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Lyle Lovett

Lyle Lovett was one of the most distinctive and original singer/songwriters to emerge during the '80s. Though he was initially labeled as a country singer, the tag never quite fit him. Lovett had more in common with '70s singer/songwriters like Guy Clark, Jesse Winchester, Randy Newman, and Townes Van Zandt, combining a talent for incisive, witty lyrical detail with an eclectic array of music, ranging from country and folk to big-band swing and traditional pop. Lovett's literate, multi-layered songs stood out among the formulaic Nashville hit singles of the late '80s as well as the new traditionalists who were beginning to take over country music. Drawing from alternative country and rock fans, Lovett quickly built up a cult following which began to spill over into the mainstream with his second album, 1988's Pontiac. Following Pontiac, his country audience declined, but his reputation as a songwriter and musician continued to grow, and he sustained a dedicated cult following throughout the '90s.

Born in Klein, Texas — a small town named after his great-grandfather, a Bavarian weaver called Adam Klein, which later became a Houston suburb — Lovett was raised on his family horse ranch. He didn't begin his musical career until he began writing songs while he attended Texas A&M University in the late '70s, where he studied journalism and German. While he was a student, he performed covers and original songs at local folk festivals and clubs. As a graduate student, he traveled to Germany to study and continued to write and play while he was in Europe. However, he didn't begin to pursue a musical career in earnest until he returned to America in the early '80s.

Upon his return to the States, Lovett played clubs throughout Texas, eventually landing a spot in the 1983 Mickey Rooney TV movie Bill: On His Own. The following year Nanci Griffith, whom Lyle had interviewed for a school paper while he was in college, recorded his "If I Were the Woman You Wanted" on her Once in a Very Blue Moon album. He also sang on the album as well as her 1985 record Last of the True Believers. Guy Clark heard a demo tape of Lovett's songs in 1984 and directed it toward Tony Brown of MCA Records. Over the next year, MCA worked out the details of a record contract with Lyle. In the meantime, he made his first recorded appearance on Fast Folk Magazine, Vol.

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21
Live Review

Lyle Lovett & His Large Band at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury

Read "Lyle Lovett & His Large Band at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury" reviewed by Mike Perciaccante


Lyle Lovett & His Large Band NYCB Theatre at Westbury Westbury, NY August 17, 2014 In the quarter century plus since his debut in 1986, Lyle Lovett has taken his place as one of the most original and unique singer/songwriters of his, or for that matter any, generation. His lyrics are smart, insightful, witty, literate, sardonic and eclectic covering a myriad of topics from his home state of Texas, to love, to loss, to yearning, ...

430
Album Review

Lyle Lovett: Natural Forces

Read "Natural Forces" reviewed by John Kelman


After emerging with the triple punch of Pontiac (Curb, 1988), Lyle Lovett and His Large Band (Curb, 1989), and Joshua Judges Ruth (Curb, 1992), singer/songwriter Lyle Lovett's career took a few detours. My Baby Don't Tolerate (Curb, 2003)--Lovett's first album of original material in five years, following a serious farm accident--warned that Lovett's characteristically dry wit was on the wane. Happily, with It's Not Big It's Large (Curb, 2007), Lovett returned with an album that comfortably blended blues, country, folk, ...

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42

Recording

Lyle Lovett - Release Me (2012)

Lyle Lovett - Release Me (2012)

Source: Something Else!

If you know anything about Lyle Lovett, the tongue-firmly-in-cheek title of his forthcoming release—his last for Curb Records, the only label he's ever recorded for—will come as no surprise. Neither will the fact that, by pure force of intellect, personality and humor, the Texas singer-songwriter is able to mold what can only charitably be called an odds-and-sods collection of leftovers and thematic left turns into something approaching a recommended purchase. But, Lovett does. Due on February 28, Release Me is ...

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Performance / Tour

Lyle Lovett: New Album 2/28, Acoustic Tour w/ John Hiatt

Lyle Lovett: New Album 2/28, Acoustic Tour w/ John Hiatt

Source: JamBase

LYLE LOVETT ANNOUNCES ACOUSTIC TOUR WITH JOHN HIATT; SET TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM, RELEASE ME, ON FEBRUARY 28 Four-time Grammy Award-winner Lyle Lovett will be touring this spring. Next week, Lovett will also appear on the Late Show with David Letterman on February 27, The View on February 29, and Morning Joe on March 2. Lovett will be playing solo acoustic on this tour. After an acoustic band set at The Concert Hall at New York Society for Ethical Culture ...

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Performance / Tour

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt | Boston | Review | Pics

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt | Boston | Review | Pics

Source: JamBase

Words & Images by: Nancy Nutile-McMenemy John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett :: 01.13.10 :: Wilbur Theatre :: Boston, MA Ever wonder what it would be like to invite the legendary singer-songwriters John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett over to your house for an evening of song and good times? Well, during the pos- blizzard of 2011 in the intimate setting of the Wilbur Theatre in Boston an event very similar to such an “ever wonder" scenario took place for a sold ...

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Performance / Tour

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt, Simon Shaheen and Randy Brecker Perform at the Kimmel Center

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt, Simon Shaheen and Randy Brecker Perform at the Kimmel Center

Source: Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

World, pop, country and jazz powerhouse musicians grace the Kimmel Center stages this February.

From a Palestinian oud player and violinist to two great American singers/songwriters and a Philly-bred jazz artist breathing Miles Davis' blues back to life, each artist has transformed their musical landscapes with new influences.

Internationally acclaimed Palestinian oud player and violinist Simon Shaheen blends traditional Arabic sounds with jazz and Western classical music in Perelman Theater (February 1, 2009).

An Acoustic Evening with Lyle Lovett and ...

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Music Industry

Lyle Lovett Sells Millions, Earns Nothing

Lyle Lovett Sells Millions, Earns Nothing

Source: All About Jazz

Eclectic country singer says he makes money from touring, not albums

Lyle Lovett says he has “never made a dime" from album sales during his two-decade career, and hopes to rectify that situation when his contract expires. The eclectic country singer has two more albums on his deal with Curb/Universal, his home since 1985, and figures the horizons are wide open. Records are very powerful promotional tools to go out and be able to play on the road, but you ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Release Me

Lost Highway Records
2012

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Natural Forces

Lost Highway Records
2009

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Lyle Lovett...

Atlantic Records
2004

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