Category Archives: Singer Songwriter

Country, folk, Singer Songwriter

September 6: Buddy Miller was born in 1952

Buddy Miller

 

September 6: Buddy Miller was born in 1952

A showman’s life is a smokey bar and
The fevered chase of a tiny star
It’s a hotel room and a lonely wife
From what I’ve seen of a showman’s life

Nobody told me about this part
They told me all about the pretty girls and the wine and
The money and the good times
No mention of all the wear and tear on an old honkey-tonker’s heart
Well, I might have known it
But nobody told me about this part
~”A Showman’s life” (one of his best songs)

“A good song can take a steel guitar, no matter where it comes from, I think about songs this way: I’d love to sing that song, whatever band is playing it. Great songs transcend.”
~Buddy Miller

“When you hear Buddy or watch him play, there’s a magnetic quality that draws you to his music.
~Jim Lauderdale

A Showman’s Life:

Continue reading September 6: Buddy Miller was born in 1952 →

Country, folk, Great albums, Singer Songwriter, Townes Van Zandt

September: Townes Van Zandt released Townes Van Zandt (album) in 1969

townes-van-zandt-self-titled-3rd-lp

Townes Van Zandt is the third release by Townes Van Zandt, released in 1969. It includes re-recordings of four songs from his 1968 debut album, including the first serious song he ever wrote, “Waitin’ Around To Die”.

The cover photograph was taken by Sol Mednick in the kitchen of Poppy Records artwork designer Milton Glaser and features Van Zandt sitting at a table with his eyes closed. Comparing the album cover to the one that adorned Van Zandt’s previous album, Our Mother The Mountain, biographer John Kruth observes, “Where his black eyes once glared so hard you might’ve wondered if he shattered the photographer’s lens, Van Zandt now appears withdrawn…Here he sits resigned, head in hand, in a perfectly painted kitchen where everything is neatly arranged, as in a doll’s house.” Some fans refer to Townes Van Zandt as The Kitchen Album.

Continue reading September: Townes Van Zandt released Townes Van Zandt (album) in 1969 →

Country, Lucinda Williams, Music Calendar, Singer Songwriter

August 25: Lucinda Williams released Sweet Old World in 1992

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LucindaWilliamsSweetOldworld

August 25: Lucinda Williams released Sweet Old World in 1992

See what you lost when you left this world, this sweet old world The breath from your own lips, the touch of fingertips A sweet and tender kiss The sound of a midnight train, wearing someone’s ring Someone calling your name Somebody so warm cradled in your arms Didn’t you think you were worth anything See what you lost when you left this world, this sweet old world

Sweet Old World is Lucinda Williams’ fourth album, it was released 25 August in 1992. It is a fantastic album. It is a record that I bought after buying Car Wheels On A Gravel Road and her eponymous 1988 album, I love them all (and all she has given us since then). She really took her time between the albums, and the wait for new music from Lucinda Williams has often put my patience to a test. She never delivers bad stuff, most often she gives us fantastic songs. Sweet Old World is even better than its predesessor and almost as good as Car Wheels… and that is a masterpiece! Here’s a great performance of the title track, Sweet old World (live at Austin City Limits): Continue reading August 25: Lucinda Williams released Sweet Old World in 1992 →

Country, Singer Songwriter

August 21: Kacey Musgraves was born in 1988 – Happy birthday
Photo from kaceymusgraves.com
Photo from kaceymusgraves.com

August 21: Kacey Musgraves was born in 1988 – Happy birthday

Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American singer. She self-released three albums before appearing on the fifth season of the USA Network’s singing competition Nashville Star in 2007, where she placed seventh. She signed to Mercury Nashville in 2012 and has released two critically acclaimed albums on the label, Same Trailer Different Park (2013) and Pageant Material (2015).

Musgraves is known for her controversial lyrics in the conservative country music genre. Common controversial topics in her music are homosexuality acceptance, promiscuous sexual intercourse, recreational marijuana use, and anti-religious sentiment. Such aforementioned topics are almost unheard of in mainstream country music. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Musgraves faced criticism for her rebellious lyrics. “I think throwing the rebel card out there is really cheap,” she said. “The things I’m singing about are not controversial to me, I don’t push buttons to push buttons. I talk about things that have made an impression on me that a lot of people everywhere are going through.”

Follow your arrow, great song about prejudice:

Continue reading August 21: Kacey Musgraves was born in 1988 – Happy birthday →

Country, Johnny Cash, Singer Songwriter, Video

Johnny Cash the 39 best songs

johnny cash

Johnny Cash the 39 best songs

It was supposed to be a list of 20 songs but I just couldn’t stop!

I walk the line:

Johnny Cash was known for his deep, distinctive voice, the boom-chick-a-boom train sound of his Tennessee Three backing band and his black clothes, which earned him the nickname “The Man in Black.” He  began his concerts with the  introduction “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.” Here is my Spotify play-list of the 39 greatest Johnny Cash Songs:

A boy named Sue (At San Quentin):

– Hallgeir