James Talley

James Talley (born November 9, 1944 in Mehan, Oklahoma ) is an American country singer and songwriter. James Talley is highly praised by insiders of the country scene, but he is almost unknown to the general public. He is considered a talented songwriter and musician. One of his biggest fans is former American President Jimmy Carter , on whose inauguration he appeared and who invited him twice to the White House .

Life

Originally from a poor area of ​​Oklahoma, James Talley spent several years in Washington State , where his father worked in a plutonium factory. After completing his art studies, he moved to Nashville in 1968 , where he initially worked as a carpenter. In his spare time he wrote songs. As one of the few country musicians, he addressed social injustices in his lyrics. His role model was Woody Guthrie . A number of the big stars, including Johnny Cash , used his material.

His career as an interpreter began in 1974 when he was allowed to record an LP in return for handicraft work when building a new studio. On his own he produced a qualitatively convincing first work: Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got A Lot Of Love . The Capitol record company became aware of him. James Talley signed a contract for seven albums to be produced (the self-produced demo album was taken over by Capitol). After completing four long-playing records, which were highly praised by the critics, he was persuaded by his manager to withdraw from his contract in 1978 - an unusual and highly dubious step that excluded him from further engagements for a long time.

In the following years he was quite successful as a real estate broker afloat. Significantly, it was a foreign record company - the German label Bear Family - that offered him a contract in 1985. A total of four albums were recorded and released in Europe. In 1999 Talley founded his own label: Cimarron Records . A year later he published there the work Woody Guthrie And Songs Of My Oklahoma Home, dedicated to his great role model .

James Tally has already been compared to Bob Dylan or Woody Guthrie by critics . One wrong decision - breaking a contract with his record company - nearly ruined his career. The big successes failed to materialize, but he has a loyal following, including a former president of the United States.

Albums

• 1975 - Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got A Lot Of Love (Capitol)
• 1976 - Tryin 'Like The Devil (Capitol)
• 1977 - Blackjack Coir (Capitol)
• 1977 - Ain't It Something (Capitol)
• 1985 - American Originals (Bear Family)
• 1989 - Love Songs And The Blues (Bear Family)
• 1992 - The Road To Torreón (Bear Family)
• 1994 - James Talley Live (Bear Family)
• 2000 - Woody Guthrie And Songs Of My Oklahoma Home (Cimarron)
• 2000 - Nashville City Blues (Cimarron)
• 2002 - Touchstones (Cimarron)
• 2004 - Journey (Cimarron)
• 2008 - Journey - The Second Voyage (Cimarron)
• 2008 - Heartsong (Cimarron)

Web links

• http://www.jamestalley.com/
• James Talley at Discogs (English)