Mercury was an automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company launched in 1938 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, to market entry-level luxury cars slotted between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles, similar to General Motors' Buick (and former Oldsmobile) brand, and Chrysler's namesake brand. From 1945 to 2011, it was the Mercury half of the Lincoln - Mercury division of Ford (the Edsel brand was included in that division for the 1958-1960 model years). Using badge engineering, the majority of Mercury models were based on Ford platforms.

The name "Mercury" is derived from the messenger of the gods of Roman mythology, and during its early years, the Mercury brand was known for performance, which was briefly revived in 2003 with the Mercury Marauder. The brand was sold in the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Middle East. In 1999, the Mercury brand was dropped in Canada, although the Grand Marquis was still marketed there wearing a Mercury badge through 2007.

The Mercury brand was phased out in 2011, as Ford Motor Company refocused its marketing and engineering efforts on the Ford and Lincoln brands. Production of Mercury vehicles ceased in the fourth quarter of 2010 - the splits of Mercury from 4.^[1][2] The final Mercury automobile, a Grand Marquis, rolled off the assembly line on January 4, 2011.^[3]

History[link]

Mercury Town Sedan 1947

In 1935, Edsel Ford designed a new, more luxurious version of his company's mainline car, intended to bridge the enormous price gap between the highest trimmed Ford and the base Lincoln. There was debate within the company if this new intermediate car should be a new Ford model or spun-off into a new marque. Over 100 different model and marque names were considered before Mercury was finally selected.^[4]

The 1939 Mercury 8 began production in 1938, with a 95 horsepower (71 kW; 96 PS) V8 engine. Over 65,800 were sold the first year, at a price of $916 (approximately $14,000 in 2010 dollars).^[5][6] It was an all new car, sharing no body panels with either Ford or Lincoln. Its body was six inches wider than Ford and rode on a 116 inch wheelbase, four inches longer than Ford.

From the very beginning, Mercury was a division that seemed to have a brand identity that was constantly in the process of finding its place in the North American automotive market. Sometimes, Mercury was presented as a performance division of more mainstay Ford products, while at other times, it was meant to match sales with Detroit crosstown rivals Buick, Oldsmobile and Chrysler during the 1950s through 1980s. Many times, Mercury models shared platforms with Ford products, such as the Mercury Cougar (shared with the Ford Mustang, Thunderbird, and Elite), the Mercury Bobcat (shared with the Ford Pinto), or the Mercury Comet (shared with the Ford Falcon, Fairlane, and Maverick).

1945-1969: "Junior Lincoln"[link]

First generation Mercury Cougar

Second generation Mercury S-55

Mercury was its own division at Ford until 1945 when it was combined with Lincoln into the Lincoln-Mercury Division, with Ford hoping the brand would be known as a "junior Lincoln," rather than an upmarket Ford. In 1949, Mercury introduced the first of its "new look" integrated bodies, at the same time that Ford and Lincoln also changed styling radically. Again in 1952, Mercury offered a further modernization in its look.

In 1958, the Lincoln-Mercury Division and the ill-fated Edsel brand were joined into the Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln Division. Due to the introduction of Edsel, the market did not know how to regard Mercury as either an upscale Ford or a entry level Lincoln. It appeared that Ford was using the business model from General Motors, offering brands that were priced at specific levels, with Chevrolet at the bottom of the range, and Cadillac at the top. Buyers were not sure if Edsel or Mercury were alternatives to Pontiac, Oldsmobile or Buick in terms of equipment offered and marketing department definitions of what the cars were meant to offer.

Like Edsel, Mercury was a brand created from scratch as opposed to the 1922 acquisition of Lincoln. Mercury's heyday was in the 1950s, when its formula of stretching and lowering existing Ford platforms proved very successful. The identity of the marque has changed several times throughout its history. During the 1940s and 1950s, the make continued to be moved between a "gussied up" Ford to a "junior Lincoln" and even to having its own body designs. From the late 1950s until the early 1970s, Mercury began to distance itself from Ford and offered several different looking models such as the Turnpike Cruiser, Park Lane, and Marquis. At this time, Mercury's biggest competition was Buick, Oldsmobile, Chrysler's mid-priced products, and higher-end models from American Motors. In the 1970s, the brand was joined at the hip with Ford again and its image suffered as a result.

During the Ford Division's early 1960s "Total Performance" era, Mercury produced some equivalent models, such as the full-size S-55 and the Marauder, which shared the same body styles and mechanics as the Ford Galaxie 500/XL sports models. These big Mercurys were somewhat successful in racing. In 1967, the Cougar was introduced as Mercury's version of the Ford Mustang; although mechanically related, the Cougar's looks were intended to be more of a "European" flavor.

1970s: "Sign of the Cat"[link]

1978 Mercury Monarch 4-door

Mercury's ride through the 1970s was not gentle, but it fared better than some. Shifting from performance cars such as the S-55, Marauder, and the Mustang-based Cougar, Mercury reverted to its historical role of selling badge-engineered Ford vehicles. Partially as a result of the first gas crisis, the "near luxury" segment was the bread and butter for 1970s American car manufacturers. However, the segment eventually became saturated. Only Mercury's niche products, like the Cougar XR-7, seemed to find real success with buyers. Much of this might really have had to do with Ford's topsy-turvy financial situation in the seventies. Lincoln-Mercury dealers had plenty of good selling cars, they just were not the right cars.

In 1978, Mercury sales peaked at an all-time high of 580,000. The Cougar and Lincoln Mk V shattered sales records, but the staples of Mercury's business, the mid-size and full-size sedans and wagons, moved out of showrooms at a snail's pace. In 1977, the Cougar became the sole mid-size Mercury, replacing the Montego; previously a personal luxury coupe, the Cougar was available in sedan and station wagon bodystyles. The small Bobcat did not lure economy minded buyers, instead bringing only bad press from its close ties to the ill-fated Ford Pinto.

Although the Bobcat trickled out of showrooms, Mercury introduced the Monarch as a replacement for the aging Comet compact. Although still mechanically based on the original 1960 Ford Falcon, the Monarch was intended as a compact near-luxury car; high-trim versions were popular choices as personal cars among Ford executives. In 1978, the Monarch's replacement, the Zephyr was introduced on the Fox platform. An all-new rear-wheel drive platform, it would be used by all late 1970s-early 1980s Mercurys except the Bobcat, Lynx/LN7/Topaz, and the Grand Marquis/Colony Park.

Import success[link]

1976-1978 Capri II

In 1971, Mercury introduced the Capri as a captive import from Ford of Europe; as the Cougar grew from a pony car into a personal luxury car, the Capri became its replacement. Assembled in West Germany by Ford of Europe, the Capri was powered by 4-cylinder and V6 engines. The decision proved popular, at times becoming the most popular imported car in the United States (after the VW Beetle). As such, Mercury did not sell its own version of the Ford Mustang II. The Capri was imported until 1977 with a few sold as 1978 models.

Although it was not badged a Mercury, Lincoln-Mercury dealers were the sole source of the De Tomaso Pantera from 1971 to 1975. It was an Italian-built exotic sports car with a Ford 351-cubic inch V8. Approximately 5500 were sold by Lincoln-Mercury.

1980s: Downsizing and starting over[link]

1982 Mercury Cougar GS wagon

The era of downsizing of the late 1970s achieved mixed results for the division. Although the 1979 full-size Marquis, Colony Park, and Grand Marquis survived downsizing without sacrificing rear-wheel drive, V8 engines, or significant market share, downsizing would prove disastrous for the mid-size Mercury lineup. Intended as the replacement for the dated Monarch, the 1980 Cougar sedan, coupe, and wagon were redesigned as clones of the Ford Thunderbird; consequently, this meant the Cougar now shared its platform with the entry-level Zephyr. Controversial styling coupled with a struggling economy saw Cougar sales fall to barely one-third of 1979 levels. At the smallest end of the size spectrum, Mercury quietly replaced the Bobcat with the Lynx. The Lynx introduced Mercury to front-wheel drive and optional diesel engines; its LN7 variant was the only 2-seat Mercury ever built. As a replacement for its German-imported predecessor, the Capri became a clone of the Ford Mustang; it was built from 1979-1986.

Mercury Sable LS (1989-1991)

By the mid-1980s, much of the Mercury lineup had been completely made over. After a disastrous sales decline, the Cougar was reverted to its traditional role of a two-door personal luxury coupe in 1983; although sales were still far lower than late 1970s levels, the new generation sold far better despite the single body style. The Cougar sedan and wagon remained in production, borrowing the Marquis nameplate from the full-size Mercury lineup (with the Grand Marquis/Colony Park becoming the sole full-size models).

In the face of industry trends, the division adopted front-wheel drive platforms in an effort to increase its fuel economy. A year after the Cougar and Marquis were introduced, the front-wheel-drive Topaz replaced the Zephyr. In 1986, the Mercury Sable was introduced as the replacement for the Marquis; along with the Ford Taurus, it was one of the most aerodynamic cars in the world at the time. Originally intended to be replaced by the Sable, stability in gas prices and demand for full-size car sales led to the continuation of the Grand Marquis and Colony Park.

Although the post-1983 Cougar was easily distinguishable from the Thunderbird, the Capri, Lynx, Topaz, and Marquis differed little from their Ford counterparts. The 1986 Sable not only advanced American automotive design, the sedan version differed somewhat from its Ford Taurus counterpart. The Sable would also introduce styling themes (primarily the lightbar grille) that would be seen on Mercurys for over a decade. For 1988, the Lynx was replaced by the Tracer, a version of the Ford Laser designed by Mazda, assembled in Mexico and Japan. The Tracer was the first Mercury since the 1978 Capri with no US-market Ford equivalent.

Merkur[link]

Merkur XR4Ti

Beginning in 1985, Ford experimented with importing what were, for the American market, some advanced European Fords under the Merkur (the German word for Mercury, pronounced mare-coor) nameplate. The Merkur lineup consisted of two cars: the XR4Ti (a slightly modified version of the Ford Sierra) and the Scorpio (a rebadged version of Ford's European flagship sedan). Declining sales along with passive restraint regulations led to the discontinuation of the brand after 1989. Another key factor behind the demise of Merkur was an unfavorable exchange rate between the United States and West Germany; at US$27,000 (nearly $47,000 in 2010 dollars^[6]), the Scorpio had a higher base price than a Grand Marquis yet bore a strong resemblance to the Sable.

Lasting from 1985 to 1989, Merkur is the shortest-lived automotive nameplate on the American market in modern times.

The 1990s: Post-Merkur[link]

1994 Mercury Capri

The discontinuation of Merkur began another major transition of the Mercury lineup. In 1989, the Cougar switched to an all-new platform; although still a personal-luxury coupe based on the Thunderbird, interior room and handling were improved. The Capri, a name dormant since 1986, was revived in 1991 as an import from Ford of Australia. Envisioned as a Mazda MX-5 Miata competitor, the front-wheel drive Capri did not capture the same type of following as the rear-wheel drive Mazda, lasting through 1994.

In 1992, the Grand Marquis was redesigned for the first time since 1979; using the same platform as before, it shared no sheetmetal with the 1991 model and both V8 engines were replaced with a single all-new design. Although significantly more aerodynamic than before, Mercury left the basic shape of the Grand Marquis intact including its radiator grille. The radical redesign of the 1991 B-body full-size cars by General Motors was left with a lukewarm reception at best; Chrysler had not fielded a direct competitor since 1981. Mercury sales rebounded in 1993 to over 480,000, their highest level since the 1978 all-time high. In the mid-1990s the brand received some free advertising when country music star Alan Jackson scored a hit with a 1993 cover of K. C. Douglas' "Mercury Blues", a song which heaped praise on their vehicles. Ford later used a different version of the song in its truck advertising.^[7]

Mercury Sable (1996-1999)

In terms of Mercury's smaller cars, the Tracer name was retained, but in 1991, Ford (and Mazda) compact cars were designed onto a common platform and the Tracer became a twin of the Ford Escort. In 1995, the Mystique was introduced as Mercury's Topaz replacement; a version of the Ford Mondeo mid-size "world car", it was commonly viewed as compact for an American car. The Sable was controversially redesigned alongside the Taurus for 1996; although they still shared much of their sheetmetal, the Sable now could be better distinguished from the Taurus. As the 1990s progressed into the 2000s, Mercury's compact car line shrank during a series of redesigns. As the Ford Focus replaced the Escort, the Tracer was not replaced and the Sable became the smallest Mercury sedan after the 2000 discontinuation of the Mystique.

Entering new market segments[link]

Mercury Villager

A casualty of the 1992 redesign of the Grand Marquis included the Colony Park station wagon; by the early 1990s, full-size station wagons had largely been replaced by minivans. Although Ford had introduced the Aerostar in 1986, it had already undergone a midcycle refresh and was considered too trucklike to be a good fit with Mercury dealers. The 1993 Villager (a name used from Mercury's 1960s and 1970s station wagon lines) was developed in a joint venture with Nissan; it was assembled in the United States by Ford with a Nissan Quest front-wheel drive powertrain. Although more successful than other Japanese-designed minivans, the Villager struggled to compete with the far larger Ford Windstar. Like its Aerostar and Windstar counterparts, the Villager was initially designed without a driver's side sliding door. When one was added in 1999, the minivan segment (as a whole) had begun to decline in sales.

Mercury Mountaineer

In the mid-1990s, mid-size sport-utility vehicles began increasing in popularity for use as family vehicles. Although Mercury was not the first nameplate to introduce a SUV (following the Range Rover and the Oldsmobile Bravada), the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer was among one of the first to popularize luxury SUVs. Based on the Ford Explorer, the Mountaineer had a standard V8 (at first) and all-wheel drive instead of four-wheel drive. Mercury did not receive an equivalent of the Ford Expedition/Lincoln Navigator or the Ford Excursion. The Mountaineer is also notable for introducing the silver "waterfall grille", which became a common styling theme on virtually all succeeding Mercurys.

2000-2011: Revival and decline[link]

2001-2002 Mercury Cougar

By the end of the 1990s, the Grand Marquis had remained a sales success, becoming the top-selling Mercury product line. Although it was highly profitable, it posed a problem for Mercury dealers, as the average age of a Grand Marquis buyer was far higher than what Lincoln-Mercury buyers were trying to attract into showrooms.^{[citation needed]} Over the next decade, a number of product changes were made in efforts to attract younger buyers towards the Mercury brand, but nontheless, Mercury still struggled to appeal its brand identity to younger buyers.^{[citation needed]}

In 1999, the Cougar, after a year's hiatus, was re-introduced as a front-wheel drive sports coupe; based on the Mercury Mystique platform, it was considered the replacement for the Ford Probe. For the first time since the 1991 Capri, the Cougar was a Mercury product line that had no direct Ford equivalent (in North America). The Cougar was discontinued after 2002, after finding only moderate success with buyers. At the other size of the performance car spectrum from the Cougar sat the Marauder. Introduced in 2003, the Marauder was a high-performance version of the Grand Marquis intended as Ford's answer to the 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS. The Marauder was dropped after 2004, primarily due to lack of marketing.

Although Mercury's full-size and mid-size sedans performed well in the marketplace, the division phased out smaller cars completely in favor of minivans and SUVs. The Tracer was discontinued in 1999 (three years before the Escort) and the Mystique was dropped in mid-2000.

Last revival[link]

2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

During the mid-2000s, after relative stagnation, the Mercury range was targeted for major updates to attract new (primarily, younger) buyers.^{[citation needed]} The full-size 2004 Montego, a clone of the Ford Five Hundred, was introduced as the (intended) replacement for the Grand Marquis while the mid-size 2006 Milan, a clone of the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ would become the Sable replacement. The 2004 Monterey and 2005 Mariner both were introduced as badge-engineered Fords as well. However, the Grand Marquis remained in production; in contrast to the Dodge Charger selling nearly as well as its Chrysler 300 counterpart, the Montego sold only a fraction in comparison to its Ford Five Hundred counterpart and was also outsold by the Grand Marquis as well. Unlike Ford's "F" model naming scheme, reaction to Mercury's "M" naming scheme was less extreme, as it had been in use since the 1950s.

Traditionally, Mercury was given a counterpart to most Ford platforms. During the 2000s, Ford focused on making its cars more luxurious, meaning Mercurys were less distinctive from other Ford nameplates.^{[citation needed]} The exception was the Grand Marquis, which had all but replaced the civilian Crown Victoria; the latter was discontinued from retail sale after 2007. While Mercury had reached the minivan and SUV segments before a number of other foreign or domestic brands, by the time Mercury received a more competitive entry (the Monterey, its version of the Ford Freestar), the minivan segment was in decline. In 2008, Ford started an ad campaign that focused exclusively on attracting female drivers to the brand in hopes of making it more profitable. Yet ironically, this only narrowed Mercury's brand image and buyer appeal even deeper, and sales continued to fall.

The Mariner crossover SUV debuted in 2005, four years after its Ford Escape twin, but Mercury had no version of the Ford Edge.^[5] Later, Mercury had proposed a new compact car based on the global Ford Focus Mk3, which would have revived the Tracer name. However, this plan was eventually scrapped upon announcement of Mercury brand discontinuation.

Discontinuation[link]

2008-2009 Mercury product lineup

On June 2, 2010, Ford announced the closure of the Mercury line by the end of the year. In terms of sales, Mercury represented only 1 percent of North America's automobile market, while Ford has a 16 percent share. Ford Motor Company has stated that additional Lincoln models will be introduced to help replace any shortfall from the discontinued Mercury brand.^[5] At the time of the announcement of Mercury's closure, Mercury was selling fewer than 95,000 units a year, which is less than both Plymouth and Oldsmobile right before they were phased out.^[8] The Mercury Mountaineer was discontinued in the 2010 model year, with the remaining Mercurys following suit after an abbreviated 2011 model year. Mercury's U.S. sales in 2010, its final full year, were 93,195.^[9] After the Mercury brand was discontinued in 2011, Ford stripped all Mercury branding from its Lincoln-Mercury dealers.

Sales figures[link]

Canadian Mercury trucks[link]

1947 Canadian Mercury M-Series truck

In Canada during the 1940s, not all rural communities were served by both a Ford or a Lincoln-Mercury dealership, often having one or the other. To boost truck sales, Ford offered rebadged trucks in its Mercury dealerships. While the majority of Mercury trucks were M-Series pickups (Ford F-Series), the rebadging was also done to Ford Econoline vans, B-Series school bus chassis, medium-duty trucks, and the C-Series cabover. Aside from the badging and grilles, Ford and Mercury trucks were functionally identical; they were as similar as Chevrolet and GMC trucks. Mercury trucks were sold from 1946-1968 (the C-Series until 1972). After the discontinuation of the 1968 M-Series pickup, Mercury did not sell a light truck until the 1993 Villager minivan.

Brand identity[link]

The lack of a distinct personality showed through in the cars, although there were some unique twists to 1980s Mercurys. Some examples include the roofline of the 1983 Cougar (influenced somewhat by the AMC Gremlin), the 1986 Sable (which had a lightbar in place of a conventional grille), and the 1988 Tracer (a clone of a Mazda-designed Australian Ford built in Mexico and Japan). By 1990, the lone remnants of Mercury's 1970s identity were the Grand Marquis luxury sedan and Colony Park station wagon; both had received only superficial updates since their 1979 downsizing.

Logo[link]

1984-2011 Mercury logo in center of alloy wheel

The first logo of the Mercury brand was its namesake, the Roman god Mercury. The side profile of his head, complete with the signature bowl hat with wings was used during the early years.

In the 1950s, the logo became a simple "M" with horizontal bars extending outward from the bottom of its vertical elements in each direction.^[18] This was described in advertising as "The Big M" – probably most notably as the prime sponsor of The Ed Sullivan Show.

During the late 1960s and up to the mid-1980s, the Mercury used the "Sign of the Cat" ad campaign based on its popular Cougar model. Many of the cars during this time carried cat related names such as the Lynx and Bobcat. On some of the upper-tier models, such as the Marquis and Grand Marquis, Mercury used a shield or cross, sometimes surrounded by a wreath, which was shared by some de luxe Ford models as well. Some models used the Lincoln brand's logo.

During the mid 1980s, the logo changed from the Cougar to its final logo, seen in the picture to the right. This logo was introduced on the all new 1984 Mercury Topaz. Since 1999, the word "Mercury" appeared on the top part of the logo.

The revival of the Mercury Marauder in 2003 brought a brief return of the original "God's Head" logo, for that model only.^[19]

See also[link]

• List of automobile manufacturers
• List of Mercury vehicles

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mercury vehicles

• Mercury Vehicles (Mercury | New Doors Opened)
• A short history of the marque^{[dead link]}
• Winged Messenger: Dedicated to the promotion and preservation of all Mercury vehicles
• Canadian Mercury trucks catalogs and ads

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Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder playing slide guitar in 2009 Photograph: Dani Canto
Background information
Birth name	Ryland Peter Cooder
Born	(1947-03-15) March 15, 1947 (age 65) Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Americana, roots rock, folk, blues, Tex-Mex, country, gospel, world music
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, film scorer, record producer, instructor
Instruments	Guitar, mandolin, vocals, array mbira
Years active	1967–present
Labels	Warner Bros., Nonesuch, Elektra
Associated acts	Taj Mahal, Captain Beefheart, Buena Vista Social Club, Ali Farka Toure
Website	Ry Cooder

Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947)^[1] is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.

His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and much else. He has collaborated with many musicians, including Larry Blackmon, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Randy Newman, Earl Hines, Little Feat, Captain Beefheart, The Chieftains, John Lee Hooker, Pops and Mavis Staples, Flaco Jiménez, Ibrahim Ferrer, Freddy Fender, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Ali Farka Touré. He formed the band Little Village with Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner.

Ry Cooder produced the Buena Vista Social Club album (1997), which became a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed the documentary film of the same name (1999), which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000.

He was ranked eighth on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".^[2] A 2010 ranking by Gibson placed him at number 32.^[3]

Career[link]

1960s[link]

During the 1960s, Cooder briefly attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon.^[4] 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.^[5] Van Dyke Parks worked with Newman and Cooder during the 1960s. Parks arranged Cooder's "One Meatball" according to Parks' 1984 interview by Bob Claster.

Cooder was a session musician on various recording sessions with the The Rolling Stones in 1968 and 1969, and his contributions appear on the albums 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 film soundtrack Performance, which contained Jagger's first solo single, "Memo from Turner". The 1975 compilation album Metamorphosis features an uncredited Cooder contribution on Bill Wyman's "Downtown Suzie."

Ry Cooder also collaborated with Lowell George of Little Feat, playing slide guitar on the original version of "Willin'".^[6]

1970s[link]

Throughout the 1970s, Cooder released a series of Warner Bros. Records albums that showcased his guitar work. Cooder explored bygone musical genres and found old-time recordings which he then personalized and updated. Thus, on his breakthrough album, Into the Purple Valley, he chose unusual instrumentations and arrangements of blues, gospel, calypso, and country songs (giving a tempo change to the cowboy ballad "Billy the Kid"). The album opened with the song "How Can You Keep on Moving (Unless You Migrate Too)" by Agnes "Sis" Cunningham about the Okies who were not welcomed when they migrated west 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, which explored ragtime/vaudeville) do not fall under a single genre description, but his self-titled first album could be described as blues; Into the Purple Valley, Boomer's Story, and Paradise and Lunch as folk and blues; Chicken Skin Music and Showtime as a mix of Tex-Mex and Hawaiian; Bop Till You Drop as 1950s' R&B; and Borderline and Get Rhythm as rock-based. His 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". Cooder is credited on Van Morrison's 1979 album, Into the Music, for slide guitar on the song "Full Force Gale". He also played guitar on Judy Collins' 1970 concert tour, and is featured on Living, the 1971 live album recorded during that tour.

1980s[link]

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."^[7] Musician Dave Grohl has declared Cooder's score for Paris, Texas is one of his favorite albums.^[8]

"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), Johnny Handsome^[9], 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. Cooder's music also appeared on two episodes of the television program "Tales From the Crypt" – "The Man Who Was Death" and "The Thing From the Grave" (http://www.allmusic.com/album/original-music-from-tales-from-the-crypt-w93724).

Also in 1988 he produced and featured in the Les Blank directed concert documentary film Ry Cooder & The Moula Banda Rhythm Aces: Let's Have a Ball where he plays in collaboration with a selection of musicians famous in their various musical fields.^[10] The following year, he played a janitor in the Jim Henson series The Ghost of Faffner Hall, in the episode "Music Is More Than Technique".^[11][12]

1990s[link]

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.^[13]

2000s[link]

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"^[14]— 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."^[14]Drawing from the various musical strains of Los Angeles, including conjunto, 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^[15] 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.^[16]

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 Geo Quiz. 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.^[17][18]

2010s[link]

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.^[19][20] Cooder's critically acclaimed^[21][22] new album Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down, released on August 30, 2011, contains politically charged songs such as "No Banker Left Behind"^[23] which was inspired by a Robert Scheer column.^[24]

In 2011, he published a collection of short stories called Los Angeles Stories, written about people living in Los Angeles in the 40s and 50s. With story titles such as "La vida es un sueño" and "Kill me, por favor", the book has a Hispanic theme and deals partially with Latinos living in Los Angeles during this time.

Awards[link]

• 1988 Grammy Award – Pecos Bill (Rabbit Ears Productions)
• 1993 Grammy Award – A 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

Discography[link]

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)
• Ry Cooder and the Moula Banda Rhythm Aces: Let's have a ball (1988)
• Rising Sons featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder with Rising Sons (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)
• Streets of Fire (1984)
• 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
• Taj Mahal (album) (1968) with Taj Mahal
• Neil Young (album) (1968) with Neil Young
• Head (1968) with The Monkees
• 12 Songs (1970) with Randy Newman
• The Candlestickmaker (1970) with Ron Elliott
• Washington County (1970) with Arlo Guthrie
• Stained Glass Morning (1970) with Scott McKenzie
• 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
• Good Dog, Happy Man (1999) with Bill Frisell
• The Wind (2003) with Warren Zevon (slide guitar on two tracks: "Dirty Life and Times" and "Prison Grove")

Written works[link]

• Los Angeles Stories, City Lights Publishers (2011) [1]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ry Cooder (Nonesuch Records)
• Easy Guitar Chords Homepage
• The People Speak at the Internet Movie Database
• Los Angeles Stories Book Description