This year, Texas-based songstress Patty Griffin celebrated the 25th anniversary of her debut album, Living With Ghosts. It is hard to imagine Americana without her explorative spirit. Armed with insightful introspection, wit and a textured, soulful and genre-defying voice, Griffin's widespread influence is felt deeply across the industry. The 2007 Americana Music Association's Artist of the Year has collaborated with everyone from her former partner Robert Plant to Mavis Staples, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. The Grammy Award-winner's songs have been covered by many notable artists, including Linda Ronstadt, Martina McBride, Kelly Clarksonand more.
Griffin began visiting Mountain Stage in 1999, after releasing her second album, the seminal work, Flaming Red. This 2014-recorded set from the Mountain Stage archive showcases why Mountain Stage host Larry Groce introduced her as "one of the most talented performing songwriters in the United States."
During her visit, Griffin shared songs from two 2013 albums: American Kid, dedicated to her late father who had fought at D-Day, and Silver Bell, a widely-bootlegged album that had been mothballed for 13 years but is full of gems like "Truth No. 2," which The Chicks cut in 2003.
Throughout her set, Griffin was backed by her band of longtime friends, including keyboardist John Deaderick, a Charleston, W.Va. native who learned to play from Mountain Stage house pianist and West Virginia Music Hall of Fame member, Bob Thompson. Deaderick colored in Griffin's bounty of folk, rock and blues gospel with organ and accordion swells, and light and lively spider fingers of piano.
Towards the end, Griffin, whose songs have been featured in TV, film and Off Broadway, threw in a delightful curveball, a cover of the 1930s classic "Glory of Love," written by Billy Hill.
This performance originally aired on Sept. 11, 2014.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.