Willis Alan Ramsey
Willis Alan Ramsey (born March 5, 1951 in Birmingham) is a country music singer and songwriter.
Ramsey was born in Birmingham, but moved to Dallas, Texas when he was 10 years old. He graduated from Highland Park High School in 1969, where he sang baritone in the school choir and starred in stage musicals. His first and only album appeared on Leon Russell's Shelter Records in 1972 and slowly earned critical acclaim. The single, "Muskrat Candlelight," was covered by America as "Muskrat Love" that year and by Captain & Tenille in 1973, reaching #4 on the charts.
In the 1980s, Ramsey moved to England to study traditional music. Meanwhile his music gained renewed popularity thanks to covers by Widespread Panic, Jerry Jeff Walker, Waylon Jennings, Shawn Colvin, Jimmy Buffett and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. He returned to the United States in 1989 and resumed performing. He married fellow singer-songwriter Alison Rogers in 1991 and the couple often perform together. They co-wrote the song "That's Right, You're Not From Texas", which was a hit for Lyle Lovett in 1996.
In 2000, Ramsey appeared on "Austin City Limits" performing new compositions along with his old material. He and Rogers partnered with percussionist Jamie Oldaker to independently produce a new album, "Gentilly".
References
- Peppard, Alan (September 16, 2009) "Seminal songwriter Willis Alan Ramsey prepares his second album - 37 years later." Dallas Morning News
- "Willis Alan Ramsey" (August 23, 2013) Wikipedia - accessed October 15, 2013
External links
- Willis Alan Ramsey website