Monte Warden
Monte Warden is a American songwriter and musician. He was among a generation of singer-songwriters and performers that arose on the Austin music scene in the 1980’s and helped define a new Americana, alt-country sound.[1] As such, he had showcases at SXSW in 1986 and on Austin City Limits in 1988 and 1994.[2] He founded and leads two bands that perform his original material: The Wagoneers, a neo-traditional country band, and Monte Warden and The Dangerous Few, a jazz/traditional pop band.[3] He has also written for various artists including George Strait, and received a Million Air Award from BMI for the co-writing the song "Desperately" with Bruce Robison.
Life and career[edit]
Warden was born on April 26, 1967. A 7th generation Texan, and avid student of Texas history, he traces his family to the early days of Texas, including the battles of Bexar and San Jacinto. As a child growing up in Austin, Warden discovered the music of Buddy Holly (from Lubbock, Texas) which sparked a youthful interest in songwriting. At age 15, he founded the rockabilly-influenced band Whoa! Trigger. The band was named Best New Band award that year at the Austin Music Awards (1983).[4]
The Wagoneers[edit]
Warden formed a country band, The Wagoneers, in 1986 in Austin, Texas. It performed at the first SXSW music festival that year, and was among the first bands signed by a major label from SXSW. On the early wave of an emerging Americana and alt-country movement, Warden's band crossed traditional country with honky-tonk and rockabilly: "Throwing a fist in the face of Nashville's manufactured hat-act syndrome, The Wagoneers created a very loud buzz."[5] The band was showcased on Austin City Limits (1988).[6]
Warden and The Wagoneers recorded two albums released on A&M Records: Stout & High (1988), and Good Fortune (1989).[5] On the U.S. Country Music Billboard charts, Stout & High charted at 47; singles that charted in 1988-89 include "I Wanna Know Her Again" (43), "Every Step of the Way" (52), "Help Me Get Over You" (66) and "Sit a Little Closer" (53). The Wagoneers disbanded in 1990-91.[7] [8]
Upon its 2011 induction into the Austin Music Awards Hall of Fame (aka The Texas Music Hall of Fame), the band came together again. It re-released its first two albums as a CD, "The Essential Wagoneers," [4] recorded new material (awaiting release), and continues to play and perform regularly.[9] [7] [8]
Solo career and songwriting[edit]
After The Wagoneers disbanded in 1991, Warden pursued a solo recording career. His first solo album, Monte Warden, was released in July 1993, on Watermelon Records. It was named one of the 100 best American albums of the 20th century by NME.[10] The follow-up, Here I Am, was released on Watermelon Records in July 1995. Warden was showcased as "One of the hottest sounds coming out of Texas today" on Austin City Limits (1994).[11] A Stranger To Me Now followed in 1999 on Asylum Records. Warden’s solo backing band, The Lonesharks, included the three musicians now in the current line-up of The Wagoneers.[9] Warden’s touring career as a solo act and with the Wagoneers has included supporting diverse headline acts.[citation needed]
In addition to The Wagoneers, Warden has written songs for George Jones, Travis Tritt, Merle Haggard, Carrie Underwood, Patty Loveless, and George Strait[12] He and Bruce Robison co-wrote Strait's song “Desperately” in 2003, which charted on Billboard. In March 2006, he wand Robison received the BMI ‘Million-Air’ Award, recognizing over 1 million U.S. broadcast performances of the song.[13] Austin alt-country artists who have recorded Warden songs include Kelly Willis, Bruce Robison, Charlie Robison, and Asleep at the Wheel.[citation needed]
Warden's songs have appeared in television and film soundtracks. These include episodes of The Circus (Showtime), The Ranch (Netflix), Northern Exposure (CBS), One Life To Live (ABC), General Hospital (ABC), Step Fast (Jungle Jim), Barry Show (A&E), and Nashville (ABC), as well as the movies Hope Floats (20th Century Fox) and The Life of David Gale (Universal Pictures).[citation needed]
Monte Warden and the Dangerous Few[edit]
Monte Warden and The Dangerous Few was formed by Warden in 2016 to explore a jazz-influenced, classic crooner sound.[14] Paste Magazine stated: "Warden is creating a sound that never before existed, as if Sinatra was singing the Lefty Frizzell songbook or Buddy Holly is singing Harold Arlen."[15] The band performed an official SXSW music showcase in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.[16] It has had a long-standing residency at The Continental Club Gallery in Austin, Texas.[3] About making a shift from a rockabilly-influenced sound at midlife, Warden said, “I like singing grown-up songs.”[17]
The Dangerous Few performs all original songs by Warden. Co-writers of the band's material include Brandi Warden, Floyd Domino, Jeff Franzel, and Bruce Brody. Stylistic influences cited by Warden for the sound include Jim Reeves, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Ray Price; he has cited Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, and Burt Bacharach as chief songwriting influences. The band members are Monte Warden (vocals, guitar), Mas Palermo (drums), Brent Wilson (bass), Erik Telford (horns), and T Jarrod Bonta (Piano). [3]
Discography[edit]
Solo albums[edit]
| Year | Album[18] | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Monte Warden | Watermelon |
| 1995 | Here I Am | Watermelon |
| 1999 | A Stranger to Me Now | Elektra |
Personal life[edit]
Warden has three sons. As the father of an adult child with Down Syndrome, he is a vocal advocate for the joys that Down Syndrome children can bring to the lives of all around them. His wife, Brandi Warden, co-writes songs with Warden and serves as his music publisher; she is a former Nashville record executive who has contributed substantially to Monte’s music career.[19][better source needed]
References[edit]
- ↑ Moser, Margaret (June 20, 2008). "Platinum Songwriters Showcase: The Saxon Pub's new series". AUSTIN CHRONICLE. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ↑ "Austin City Limits Anthology". Austin City Limits TV. Retrieved October 25, 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Blackstock, Peter (September 25, 2018). "Monte Warden and The Dangerous Few Make Classic Crooner Pop Fresh Again". The Austin American Statesman. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Moser, Margaret (April 29, 2011). "The Wagoneers: The Essential Wagoneers Album Review". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pendragon, Jana. "The Wagoneers". All Music. Retrieved October 5, 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Austin City Limits episode #1314". You Tube. Retrieved October 25, 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 "The Wagoneers". The Wagoneers. Retrieved October 6, 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Facebook - The Wagoneers". The Wagoneers. Retrieved September 29, 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 Smith, William Michael (March–April 2011). "The Wagoneers Roll Again". Lone Star Music Magazine. vol. 4 – Issue 2). Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- ↑ "The Songwriters - Monte Warden". Songwriting with Soldiers. Retrieved September 27, 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Austin City Limits #1906: Monte Warden". YouTube. Retrieved October 25, 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Pruett, David B. (2015-01-13). "Strait, George". Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.a2276610.
- ↑ ""Desperately" Seeking Million Air". BMI News. March 28, 2006. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ↑ SKANSE, RICHARD (April 7, 2016). "Monte Warden's Modern Sounds In Traditional Pop Music". Lone Star Music Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ↑ Himes, Geoffrey (March 29, 2017). "Road Music, Chapter 11: Austin, Texas". Paste Magazine. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
- ↑ "SXSW Schedule 2019". SXSW. Retrieved October 1, 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Curtain, Kevin (April 1, 2016). "Playback: Altered States, Three Austin artists that are changing their tune". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ↑ "Monte Warden Discography". All Music. Retrieved December 5, 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Archival information retrieved from the business archive of Moonkiss Music, owned by Monte and Brandi Warden, Austin, TX, September 27, 2019
This article "Monte Warden" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Monte Warden. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
