In addition to opening the two shows for Lyle Lovett in Kansas City and St. Louis, Lyle also asked me to join him on stage to a duet of Needless to Say, which he remembers fondly from those days back in the 1980s when we played clubs together around Houston.  I recorded Needless to Say on my own 1992 CD “Stone by Stone,” and include it here for your listening and downloading pleasure:

(you might have to reload your browser if the widget doesn’t show up)

In addition to Needless to Say, I’ve also included in this mini collection a song called Too Deep A Sorrow from my 1997 CD “Miracle Mile”  Lyle joined me on vocals on this track.  You’re welcome to listen to these songs from your browser, download ‘em to your iPod, and share them with friends – try clicking on the “share” link in the widget, that will give you all kinds of options to send links to Facebook, Twitter, via e-mail, etc.

Finally, if you’d like to see some more photos from the weekend with Lyle while listening to Needless to Say, click here to view a slide show of photos shot by my manager Paul Schatzkin.  When the window opens, click the little “play” arrow in the lower right hand corner to control the play back.

Not only was it a great thrill to open two shows for Lyle Lovett in Kansas City and St. Louis earlier this month, but imagine my surprise when I went on stage during the first sound check and discovered the personnel of The Large Band included bassist Leland Sklar and drummer Russ Kunkel.  These guys played on my very first record when I recorded for Elektra Records in Los Angeles in 1973, and have since gone onto stellar careers as the first-call, A-Team Rhythm Section in all of rock and pop, playing for everybody from Jackson Browne and James Taylor to Carly Simon and Linda Ronstadt.  If you don’t believe me click their names, you’ll see the list of credits goes on forever.  I had not seen either of these guys since we recorded that first record together; needless to say it was a real kick to see them again:

And I had a nice moment with Lyle after his “meet and greet” at the beautiful Midland Theater in Kansas City.  He was very gracious, taking as long as it took to say hello to everybody who wanted a moment of of his time:

Lyle Lovett was most generous in inviting me to open two shows for him and his Large Band. First we played the majestic Midland Theater in Kansas City where my father took me to see movies when I was just a kid. The second night we played at Sheldon Performing Arts Center in St. Louis. Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway and Martin Luther King Jr. are just a few of the amazing people who have lectured there in the past. Photos here show me rehearsing with Lyle to join him during his show for a duet on my song “Needless to Say,”at the Midland Theater and then a look out from back-stage at the house during my opening set. Lyle and his entire band and crew were all an inspiration to work with.

Rehearsing "Needless to Say" during soundcheck

Performing for a full house at the Midland Theater in Kansas City

Music City Roots

There were a lot of photographers at the Music City Roots show I performed two nights ago at the Loveless Barn on the outskirts of Nashville. Guitarist and The Conjurer co-producer Thomm Jutz and percussionist Kirby Ferris joined me on the stage for a set that rocked the house.

There was quite a team of photographers there, here are some of their photos.  Soon as the video from that show goes up on their website, I’ll post it here, too.

As we get ready for the Big Show at Music City Roots tomorrow night, here’s a nice write up in this morning’s Tennessean:

“I write things occasionally that may be what they’re looking for on Music Row, but everything I do is based around my touring and my fan base,” he said. “That’s where I try out all my songs. One thing I’ve noticed is that the things of mine that are most popular with my audience are by and large not the songs that people in the music business necessarily ‘get.’ And that’s OK. I can be as eclectic as I want, now.”

Do you have a computer? (OK, that’s rhetorical question, obviously if you’re reading this you’ve got a computer…) you can tune in to one of my performances next week.

I’ll be appearing on “Music City Roots – Live from the Loveless Barn,” on Wednesday, May 12. The show begins at 7PM, and you can tune in from wherever you’re reading this post: The entire program is broadcast live on WSM 650-AM is also available as a streaming audio feed from the WSM website, http://wsmonline.com

And if you’ve got an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, you might want to download the WSM app and so you can listen in your car or wherever you happen to be.  It’s a great app, and a great way to stay in touch with the original source of roots and country music in Nashville.

From the MCR website:
Music City Roots is a weekly, two-hour radio show that revives the historic legacy of live musical production on the legendary WSM-AM. Broadcast on Wednesday nights from 7pm to 9pm,CST, Music City Roots showcases Nashville’s astonishing music scene, from country and Americana to more progressive interpreters of tradition — a “roots and branches” format that brings together fans of different tastes and generations. Presented live from the stage of the Loveless Barn, this show will showcase purveyors of authenticity across many genres.

Appearing on the bill with me that night are host Jim Lauderdale, the irrepressible Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jessica Styles and the Two Man Gentleman Band.  Steer your browser to WSMonline.com to tune in.

And join the legions who’ve said they’ve be “attending” via my Facebook Event Page.

A nice write up this morning in the Rochester (MN) Post Bulletin, as Dana prepares for his appearance with Saturday Night’s “American Showcase” concert at the Rochester Civic Theater:

In the past decade, Cooper has developed a reputation as a man of literate lyrics and tastefully produced songs. “I probably write a lot less about the attraction phase of love than I did in my 20s,” he said. “I’ve always had this recurring theme: Seize the day, make the most of the time you’ve got. Most of what I write about sort of hovers around that theme. Musically, it’s a bit of a challenge to take a different approach.”

After 40 years in the music business, Cooper has seen it all. “I’ve been trying to find the niche I’ve carved out for myself now,” he said. “I’m in a good place.

Read the whole article here.

…I must be packing to go “on the road” again.  Although I could swear I just got back…

Performing at the Essany Open Mike April 14, 2010

One of the gigs I did on my last trip was as the “featured performer” at the Essany Open Mike Night in San Francisco.  Somebody who goes by the handle “Slightholder” shot some nice photos that he’s posted to flickr. They’re some nice photos but I can’t remember now who took them.  That’s a funny thing about this Internet thing, ya know…?

Meanwhile, my new CD The Conjurer is starting to generate some very favorable press.  The Waco Tribune last week published this nice item in anticipation of a show I’ll be playing this weekend at Waldo’s Coffeehouse.

Would love to stay and chat a while, but there’s packing to do and miles to cover, I’ll see y’all in Texas over the weekend, and then it’s off to the upper midwest for some shows with my good friend Brandon Sampson.

"Dana Cooper" - 1973 Elektra Records Debut

I am often asked if there is any way to obtain a copy of my debut album, the one I recorded for Elektra Records in 1973 along with such luminaries as Russ Kunkel on drums and Leland Sklar on bass (that’s the very same now legendary rhythm section that performed with Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and a host of others during the 70s and 80s).   Well, of course, the album itself is long since out of print, but I just discovered that there’s a copy for sale on eBay for a mere $31.00.  Such a deal!

Jason Wheeler at WeAreAustin.com NAILS it:

Imagine doing something day in and day out for 40 years…and then changing your tune to do it different and better than ever before.  That's what the critics say Dana Cooper has done with his new CD The Conjurer. 

On the new compilation, Cooper says he aspired to a "rawer, more organic sound than on past recordings".  He's also done trying to fit into any neat descriptions, saying his new works draw on "folk, blues, rock, reggae, pop, and country".

That quick review accompanies the video of Dana's appearance yesterday on the "Austin Live" TV show, just prior to his CD release show at the Cactus Cafe.  Click the image above to see Dana's segment form Austin Live: