August 10, 1997 Singing the Brakeman’s Praises Jimmie Rodgers, the neglected giant who brought country music into the pop mainstream, is saluted by an eclectic lineup of his ’90s heirs on a tribute album conceived by Bob Dylan. by Richard Cromelin Two notable things happened on Oct. 7, 1927: Babe Ruth hit a World Series home run and Jimmie Rodgers’ first record went on sale. Even though Ruth was at the pinnacle of his fame and Rodgers was…
Bluegrass, country artist to perform at State Theatre Al Kaufman Contributing Writer The State Theatre will present an evening of bluegrass music Thursday night. Iris DeMent will join Leo Kottke for a musical evening. Dement said of all the things she has been called, she does not like to be called wholesome. “People use ‘wholesome’ or ‘old-fashioned’ to describe me all the time and I don’t understand it,” she said. “I keep thinking they mean boring, but I guess they…
Feature: Iris DeMent @Country February 1997 by Craig Harris Acoustic folk and country music are merged through the songs of Iris DeMent. In the past, critics have compared the petite, blonde songstress to The Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and Loretta Lynn. With her third album, The Way I Should, DeMent adds electric instruments and rock and pop influences to create a more modern sound. A factor in DeMent’s evolution has been her growing interest in the music of Merle Haggard,…
Artists A-Z: Iris DeMent Premiere Date, Program Number Women In Song” A Best of “Austin City Limits” Special 1996 2105 Guitar Pull with Merle Haggard and others 1995 2002 Solo Performance *Debut
Music Reviews: Iris DeMent, October 9, 1996 Iris DeMent: The Way I Should Warner Bros. File Under: Singer-songwriter goes country pop Iris DeMent’s startlingly simple debut, Infamous Angel, recalled the California-transplant alienation of Merle Haggard’s early work; its stark acoustic arrangement gave it a neo-folk sound. On her third recording, The Way I Should, the Arkansas-born, California-raised singer-songwriter has decided to reach out to contemporary country radio. This presents problems. DeMent’s songwriting is too old-fashioned–and often too personal and politically…
DeMent spells out what matters most By Roy Kasten “What matters to me are the songs,” Iris DeMent explained in quiet conviction, during an interview one October Saturday from her home in Gladstone, Kansas. Iris DeMent is entering her sixth year of recording, but she speaks with a gentle wisdom beyond experience. Her career has moved steadily upward, ever since John Prine first heard her songs and encouraged her to quit work at K-Mart and record “Infamous Angel” for Rounder…
Program Information: Pam Tillis followed by a Guitar Pull with Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Iris DeMent and Freddie Powers Program 2105 PBS Premiere Date: 1996 Repeat Date: Please see TV Schedule. PBS Stations may carry this program at dates other than the national dates provided here. Please check your local listings for exact date and time in your area. Song List Record Dates Description Austin City Limits presented country music’s twice-acclaimed Female Vocalist of the year, Pam Tillis during…
Program Information: Nanci Griffith followed by Iris DeMent Program 2002 PBS Premiere Date: 1995 Repeat Date: Rights Expired. Please see TV Schedule for upcoming programs. PBS Stations may carry programs at dates other than the national dates provided here. Please check your local listings for exact dates and times in your area. Song List Record Dates Description Austin City Limits presented two unique styles of folk music with Grammy Award-winner Nanci Griffith in her fourth Austin City Limits performance, followed…
Robert Christgau The Village Voice, August 9, 1994 It is axiomatic that rock and roll, like so much American popular culture – including a countercultural tradition of communes and charismatics traceable to the Great Awakening – is rooted in evangelical Christianity. The plausible exaggeration that all its rhythms come out of the black church connects neatly to the guilt complexes of such sometime secularists as Little Richard, Sam Cooke, and Al Green. And if for some dumb reason the…
SINGER-SONGWRITER BLAZED OWN QUIRKY PATH Karla Peterson, Arts Writer San Diego Union/Tribune August 19,1993 She has toured with Nanci Griffith, recorded with Emmylou Harris, and written sweet, sad songs that made John Prine weep into his pork chops. For an up-and-coming artist, singer-songwriter Iris DeMent has a surprising number of admirers in high places. But it took the granddaddy of them all to say the words this Arkansas original really needed to hear. “When I met my first famous person,…