The Heart of Americana
By Becca Horne
Americana is all about our nation ’ s history , flavor and texture . And Americana music has its roots steeped deeply in early traditional folk and country sounds . When one adds all of the influences in various and unique shades of red , white and blue , then the product becomes a homespun patchwork as decidedly unique as Alabama ' s own Will Kimbrough .
Will Kimbrough & Emmylou Harris
Kimbrough was born in 1964 in Mobile , and , like most Southern boys , he was raised on a mixture of early country greats such as Hank Williams , rockers like the Allman Brothers , plus a healthy helping of some reverb from the always-present Beatles records , which were “ always playing from my sister ’ s room ,” he said . While still in his teens , Kimbrough traveled to Nashville , Tennessee with his band , Will and the Bushman . The band was ultimately signed to a major record label , and had a fair amount of success . It was during these years in which Kimbrough made a real name for himself by writing songs , performing and producing with and for some very talented people such as Jimmy Buffett , Rosanne Cash , Guy Clark , Rodney Crowell , Emmylou Harris , Billy Joe Shaver and Garrison Starr … to name a few .
These days , when he isn ' t recording with Jimmy Buffet or Rodney Crowell , Kimbrough divides his time between Mobile and Nashville … with the occasional trip to the United Kingdom to perform and continue to perfect his craft . When in the Mobile area , Kimbrough can be found in the quaint village of Silverhill , Alabama at the Frog Pond located at Blue Moon Farm , a fantastic down-home musical venue . A chance partnering with fellow musicians , Grayson Capps , Sugarcane Jane and Corky Hughes has turned into a wonderful musical surprise dubbed , " Willie Sugar Capps ." Plans to go into the studio and future tour dates are already in the works . " It is the most organic musical experience I have ever had ," Kimbrough said . " If you ' re gonna be in this business , you ' d better love it ."
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