Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles such as bluegrass.^[1] Americana is popularly referred to, especially in print, as alternative country, alt-country or sometimes alt.country. ^[1]

Americana as a radio format[link]

Americana, as defined by the Americana Music Association (AMA), is "music that honors and is derived from the traditions of American roots music. It is music inspired by American culture traditions which is not only represented in classic man made / roots based sounds but also through new and contemporary artists whose music is clearly inspired by these great traditions. It is a great genre, vast, like jazz which encompasses a wide range of music.American roots music based on the traditions of country." ^[2] Americana as a radio format developed during the 1990s as a reaction to the highly polished sound that defined the mainstream music of that decade." Because of listener interest in the artists who do not fit as comfortably in the country or rock genres, a radio format called "Americana" was developed by the AMA and reported by R&R (Radio & Records, a radio trade publication). Born out of the Triple A, non-commercial, country and other formats, the Americana format is the sum of the parts that have showcased Americana music since its inception.

The AMA grew out of the format as an effort to bring all Americana music supporters, performers, and professionals together to expand the visibility and viability of the music. The radio format, including the term "Americana," began in early 1995 through the efforts of Rob Bleetstein of San Francisco, and Jon Grimson of Nashville. Bleetstein became the first Americana chart editor as Gavin magazine (a former radio trade publication) created the first Americana radio chart, which was published on January 20, 1995. This came about when KFAT (defunct) radio in Gilroy, California went off the air, and Bleetstein went to the Gavin Report, asserting that they were missing a category of music. He described the KFAT format, which had the widest playlist of any station in the country, and most of whose artists whose music would come to be known as Americana. Bleetstein worked closely with KFAN "Texas Rebel Radio" in Texas and KPIG in California in developing the Americana format. Both stations had been on the air with their own versions of an independent format for several years and had been instrumental in the development of the AAA format as well. The publisher agreed and gave Bleetstein the job of creating and running the chart. Grimson coined the term Americana and became the first Americana radio promoter after having promoted the music previously at Warner Brothers Records Nashville, and promoting those releases that WB worked to radio formats outside the mainstream country stations. The AMA was later established to expand the musical format outside of strictly radio, but still including the radio aspect as well.

Americana artists[link]

Some of the significant artists in the genre are:

• Johnny Cash
• Dave Alvin^[3]
• Neko Case^[4]
• Justin Townes Earle^[5]
• Alison Krauss^[4]
• Gillian Welch^[4]

See also[link]

• Alternative country
• Country rock
• Roots rock
• Heartland rock
• Southern rock

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• Americana Music Association
• Americana Radio Airplay Chart
• The Never-Ending Revival: Rounder Records and the Folk Alliance by Michael F. Scully, University of Illinois Press, 2008

Gregg Allman
Gregg Allman with the Allman Brothers Band at the Beacon Theatre
Background information
Birth name	Gregory Lenoir Allman
Born	(1947-12-08) December 8, 1947 (age 64) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Southern rock Blues Country Gospel
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter, Actor
Instruments	Vocals, Organ, Piano, Guitar
Years active	1965 – present
Labels	Liberty, Atco, Capricorn, Epic
Associated acts	The Allman Brothers Band, The Hour Glass, Gregg Allman Band, The Allman Joys
Website	GreggAllman.com
Notable instruments
Hammond B-3 Organ

Gregory LeNoir Allman (born December 8, 1947 in Nashville, Tennessee), known as Gregg Allman, is a rock and blues singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter, and a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 ^[1] and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2006. His distinctive voice placed him in 70th place in the Rolling Stone list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time".^[2]

At the beginning of the 1970s, The Allman Brothers Band enjoyed huge success^[3] and a number of their most characteristic songs were written by Allman. Unusually for the time, the band was based in the Southeastern United States and their music, which has been called ‘Southern Rock’, a term derided by Allman,^[4] incorporates an innovative fusion of rock and jazz.

Following the death of his older brother, the guitarist Duane Allman in 1971 and bass guitarist Berry Oakley around a year later, in motorcycle accidents, the band struggled on and continued to perform and record. In addition, Allman developed a solo career and a band under his own name. Allman’s solo music has perhaps a greater resonance of soul music than his work with ABB, possibly because of the influence of artists such as Bobby Bland and Little Milton, singers who he has long admired.

Despite recent health issues, Allman still tours.^[5]

Allman's memoirs of his life in music, My Cross to Bear, was released on May 1, 2012.^[6]

Early years[link]

Gregg is the younger son of Willis Turner Allman and Geraldine Alice (née Robbins).^[7] He was born in Nashville Tennessee in 1947, thirteen months after his brother Duane. His father was in the army and in 1949 the family relocated to Fort Story, Norfolk, Virginia. Shortly after, his father was murdered by a casual acquaintance ^[8] and Geraldine 'Mama A' Allman was left to raise the boys. In order to retrain as an accountant, she sent her sons to Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, Tennessee, which they both loathed.^[9] Eventually, in 1957, when his mother had finished her degree, the family settled in Daytona Beach, Florida, and the boys attended Seabreeze High School.

Both Gregg Allman and his brother Duane became captivated by music at a young age; Gregg Allman has revealed that he and Duane went to see Jackie Wilson, Otis Redding, Patti Labelle and B.B. King perform and that he was particularly struck by B.B.’s Hammond organ player.^[10] Gregg took an interest in the guitar before Duane did, learning the very basics from his grandmother’s neighbour in Nashville. However Duane would soon become the superior guitarist, giving up school in tenth grade to focus on it while Gregg practiced his vocals and keyboards, remained at school and finally graduated in 1965. Although he planned to become a dental surgeon, Gregg fell in with his brother’s plans that they should become musicians, intending to go to medical school after a short while; it didn’t happen.^[11]

The Escorts, The Allman Joys, The Hour Glass and 31st February[link]

In the mid-to-late-1960s, Gregg and Duane Allman played in a series of bands including The Escorts and The Allman Joys, mostly around the Southeastern United States.

Toward the end of the decade, The Allman Joys relocated to Los Angeles, California, and were signed to Liberty Records, which renamed them The Hour Glass. In addition to the Allmans, The Hour Glass consisted of three other players who would later become renowned studio musicians in Muscle Shoals, Alabama: Pete Carr, Johnny Sandlin and Paul Hornsby. Strongly controlled by the label management, the group produced a couple of psychedelic blues albums. All the players were deeply dissatisfied with the results; Duane Allman, in particular, spoke bitterly of the Hour Glass' output. The label executives were, however, impressed with Gregg Allman's abilities as a vocalist and keyboardist. The band left Los Angeles for the South and disbanded. In Florida, Allman and his brother Duane joined a band called 31 February with a drummer named Butch Trucks but Allman returned to California as Hourglass still owed money to Liberty Records which believed that Allman had potential as a solo act.^[12]

Formation of The Allman Brothers Band[link]

Duane became employed as a session musician at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and began to assemble the group that would become The Allman Brothers Band - Duane and Dickey Betts on guitars, Berry Oakley on bass guitar, and Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson on drums. In the meantime, Allman had grown unhappy with the Liberty Records arrangement so when Duane called from Jacksonville, Florida in March 1969 to say that he had assembled a band that needed a singer, Gregg jumped at the opportunity and returned to the South.

He had long wanted to play the Hammond Organ, and was given one immediately upon joining the band, which he had to learn to play in a hurry. Ever since, he has played the Hammond B-3 with a preference for a 1969 issue B3 hooked to a Leslie speaker 122RV and handled much of the lead vocals and song writing for the band, along with occasional piano and guitar contributions.

Solo career[link]

After the death of Duane Allman in 1971, Gregg Allman started out on a solo career. His first album, Laid Back, was released in 1973 to a positive critical reception.

It included a couple of reworked Allman Brothers songs, such as a horn-infused version of "Midnight Rider" that made it to #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and originals like "Queen of Hearts", the other ABB members felt did not quite fit the Allman Brothers sound. Gregg also covered a traditional gospel song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" and former California roommate Jackson Browne's song "These Days."

Allman in 2006

His solo career has continued intermittently throughout the subsequent decades, sometimes touring when the Allman Brothers Band is off the road. Generally, these solo efforts - first with the Gregg Allman Band, and later with Gregg Allman & Friends - eschew lengthy guitar solos and cast Allman more in the mode of his favorite soul singers. The bands often include a horn section and are more groove-oriented, mixing original songs with reworked Allman Brothers songs and covers of blues, R&B, and soul songs.

Allman's second chart single came in 1987 with the #49 peaking "I'm No Angel", from the album of the same name. The album went on to be certified Gold for 500,000 copies sold and led to a renewed interest in Allman and to a reformation of the Allman Brothers Band less than three years later.

His solo album, Low Country Blues, was produced by T-Bone Burnett and issued in early 2011. It is a collection of eleven blues standards and one new song written by him.^[13] The album was nominated as the Best Blues Album for the 2011 Grammy Awards.^[14]

He has also made guest appearances on albums and concert videos by a wide variety of other artists, including a concert DVD celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Radiators, playing Midnight Rider with that band.

In addition to his musical career, Allman took acting roles in the films Rush Week (1989) and Rush (1991), and in episodes of the TV series Superboy. He also had a brief speaking cameo in the Family Guy episode "Let's Go to the Hop".

Personal life[link]

Allman has struggled with drugs from the 1970s and through much of his musical career. These were both illegal and legal, primarily cocaine, heroin, and alcohol. He has been sober as of the mid-1990s.

During the mid 1970’s, there was a prominent court case involving Allman and John ‘Scooter’ Herring, Allman’s road manager.^[15]

He was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in late 2007 which he attributes to infection from a dirty tattoo needle ^[16] and on June 23, 2010, he underwent surgery for a liver transplant.^[17] The operation was successful and he has recovered well. Despite this blow to his health, Allman has resumed touring.

Marriages, relationships & children[link]

Gregg Allman, May 24, 2005

Allman has been married six times; his wives have been:

• Shelley Kay Winters (later Jefts), later divorced. The marriage produced a son, Devon Allman, on August 10, 1972. Devon is a musician, leads the band Honeytribe, and has appeared with the Allman Brothers Band on a few occasions.
• Janice Blair, a singer and the sister of Ron Blair, the bassist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.[1] They married in 1973 and divorced in 1975.
• Cher, the singer, whom Allman married in 1975 and divorced in 1979. They had one child together, a son, Elijah Blue Allman, who later formed his own band, Deadsy. The couple tried a musical collaboration, releasing an album Two the Hard Way (billed as Allman and Woman) in 1977. It was universally panned, and it has long since been out of print. The Hard Way Tour did not achieve success either. In an interview on NPR's On Point in March 2011, Allman expressed that he and Cher split due largely to his desire to no longer live in Los Angeles, and his growing discomfort with his wife's celebrity lifestyle.
• Julie Bindas, whom Allman married in 1979 and divorced in 1981. They had a daughter, Delilah Island Allman, November 5, 1980.
• Danielle J P Galiana, married in 1989, divorced in 1994 ^[18]
• Stacey Fountain, married 2001 and later divorced.^[19]

By Mary Lynn Green, a waitress, he has a son, Michael Sean Allman (born July 1966), who is a vocalist.^[20]

By Shelby Blackburn, a radio journalist, Allman has a daughter, Layla Brooklyn Allman, born March 31, 1993, who fronts the band Picture Me Broken.

On May 25, 2012 the AP^[21] reported that Allman was engaged to Shannon Williams. The AP story reported that little is known about Williams other than she is believed to be 24. Allman's publicist and manager confirmed the news prior to the AP releasing the story.

Allman currently lives in Richmond Hill, Georgia.^[22]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 1973 Laid Back
• 1974 The Gregg Allman Tour (live)
• 1977 Playin' Up a Storm - The Gregg Allman Band
• 1977 Two the Hard Way - Allman and Woman (Cher)
• 1986 I'm No Angel - The Gregg Allman Band
• 1988 Just Before The Bullets Fly - The Gregg Allman Band
• 1997 Searching for Simplicity
• 1997 One More Try: An Anthology
• 2002 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection (compilation)
• 2002 No Stranger to the Dark: The Best of Gregg Allman (different compilation, with three new tracks)
• 2011 Low Country Blues

See also[link]

• List of Hammond organ players

Quotation[link]

^[23]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gregg Allman

• Official website

The Once and Future King is an Arthurian fantasy novel written by T. H. White. It was first published in 1958 and is mostly a composite of earlier works written in a period between 1938 and 1941.

The title comes from the inscription that, according to Le Morte d'Arthur, was said by "many men" to be written upon King Arthur's tomb: the internally rhymed hexameter Hic iacet Arthurus, rex quondam, rexque futurus — "Here lies Arthur, king once, and king to be".^[1]

Plot introduction[link]

Most of the book "takes place on the isle of Gramarye", and it chronicles the raising and educating of King Arthur, his rule as a king, and the romance between Sir Lancelot and Queen Guenever. It ends immediately before Arthur's final battle against his illegitimate son Mordred. Though White admits his book's source material is loosely derived from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (The Death of Arthur), he reinterprets the epic events, filling them with renewed meaning for a world enduring the Second World War.

The book is divided into four parts:

• The Sword in the Stone (1938)
• The Queen of Air and Darkness (1939) (published separately in somewhat different form as The Witch in the Wood)
• The Ill-Made Knight (1940) (which is the longest book and focuses mostly on the character Lancelot)
• The Candle in the Wind (First published in the composite edition, 1958)

A final part called The Book of Merlyn (written 1941, published 1971) was published separately (ISBN 0-292-70769-X) following White's death. It chronicles Arthur's final lessons from Merlyn before his death, although some parts of it were incorporated into the final editions of the previous books.

An often quoted passage from the book is the story that the badger calls his "dissertation," a retelling of the Creation story from Genesis.

Plot[link]

The story starts in the last years of the rule of king Uther Pendragon. The first part, The Sword in the Stone, chronicles Arthur's raising by his foster father Sir Ector, his rivalry and friendship with his foster brother Kay, and his initial training by Merlyn, a wizard who lives through time backwards. Merlyn, knowing the boy's destiny, teaches Arthur (known as "Wart") what it means to be a good king by turning him into various kinds of animals: fish, hawk, ant, goose, and badger. Each of the transformations is meant to teach Wart a lesson, which will prepare him for his future life.

In fact, Merlyn instills in Arthur the concept that the only justifiable reason for war is to prevent another from going to war, and that contemporary human governments and powerful people exemplify the worst aspects of the rule of Might.

Neither the ant nor goose episodes were in the original Sword in the Stone when it was published as a stand-alone book. The original novel also contains a battle between Merlyn and sorceress Madam Mim that was not included in The Once and Future King but was included in the Disney film.

In part two, The Queen of Air and Darkness, White sets the stage for Arthur's demise by introducing the Orkney clan and detailing Arthur's seduction by their mother, his half-sister Morgause. While the young king suppresses initial rebellions, Merlyn leads him to envision a means of harnessing potentially destructive Might for the cause of Right: the Round Table.

The third part, The Ill-Made Knight, shifts focus from King Arthur to the story of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guenever's forbidden love, the means they go through to hide their affair from the King, and its effect on Elaine, Lancelot's sometime lover and the mother of his son Galahad.

The Candle in the Wind unites these narrative threads by telling how Mordred's hatred of his father and Agravaine's hatred of Sir Lancelot caused the eventual downfall of King Arthur, Queen Guenever, Sir Lancelot, and the entire ideal kingdom of Camelot.

The book begins as a quite light-hearted account of the young Arthur's adventures, Merlyn's incompetence at magic, and King Pellinore's interminable search for the Questing Beast. Parts of The Sword in the Stone read almost as a parody of the traditional Arthurian legend by virtue of White's prose style, which relies heavily on anachronisms. However, the tale gradually changes tone until Ill-Made Knight becomes more meditative and The Candle in the Wind finds Arthur brooding over death and his legacy.

Characterization in the work[link]

Perhaps most striking about White's work is how he reinterprets the traditional Arthurian characters, often giving them motivations or traits more complex or even contradictory to those in earlier versions of the legend. For example:

• Lancelot is no longer the handsome knight typical in the romantic legends but is instead portrayed as the ugliest of that lot. He is also a sadist, a trait he represses, but which leads to bouts of self-loathing. He seeks to overcome his flaws through full devotion towards becoming Arthur's greatest knight.
• Merlin lives through time backwards, making him a bumbling yet wise old man who is getting younger.
• Sir Galahad is not well liked by many of the Knights as he is truly perfect - to the point of being 'inhuman'.

White allows Thomas Malory to have a cameo appearance towards the end of the final book. Also of note is his treatment of historical characters and kings as mythological within the world that he creates. In addition, due to his living backwards, Merlyn makes many anachronistic allusions to events in more recent times; of note are references to the Second World War, telegraphs, tanks, and "an Austrian who … plunged the civilized world into misery and chaos" (i.e. Hitler).^[2]

Reception[link]

Fantasy historian Lin Carter wrote, "...the single finest fantasy novel written in our time, or for that matter, ever written, is, must be, by any conceivable standard, T. H. White's The Once and Future King. I can hardly imagine that any mature, literate person who has read the book would disagree with this estimate. White is a great writer."^[3]

Film, television and theatrical adaptations[link]

Although they initially purchased the film rights to The Ill-Made Knight in 1944,^[4] when Walt Disney eventually produced an adaptation it was of The Sword in the Stone, released in 1963. This movie reflects more the sense of humour of Disney's team of animators than White's. The movie adds a more comical side to the original story, including song and dance, as in most Walt Disney films. Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's 1960 musical Camelot (which was made into a movie in 1967) is based mostly on the last two books of The Once and Future King, and features White's idea of having Thomas Malory make a cameo appearance at the end, again as "Tom of Warwick".

Other references to The Once and Future King[link]

• The X-Men comics mention The Once and Future King several times, notably in the first issue of "The X-Tinction Agenda" story arc, which mentions that the book is Professor Charles Xavier's favorite, and that Xavier always saw himself as Merlyn, the teacher guiding the hero(es), rather than as a hero himself. In the Ultimate X-Men comics, the book is a metaphor for Magneto, an extremely powerful mutant terrorist. This is carried over into the 2003 film X2: X-Men United, which begins one scene with Magneto reading an old copy of The Once and Future King in his prison cell. At the end of the film, Xavier is using the book as a teaching tool.
• The television series One Tree Hill quotes the book in episode 202. The main character, Lucas, in a voiceover says, "T. H. White said perhaps we all give the best of our hearts uncritically, to those who hardly think about us in return."
• The Once and Future King featured prominently in the film adaptation of Rodman Philbrick's "Freak the Mighty." Max Kane and Kevin Dillon bond through the book, and inspired by Dillon's fits of fancy, the two embark on a quest to embody the heroic qualities of King Arthur.
• This book is referred to in the 2006 film Bobby. Edward Robinson, played by Laurence Fishburne, relates the novels depiction of King Arthur to the selfless and chivalrous qualities of Jose Rojas, as played by Freddy Rodriguez.
• Lev Grossman's book The Magicians includes a long sequence where magicians-in-training are transformed into geese, a "direct and loving homage" to Wart's transformation in The Sword in the Stone.^[5]
• The George Romero film Knightriders references The Once and Future King as the inspiration for a traveling Camelot of motorcycle riding knights aspiring to the code of chivalry.
• The animated series Gargoyles references "The Once and Future King" when King Arthur is awakened in Avalon.
• The TV series Merlin, also talks about "The Once and Future King" throughout the series, the first said to Merlin about his destiny by the Great Dragon.

See also[link]

Novels portal

• Totalitarian principle

Reference List[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Once and Future King

Wikibooks has more on the topic of The Once and Future King

• The Book of Merlyn Summary page for publications of this title at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• The Once and Future King Study Guide at Wikibooks
• NLS/BPH: Minibibliographies, The Once and Future King by T. H. White
• Essay: "The Importance of the Second World War to T.H. White's Once and Future King".
• 1958 review by Ken Slater

This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (February 2009)

Guy Clark (born 6 November 1941) is an American Texas country and folk singer, musician, songwriter, recording artist, and performer. He has released more than twenty albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists including Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner, and Rodney Crowell.

Biography[link]

Clark was born in Monahans, Texas.^[1] His early musical influences were the Spanish music and songs he heard in West Texas.^[2]

Career[link]

He is an accomplished luthier and often plays his own guitars.^[3] He achieved success as a songwriter with Jerry Jeff Walker’s recordings of "L.A. Freeway" and "Desperados Waiting For A Train". Artists such as Johnny Cash, David Allan Coe, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Rodney Crowell and The Highwaymen have recorded Clark’s songs.^[2] Emmylou Harris has accompanied him on several recordings, particularly his own version of "Desperados Waiting For A Train" on his first album, Old No. 1, released in 1975. Clark is frequently referred to as "The Fifth Highwayman".

Clark has been a mentor to such other singers as Steve Earle and Rodney Crowell. He organized Earle's first job as a writer in Nashville. In the 1970s, the Clarks' home in Nashville was an open house for songwriters and musicians and it features in the video Heartworn Highways, an evocation of the songwriter scene in Nashville at that time.^{[citation needed]}

Numerous artists have charted with Clark-penned tunes. In 1982, Bobby Bare made it to the Country Top Twenty with Clark’s "New Cut Road". That same year, bluegrass leader Ricky Skaggs hit No. 1 with Clark’s "Heartbroke", a song that permanently established his reputation as an ingenious songwriter. Among the many others who have covered Clark's songs are Vince Gill, who took "Oklahoma Borderline" to the Top Ten in 1985; The Highwaymen, who introduced "Desperados Waiting For A Train" to a new generation that same year; and John Conlee, whose interpretation of “The Carpenter” rode into the Top Ten in 1987.

Steve Wariner took his cover of Clark's "Baby I’m Yours" to #1 in 1988; Asleep at the Wheel charted with Clark's "Blowin’ Like a Bandit" the same year. Crowell was Clark’s co-writer on "She’s Crazy for Leavin’", which in 1989 became the third of five straight #l hits for Crowell. Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson cover Clark’s "Out in the Parkin' Lot," co-written with Darrell Scott, on Paisley's Time Well Wasted CD. Jimmy Buffett has covered Clark’s "Boats to Build" and "Cinco de Mayo in Memphis".^[1] Clark credits Townes Van Zandt as being a major influence on his songwriting. They were best friends for many years until Van Zandt's death in 1997,^[1] and since then Clark has included one of Van Zandt's compositions on most of his albums. In 1995, he recorded a live album with Van Zandt and Steve Earle, Together at the Bluebird Cafe, which was released in October 2001. Other live material can be found on his album Keepers.

In 2006 Clark released Workbench Songs. The album was nominated for "Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album" at the Grammy Awards. He also toured with Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, and John Hiatt in 2007.

In May 2008, Clark canceled four concerts after breaking his leg.^[4] After two months on crutches, he began to perform again on July 4 at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC where he appeared with Verlon Thompson. On June 20, 2009, Clark announced a new album entitled "Somedays the Song Writes You" which was released on September 22, 2009. It features originals along with a Townes Van Zandt song entitled "If I Needed You".

In December 2011 This One's For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark (a two-CD set) was released by Music Road Records.

Family[link]

Clark is married to songwriter and artist, Susanna Clark.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Filmography[link]

• Heartworn Highways Documentary, Snapper/Catfish, 1981/2003, with Townes Van Zandt, David Allan Coe, and Steve Earle

References[link]

External links[link]

• Guy Clark
• Guy Clark's “Someday The Song Writes You” review at CountryMusicPride.com
• Guy Clark and His Craft: The Turnstyled Junkpiled Interview
• Slipcue.Com profile
• Feature story and reviews of Guy Clark at Country Standard Time
• Guy Clark at Allmusic

Will Hoge
Will Hoge and band 9.25.10 Concert In Nashville
Background information
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee
Genres	Americana, Rock, Alternative Country
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Rykodisc
Website	www.willhoge.com

Will Hoge (born November 14, 1972^[1]) is an American singer, songwriter and musician from Nashville, Tennessee.

Early life[link]

Will Hoge grew up in Franklin, Tennessee, located just south of Nashville. His sound was heavily influenced by his musician father and uncles and the extensive record collection that his father kept.

Hoge attended Western Kentucky University to study history with the plan to becoming a high school history teacher and basketball coach. He decided that he wanted to try his hand at rock and roll and began writing music. Will left the university after realizing he wanted to be a career musician.

Early band[link]

Will released an early EP of original music with his band Spoonful in the mid-1990s. However, the band was not picked up and eventually disbanded. Some of these early songs were recycled on later albums, and are still hits with his loyal followers.

Solo artist[link]

With former The Georgia Satellites guitarist Dan Baird in tow as a guitarist, Hoge began touring the American south. He independently released his first CD, Live At The Exit/In, a live set recorded at the Nashville club. His original sound drew much attention and, through constant touring, he was able to release his first studio album, Carousel.

Hoge caught the attention of Atlantic Records music executives and he was signed to a record deal in early 2002. Atlantic then re-released Carousel to a wider market. His 2003 major label debut, Blackbird On A Lonely Wire was a cleaner sounding effort; however, the album was poorly promoted by Atlantic. Eventually, Hoge asked for and received a release from his contract, re-obtaining the rights to Carousel.

The support of his fans has given Hoge the ability to tour incessantly, and self release a couple live albums (2004's Almost Alone: Live At Smith's Olde Bar' and 2005's During the Before and After), a politically charged album called The America EP (which included a cover of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin')", and a bluesy rock and roll sounding album, The Man Who Killed Love.

Over the years, Hoge has toured with many artists, including Shinedown, Needtobreathe, Marc Broussard, ZZ Top, The Cat Empire, Squeeze, Jason Isbell, Lisa Loeb and Edwin McCain. Bands that have opened for him include Steel Train, The Trews, The Elms, Rose Hill Drive, Needtobreathe, Moses Mayfield, The Alternate Routes, Aslyn, Katie Herzig, Missy Higgins, and The Civil Wars.

Hoge recorded the opening theme song, "You Make Me Happy," for the CBS sitcom Still Standing.

On February 20, 2007, he released a live album, Again Somewhere Tomorrow, from recordings made during the band's two-night stint at the Exit/In in Nashville, in September 2006.

The band's fourth studio album, Draw the Curtains, was released nationwide in October 2007 by Rykodisc Records. The album was initially released as a CD, with a limited edition 180-Gram Vinyl Record version which followed later.

Following a scooter accident in August 2008, the band went on hiatus for seven months while Hoge recuperated from his injuries. In April 2009, the band got together for a 3 week acoustic tour of venues in the Midwest, Southeast and East Coast, hitting cities including New York City, Chicago, Nashville and Atlanta. When the tour ended in late April, the band headed back into the studio to complete recording their next album (of which they had begun at the time of Hoge's accident). Ken Coomer and Charlie Brocco again produced, and the album, The Wreckage, was released on September 29, 2009.

Will Hoge performed a residency at 12th & Porter in Nashville, TN in June 2010. During these concerts, many of Hoge's friends, family, and former bandmates joined him on stage during the run of the four shows. These guests included former guitarists Dan Baird, Brian Layson, and Jason 'Slim' Gambill; former keyboard players Jefferson Crowe and John Lancaster; as well as Will's own father, who sang lead vocals on the final song of the concert series.

On August 29, 2009, Will and the band appeared and performed the single "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" on the CBS Early Show as the music guest.

Hoge opened for Needtobreathe on their spring 2010 tour. He also opened shows for Sugarland and Michelle Branch on select dates during their summer tour.

Hoge was part of a line-up, which included Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, and Sheryl Crow, that performed on the nationally televised "Music City Keep On Playin'" flood relief program that aired on GAC on May 16, 2010. Hoge closed the show by performing his song "Washed By The Water."

Hoge opened for mainstream rock band Shinedown on their acoustic "Anything & Everything" tour in the fall of 2010.

In September of 2011, Hoge released his 7th studio album entiled 'Number Seven'. The album was his third release via Ryko. This time around, Hoge took over production duties for the entire album. The album's first single "When I Get My Wings" was released to radio in August of 2011. The official music video for the song was added into rotation on both VH1 and CMT.^[2] During this time, Hoge was invited to perform on three separate occasions at the Grand Ole Opry, with country legend Vince Gill playing guitar and singing background vocals on a couple songs during his first appearance (Gill is a guest artist on 'Seven' as well, as he and his wife, Amy Grant are fans of Hoge).

Scooter accident[link]

Hoge was involved in a scooter accident on August 20, 2008 after leaving a studio session for what would be his next album, "The Wreckage". He was traveling north on Main Street in East Nashville at about 8 p.m. when a van traveling southbound failed to yield while turning into 712 Main St. Hoge's motor scooter collided with the passenger side of the van. He was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in critical condition. He went into surgery immediately upon arrival at the hospital for numerous broken bones (ribs, sternum, shattered femur, knee cap, shoulder blades), and lacerations to his face, arms, and torso requiring over 100 stitches. Hoge's condition was upgraded to stable on August 22.^[1] No evidence was found that alcohol or drugs were involved in the accident.^[3]

In the year following the accident, Hoge went through numerous surgical procedures (mainly on his shattered femur/leg) and intensive physical therapy. Work on The Wreckage, as well as tour dates, were postponed through spring 2009. Since that point, Hoge has made a full recovery.^[4]

Discography[link]

Current band members[link]

• Sigurdur Birkis - drums
• Adam Beard - bass, trumpet
• Adam Ollendorff - guitar, pedal steel, lap steel, dobro

Former band members[link]

• Dan Baird - guitar
• Greg Everett - guitar (Spring 2005 Selected Dates)
• John W. Lancaster - keyboards (2000-2004, select dates 2010)
• Kirk Yoquelet - drums
• Tres Sasser - bass
• Doy Gardner - drums
• Brian Layson - guitar
• Jason (Slim) Gambill - guitar (Winter 2005/2006 tour only)
• Dean Tomasek - bass
• Adam Fluhrer - guitar
• Jefferson Crow - keyboards
• Devin Malone - guitar, pedal steel, mandolin, keys
• Ericka Smith - Vocals
• Trina Meade - Vocals
• Molly Thomas - Vocals/Fiddle/Percussion
• Eleanor Whitmore - Vocals/Fiddle/Mandolin

Music videos[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Will Hoge official site
• Will Hoge MySpace site
• Hoge Head's message board
• Will Hoge Purevolume site
• Will Hoge fan site
• Interview with Up Next Music