Two Hands Townes Van Zandt was born in 1944 in Ft. Worth, Texas. He was one of the most brilliant and talented songwriters of all time, and at the same time, one of the most troubled of human beings. Many of his songs reached the top of...
Oh Glory, How Happy I Am Rev. Gary Davis was one of dozens of musicians discovered and recorded by Alan Lomax in the 1940’s. His many gospel songs, plus his vocal and guitar style influenced many performers. He was born in 1896 in South...
God’s Overcoat When we lived in Venezuela, we sang many beautiful “coros” during church services. None conveyed the messages of comfort and protection like “El que Habita al Abrigo de Dios.” Written in 1949 by Luz Ester Rios de Cuna,...
“Hallelujah… Texas Style” As a native of Central Texas, I get excited when it is springtime in this part of the world. As the end of last week approached, I had not readily found a song that reflected the complex mixtures of...
The Stories We Can Tell John Sebastian was born in 1944, one of the “Boomer” generation. He grew up in New York City, listening to the music of Burl Ives, Woodie Gutherie, Mississippi John Hurt and Lightnin’ Hopkins. In the early 1960’s...
Why Walk When You Can Fly Mary Chapin Carpenter was born in Princeton, New Jersey in the late 1950’s. Her father was an executive with Life Magazine, while her mom was a folk singer and guitarist, from whom Mary learned to play guitar and...
From watching her live performance in La Grange last week, we learned that Marcia Ball’s songs cover many genres and topics. “Shine Bright” was released in 2018 on the album of the same name. It is an up-tempo, rap-sounding message that...
“Where Do You Go” Marcia Ball was born only 4 months after me, and I’ve listened to her music for most of my adult life. However, until last Friday night at the Bugle Boy in La Grange, Texas, I had never seen her in a live show. I...
Laurie Lewis grew up in the Bay Area of California and became a fan of folk and bluegrass music at an early age. The California music scene was much more open than in Nashville, so she was exposed to a wide spectrum of folk, bluegrass and pop music...