Lyle Lovett at the Galveston's Opera House

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Galveston's Grand 1894 Opera House will present Grammy-Award winner Lyle Lovett on Monday, September 4. Lovett will be accompanied by His Large Band. A native Texan, Lovett began his music career as a songwriter, but soon signed with MCA Records (1986) and debuted with a self-titled album. Even though typically associated with the country genre, the music of Lyle Lovett is broader in scope as his albums incorporate folk, swing, blues, jazz, and gospel music – in addition to the more traditional country. Indeed, Lovett was one of the most distinctive and original singer/songwriters to emerge during the '80s.

Born in Klein, Texas - a small town named after his great-grandfather, a Bavarian weaver named Adam Klein, Lovett was raised on his family horse ranch. He didn't begin his musical career until he began writing songs while at Texas A&M University in the late '70s, where he studied journalism and German. While he was a student, he performed covers and original songs at local folk festivals and clubs. As a graduate student, he traveled to Germany to study and continued to write and play while he was in Europe. However, he didn't begin to pursue a musical career in earnest until he returned to America in the early '80's.

Despite his strong showing on the country charts, it was clear from the outset that Lovett's musical tastes didn't rely on country, though the genre provided the foundation of his sound. Instead, he incorporated jazz, folk, and pop into a country framework, pushing the musical boundaries of each genre. Pontiac, his second album, revealed exactly how eclectic and literate Lovette was. Greeted with overwhelmingly positive reviews from both country and mainstream publications upon its 1987 release, Pontiac expanded his audience in the pop and rock markets. The album charted in the lower reaches of the pop charts and slowly worked its way toward gold status. While his pop audience grew, his country fan base began to shrink -- "She's No Lady" and "I Loved You Yesterday" both made the Top 30, but after those two songs, none of his other singles cracked the country Top 40. It didn't matter that Lovett's country audience was disappearing -- Pontiac had gained enough new fans in the pop mainstream to guarantee him a strong cult following. And to support Pontiac, he assembled His Large Band, which was a modified big band complete with guitars, a cellist, a pianist, horns, and a gospel-trained back up singer.

Critics have said "There's not a style of music this man can not do well." Artists as talented and diverse as Lyle Lovett are few and far between, and he's proven that with each and every release" and "Mr. Lovett's talents are immeasurable."

Lovett's Grammy Awards include Best Country Album, Best Country Duo/Group with Vocal, Best Pop Vocal Collaboration, and Best Country Male Vocal. In addition to these awards, this internationally- recognized singer/songwriter has won accolades on the big screen and on television as well.

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