Mid-range fame can be tragic, even more so than no fame at all. To be recognised for your talent and your longevity but still not be one of those listed amongst the classics, to have furnished the celebrated with an arsenal of hits, only to receive a songwriters’ credit and a handful of royalties, that can be at the root of many a frustrating artistic life.
Not to say that KIMMIE RHODES is anything but a pro, with a prestigious list of collaborators under her belt including but not limited to Willie Nelson, Townes van Zandt, Trisha Yearwood, Joe Ely, Waylon Jennings, Peter Frampton, Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris, all of whom she persistently name-checks at her gig with a disarming frankness.
Brought up in Texas and now residing in Austin, she has been singing and writing from the age of six, and has gospel background, having sung in a family trio. She is back in London after an absence of 20 years, and many are those who have awaited her return with eager anticipation. The Borderline is wearing its Country n’ Western face and the usual teeny demographic has been replaced by erudite, mature folk in unnaturally keen spirits. And indeed, they are thrilled to see Kimmie again, some even having seen her all that time ago in London, their smart dress cannot conceal their younger self’s shrieks of excitement on this unique occasion.
Introduced by audience member Bob Harris, Kimmie is instantly lent an even greater sense of mystique and esteem by this British icon of musical quality control, and all she has to do now is step on and sing. Playing alongside her is her son, Gabe, a real guitar wiz and a priceless asset to the show. Kimmie’s bassist husband, producer Joe Gracey, is currently recovering from a repeat bout of throat cancer which has taken his voice 30 years ago, and is currently awaiting an operation which may restore it, certainly a challenging time for the family, and Kimmie shares with the audience her lingering hesitation to go on tour, cancelling several of the shows, but in the end, she says, you’ve gotta earn a living!...
Gabe, then, will later on in the show experiment backing his mum’s simple guitar chords with various instruments he has brought along, making up for whatever void there may be in Joe’s absence by always bringing something more to the songs, without ever overpowering them. Kimmie always remains at the spotlight, yet it is hard not to silently rejoice whenever Gabe is about to bridge or sing along.
Because Kimmie Rhodes is always moving, but is always moving in the same exact way. Her chord structure and arrangements are simple, her voice is solid and heartfelt but unremarkable, and her songs are simply a rehashing of a formula that has kept many a-Tennessee/Texas pilgrim off the 9-5 job wagon. Song-writing for others is a craft that requires dedication and persistence, but also depends highly on connectivity and luck, and those who hitch their star to the right wagon at the right time, through marriage or otherwise, can scoop some of that leftover gravy for many years.
But to the gig itself – West Texas Heaven is the opener, but not until the following song – Just One Love, originally recorded with Willie Nelson, does Kimmie truly find her voice and her confidence, realising she is in a room full of long-time followers. Gabe provides a unique blues tint to the song and soft backing vocals that thrill and delight.
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Hard Promises is a duet recorded for Trisha Yearwood and Nelson, a cheesy but earnest Spanish ballad, which hooks in all who hear it. To follow is a song recorded 8 years ago but only just released as a single off her new album, “Walls Fall Down” - I’ve Been Loved by You, she explains, is all about her upbringing in Lubbock and is her ‘Buddy Holly song’, a reference to her home-town other prodigal son. The song induces a lot of swaying and singing along by the roomful of emotionally moved men.
Wild Roses off her acclaimed West Texas Heaven album is a song written in a gruff mood after an unpleasant visit to Nashville, and on her way back to Austin, it has both an English and a French version for a French label which she was ‘on for about 5 minutes’, and is beautifully performed by Kimmie – deftly sung half and half, with Gabe on a blow organ creating an accordion sound for that genuine French feel. Next we are asked for audience participation on the Gillian Welch recorded song about a cemetery in North Carolina, God’s Acre, and another sing-along occurs on If I Needed You, the Townes van Zandt classic, giving Gabe an opportunity to sing one of the verses in his soft but stirring voice. Later she also performs I’m Gonna Fly, another van Zandt song she had written and which he had to record with her pointing at the each word as he sang them, so fragile he was by then.
A song written about the songwriters of Tin Pan Alley, Git You a Job, is followed by Kimmie’s recount of Joe Gracey’s current health, which creates a growing intimacy in the room, like a group of old friends catching up. This leads naturally into the Mexican feel of Contrabandistas, written by Joe.
Yet more songs are forthcoming including I Just Drove By, a beautiful revisiting of her home in place and in spirit and her longing to be there again, and Bells of Joy, a song inspired by and written for an Austin gospel band of elderly men and their Zimmer-frame aided 90 year old manager/lead vocalist. Also Waylon Jennings’ Maybe We’ll Just Disappear, and Just Someone I Used to Know, written by Cowboy Jack Clement.
It has to be reiterated that Kimmie’s songs have been recognised for their warm simplicity by many Americana giants, a clear mark of their timeless all-reaching appeal; yet performed one after another, it is Gabe’s passionate and always innovative accompaniment which sets them apart and drives them that extra mile, towards that exceptional Gram Parsons plane, from the safe-bet songs with mass appeal, to gems with unique features.
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