Country singer from the USA Lyle Lovett released his first album back in the eighties. By this time, he has already recorded 11 studio albums and won four Grammy awards. In addition, he is known to the general public as the first husband of the popular actress Julia Roberts.
Early biography and musical career
Lyle Lovett was born in 1957 in a small place called Klein, located in Texas (USA). Interestingly, it is named after Lyle's great-great-grandfather - German immigrant Adam Klein.
The future singer received his higher education at the Texas A&M University. He graduated in 1980 with a BA in German and Journalism.
In the early 1980s Lovett often played his acoustic sets in small bars. And already in 1986 he signed a contract with MCA Records and released his debut album, which was called Lyle Lovett. One of the songs from him - "Cowboy Man" - took tenth place in the U. S. charts. Billboard Hot Country Songs in 1986. And three years later, in 1989, this song was included in the soundtrack to Steven Spielberg's film Always.
In 1988 Lovett's second studio album, Pontiac, was released. It included 11 tracks. Among them was the composition "If I Had a Boat". It is notable for the fact that in 2005 (that is, 17 years after its release) it was used in the political thriller "The Interpreter" with Nicole Kidman in the title role. Not only that, in 2014 she was covered by singer and model Karen Elson for the movie Still Alice (she sounds there during the end credits).
In 1989, Lyle's third album, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, went on sale. In addition, in the same 1989, he received his first Grammy Award - as the best country music performer.
In 1992, Lovett's fourth album, Joshua Judges Ruth, was released, and in 1994, the fifth, I Love Everybody.
However, 1994 was notable for Lyle also by the fact that this year he was given two Grammy awards at once - in the nominations "Best Pop Vocal" (for the song "Funny How Time Slips Away") and "Best Country Duo (for the song "Blues For Dixie", recorded with the Texas band "Asleep at the Wheel").
In 1995 Lovett sang the song "You've Got a Friend in Me" with Randy Newman for the famous cartoon "Toy Story".
In 1996, Lovett's new studio album, The Road to Ensenada, was released. He had significant success in the States and brought the country singer his fourth Grammy.
In 1997, Lovett sang and recorded the folk song "I'm a Soldier in the Army of the Lord" for the film "The Apostle".
In 1998 he released his next audio album, Step Inside This House.
In 1999, the cartoon "Stuart Little" was released, where Lovett sang the song "Walking Tall".
In 2002, the country singer tried himself as a film composer - he wrote the music for the melodrama Doctor T and His Women.
Over the next eight years, Lovett released three more albums - "My Baby Don't Tolerate" (2003), "It’s Not Big It’s Large" (2007), "Natural Forces" (2009). And Lovett's last studio album to date was presented to the public in 2012 - it was called "Release Me".
Lovett's music is certainly associated primarily with country style, but his compositions often contain elements of other genres (folk, blues, jazz, gospel, swing, etc.).
Lyle Lovett as an actor
In 1983, Lovett starred in a tiny role in the drama Bill: By Himself. And nine years later, in 1992, he took part in the black comedy directed by Robert Altman "The Gambler". After that Lovett, by the way, played in several more films of this director - "Short Stories", "High Fashion", "Bastard from Carolina", "Wheel of Fortune".
In addition, in 1998, Terry Gilliam's cult film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was released, where Lovett also briefly appears in the frame.
In the 2000s, he also had cameo roles, such as in the films Tough Guy (2002), Ups and Downs: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) and Open Road Back (2009).
And in 2010, he played the role of Balthazar in a Los Angeles theatrical production based on Shakespeare's classic comedy Much Ado About Nothing.
Also in 2010, he appeared in one of the episodes of the detective series "Castle". And this is not his last appearance on television - in 2013 he played the lawyer Monte Flagman in 10 episodes of the television series "The Bridge", and in 2017 he appeared in the TV series "Life in Details" (more specifically, he can be seen in the series " Facebook Fish Planner Backstage ").
Other achievements
In May 2010, the University of Houston honored Lovett with an honorary doctorate in humanities. And in 2015, he received the Outstanding Graduate Award from Texas A&M University Management.
It is also known that Lovett was a great horse riding fan for many years. He competes in the Quarter Horse bridle competition (this breed was once very popular with cowboys). In 2018, Lovett was honored for his achievements in this field by the American National Riding Association (NHRA).
Personal life
In 1992, on the set of the already mentioned film The Gambler, Lovett met Julia Roberts, who had a small cameo in this film. At some point, a romance broke out between the singer and the actress, and as a result, in June 1993, they officially became husband and wife.
This marriage lasted less than two years. They divorced in March 1995. At the same time, the media reported that the reason for the divorce was "career requirements." Be that as it may, after the divorce between Lyle and Julia, friendly relations remained.
In 1997, Lovett had a new passion - the music producer April Kimble. However, he married her only 20 years later - in February 2017. At the moment, Lyle and April are still married.
