Lyle Lovett
Backgroundsolo_singer
Birth nameLyle Pearce Lovett
Birth dateNovember 1, 1957 (age 68)
Birth placeHouston, Texas, U.S.
OriginKlein, Texas, U.S.
GenreAlternative country[1] · Americana[2] · rockabilly[3] · blues[4] · jazz[4] · swing[5]
Instrument
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
DiscographyLyle Lovett discography
Occupation
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
Years active1980–present
Label
Websitelylelovett.com
Spouse

Lyle Pearce Lovett (born November 1, 1957)[6] is an American country singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded 14 albums and released 25 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man". Lovett has won four Grammy Awards, including Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Album.[7] His most recent album is 12th of June, released in 2022.

Early life

Lovett was born in Houston and grew up in the nearby community of Klein, Texas.[8][9][10] He is the son of William Pearce and Bernell Louise (née Klein) Lovett, a marketing executive and training specialist, respectively. Lyle grew up in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.[11] He graduated from Texas A&M University with Bachelor of Arts degrees in German and journalism in 1980. In the early 1980s, he often played solo acoustic sets at the small bars just off the A&M campus.

Career

Lyle Lovett began his music career as a singer-songwriter. By the early 1980s, Lovett had already distinguished himself in the burgeoning Texas folk acoustic scene. He had performed in the New Folk competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1980 and 1982.[12] An American singer, Buffalo Wayne, whom he had met in 1978 during a college trip to Germany, invited Lovett to play with him at the 1983 Schueberfouer in Luxembourg. One of the events (a happening) at the funfair was held at an American musical tent. The owner was a fan of the house band J. David Sloan and the Rogues, which was from Phoenix.[13] He invited the Rogues to perform the event, and Lovett was encouraged by band members Ray Herndon and Matt Rollings to sit in with the group,[14] which performed some of his songs. The experience opened his eyes to what his songs could sound like with proper backing; Lovett had never sung with a band before.[13]

Sloan and band member Billy Williams offered Lovett a deal on studio time, first day free. In 1984 Lovett took them up on the offer. After several stays in Arizona over that summer he recorded 18 songs.[15] The demo tape of the first four songs led to his first record deal;[16] ten of the songs recorded with the Rogues became Lovett's self-titled debut album.[17] He made many longtime contacts in Phoenix during that time. Some of the Rogues players including Herndon, Matt McKenzie, Rollings, and Williams played in Lovett's band. Williams produced or co-produced several of his albums from 1987 to 2007. Through the Rogues he met Francine Reed, who began recording with him in 1985 and toured with him for decades.[18][19] In 2022, reliving his Phoenix connection he said,

It led to a demo tape, an album and now, this rolling Thanksgiving tour... It's all because of running into this band in Luxembourg. That's a long way to get to Phoenix from Texas. It's a lot shorter if you just do I-10.[15]

He signed with MCA Records in 1986 and released his eponymous debut album. He sang harmony vocals on Nanci Griffith's The Last of the True Believers album (1986). While typically associated with the country genre, Lovett's compositions often incorporate folk, swing, blues, jazz and gospel music as well as more traditional country & western styling. He has won four Grammy Awards, including Best Country Album (1996 for The Road to Ensenada), Best Country Duo/Group with Vocal (1994 for "Blues For Dixie" with the Texas swing group Asleep at the Wheel), Best Pop Vocal Collaboration (1994 for "Funny How Time Slips Away" with Al Green) and Best Country Male Vocal (1989 for Lyle Lovett and His Large Band). In 1995, Lovett performed a duet of "You've Got a Friend in Me" with Randy Newman for Toy Story. He plays Collings acoustic guitars.[20]

Lovett acted in a number of films, notably four for director Robert Altman: The Player (1992), Short Cuts (1993), Prêt-à-Porter (1994), and Cookie's Fortune (1999). He also composed the score for the director's Dr. T & the Women (2000). Some of his other film roles include Bastard Out Of Carolina (1996), The New Guy (2002), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), and a humorous role in Angels Sing, a family Christmas film (alongside fellow actors and musicians such as Harry Connick, Jr., Connie Britton, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson). His television acting forays include guest roles on Mad About You and Castle, a recurring role on The Bridge (as Flagman, a lawyer), and appearances as himself on Dharma & Greg and Brothers & Sisters.

Mary Chapin Carpenter's 1992 song "I Feel Lucky" makes reference to Lovett, as does Bloodhound Gang's 1999 song "The Bad Touch", which includes the lyric, "and you'll Lovett just like Lyle."

Lovett was given an award called an "Esky" for Surest Thing in Esquire's 2006 Esky Music Awards in the April issue. The magazine said of Lovett: "The secret of Lyle Lovett's endurance comes down to the three C's: class, charisma and consistency... In the studio and on stage with his giant orchestra, he's spent two decades gracefully matching genuine songcraft with A-list musicianship". In 2010, Lovett appeared on an episode of Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... that also featured John Prine and Ray LaMontagne. In 2011, Lovett was named Texas State Artist Musician by the Texas Commission on the Arts.[21] Lovett contributed a cover of Buddy Holly's "Well... All Right" for the tribute album Listen to Me: Buddy Holly (2011).

In 2019, Lovett was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. In 2022, he released his first album since 2012, 12th of June. Lyle Lovett is featured in "Foreword: A Conversation with the Indigo Girls, Kathy Mattea, and Lyle Lovett" in Brian T. Atkinson's Love at the Five and Dime: The Songwriting Legacy of Nanci Griffith.

Personal life

Lovett married actress Julia Roberts after meeting her on the set of The Player. Following a three-week romance, they eloped and married in June 1993 in Marion, Indiana. In March 1995, they divorced after less than two years of marriage. Career demands were cited as the reason for the breakup, and they subsequently remained friends.[22][23]

Lovett became engaged to American film and music producer April Kimble in 2003; they married in 2017.[24] The couple's twin son and daughter were born June 12, 2017, a date Lovett chose for the title of his 2022 album 12th of June. On this album, the song “Her Loving Man” is an ode to his wife. The family's home is an East Texas farm, homesteaded by Lovett's great-great-grandfather in the early 1850s.[24][25]

On March 28, 2002, Lovett was trapped by a bull against a fence on his uncle's farm in Klein, Texas, before being pulled to safety. He fully recovered after six months from a badly broken leg, and he began touring again in summer 2003.

Lovett was given an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by the University of Houston on May 15, 2010, at its general commencement ceremony.[26][27] His mother was in the audience as her son was presented with an honorary doctorate from the same university from which she had received her bachelor's degree in 1960.[28] His father was also a graduate of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture of the University of Houston.[26] In 2015, Lyle received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Texas A&M University.

Lyle Lovett is a horse enthusiast and co-owns and competes in reining competitions with his world class Quarter Horse named Smart And Shiney.[29][30][31] In 2012, Lovett was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.[32] In 2018, he was awarded the National Reining Horse Association Lifetime Achievement Award in the National Reining Horse Association Hall of Fame.[33]

Discography

Main article: Lyle Lovett discography

Filmography

Musician

Actor

YearTitleRoleNotes
1983Bill: On His OwnSinger at Beach(TV movie)
1992The PlayerDetective DeLongpre
1993Short CutsAndy Bitkower
1994Prêt-à-PorterClint Lammeraux
1995Mad About YouLenny(TV series, episode "Mad About You: Part 2")
1996Bastard Out of CarolinaWade
1997Breast MenResearch Scientist(TV movie)
1998Fear and Loathing in Las VegasRoad Person
1998The Opposite of SexSheriff Carl Tippett
1999Cookie's FortuneManny Hood
1999Penn & Teller's Sin City SpectacularHimself(episode 1.23)
1999Mad About YouLenny(episode "The Final Frontier" Part 1)
2000Dharma and GregHimself(episode "The Trouble With Troubadours")
2002Three Days of RainDisc Jockey
2002The New GuyBear Harrison
2007Brothers and SistersHimself(episode "Something New")
2007Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox StoryHimself
2008The Open RoadPeabody Bartender
2010CastleAgent Westfield(episode "Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind")
2013Angels SingGriffin
2013–2014The BridgeMonte P. Flagman(10 episodes)
2017Life in PiecesNed Gawler(TV series, episode "Facebook Fish Planner Backstage")
2020–2023Blue BloodsTexas Ranger Waylon Gates(3 episodes)
2022–2023Big SkyTex(TV series, 3 episodes)

Theatre

Actor

Composer

Honors

YearHonorReference
2012Inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame[36]

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Lovett has won four awards from 17 nominations.[7]

|- |rowspan=2|1989 |"She's No Lady" |Best Country Song | |- |Pontiac |rowspan=2|Best Male Country Vocal Performance | |- |1990 |Lyle Lovett and His Large Band | |- |rowspan=2|1993 |Joshua Judges Ruth |Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | |- |"Church" |Best Music Video | |- |rowspan=3|1995 |I Love Everybody |Best Pop Album | |- |"Funny How Time Slips Away" (with Al Green) |Best Pop Collaboration | |- |"Blues for Dixie" (with Asleep at the Wheel) |Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |- |rowspan=3|1997 |"Private Conversation" |Best Male Country Vocal Performance | |- |"Long Tall Texan" (with Randy Newman) |Best Country Collaboration with Vocals | |- |The Road to Ensenada |Best Country Album | |- |1999 |Step Inside This House |Best Contemporary Folk Album | |- |2000 |"That's Right (You're Not from Texas)" |rowspan=3|Best Male Country Vocal Performance | |- |2002 |"San Antonio Girl" | |- |rowspan=2|2004 |"My Baby Don't Tolerate" | |- |My Baby Don't Tolerate |Best Country Album | |- |2005 |"In My Own Mind" |Best Male Country Vocal Performance |

Citations

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lyle Lovett Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  2. ^ Dansby, Andrew (August 18, 2016). "30 years since first album, Lyle Lovett is Americana success story". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  3. ^ "5 things to know about Lyle Lovett before he comes to town". The Virginian-Pilot. August 3, 2017. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  4. ^ Deming, Mark. "Joshua Judges Ruth Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  5. ^ Kot, Greg (April 1, 1992). "Lyle Lovett: Joshua Judges Ruth (Curb/MCA)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  6. ^ [ Lyle Lovett Page] at Allmusic – Lovett's Genre and Styles. Retrieved February 2, 2007
  7. ^ "Lyle Lovett". GRAMMY.com. June 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "Lyle Lovett – Musician". Visit Houston. Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau. 2012. Retrieved 2013-11-06. I was born at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX.
  9. ^ "Musician Recalls Early Connection to UH" (University website). University of Houston. September 21, 2012. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013. I was born at Methodist [hospital] and never lived anywhere else but Houston.
  10. ^ "[No title]" (Facebook page). Houstorian. James Glassman. November 1, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-06. Mr. Lovett just DM'ed me that he was born in Methodist Hospital in the Medical Center.
  11. ^ Norris, Michele (November 11, 2003). "Lyle Lovett: 'My Baby Don't Tolerate'". Npr.org. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  12. ^ "Kerrville Folk Festival Finalist History", compiled by Doug Coppock (link Archived February 20, 2006 at the Wayback Machine)
  13. ^ Leatherman, Benjamin. "Mr. Lucky's Oral History: 55 Years of Wild Tales From Phoenix's Iconic Country Nightclub". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  14. ^ Coughlin, Kevin (August 2, 2016). "Lyle Lovett and His Band loom Large in Morristown". Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  15. ^ Masley, Ed. "Lyle Lovett on his new album '12th of June' and how a Phoenix house band changed his life". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  16. ^ "How to Hire Lyle Lovett". www.delafontagency.com. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  17. ^ "Arizona Country Roads". PHOENIX magazine. July 1, 2014. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  18. ^ "How Francine Reed became a Phoenix legend, from church radio to touring with Lyle Lovett". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  19. ^ "Rhythm and blues singer known for Lovett link to perform in Olin". October 5, 2011.
  20. ^ "Fretbase: Play Guitar Like Lyle Lovett". Archived October 9, 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  21. ^ "State Musician". Arts.texas.gov. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
  22. ^ Schneider, Karen S. (April 10, 1995). "One Last Sad Song". People. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
  23. ^ "Lyle Lovett goes where the love is". Heraldscotland.com. July 17, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  24. ^ "Who Is Lyle Lovett's Wife? All About April Kimble". People.com. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
  25. ^ Bream, Jon (2022-07-21). "Lyle Lovett deals with COVID and his 5-year-old twins who inspired new songs". www.startribune.com. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
  26. ^ "Musician Recalls Early Connection to University of Houston". University of Houston. Archived from the original on May 19, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  27. ^ "The University of Houston to Graduate More Than 4,500 Students". University of Houston. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  28. ^ "Singer and songwriter Lyle Lovett received an honorary degree during the ceremony". Houston Chronicle. May 15, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  29. ^ Peters, Stephanie (December 23, 2014). "The Renaissance Cowboy of Texas". eqliving.com. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  30. ^ "Horse & Rider Q&A with Lyle Lovett". Horse & Rider. April 16, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  31. ^ Hudak, Joseph (August 27, 2014). "Hear Pat Green and Lyle Lovett's Ode to Texas Girls". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  32. ^ "Inductees". Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  33. ^ "Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award". National Reining Horse Association Hall of Fame. www.nrha.com. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  34. ^ "The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles Presents Much Ado About Nothing". Center Theatre Group. Archived December 29, 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  35. ^ "Lyle Lovett joining Helen Hunt in cast of 'Much Ado About Nothing'". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. December 2, 2010. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
  36. ^ "Lyle Lovett". Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. November 20, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2020.

Sources