Song:Two Days Old
Album:Platinum & Gold Collection
Though he hated the New Age term, guitarist Michael Hedges was a big part of establishing the market for New Age on Windham Hill Records in the 80s. Two Days Old is from his 1981 debut album Breakfast in the Field. He was born Dec. 31, 1953 in Sacramento, CA. Hedges studied classical guitar at Phillips University in Enid, OK and he was a composition major at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. While in Baltimore, he was in the folk rock group The Lotus Band. He also performed solo. He planned to return to California and study music at Stanford. But Windham Hill Records owner Will Ackerman saw Hedges perform at The Varsity Theater in Palo Alto and immediately signed him to a record deal written on a napkin. Ackerman is a guitarist and he founded Windham Hill in 1975 after finding there is a market in California record stores for instrumental music that isn't jazz or easy listening. In the 80s they were the foremost source for what became New Age music led by pianist George Winston. Hedges 1981 debut album Breakfast in the Field was a big part of establishing the market for New Age though as I said, Hedges didn't think of himself in those terms. Winston played piano on the album along with bassist Michael Manring who toured with Hedges. I would describe Hedges' music as a mix of classical and folk very similar to John Martyn or Leo Kottke. Hedges acknowledged Martyn and Martin Carthy as influences. Though Windham Hill was mostly an instrumental label, Hedges convinced Ackerman to let him sing on the 1985 album Watching My Life Go By. Windham Hill had a second label Private Music for music that was not New Age. The Windham Hill formula was very successful until the label was sold to RCA in 1993. Sony closed Windham Hill in 2007. Michael Hedges died in a car accident on Dec. 2, 1997 at age 43. His 1997 album Oracle won a Grammy after his death. This comp is a good intro to his music. Here's Michael Hedges performing Two Days Old at The Varsity Theater in Palo Alto.
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