights. All center resources are open to the public anytime at http://freespeech.center.
“What better place to launch a national First Amendment campaign than at Middle Tennessee State University?” Paulson asked.
“We have scholars versed in democracy, media and government at the Free Speech Center, the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies, our American Democracy Project chapter and the Albert Gore Research Center. We have a nationally recognized College of Media and Entertainment and both the expertise and facilities to create content for multiple media and platforms. It all fits together to make this mission possible.”
For more information on the 1 For All Campaign, visit http://1forall.today. For information about the Free Speech Center at MTSU, visit http://freespeech.center. And for more on MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment and its programs, visit https://www.mtsu.edu/media.
You may know Thomm Jutz from his work with David Olney, Mary Gauthier or Nanci Griffith. Or maybe his collaborations with Eric Brace and Peter Cooper.
You may also have come across his 1861 Project, which chronicled the Civil War in three striking volumes. Or you may know his other work as a producer, with more than 70 albums to his credit.
His new album “Live in Two Worlds Vol. 1” showcases his musicianship and songwriting, telling compelling stories along the way. We spoke with him recently about his new project and what to expect from Vol. 2.
We remain big fans of Adam and Shannon Wright, who collectively perform as the Wrights. Adam now spends most of his time writing songs in Nashville and you’ll find his work on releases by Lee Ann Womack, Alan Jackson and Aubrie Sellers. He’s also proven to be one of the hotter songwriters in bluegrass.
His collaboration with Brandy Clark – “A Bigger Boat” – is one of our favorite songs of the year.
On this – the 50th edition of the Americana One podcast – Adam Wright talks about his success and approach to songwriting.
Minutes ago, the Americana Music Association released its list of nominees for this year’s Honors and Awards. It’s a big year for Brandi Carlile, with her own nomination for artist of the year, her nods as a member of the Highwomen and nominations for Tanya Tucker’s “While I’m Livin'” which she co-produced with Shooter Jennings. The association’s announcement:
Album of the Year:
“And It’s Still Alright,” Nathaniel Rateliff, Produced by James Barone, Patrick Meese and Nathaniel Rateliff
“Country Squire,” Tyler Childers, Produced by David Ferguson and Sturgill Simpson
“The Highwomen,” The Highwomen, Produced by Dave Cobb
“Jaime,” Brittany Howard, Produced by Brittany Howard
“While I’m Livin’,” Tanya Tucker, Produced by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings
Artist of the Year:
Brandi Carlile
Brittany Howard
John Prine
Tanya Tucker
Yola
Duo/Group of the Year:
Black Pumas
Drive-By Truckers
The Highwomen
Buddy & Julie Miller
Our Native Daughters
Emerging Act of the Year:
Black Pumas
Katie Pruitt
Aubrie Sellers
Billy Strings
Kelsey Waldon
Instrumentalist of the Year:
Ellen Angelico
Annie Clements
Brittany Haas
Zachariah Hickman
Rich Hinman
Song of the Year:
“And It’s Still Alright,” Nathaniel Rateliff, Written by Nathaniel Rateliff
“Bring My Flowers Now,” Tanya Tucker, Written by Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth and Tanya Tucker
“Crowded Table,” The Highwomen, Written by Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Lori McKenna
“My Love Will Not Change,” Aubrie Sellers featuring Steve Earle, Written by Billy Burnette and Shawn Camp
“Stay High,” Brittany Howard, Written by Brittany Howard
“Thoughts and Prayers,” Drive-By Truckers, Written by Patterson Hood
Some People, the latest effort from folk-rock veterans Wheatfield, is as much a testament to enduring friendship as it is a musical document. The roots of this Texas- and Arkansas-based quartet go back to 1973 – an often-told story describes how two of the members, already alumni of a Houston high school, attended the graduation ceremony of a third, eagerly awaiting the moment she received her diploma and joined the band full time. The fourth joined a few years after that, and all these years later – after tasting success for a few years, breaking up, and re-forming after a quarter-century hiatus – they’re still at it.
Wheatfield earned critical praise and loyal followers during the first go-round, playing a mix of folk, rock, jazz, soul and even classical music. The band could be forgiven for playing nostalgia gigs for aging fans, and it’s true that several of the old songs are still staples of Wheatfield shows, such as they are these days. But when the quartet restarted the band in the early Aughts, it was with the idea of continuing to create new music, and they have. Some People is a bit uneven, but the album’s 10 original tracks are worthy of the fine reputation the band established long ago.
(Full disclosure: This reviewer has been a Wheatfield fan at least since 1976 and counts these musicians as friends, having come home one evening a few years ago to find them in his living room, set up to play a surprise birthday party house concert.)
The music, as always, is an eclectic mix of styles and influences. The title track, written by Craig Calvert (vocals, guitar, mandolin, flute) is a funky look at real-world tensions between work and fun, money and time. “When the Fog Rolls In,” by Calvert and Ezra Idlet (vocals, guitar, banjo, percussion) is a gentle, jazzy meditation on life’s simple pleasures. “Sweeter Side,” by Idlet, Connie Mims Pinkerton (vocals, guitar, percussion) and Keith Grimwood (vocals, bass) celebrates seeking the good in life; it features Idlet’s banjo and some fine four-part harmonies. (Idlet and Grimwood make up folk duo Trout Fishing in America, which began as a side project in the ’70s and is still going strong.) “Different Games,” by Mims Pinkerton and Calvert, is metaphorical look at personal struggles; “Cup of Moon,” co-written by Calvert, harks back to the band’s roots as an acoustic trio. “Better Days,” credited to all four members, is an up-tempo ode to hope and perseverance that seems well suited to current times.
The only song not written by one or more band members is a folky-bluegrassy rendition of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” that highlights Grimwood’s soulful vocals and Idlet’s skillful banjo. There’s a message there: Almost five decades on, at or near retirement age, Wheatfield’s members are still seeking. The writing on Some People is thoughtful, the playing is excellent, the harmonies are as lovely as ever, and the production, by Calvert and Idlet, is clean. Wheatfield isn’t exactly a full-time band anymore, but its members continue to explore the musical landscape, and what they’re finding there is worth hearing.
Lucinda Williams’ latest release, Good Souls Better Angels, will probably be a big hit with fans who have embraced her late-career evolution into a kind of rock ‘n’ roll godmother. It may not prove so popular with those who fell in love with the introspective poetry of her earlier days as a folkie singer-songwriter.
Williams has been moving in this direction for a while, so
there aren’t a lot of surprises on Good Souls. The album’s 12 tracks
find her contending with demons both internal (“Wakin’ Up,” “Pray the Devil
Back to Hell,” “Down Past the Bottom”) and external (“Bad News Blues,” “Man
Without a Soul”). “Big Black Train” reads as Williams’ metaphor for approaching
death (“I can hear it comin’ from miles away/And I don’t want to get on
board”).
Williams has trod this ground before, but her lyrical style
has evolved (some might say devolved) from the meticulous songcraft of, say,
“The Night’s Too Long” and “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road” to simpler stories and
repetitive choruses. It’s a style well suited to live performance and extended
jams; Williams, on a good night, is still a force of nature. But it’s hard to
imagine these gruffly delivered anthems inspiring the same kind of lasting
devotion as do earlier gems such as “Passionate Kisses” or “Pineola.”
Words aside, there’s a lot of listening pleasure to be had here,
courtesy of Williams’ longtime band, Buick 6. Guitarist Stuart Mathis, bassist
David Sutton and drummer Butch Norton are consummate musicians who have been
playing with Williams for years and know exactly how to weave the instrumental
framework behind her vocals. Sutton and Norton provide the solid rhythmic
foundation, while Mathis wrings every possible sound from his guitars, from subtle
picking to soaring solos to noisy distortion. There’s also some atmospheric organ
playing by Mark T. Jordan, and all of it is showcased by clean production by
Williams, Ray Kennedy and Tom Overby.
