"Our Town by Iris Dement"
Thanks to YouTube ID buppie2000 for posting this video.
Iris DeMent is a uniquely acquired taste.
"Our Town" was played full-length during the closing scene and credits for the last episode (July 26, 1995) of one of my favorite TV shows of all time, the CBS series "Northern Exposure."
I promptly went out and bought the cassette tape (yes I said Cassette Tape) of "Infamous Angel".
It took a few play throughs but I acquired a great taste for the timbre and quality of her piercing rural and lyrical voice, the kind of voice, which one would associate with a bygone era, perhaps 50-60 years ago. Perhaps in a Pentecostal church, much like the one she was born and raised up into.
Another great reason to love her, are her numerous appearances through the years on the "Prairie Home Companion", Garrison Keillors' incomparable radio show.
I also give her bonus points for being married to Iowa native and fellow musician, Greg Brown. According, to my Wiki, I mean my brain, they live in Iowa City, Iowa.
I spent 4 months in Iowa City one day. It was a great place to visit, but not such a good place to go to school for poor little me in 1966. Where oh where was Wikipedia then?
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