Big Sky Country (song)
Encyclopedia
"Big Sky Country" is a song
recorded by American singer-songwriter
and guitarist
, Chris Whitley
. It was the second single
to be released from his 1991 début album, Living with the Law
, and became a hit single in the United States, rising to #35 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart in 1991.
features Whitley singing and playing his 1931 National
Triolian in a variety of indoor and outdoor (Spanish mission / cemetery
, midway
, and American desert
) environments. Parts of the video were filmed in stop motion
animation. Bassist Alan Gevaert and a drummer appear in some scenes.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
recorded by American singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, Chris Whitley
Chris Whitley
Christopher Becker Whitley was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Whitley changed his sound frequently, and achieved modest mainstream success while maintaining a small but devoted following...
. It was the second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
to be released from his 1991 début album, Living with the Law
Living with the Law (album)
Living with the Law is the debut album by singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chris Whitley.Malcolm Burn produced, mixed and played on the album...
, and became a hit single in the United States, rising to #35 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart in 1991.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
features Whitley singing and playing his 1931 National
National String Instrument Corporation
The National String Instrument Corporation was a guitar company that formed to manufacture the first resonator guitars.-National resonator guitar designs:...
Triolian in a variety of indoor and outdoor (Spanish mission / cemetery
Spanish missions in the Americas
Spanish Missions were established in the Americas as part of the Spanish colonisation of the New World. Beginning in 1493, the Kingdom of Spain established and maintained a number of missions throughout Nueva España in order to facilitate colonization of these lands.During the...
, midway
Midway (fair)
A midway at a fair is the location where amusement rides, entertainment and fast food booths are concentrated....
, and American desert
Great American Desert
The term Great American Desert was used in the 19th century to describe the western part of the Great Plains east of the Rocky Mountains in North America....
) environments. Parts of the video were filmed in stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
animation. Bassist Alan Gevaert and a drummer appear in some scenes.
Personnel
- Chris Whitley – National acoustic guitar, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocalSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and synth guitar - Bill Dillon – guitar, pedal steelPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
, and guitorganGuitorganA Guitorgan is an electric guitar with electronic organ components added. Each guitar fret is separated into six segments, creating independent contact switches for each string. The organ notes are keyed when a string touches a specific segment... - Ronald Jones – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Produced by Malcolm Burn
- Recorded by Mark HowardMark Howard (producer)Mark Howard is a Canadian record producer, engineer, and mixer. He has worked with many artistsincluding Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson, Marianne Faithful, Emmylou Harris, U2, Peter Gabriel, R.E.M...
- Mixed by Malcolm Burn and Mark Howard