While
Rodney Crowell first gained widespread recognition as a leader of the
new traditionalist movement of the mid-'80s, he in fact was a singer, songwriter, and producer with roots and ambitions extending far beyond the movement's parameters. Born to a musical family on August 7, 1950, in Houston, TX,
Crowell formed his first band, the Arbitrators, while in high school, and in 1972 moved to Nashville to become a professional musician. There, he struck up friendships with singer/songwriters
Townes Van Zandt and
Guy Clark.
Crowell's first big break came while he was performing as a
lounge singer, where one of his acoustic sets was heard by
Jerry Reed.
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While
Rodney Crowell first gained widespread recognition as a leader of the
new traditionalist movement of the mid-'80s, he in fact was a singer, songwriter, and producer with roots and ambitions extending far beyond the movement's parameters. Born to a musical family on August 7, 1950, in Houston, TX,
Crowell formed his first band, the Arbitrators, while in high school, and in 1972 moved to Nashville to become a professional musician. There, he struck up friendships with singer/songwriters
Townes Van Zandt and
Guy Clark.
Crowell's first big break came while he was performing as a
lounge singer, where one of his acoustic sets was heard by
Jerry Reed.
Crowell's own "You Can't Keep Me Here in Tennessee" caught the ear of
Reed and his manager, and two days later
Reed recorded the song after signing
Crowell to his publishing company. In 1975,
Crowell moved to Los Angeles to join
Emmylou Harris' Hot Band as a guitarist, and soon became one of her primary songwriters; among the
Crowell compositions
Harris first popularized were "Till I Gain Control Again," "Ain't Livin' Long Like This," "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight," and "Bluebird Wine." In 1977,
Crowell exited the Hot Band to form his own group, the Cherry Bombs, and in 1978 released his first album,
Ain't Living Long Like This; surprisingly, given that he had built his growing reputation as a songwriter, his first two minor hits -- "Elvira" and "(Now and Then, There's) A Fool Such as I" -- were both covers.
Also in 1978,
Crowell began producing tracks for the album Right or Wrong, the American debut from singer/songwriter
Rosanne Cash; around the time of the record's 1979 release, he and
Cash married. In between recording his own 1980 sophomore record, But What Will the Neighbors Think, and producing
Cash's commercial breakthrough Seven Year Ache,
Crowell's songwriting career took full flight when "Leavin' Louisiana in the Broad Daylight" hit number one for
the Oak Ridge Boys in 1980. Among his other significant compositions were "Till I Gain Control Again" (a number one for
Crystal Gayle in 1983), "Shame on the Moon" (a Top Five pop hit for
Bob Seger in 1982), "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)" (a 1984 number one for
the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), and "Somewhere Tonight" (a number one in 1987 for Highway 101).
In 1980,
Crowell issued his own first hit, "Ashes by Now," which was a Top 40 pop crossover success; the follow-up, "Stars on the Water," was popular with both pop and
country listeners. In 1981, he issued his third LP, a self-titled effort which was not commercially successful; when a fourth effort was rejected by his label, he turned his energies to writing and producing, most significantly helming
Cash's 1987 masterpiece
King's Record Shop. At
Cash's urging,
Crowell reignited his performing career in 1986 with the acclaimed Street Language, an eclectic effort co-produced by Memphis
soul legend Booker T. Jones.
In 1988,
Crowell finally broke through commercially with
Diamonds & Dirt, a record which generated an unbroken string of five number one singles with "It's Such a Small World" (a duet with
Cash), "I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried," "She's Crazy for Leavin'" (co-written by
Guy Clark), "After All This Time," and "Above and Beyond."
Keys to the Highway was also highly successful.
Crowell and
Cash divorced in 1991, prompting both artists to document their marriage's dissolution with starkly confessional albums;
Crowell's 1992
Life Is Messy featured guests
Steve Winwood and
Linda Ronstadt. Switching to MCA Records for Let the Picture Paint Itself in 1994, he followed with Jewel of the South the next year. In 1997, he formed the Cicadas with longtime backup musicians Steuart Smith, Michael Rhodes, and Vince Santoro. He married singer Claudia Church in 1998, and in 1999 wrote her
country chart debut, "'What's the Matter with You Baby."
Crowell issued his first album since 1995,
The Houston Kid, in 2001. Continuing in the autobiographical vein of that record, he released
Fate's Right Hand in 2003, followed by The Outsider in 2005 and
Sex and Gasoline in 2008. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
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