Remembering Tom T Hall: Joe Henry, Iris DeMent & Joel R. L. Phelps
"30,000 feet below me you were fast asleep
And 30,000 feet above I almost stopped to weep
I wonder did you toss and turn as I roared out of sight?
I flew over our house last night"
With the recent passing of legendary country songwriter Tom T Hall, I want to showcase three different mid-’90s covers that demonstrate how Hall’s influence transcended not just mainstream country, but his own ‘60s/’70s heyday. In fact, it was the release of 1995's 2-CD set, Storyteller, Poet, Philosopher that first pointed me the way toward Tom T’s back catalog. It’s way out of print and pricey, but available on Spotify, so check it out. The first cover is "I Flew Over Our House Last Night" and it comes from Joe Henry’s 1993 LP, Kindness Of The World. Henry sings as Gary Louris adds lots of Clarence White-esque steel bends on lead guitar. Add Marc Perlman (bass), Razz Russell (violin), Paul Kelly (piano), Bill Dillon (pedal steel), and Mark LaFalce (drums) and this is perfect slow burn country heartbreak.
In a career of great Iris DeMent vocals, this track from Real: The Tom T Hall Project is right near the top. I'm not sure when it was recorded, but it sounds like her band circa 1996's The Way I Should (The Troublemakers). Solid guitar twang and pedal steel, but Iris' bluesy vocal phrasing is the revelation.
Real: The Tom T Hall Project is one of my favorite tribute comps. When it came out in 1998, several tracks were a regular part of the country radio show John Ratliff and I did at the University of Alabama ("The Lost Highway"). Johnny Cash, Iris DeMent, Kelly Willis, and Calexico all deliver gems. But, I think the most unexpected performance is Joel R. L. Phelps, then starting with The Downer Trio, but only a few years removed from Silkworm. He gets inside the raw emotions of "Spokane Motel Blues" in a way that no one else on this comp matches. It's a miracle of a performance, a perfect snowglobe of longing and despair.
I know they're dancing in New Orleans
And old Chicago's bright as day
I'm stuck in Spokane in a motel room
And I wish I had a Dolly Parton tape
