Together at the Bluebird Café

Infobox Album
Name = Together at the Bluebird Café
Type = live
Artist = Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt & Guy Clark


Released = Oct 9, 2001
Recorded = Sept 13, 1995 Bluebird Café, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre = country, folk, singer-songwriter
Length = 1:09:01
Label = American Originals
Producer = Vinny Adinolfi
Reviews =
*"About.com" (favorable) Matt Bjork, "CD Review: "Together at the Bluebird Cafe", About:Country Music ( [http://countrymusic.about.com/library/bltogetheratthebluebirdrev.htm link] )]
*"Allmusic" rating|4|5 William Ruhlmann, "Review: Together at the Bluebird Café", "Allmusic" ( [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0b6gtr5rkl6x link] )]
*"Austin Chronicle" rating|3|4 Jim Caligiuri, "Phases and Stages: Texas Platters", "Austin Chronicle", January 25, 2002 ( [http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/review?oid=oid%3A84450 link] )]
*"Country Standard Time" (favorable) Robert Wooldridge, "Country Music CD Review: Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, "Together at the Bluebird Cafe", "Country Standard Time" ( [http://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/cdreview.asp?xid=1168 link] )]
*"Figgle" (favorable) Kyf Brewer, "Review: Together at the Bluebird Cafe", "Figgle" ( [http://www.figgle.com/reviewCD.php?CDID=81 link] )]
*"FolkWax" (7/10) Aaron Barker, "Together" recorded live just two years before Townes died", "FolkWax", December 12, 2001 ( [http://www.visnat.com/entertainment/music/folkwax/mp3/album.cfm?aaa=zzz&reviewnumber=1075 link] - requires free subscription)]
*"Fretplay" rating|4|5 Marc Greilsamer, "Review: steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark- "Together at the Bluebird Cafe", "Fretplay" ( [http://www.fretplay.com/review/e/earle_steve/discography-CD-B00005QXGQ-Together-At-The-Bluebird-Caf.shtml link] )]
* "Goldmine" (favorable) Bruce Sylvester, (Reviews of "The Best of Townes Van Zandt"; "Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas"; ""; "Together at the Bluebird Cafe"), "Goldmine", 28:14:573, July 12, 2002, p. 65-66]
*"Milwaukee Journal Sentinel" (favorable) "CD Reviews", "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel" December 28, 2001]
*"Sing Out!" (favorable) , "Off the Beaten Track: "Together at the Bluebird Cafe", "Sing Out!" Winter 2002]
Last album =

"Together at the Bluebird Café" is a live recording of an "in-the-round" concert by three critically acclaimed Texas-born singer-songwriters, Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, and Guy Clark. Each of the three songwriters alternate between solo performances of some of their best material.who|date=August 2008 The album is unique for the camaraderie between the three artists whose personal lives and musical careers are very much intertwined.

History

The event was organized by Susanna Clark (Guy's wife) as a benefit for the Interfaith Dental Clinic, an organization that works to "restore, protect, and improve the oral health of uninsured, low-income, working people and their children in the greater Nashville area." [http://www.interfaithdentalclinic.com/ Interfaith Dental Clinic web site] ] In the Liner notes Clark indicates, "When I asked Guy, Townes, and Steve to help me raise money for the Interfaith Dental Clinic, I had no idea what a stir it would cause."liner notes, "Together at the Bluebird Cafe", American Originals (AMO-4006-2), 2001] The clinic is mentioned the program by Townes Van Zandt who apparently had been a recipient of their services. Van Zandt tells a story of an incident in which he lost a gold tooth while shooting dice.

The recording took place on September 3, 1995 at Nashville's nationally renown venue for songwriters, The Bluebird Café. Owner and manager, Amy Kurland, described the show as "one of the best" in 19 years.Although Kurland names it as one of the best in the album liner notes, the show does not appear on the list of [http://www.bluebirdcafe.com/about/memory.htm Amy Kurland's Dozen Memorable Events at the Bluebird Cafe] (which are all earlier events)]

The concert took place just 15 months before Townes Van Zandt's death. As was true 22 years earlier in his "Live at the Old Quarter", Van Zandt's humor, wedged between some very sad songs is a prominent feature. The stripped down versions of Earle's songs are also unique. Earle's own live performances and albums rarely offer the listener so many chances to hear his music without the backing of a full band. Guy Clark spends the least time talking between songs, allowing his songs to tell their own stories. Occasionally the artists interact, like when Clark joins Earle on the "Mercenary Song".

A female vocalist not credited in the liner notes, but apparently Emmylou Harris adds a harmony vocal to Guy Clark's "Immigrant Eyes" and on Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road". Earle names Mark Stuart as the additional guitarist on "Copperhead Road".

Track listing

# "Baby Took a Limo to Memphis" (Guy Clark) – 3:31
# "My Old Friend the Blues" (Steve Earle) – 3:03
# "Townes: Introduction to "Katie Belle" – 1:44
# "Katie Belle" (Townes Van Zandt) – 3:13
# "The Cape" (Guy Clark,Susanna Clark, Jim Jonosky) – 3:29
# "Steve: Introduction to "Valentine's Day" – 1:03
# "Valentine's Day" (Earle) – 3:10
# "Ain't Leavin' Your Love" (Van Zandt) – 2:55
# "Randall Knife" (Clark) – 4:46 (a reference to Randall Made Knives)
# "Tom Ames' Prayer" (Earle) – 3:22
# "Townes: The Interfaith Dental Clinic" – 4:29
# "A Song For" (Van Zandt) – 3:29
# "Dublin Blues" (Clark) – 4:29
# "I Ain't Ever Satisfied" (Earle) – 4:00
# "Pancho and Lefty" (Van Zandt) – 5:22
# "Immigrant Eyes" (Clark, Roger Murrah) – 4:08
# "Steve: Sirocco's Pizza" – 1:42
# "Mercenary Song" (Earle) – 3:02
# "Tecumseh Valley" (Van Zandt) – 4:36
# "Copperhead Road" (Earle) – 3:20

Charts

Credits

* Executive Producers: Amy Kurland, Len Handler, Phil Kurnit
* Compilation produced by: Vinny Adinolfi
* Edited by: Elliott Federman & Vinny Adinolfi
* Mastered by: Elliott Federman at Saje Sound, [http://www.sajesound.com Saje Sound / Elliott Federman web site] ] New York, New York
* Recorded at the Bluebird Café, Nashville, Tennessee by: Neil Fagan & Phil Smith
* Production coordinator for The Bluebird Café: Fran Overall
* Art Direction & Design: Amy Bennick, Anything You See, Inc.
* Photography: Señor McGuire, Al Clayton, Steve Luvkin, Michael Wilson, and Anthony Lathrop

Releases

External links

* [http://www.AmericanOriginalsCDS.com American Originals website]
* [http://www.bluebirdcafe.com Bluebird Cafe]
* [http://www.interfaithdentalclinic.com/ Interfaith Dental Clinic]

Notes and sources