She made me a country music fan
The music of Gillian Welch
Today a lovely career-spanning reflection on the music of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings and a review of their latest album Woodland. You'll need to be a paid subscriber to read it. Thank you for supporting this newsletter if you can.
You might also enjoy these recent pieces on TV on the Radio and Oasis.
Luke O’Neil
Luke O’Neil
That’s the way that it goes, that’s the way
by Anna Hamilton
In high school I had a subscription to Spin magazine and a habit of reading most of the new music reviews. I’d usually skip the country albums though. For years, I was one of those people who would say things like “I like every genre except country.” My understanding of the genre then was limited to Lee Ann Womack’s ear worm ballad “I Hope You Dance,” and that cringy Toby Keith song about putting American boots in asses. Gillian Welch changed all of that for me just as she did for so many others. She made me a country music fan.