Suzy Bogguss, one of country music’s most multi-talented artists, is a crystal-clear-voiced singer, intuitive songwriter, talented guitarist, inventive record producer and engaging live performer. The tapestry she weaves is that of a sensitive woman taking charge of her life. That she is also head-turning beautiful is an added bonus. In the early 1990s she was at the forefront of Nashville’s new breed of women artists who controlled both their careers and their music. Before arriving in Nashville Suzy spent several years on the road operating like a contemporary version of the old-time travelling troubadours. As a yodelling singer from small-town Illinois, she booked her own shows as she drove in a camper from gig to gig, performing show tunes, swing, jazz and folk as well as country numbers. A determined lady, she recorded her own cassette in Nashville in 1985 and within six months was signed as the headlining female performer at Dollywood for the summer season. A contract with Capitol Records followed, and she released her first album, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN, in 1988.

Progress was slow to begin with and it took five singles before Suzy cracked the country top ten with Cross My Broken Heart in 1989. The album was an eclectic mix highlighted by the plaintive western ballad, Night Rider’s Lament, complete with yodel (a song that Garth Brooks was to revive a few years later), alongside fine versions of Hank Williams’ My Sweet Love Ain’t Around, Merle Haggard’s Somewhere Between, Patsy Montana’s I Want To be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart and a clutch of co-written originals.

Though Suzy’s second album, MOMENT OF TRUTH failed to produce any hit singles, it was a superb collection of thought-provoking songs like My Side of the Story which she co-wrote with husband Doug Crider. I’m a firm believer that the early things that singers record are often the best. Those first few records that you get by an artist are really fresh and stir your passion—and that’s very much the case with Suzy’s first two albums.

Her third album, ACES, put her at the forefront of country music as the album went multi-platinum. Songs like Aces, Drive South, Someday Soon, Outbound Plane, Hey Cinderella and Letting Go took her to the top of the country music charts. Along the way she won raves from critics and her peers. She won the Country Music Association’s Horizon Award in 1992 and Album of the Year Award in 1994.

Suzy’s achingly pure, sweet vocal style and savvy choice of material made her a consistent highlight of the Nashville country mainstream. Intriguing musical collaborations have served her well over the years, along with being a gifted and versatile performer in many idioms. In recent years she has recorded albums of swing, jazz and traditionally-slanted country music all marked by impeccable song choice and musical integrity.

Alan Cackett (Editor of Maverick)
www.maverick-country.com