Looking through some photographs I found inside a drawer
I was taken by a photograph of you.….
So starts Fountain of Sorrow, the centre piece of Jackson Browne’s seminal third album Late For The Sky. The lyric came into my head the other day as I stumbled across a photograph taken some fifteen years ago of Kris Kristofferson and me back stage before his gig at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall.
Kris was making one of a series of visits to Scotland playing solo; just a guitar, his voice and a collection of some of the best songs ever written. The idea had been put to him a few years previously when he’d been staying here for an extended visit while filming. Why not, someone asked, play a gig or two? Around that time someone (maybe that same person) let Kris hear an album by a new artist called Roddy Hart. Kris liked the record so much he offered to sing on it and asked Roddy to open for the shows. A true friendship was born and it was my good friend Roddy who made the connection for my producer Richard and myself to meet the man and record an interview on the day the photograph was taken.
On that occasion we talked about so many things and particularly these songs which have become country standards and have also become loved throughout the world. The years after were difficult for Kris who was already showing the early signs of the dementia which afflicted him until his death two years ago. He was on great form that day and in celebration of ninety years since his birth we’ll play out a little of that conversation as well as some Kristofferson classics on this week’s show.
Hey, Ho
With The Lumineers coming to town soon in a big event at Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park I found myself wondering if they’d started the whole crowd answer thing. It appears on a track we’ve loved recently too. So we thought we’d disappear down a little avenue of Heys, Hoahs and the general call and respnse thing. It’s a good trail and country music has embraced it whole heartedly.
Who Might I Fall In Love With?
We’ll have much for you to discover on this week’s show too. Listen out for Jay Buchanan and the return of Alela Diane, Amanda Shires and a wonderful new song from Lambchop. It’s been a while but these artists remind you why you may well have fallen in love first time round. It’s Another Country and it’s live this Tuesday evening from eight on BBC Sounds or BBC Radio Scotland. Join me if you can.