a German country & western magazine,
issue January 2002.
Article written by Kai Ulatowski
(Thanks for your authorization, Kai!),
translated by Andreas
German debut concert in January 2002
Here in Germany, to many people, and even to many country fans, Kevin Montgomery & The Road Trippers do not sound familiar at all. But the things we can expect here in Hamburg on January 22, 2002, will certainly become a great pleasure. Kevin Montgomery is one of the most praised singer / songwriters from the Nashville music scene, and the musicians who accompany him on his trip to Europe in January are known as major league players in Nashville.
But who is this Kevin Montgomery?
From his humble beginnings as a street musician in downtown New York, and his highly respected debut album Fear Nothing from 1993, to his work as a solo artist, and various musical partners nowadays, Kevin Montgomery's songs have always unveiled his deepest feelings, and most of them tell you about his very own experiences, often of a bitter-sweet nature.
His musical influences have often led critics to comparisons with Jackson Browne and Neil Young, but his music is a unique mixture brewed of "a little rock, a little country" -- as it says in a song from his latest studio album Another Long Story.
In early 2001, Kevin Montgomery passed some time with a handful of musicians in a studio -- the people he currently plays with: the guitar player Doug Pettibone, bass guitarist Robert Reynolds, and drummer Paul Deakin (the latter two ex-Mavericks). It was their joint goal to get the atmosphere of their successful live concerts on CD. The result was an EP with three songs, of which the tuneful ballad Bella Bina, written by Kevin on a tour through Italy, sounds more like the familiar self-conscious Mr. Montgomery we know from his solo projects. On the other hand, the two up-tempo songs Melrose and Tennessee Girl rapidly became favorites at his live concerts. Tennessee Girl also features country star Trisha Yearwood, who sings the harmony vocals. But that makes Trisha only one of the many super stars with whom Kevin has co-operated over his long years in the business. Before, he had already performed as an opening act for Sheryl Crow and David Crosby, sung duets with Mary Chapin Carpenter and the latest Country Music Award winner Lee Ann Womack. Artists like Martine McBride and Juice Newton recorded songs written by him, and Kevin also worked successfully together with Rodney Crowell and Jon Randall.
A very special climax of his career was certainly an invitation to the annual Buddy Holly birthday festival in London. This event is organized by none less than ex Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, and he personally invited Kevin after having listened to his Another Long Story CD.
Kevin is, by the way, linked in a very special way to Buddy Holly, as his father Bob was Buddy Holly's best friend and professional companion in the 1950s and 60s, and both performed on stage as the duo Buddy and Bob. At the same time, Kevin's mother Carol can be heard singing background vocals on Elvis Presley's hit single Suspicious Minds.
Kevin himself attaches a special importance to making his music known around the globe. That is the reason for his many tours, which led him to Europe on several occasions, and, in December 2001, even to Australia. To catch the atmosphere of his acoustic concerts, the CD Kevin Montgomery Live was recorded in mid-2001 in the legendary Bluebird Caf� in Nashville, Tennessee. Only Trish Murphy and Robert Reynolds accompanied Kevin during the recordings.
Now, this artist, highly praised by many critics from the music scene, comes with his exceptional band to Europe, and they even come for a single concert stopover to Germany -- that is, on January 22, 2002, to the LOGO in Hamburg. Kevin's band includes Robert Reynolds (bass guitar), the former husband of Trisha Yearwood, and a founding member of the Mavericks, a band that has received several awards as the best country group of the USA. And there is the Mavericks' former drummer Paul Deakin. With Jerry Dale McFadden, the former "secret fifth Maverick" has also joined Kevin's band. Last, but no least, there is Al Perkins, a dobro virtuoso and music icon, to make The Road Trippers complete. Perkins performed on more than two hundred Nashville productions, and even played with the Rolling Stones. Al Perkins earned his greatest merits as a member of the Nashville Ramblers, the accompanying band of Emmylou Harris in the mid-1990s. This top band deserves to be listened to live.
According to Country Music Live, the "Montgomery Magic" offers "breathtaking voices, lyrics that go straight to your heart, and an artist who is certainly one of the best Nashville can currently offer." Let us discover the German debut of Kevin Montgomery & The Road Trippers.
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