The Last of the True Believers
Encyclopedia
The Last of the True Believers is singer-songwriter
Nanci Griffith
's fourth album, and her last with the folk music
-oriented Philo Records
. The acclaim accorded her from her previous Once in a Very Blue Moon
and the current album would gain her a contract with a major recording company after this album. Here, Griffith continues her turn toward a more country
-oriented work than her first two albums, which were primarily folk
-sounding. It also includes two songs which would later be hits for Kathy Mattea
: "Love at the Five and Dime" from her 1986 album Walk the Way the Wind Blows
, and "Goin' Gone", Mattea's first Number One, from 1987's Untasted Honey
.
store as described in "Love at the Five and Dime." The male dancer is Lyle Lovett
who also appears on the album as a vocalist. The man standing at far left is John T. Davis, at the time a music writer for the Austin American-Statesman
.
As with other Nanci Griffith albums she is pictured holding books by and/or about southern writers. On the front cover she is holding a copy of The Kindness of Strangers: The Life of Tennessee Williams
by Donald Spoto
. On the album's back cover she is clutching Lonesome Dove
by Larry McMurtry
.
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...
Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith, is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas.-Biography:...
's fourth album, and her last with the folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
-oriented Philo Records
Philo Records
Philo Records was a short-lived record label founded in 1945 by the brothers Eddie, Leo, and Ira Messner. Later its name changed to Aladdin Records. There was another Philo Records, founded by Bill Schubart and Michael Couture in Vermont. It is still active under the ownership of Rounder Records....
. The acclaim accorded her from her previous Once in a Very Blue Moon
Once in a Very Blue Moon
Once in a Very Blue Moon is singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith's third album. The sounds have become a little more country and a little less folk than her previous albums. Her first two albums were backed sparsely with instrumentation, but starting with this album, the whole complement of...
and the current album would gain her a contract with a major recording company after this album. Here, Griffith continues her turn toward a more country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
-oriented work than her first two albums, which were primarily folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
-sounding. It also includes two songs which would later be hits for Kathy Mattea
Kathy Mattea
Kathleen Alice "Kathy" Mattea is an American country music and bluegrass performer who often brings folk, Celtic and traditional country sounds to her music. Active since 1983 as a recording artist, she has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot...
: "Love at the Five and Dime" from her 1986 album Walk the Way the Wind Blows
Walk the Way the Wind Blows
Walk the Way the Wind Blows is the third album released by American country music singer Kathy Mattea. It was released in 1986 on Mercury Records. This album produced Mattea's first Top Ten country hit in "Love at the Five and Dime", which reached #3 on the Billboard country charts...
, and "Goin' Gone", Mattea's first Number One, from 1987's Untasted Honey
Untasted Honey
Untasted Honey is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in 1987 on Mercury Records. The album produced Mattea's first Number One hit on the Billboard country charts in its lead-off single "Goin' Gone"...
.
Cover
The photograph on the album cover contains several references to the album's songs. A couple can be seen dancing behind Griffith, standing in front of a Woolworth'sF. W. Woolworth Company
The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
store as described in "Love at the Five and Dime." The male dancer is Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...
who also appears on the album as a vocalist. The man standing at far left is John T. Davis, at the time a music writer for the Austin American-Statesman
Austin American-Statesman
The Austin American-Statesman is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is an award-winning publication owned by Cox Enterprises. The Newspaper places focus on issues affecting Austin and the Central Texas region....
.
As with other Nanci Griffith albums she is pictured holding books by and/or about southern writers. On the front cover she is holding a copy of The Kindness of Strangers: The Life of Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
by Donald Spoto
Donald Spoto
Donald Spoto is an American celebrity biographer, Catholic theologian, and former monk. He is best known for his best-selling biographies of film and theatre celebrities such as Alfred Hitchcock, Laurence Olivier, Tennessee Williams, Ingrid Bergman, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly,...
. On the album's back cover she is clutching Lonesome Dove
Lonesome Dove
Lonesome Dove is a 1985 Pulitzer Prize–winning western novel written by Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the Lonesome Dove series, but the third installment in the series chronologically...
by Larry McMurtry
Larry McMurtry
Larry Jeff McMurtry is an American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter whose work is predominantly set in either the old West or in contemporary Texas...
.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Nanci Griffith; except where indicated- "Last of the True Believers" - 2:47
- "Love at the Five and DimeLove at the Five and Dime"Love at the Five and Dime" is a single by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. Released in 1986, it was the first single from the album Walk the Way the Wind Blows. The song was Mattea's breakthrough hit, becoming her first top 10 hit and eventually peaking at No...
" - 4:33 - "St. Olav's Gate" (Tom RussellTom RussellThomas George "Tom" Russell is an American singer-songwriter. Although most strongly identified with the Texas Country music tradition, his music also incorporates elements of folk, Tex-Mex, and the cowboy music of the American West. Many of his songs have been recorded by other artists, including...
) - 3:03 - "More Than a Whisper" (Griffith, Bobby Nelson) - 3:42
- "Banks of the Pontchartrain" - 3:39
- "Lookin' for the Time (Workin' Girl)"- 2:43
- "Goin' GoneGoin' Gone"Goin' Gone" is a 1987 single written by Pat Alger, Bill Dale, and Fred Koller and recorded by Kathy Mattea. "Goin' Gone" was Kathy Mattea's ninth country hit and the first of four number one country singles. The single went to number one for one week and spent fifteen weeks on the country...
" (Pat AlgerPat AlgerPat Alger is a country music songwriter, singer and guitarist.-Biography:Alger attended Georgia Tech studying architecture but decided to concentrate on writing songs. He started as a solo folk performer at folk clubs...
, Bill Dale, Fred Koller) - 4:19 - "One of These Days" - 2:54
- "Love's Found a Shoulder" - 2:19
- "Fly by Night" - 2:36
- "The Wing and the Wheel" - 2:41