Sunday Supper Club: Deryl Dodd & Matt Hillyer

Deryl Dodd has made a name for himself as one of the most authentic artists in country music. From the Texas music circuit to Nashville, national tours to chart topping hits, he's seen the country music industry from the top. He got his call to stardom as a guitar player and backup singer with Martina McBride and on tour with country music icons like Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw and Brooks & Dunn. After a life-threatening illness nearly ended his career in the late 90's, Dodd re-emerged with a new appreciation for life and a stronger loyalty to himself and his music. Inspired by the county music classics he grew up listening to his newest studio album, Together Again contains 11 new tracks, including his bone jarring title track of the Buck Owens 1964 classic.

Born in Dallas, Texas, he grew up heavily influenced by the soulful gospel music of the Pentecostal church where his grandfather was pastor. Learning to play guitar at age seven, banjo at thirteen, and pedal steel at sixteen Deryl was performing in honkytonks and dancehalls by the time he graduated college.

Shortly after moving to Nashville in 1991, he began playing guitar and singing backup for Martina McBride and opening for country superstar Garth Brooks. His ability as a songwriter earned him a publishing deal with BMG Music where he penned several tracks on two of Tim McGraw's multi-platinum albums. Word spread quickly around Nashville as he gained recognition playing in Tracy Lawrence's band and singing harmony vocals for Martina McBride, Randy Foster and George Ducas. By 1996, he had released his first solo album, One Ride in Vegas, with Columbia Records. The debut received critical acclaim and a spot on the Billboard country music charts with the hit single, "That's How I Got to Memphis." His self-titled 1998 follow up ensued, propelling Deryl to the threshold of stardom. With the single, "A Bitter End," climbing the music charts, he made plans to embark on a national tour (opening for Time McGraw and Brooks and Dunn) and was nominated as Top New Male Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music.

During the promotion of his sophomore album, Deryl began to feel the physical effects of his grueling touring schedule. He attributed his fatigue to the long hours spent on the road but persisted vigorously promoting the new record. His health continued to deteriorate until eventually, he had trouble lifting his arms, barely able to comb his hair or play guitar. After several tests, Dodd was diagnosed with viral encephalitis, a life threatening illness which attacks the central nervous system, bringing a "bitter end" to his current efforts and future plans to publicize the new album. After six months of frustrating immobility, he spent another year and a half in physical therapy. Though he was able to overcome his illness, he still faced many obstacles on his "road to recovery," including rebuilding his career. It was a slow, hard fight as Deryl regained his strength -- this time with a new appreciation for life, and a stronger loyalty to himself, his fans, and his music.

Once he'd fully recovered, he began showing up for songwriter nights at Nashville clubs and performing with his old band, the Homesick Cowboys -- later receiving an invitation to open for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill on their Soul 2 Soul tour. In his first step to regain control of his music, he released his third album, Pearl Snaps, with Columbia's independent label, Lucky Dog. The album produced two #1 singles on the Texas music chart, but Dodd had already grown disenchanted with Nashville and was ready to return home to Texas.

Not long after moving back to the "Lone Star State," he was invited to record an album for the acclaimed Live at Billy Bob's Texas series. Released in August 2003, Deryl Dodd Live at Billy Bob's Texas contained a collection of his greatest hits, and included the Texas Chart toppers "New Tony Lamas" and "Things are Fixin' to Get Real Good." Two more albums followed Stronger Proof (2004) and Full Circle (2006).

Together Again, Dodd's appropriately titled new album (August 25, 2009) will bring together a continuing relationship with the Smith Music Group, who also released Deryl Dodd Live at Billy Bob's Texas. Raised on gospel, bluegrass, country and rock & roll, Dodd integrates the sounds of his traditional honky-tonk roots into his new album. The first single, also titled "Together Again" is a heartfelt; self-arranged and produced record that was originally recorded in 1964, by the late, great Buck Owens. Dodd enhanced the song with his own modern twist, replacing Owens' steel guitar with an electric; and adding bluesy beats and piano melodies. With the soulful hymn "I'll Fly Away," followed by a 1959 home-recording of his grandparents (Lewis and Gladys Dodd) singing "John the Revelator," he pays special tribute to his southern gospel roots. Country music fans can depend on Deryl Dodd to bring back traditional honky-tonk (like the track "Death, Taxes and Texas"), but with his unique modern flair.

"Once again, Dodd's allure is the ability to straddle contemporary Nashville and rambunctious Texas while mining his roots of gospel, bluegrass, country and rock." –Best in Texas.

Matt Hillyer, also known as “Matt the Cat” and as the leader of Dallas-based and beloved Honky-Tonk band Eleven Hundred Springs is, rather simply, an artist. Few artists stick to a single, narrow path as they wander, viewing things in a philosophically unique way than many non-artist types might.

With the release of Hillyer’s debut solo album, the Lloyd Maines-produced If These Bones Could Talk, we get to see a new side to Hillyer’s country-gold vision, but to be clear, his solo foray isn’t the end of Eleven Hundred Springs, which was formed in 1998, nor is it the death of the rockabilly-flavored Matt the Cat Trio. Hillyer as a solo artist with a fresh group of players, including some buddies from Eleven Hundred Springs, is merely a fascinating, new chapter to a musical life that’s never been conventional, and isn’t going to be anytime soon.

With 11 new songs, all written or co-written by HIllyer except for his rocking, stomping cover of the Everly Brothers’ classic the “Price of Love,” a rare occurrence has taken place. The leader of a popular, established band has branched out to go on a personal, musical vision quest, and has come back with a sound that satisfies on all levels. In some ways, These Old Bones resembles the stone-cold country of his band, but the new collection has increased the sonic value of everything he’s affiliated with, thanks to spreading his tattooed, whiskey-soaked wings a bit.
The notion for a solo record came from a wonderfully personal spot that’s as honest as it is meaningful to Hillyer.

“I was very close with my Grandmother, he says. “She was always pushing me to do it. She loved Eleven Hundred Springs, but she really wanted me to make something with my name on it. So, over the years, it started to seem like a good idea as I did more solo acoustic shows. It also seemed like a good idea for me to have a CD of my own to sell at some of those shows. Then when these songs started to come out in my writing, I really wanted to make this happen.”

While cuts such as “Home is Where the Heartbreak Is” certainly recalls a familiar Buck Owens-esque brightness and “Try Not to Take it So Hard” has the classic Texas Tornadoes playfulness some of Eleven Hundred Springs best tunes boast, one listen to “Dancing With the Moon,” a smooth, soft romancer of a tune, and it’s clear Hillyer’s found another gear of country storytelling that is only the beginning of a new era for him, whether it’s solo, as a trio or leading “Eleven Hondo.” The same can be said for the begging-to-be-two stepped-to “I Still Have a Lot of Falling Left To Go,” as it’s gentle fiddle leads Hillyer through a piano-twinkling sawdust shuffler that doesn’t kick the footlights as hard as some of his other band’s best tunes do.

Hillyer acknowledges the similarities between his past band-related works, but highlights the differences in a manner that’s clear with drama-free simplicity.

“To me it always boils down to the material, he says. “I know there are songs on this album that I would not have put on an Eleven Hundred Springs album. Even the songs that would fit like a glove on an Eleven Hundred Springs album are, for the most part, rooted in very personal places. When the collection of these songs started to really come together it became apparent to me that the majority of them felt like something I was trying to say independent of a group.”