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Community Corner

Kevin Welch

Kevin Welch's poetic songs paint pictures of real people--people you know, people you've seen--so clearly that you realize quickly he's a keen observer of the human experience. His songs have an almost film-like quality in their vision and beauty.

After growing up in Oklahoma, where he played in a popular regional band, Blue Rose Cafe, Kevin moved to Nashville in the late 1970s, upon the suggestion of his friend John Hadley, a professor at the University of Oklahoma. Once in Nashville, he became a songwriter for Tree International. His songs were recorded by such artists as Moe Bandy, Waylon Jennings, Roger Miller, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, The Highwaymen, The Judds, The Kendalls, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire, Charlie Pride, Ricky Skaggs, Pam Tillis, Randy Travis, Conway Twitty, Don Williams, and Trisha Yearwood.

When Steve Earle broke through with his Guitar Town album, he and others suggested Kevin get a recording contract, and Kevin was soon signed with Warners, where he put out two albums, Kevin Welch and Western Beat, in the early '90s. Warners let Kevin out of the deal, and along with his friends Kieran KaneMike HendersonTammy Rogers, and Harry Stinson, he formed Dead Reckoning Records. By putting out records on their own label, none of these brilliant, unique artists had to face the compromises that major labels sometimes insisted on.

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Kevin's first release for DR, Life Down Here on Earth, was greeted with rave reviews, as was his follow-up, Beneath My Wheels. His more recent DR recordings, Millionaire and Live Down Here on Earth, a live recording of a gig on Kevin's recent tour down under with the Australian band The Flood, continue the artistic tradition.

In 2004, Kevin began recording as a band with fellow Dead Reckoners Kieran Kane and Fats Kaplin. After taking their first two albums, You Can't Save Everybody (2004) and Lost John Dean (2006) to number one on the Americana charts, their latest release, Kane Welch Kaplin adds drummer Lucas Kane and continues the groove and intimacy found in the earlier releases. Kevin's tales of lost friends, broken dreams and even serial killers are brought into sharp relief against the pared-down beauty of the music. 

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http://www.kevinwelch.com/

 Admission is $15. 

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