Carling Academy, Islington, London
"I've never been to a Country
show before and that was brilliant!"
That
was how one of her new male fans we met exclaimed of
Gretchen Wilson's performance at the Carling Academy in
Islington, London. The mass smiles on the faces of the
people while leaving showed just what an effect this
Grammy winning artist had produced.
Having come a long way from her
native Pocahontas, located near St Louis, her life style
must now seem just like a dream. Her home town had a
population of just over 700 and her most famous song
Red Neck Woman reflects her whole early
lifestyle. Mum was just a teenager herself when Gretchen
arrived so they grew up more like sisters. Times were hard
and stressful and they always moved on to another trailer.
A steady influence for Gretchen and her younger brother
were her grandparents who had, though living a rough life,
always love for their children and grandchildren. “My
grandma was the mainstay, She was a Rock”
Gretchen was cooking and looking after a bar along with her
mother when she was only 14. At 15 she was living on her
own, listening to Tanya Tucker, Loretta Lynn and her
favourite Patsy Cline, who all had a deep influence on her
future.
Most early starlets start their career in church singing
gospel, not so Gretchen, she got on stage in the bar she
was working, with a microphone, and sang along various
CD’s for tips, before fronting a cover band.
“Each person creates their own destiny. It’s up
to you what you are going to do with your life”,
Gretchen believed and her goal was to move to Nashville,
where she arrived in 1996 but for years she had to earn her
living serving drinks down in Printers Alley at the Bourbon
Street Blues & Boogie Bar.
Luck did strike when Big Kenny and John Rich came to have a
drink and heard her singing a couple of songs with the
house band. John approached her, but for a while she did
not respond. But when she did, her life changed
dramatically. He introduced her to his circle of friends
and songwriters and she learned fast how it is done in
Nashville. Gretchen became a member of a loose-knit group
of singers, songwriters and musicians who get together and
party and jam in a night-spot in Nashville.
She was introduced and signed up with
Sony Music Nashville and the newly appointed label
head,
John Grady was very excited about Gretchen
and wants to portray her like she is. Many doors have
opened up for Gretchen Wilson, just like the night, when
strolling past the side door of the Ryman, John mentioned
that one day this door would open for her, and much to
their astonishment, when he gave it a little jerk, the door
opened and it was a short walk down the ramp to the famous
Circle on the stage, where a abandoned guitar was waiting.
And that night, at 1 a.m. Gretchen made her debut at
the
Ryman Old Grand Ole Opry. There was no audience, but
she felt if it was full of important people!
Gretchen’s story is like a country song and when we
welcomed her to London she gave her most, a soulful and
emotional presentation, varied by hard rock country and
backed by her powerful seven piece band.
With her award-winning album 'Here For The Party' having
out sold every other artist in the USA last year, we were
indeed privileged to have her sing, even for just one
night. While she normally performs to audiences of tens of
thousands these days, she could really reach out and touch
the few hundred who had heard about the event.
Gretchen opened with
'Homewrecker' and gave us quite a few of the songs from the
first album, 'The Bed', 'Pocahontas Proud' and, of course,
'Redneck Woman'.
We also had some samples from her next album, yet to be
released, which will include a duet with her hero,
Merle Haggard, called 'Politically
Uncorrect' (grammatically incorrect too?), 'Man with a
Stone Ring' and a very rocky 'California Girls'.
She paid tribute to the women who influence her
song-writing, giving us
Loretta Lynn's 'You Ain't Woman Enough To
Take My Man' and
Billy Holliday's oh-so-soft 'Good Morning
Heartache'.
We always suspected it, yet Gretchen found it and
proclaimed it - the
Musik Mafia.
To prove it she announced her lead guitarist as Dean Hall
and let him sing his R&B 'Kicked By A Mule'. Towards
the end, Gretchen rejoined him and sang harmony, before
throwing into the audience black T-shirts, marked in red
with "Redneck Woman in London".
More T-shirts came out at the end of the show when she
belted out 'Here for the Party' with mind numbing vocals to
a by now fanatical crowd.
This was her second visit to the UK in a much bigger venue
than last time. She promised she will be back. Let's hope
she can find time to tour further around the UK and on into
Europe.