dickie lee erwin

"The man storms with aching vocals. Dickie Lee Erwin's music is different than anything I have ever heard--with a sound and lyrics coming from the metal of the earth." - National News Bureau

SWAN IS A MOODY COLLECTION
of ten traditional country songs caressed
in a rural, simple, direct, authentic
voice of Dickie Lee Erwin, fitting
seamlessly with four instrumentals. He
sometimes slides smoothly into the
lounge side of country.
The veteran musician Erwin
grew up in rural Hobbs, New Mexico,
hit the booming Austin scene in the mid
1970s, and was part of the award winning
Erwin Prather bluegrass
band and Ronnie Lane’s original Austin
acoustic band Seven Samurai in the
1980s. He also was part of the Texas
Connection, Killbilly, and others before
releasing his first two solo CDs.
The songs on Swan, his third,
are mostly solid and traditional, dealing
with seemingly simpler times, filled
with love, cheating, broken hearts, too
much time in the fast lane, and the
disturbing “Diamonds and Tears,” a cowrite
with Danny Jacobus that tells
the story of a Chinese woman who got
rich running an unscrupulous adoption
agency.
Erwin plays banjo, banjola,
acoustic upright bass, acoustic guitar
and percussion. He’s joined by Billy
Doughty (drums), Olivia Erwin (fiddle),
Jennifer Jackson (backup vocals),
Chris Mietus (bass, acoustic
guitar), Gary Newcomb (steel guitar,
electric and acoustic guitars), Richard
Somers (mandolin), and Laura Scarborough
(vibes).
There’s also, as a bonus track,
an instrumental version of the title
song. It’s all an easy, relaxing listen.
— Tom Geddie - Tom Geddie

In mid August I received an email from someone from the village Vági on Suderoy, about an American that should have a concert in their village. I checked the link that came with the email and then replied: This man is too good to Vági !

Now I've heard him live with Stanley Samuelsen. They played at the Irish Pub in Tórshavn, and when I say together, I mean really together. Their playing together was so flawless and melodious that one would think they were childhood friends.

For full houses they rolled out with songs by Dickie Lee Erwin and a few classics in between. Regardless of what song it was, Stanley's guitar playing sounded as a full orchestra, plus Chet Atkins, mind You!
It was a pleasure listening to excellent arranged riffs, fills and interludes. There was fingerpicking bluegrass as if we were at The Station Inn in Nashville. A classic of Lefty Frizzell, one of the Carter Family songs from the 20s and then again an Americana style song by Dickie Lee Erwin from Austin Texas.

An entire songbook of the Americana wave. All songs with chorus and also some ‘singalong’ songs. There was a song about a man who wanted a new large TV; ‘Big Screen Color TV’. The song was a spontaneous singalong song. Wonderful! Then a song about peasant life in Texas and the longing for California.

A bit of Robbie Fulk and Robert Earl Keane, one sensed in Dickie Lee's songs and it is not surprising since it is Americana. It was great to hear so many good songs that I did not know before.

And then there's Stanley. A whole one-man orchestra! Was the American unexpectedly good! Then I was totally flabbergasted by Stanley. – “He owns the show" said my neighbour about Stanley. Yes, I agree. Stanley was enthroned up in new clothes, or at least different from what I've heard him before. A true musician. From Silly Boys (Stanleys 60’s group) in Fuglafjord… to Janus Djurhuus (Stanleys solo performance) and Trio Acoustica (Stanleys guitar and vocal trio), and now - Americana with Dickie Lee Erwin.

So I want to tell the people of Vági to look forward to this show with Stanley and the American, who lives as far as one can from the sea and now has been taken on board the ship Smyril and is sailing southward. Good gig for all of you!

- Birgir Kruse Blogger

DICKIE LEE ERWIN, Poppin' Johnny (Texas Music Round-up). From the title to the
tunes, longtime Austin fixture Dickie Lee Erwin ( whose career credits veer from
Ronnie Lane to Killbilly) is enjoying himself, and the feeling is mutual. The title refers
to the distinctive engine sound of a John Deere tractor, but unlike a Deere, this disc
purrs along familiar Texas music furrows with nary a backfire. There are whiffs of Don
Walser-like down-home sensibilities, particularly on "Farmboy", "Big Screen Color TV"
and " Stop Me From Lovin' YOu", which features infectious scale-climbing guitars and
playful vocals. The veteran lets his young band take the lead on "Never Been To
California", a jangly acoustic-and-banjo toe-tapper.
— BUZZ MCCLAIN, NO DEPRESSION - No Depression

cid:9C19F7AF-1E74-44CB-9010-850B8419C7E3@local - Austin American Statesman