"Torrent of musical language that speaks to the head and the heart.”— The San Francisco Chronicle
"…a thoughtful, sensitive, serious poet. A man who looks deep and ponders long.” — Rockzilla World
During his career, Pierce Pettis has been a writer at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, recorded for Fast Folk Musical Magazine, won the prestigious New Folk competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival, and was a staff songwriter at Polygram and Universal Music Publishing. He has received numerous songwriting awards, including a 1999 Country Music Award from ASCAP for You Move Me (written w/ Gordon Kennedy and recorded by Garth Brooks on his album Sevens). Pierce has had songs covered by
Joan Baez, Susan Ashton, Dar Williams, Garth Brooks, Jonathan Edwards, and Art Garfunkel. And yes, Pierce is the proud papa of Grace who was the featured artist in March of this year.
One of my favorite songs of all time (and I’m talking desert island songs here) is Chase the Buffalo. In some crazy music business something-or-another the album is no longer available, but you can hear it here. And this song will get you moving too….that’s Jim Keltner playing the drums!
Georgia Moon, oh….just listen. Every line is as beautiful as the picture it paints. And such a sweet, sweet story.
Georgia moon hanging down like a tear from God’s own eye Laying low in the bottom of the sky Sneaking upon me like a thief in the night And every time it makes me think of you Long ago beneath the Georgia moon
I grew up not too far from Little River Canyon (written with Heidi Higgins) and I have memories of my own from that magical place. Cold water + hot sun = my kind of day.
So deep into that landscape, we did not realize That we had been talking in accents all our lives Just a vague sense of the world passing us by Like those out of state tags rolling down I-59
I first heard That Kind of Love at a songwriting camp in Virginia. When Pierce finished singing, I realized I wasn’t the only one moved to tears. I couldn’t wait to hear the song again so that I could really pay attention to the lyrics. But each time I hear it, the experience is the same as the first time I heard it – the song just flows over and around me.
I was thrilled to be able to include Pierce’s song Great Big World (written with David Wilcox) on my most recent lullaby CD, Dream. It is indeed a great big world and a great big moon and certainly a great big love we have for the ones we sing lullabies to.
I have included a video of State of Grace from the album (cover art by Howard Finster) of the same name. Pierce talks a little about what it means to grow up, leave, and then come back to a place like Alabama. I spent a lot of time trying to distance myself from Alabama too and now, like Pierce, I am happy to call Alabama my home.
A State of Grace
Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!
Jim Brown
Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!
Love’s Gonna Carry Me Home
Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!
Mae Robertson is a a singer, a songwriter, and a lover of songs. Her first two lullaby CDs were lovingly reviewed in Victory Review back in 98 and 99.
Editor note: Please help us welcome Mae to our magazine. Mae has been writing a music blog called "The Troubadour Series" and has graciously allowed us to reprint her writings here in the Victory Review.
