Rodney Crowell
 |
The Houston Kid |
Rodney J. Crowell (born
August 7,
1950) is a
country music singer/songwriter.
Crowell was born in
Houston, Texas to James Walter Crowell and Addie Cauzette Willoughby. He is considered to be part of both the
alternative country and the mainstream country music camps. He is a contemporary of
Steve Earle and, like Earle, was also influenced by the (songwriting) greats
Guy Clark and
Townes Van Zandt. Rodney played guitar and sang for three years in
Emmylou Harris' "Hot Band".
He was married to
Rosanne Cash from 1979 to 1992 and had a great influence on her career, producing most of her albums during that period. They collaborated on a number of duets, including
1988's "It's Such a Small World." Though Crowell and Cash are now divorced, they remain on friendly terms, performing together occasionally. Six years after the breakdown of his marriage to Rosanne he married
Claudia Church.
Although best known as a songwriter and alternative country artist, Crowell enjoyed mainstream popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s. His critically acclaimed album, 1988's
Diamonds and Dirt, produced five No. 1 hits during a 17-month span in 1988 and 1989: "It's Such a Small World" (a duet with Cash), "I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried," "She's Crazy for Leaving," "After All This Time" and "Above and Beyond." His follow-up album, 1989's "Keys to the Highway," produced two top 5 hits in 1990, which were "Many a Long and Lonesome Highway" and "If Looks Could Kill."
As Crowell's popularity in mainstream country faded, he continued his prolific songwriting. In
2001 he released
The Houston Kid on
Sugar Hill Records. Many songs on the album were semi-autobiographical, and the album included a duet with Crowell's ex
father-in-law Johnny Cash on "I Walk the Line (Revisited)". He followed up this effort with
Fate's Right Hand in
2003 and The Outsider in
2005. Crowell considers these three albums his finest work as a solo artist.
2004 saw the release of
The Notorious Cherry Bombs, a reunion of
The Cherry Bombs, a group that existed briefly in the 1970s with Rodney Crowell,
Vince Gill,
Tony Brown, and others. The future
Keith Urban hit "Making Memories of Us" was included on this disc.
*"Home Sweet Home Revisited" (recorded by
J.D. Crowe and the New South, 1975)
*"Please Remember Me" (a hit for
Tim McGraw)
*"Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight" (a hit for the
Oak Ridge Boys)
*"Shame On The Moon" (a hit for
Bob Seger)
*"Ain't Living Long Like This" (a hit for
Waylon Jennings)
*"Voila, An American Dream"
*"Ashes By Now" (a hit-to-be for
Lee Ann Womack)
*"'Til I Gain Control Again" (a hit-to-be for
Crystal Gayle)
*"She's Crazy for Leaving"
*"After All This Time"
*"Lovin' All Night"
*"It's Such a Small World" (a duet with
Rosanne Cash)
*"I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried"
*"Many a Long and Lonesome Highway"
*"If Looks Could Kill"
*"What Kind of Love"
*"I Walk the Line (Revisited)" (duet with
Johnny Cash)
*"Making Memories of Us" (a hit for
Keith Urban)
*
Ain't Living Long Like This, 1978.
*
But What Will the Neighbors Think, 1980.
*
Rodney Crowell, 1981.
*
Street Language, 1986.
*
Diamonds & Dirt, 1988.
*
Keys to the Highway, 1989.
*
The Rodney Crowell Collection, 1989.
*
Life is Messy, 1992.
*
Greatest Hits, 1993.
*
Soul Searchin', 1994.
*
Let the Picture Paint Itself, 1994.
*
Super Hits, 1995.
*
Jewel of the South, 1995.
*
The Cicadas, 1997.
*
The Houston Kid, 2001.
*
Fate's Right Hand, 2003.
*
The Notorious Cherry Bombs, 2004.
*
The Outsider,2005.
*
Official Site*
A brief biography
