Song:Hurricane Party
Album:Just Us Kids
After an attempt was made in the early 90s to turn him into a mainstream music star, James McMurtry settled into being a singer songwriter. I guess his music could be described as folk or alt country. He was born Mar. 18, 1962 in Fort Worth, TX and he grew up in Leesburg, VA. His dad is famed novelist Larry McMurtry. His mother was an English professor and she taught him to play guitar. McMurtry started performing while studying English at the University of Arizona. Then he moved back to Texas and he took odd jobs while performing at night. In 1987 McMurtry won a songwriting contest at the Kerrville Folk Festival. At the time, John Mellencamp was in Texas shooting the film Falling From Grace written by Larry McMurtry. Mellencamp got McMurtry a record deal with Columbia. Mellencamp also produced McMurtry's three Columbia albums. McMurtry was also in the supergroup Buzzin Cousins with Mellencamp, John Prine, Joe Ely and Dwight Yoakam that appeared in Falling From Grace. After his three albums didn't sell, McMurtry recorded for the Sugar Hill bluegrass label. Hurricane Party is from the 2007 CD Just Us Kids on the Lightning Rod label. The special guest on the album is Faces pianist Ian McLagen. The rest of the band is McMurtry's usual band of Jon Dee Graham on steel guitar, Ronnie Johnson on bass and Daren Hess on drums. McMurtry's latest album Complicated Game was released in 2015. McMurtry plays a regular weekly gig at the Continental in Austin. His son Curtis McMurtry sometimes performs with him. Here's James McMurtry performing Hurricane Party on Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour 2008.
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