Dubbed by The New Yorker magazine as "the thinking man's cowboy," and hailed by Esquire as a sophisticated songwriter who owes his endurance to charisma, character and class, Lyle Lovett is a low-key alt-country music hero who has gained nothing but respect since the release of his self-titled 1986 debut. He liberally infuses jazz, folk, swing, gospel and blues into his material, and excels in the string- and horn-laden efforts with his large band (including 2007's It's Not Big, It's Large). As a storyteller, Lovett's wry sense of humor rivals only his exquisite ability to break a listener's heart with tales of desperate ache and loneliness.
Raised in the wide expanse of Texas, Lovett is part of a loose collective of exceptional Lone Star State songwriters including Joe Ely, Guy Clark, Robert Earl Keen and Townes Van Zandt. Although none ever broke out as mainstream country stars, all are admired as gifted, though enigmatic, artists.
Lovett has also enjoyed a healthy career as an actor: a favorite of director Robert Altman, he appeared in The Player, Short Cuts, Cookie's Fortune and Pret-A-Porter (he also penned the music for Dr. T and the Women), among other films and TV work. Always a fan of a dry joke, Lovett has a small part in Jake Kasdan and Judd Apatow's Walk Hard mockumentary of a Johnny Cash-like character named Dewey Cox. He also sings on the film's title track (penned by Marshall Crenshaw), along with Ghostface Killah, Jewel and Jackson Browne.
Provenance: Klein, Texas.
Latest Release: It's Not Big, It's Large (2007)
© 2007 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
Lyle Lovett
