Daniel Johnston recorded songs in his parents' basement in rural West Virginia that would eventually inspire artists such as Kurt Cobain, Beck, Wilco, and Sonic Youth. In this award-winning episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay explores the life, art, and enduring legacy of the late singer-songwriter and visual artist whose creative genius and struggles with bipolar disorder made him one of America's most influential outsider artists.
LISTEN: James McMurtry Has Our Song Of The Week — 'Vaquero'
Chris Morris
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This week’s brand-new episode of Mountain Stage features one of Americana music’s most heralded and admired writers, James McMurtry, with songs from his latest album, The Horses and the Hounds, on New West Records.
We also get a set of enchanting new music from Aoife O’Donovan, a high-energy performance from the effervescent Sammy Rae & The Friends, plus Nashville based hit writer Natalie Hemby, and songwriter Heather Maloney.
Our Song of the Week, “Vaquero,” is another masterpiece from McMurtry, whose writing manages to capture the unique human experience in particularly vivid ways.
James McMurtry – Vaquero
mira vaquero (look yonder vaquero) se pone el sol (the sun sets) buen caballero viajando con Dios (fine horseman, travelling with God) mira vaquero (look yonder vaquero) no miramos atras (we don’t look back) nos vamos al campo (let us go to the cow camp) una vez mas, una vez mas (one more time, one more time)
Aoife O’Donovan performing on Mountain Stage, 2022
Chris Morris / Mountain Stage
2 of 6 — Sammy Rae – 2022
Sammy Rae and The Friends performing their high-energy set on Mountain Stage in 2022.
Chris Morris / Mountain Stage
3 of 6 — Natalie Hemby – 2022
Host Kathy Mattea introduces Natalie Hemby to the Mountain Stage.
Chris Morris / Mountain Stage
4 of 6 — Heather Maloney – 2022
Chris Morris / Mountain Stage
5 of 6 — Finale song 9-23-2022
Guest artists join host Kathy Mattea for the finale song at the end of the show.
Chris Morris / Mountain Stage
6 of 6 — James McMurtry – 2022
Chris Morris / Mountain Stage
Hear the entire episode, with performances from McMurtry, Aoife O’Donovan, Natalie Hemby, Sammy Rae & The Friends and Heather Maloney, starting Friday, Sept. 23 on these NPR Music stations.
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Daniel Johnston recorded songs in his parents' basement in rural West Virginia that would eventually inspire artists such as Kurt Cobain, Beck, Wilco, and Sonic Youth. In this award-winning episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay explores the life, art, and enduring legacy of the late singer-songwriter and visual artist whose creative genius and struggles with bipolar disorder made him one of America's most influential outsider artists.
The late singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston grew up in West Virginia and came onto the indie music scene in the 1980s. Last year, Johnston was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame and he’s featured in the next episode of Us & Them. In this award-winning show, host Trey Kay learns about Johnston’s legacy which was partly shaped by his challenges with mental illness.
Chris Morris
