The joy coming off the stage was contagious. Lucinda never once stopped grinning, elated at being on stage with her dad and sharing their common talent with the audience.

LUCINDA AND MILLER WILLIAMS
Royce Hall, Los Angeles, 11/30/06

By Brenda Cowan

Lucinda Williams comes from pedigree. This female wizard of words and notes has some serious lineage; her father, Miller Williams, is an award-winning poet. His ability to turn a phrase, capture a moment and peer into the soul is chilling and uplifting all at the same time. When you read his words, you can see the heritage that is Lucinda and come to appreciate and understand her enormous talent even more.

Miller Williams was the 1996 Inaugural Poet Laureate for the United States. He is a retired literature professor who has passed on his talent and love for words, prose, folk music, Delta blues and Hank Williams to his daughter, the multiple Grammy-award winning Lucinda. This man is not just talented; he is passionate, entertaining, insightful, and funny! Yep, he's got a great sense of humor that mirrors his daughter’s. Recently, Miller and Lucinda, along with guitar virtuoso Doug Pettibone, took the stage at UCLA’s Royce Hall and shared their enormous talent with the rest of the world in a production simply named "Poetry said and Poetry sung."

The joy coming off the stage was contagious. Lucinda never once stopped grinning, elated at being on stage with her dad and sharing their common talent with the audience. The set was loose and free, each feeding off the other and giving the audience a glimpse into the private side that is the inspiration for their words and songs. Miller even quoted himself on stage, saying, "My poetry and her songs, you could say they both have dirt under the fingernails. In my writing, I try to get down to the nuts and bolts of living, and there's no question that Lucinda does that, too. Her music is not abstract. There's real sweat in every song." You could smell the dirt of real living in the air that night.

Father and daughter have performed together off and on over the years in various venues across the South, including the Ryman Auditorium, the real home of the Grand Ol' Opry. This was the first time they performed together in Los Angeles. Miller changed course at the request of his daughter to read favorite poems and she rearranged at will her set to compliment her daddy's work. All of this was augmented by Pettibone’s masterful guitar and easy-going manner, which blended well with the two of them.

There was no real set list; they kept it all loose and free. At one point, Lucinda stopped the show to speak directly to her closest friends who had never seen this particular performance. She was obviously emotional when she said, “My friends are all here tonight and now they can all see where I come from,” as she turned to grin at her dad.

I have the pleasure of saying Lucinda is my friend. We have known each other for 20 years, going to back to those days at the famed Palomino Club in North Hollywood. And coming from someone who has watched her grow and shine over the years, I have never seen her shine as bright as when performing standing next to her father. I hope that one day the rest of you will get the chance to see this amazing pairing. In the meantime, Lucinda's new CD, “WEST,” will be available in stores as of February 2007, to be followed by an extensive tour.

Want to keep up on Lucinda Williams? Check out Lucindawilliams.com. Also, go to Amazon.com to research and buy the work of Miller Williams.

Page last updated: January 09, 2007

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