Lucinda Williams at the Codfish Hollow Barn -- June 11.
Tuesday, June 11, 8 p.m.
Codfish Hollow Barn, 5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa IA
Touring in support of her 2023 recording that inspired Americana Highways to rave that "music this impressive is a testament to the vitality of her rock 'n' roll heart," Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams headlines a special June 11 concert event at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, with both the artist and her self-titled 1988 album lauded by the Village Voice's Robert Christgau as "gorgeous, flawless, brilliant."
After years of critical successes, Williams' major commercial breakthrough came in 1998 with her fifth album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, a recording that presented a broad scope of songs that fused rock, blues, country, and Americana into a distinctive style that remained consistent and commercial in sound. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, which includes the singles "Right in Time" and the Grammy nominated "Can't Let Go," became Williams' greatest commercial success to date. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA the following year, and earned her a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album, while being universally acclaimed by critics. Williams' next album, Essence, appeared in 2001 to further critical acclaim and commercial success, becoming her first Top 40 album on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 28. Featuring a more downbeat musical tone, with spare, intimate arrangements, Essence earned Williams three Grammy nominations in 2002: Best Contemporary Folk Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the title track, and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the single "Get Right With God," the latter of which she won.
One of the most celebrated singer/songwriters of her generation, Williams has released a string of albums since that have earned her further critical acclaim and commercial success, including: World Without Tears (2003); West (2007); Little Honey (2008); Blessed (2011); Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone (2014); The Ghosts of Highway 20 (2016); Good Souls Better Angels (2020); and Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart (2023). Among her various accolades, Williams has won three Grammy Awards, from 17 nominations, and has received two Americana Awards (one competitive, one honorary) from 11 nominations. The artist ranked number 97 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll in 1999, and Williams was named "America's best songwriter" by Time magazine in 2002. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked her the 79th greatest songwriter of all time, while two years later, she received the Berklee College of Music Honorary Doctorate of Music Degree and ranked number 91 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time. In 2020, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road ranked No. 97, and the self-titled Lucinda Williams ranked No. 426, on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The singer/songwriter was also inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2021, the same year that "Passionate Kisses" made the lineup of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Lucinda Williams plays her Maquoketa headlining engagement on June 11, admission to the 8 p.m. concert event is $60, and more information and tickets are available by visiting CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.
