Lyle Lovett | |
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 Lovett performing in 2005 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Lyle Pearce Lovett (1957-11-01)November 1, 1957 (age 68) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Origin | Klein, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Works | Lyle Lovett discography |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | |
Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | lylelovett |
Lyle Pearce Lovett (born November 1, 1957)[6] is an Americancountry 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.BillboardHot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man". Lovett has won fourGrammy Awards, including Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Album.[7] His most recent album is12th of June, released in 2022.
Lovett was born inHouston;[8][9][10] he and his family lived in the nearby community ofKlein. He is the son of William Pearce and Bernell Louise (née Klein) Lovett, a marketing executive and training specialist, respectively. Lyle grew up in theLutheran Church–Missouri Synod.[11] He graduated fromTexas 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.
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 theKerrville 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 1983Schueberfouer inLuxembourg. One of theevents (a happening) at thefunfair was held at an American musical tent. The owner was a fan of thehouse band J. David Sloan and the Rogues, which was fromPhoenix.[13] He invited the Rogues to perform the event, and Lovett was encouraged by band membersRay Herndon andMatt 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 memberBilly Williams offered Lovett a deal on studio time, first day free. In 1984 Lovett took them up on the offer. After several stays inArizona 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 metFrancine 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 doI-10.[15]
He signed withMCA Records in 1986 and released his eponymousdebut album. He sang harmony vocals on Nanci Griffith'sThe Last of the True Believers album (1986). While typically associated with thecountry genre, Lovett's compositions often incorporatefolk,swing,blues,jazz andgospel music as well as more traditional country & western styling. He has won fourGrammy Awards, including Best Country Album (1996 forThe Road to Ensenada), Best Country Duo/Group with Vocal (1994 for "Blues For Dixie" with the Texas swing groupAsleep at the Wheel), Best Pop Vocal Collaboration (1994 for "Funny How Time Slips Away" withAl Green) and Best Country Male Vocal (1989 forLyle Lovett and His Large Band). In 1995, Lovett performed a duet of "You've Got a Friend in Me" withRandy Newman forToy Story. He playsCollings acoustic guitars.[20]
Lovett acted in a number of films, notably four for directorRobert Altman:The Player (1992),Short Cuts (1993),Prêt-à-Porter (1994), andCookie's Fortune (1999). He also composed the score for the director'sDr. T & the Women (2000). Some of his other film roles includeBastard Out Of Carolina (1996),The New Guy (2002),Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), and a humorous role inAngels Sing, a family Christmas film (alongside fellow actors and musicians such asHarry Connick, Jr.,Connie Britton,Willie Nelson, andKris Kristofferson). His television acting forays include guest roles onMad About You andCastle, a recurring role onThe Bridge (as Flagman, a lawyer), and appearances as himself onDharma & Greg andBrothers & Sisters.[citation needed]
Mary Chapin Carpenter's 1992 song "I Feel Lucky" makes reference to Lovett, as doesBloodhound 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 inEsquire'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 ofSpectacle: Elvis Costello with... that also featuredJohn Prine andRay LaMontagne. In 2011, Lovett was namedTexas State Artist Musicianby the Texas Commission on the Arts.[21] Lovett contributed a cover ofBuddy Holly's "Well... All Right" for the tribute albumListen to Me: Buddy Holly, released on September 6, 2011.
On October 24, 2019, Lovett was inducted into theAustin 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'sLove at the Five and Dime: The Songwriting Legacy of Nanci Griffith.
Lovett married actressJulia Roberts after meeting her on the set ofThe Player. Following a three-week romance, they eloped and married in June 1993 inMarion, Indiana. In March 1995, they divorced after less than two years of marriage.People magazine reported that the breakup was caused by career demands.[22] They subsequently remained friends.[23]
Lovett became engaged to American film and music producer April Kimble in 2003; they married in 2017.[citation needed] The couple's twin son and daughter were born June 12, 2017, a date Lovett chose for the title in his 2022 album12th 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 inKlein, 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 honoraryDoctor of Humane Letters by theUniversity 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 theGerald 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 inreining competitions with his world classQuarter Horse named Smart And Shiney.[29][30][31] In 2012, Lovett was inducted into theTexas Cowboy Hall of Fame.[32] In 2018, he was awarded theNational Reining Horse Association Lifetime Achievement Award in theNational Reining Horse Association Hall of Fame.[33]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Bill: On His Own | Singer at Beach | (TV movie) |
| 1992 | The Player | Detective DeLongpre | |
| 1993 | Short Cuts | Andy Bitkower | |
| 1994 | Prêt-à-Porter | Clint Lammeraux | |
| 1995 | Mad About You | Lenny | (TV series, episode "Mad About You: Part 2") |
| 1996 | Bastard Out of Carolina | Wade | |
| 1997 | Breast Men | Research Scientist | (TV movie) |
| 1998 | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | Road Person | |
| 1998 | The Opposite of Sex | Sheriff Carl Tippett | |
| 1999 | Cookie's Fortune | Manny Hood | |
| 1999 | Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular | Himself | (episode 1.23) |
| 1999 | Mad About You | Lenny | (episode "The Final Frontier" Part 1) |
| 2000 | Dharma and Greg | Himself | (episode "The Trouble With Troubadours") |
| 2002 | Three Days of Rain | Disc Jockey | |
| 2002 | The New Guy | Bear Harrison | |
| 2007 | Brothers and Sisters | Himself | (episode "Something New") |
| 2007 | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Himself | |
| 2008 | The Open Road | Peabody Bartender | |
| 2010 | Castle | Agent Westfield | (episode "Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind") |
| 2013 | Angels Sing | Griffin | |
| 2013–2014 | The Bridge | Monte P. Flagman | (10 episodes) |
| 2017 | Life in Pieces | Ned Gawler | (TV series, episode "Facebook Fish Planner Backstage") |
| 2020–2023 | Blue Bloods | Texas Ranger Waylon Gates | (3 episodes) |
| 2022–2023 | Big Sky | Tex | (TV series, 3 episodes) |
| Year | Honor | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Inducted into theTexas Cowboy Hall of Fame | [36] |
TheGrammy Awards are awarded annually by theNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Lovett has won four awards from 17 nominations.[7]
I was born at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX.
I was born at Methodist [hospital] and never lived anywhere else but Houston.
Mr. Lovett just DM'ed me that he was born in Methodist Hospital in the Medical Center.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| First None recognized before | AMA Americana Trailblazer Award 2007 | Succeeded by |
