West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Telling West Virginia's Story
We’re looking back to this 2016 episode featuring Hayes Carll, Darrell Scott, Parker Millsap, Carrie Rodriquez and Brennen Leigh.
Recorded just five days after the loss of songwriting great Guy Clark, who passed away May 17, 2016. The show quickly turned into somewhat of a tribute to Clark since each of the guests had a personal connection of some sort to the highly respected tunesmith.
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Our Song of the Week comes from the Hardcore Troubadour himself, Steve Earle.
Steve Earle is widely considered to be one of the greatest living songwriters, so it’s a testament to the prowess of the late Guy Clark that Earle pays tribute to the Texas songwriting legend on his latest collection of Clark-penned songs, “Guy.”
In his seventh appearance on Mountain Stage since 1996, Steve Earle & the Dukes perform a set of songs from “Guy,” including our Song of the Week, “Dublin Blues.”
If you watched “There’s A Stream” recently, you heard some new songs from Earle from his album The Ghosts of West Virginia. We had hoped to record a new session with him earlier this year, but we look forward to welcoming him back to Almost Heaven with those songs next Summer.
Revisit “There’s a Stream” on Facebook, YouTube or LiveSessions.NPR.org.
You can hear the entire set from Steve Earle & the Dukes, plus more live performances from Damien Jurdado, Erika Wennerstrom, Alsarah & the Nubatones and Vanessa Peters, on this week’s broadcast of Mountain Stage with guest host Kathy Mattea.
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Darrell Scott visited Mountain Stage this past Sunday, and closed his set with a song by his friend Guy Clark. Here he performs “Deperados Waiting for a Train,” accompanied by Bob Thompson on piano, Michael Lipton on slide guitar, and Ron Sowell on harmonica. Hear the full episode when it premieres the weekend of June 10th on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Guy Clark was a big man and he cast a large shadow of influence over country folk music – what’s come to be called Americana. As a songwriter, he combined the two elements that are always present in a good song, real poetry and skilled craftsmanship. He took pride in his craft. Both his songs and the guitars he made attest to his great talent and attention to detail. He had solid commercial success over the years with many singers covering his songs, but he’ll always be most admired for his artistry.
I can immediately think of many phrases from his songs that struck me when I first heard them and stuck with me long afterwards: “Hands all full of watermelon” from “Sis Draper”, “I’m gonna get me some alligator shoes” from “Baton Rouge”, “she’s got a pistol in her purse” from “Dancin Days” – the list is long.
Guy first visited Mountain Stage in 1985 and was perhaps the first truly great songwriter to play the show. I vividly remember him singing “Desperados Waiting for a Train” during that first appearance. I still get a chill just thinking about when he got to the verse that goes:
One day I looked up, and he’s pushing 80
And there’s brown tobacco stains all down his chin
To me he’s one of the heroes of this country
So why is he all dressed up like them old men?
Drinkin’ beer and playing Moon and 42
Maybe it’s because that was a perfect description of my grandfather who took his hard-won pleasures in beer joints and domino halls. Probably it’s because Guy had an uncanny songwriting ability. Many country songs are set in bars, but few have captured the poignancy of that scene like Guy could. His lyrics should be taught in schools.
Guy was a guest on Mountain Stage twelve times, twice touring with Townes Van Zandt. He and Townes and Billy Joe Shaver have set standards in songwriting that inspired and intimidated those who have followed. They’ve especially influenced those from the territory that lies between Austin and Nashville, but their marks have been made on the whole world of songwriters. Now two of them belong to the ages.
A whole lot of fine songwriters stand in the shadow of Guy Clark.
