Mark Heard’s Brilliant Americana Returns – Opinion

In his song “Stuck In The Middle,” the late Americana artist Mark Heard wryly lamented, “I’m too sacred for the sinners / And the saints wish I would leave.” The latter might have been true in certain curmudgeonly circles, but for those who had ears to hear, the absence of Heard’s superb songwriting and keen lyrical insight–since his premature passing in 1992 at age 40–is keenly felt.

Thirty years on, Heard’s work is being revived.

Heard first came to public attention in the mid-1970s as a James Taylor-esque folkie, traces of which evidenced themselves on his first widely available album, 1979’s Appalachian Melody

Heard began to expand his musical wings from this point, adding an electric, stripped-down blues vibe to the three subsequent albums.

Heard was not one to lose his strengths. Heard made many acoustic recordings during that period. These albums featured beautiful songs and rich lyrical and musical content.

Heard produced an electronic experiment album titled “iDEoLA” in 1987 under the alias iDEoLA. Tribal Opera. It wasn’t his best idea. Heard made amends in 1990. Dry Bones DanceAn album full of classic Americana, titled.

1991 Second handFollowing in 1992 was Satellite Sky. Heard was a gifted singer and songwriter who had achieved his greatest potential. His stroke death in that year caused him to lose his warm and intelligent voice.

Dry Bones DanceRecently, the album was remastered and reissued on CD and vinyl. There are copies remaining from the Kickstarter campaign which paid for it. An appeal for Second handAnd Satellite SkyThis release is scheduled for the summer with other releases expected to follow.

For those wishing to hear more examples of Mark Heard’s genius, the most recent episode of the Cephas Hour podcast contains more than an hour of Heard’s music drawn from across his regrettably brief but utterly fruitful career. You can listen on demand at the show’s website.

If you love America’s music, listen to Mark Heard. It will be a great experience.