Coordinates	52°05′36″N5°7′10″N
name	Jim Keltner
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	James Lee Keltner
alias	Buster Sidebury
born	April 27, 1942 Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
instrument	Drums, ukulele
genre	Rock, R&B;, jazz
occupation	Session drummer
years active	1971–present
associated acts	Bob Dylan, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, Delaney Bramlett, John Lennon, Plastic Ono Band, George Harrison, Traveling Wilburys, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, Steve Miller Band, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Harry Chapin
notable instruments	}}

James Lee "Jim" Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is a session drummer who has contributed to the work of many well-known artists. He is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Career

1970s

Keltner is best known for his session work on solo recordings by three of The Beatles, working often with George Harrison, John Lennon (including Lennon solo albums, as well as albums released both by the Plastic Ono Band and Yoko Ono), and Ringo Starr. He and Starr were the drummers on the Concert for Bangladesh, rock music's first charity benefit, initiated by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, in August 1971 at Madison Square Garden in New York; he also performed at the Garden in 1972 for John Lennon's "One To One" benefit for the Willowbrook State School. Keltner later joined the 1974 George Harrison/Ravi Shankar tour, after many phone calls on the road from Harrison. His first gig on the tour was Memphis November 20, 1974.

Keltner's relationship with the former Beatles was such that his name was used to parody McCartney on albums released by Harrison and Starr in 1973. Early that year, Paul McCartney, the only Beatle not to have worked with Keltner, included a note on the back cover of his ''Red Rose Speedway'' album, encouraging fans to join the "Wings Fun Club" by sending a "stamped addressed envelope" to an address in London. Later that year, both Harrison's ''Living in the Material World'' and Starr's ''Ringo'' contained a similar note encouraging fans to join the "Jim Keltner Fun Club" by sending a "stamped undressed elephant" to an address in Hollywood. Keltner played the role of the judge in the video for George Harrison's 1976 Top 30 hit, "This Song".

Keltner started out in jazz, although his first session was recording "She's Just My Style" for the pop group Gary Lewis and the Playboys. In addition to his work with three of the Beatles, Keltner, as a free-lance drummer, has also worked with Leon Russell, Gabor Szabo, Delaney Bramlett, Roy Orbison, Harry Nilsson, Jerry Garcia, Eric Clapton, Guthrie Thomas, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker, Van Dyke Parks, the Rolling Stones, Ronnie Wood, Bill Wyman, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Brian Wilson, Roger McGuinn, Seals and Crofts, The Ramones, Bill Frisell, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Phil Keaggy, Steve Jones, Crowded House, Fiona Apple, Elvis Costello, The Bee Gees, Jackson Browne, The Manhattan Transfer, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, Sam Phillips, Los Lobos, Pink Floyd, Warren Zevon, Rufus Wainwright, Tom Petty, Gillian Welch, the Steve Miller Band, Alice Cooper, Sheryl Crow and Lucinda Williams among many others. He is featured on Carly Simon's 1971 album, ''Anticipation''. In 1973, Keltner was the session drummer on Bob Dylan's ''Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid'', which includes the hit "Knockin' on Heaven's Door". Keltner says that session "was a monumental session for me because it was such a touching song, it was the first time I actually cried when I was playing".

1980s

In the late 1980s, Keltner toured with Starr's All-Starr Band. He also played drums on both albums released by the 1980s supergroup, the Traveling Wilburys, playing under the pseudonym Buster Sidebury.

He has specialized in R&B;, and is said to have influenced Jeff Porcaro and Danny Seraphine of Chicago. His drumming style typically melds deceptively simple drum patterns and a casual, loose feel with extraordinary precision. Demonstrations of his style and range can be found from "Jealous Guy" on John Lennon's ''Imagine'', the hit single "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright, "Josie" on ''Aja'' by Steely Dan, "Watching the River Flow" by Bob Dylan and The Thorns' debut, in which he sensitively accompanies Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins. Keltner performed on many classic recordings by J. J. Cale, and often worked with bassist Tim Drummond.

In 1987, Keltner, along with guitarist Ry Cooder, and bassist Nick Lowe played on John Hiatt's ''Bring the Family''. Four years later the four musicians reunited as the band Little Village, recording an eponymously-named album.

He played on four Richard Thompson albums: ''Daring Adventures'' (1986), ''Amnesia'' (1988), ''Rumor and Sigh'' (1991) and ''you? me? us?'' (1996).

1990s to present

In the mid 1990s, Jim joined the London Metropolitan Orchestra on its recording of "An American Symphony", on the movie soundtrack for ''Mr Holland's Opus''.

In 2000, he toured with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on their "Tour of America".

In 2002, he briefly joined Bob Dylan's band during the European gigs while its main drummer, George Receli, recuperated from a hand injury. Later in the year, Keltner played in Concert For George, a tribute to Harrison a year following his death. Wearing the sweatshirt with a Bob Dylan logo, he reprised his role as the Wilburys' drummer, joining Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne for "Handle with Care."

In 2003, he toured with Simon & Garfunkel in their ''Old Friends'' tour.

In 2006, he toured with T-Bone Burnett in ''The True False Identity'' tour and was featured on Jerry Lee Lewis' album ''Last Man Standing''.

In 2006, he also worked with Phish keyboardist Page McConnell on his self-titled solo debut album.

In 2007, Money Mark's, ''Brand New by Tomorrow'', was released featuring Keltner and bassist Carol Kaye.

In 2008, Keltner appeared on ''Break up the Concrete'' by The Pretenders, on ''One Kind Favor'' by B. B. King and on Oasis' "The Boy with the Blues", a non album-track from ''Dig Out Your Soul''. Also, Keltner participated in the production of the album ''Psalngs'', the debut release of Canadian musician John Lefebvre.

In 2010, Keltner produced Jerry Lee Lewis' ''Mean Old Man'' duets CD. He played drums on Fistful of Mercy's debut album, As I Call You Down, which one of the band's members, Dhani Harrison, described in an interview as the first project of his that he felt worthy to bring to Keltner, who was an old family friend (Dhani is the son of George Harrison). Keltner also played on ''The Union'' by Leon Russell and Elton John, produced by T-Bone Burnett and released on October 10, 2010. He also appeared on the eponymous Eric Clapton album, on 8 of the 14 tracks.

Joseph Arthur's latest album ''The Graduation Ceremony'' (released May 24, 2011) features Keltner on drums, reprising a partnership that began with the Fistful of Mercy project.

References

External links

Jim Keltner page on Drummer World

[ Jim Keltner Biography - Allmusic.com]

Category:1942 births Category:Living people Category:American rock drummers Category:American musicians Category:Bob Dylan Category:People associated with The Beatles Category:People from Tulsa, Oklahoma Category:American session musicians Category:Delaney & Bonnie & Friends members Category:Plastic Ono Band members

de:Jim Keltner es:Jim Keltner fr:Jim Keltner ja:ジム・ケルトナー no:Jim Keltner nn:Jim Keltner pt:Jim Keltner ro:Jim Keltner simple:Jim Keltner sv:Jim Keltner

Coordinates	52°05′36″N5°7′10″N
Name	Ry Cooder
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Ryland Peter Cooder
Born	March 15, 1947Los Angeles, California, USA
Attended	Santa Monica High School
Instrument	Guitar, mandolin, vocals, array mbira
Genre	Americana, roots rock, folk, blues, Tex-Mex, country, gospel, world music
Occupation	Musician, songwriter, film scorer, record producer, instructor
Years active	1967–present
Label	Warner Bros. RecordsNonesuch/Elektra Records
Associated acts	Taj Mahal, Captain Beefheart, Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Nicky Hopkins, Gabby Pahinui, Buena Vista Social Club, Mavis Staples, Ali Farka Toure
Website	Ry Cooder }}

Ryland "Ry" Peter Cooder (born 15 March 1947) is an American guitarist, singer and composer.

He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in blues-rock, roots music from the United States, and, more recently, for his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.

Cooder's solo work has been an eclectic mix, taking in dust bowl folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and much else. He has collaborated with many important musicians, including The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Earl Hines, Little Feat, Captain Beefheart, The Chieftains, John Lee Hooker, Pops, Mavis Staples, Gabby Pahinui, Flaco Jiménez, Ibrahim Ferrer (Buena Vista Social Club), Freddy Fender and Ali Farka Touré. He formed the Little Village supergroup with Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner.

Cooder was ranked 8th on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." A 2010 ranking by Gibson placed him at number 32.

Career

1960s

During the 1960s, Cooder briefly attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Cooder first attracted attention in the 1960s, playing with Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, after previously having worked with Taj Mahal and Ed Cassidy in the Rising Sons. He also played with Randy Newman at this time, including on ''12 Songs'' and possibly Newman's first album, ''Randy Newman''. Van Dyke Parks worked with Newman and then with Cooder during the 1960s. Parks arranged Cooder's "One Meatball" according to Parks' 1984 interview by Bob Claster.

Cooder was a guest session musician on various recording sessions with the Rolling Stones in 1968 and 1969, and his contributions appear on the Stones' ''Let It Bleed'' (mandolin on "Love in Vain"), and ''Sticky Fingers'', on which he contributed the slide guitar on "Sister Morphine". During this period, Cooder joined with Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, and longtime Rolling Stones sideman Nicky Hopkins to record ''Jamming with Edward''. Cooder also played slide guitar for the 1970 movie ''Performance'', which contained Mick Jagger's first solo single, "Memo from Turner". The 1975 Rolling Stones compilation album ''Metamorphosis'' features an uncredited Cooder contribution on Bill Wyman's "Downtown Suzie", which is also the first Rolling Stones song played and recorded in the open G tuning.

Ry Cooder also collaborated extensively with long-time friend and like-minded individual, Lowell George of Little Feat. Cooder can be heard on the original version of Little Feat's "Willin'." He played slide guitar on that track after Lowell cut his finger whilst making model airplanes.

1970s

Throughout the 1970s, Cooder released a series of Warner Bros. Records albums that showcased his guitar work. Cooder, like a musicologist or treasure hunter, explored bygone musical genres and found great old-time recordings which he then, as a musician, personalized with sensitive, updated reworkings. Thus, on his breakthrough album, ''Into the Purple Valley'', he chose unusual instrumentations and performed his own arrangements of old Black blues and gospel songs, a Calypso, and white country music songs (giving a tempo change to the cowboy ballad, "Billy the Kid"). The album opened with a protest song, "How Can You Keep on Moving (Unless You Migrate Too)" by Agnes "Sis" Cunningham about the Okies who were not welcomed with open arms when they migrated to escape the Dust Bowl in the 1930s — to which Cooder gave a rousing-yet-satirical march accompaniment. His later 1970s albums (with the exception of ''Jazz'') do not fall under a single genre description, but — to generalize broadly — it might be fair to call Cooder's self-titled first album blues; ''Into the Purple Valley'', ''Boomer's Story'', and ''Paradise and Lunch'', folk and blues; ''Chicken Skin Music'' and ''Showtime'', a unique melange of Tex-Mex and Hawaiian; ''Jazz'', 1920s jazz; ''Bop Till You Drop'', 1950s' R&B;; and ''Borderline'' and ''Get Rhythm'', eclectic rock-based excursions. Cooder's 1979 album ''Bop Till You Drop'' was the first popular music album to be recorded digitally. It yielded his biggest hit, an R&B; cover version of Elvis Presley's 1960s recording "Little Sister". Ry Cooder is credited on Van Morrison's 1979 album, ''Into the Music'', for slide guitar on the song "Full Force Gale". Cooder also played guitar on Judy Collins' 1970 concert tour, and is featured on ''Living'', the 1971 live album recorded during that tour.

1980s

Cooder has worked as a studio musician and has also scored many film soundtracks including Wim Wenders film ''Paris, Texas'' (1984). Cooder based this soundtrack and title song "Paris, Texas" on Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)", which he described as "The most soulful, transcendent piece in all American music." "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)" was also the basis for Cooder's song "Powis Square" for the movie ''Performance''. His other film work includes Walter Hill's ''The Long Riders'' (1980), ''Southern Comfort'' (1981), ''Brewster's Millions'' (1985), ''Last Man Standing'' (1996), Hill's ''Trespass'' (1992) and Mike Nichols' ''Primary Colors'' (1998). Cooder dubbed all slide guitar parts in the 1986 film ''Crossroads'', a take on blues legend Robert Johnson. In 1988, Cooder produced the album by his longtime backing vocalists Bobby King and Terry Evans on Rounder Records titled ''Live and Let Live''. He contributed his slide guitar work to every track. He also plays extensively on their 1990 self-produced Rounder release ''Rhythm, Blues, Soul & Grooves''.

1990s

In the early 1990s Cooder collaborated on two world music "crossover" albums, which blended the traditional American musical genres that Cooder has championed throughout his career with the contemporary improvised music of India and Africa. For ''A Meeting by the River'' (1993), which also featured his son Joachim on percussion, he teamed with Hindustani classical musician V.M. Bhatt, a virtuoso of the Mohan Veena, a modified 20-string archtop guitar of Bhatt's own invention. In 1995 he teamed with African multi-instrumentalist Ali Farka Toure on the album ''Talking Timbuktu'', which he also produced; the album also featured longtime Cooder collaborator Jim Keltner on drums, veteran blues guitarist Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, jazz bassist John Patitucci and African percussionists and musicians including Hamma Sankare and Oumar Toure. Both albums won the Grammy Award for 'Best World Music Album' in 1994 and 1995 respectively. Cooder also worked with Tuvan throat singers for the score to the 1993 film ''Geronimo: An American Legend''.

In 1995 he performed in ''The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True'', a musical performance of the popular story at the Lincoln Center in New York to benefit the Children's Defense Fund. The performance was originally broadcast on Turner Network Television (TNT), and was issued on CD and video in 1996.

In the late 1990s Cooder played a significant role in the increased appreciation of traditional Cuban music, due to his collaboration as producer of the ''Buena Vista Social Club'' (1997) recording, which became a worldwide hit and revived the careers of some of the greatest surviving exponents of 20th century Cuban music. Wim Wenders, who had previously directed 1984's ''Paris Texas'', directed a documentary film of the musicians involved, ''Buena Vista Social Club'' (1999), which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000.

2000s

Cooder's 2005 album ''Chávez Ravine'' was touted by his record label as being "a post-World War II-era American narrative of 'cool cats', radios, UFO sightings, J. Edgar Hoover, red scares, and baseball" — the record is a tribute to the long-gone Los Angeles Latino enclave known as Chávez Ravine. Using real and imagined historical characters, Cooder and friends created an album that recollects various aspects of the poor but vibrant hillside Chicano community which no longer exists. Cooder says, "Here is some music for a place you don’t know, up a road you don’t go. Chávez Ravine, where the sidewalk ends." Drawing from the various musical strains of Los Angeles, including conjunto, corrido, R&B;, Latin pop, and jazz, Cooder and friends conjure the ghosts of Chávez Ravine and Los Angeles at mid-century. On this fifteen-track album, sung in Spanish and English, Cooder is joined by East L.A. legends like Chicano music patriarch Lalo Guerrero, Pachuco boogie king Don Tosti, Thee Midniters front man Little Willie G, and Ersi Arvizu, of The Sisters and El Chicano.

Cooder's next record was released in 2007. Entitled ''My Name Is Buddy'', it tells the story of Buddy Red Cat, who travels and sees the world in the company of his like-minded friends, Lefty Mouse and Rev. Tom Toad. The entire recording is a parable of the working class progressivism of the first half of the American twentieth century, and even has a song featuring executed unionist Joe Hill. ''My Name Is Buddy'' was accompanied by a booklet featuring a story and illustration (by Vincent Valdez) for each track, providing additional context to Buddy's adventures.

Cooder produced and performed on an album for Mavis Staples entitled ''We'll Never Turn Back'', which was released on April 24, 2007. The concept album focused on Gospel songs of the civil rights movement and also included two new original songs by Cooder.

Ry Cooder's album ''I, Flathead'' was released on June 24, 2008. It is the completion of his California trilogy. Based on the drag racing culture of the early 1960s, the album is set on the desert salt flats in southern California. The disc was also released as a deluxe edition with stories written by Cooder to accompany the music.

In late 2009, Cooder toured Japan, New Zealand and Australia with Nick Lowe, performing some of Lowe's songs and a selection of Cooder's own material, mainly from the 1970s. Joaquim Cooder (Ry's son) provided percussion, and Juliette Commagere and Alex Lilly contributed backing vocals.

The song "Diaraby", which Cooder recorded with Ali Farka Touré, is used as the theme to ''The World's'' Geoquiz. ''The World'' is a radio show distributed by Public Radio International.

In 2009, Cooder performed in ''The People Speak'', a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's ''A People's History of the United States''. Cooder performed with Bob Dylan and Van Dyke Parks on the documentary broadcast on December 13, 2009 on the ''History Channel''. They played "Do Re Mi" and reportedly a couple of other Guthrie songs that were excluded from the final edit. He also traveled with the band Los Tigres del Norte and recorded the 2010 album ''San Patricio'' with the Chieftains, Lila Downs, Liam Neeson, Linda Ronstadt, Van Dyke Parks, Los Cenzontles, and Los Tigres.

2010s

In June 2010, responding to the passage of Arizona SB 1070, he released the single "Quicksand", which tells the story of Mexicans attempting to emigrate to Arizona through the desert. Cooder's new album ''Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down'', released on 30 August 2011, contains politically charged songs such as "No Banker Left Behind" which was inspired by a Robert Scheer column.

Awards

1988 Grammy Award – ''Pecos Bill'' (Rabbit Ears Productions)

1993 Grammy Award – ''Meeting by the River''

1995 Grammy Award – ''Talking Timbuktu with Ali Farka Toure''

1998 Grammy Award – ''Buena Vista Social Club''

2000 – Ry Cooder received an honorary doctorate from Queen's University, Canada

2001 - Ry Cooder received an honorary doctorate from the California Institute of the Arts

2003 – ''Rolling Stone'' magazine named Ry Cooder the 8th Greatest Guitarist of All Time in their "100 Greatest Guitarists" list, p. 8

Discography

Singles

"Little Sister" (1979; Warner Records)

"Crazy 'Bout An Automobile (Every Woman I Know)" Recorded live, October 25, 1980 at Victoria Apollo, London / "If Walls Could Talk" Recorded live, February 26, 1981 at Old Waldorf, San Francisco, California / "The Very Thing That Makes You Rich (Makes Me Poor)" Recorded live, February 26, 1981 at Old Waldorf, San Francisco, California/ "Look At Granny Run Run" Recorded live, February 26, 1981 at Old Waldorf, San Francisco, California (1981; Warner Records)

"Gypsy Woman"/ "Alimony" (1982; Nonesuch Records)

"Get Rhythm"/ "Get Your Lies Straight/ "Down In Hollywood" (1988)

"Come Down" / "Get Rhythm" / "Little Sister" (1994)

"Quicksand" (June 2010)

Solo albums

''Ry Cooder'' (December 1970)

''Into the Purple Valley'' (February 1972)

''Boomer's Story'' (November 1972)

''Paradise and Lunch'' (May 1974)

''Chicken Skin Music'' (October 1976)

''Showtime'' (August 1977)

''Jazz'' (June 1978)

''Bop Till You Drop'' (August 1979)

''Borderline'' (October 1980)

''The Slide Area'' (April 1982)

''Get Rhythm'' (November 1987)

''Chávez Ravine'' (May 2005)

''My Name Is Buddy'' (March 2007)

''I, Flathead'' (June 2008)

''Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down'' (August 2011)

Compilations

''Why Don't You Try Me Tonight'' (1986)

''River Rescue - The Very Best Of Ry Cooder'' (1994)

''Music by Ry Cooder'' (1995) (two-disc set of film music)

''The Ry Cooder Anthology: The UFO Has Landed (October 2008)

Collaborations

''Tanyet'' (1967) (with The Ceyleib People)

''Rising Sons featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder'' (recorded 1965/66, released 1992)

''Little Village'' (1992)

''A Meeting by the River'' (1993) (with Vishwa Mohan Bhatt)

''Talking Timbuktu'' (1994) (with Ali Farka Touré)

''Buena Vista Social Club'' (September 1997)

''Hollow Bamboo'' with Jon Hassell and Ronu Majumdar (bansuri) (2000)

''Mambo Sinuendo'' (January 2003) (with Manuel Galbán)

''San Patricio'' (March 2010) (with The Chieftains)

Soundtracks

''Performance'' (1970)

''The Long Riders'' (June 1980)

''Southern Comfort'' (1981)

''The Border'' (1982)

''Paris, Texas'' (February 1985)

''Music from Alamo Bay'' (August 1985)

''Blue City'' (July 1986)

''Crossroads'' (July 1986)

''Cocktail (1988)

''Johnny Handsome'' (October 1989)

''Trespass'' (January 1993)

''Geronimo: An American Legend'' (1993)

''Last Man Standing'' (1996)

''The End of Violence'' (1997)

''Primary Colors'' (1998)

Performs on:

''Safe as Milk'' (1967) with Captain Beefheart

''Neil Young (album)'' (1968) with Neil Young

''The Candlestickmaker'' (1970) with Ron Elliott

''Washington County'' (1970) with Arlo Guthrie

''Living'' (1971) with Judy Collins

''Money and Cigarettes'' (February 1983) with Eric Clapton

''Midnight Mission'' (1984) Carla Olson & The Textones (featured on two songs)

''Bring the Family'' (1987) with John Hiatt

''Live and Let Live'' (1988) with Bobby King & Terry Evans

''King Cake Party'' (1994) with The Zydeco Party Band

Written works

''Los Angeles Stories'' (City Lights Publishers, 2011)

References

External links

Ry Cooder (Nonesuch Records)

Easy Guitar Chords Homepage

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/12/entertainment/la-et-people-speak12-2009dec12

Category:Living people Category:Lead guitarists Category:1947 births Category:American film score composers Category:American blues guitarists Category:American folk guitarists Category:American rock guitarists Category:American male singers Category:Buena Vista Social Club Category:Contemporary blues musicians Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:Musicians from California Category:Reed College alumni Category:Slide guitarists Category:Warner Bros. Records artists Category:Nonesuch Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:American musicologists Category:Captain Beefheart Category:The Magic Band members

br:Ry Cooder cs:Ry Cooder da:Ry Cooder de:Ry Cooder es:Ry Cooder fr:Ry Cooder fy:Ry Cooder it:Ry Cooder hu:Ry Cooder nl:Ry Cooder ja:ライ・クーダー no:Ry Cooder pl:Ry Cooder pt:Ry Cooder ru:Кудер, Рай sr:Raj Kuder fi:Ry Cooder sv:Ry Cooder tr:Ry Cooder uk:Рай Кудер

Coordinates	52°05′36″N5°7′10″N
Name	Levon Helm
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Mark Lavon Helm
Birth date	May 26, 1940
birth place	Marvell, Arkansas, United States
Instrument	Vocals, drums, mandolin, guitar, bass, harmonica
Genre	Rock and roll, rhythm and blues, rock, blues, country, folk
Occupation	Musician, songwriter, actor, producer
Years active	1957–present
Label	Capitol, Mobile Fidelity, MCA, Breeze Hill, Levon |Helm Studios, ABC, Vanguard, Roulette Records
Associated acts	The Band, Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks, Bob Dylan, Levon Helm's Ramble on the Road, Levon Helm and The RCO All-Stars, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band
Website	}}

Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (born May 26, 1940), is an American rock multi-instrumentalist and actor who achieved fame as the drummer and frequent lead and backing vocalist for The Band. Helm is known for his deeply soulful, country-accented voice, and creative drumming style highlighted on many of The Band's recordings, such as "The Weight", "Up on Cripple Creek", "Ophelia" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". His 2007 comeback album ''Dirt Farmer'' earned the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album in February 2008, and in November of that year, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him #91 in the list of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2010, ''Electric Dirt'', his 2009 follow-up to ''Dirt Farmer'', won the first ever Grammy Award for Best Americana Album, an inaugural category in 2010.

Biography

Early years

Helm was born in Elaine, Arkansas, and grew up in Turkey Scratch, a hamlet west of Helena, Arkansas, the son of Nell and Diamond Helm, who were cotton farmers and also great lovers of music who encouraged their children to play and sing. Young Lavon (as he was christened) began playing the guitar at the age of eight and also played drums during his formative years. He saw Bill Monroe & his Blue Grass Boys at the age of six and decided then and there to become a musician.

Arkansas in the 1940s and 50s was at the confluence of a variety of musical styles—blues, country and R&B;—that later became known as rock and roll. Helm was influenced by all these styles listening to the Grand Ole Opry on radio station WSM and R&B; on radio station WLAC out of Nashville, Tennessee. He also saw traveling shows such as F.S. Walcott's Rabbit's Foot Minstrels that featured top African-American artists of the time.

Another early influence on Helm was the work of harmonica, guitarist and singer Sonny Boy Williamson II, who played blues and early R&B; on the King Biscuit Time radio show on KFFA in Helena and performed regularly in Marvell with blues guitarist Robert Jr. Lockwood. In his 1993 autobiography, ''This Wheel's on Fire - Levon Helm and the Story of The Band'', Helm describes watching Williamson's drummer, James "Peck" Curtis, intently during a live performance in the early 1950s and later imitating this R&B; drumming style. Helm established his first band, The Jungle Bush Beaters, while in high school.

Helm also witnessed some of the earliest performances by southern country, blues and rockabilly artists such as Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty, Bo Diddley and a fellow Arkansan, Ronnie Hawkins. At age 17, Helm began playing in clubs and bars around Helena.

The Hawks

After graduating from high school, Helm was invited to join Ronnie Hawkins' band, The Hawks, who were a popular bar and club act across the South and also in Canada, where rockabilly acts were very popular. Soon after Helm joined The Hawks, they moved to Toronto, Canada, where, in 1959, they signed with Roulette Records and released several singles, including a few hits.

Helm reports in his biography, ''This Wheel's on Fire'', that fellow Hawks band members had difficulty pronouncing "Lavon" correctly, and started calling him "Levon" () because it was easier.

In the early 1960s Helm and Hawkins recruited an all-Canadian lineup of musicians: guitarist Robbie Robertson, bassist Rick Danko, pianist Richard Manuel and organist Garth Hudson- although all the musicians were multi-instrumentalists. In 1963, the band parted ways with Hawkins and started touring under the name "Levon and The Hawks," and later as "The Canadian Squires" before finally changing back to "The Hawks." They recorded two singles, but remained mostly a popular touring bar band in Texas, Arkansas, Canada and on the East Coast where they found regular summer club gigs on the New Jersey shore.

By the mid 1960s, Bob Dylan was interested in performing electric rock music and asked The Hawks to be his backing band. Disheartened by fans' negative response to Dylan's new sound, Helm returned to Arkansas for what turned out to be a two-year layoff, being replaced by Mickey Jones. During this period Helm ended up working on off-shore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico until he was asked to rejoin the band. After the Hawks toured Europe as Dylan's backing band, they followed Dylan to reside in the area in and around Woodstock, New York and remained under salary to him. There they recorded a large volume of demo and practice tapes, playing almost daily with Dylan, who had completely withdrawn from public life the previous year. These recordings were widely bootlegged and the best tracks were officially released in 1975 as The Basement Tapes double album. The songs and themes developed during this period played a crucial role in the group's future direction and style. The Hawks members began writing their own songs. Rick Danko and Richard Manuel also shared writing credits with Dylan on a few songs. In 1967, Danko called Helm and invited him to return to the band in Woodstock.

The Band

Helm returned to the group, which by then was often referred to simply as "the band." While contemplating a recording contract Helm had dubbed the band as "The Crackers." However, when Robertson and Albert Grossman worked out the contracts, the group's name was cited as "The Band." Under these contracts, The Band was contracted to Grossman, who in turn contracted their services to Capitol Records. The arrangement allowed The Band to release recordings on other labels only if the work was done in support of Dylan. This allowed The Band to play on Dylan's Planet Waves album and on The Last Waltz, both non-Capitol releases. They recorded the album ''Music From Big Pink'', which catapulted them into stardom.

On ''Big Pink'', Manuel was the most prominent vocalist and Helm sang mainly backup, with the exception of "The Weight," but as Manuel's health deteriorated and Robbie Robertson's songwriting increasingly looked south for influence and direction, subsequent albums relied more and more on Helm's vocals, alone or in harmony with Danko. Helm played drums for perhaps 85% of The Band's songs, including most of those for which he sang lead. On the others, Manuel switched to drums while Helm played mandolin or, on rare occasion, guitar or bass. The entire group was multi-instrumental and for certain songs the group featured Manuel on drums, Helm on mandolin (as on "Evangeline"), rhythm guitar (the 12-string guitar backdrop to "Daniel and the Sacred Harp" is by Helm), or bass (while Danko played fiddle).

Helm remained with The Band until their 1976 farewell performance, ''The Last Waltz'', which was recorded in a documentary film by Martin Scorsese. Although many now know Helm through his appearance in the concert film – a performance remarkable for the fact that Helm's vocal tracks appear substantially as he sang them during a grueling concert – he repudiated his involvement with the film shortly after the final scenes were shot and, in his autobiography, offers scathing criticisms of the film and of his former bandmate, Robertson, who produced it.

Solo artist and the reformed Band

With the breakup of The Band in its original form, Helm began working on a solo album ''Levon Helm and the RCO All Stars'', which was followed soon thereafter by ''Levon Helm''. He recorded solo albums in 1980 and 1982 entitled ''American Son'' and (once again) ''Levon Helm''. Helm also participated in Paul Kennerley's 1980 country music concept album, ''The Legend of Jesse James'', singing the role of Jesse James alongside Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris and Albert Lee.

In 1983, The Band reunited without Robbie Robertson, with Jim Weider on guitar. But then Manuel committed suicide while on tour in 1986. Helm, Danko and Hudson continued in The Band, releasing the album ''Jericho'' in 1993 and ''High on the Hog'' in 1996. The final album from The Band was the 30th anniversary album, ''Jubilation'', released in 1998.

In 1989, Helm and Rick Danko toured with Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band. Other musicians in the band included Joe Walsh, Dr. John, Nils Lofgren, Billy Preston, Clarence Clemons and Jim Keltner. Garth Hudson guested on accordion on certain dates. Levon played drums, harmonica and sang "The Weight" and "Up On Cripple Creek" each night.

Helm published an autobiography entitled ''This Wheel's on Fire'' in 1993.

Helm performed with Rick Danko and Garth Hudson as The Band in 1990 at Roger Waters' Epic The Wall Live In Berlin concert to an estimated 300,000 to half a million people.

The Midnight Ramble

Helm's performance career in the 2000s has revolved mainly around the Midnight Ramble at his home and studio, "the Barn," in Woodstock, New York. These concerts, featuring Helm and a variety of musical guests, have allowed Helm to raise money for medical bills and to resume performing after a nearly career-ending bout with cancer.

Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer in the late 1990s after suffering hoarseness. Advised to undergo laryngectomy, Helm instead underwent an arduous regimen of radiation treatments at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Although the tumor was successfully removed, his vocal cords were damaged, and his clear, powerful tenor voice was replaced by a quiet rasp. Initially Helm only played drums and relied on guest vocalists at the Rambles, but Helm's singing voice grew stronger and on January 10, 2004, he sang for the first time at one of his Ramble Sessions. In 2007, during production of ''Dirt Farmer'', he estimated that his singing voice was 80% recovered.

The Levon Helm Band features his daughter Amy Helm, along with Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, Jimmy Weider (the Band's last guitarist), Jimmy Vivino, Mike Merritt, Brian Mitchell, Erik Lawrence, Steven Bernstein, Howard Johnson (tuba player in the horn section that played on The Band's "Rock of Ages" and "The Last Waltz" live albums), Byron Isaacs, and blues harmonica player Little Sammy Davis. He hosts Midnight Rambles at his home in Woodstock, New York that are open to the public.

The Midnight Ramble is an outgrowth of an idea Helm explained to Martin Scorsese in ''The Last Waltz.'' Earlier in the 20th century, Helm explained, traveling medicine shows and music shows such as F.S. Walcott Rabbit's Foot Minstrels, featuring African-American blues singers and dancers, would put on titillating performances in rural areas. This was also turned into a song by the Band, "The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show," with the name altered so the lyric was easier to sing.

"After the finale, they'd have the midnight ramble," Helm told Scorsese. With young children off the premises, the show resumed: "The songs would get a little bit juicier. The jokes would get a little funnier and the prettiest dancer would really get down and shake it a few times. A lot of the rock and roll duck walks and moves came from that."

Artists who have performed at the Rambles include Helm's former bandmate Garth Hudson, as well as Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Chris Robinson, Allen Toussaint, Donald Fagen of Steely Dan and Jimmy Vivino of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien's" The Max Weinberg 7. Other performers have included Sean Costello, The Muddy Waters Tribute Band, Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Justin Townes Earle, Bow Thayer, Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, Ricki Lee Jones, Kate Taylor, Ollabelle, The Holmes Brothers, Catherine Russell, Norah Jones, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Phil Lesh (along with his sons Grahame and Brian), Hot Tuna (although Jorma Kaukonen introduced the group as "The Secret Squirrels"), MichaelAngelo D'Arrigo with various members of the Sistine Chapel, Johnny Johnson, Ithalia, and David Bromberg.

For drumming, in recent years Helm has switched to the matched grip and adopted a less busy, greatly simplified style, as opposed to his years with The Band when he played with the traditional grip.

Helm has been touring every year for the last few years, generally on the northeastern part of the American mainland, traveling to shows by private bus. Since 2007, Helm has performed in larger venues including the Beacon Theater in New York. Dr. John and Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers Band, Govt. Mule) and Garth Hudson played at the concerts as well along with several other guests. At a show in Vancouver, Canada, Elvis Costello joined to sing "Tears of Rage." The Alexis P. Suter Band has been an opening act. Helm is a favorite of Don Imus and has been frequently featured on ''Imus in the Morning.'' In the Summer of 2009 it was reported that a reality television series centering around the Midnight Ramble was in the works.

''Dirt Farmer'' and After

Fall 2007 saw the release of ''Dirt Farmer'', Helm's first studio solo album since 1982. Dedicated to Helm's parents and co-produced by his daughter Amy, the album combines traditional tunes Levon recalled from his youth with newer songs (by Steve Earle, Paul Kennerley and others) which flow from similar historical streams.

The album was released to almost immediate critical acclaim, and earned him a Grammy Award in the Traditional Folk Album category for 2007.

Helm declined to attend the Grammy Awards ceremony, instead holding a "Midnight Gramble" and celebrating the birth of his grandson, named Lavon (Lee) Henry Collins in honor of Helm, whose birth name is Mark Lavon Helm and who was called by his middle name since a young age.

In 2008 Levon Helm performed at Warren Haynes' Mountain Jam Music Festival in Hunter, NY. Helm played alongside Warren Haynes on the last day of the three-day festival. Levon also joined Bob Weir & Ratdog on stage as they closed out the festival. Levon Helm performed to great acclaim at the 2008 Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, held June 12–15.

Helm drummed on a couple of tracks for Jorma Kaukonen's February, 2009 album ''River of Time'', recorded at the Levon Helm studio.

Helm released ''Electric Dirt'' on his own label on June 30, 2009. The album won a best album Grammy for the newly created Americana category in 2010. He performed on the David Letterman show on July 9, 2009, touring, in a supporting role, with the Black Crowes during the same year.

In March, 2010, a documentary on Helm's day-to-day life titled ''Ain't in It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm'' was released. Directed by Jacob Hatley, it made its debut at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas, and went on to screen at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June.

On May 11, 2011, the ''Ramble at the Ryman'' live album was released by Welk Records. It was recorded during a show at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium in 2008 and features Levon Helm' s band (led by multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell and vocalist and mandolinist Amy Helm) playing The Band's well-known songs as well as Helm's solo material.

As an actor

Helm has also had a considerable career as an actor. He has appeared in the movies ''The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada'', ''Shooter'', ''Smooth Talk'', ''The Right Stuff'', ''The Dollmaker'', ''Feeling Minnesota, End of the Line'', ''In the Electric Mist'', ''Fire Down Below'', ''Staying Together'' and portrayed Loretta Lynn's father in the film ''Coal Miner's Daughter'' opposite Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones.

Tributes

Marc Cohn wrote the song "Listening to Levon" in 2007. "The Man Behind the Drums," written by Robert Earl Keen and Bill Whitbeck, appeared on Keen's 2009 album ''The Rose Hotel.''

Discography

With The Band

1968 ''Music from Big Pink''

1969 ''The Band''

1970 ''Stage Fright''

1971 ''Cahoots''

1972 ''Rock of Ages'' (live concert album)

1973 ''Moondog Matinee'' (collection of covers)

1974 ''Before the Flood'' (live album with The Band and Bob Dylan)

1975 ''Northern Lights - Southern Cross''

1975 ''The Basement Tapes'' (with Bob Dylan)

1977 ''Islands''

1978 ''The Last Waltz'' (live concert album with additional studio material)

1993 ''Jericho''

1996 ''High on the Hog''

1998 ''Jubilation''

Selected solo and other efforts

1977 ''Levon Helm & the RCO All-Stars'' (ABC) U.S. #142 1978 ''Levon Helm'' (ABC) U.S. #206

1980 ''American Son'' (MCA)

1982 ''Levon Helm'' (Capitol)

1999 ''The Ties That Bind'' (Raven Records)

2000 ''Souvenir, Vol. 1'' (Breeze Hill) – Levon Helm & The Crowmatix

2005 ''Midnight Ramble Sessions Volume I''

2005 ''Midnight Ramble Sessions Volume II''

2006 ''Levon Helm & the RCO All Stars Live'' (Levon Helm Studios)

2007 ''Dirt Farmer'' (Vanguard), U.S. #102

2009 ''Electric Dirt'' (Dirt Farmer Music), U.S. #36

2011 ''Ramble At The Ryman'' (Vanguard)

References

External links

Levon Helm's Official Site

Levon Helm's biography

[ Allmusic]

Review of Dirt Farmer

RS Editor's Review: Electric Dirt

Category:1940 births Category:Living people Category:ABC Records artists Category:American autobiographers Category:American country rock musicians Category:American drummers Category:American male singers Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:Cancer survivors Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from Arkansas Category:Actors from Arkansas Category:People from Phillips County, Arkansas Category:The Band members Category:Vanguard Records artists

da:Levon Helm de:Levon Helm es:Levon Helm fr:Levon Helm nl:Levon Helm ja:リヴォン・ヘルム no:Levon Helm nn:Levon Helm pl:Levon Helm pt:Levon Helm sv:Levon Helm

Coordinates	52°05′36″N5°7′10″N
name	John Hiatt
landscape	Yes
background	solo_singer
born	August 20, 1952Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
instrument	Vocals, guitar, keyboard, Harmonica
genre	Americana, folk rock, country, blues, Heartland rock
years active	1972–present
label	MCA, Geffen, Vanguard,
website	http://www.johnhiatt.com
Notable instruments	}}

John Hiatt (born August 20, 1952, Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American rock guitarist, pianist, singer, and songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including New Wave, blues and country. Hiatt has been nominated for several Grammy Awards - although he has never won- and has been awarded a variety of other distinctions in the music industry. He remains one of the most respected and influential American singer-songwriters.

Hiatt was working as a songwriter for Tree International, a record label in Nashville when his song "Sure As I'm Sittin' Here" was covered by Three Dog Night. The song became a Top 40 hit, earning Hiatt a recording contract with Epic Records. Since then he has released eighteen studio albums and two live albums. His songs have been covered by a variety of artists in multiple genres, including Bob Dylan, Willy DeVille, Ry Cooder, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Three Dog Night, Joan Baez, Paula Abdul, Buddy Guy, the Desert Rose Band, Jimmy Buffett, Mandy Moore, Iggy Pop, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Rosanne Cash, Suzy Bogguss, Jewel, Aaron Neville, Jeff Healey, Keith Urban, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan and many others. Also the Dutch singer/songwriter Ilse DeLange recorded the album ''Dear John'' with nine of his songs.

Musical career

Early life and career

John Hiatt was born in 1952 to Robert and Ruth Hiatt. When Hiatt was nine years old, his 21-year-old brother Michael committed suicide. Only two years later, his father died after a long sickness. To escape from the stress of his early life, Hiatt watched IndyCar racing and listened to Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and the blues. In his youth, Hiatt reports that he and several others stole a Ford Thunderbird, a crime for which he was caught by the owners but got away with, posing as a hitchhiker. He learned to play the guitar when he was eleven, and began his musical career in Indianapolis, Indiana as a teenager. He played in a variety of local clubs, most notably the Hummingbird. Hiatt played with a variety of bands, including The Four-Fifths and John Lynch & the Hangmen.

Hiatt moved to Nashville, Tennessee when he was eighteen years old and got a job as a songwriter for the Tree-Music Publishing Company for twenty-five dollars a week. Hiatt, who was unable to read or write scores, had to record all 250 songs he wrote for the company. He also began playing with the band White Duck, as one of three singer-songwriters within the group. White Duck had already recorded one album before Hiatt joined. He appeared on their second album, ''In Season'' (1972). Hiatt performed live in many clubs around Nashville with White Duck, and as a solo act.

Early solo career (1974-78)

Hiatt met Don Ellis of Epic Records in 1973, and received a record deal, releasing his first single, "We Make Spirit," later that year with Ellis on drums and Michael Bell, a young but powerhouse guitar player from Hampton, Virginia on second lead guitar. That same year Hiatt wrote the song "Sure As I'm Sitting Here," which was recorded by Three Dog Night, and went to number 16 on the ''Billboard'' chart in 1974. Bell, a student of Ferguson High School in Newport News, Virginia went on to play lead guitar after graduation until 1980 where he went lead for Carl Ellis and Juke Box Heros while drummer Ellis remained.

In 1974 he released ''Hangin' Around the Observatory'', which was a critical success and a commercial failure. A year later, ''Overcoats'' was released, and when it also failed to sell, Epic released Hiatt from his contract. For the next four years he was without a recording contract. During this time his style evolved from country-rock to New Wave influenced rock in the style of Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and Graham Parker.

The MCA/Geffen Years (1979-1986)

Hiatt was picked up by the MCA label in 1979. He released two albums for the label in 1979 and 1980, neither of which met with commercial success. He received a few good reviews for these albums by critics in the Netherlands. He performed at the Paradiso in Amsterdam for the first time in 1979 (opening for Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes) and came back often and built a solid fan base. Hiatt was signed to Geffen (which would later absorb MCA) in 1982, where he recorded three diverse albums from 1982-85. The first, ''All of a Sudden'' was produced by Tony Visconti, and featured use of keyboards and synthesisers; his future albums combined country and soul influences. ''Riding With the King'' appeared in 1983, produced by Scott Mathews, Ron Nagle and Nick Lowe. Hiatt began making 'critics choice' lists and building a large European following. The title track (taken from an odd dream Scott Mathews had) was re-recorded two decades later by Eric Clapton and B.B. King and went double platinum.

During this period, Rosanne Cash covered several Hiatt compositions, taking "It Hasn't Happened Yet" to the Top 20 on the country charts. In 1983, Cash would duet with Hiatt on his "The Way We Make a Broken Heart" produced by Mathews and Nagle. When Geffen failed to release the single, Cash re-recorded it in 1987 and it went to #1 on the US country charts. Rick Nelson also covered "It Hasn't Happened Yet" on his 1981 album ''Playing to Win''.

Hiatt recorded a duet with Elvis Costello, a cover version of the Spinners' song, "Living A Little, Laughing A Little," which appeared on ''Warming Up to the Ice Age''. Shortly after its release, Bob Dylan covered Hiatt's song "The Usual," which had appeared on the soundtrack to the film, ''Hearts of Fire''. However, Geffen dropped Hiatt from the label after ''Ice Age'' failed to chart.

Success at last (1987-1989)

Hiatt finally came into success in 1987, when he released his first big hit, ''Bring the Family''. For the album, Hiatt had a backing band consisting of Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner. One of the cuts from the album, "Have a Little Faith in Me," would be covered by a number of artists, including Joe Cocker, Delbert McClinton, Jewel (singer), Bill Frisell, Mandy Moore and Bon Jovi. "Thank You Girl" was a moderate radio hit, but nothing that would garner Hiatt national attention. But most notably, Bonnie Raitt would bring "Thing Called Love" to #11 on the U.S. charts with her 1989 release, ''Nick of Time''.

Following ''Bring the Family'', Hiatt had a string of nine straight studio albums hit the Billboard 200.

In 1988, he returned to the studio to record ''Slow Turning'', which would be his first album to hit the upper half of the Billboard 200. It also featured his only top ten chart single, the title track, which hit #8 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. As well, "Tennessee Plates", would later appear in the Ridley Scott directed and Academy Award winning film, ''Thelma and Louise'' in 1991. In 1989, The Jeff Healey Band covered the Hiatt-penned song "Angel Eyes", and took it to the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100.

The 1990s and beyond

In 1992, Cooder, Keltner, and Lowe again backed up Hiatt, but this time they gave themselves a band name, Little Village, a reference to a Sonny Boy Williamson II project. Expectations for the ''Little Village'' album were high, but the album failed to even chart as high as Hiatt's last solo album, and the group disbanded after an only moderately successful tour.

In 1993, Hiatt recorded ''Perfectly Good Guitar'' with members of alternative rock groups School of Fish and Wire Train. Hiatt recorded the album with producer Matt Wallace who had worked most prominently with Faith No More, a band that Hiatt's 15-year-old son Rob had recommended for him. It was Hiatt's highest peaking album at #47, but again was still not the true commercial breakthrough A&M; expected. The next year, Hiatt released ''Hiatt Comes Alive at Budokan?'', his first live album and his last album with A&M; Records.

Hiatt received his first Grammy nomination in 1995 for his album ''Walk On''. Hiatt's next few albums never gained any momentum on the charts, and he saw little change in his fanbase in the late 1990s, indicating a dedicated following. In 2000, Hiatt released his first independent album on Vanguard Records, ''Crossing Muddy Waters'', which saw a heavy influence of bluegrass in his music. Later that year, he was named songwriter/artist of the year at the Nashville Music Awards. In 2001, ''Crossing Muddy Waters'' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album, with Davey Faragher and David Immerglück as his only accompanists.

In 2002, Hiatt performed several songs for the soundtrack to Disney's ''Country Bears'' movie, representing the voice of the lead singer.

''It'll Come To You...The Songs of John Hiatt,'' a compilation album of covers of Hiatt's songs was also released on Vanguard. A CD and DVD of John Hiatt's performance on ''Austin City Limits'' was released in 2005.

Hiatt's album, ''Master of Disaster'', was released on June 21, 2005. The album was produced by Jim Dickinson, and Hiatt was backed up by the bassist David Hood and several members of the North Mississippi Allstars. The album achieved modest sales, becoming a top ten independent album, but eluded significant commercial success in the same manner that his previous albums did.

On February 12, 2008, during a concert with Lyle Lovett at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Canada, Hiatt said that his new album would be titled ''Same Old Man''. It was released on May 27, 2008.

On July 18, 2008 Hiatt performed at Ravinia Park in Highland Park, Illinois with his daughter, Lilly.

In March 2010, Hiatt released ''The Open Road.''

TV and movie appearances

Performed on "Saturday Night Live" as the week's featured musical guest in 1989.

Host of "Sessions at West 54th" during the series' third and final season.

Performed on "Austin City Limits", originally taped December 14, 1993.

Wrote and performed "Alone in the Dark" in "True Lies", 1994 ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111503/ ).

Performed on "Hard Rock Live", 1997.

Performed on "Where Music Meets Film: Live from Sundance", 1999.

Contributed the singing voice to Ted Bedderhead in the animated Disney film ''The Country Bears'', 2002.

Appeared as himself on an episode of "Yes Dear", originally aired May 3, 2004.

Performed as himself on an episode of "Treme" originally aired May 29, 2011

Discography

Studio albums

''Hangin' Around the Observatory'', Epic Records (1974)

''Overcoats'', Epic Records (1975)

''Slug Line'', MCA Records (1979)

''Two Bit Monsters'', MCA Records (1980)

''All of a Sudden'', Geffen Records (1982)

''Riding with the King'', Geffen Records (1983)

''Warming Up to the Ice Age'', Geffen Records (1985)

''Bring the Family'', A&M; Records (1987)

''Slow Turning'', A&M; Records (1988)

''Stolen Moments'', A&M; Records (1990)

''Perfectly Good Guitar'', A&M; Records (1993)

''Walk On'', Capitol Records (1995)

''Little Head'', Capitol Records (1997)

''Crossing Muddy Waters'', Vanguard Records (2000)

''The Tiki Bar is Open'', Vanguard Records (2001)

''Beneath This Gruff Exterior'', New West Records (2003)

''Master of Disaster'', New West Records (2005)

''Same Old Man'', New West Records (2008)

''The Open Road'', New West Records (2010)

''Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns'', New West Records (2011)

Awards

2000 Nashville Music Awards: Songwriter/Artist of the Year

2008 Americana Music Association: Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting

References

External links

John Hiatt's official website

The open road

John Hiatt fan site

Category:1952 births Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American male singers Category:American blues guitarists Category:American country guitarists Category:American rock guitarists Category:Musicians from Indianapolis, Indiana Category:Vanguard Records artists Category:Living people Category:New West Records artists

da:John Hiatt de:John Hiatt fr:John Hiatt fy:John Hiatt it:John Hiatt nl:John Hiatt ru:Хайатт, Джон fi:John Hiatt sv:John Hiatt

Coordinates	52°05′36″N5°7′10″N
background	solo_singer
birth name	Nicholas Drain Lowe
born	March 24, 1949Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano/keyboards, bass
genre	Rock, pub rock, New Wave, Power Pop
occupation	Musician, singer-songwriter
years active	1966–present
label	Columbia Records, Demon Records, F-Beat Records, Radar Records, Reprise Records, Upstart Records, Yep Roc Records, Stiff Records, Proper Records (current).
associated acts	Brinsley Schwarz, Rockpile, Elvis Costello, The Attractions, The Imposters, Huey Lewis and the News, Noise To Go, The Cowboy Outfit, Johnny Cash, Little Village
website	nicklowe.net
notable instruments	}}

Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949, Walton-on-Thames), better known as Nick Lowe, is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.

A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica. He is best known for his songs "Cruel to Be Kind" (a U.S. Top 40 single), and "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" (a top 10 UK hit), as well as his production work with Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, and others. Lowe also wrote "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding", a hit for Costello.

He currently lives in Brentford, London, England.

Biography

Lowe began his musical career in 1967, when he joined the band Kippington Lodge, with his friend Brinsley Schwarz. They released a few singles on the Parlophone record label as Kippington Lodge before they re-named the band Brinsley Schwarz in late 1969, and began performing country and blues-rock. Lowe wrote some of his best-known compositions while a member of Brinsley Schwarz, including "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding", a hit for Elvis Costello in 1979, and "Cruel to Be Kind", a solo hit for Lowe in 1979.

After leaving Brinsley Schwarz in 1975, Lowe began playing in Rockpile with Dave Edmunds. In August 1976, Lowe released "So It Goes" b/w "Heart of the City", the first single on the Stiff Records label where he was an in-house producer. The single and thus the label was funded by a loan of £400 from Dr. Feelgood's Lee Brilleaux. The label's first EP was Lowe's 1977 four-track release ''Bowi'', apparently named in response to David Bowie's contemporaneous LP ''Low''. (The joke was repeated when Lowe produced The Rumour's album ''Max'' as an 'answer' to Fleetwood Mac's ''Rumours''). Lowe continued producing albums on Stiff and other labels. In 1977 he produced Dr. Feelgood's album, ''Be Seeing You'', which included his own song, "That's It, I Quit". The following year's Dr. Feelgood album, ''Private Practice'', contained a song Lowe jointly penned with Gypie Mayo – "Milk and Alcohol". Along with "I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass", "Milk and Alcohol" is one of only two Lowe compositions to ever reach the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart.

Lowe produced Elvis Costello's first five albums, including ''My Aim Is True'', ''This Year's Model'', and ''Armed Forces''. He also produced The Damned's first single, "New Rose", considered the first English punk single, as well as the group's debut album, ''Damned Damned Damned''.

His early 'rough and ready' production style earned him the nickname Basher (as in 'bash it out now, tart it up later'). Upon moving from Stiff to Jake Riviera's Radar and F-Beat labels, Lowe became selective in his choice of production tasks.

Because the two main singers in Rockpile had recording contracts with different record labels and managers, albums were always credited to either Lowe or Edmunds, so there is only one official Rockpile album, which was not released until the waning days of the collaboration: 1980's ''Seconds of Pleasure'', featuring the Lowe songs "When I Write The Book" and "Heart". However, two of the pair's most significant solo albums from the period; Lowe's ''Labour of Lust'' and Edmunds' ''Repeat When Necessary'', were effectively Rockpile albums (as was Carlene Carter's Lowe-produced ''Musical Shapes'' album).

Lowe was quoted as saying that he had "escaped from the tyranny of the snare drum" in ''No Depression'', (September–October 2001) when explaining his move away from regular pop music that would get played on mainstream radio.

Other well-known Lowe songs include "I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass," "All Men Are Liars," and Cruel to Be Kind, co-written with Ian Gomm and originally recorded with Brinsley Schwarz, a re-recording of which was his only U.S. Top 40 hit, reaching #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979.

In 1979, Lowe married country singer Carlene Carter, daughter of fellow country singers Carl Smith and June Carter Cash and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash. He adopted her daughter, Tiffany Anastasia Lowe. The marriage ended in 1990, but they remained friends, and Lowe remained close to the Carter/Cash family. He played and recorded with Johnny Cash, and Cash recorded several of Lowe's songs. Lowe's first son, Roy Lowe, was born in 2005.

After the demise of Rockpile, Lowe toured for a period with his band Noise To Go and later with The Cowboy Outfit, which also included the noted keyboard player Paul Carrack. Lowe was also a member of the short-lived mainly studio project Little Village with John Hiatt, Ry Cooder and Jim Keltner, who originally got together to record Hiatt's 1987 album ''Bring the Family''.

In 1992, "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" was covered by Curtis Stigers on the soundtrack album to ''The Bodyguard'', an album that sold over 15 million copies.

A New York ''Daily News'' article quoted Lowe as saying his greatest fear in recent years was "sticking with what you did when you were famous". "I didn't want to become one of those thinning-haired, jowly old geezers who still does the same shtick they did when they were young, slim and beautiful," he said. "That's revolting and rather tragic." Rock critic Jim Farber observed: "Lowe's recent albums, epitomised by the new ''At My Age'', moved him out of the realms of ironic pop and animated rock and into the role of a worldly balladeer, specialising in grave vocals and graceful tunes. Lowe's four most recent solo albums mine the wealth of American roots music, drawing on vintage country, soul and R&B; to create an elegant mix of his own."

In 2008, Yep Roc and Proper Records released a thirtieth anniversary edition of Lowe's first solo album ''Jesus of Cool'' (entitled ''Pure Pop for Now People'' in the U.S. with a slightly different track listing). The re-issue includes tracks from the British and American releases in addition to several bonus tracks. In March 2009, he released a 49 track CD/DVD compilation of songs which spanned his entire career. Proper Records released it in the UK and Europe, entitled ''Quiet Please... The New Best of Nick Lowe''.

In September 2010 Yep Roc issued ''The Impossible Bird'', ''Dig My Mood'' and ''The Convincer'' on vinyl for the first time, and after a one-night reunion concert with Elvis Costello in October in San Francisco, Lowe embarked on his first non-solo United States tour "this millennium." His backing band comprised Geraint Watkins (keyboards), Robert Treherne (drums), Johnny Scott (guitar) and Matt Radford (bass). In March 2011, Yep Roc reissued Lowe's 1979 solo album ''Labour of Lust''.

Lowe played Glastonbury 2011, performing a short solo set of Brinsley Schwarz tracks on The Spirit Of 71 stage, where they played back in 1971, before heading to the Acoustic Stage for a full band show.

Discography

Studio albums

''Jesus of Cool'' (1978, UK) (released in the U.S. as ''Pure Pop for Now People'')

''Labour of Lust'' (1979)

''Nick the Knife'' (1982)

''The Abominable Showman'' (1983)

''Nick Lowe & His Cowboy Outfit'' (1984)

''The Rose of England'' (1985)

''Pinker and Prouder than Previous'' (1988)

''Party of One'' (1990)

''The Impossible Bird'' (1994)

''Dig My Mood'' (1998)

''The Convincer'' (2001)

''At My Age'' (2007)

The Old Magic (2011) UK webpage

Live albums

''Untouched Takeaway'' (2004)

Singles

Release date	Title	Chart Positions	Notes
! UK Singles Chart	! Australia	! Canada	Hot 100>U.S. Hot 100
1976
1976	"Keep It Out of Sight"					Holland-only release.
1977	"The Bowi EP"					7" EP. Tracks: "Born a Woman" / "Shake that Rat" / "Marie Provost" / "Endless Sleep"
1977	"Halfway to Paradise"
1978	"I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass"					The first ever Radar Records label single
1978	"Little Hitler"
1978	"American Squirm"					B-side featured the Elvis Costello and the Attractions version of "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding"
1979	"Crackin' Up"
1979	"Cruel to Be Kind"					This is not a typo – "Cruel to Be Kind" coincidentally peaked at #12 in all four countries.
1979	"Switch Board Susan"					North American-only release.
1980	Rockpile:"Teacher Teacher"
1982	"Stick It Where the Sun Don't Shine"
1982	"Burning"
1982	"My Heart Hurts"
1983	"Ragin' Eyes"
1983	"Wish You Were Here"					US-only release.
1984	"Half a Boy and Half a Man"
1984	"L.A.F.S"
1985	"I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll)"
1987	"Lovers Jamboree"					US-only release.
1990	"All Men Are Liars"
1994	"True Love Travels on a Gravel Road"
1993	"I Live on a Battlefield"
1997	"You Inspire Me"
2001	"She's Got Soul"

EPs

''Bowi'', 7" 45 rpm (Stiff 1977)

''Nick Lowe & Dave Edmunds Sing the Everly Brothers'', 7" 33⅓ rpm (F-Beat/Columbia 1980)

Compilation albums

''A Bunch of Stiff Records (One track, "I Love My Label")

''Live Stiffs Live'' (1978) (Nick Lowe's Last Chicken In The Shop got two tracks, "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll)" and "Let's Eat", on this live compilation of the first Stiff Records' tour.)

''16 All Time Lowes'' (1984)

''Nick's Knack'' (1986)

''Basher: The Best of Nick Lowe'' (1989)

''The Wilderness Years'' (1991)

''The Doings'' (1999)

''Quiet Please... The New Best of Nick Lowe'' (2009)

Tributes

''Labour of Love: The Music of Nick Lowe'' (Telarc, 2001) (features Dar Williams, Tom Petty, and Elvis Costello, among others).

''Lowe Profile: A Tribute To Nick Lowe'' (Brewery, 2005) (two-disc, 30 song collection featuring Dave Alvin, Foster & Lloyd, Ian Gomm, among others).

Uses in media

The music video for "All Men Are Liars" was featured in ''The Brothers Grunt'' episode "The Ugly Gruntling."

His recording of "The Beast in Me" was used in the pilot episode of ''The Sopranos''.

The song "All Men Are Liars" was featured in the Australian film ''All Men Are Liars'' written and directed by Gerard Lee and starring Toni Pearen, David Price and John Jarratt.

References

External links

The Old Magic UK page

''Batty for Music'' podcast

[ Allmusic]

Electronic press kit for "Quiet Please..."

Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:English record producers Category:English songwriters Category:People from Walton-on-Thames Category:English rock singers Category:English male singers Category:Pre-punk groups Category:Protopunk musicians Category:English New Wave musicians

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