December 28, 2004
Contact: Susan Gwynne
(805) 893-2098
e-mail: gwynne-s@sa.ucsb.edu
Singer-songwriters Lyle Lovett, John Haitt, Guy Clark and Joe Ely perform a rare joint concert at the Arlington Theatre
Summary Facts:
- Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Guy Clark, Joe Ely
- A rare joint concert by four brilliant singer-songwriters
- Performing their classic folk, country and rock songs
- A co-presentation of UCSB Arts & Lectures and Sings Like Hell
- Monday, January 31 / 8 pm
- Arlington Theatre, 1317 State Street
- General public: $65 and $45 / UCSB students: $25
- Tickets/information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535
Sings Like Hell and UCSB Arts & Lectures present An Evening with Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Guy Clark and Joe Ely on Monday, January 31 at 8 pm at the Arlington Theatre, 1317 State Street, Santa Barbara. Ceaselessly creative Lyle Lovett, the songwriter’s songwriter John Hiatt, classic Texas troubadour Guy Clark and fixture of the Austin music scene Joe Ely will turn the Arlington into a back-porch hootenanny. The four will share the stage and play funny and moving tunes from their extensive catalogs that are central to American folk, country and rock music. Before a recent New York show the Village Voice opined, “With Clark’s craft, Lovett’s wit, and the barely suppressed rock and roll hearts of Ely and Hiatt, this should be a varied and memorable night,” while the Houston Chronicle called a recent concert by the foursome “a terrific show with sublime poetry that traveled hard roads.”
Lyle Lovett is one of the most distinctive and original singer-songwriters to emerge during the 1980s. Though he was initially labeled as a country singer, Lovett had more in common with ‘70s singer-songwriters like Jesse Winchester, Randy Newman, Townes Van Zandt, and his fellow-performer Guy Clark, combining a talent for incisive, witty lyrical detail with an eclectic array of music, ranging from country and folk to big-band swing and traditional pop. Lovett’s literate, multi-layered songs stood out among the formulaic Nashville hit singles of the late ‘80s. Over the course of his career, he has won four Grammy Awards, including Best Country Album (1996 for The Road to Ensenada), Best Country Duo/Group with Vocal (1994 for “Blues For Dixie” with Asleep at the Wheel), Best Pop Vocal Collaboration (1994 for “Funny How Time Slips Away” with Al Green), and Best County Male Vocal (1989 for Lyle Lovett and His Large Band). Lovett is nominated for a 2004 Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for “In My Own Mind” from the album My Baby Don’t Tolerate.
An inventive performer and poignant songwriter, John Hiatt has captured and held the attention of audiences and critics alike with his distinctive voice and varied styles. In a career that has now spanned more than 25 years, he has dabbled in rock, acoustic, folk, new wave and Mississippi Delta blues. While developing his own signature sound, John Hiatt has attracted performers from all over the musical map to his catalog—his songs having been covered in almost every conceivable style. Artists who have interpreted Hiatt-penned tunes include Bob Dylan, The Everly Brothers, Iggy Pop, The Neville Brothers, Jewel, Emmylou Harris and Nick Lowe. His own albums range from the classic Southern rock of Bring the Family (which includes “Thing Called Love,” later turned into a mega-hit by Bonnie Raitt) to Crossing Muddy Waters, nominated for a 2001 Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Guy Clark was named a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in November 2004. The native Texan has devoted his life to crafting masterful, poignant melodies and lyrics that have earned him the richly deserved title of “Songbuilder.” Clark first achieved success as a songwriter with Jerry Jeff Walker’s early 1970s recordings of his now classic “L.A. Freeway” and “Desperados Waiting for a Train.” Through the years, artists like Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner and Rodney Crowell have recorded Clark’s songs. But no one does justice to a Guy Clark song more than the master craftsman himself.
Joe Ely’s career spans 18 albums, thousands of live shows, and musical partnerships with The Clash, Bruce Springsteen, and his legendary bandmates in The Flatlanders—Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Able to play music from Cajun and western to honky tonk stomps and rockabilly, Ely has forged a unique style of powerful music. His 1978 album Honky Tonk Masquerade is hailed by All Music Guide as “the cornerstone of Ely’s legacy and one of modern country’s most ambitious albums.”
Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Guy Clark and Joe Ely are presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and Sings Like Hell and sponsored by the Santa Barbara Independent. The concert is generously supported by Kelly Le Brock and Fredric Steck. Tickets are $65 and $45 for the general public and $25 for UCSB students who must show valid ID at ticket purchase and the evening of the show.
For tickets phone the Arlington Ticket Agency at 805.963.4408
or for more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.
Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098.