Special guests

February 3, 2001 Prairie Home Companion

guest

JOHN HIATT grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was inspired by the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, and played in a number of garage bands. After graduating from high school, he moved to Nashville and worked as a songwriter. He wrote and performed at clubs for several years, and his songs were recorded by artists such as Conway Twitty, Tracy Nelson and Three Dog Night. He signed with Epic Records in 1974, and released his debut album, Hangin' Around the Observatory, later that year. In the late ’70s, he moved to Los Angeles, where he opened for various folk musicians, including Leo Kottke. Through Kottke, Hiatt found a new manager who helped him sign with MCA Records. After recording two albums with that label, he spent a couple of years touring and recording as a member of Ry Cooder’s band. In 1981, he signed a contract with Geffen Records and released All of A Sudden, followed by Riding with the King, and Warming Up to the Ice Age. In 1986, Hiatt moved to A&M Records and put together a small band of his former associates (Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner) for his first record with them. Bring the Family, released in 1987, had a direct, stripped-down rootsy sound that differed greatly from his earlier albums. It garnered the best reviews of his career and became a cult hit. Slow Turning and a number of other albums that followed helped establish Hiatt as a highly successful singer-songwriter.

Among the artists who have recorded his work are Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Jewel, B.B. King and Eric Clapton, and Bonnie Raitt, whose cover of “Thing Called Love” became a huge hit on her multi-platinum comeback album, Nick of Time. Hiatt has recorded a total of 16 albums, including his latest CD, Crossing Muddy Waters (Vanguard Records), which received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album. He recently tested his non-musical capacity as host of the PBS music series Sessions at West 54th, and is currently recording an album with his late-’80s band, the Goners. (www.johnhiatt.com)