Alejandro Escovedo
(born January 10, 1951, in San Antonio, Texas) is a Mexican-American musician and singer-songwriter.
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ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO TICKETS
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Biography
His parents emigrated to
Texas from
Mexico. Escovedo is from a very musical family that has generated several professional musicians, including his brothers
Coke Escovedo and
Pete Escovedo, both percussionists, and longtime
Prince collaborator
Sheila E (who is Pete's daughter and Alejandro's niece). Another brother, Mario, fronted the hard rock band
The Dragons. Escovedo began performing in the first-wave
punk rock group
The Nuns, with
Delphine Neid,
Jennifer Miro, and
Jeff Olener, in
San Francisco,
California. After Escovedo's departure, The Nuns recorded an album on
Posh Boy Records, but had little commercial success.
In the 1980s Escovedo moved to
Austin, Texas, where he adapted a
roots rock/
alternative country style in the bands
Rank and File (with Chip and Tony Kinman) and the True Believers (with his brother Javier and
Jon Dee Graham). However, it was with the release of his first solo albums,
Gravity
in 1992 and
Thirteen Years
in 1994, and on through his sixth album,
A Man Under the Influence
(produced in 2001), that he found his true voice. Although he has yet to crossover to any type of mainstream audience, he has a huge underground following, and many popular artists cite Escovedo as a strong influence.
In 1997, Alejandro collaborated with
Whiskeytown and
Ryan Adams during the recording sessions for their album
Strangers Almanac
. He sings on "Excuse Me While I Break My Heart Tonight", "Dancing with the Women at the Bar", and "Not Home Anymore". As a salute to Alejandro, a cover of a True Believers song written by Alejandro is covered by Whiskeytown on the Deluxe Edition re-release of
Strangers Almanac
.
In 1998
No Depression
magazine named him Artist of the Decade. Alejandro was also involved in a side project that represents his hard rocking tastes. Buick MacKane released an album in 1997
The Pawn Shop Years
, hearkening back to his musical roots from the 70's.
In 2003, after having lived with
Hepatitis-C for many years, Alejandro fell critically ill, following a performance of
By the Hand of the Father, and nearly died. In his long road to recovery, he faced increasing medical bills. Without medical insurance, Escovedo could not pay the substantial medical bills. Friends and admirers around the country organized benefit shows to help the songwriter. This effort grew into the album
Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo, a two-disc set whose proceeds benefit the Alejandro Escovedo Medical and Living Expense Fund. Contributing musicians included
Steve Earle,
Jon Dee Graham,
Lucinda Williams,
John Cale,
Jennifer Warnes,
Ian Hunter,
The Jayhawks, and
Son Volt, as well as family members Pete Escovedo [with niece Sheila E.], Javier Escovedo, and The Dragons [featuring youngest brother, Mario Escovedo].
In 2005, Alejandro was declared to be free of the disease.
Also in 2005, Escovedo's song "Castanets" appeared on the iPod playlist of
George W. Bush , prompting a three year self-imposed ban on live performances of the song. The song returned to Escovedo's live shows in 2008 along with an explanation for its absence.
Boxing Mirror
came out on May 2, 2006 and included many of the songs he had promoted with The Alejandro Escovedo String Quintet, including
Jon Dee Graham. Escovedo went on a short tour with the Quintet, which included a date at
Carnegie Hall's
Zankel Hall in early December 2006.
Escovedo's latest record,
Real Animal
, was released on June 24, 2008 and was produced by
Tony Visconti. All of the songs were co-written with
Chuck Prophet.
In April, 2008, it was announced that Escovedo will be managed by
Jon Landau and Barbara Carr. Landau has long been
Bruce Springsteen's manager.
Discography
Albums
- Gravity
(1992)
- Thirteen Years
(1994)
- With These Hands
(1996)
- More Miles Than Money: Live 1994-1996
(1998)
- Bourbonitis Blues
(1999)
- A Man Under the Influence
(2001)
- By the Hand of the Father
(2002)
- The Boxing Mirror
(2006)
- Real Animal
(2008)
Other contributions
- Hear Music Volume 7: Waking
(2002, Hear Music) - "Wave"
- 107.1 KGSR Radio Austin - Broadcasts Vol.10
(2002) - "Ballad of the Sun & the Moon"
- WYEP Live and Direct: Volume 4 - On Air Performances
(2002) - "Rosalie"
See also
Articles