"Somehow you can tell the difference when a song is written just to get on the radio and when what someone does is their whole life. That comes through in Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson. There is no separating their life from their music."
-- Lyle Lovett
Biography
Lyle Pearce Lovett
Lovett stayed close to both his Texas and German roots throughtout high school in Klein and college at Texas A&M in College Station, TX, which is east of Austin. He spent some time studying in Rothenburg, Germany while he was in college, and in 1982 he graduated with dual degrees in German and journalism.
He was also an avid musician while he was in college. He and friends such as Robert Earl Keen played local gigs with area bands in Texas. While he was in Germany, he met a musician who called himself Buffalo Wayne, and Wayne got him a gig playing a country-western concert in Luxembourg in 1983.
He didn't get his first professional break until after college when he got a gig as a backup singer for Nanci Griffith's first album in 1985. Griffith ended up recording a song he had written, "If I Were The Woman You Wanted" for the album Once In A Very Blue Moon.
His work with Griffith led to a recording contract with MCA/Curb Records, and he released his debut self-titled album in 1986.
Since then, he's won four Grammy Awards, the first for Best Male Vocalist in 1989, the second for his duet with Al Green for "Funny How Time Slips Away" in 1993, and the third for "Blues For Dixie" in 1994. In 1996, his album The Road to Enselada won the Grammy for Best Country Album. He and his Large Band have also earned many critical and fan accolades.
Lovett also began to work as an actor. His first major role was as Detective DeLongpre in Robert Altman's wicked Hollywood black comedy The Player. Since then, he's appeared in about seven other movies, mainly Altman films. (See the listing at the end of this writeup for details).
Possibly because of his work in Hollywood, Lovett met actress Julia Roberts. They married in 1993 and divorced in 1995. Despite Lovett's great music and great talent, his marriage to Roberts earned him far more fame and attention than anything else he'd done.
In 2002, Lovett was injured by a bull at his family's farm near Houston, TX. His uncle was attacked by the animal, and Lovett tried to intervene; he was trampled and suffered a badly broken leg.
Lovett spends much of his time touring with his Large Band or with a smaller ensemble, though he goes back to Texas whenever he can.
Seeing Lovett Live
I saw Lyle Lovett and His Large Band play at the Palace Theater here in Columbus, OH. I went mainly because the friend who took me is a huge fan of his. I'd heard Lovett's work on the radio, and liked it, but I hadn't really sought it out.
After seeing him perform, all I can say is this: wow.
He and his band put on an amazing show. All the members of the band are absolutely top-notch musicians. They'd be as at home playing for a symphony orchestra in any major city as they'd be in a honky-tonk band in a smoky Texas bar. His backup singers had absolutely wonderful voices.
One thing that struck me most is that Lovett doesn't put himself above the band. He had everyone else do solos or numbers to showcase their individual talents, and he took time throughout the concert to introduce the other singers and musicians -- all thirteen of them.
Lovett's self-deprecating between-song chat is really, really funny. He seems like a genuinely decent human being.
Julia Roberts didn't deserve him.
Partial Discography
- Anthology, Vol. 1: Cowboy Man October 23, 2001
- Dr. T & The Women (2000 film soundtrack) October 10, 2000
- Live In Texas June 29, 1999
- Step Inside This House September 22, 1998
- The Road To Ensenada June 18, 1996
- I Love Everybody September 27, 1994
- Joshua Judges Ruth March 31, 1992
- Lyle Lovett & His Large Band January 23, 1989
- Pontiac January 11, 1988
- Lyle Lovett 1986
Filmography
- The New Guy (2002) -- Bear
- Last Stand of the Tallgrass Prairie (2001) (TV) -- Host
- 3 Days of Rain (2000) -- Disc Jockey
- Cookie's Fortune (1999) -- Manny Hood
- The Opposite of Sex (1998) -- Sheriff Carl Tippett
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) -- Road Person
- Roger Miller Remembered (1998) (TV) -- Himself
- Breast Men (1997) (TV) -- Research Scientist
- Bastard Out of Carolina (1996) -- Wade
- Pret-a-Porter (1994) -- Clint Lammeraux
- Short Cuts (1993) -- Andy Bitkower
- Willie Nelson: The Big Six-0 (1993) (TV) -- Himself
- The Player (1992) -- Detective DeLongpre
- Bill: On His Own (1983) (TV) -- Singer at the Beach
References: http://www.lylelovett.net/
http://www.topcountrymusic.com/lyle.htm
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/1192/LyleLovett/
http://www.imdb.com/
