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Lyle Lovett

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Lyle Lovett
Lovett performing in 2005
Lovett performing in 2005
Background information
Born
Lyle Pearce Lovett

(1957-11-01) November 1, 1957 (age 68)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
OriginKlein, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
WorksLyle Lovett discography
Years active1980–present
Labels
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1993; div. 1995)​
  • April Kimble
    ​
    (m. 2017)​
Children2
Websitelylelovett.com

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 including the number 10 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

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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.[citation needed]

Career

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Lovett began his music career as a singer-songwriter. By the early 1980s, Lovett distinguished himself in the burgeoning Texas folk acoustic scene. He performed in the New Folk competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1980 and 1982.[12] An American singer, Buffalo Wayne, whom he met in 1978 during a college trip to Germany, invited Lovett to play with him at the 1983 Schueberfouer funfair in Luxembourg. The owner of the fair was a fan of the Phoenix house band J. David Sloan and the Rogues.[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] They performed some of Lovett's songs and Lovett later said it opened his eyes to what his songs could sound like with proper backing. At the time, he had never sung with a band.[13]

In 1984, Lovett recorded 18 songs after n Sloan and band member Billy Williams offered him deal on studio time, first day free.[15] The demo tape of the first four songs led to his first record deal[16] and ten of the songs recorded with the Rogues became Lovett's self-titled debut album.[17] 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, Lovett 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]

Lovett 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]

Lyle Lovett performing on the Watson Stage at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, April 2011

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.[citation needed]

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."[citation needed]

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

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Lovett performing at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, July 2016

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 remained friends.[22][23]

Lovett became engaged to 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. Lovett chose the date for the title of his 2022 album 12th of June. On the 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.[citation needed]

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, Lovett received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Texas A&M University.[citation needed]

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

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Filmography

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Musician

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Actor

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Year Title Role Notes
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

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Actor

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Composer

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Honors

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Year Honor Reference
2012 Inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame [36]

Grammy Awards

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

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

Citations

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  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lyle Lovett Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  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 September 3, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Deming, Mark. "Joshua Judges Ruth Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  5. ↑ Kot, Greg (April 1, 1992). "Lyle Lovett: Joshua Judges Ruth (Curb/MCA)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  6. ↑ Lyle Lovett Page at Allmusic – Lovett's Genre and Styles. Retrieved February 2, 2007
  7. 1 2 "Lyle Lovett". GRAMMY.com. June 4, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Lyle Lovett – Musician". Visit Houston. Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau. 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2013. I was born at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX.
  9. ↑ "Musician Recalls Early Connection to UH". University of Houston (University website). September 21, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2013. I was born at Methodist [hospital] and never lived anywhere else but Houston.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. ↑ "[No title]". Houstorian (Facebook page). James Glassman. November 1, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013. 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. 1 2 Leatherman, Benjamin. "Mr. Lucky's Oral History: 55 Years of Wild Tales From Phoenix's Iconic Country Nightclub". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  14. ↑ Coughlin, Kevin (August 2, 2016). "Lyle Lovett and His Band loom Large in Morristown". Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  15. 1 2 Masley, Ed. "Lyle Lovett on his new album '12th of June' and how a Phoenix house band changed his life". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  16. ↑ "How to Hire Lyle Lovett". www.delafontagency.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Arizona Country Roads". PHOENIX magazine. July 1, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  18. ↑ "How Francine Reed became a Phoenix legend, from church radio to touring with Lyle Lovett". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Rhythm and blues singer known for Lovett link to perform in Olin". October 5, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Fretbase: Play Guitar Like Lyle Lovett". Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  21. ↑ "State Musician". Arts.texas.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  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. 1 2 "Who Is Lyle Lovett's Wife? All About April Kimble". People.com. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  25. ↑ Bream, Jon (July 21, 2022). "Lyle Lovett deals with COVID and his 5-year-old twins who inspired new songs". www.startribune.com. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  26. 1 2 "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 from the original on December 29, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  35. 1 2 "Lyle Lovett joining Helen Hunt in cast of 'Much Ado About Nothing'". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. December 2, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Lyle Lovett". Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. November 20, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2020.

Sources

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