Six of Guy Clark's CDs are now available for purchase or digital download online.  You can view the albums in the 'Store' or follow this link.

The actual handwritten lyrics for Guy Clark's "LA Freeway" and "Desperados Waiting For A Train" are available for auction through The Americana Music Association.  Take advantage of this amazing opportunity by clicking here.

Interviewing Guy Clark is not an easy gig. The native Texan is shy, soft-spoken and reticent to talk about himself.  But talk he must – at least after the release of a new record.

“Somedays The Song Writes You,” Clark’s 22nd CD, hit music stores in September, so he’s been doing telephone interviews from his Nashville home.  To read more, click here.

Kozmic Blues: The Life and Music of Janis Joplin will take place in November 

CLEVELAND (October 20, 2009) - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Case Western Reserve University will celebrate Janis Joplin, one of rock and roll’s most passionate and influential artists during the 14^th annual American Music Masters® series, entitled Kozmic Blues: The Life and Music of Janis Joplin, this November.  The annual series of events will begin November 9, 2009, culminating with a conference and a tribute concert. Artists include Ray Benson, Guy Clark, Nona Hendryx, Bettye Lavette, Country Joe McDonald, Susan Tedeschi, Lucinda Williams and Carolyn Wonderland. Additional surprise guests will be announced in the coming weeks.

The tribute concert will be held Saturday, November 14, at 8 p.m. at PlayhouseSquare’s State Theater in Cleveland. Tickets are $30, $40 and $50.  This event is sponsored by Jim Beam. Tickets are available at the PlayhouseSquare box office, by calling (216) 241-6000, or by visiting www.rockhall.com. A limited number of Rock Hall VIP event packages starting at $250 are available by calling (216) 515-1207.

The complete schedule of events for the 14th Annual American Music Masters® series Kozmic Blues: The Life and Music of Janis Joplin includes:

SPECIAL LAUNCH EVENT:  Thursday, October 22, 2009 – An Evening with Big Brother and the Holding Company

On Thursday, October 22 at 5 p.m. in the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater on the 4^th floor, members of Janis Joplin’s original band Big Brother and the Holding Company (Peter Albin, Sam Andrew and Dave Getz) will tell their story through an intimate live interview. Immediately following, Big Brother will participate in an autograph signing. The Rock Hall interview is FREE and open to the public.  Please email edu@rockhall.org or call (216) 515-8426 to RSVP.

The evening will continue with Big Brother and the Holding Company performing live at the Beachland Ballroom.  Doors open at 7 p.m.  Big Brother will be joined by Cleveland’s own Mary Bridget Davies, the actress and vocalist who played Joplin in the Cleveland stage production “Love, Janis” inspired by Janis’ sister Laura’s best-selling book of the same name, and Ben Nieves.  Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 day of show.  Visit www.ticketweb.com.

PUBLIC LIBRARY COLLABORATION

For the second consecutive year, the Rock Hall has partnered with the Cuyahoga County Public Library to deliver special American Music Masters-related content.  On Monday, October 26 at 7 p.m., Rock Hall educators will host a special “Rock and Roll Night School” at the library’s Solon branch.  On Wednesday, November 4 at 7 p.m., Rock Hall educators will conduct an interactive videoconference entitled Ball of Confusion: Rock Music and Social Change in the 1960s and 1970s.  This class will be held simultaneously at the library’s Solon and Brooklyn branches.   Both events will highlight Janis Joplin’s extraordinary music, life and impact on popular culture. 

 AMERICAN MUSIC MASTERS® WEEK

Monday, November 9 at 7 p.m. - Rock and Roll Night School: A Spotlight on Janis Joplin at the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at Case Western Reserve University, 11130 Bellflower Road, Clark Hall Room 309 

Rock Hall educators Dr. Lauren Onkey and Jason Hanley will introduce the life and career of Janis Joplin with a multimedia presentation. This event is free with a reservation. Email education@rockhall.org or call 216.515.8426 to RSVP.

Tuesday, November 10 at 4:30 p.m. Teachers Rock: Girls Rock! Helping Girls (and Boys) Find Their Voice in the K-12 Classroom in the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater on the 4^th floor

Featuring selected scenes from Girls Rock!, the acclaimed documentary about the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls, this special Teachers Rock workshop explores learning difference and multiple intelligences in the K-12 classroom.  Nancy Boutilier, a local educator and active musician featured in the film, will share her experiences at camp and in the classroom.  This workshop is designed for music teachers and interested educators around Northeast Ohio. This event is free with a reservation. Email education@rockhall.org or call 216.515.8426 to RSVP.

 Tuesday, November 10 at 7 p.m. – Film Screening: Festival Express (2003) in the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater on the 4^th floor

Festival Express is a documentary exploring the 1970 Canadian tour in which some of the greatest performers of the time (including Inductees Janis Joplin, The Band, The Grateful Dead, and Buddy Guy) traveled by train together for five days, giving concerts where and when they stopped. This event is free with a reservation. Email education@rockhall.org or call 216.515.8426 to RSVP.

Wednesday, November 11 at 7 p.m. – Hall of Fame Series with Jorma Kaukonen of the Jefferson Airplane in the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater on the 4^th floor

In a career that has spanned a half-century, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Jorma Kaukonen is the leading practitioner and teacher of fingerstyle guitar. He is one of the most highly respected interpreters of American roots music, blues, and Americana. The Grammy-nominated musician was a founding member of two legendary bands, The Jefferson Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna.  He met Janis Joplin during her first stay in San Francisco in the early 1960s, and they recorded the legendary “Typewriter Tapes” together in 1965.  The event will also feature intimate performances interspersed throughout the interview.  This event is free with a reservation. Email education@rockhall.org or call 216.515.8426 to RSVP.

Thursday, November 12 at 7 p.m. – From Songwriters to Soundmen featuring John Byrne Cooke, Janis Joplin’s former road manager in the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater on the 4^th floor

John Byrne Cooke was Janis Joplin’s road manager from December 1967 until her death in October 1970.  A writer, photographer and filmmaker, Cooke contributed ten essays on Janis Joplin and her music to Janis Joplin, A Performance Diary (1997). In June 1967, John was a member of the D.A. Pennebaker film crew that filmed the Monterey International Pop Festival. He will screen his 8mm films of Janis Joplin, shot throughout years on the road with her. They offer a unique and intimate view of this too-often misunderstood rock icon. This event is free with a reservation. Email education@rockhall.org or call 216.515.8426 to RSVP.

Friday, November 13 at 8 p.m. - Concert by Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel at Wilbert’s in Cleveland, 812 Huron Avenue – Hailed as the post-modern King of Western Swing, Ray Benson is the nine-time Grammy-winning leader of Asleep at the Wheel.  Having won Grammys in each of the last four decades, Asleep at the Wheel has worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, George Strait and the Dixie Chicks. Tickets are $15 and will be available at the door or in advance at Wilbert’s. Rock Hall members can purchase two-for-one tickets by showing member ID at time of purchase. 

Saturday, November 14 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Rock and Roll Retrospective at Case Western Reserve’s Wolstein Auditorium, 2103 Cornell Road, in the Wolstein Research Building

A reflection on the career of Janis Joplin and her impact on rock and roll music. Participants will include Laura and Michael Joplin, Janis’ sister and brother; songwriter Jerry Ragovoy (“Piece of my Heart,” “Get It While You Can,” “Cry Baby,” “Time is on My Side”); singer and songwriter Country Joe McDonald (“The "Fish" Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag”); celebrated authors and journalists Ann Powers, Holly George-Warren, and Lucy O’Brien; former San Francisco and current Sirius Radio disc jockey Dusty Street; and David Barnett from Cleveland’s WVIZ/PBS ideastream^®. Tickets are $30 (Continental breakfast and lunch included) and are available through Ticketmaster and the Museum box office.

Saturday, November 14 at 8 p.m. Tribute Concert at PlayhouseSquare’s State Theatre

The concert will feature Ray Benson, Guy Clark, Nona Hendryx, Bettye Lavette, Country Joe McDonald, Susan Tedeschi, Lucinda Williams and Carolyn Wonderland. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks.  This event also tells the story of Joplin’s life and legacy through video and special tributes. Tickets are $30, $40 and $50 and can be purchased at playhousesquare.org and at the PlayhouseSquare box office (216) 241-6000 or by visiting www.rockhall.com <http://www.rockhall.com/>.

Please visit www.rockhall.com for updated information about the concert, the weeklong series of events and for more information about Janis Joplin. 

About the American Music Masters® Series

The American Music Masters® series, a co-production of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at Case Western Reserve University, celebrates the lives and careers of artists who changed the shape and sound of American culture. Drawing together experts, artists, fans and friends, the series provide new perspectives on the most beloved and influential musicians of the past century.

The tribute concert brings together a diverse mix of artists and musical styles, and as a result, many magical moments have taken place over the years. In 2004, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss performed onstage together for the first time to honor Lead Belly. This year the pair was awarded the highest honors of Album of the Year for Raising Sand and Record of the Year for "Please Read the Letter" at the 51st annual Grammy awards. Honoree Jerry Lee Lewis, who was not scheduled to perform at the 2007 concert, was moved to take the stage at the end of the show. Lewis tenderly played the piano and sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. At the first American Music Masters tribute concert, Bruce Springsteen set the bar high and performed in honor of Woody Guthrie. The most star-studded and unique performance by a trio was Aretha Franklin, Solomon Burke and Elvis Costello paying tribute to Sam Cooke in 2005. Last year, a 93-year-old Les Paul took the stage with his trio and then led an epic jam with some of rock and roll’s greatest guitarists, from Jennifer Batten to Slash.

About the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs.

The Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays (and Saturdays through Labor Day), the Museum is open until 9 p.m. Museum admission is $22 for adults, $18 for adult residents of Greater Cleveland, $17 for seniors (65+), $13 for youth (9-12), children under 8 and Museum Members are always free, for information or to join the membership program call 216. 515.8425. For general inquiries, please call 216.781.ROCK or visit www.rockhall.com.  The Museum is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

About Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is among the nation’s leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case Western Reserve is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case Western Reserve offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.

The Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities was established in 1996 with a generous gift of endowment from Eric and Jane Nord. Dedicated to celebrating achievements in the arts and humanities, the Center facilitates cross-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary collaborations that address questions and problems of broad human interest.

 About Cuyahoga County Public Library

Cuyahoga County Public Library is ranked the Number Two library system in the nation among libraries that serve populations of 500,000 or more. It is the seventh busiest library in the nation with 28 branches that serve 47 communities. The Library’s mission is to provide our community open access to resources that inform, entertain, and enrich. For more information, visit www.cuyahogalibrary.org.

Guy Clark, one of Nashville's most influential and respected singer-songwriters, talks about his life and career. Clark has just released a new album, Somedays the Song Writes You. He came to Nashville in 1971 and soon was part of a "Paris in the '20s" songwriting community that included Mickey Newbury, Townes Van Zandt, Rodney Crowell, and Steve Earle. Crowell, Shawn Camp, and Gary Nicholson are among Clark's co-writers on his new release. Presented in partnership with Next BIG Nashville, a conference and music festival, and American Songwriter magazine. Included with Country Music Hall of Fame museum admission. Free to museum members, Next BIG Nashville badge holders, and conference attendees. If you are going, the interview, conducted by Jay Orr, Country Music Hall of Fame executive director, is from 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. in the CMHoF Ford Theater.

Songwriter, a legend to some, continues to write — and re-write

By Peter Cooper
THE TENNESSEAN

Guy Clark, master songwriter, suggests graph paper.

"It feels good to write like this," said Clark, sitting in a workshop filled with cassette tapes, pencils, acoustic guitars and other items that don't necessitate keypads, wireless signals or other modern totems. "It's just the tactile part of it, I guess. I write in longhand, on graph paper. It kind of keeps you in a straight line."

The "straight line" part may be argued: Neither Clark nor his late, great, wild-eyed songwriting buddy Townes Van Zandt did much in the way of sticking to the middle or avoiding guard rails. But at age 67, Clark is still putting pencil to paper, strumming guitars he crafts by hand and writing songs. Every time he does that, people listen and approve, and every little while someone such as Lyle Lovett calls him a hero of American song. Once, Michelle Shocked called him "God Clark." Every now and then, someone asks him to show them how it's done.

"I've taught some songwriting classes," he said. "My approach to that has always been to not list things you do or don't do . . . just write a song in front of them, and then everyone can see how it works. The question is, 'How do you write a song?' And so I say, 'Well, watch this.' "

He taught a class once at Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch up in Ohio, with longtime collaborator Verlon Thompson. The two friends wound up writing their "for example" song about a fellow who happens upon a pawn-shop guitar, tries it out and finds it was quite literally made for him. "The Guitar" is a bit of magical realism, set to an Americana soundscape.

"Verlon and I wrote it right in front of these nine guys that were in our class," Clark said. "The day we drove off, I put the lyrics in my bag and never looked at it again. I guess I was tired of it and put it away. Four years later, somebody from the class e-mailed Verlon a copy of the lyrics. We read it and it was like, '(Expletive), this is really good.' Verlon picked up a guitar, played a chord progression and started kind of talking the lyrics. And then, there it was. I may never do another of those classes. Not my cup of tea. But it did produce something really good."

'I like learning'

The son of a lawyer, Clark is more of a judge. He's an arbiter, capable of judging his own work and the works of others as good, bad or indifferent. As such, he's capable of taking a compliment: A visitor remarked that a particular guitar that Clark made is "magnificent," and Clark responded, "Yeah, it is." That's his favorite guitar, though, the 10th one he crafted. Call the ninth one "magnificent" and he might well take a drag from his hand-rolled cigarette and disagree.

His discerning eye doesn't look away even from things he's already recorded. He figures a couple of the lyrics from his new Somedays the Song Writes You album could use some work.

"Well, like Rodney Crowell called me and said, 'I've got a song I want you to help me finish,' " he said. "He had the first two verses, which were just pristine. I think the story is that Rodney was in Scotland and ran into some crusty merchant marine sailor and Rodney got enthralled with the life this guy had led.

"Rodney and I, we were trying to write about this sailor who gave up on the sea and walked inland. But I'm still a little confused by the song. I wish it were a little tidier, the transition of him giving up the sea and going inland to die. I just have some questions about it. So I'll keep working."

Clark's first batch of recorded songs came out on an album called Old No. 1, a 1975 release that remains an object of affection and envy among songwriters.

"That album was received really well, right from the start," Clark said. "I got this great review in Playboy, and Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger got kind of panned in that same issue."

Somedays the Song Writes You finds Clark collaborating with Thompson, Crowell and old friend Gary Nicholson, but also with young-buck tunesmiths Ashley Monroe, Patrick Davis and Jedd Hughes.

"See, I like learning stuff, and I learn a lot from people like that," Clark said of the latter three. "With the young writers, I pretty much have my way with the lyrics, the final say, but even then there are things that come out of their mouths that wouldn't have come out of my mind. I enjoy sitting at a table and wrangling with words. I find that inspiring, and I learn from these people."

Songwriter Stephen Allen Davis has written songs recorded by Tammy Wynette, Joe Cocker, Frank Sinatra and Kenny Rogers, but until a recent day at Clark's workshop, he had not asked an on-the-record interview question. Observing until the end of the question-and-answer session, Davis wanted to make at least one inquiry of Clark, and he asked the sage about his "first real guitar." Clark said it was a 1953 Martin D-18, and then he went and got that guitar out of a case in an adjoining room.

"I never thought it was that good of a guitar, and the neck is too thin," Clark said, handing the instrument to Davis, who remarked that it was one of the best-sounding guitars he'd ever played.

Then Clark began talking of another guitar, perhaps in order to make a point about the benefits of banging the guardrails.

"I played this D-18 for years, but I started dabbling in some others. I had a cousin who worked at Martin, and she could get guitars at cost, and I ordered a Martin D-28. She sent it to me, and it didn't sound good at all to me. One night, I left it in the back of a car, when it was 17 below in Nashville. The finish on the guitar shattered like safety glass. I took it out of the case, saw the damage, and strummed it, and it sounded like a million bucks all of a sudden.

"Oh, that loosened it right up," he continued. "I still play that thing sometimes. It's a great one. Not as good as that, though," Clark said, nodding to his own No. 10.

Additional Facts
IF YOU GO

What: Guy Clark, with Verlon Thompson and Shawn Camp
Where: Belcourt Theatre, 2102 Belcourt Ave., 383-9140
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Tickets: Sold out

The Guy Clark Songwriting Contest officially ended on Tuesday, September 15. We would like to thank all who entered and purchased CDs. Guy's CD is currently #2 on this week's Americana Chart and it comes in at #54 on the top 200 list for FMQB, the radio industry chart.
 
Winner of the Songwriting Contest is John S. Pisano
 
Pieces Of Me And You
(Written by John S Pisano 2009)
 
That's one hell of a moon shining down tonight
Painting the world with a magic light
I've got a feeling you're looking up at it too
Across a distance made of miles and pieces of me and you
 
In the moonlight my vision is clear
The scenery changes but my feelings never do, my dear
They just keep growing stronger I'm telling you true
Gonna hold on tight to all the pieces of me and you
 
Missing you before I reach the edge of town
Nothing seems right when you're not around
Food tastes strange and the coffee's never as good
Something's always lost without those pices of me and you
 
In the moonlight my vision is clear
The scenery changes but my feelings never do, my dear
They just keep growing stronger I'm telling you true
Gonna hold on tight to all the pieces of me and you
 
The exit signs and highway lines drift along
And the radio is playing our favorite song
The words reminds me of all the things that you do
Gotta get back to the place that holds the pieces of me and you
 
In the moonlight my vision is clear
The scenery changes but my feelings never do, my dear
They just keep growing stronger I'm telling you true
Gonna hold on tight to all the pieces of me and you
Gonna hold on tight to all the pieces of me and you

You can win a private concert from Guy Clark, right in your very own living room. Click here to enter the contest. Please be sure to include your full home address within the email. Read the official rules.

Somedays The Song Writes You to be released on September 22nd on Dualtone Music Group.

Holly Gleason has just penned a feature article on Guy Clark for the September/October issue of American Songwriter magazine. She also worked up a list of her Top Ten "Classic" and Top Ten "Contemporary" Guy Clark songs. Classics like "The Randall Knife," "Homegrown Tomatoes" and "L.A. Freeway" made her list as well as more recent songs like "Dublin Blues," "Old Friends" and "Stuff That Works." Read "The Essential Guy Clark Songs" here.

NPR recently featured Guy Clark as part of its Newport Folk Festival coverage. You can find a set list, article and photos on their site. There's even a link where you can listen to his entire 1 hour plus set from the concert! Read and listen here.