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John Hiatt is an American rock guitarist, pianist, singer and songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including New Wave, blues and country. Hiatt has been nominated for several Grammy Awards and has been awarded a variety of other distinctions in the music industry.

Discography

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John Hiatt Concert Setlists & Tour Dates

Upcoming shows.

• Date and Venue Doors Scheduled
• May 24 2024 The Opera House Boothbay Harbor, ME, USA Add time Add time Add times
• May 28 2024 Waterville Opera House Waterville, ME, USA Add time Add time Add times
• May 31 2024 Tarrytown Music Hall Tarrytown, NY, USA  –  Find tickets Add time Tickets Add time Add times
• Jun 05 2024 Center for the Arts of Homer Homer, NY, USA Doors 7:00 PM  –  Scheduled: 8:00 PM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM
• Jun 09 2024 Jane Pickens Theater Newport, RI, USA Add time Add time Add times
• Jun 10 2024 The Birchmere Alexandria, VA, USA  –  Find tickets Add time Tickets Add time Add times
• Jun 11 2024 Rams Head On Stage Annapolis, MD, USA Doors 6:30 PM  –  Scheduled: 7:30 PM 6:30 PM 7:30 PM
• Jun 14 2024 The Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre Clearwater, FL, USA  –  Find tickets Doors 7:00 PM  –  Scheduled: 8:00 PM Tickets 7:00 PM 8:00 PM
• Jun 15 2024 Key West Theater Key West, FL, USA Doors 7:00 PM  –  Scheduled: 8:00 PM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM
• Jun 17 2024 Grand Magnolia Ballroom Pascagoula, MS, USA Add time Add time Add times

John Hiatt at Weinberg Center for the Arts, Frederick, MD, USA

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John Hiatt at Rams Head On Stage, Annapolis, MD, USA

John hiatt at the newton theatre, newton, nj, usa.

• All the Way Under
• Alone in the Dark
• Your Dad Did
• The River Knows Your Name
• Tennessee Plates
• Crossing Muddy Waters
• Weightless In My Arms
• Buffalo River Home
• Real Fine Love
• Lift Up Every Stone
• Drive South
• Icy Blue Heart

John Hiatt at The Music Box at the Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ, USA

John hiatt at sellersville theater, sellersville, pa, usa.

• Thunderbird
• All the Lilacs in Ohio
• Trudy and Dave
• My Old Friend
• I'm in Asheville
• Adios to California

John Hiatt at Kent Stage, Kent, OH, USA

• Through Your Hands
• Nothin' I Love
• What Do We Do Now

John Hiatt at The Beacon Theatre, Hopewell, VA, USA

John hiatt at city winery vineyard, new york, ny, usa, john hiatt at carnegie music hall of homestead, munhall, pa, usa.

• Perfectly Good Guitar
• Thing Called Love
• Memphis in the Meantime
• Slow Turning
• Have a Little Faith in Me
• Riding With the King

John Hiatt at The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

• It'll Come to You
• Like a Freight Train
• Mississippi Phone Booth

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Most played songs

• Have a Little Faith in Me ( 335 )
• Thing Called Love ( 291 )
• Memphis in the Meantime ( 275 )
• Perfectly Good Guitar ( 268 )
• Drive South ( 261 )

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A-Meezing Coverband Yve Mary B Joan Baez Ginger Baker Trio Barry Zito Phil Beer Black Oak Arkansas Scott Blasey Suzy Bogguss Bon Jovi Jon Bon Jovi Joe Bonamassa Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Shawn Colvin, Bruce Hornsby Herman Brood & His Wild Romance The Bros. Landreth Jackson Browne Jimmy Buffett Jimmy Burns Sam Bush Magnus Carlson Cesare Carugi Rosanne Cash The Cate Brothers Band Eric Church Margo Cilker Eric Clapton Terri Clark Joe Cocker Jamie N Commons The Core ATL Elvis Costello Elvis Costello & The Attractions Counting Crows David Bromberg Band Dead Horses Bill Deasy Ilse DeLange Willy DeVille Driftwood Adam Duritz əkoostik hookah The Fabulous Armadillos Fade Away Fett Nok The Findells Samantha Fish The Flatlanders Frank Bang Bill Frisell Pascal Geiser

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Artists covered

[traditional] The Band The Beatles Felice & Boudleaux Bryant Bo Carter Bob Dylan Eddie Floyd Woody Guthrie Buddy Guy Slim Harpo John Hiatt & The Goners Lilly Hiatt The Isley Brothers Sonny Landreth Lead Belly Little Village Lynyrd Skynyrd Prince Ramones Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs Bruce Springsteen Traffic Stevie Wonder

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Gigs seen live by

1,057 people have seen John Hiatt live.

Edmeredith75 ekips12697 rockster88 KJM222 Popsmart JB56 ScooterBoy59 TheOG silverdote WormUnit69 goblu6 shiff 312richardh keva1a EchidnasArf elliehallman santadani lmike1819 gemcclay UMASSBBFAN Pete2186 trey_merrill kfosnot DaveJenson ClydeLake BobbyTheRookie semitwang Sarcasmer17 iwuchris rovert0625 whatwouldjackdo MassfellerK Massfeller ptoddjohnson rickmatt Otsego mojomadman theWheel rstough kevinrjohnson BradPrice DylanAndTheDead Printindy BlueRose81 Machfive MDMan72 jd10459 arichman CyEsp Donjerue

John Hiatt on the web

Music links.

• John Hiatt Lyrics (de)
• Official Homepage

Tour Update

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John Hiatt  

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Waterville Opera House

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Upcoming concerts (28) See all

Rams Head On Stage

Weinberg Center for the Arts

Infinity Music Hall

Opera House at Boothbay Harbor

City Winery - Boston

Shalin Liu Performance Center

The Warehouse at FTC

Tarrytown Music Hall

Westhampton Beach Brewing Company

View all upcoming concerts 28

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John Hiatt (born August 20th, 1952) is an American musician, chiefly a singer-songwriter. He hails from Indianapolis, Indiana, and has been making music since 1972.

Hiatt began his career as a songwriter for hire, earning twenty-five dollars a week to pen tracks for Tree-Music Publishing Company - despite having no formal training and being unable to write music. He began to perform live in and around his adopted hometown of Nashville, and ended up signing to Epic Records in 1973; he had a number sixteen hit during that time with ‘Sure as I’m Sitting Here’, but was dropped after his first two records for the label, ‘Hangin’ Around the Observatory’ and ‘Overcoats’, failed to sell. He remained in the wildnerness until the late seventies, when MCA signed him, and he carved out a sizeable fanbase with tracks like ‘Across the Borderline’. He subsequently moved onto Geffen, where he collaborated with Elvis Costello and released “Riding with the King”, the title track of which would be a double-platinum smash for B.B. King and Eric Clapton decades later. He was eventually dropped by Geffen, but the best was yet to come.

In the late eighties, ‘Bring the Family’ became Hiatt’s first hit album; he recorded it with Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe and Jim Kelter. His next nine albums made the Billboard charts, and his fanbase grew exponentially, making him something of an institution in the Americana scene. He continues to tour and record today.

Live reviews

Recently saw legendary musician John Hiatt with his ban The Combo at a small venue. The show was incredible and live up to the critically acclaimed singer/musician John Hiatt. The band actually played for more than 2 and half hours and did many encores. They also were very tight and you could tell they enjoyed playing music with each other and for the crowd.

He did great versions of his classic songs including “Have a little Faith in Me” and “A thing called love”. He also went through other versions of songs that were covered or recorded by other musicians such as Bob Dylan and Joe Cocker. It really did not matter at all because the band was so good. They probably could have brought the house down with “Happy Birthday” or the ABC song they were so good and tight. The crowd as also very good and you could tell most were very knowledgeable about music and appreciated such a great show. They knew when to clap and could really acknowledge some of the great musicianship that went on during this show. He really is one of the greats of his generation even though he had limited commercial success. But that is probably a compliment more than anything else.

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Many say that practice makes perfect and this sentiment could very much be applied to the live show of Indianapolis singer/songwriter John Hiatt. He has played relentlessly on the live circuit and has travelled the globe numerous times since the early 70s.

40 years of experience is very present in his performance, he knows there is no need for exterior artificial sounds or unnecessary production aids. Instead he keeps the formula very simple, playing great music accompanied by some loyal musicians who he has a great onstage rapport with. The audience becomes absolutely entranced within his sincere folk rock that has a wonderful dose of Americana as John is clearly inspired by his homeland. The man is considered one of American's most esteemed songwriters and now entering his 60s, he will not be touring forever so I urge you to get tickets whilst you still have the opportunity.

John opened with a solo acoustic set. Most surprising was "Perfectly Good Guitar." I had not realized how remarkable an acoustic version of this song would sound. After a short break, he returned with The Goners. Sonny Landreth played his slide with his usual virtuosity, and seemed totally immersed in each song. John had a huge grin after each song, and graciously deflected applause toward the band. Total professionals. CRH

how good was that.

Great band all of them & John was in fine fettle.Loved the guitar & mandolin.

Great song choices should have done another 2 hrs and made a night of it.

Great place to see a brilliant band.

I really wanted him to play his Gibson.

Seems to have gone with Taylor

John's voice was still strong....The high notes he went for....He hit !......Showed alot of chops with his guitar as well.......He and Lyle played well off of each other......Best acoustic show I've ever seen !......The crowd in Billings was engaged the entire night !!

This show was a dream come true. John is America’s great storytelling musician. His crack band led by Sonny Landreth is one of the best. The only way to relate to ya how good this show was is for YOU to go see him before it’s too late to experience the finest!

Really enjoyed the show. So did friend who had never heard of him. Great venue that I go to regularly I always go early to get a set but it was packed very early. He came on straight away and did a long set. I loved it and cannot wait for next visit

GREAT SHOW, LOVED HOW HE TALKED ALOT WITH THE CROWD.SHARED STORIES.FUNNY MAN,GREAT PERFORMANCE.His band ROCKED ESPECIALLY SONNY LANTERERH,HE WAS COOKING.THE CROWD SEEMED TO LOVE THE MUSIC.HOUSE OF BLUES WAS CLEAN AND THE STAFF WAS VERY FRIENDLY.

Posters (5)

Past concerts

Newton Theatre

The Music Box at Borgata

Sellersville Theater

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John Hiatt tour dates and tickets 2024-2025 near you

Want to see John Hiatt in concert? Find information on all of John Hiatt’s upcoming concerts, tour dates and ticket information for 2024-2025.

John Hiatt is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 28 concerts across 1 country in 2024-2025. View all concerts.

Next 3 concerts:

• Annapolis, MD, US
• Frederick, MD, US
• Hartford, CT, US

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• Washington (37)
• New York (NYC) (35)
• Denver (30)
• Chicago (28)
• Philadelphia (26)

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• Lyle Lovett (173)
• John Hiatt and the Combo (89)
• Jerry Douglas (43)
• Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt (24)

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Fretboard Journal

Interview: John Hiatt

Relaxing on his tour bus before a gig, John Hiatt reaches for just one guitar: a 1947 Gibson LG-2. He bought the instrument from Nashville’s Gruhn Guitars around 1986 for around $800 and it has since remained a constant picking and songwriting companion. “I picked it up and immediately it had that thing where it resonates with you and you get all connected up with it, chords just feel right,” the singer-songwriter says. “I carry it with me on the road. I love it. I’d like to play it onstage but it’s just a little too tender and fragile.”

Though he’s sported plenty of different guitar models over the years, when it comes to acoustic sessions, Hiatt is often seen playing ‘80s-era Gibsons onstage. “ I just like the way they thump,” he says. “And for the rhythm-y thing I do, they just fit. It’s almost like you get an extra beat out of them on the bottom end, when you get them going.”

In 2014, Hiatt released Terms of My Surrender , his 22 nd studio album. It’s a bluesy, intimate affair filled with some great Hiatt tunes. On the aforementioned tour bus, Hiatt performed two songs from the album for the Fretboard Journal : “Marlene” and “Long Time Coming.” He also talked gear with us and hinted that Little Village (the supergroup he formed with Ry Cooder, Jim Keltner and Nick Lowe) has a chance of reuniting.

FJ:  When you first moved to Nashville as an 18 year old songwriter, what guitar were you playing?

JH: I think I still had my Gibson Hummingbird. It was a nice guitar. It got stolen … I can’t remember if it was in Nashville or on one of many trips back to Indianapolis to get fed. I used to hitchhike home… to eat! I’d eat for a week and then come back to Nashville.

I bought that guitar at a combination pawn shop and music store, downtown [Indianapolis]. They had the most extensive glass lined, plush showcase of Gibson guitars. I still haven’t seen anything like it. Every make: Les Pauls, Les Paul Jr’s, L-5s, whatever the heck you wanted, they had.

FJ: How were you able to afford the Gibson?

JH: I was working for a year before I came to Nashville. I had a job at an insurance company! I was one of the stock boys in the basement, who put all their paper products to gather to send to their salesman.

While everyone else was getting their chops going or learning licks, all I wanted was a couple of chords. I got a Mel Bay book and as soon as I got a few chords, I started writing songs. And then I decided to move to Nashville. It was the closest music center to Indianapolis. I was too much of a Midwest kid to think of going to LA. New York was too scary. And also there was just the peculiar music coming out of Nashville at that time. There was a group called Area Code 615, a bunch of session guys at the time, they were making these instrumental records, like “Lady Madonna” with banjo. That was intriguing.

FJ:  Do you have a songwriting process or routine?

JH:  I don’t have one. I try to write [a song]… that’s my process! I pray a lot. Over the years, I’ve tried some trickery to make it happen and pretty much worn it all out. Most of the time, for me, when I’ve stopped working, I’d say, ‘Oh shit, I can’t write.’ You have writer’s block when you tell yourself you have writers block.

As long as you can get the next one, you can be hopeful that there’s a next one coming. I don’t generally rush things.

FJ:  Do you know from the start whether a song will turn out to be an acoustic or electric one?

JH:  The song is the first thing, music, melody and lyrics. It’s always about the song. And I don’t really have a sound in my head about how it should go. The exciting part of recording for me is,  Here it is, let’s see what happens, what it sounds like, let’s see how the musicians play it, this gathering at this moment, what kind of music does that make.

FJ: You’ve sat on some songs for a long time before releasing them…

JH:  That’s because I’m always scraping the barrel [laughs]! Usually we cut more than we put on. I usually have some laying around. And it doesn’t mean they’re bad, it just means they didn’t fit the record.

FJ:  Can you tell us a bit about the new record?

JH:  I did it with the same guys I’ve been out playing with for four or five years. We added a harmony singer [Brandon Young] and have Doug Lancio on guitar. I pretty much just let him do his thing.

I had an idea of an approach: The song, the acoustic guitar, in the forefront. I wanted to hear my guitar for a change. A lot of the time [on the record], I’m playing a cheap old Harmony flattop that Doug had laying around. We put a DeArmond pickup in it and we ran it through an old Silvertone amp of mine. I also used my J-45 with a Fishman piezo rig in it. We ran that through an amp as well. We use the amp for just a little grizzle, to make it not pretty. We’ve done pretty, we’re not pretty. Life’s not pretty.

FJ:  What’s the story behind the white Tele that Nick Lowe gave you?

JH: Well, we were making the second half of Riding with the King in 1983. I spent the summer in London, recording and just goofing around. I played the Tele quite a bit, and at the end of recording, he gave it to me. I love the guitar, it’s the only Tele I’ve ever played, really.

I got this guy in Texas who makes recreations of the original pickups to put a set in there. They’re not hot rodded, you just don’t have to worry about them. The tuning pegs are the same, the three tree bridge is the same, everything else is the same. It’s a ’57. I was playing it on the road for years but I stopped doing that about four years ago. I got too worried, not because of what it might be worth but because of emotionally what it’s worth. I didn’t want to lose it, break it or have it stolen.

There’s a guy in Nashville, Jeff Senn , who does Tele recreations. He made me an ash body ’57 style, and then another one that was kind of like a ’53 (Blackguard) with alder. I take those on the road. They sound great and play great. It’s just not a ’57 Tele. But it’s pretty damn close.

FJ:  Do you still talk to Nick Lowe?

JH: I saw him in Australia. We were on the same festival. It was so great to see him. In fact, we were talking about maybe playing again.

FJ: Think Little Village will ever reunite?

JH: I think anything could happen. Nothing would surprise me. When we hit it, it was pretty special music, for me. Some nights we didn’t hit it, but when we did…

FJ:  Did the Little Village recording session have a different vibe than the live shows?

JH: I don’t know if they’ll all agree with me, but I think we all felt some pressure to come up with something more than the sum of the parts. I certainly felt that, anyway. But you know what, I put that record on and it’s a really good record! People at the time felt like it thought be more raggedy and rock & roll, like Bring the Family was, but, as it ages, I think, well, no it shouldn’t. It’s a separate thing and it’s a pretty cool record. The only different approach would be to let us bring our own individual songs in next time, as opposed to trying to co-write everything.

FJ: For a typical gig these days, what guitars are you bringing onstage?

JH: I take a [Ren Ferguson-built Gibson] J-200 and J-45 and two backups of the same. And then I’ve got the two Teles.

FJ:  Have you kept all of your guitars over the years? I know you used to have some vintage Harmony guitars…

JH:  Doug is playing half of my old guitars. He has my red Stratatone. I still have all that stuff at home. Those funky amps, too. When I was a kid, we had those Silvertone piggyback amps and we coveted those beautiful cream Tolex Bandmasters. Now, we come to find that we love the Silvertones…that was the sound of all those guys that we loved; that’s where they were getting it!

FJ:  Do you still buy gear?

JH: You know, it’s gotten so ridiculous. I was buying the cheap plywood guitars when you could get them for $100. I tend to get attached to a couple of guitars, but I love guitars and I love old amps… just the different sounds.

FJ:  Anything gear-wise that you covet but haven’t found yet?

JH:  I find it best not to covet if possible. It just sort of screws you up. I’d rather just see what comes. Be open.

Photography: Adam Bale

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“I Had Been About a Year Sober and I Was on Shaky Ground”: John Hiatt Recalls When Lightning Struck Twice for Him With ‘Bring the Family’ and ‘Slow Turning’

The turning point that cemented the maestro’s status as one of the premier songwriters of the 20th century

***The following interview extract originally appeared in the January 2019 issue of  Guitar Player***

Of the many twists and turns in John Hiatt ’s long saga, none was more significant than his transition from an eclectic singer-songwriter working on retainer for Tree Publishing in Nashville to an artist on par with American greats such as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen.

Hiatt enjoyed some success early on when Three Dog Night scored a hit in 1974 with his tune “Sure As I’m Sittin’ Here.”

As he recounts, “It went to the Top 15 or something, and I waltzed right back into Tree and said, ‘You’re going to co-sign a car loan for me on the basis of this song.’ And they did, so I went out and bought a brand-new Toyota Corolla for $1,762 out the door.

“I thought I was in tall cotton. It wasn’t a Cadillac, but it was the first new car I’d ever bought.”

It would take 13 more years before Hiatt’s star rose as a bona fide solo artist with his 1987 breakthrough album, Bring the Family .

Ironically, it happened when he was at perhaps his lowest point.

The record yielded tunes such as “Memphis in the Meantime” and “Have a Little Faith in Me,” both of which have been covered extensively, as well as “Thing Called Love,” with which Bonnie Raitt scored a hit off her 1989 album, Nick of Time .

However, it was the 1988 release Slow Turning that cemented Hiatt’s status as one of the premier songwriters of the 20th century.

The album featured classics like “Tennessee Plates” and “Angel Eyes,” and its title track earned Hiatt his first and only Top-10 single.

“I got lucky, I guess,” he says when asked about the circumstances that led to these seminal albums. “It was the right place and right time with Bring the Family . I had just cleaned up my act and gotten sober.

"I had been a mess prior to that record, and though I’d written a batch of pretty good songs of a kind of redemptive nature, I was pretty down, because I’d been though several major labels and had pretty much burned every bridge.”

It was the right place and right time with 'Bring the Family.' I had just cleaned up my act and gotten sober John Hiatt

The events that followed, however, gave him the perfect opportunity to present some of his finest work to an audience that was ready for something altogether different from ’80s-era pop and rock.

“I had been playing a club in Santa Monica called McCabes, and I’d befriended this fellow named John Chelew [ producer of Bring the Family], who was an early champion of mine before I sobered up,” Hiatt says.

“We were talking one night and he asked what I was going to do for my next record. Then I got an offer from Andrew Lauder, who managed Elvis Costello. He and Nick Lowe had this little label in the U.K. called Demon Records. 

"Andrew said, ‘I want you to make a record for U.K. distribution,’ and I was befuddled. I said, ‘Jeez, Andrew, I don’t even know what kind of record to make.’ That’s what kind of mess I was.

“I had been about a year sober and I was on shaky ground. He said, ‘Well, you could sing in the shower and we’ll put it out.’ And that’s exactly what I needed to hear. It was a boost of confidence.”

I had been about a year sober and I was on shaky ground John Hiatt

Chelew rounded up slide guitarist Ry Cooder and drummer Jim Keltner, and with Lowe on bass , Hiatt made Bring the Family in record time.

“We cut 10 songs in four days,” he remembers. “That’s all we could get. I mean, Ry was walking out before I cut the last song, and I said, ‘Wait a minute, Ry. One more.’ You kind of had to catch him when you could. But he was happy because John had an old brown Gibson amp that he loved the sound of.

“We had a blast making that record, and Andrew Lauder was thrilled and released it in the U.K. on Demon. Then we got permission to shop it for a U.S. deal, and next thing you know I’m on A&M Records.”

Why didn’t you take that group out on tour for the album?

There was never any intention of touring with Ry, Nick and Jim, and I don’t think I ever even asked. I just kind of took it for granted that those guys weren’t going to go on the road.

So I came back to Nashville and started looking for a band to go out and tour Bring the Family . I got a call from Ray Benson from Asleep at the Wheel, and he said, “I’ve got a guy for you. He lives in Louisiana and his name is Sonny Landreth . He’s the other slide guitar player” – meaning there’s two types of slide guitarists in this country: Ry and Sonny. That’s pretty much how he put it. [ laughs ]

Sonny [Landreth] didn’t play like Ry Cooder, but he was an inimitable virtuoso slide guitar player. It was like having a singing partner John Hiatt

So Ray put us in touch, and Sonny said, “You know, I’ve got a drummer for you.” And that was Kenneth Blevins, who was out with the Mamas & the Papas at the time.

He came to the audition and sat down on drums, and the first tune I called was “Memphis in the Meantime.” I said to Kenneth, “Well, you’ve got the gig.” He could play that flippy floppy way, because he’s a great drummer.

Sonny didn’t play like Ry Cooder, but he was an inimitable virtuoso slide guitar player. It was like having a singing partner. To me that’s how it works. It’s like he’s your duet partner and your other voice. A lot of guitar players don’t even get that. But, boy, when they do, it’s exciting.

When Sonny plays, it’s singing and it’s wonderful. So I was in heaven because I had these Louisiana guys who knew how to play another way, and that’s what I was looking for.

And that group became the Goners. What was the immediate effect of having them as your touring band?

Well, we hit the road, and all of a sudden an audience started showing up, which was hard to get in America prior to that record.

So here I was out with the Goners and I’d already started writing the songs for Slow Turning . We toured for, like, 11 months solid, and then made a pit stop just to record Slow Turning and have a baby.

We hit the road, and all of a sudden an audience started showing up John Hiatt

My daughter [singer-songwriter] Lilly , was born during the making of Slow Turning .

How did recording Slow Turning with a band that you’d been touring with compare to how you made Bring the Family ?

It was different, because everyone was involved with Slow Turning and it was three and half weeks in the making. Back in those days, we still had A&R people, and my A&R guy was a peach. I said to him, “Look, my band is fantastic and I want to make this record with the Goners.”

So that was the first step. And then he hooked me up with [ engineer/producer ] Glyn Johns , and we really hit it off. Glyn came to Nashville and we took the month of May off and it was a hoot. I learned a whole lot from him. But it was still live off the floor with minimal overdubs, because that’s how Glyn records.

Starting with Bring the Family , that sort of set the tone for me in terms of live vocal takes, which are always the best. I’ve never been very good at overdubbing vocals. I kinda want to be there in the track singing live with the drums, bass and guitars.

Order Hiatt's latest album, Leftover Feelings , here .

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Art Thompson is Senior Editor of Guitar Player magazine. He has authored stories with numerous guitar greats including B.B. King, Prince and Scotty Moore and interviewed gear innovators such as Paul Reed Smith, Randall Smith and Gary Kramer. He also wrote the first book on vintage effects pedals, Stompbox . Art's busy performance schedule with three stylistically diverse groups provides ample opportunity to test-drive new guitars, amps and effects, many of which are featured in the pages of GP .

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Opener: Chris DuPont

May 9 @ 8:00 pm $75, $125, $150 « The Ark’s Open Stage Alan Doyle » Buy Tickets Online “One of rock's most astute singer-songwriters of the last 40 years” –Los Angeles Times A master lyricist and satirical storyteller, John Hiatt delivers songs filled with tales of redemption, relationships and surrendering on his own terms. Hiatt’s finest album is 1987’s Bring the Family ; other catalog highlights include the pop and rock of 1983’s Riding with the King , the rough-hewn blues-rock of 2008’s Same Old Man , and 2021’s Leftover Feelings .  His lyrics and melodies have graced more than 20 studio albums, have been recorded by Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt and scores of others, and have earned him a place in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, a BMI Troubadour award, and a lifetime achievement in songwriting designation from the Americana Music Association. Tonight’s show is sponsored by Blue LLama Jazz Club Add to calendar Google Calendar iCalendar Outlook 365 Outlook Live Details

June 13, 2024   ·   7:30pm

A master lyricist and satirical storyteller, John Hiatt delivers songs filled with tales of redemption, relationships, and surrendering on his own terms. Hiatt's finest album is 1987's Bring the Family ; other catalog highlights include the pop and rock of 1983's Riding with the King , the rough-hewn blues-rock of 2008's Same Old Man , and 2021's Leftover Feelings . His lyrics and melodies have graced more than 20 studio albums, have been recorded by Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, and scores of others, and have earned him a place in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, a BMI Troubadour award, and a Lifetime Achievement in Songwriting designation from the Americana Music Association. 

Ticket prices INCLUDE 7.75% sales tax.

Series: Presented by Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center

Venue: Byers Theatre

Cost: $37.7-$70.05

Saratoga native Vienna Teng opens Montalvo’s…

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Saratoga native vienna teng opens montalvo’s concert season, other acts returning to carriage house theatre include david benoit, sf comedy competition.

Teng, 45, who studied computer science at Stanford University and has both an MBA and a master’s degree in environmental sustainability from the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan, has married her passions with a “music x climate action” community on Patreon that she launched in 2022.

On the road, she’s started hosting workshops between concerts for audience members to share knowledge and take steps toward climate action.

Whether or not she’s on tour, being on the move seems to suit Teng, who has lived in New York City, Detroit, Boulder, CO, and Washington, DC, since leaving Saratoga.

Another Bay Area favorite opens the Carriage House season on Sept. 10-11, when the San Francisco Comedy Competition semifinals return to the Saratoga venue. From an initial lineup of more than 30 comedians, top contestants from the preliminary weeks will each perform 8- to 12-minute sets for the audience and the judges.

A former San Francisco Comedy Competition contestant takes the Carriage House stage Feb. 14, 2025. It’s unlikely that Laurie Kilmartin’s set will be aimed at Valentine’s Day dates, given that her New York Times bestseller is titled “Sh-ty Mom.”

Other comedy shows in Montalvo’s season are “Ladies of Laughter: Funny and Fabulous Tour” with Stephanie Blum and Maureen Langan on March 21, and The Second City’s 65th anniversary show on April 12.

Two women who incorporate humor into their musical performances are also on the bill for the upcoming season. Flamenco guitarist Charo will “cuchi cuchi” her way to the Carriage House Theatre on Jan. 31, and Swedish performer Gunhild Carling will literally and figuratively juggle multiple instruments on stage on May 3.

Pianist David Benoit returns on Dec. 15 for his annual “Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown.” Other acts pay tribute to musicians and/or the cities that launched them. Jazz at Lincoln Center presents “New Orleans Songbook” on Jan. 29 with pianist Luther S. Allison and vocalists Quiana Lynell and Milton Suggs. The Ultimate Queen Celebration performs the music of Freddie Mercury and company on Feb. 15-16. Forever Simon & Garfunkel: A Tribute celebrates the best-selling duo in rock ’n’ roll history on Feb. 21, while “You’ve Got a Friend” on March 28 showcases the music of Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Lieber and Stoller, Neil Diamond and other musicians who worked out of New York City’s Brill Building in the 1950s and ’60s.

In addition to Teng, singer-songwriters set to take the stage at the Carriage House Theatre include John Hiatt (Nov. 6), Marc Cohn (Nov. 17 and Karla Bonoff (Nov. 21).

Tickets for the 2024-25 season at Montalvo’s Carriage House Theatre were set to go on sale May 21 at https://montalvoarts.org/experience/carriage-house-concerts , where the full season lineup can be viewed.

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David Sanborn, Saxophonist Who Defied Pigeonholing, Dies at 78

He was best known as a jazz musician, but his shimmering sound was also heard on classic albums by David Bowie, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen.

By Alex Williams

David Sanborn, whose fiery alto saxophone flourishes earned him six Grammy Awards, eight gold albums and a platinum one, and who established himself as a celebrity sideman, lending indelible solos to enduring rock classics like David Bowie’s “Young Americans,” died on Sunday in Tarrytown, N.Y. He was 78.

He died after long being treated for prostate cancer, according to a statement on his social media channels. He had received the diagnosis in 2018 but had maintained his regular schedule of concerts until recently, with more planned for next year.

Drawing from jazz, pop and R&B, Mr. Sanborn was highly prolific, releasing 25 albums over a six-decade career. “Hideaway” (1980), his fifth studio album, featured two instrumentals written with the singer Michael McDonald as well as “The Seduction,” written by Giorgio Moroder, which was the love theme from “American Gigolo,” the ice-cool Paul Schrader film starring Richard Gere.

“Many releases by studio musicians suffer from weak compositions and overproduction, including some albums by Sanborn himself,” Tim Griggs wrote in a review of that album on the website Allmusic. In contrast, he continued, “Hideaway” had a “stripped-down, funky” quality that showed off his “passionate and distinctive saxophone sound.”

Mr. Sanborn’s albums “Hearsay” (1994), “Pearls” (1995) and “Time Again” (2003) all reached No. 2 on the Billboard jazz chart.

While the records he made under his own name were often pigeonholed as smooth jazz, Mr. Sanborn chafed at the description. So did many of his fellow saxophonists, who found his tone and approach anything but mellow.

“The ‘Sanborn’ sound is more of an extreme sound tone wise,” the saxophonist and educator Steve Neff wrote on his blog in 2012. “It is very raw, bright, edgy and tough sounding. It’s right in your face.”

“What Michael Brecker did for the tenor sound, Sanborn did for the alto sound. It’s not a middle of the road type of sound,” Mr. Neff added. Mr. Brecker and his trumpeter brother, Randy, often collaborated with Mr. Sanborn.

Mr. Sanborn had little use for labels. “I’m not so interested in what is or isn’t jazz,” he said in a 2017 interview with DownBeat, the jazz magazine. “The guardians of the gate can be quite combative, but what are they protecting? Jazz has always absorbed and transformed what’s around it.”

“Real musicians,” he added, “don’t have any time to spend thinking about limited categories.”

While growing up in suburban St. Louis, Mr. Sanborn was influenced by the sound of blues in Chicago, and by 14 he was playing with Albert King and Little Milton . “I guess if push comes to shove, I would describe myself as coming out of the blues-R&B side of the spectrum,” he said in a 2008 interview with NPR. “But I mean, if you play the saxophone, you certainly can’t escape the influence of jazz.”

Among the jazz musicians with whom Mr. Sanborn recorded were the guitarists George Benson, Mike Stern and John Scofield, the bassist Ron Carter, and the arrangers and bandleaders Gil Evans and Bob James.

And his influence was hardly confined to recording. From 1988 to 1990, he hosted the television show “Night Music” (originally called “Sunday Night”), which presented an eclectic mix of music; its lineups featured jazz luminaries like Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Pharoah Sanders as well as the likes of James Taylor, Leonard Cohen and Sonic Youth.

Starting in the 1980s, he also hosted a syndicated radio program, “The Jazz Show With David Sanborn.” He had recently begun producing the podcast “As We Speak,” which offered conversations with artists, including Pat Metheny and Mr. Rollins.

A onetime member of the “Saturday Night Live” band, Mr. Sanborn recorded or toured with a constellation of stars, among them Paul Simon, James Brown, Elton John, Steely Dan, Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones.

“Anyone with a record collection more than a foot wide probably owns a piece of David Sanborn’s unmistakable sound but doesn’t know it,” The Phoenix New Times, an Arizona newspaper, observed in 1991 in an article about him.

Mr. Sanborn was heard on landmark albums like the Eagles’ debut and Stevie Wonder’s “Talking Book” in 1972 and Bruce Springsteen’s 1975 smash “Born to Run.”

He had a memorable star turn on Mr. Bowie’s album “Young Americans” (1975), on which his sunny yet sultry solo opens the memorable title track . “There was no lead guitar, so I played the role of lead guitar,” he told DownBeat. “I was all over that record.”

He also joined Mr. Bowie’s tour for the album, part of a crack supporting outfit that also included Doug Rauch on bass and Greg Errico on drums. “On the ‘Young Americans’ tour,” he recalled, “Bowie would sometimes let the band play for 20 minutes before he came on.”

David William Sanborn was born on July 30, 1945, in Tampa, Fla., where his father was stationed in the Air Force. He grew up in Kirkwood, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis.

His life took a fateful turn at age 3 when he contracted polio, which ravaged his left arm, right leg and lungs.

He was in an iron lung for a year, and he took up saxophone at 11 on the advice of a doctor, who thought learning a woodwind instrument would help him build respiratory strength.

The disease had lasting effects, some of them particularly challenging for a horn player. As an adult, Mr. Sanborn still suffered limited lung capacity, and his left arm was smaller than his right, with compromised dexterity on that hand.

“I don’t think of myself as a victim,” he was quoted as saying in 2005 by the Salt Lake City television station KSL. “This is my reality.”

After studying music at Northwestern University and with the saxophonist J.R. Monterose at the University of Iowa, he headed to California and joined the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He was 24 when the band played before hundreds of thousands at the Woodstock festival in August 1969.

Mr. Sanborn went on to tour with Stevie Wonder in 1972 and released his first solo album, “Taking Off,” in 1975. He earned his first Grammy , for best R&B instrumental performance, for “All I Need Is You,” a track on his 1981 album, “Voyeur.”

His 2008 album, “Here & Gone,” with guest appearances by Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks and Joss Stone, was a tribute to Ray Charles and his arranger and saxophonist Hank Crawford, who was a major influence on Mr. Sanborn’s playing.

“That music was everything to me,” he told NPR. “It kind of combined jazz, gospel, and rhythm and blues. It wasn’t any one of those things, but it was all of them kind of mixed together. And that, to me, is kind of the essence of American music.”

He is survived by his wife, Alice Soyer Sanborn, a pianist, vocalist and composer; his son, Jonathan; two granddaughters; and his sisters, Sallie and Barb Sanborn.

Mr. Sanborn continued to tour into his 70s. With all the changes in the music business, he found, touring was a better way to make a living than recording.

“You make a fraction of what you used to make,” he said in a 2017 interview with The Tampa Bay Times. “There’s not a lot of options.”

He found life on the road increasingly taxing, but performing live remained a passion. Despite plans to cut back to about 150 gigs a year from 200, he nevertheless embarked on tour in 2017 that reached Istanbul and Nairobi.

“I still want to play,” he said, “and if you want to play for an audience, you’ve got to go where the audience is.”

Sofia Poznansky contributed reporting.

Alex Williams is a Times reporter on the Obituaries desk. More about Alex Williams