Hiatt goes it alone on Knoxville stage

There are times when John Hiatt must stand alone.

by Wayne Bledsoe

Sunday 2/17/02 - Knoxville News Sentinel

After four months of touring with his group the Goners, Hiatt's Knoxville show will feature only Hiatt and his guitar.
"It sort of helps me get centered," says Hiatt from his Nashville home. "Just a guy, a song and a guitar." Actually that's always been the key to Hiatt's success. While he's a critically acclaimed performer, his songs have been covered by a raft of artists in all sorts of genres. The list includes Ronnie Milsap, Paula Abdul, Iggy Pop, Joan Baez, Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, Joe Cocker, Conway Twitty, Jewel and Rosanne Cash. Hits Hiatt wrote include: "Sure As I'm Sitting Here," performed by Three Dog Night; "Thing Called Love," performed by Bonnie Raitt; and "Drive South," performed by Suzy Bogguss. When Eric Clapton and B.B. King decided to collaborate on an album, Hiatt's "Riding With the King" was chosen as the title cut. Yet, Hiatt says he's never written with other artists in mind. "I just write songs," says Hiatt. "I've never been able to write for other people."

A native of Indianapolis, Hiatt moved to Nashville in the mid-1970s to pursue songwriting. He says that his wife credits his Midwestern background as part of why Hiatt's songs seem to touch so many people. "It's such plain language that anyone can understand it," says Hiatt. "It cuts across class and trends." Hiatt has also gone through a lot of living. Although critics often referred to Hiatt in glowing terms, he had little commercial success in the 1970s and early 1980s. It wasn't until 1987, when Hiatt, recovering from years of alcoholism, recorded "Bring the Family" with Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe and Jim Keltner that he had a commercial breakthrough.

The disc originally was released only on Elvis Costello's Demon Records in England. But the buzz was so good that it was picked up by A&M Records in the states. "Family" topped many "best-of-the-year" lists and includes some of his most enduring songs, including "Thing Called Love," "Have a Little Faith in Me" and "Memphis in the Meantime."
The disc was the first in a trio of albums that explore familial relationships, dealing with responsibility, accepting adulthood and romantic redemption.

Recording for a big record company (Hiatt moved from A&M to Capitol), had its problems, and Hiatt came under pressure to produce a hit album. At the beginning of the 1990s, Hiatt went out on his own. While he has released two albums on Vanguard Records (2000's "Crossing Muddy Waters" and 2001's "The Tiki Bar Is Open"), he actually has no contract with the label. Each new album is negotiated separately. Hiatt says he relishes being away from the big corporations, and it has shown in his work. The all-acoustic "Crossing Muddy Waters" returned Hiatt to "best-of" lists across the country and into respectable sales. "And, making an acoustic album was never on the tip of anyone's agenda at a label," says Hiatt. "It's a good example of what you can do if people leave you the (expletive) alone!"

Hiatt says he has new songs he plans on trying out on audiences. While it seems as if Hiatt is more prolific these days, he isn't making any great effort to write more. "I don't struggle with it," says Hiatt. "It happens when it happens. I just hope when it hits there's a guitar around."