I became a Jimmie Dale Gilmore fan back in the mid 90s. He was performing in Sedona Arizona at Verde Valley School as the opening act for the benefit of the school put on by Jackson Browne. I knew 30 seconds into his first song that he was special. He has been since one of my all time favourites. And Sante Fe Thief is my favourite by him.
I hate to admit it, but I never heard of Jimmie Dale Gilmore or Natalie Merchant...but I was on the short side of a 20 year military career and back then I wasn't really playing much guitar nor listening to "NEW" music. Someone from asked me if I knew how to play this wonderful tune. I will make a tutorial on how to play DALLAS and post it in the future. GREAT SONG and what a Voice Jimmie has. Powerful, Rockabilly/bluesy ...the great Hank WIlliams senior would be proud.
I could not tell you who Jimmie Dale Gilmore was before tonight, though I am certain I have heard him in a bar here and there down in Texas ... but holy smokes, what a voice and with Natalie Merchant ... this is a gem of video and recording!
The second song is Santa Fe Thief, which was written by Al Strehli, whose songs Gilmore has been singing since he first recorded with the Flatlanders in 1972. I once heard Gilmore introduce this song by saying, "I always say I don't know what Al meant when he wrote this song, but I know what I mean when I sing it. And now it's up to you to figure out what you mean when you hear it."
I LOVE Jimmie Dale, I played this beautiful CD about a thousand times in a three month period back in '94 or whenever it was. I even saw him live and got to tell how much his music meant to me.
Is there anything Natalie Merchant can't sing? I am gradually working my way through her back catalogue after discovering Motherland, but I've not discovered any country twang before now - just exquisite
thank you so much, this is incredible, they sound amazing together & greg leisz on lap steel & mandolin is dazzling as always with whoever he plays with! gd, natalie should have made a country album or twenty, collabs with guys like this in the studio on record would have been so good. not too late either, she is in top form on keep your courage & sounds strong & confident, her vocals & lyrics are a cherished gift that make life worth living!
I don't think Jimmy Dale Gilmore was necessarly prolific, but this performance did surprise me. Natalie Merchant is beautiful. Too bad her childish ego ruined her music after she left the 10,000 Maniacs. The oldies are always the goodies, I guess.
I had a roommate years ago who HATED Natalie Merchant's voice precisely because of her lack of enunciation and "off-putting voice", so I had a good laugh at your comment.
It's funny, they've both been put down by people who listen more to what they're not hearing than to what they're hearing. I'll listen to anything either of them does.
