Lucinda Williams

Country of origin:

U.S.

Type of music generally:

Blues, country rock

Status:

Most recent album, It's Only Rock and Roll: A Tribute to The Rolling Stones (covers, 2020)

See also:

The Official Lucinda Williams page

Wikipedia's entry on Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams's Facebook page

An Essence review at The War Against Silence

Comparisons:

A grittier Bonnie Raitt. Also, after listening to these albums repeatedly for the last few months, I've come to realize that many of these songs could actually be Bruce Springsteen songs. (10/00, (neal)

Covers/own material:

Own material on recent albums, covers on very old albums.

General comments:

Blues country rock singer/songwriter with a lengthy career who has sparked ecto-interest. See album comments for more information.

Comments about live performance:

Lucinda was wearing black pants, thriftstore-like western shirt and white vinyl jacket, and a kitschy white cowboy hat. Her band, including Lauderdale on rhythm guitar, backing vocals and harmonica, was very tight.
     She ripped through an hour-or-so's worth of material. She was very warm, told funny stories between songs and explained what most of the songs were about. She was rather surprised at the large crowd on a Tuesday night (I'm guessing at least 400). She dawdled between songs and stories, though, so there was no real momentum during the concert.
     My only complaint was that she played the new album almost in its entirety. It's great material, but she only did two of her older songs. And no cool covers—which I expected from a revered artist who has always hung with folks in that respected country/folk singer-songwriter group (you know, Nanci Griffith, the late Townes Van Zandt, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Steve Earle, etc etc).
     Still, it was a terrific show. The final song of the main set was "Joy", which is my fave track from Car Wheels. She went all out with an extended jam with the band. (12/98, Plasterofstevie@aol.com)

I saw Lucinda Williams at the Shepherds Bush Empire, London, this evening and she was, in a word, astounding. I wasn't a huge fan up until a few hours ago and wasn't going to go until I found that she doesn't like flying and that it's the first time she's been in the UK for 10 years. I only have two of her albums, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and World Without Tears but will have to expand on that after tonight's performance. (5/7/03, garrick@area51.upsu.plym.ac.uk)

I hadn't heard anything by her since 2003's World Without Tears and boy was I in for a surprise. Gone is the countrified singer songwriter (for the most part anyway), replaced with a heavy duty rocker. It was mostly amplified guitars and your basic rock drum kit. Maybe it was just a case of preconceived expectations but I just couldn't get into it. I thought of Neil Young in his Crazy Horse days but the music just wasn't nearly as compelling. But then again not many songwriters are.
     The most surprising moment came during the encores. The first was a slow number requested by a couple who had met at the festival 3 years ago and then married there that morning. The second was a propulsive nicely percolating number which unlike most of her set, was not announced by name. The last was a cover of what she called one of the five greatest rock and roll songs ever written. I didn't know it. Turns out to be AC/DC's "it's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll." Boring and generic. I don't remember who on this list said that all songs with the words rock and roll in them suck but this is one of the many (not all) that do.
     I think that either Lucinda has drunk the rock and roll Kool Aid or sold out. If it was the latter, judging by the crowd response, it was a smart business move. (12/08, breinheimer@webtv.net)

Recommended first album:

Car Wheels On A Gravel Road seems to be the ecto-favourite

Recordings:

• Ramblin' (1979)
• Happy Woman Blues (1980)
• Passionate Kisses EP (1989)
• Lucinda Williams (1992)
• Sweet Old World (1992)
• Car Wheels On A Gravel Road (1998)
• Essence (2001)
• World Without Tears (2003)
• Live At The Fillmore (live, 2005)
• West (2007)
• Little Honey (2008)
• Blessed (2011)
• Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone (double CD, 2014)
• The Ghosts of Highway 20 (2016)
• This Sweet Old World (re-recordings of Sweet Old World, 2017)
• Vanished Gardens (with Charles Lloyd & The Marvels, 2018)
• Good Souls Better Angels (2020)
• Runnin' Down a Dream: A Tribute to Tom Petty (covers, 2020)
• Southern Soul: From Memphis to Muscle Shoals (2020)
• Bob's Back Pages: A Night of Bob Dylan Songs (covers, 2020)
• Funny How Time Slips Away: A Night of 60's Country Classics (covers, 2020)
• Have Yourself a Rockin' Little Christmas with Lucinda (seasonal, 2020)
• It's Only Rock and Roll: A Tribute to The Rolling Stones (covers, 2020)

Ramblin'

Release info:

1979—Smithsonian Folkways—CD SF 40042 (re-released in 1991)

Availability:

Relatively hard to find, but always available directly from Folkways

Ecto priority:

More for fans. (7/00, neal)

Group members:

Lucinda Williams—vocal, 12-string guitar

Guest artists:

John Grimaudo—6-string guitar

Produced by:

Tom Royals

Comments:

This is the roots of Lucinda's music. There is only one original song, with the rest of the album full of Robert Johnson covers (3), blues standards and traditional tunes. It doesn't have the desperate edge of stronger blues, but it makes for nice listening. Plus, you can hear more of Lucinda's guitar here than on most later albums, and it's definitely her voice doing the singing. While I prefer her later albums, I find this one to be fun to take out and listen to every once in a while. Recently, I've been doing that a lot, and it's starting to grow on me more. It's an album of quiet charms. (7/00, neal)

Happy Woman Blues

Release info:

1980—Smithsonian Folkways—SF 40003 (also re-released in 1991)

Availability:

Hard to find, but available from Folkways

Ecto priority:

Unknown

Comments:

This is supposed to be the album where she starts moving from traditional to modern songcraft. I've never heard it myself. (7/00, neal)

Lucinda Williams

Release info:

Recorded in 1988, released in 1992—Chameleon Records (distributed by Elektra)—61387-2

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended, especially for fans of Car Wheels, gritty folk, blues and Americana. (8/00, neal)

Group members:

Lucinda Williams—lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Gurf Morlix—vocals, electric 6- &12-string guitars, acoustic guitar, mandolin, dobro, pedal steel, lap steel, 6-string bass
Dr. John Ciambotti—Fender 3-string bass, stand-up bass, Kramer/Ferrington bass
Donald Lindley—drums

Guest artists:

Skip Edwards—keyboards
Juke Logan—harmonica
Doug Atwell—fiddle
Steve Mugalian—washboard
Chris Gaffney—accordion
Jim Lauderdale—back-up vocals
Pat Quinn—back-up vocals

Produced by:

Lucinda Williams, Gurf Morlix, Dusty Wakeman

Comments:

The entire blueprint for Car Wheels is evident on this album. It's amazing this album didn't garner the same kind of response, but I guess it's all a matter of timing. You can map the sensitive songs of love and longing ("I Just Want To See You So Bad," "Abandoned," "Passionate Kisses") straight into similar songs on Car Wheels. The rock abandon of Car Wheels' "Joy" is clearly evident in the bitter "Changed the Locks." There's also a cover of Chester Burnett's "I Asked For Water (He Gave Me Gasoline)" which harkens back to her rootsy origins. (8/00, neal)

Sweet Old World

Release info:

1992—Chameleon Records—61351-2 (Chameleon is distributed by Elektra)

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Recommended

Group members:

Lucinda Williams—lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Gurf Morlix—electric and acoustic guitar, pedal steel, dobro, mandolin, lap steel, beer bottle and background vocals
Duane Jarvis—electric guitar
Dr. John Ciambotti—electric and upright bass
Donald Lindley—drums and percussion

Guest artists:

Doug Atwell—fiddle
Byron Berline—fiddle and mandolin
Skip Edwards—Hammond B-3
Benmont Tench—Hammond B-3
William "Smitty" Smith—Hammond B-3
Gia Ciambotti—background vocals
Jim Lauderdale—background vocals
Dusty Wakeman—background vocals

Produced by:

Lucinda Williams, Gurf Morlix, Dusty Wakeman

Comments:

This was my introduction to Lucinda Williams, and I have a soft spot for it. It seems more in the rock side of folk/country rock. Probably the closest comparison that springs to mind is Scarecrow-era John Cougar Mellencamp. Everything that made Car Wheels so popular is evident on this album, just not as fully realized. You have rockers, you have ballads, and you've got Lucinda's great, world-weary voice. One day, it occurred to me that this could actually be a Bruce Springsteen album. (8/00, neal)

Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

Release info:

1998—Mercury—314 558 338-2

Availability:

Widely available

Ecto priority:

Very high for fans of hard folk and blues. (neal)

Guest artists:

Gurf Morlix
John Ciambotti
Donald Lindley
Buddy Miller
Ray Kennedy
Greg Leisz
Roy Bittan
Jim Lauderdale
Charlie Sexton
Steve Earle
Johnny Lee Schell
Bo Ramsey
Michael Smotherman
Richard "Hombre" Price
Emmylou Harris

Produced by:

Roy Bittan, Lucinda Williams

Comments:

This is definitely not your typical smarmy Nashville bullshit and hype—it's a gritty and rough-edged tour of the Deep South by a poetess who has been ignored for all of her lengthy career by the public and the critics. ...I honestly don't recall a CD since Fumbling Towards Ecstasy that has monopolized my stereo so totally—this from a guy who generally despises country music. Like I said, she's real. Far and away THE towering masterpiece of the year. (7/98, rkonrad@ibm.net)

I had hesitated to buy Lucinda's album because I had the idea that she was pretty much a country artist. But I finally decided to take a chance and was very pleasantly surprised that Car Wheels... is a good mix of country, folk, and rock. I even bought an extra copy to send to a friend who I thought would like it, and the album was a hit with my friend, too! (7/98, Riphug@aol.com)

I haven't had Lucinda's new CD off the player since it came out. I've been a big fan of hers for many years. For those who like the new CD, you might also check out her previous release Sweet Old World. Many of the songs on this release were written in response to her brother's death after a very troubled life. It is a truly powerful work. (7/98, valerie@smoe.org)

Car Wheels On a Gravel Road will probably go down as my favorite album of 1998. I know it'll be tops on a lot of other lists, but hey, it's an amazing piece of work. (12/98, Plasterofstevie@aol.com)

Given my notorious love of Syd Straw's music, no one will be all that surprised that Lu's latest album has taken up residence in my stereo of late. Like Straw, Williams has a rootsy musical worldview, but where Syd's ambitious songs fly through the air propelled by the influence of both Henry Cow and Patsy Cline, Lucinda's four-on-the-floor country rockers are happy to chug forward, hugging the road with their rhythmic melodies and writerly lyrics. (Did that even make sense? Egads!) Lucinda's latest album has been hotly anticipated and could well be saddled with the sticker Straw's solo debut carried nearly a decade ago (cf., "Years in the making"), and the extensive production and overdubs has had many wondering if Car Wheels on a Gravel Roadwould indeed be worth the wait. Lo and behold, this release has the makings of one of the best albums to come out this year. Each song is solid, well-written, well-recorded and well-executed, the pacing is spot on, and the production isn't as bad as something with this reputation could be. And while Williams doesn't have a technically amazing voice—it's a bit thin and nasally in parts—the passion she imbues within it cuts you in two. Her presence, man, she really brings you into the out-of-the-way places she sings about and makes you feel the sun against your back and the cool of the shade. A veritable Carson McCullers of rock. (tugboat@channel1.com)

despite the critical acclaim these albums just don't do much for me. I like Lucinda's self-titled album better—this one just seemed like she was trying to make a serious album—and to me lacks spontaneity and warmth. (jjhanson@att.net)

i've played Car Wheels well over 20 times. I like it. I love "Joy." WXPN amazingly picked it for number one this year. But number ONE???? Ani came in at number 7 and is so much more original both in lyrics and music. Almost every cut on Car Wheels reminded me of many other country female artists and country songs. The words are straight red neck trailer park white trash pathos. But I like to watch Jerry Springer occasionally, and I will occasionally put Lucinda back on too. (FAMarcus@aol.com)

I quite like Passionate Kisses (though I loathe the title song) for its three very intense acoustic blues; so I sampled Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, and can report that it's very good, and I don't like country at all. "Drunken Angel" is a dead-on "Neil Young song," down to the harmonica solo. (dgk@panix.com)

Essence

Release info:

2001—Lost Highway

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Recommended

Group members:

Lucinda Williams—vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, resonator guitar

Guest artists:

Ryan Adams—tremolo guitar
Tony Garnier—bass, acoustic bass
Jim Keltner—drums, percussion
Jim Lauderdale—harmony vocals, backing vocals
Gary Louris—backing vocals
David Mansfield—viola, violin
Bo Ramsey—electric guitar, slide guitar
Charlie Sexton—drums, fuzz bass, 12-string acoustic guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, rhythm guitar, tremolo guitar, guitar loops, hand drums, harmony vocals, percussion, piano, slide guitar, vocals, backing vocals
Joy Lynn White—harmony vocals, backing vocals
Reese Wynans—organ, Hammond organ

Produced by:

Bo Ramsey, Charlie Sexton, Tom Tucker, Lucinda Williams

Comments:

I just like everything she's ever done, and this one is no exception. (dlw@sympatico.ca)

World Without Tears

Release info:

2003—Lost Highway Records—088 170 355-2

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Lucinda Williams—vocals, acoustic and electric guitars

Guest artists:

Doug Pettibone—electric guitars, mandolin (10), harmonies
Taras Prodaniuk—bass, stand up bass (13), harmonies
Jim Christie—drums, Wurlitzer (11), Vox organ (3, 9)

Produced by:

Mark Howard & Lucinda Williams

Comments:

It seems, more than ever, Lucinda's made an album with a range of different styles—folk, country, rock, blues, and forays into spoken word—basically everything you'd expect from a Lucinda Williams album and more. More bite than Essence though not quite as cohesive as Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Live @ the Fillmore

Release info:

2005—Lost Highway Records—B0002368-02

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Lucinda Williams—vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Guest artists:

Doug Pettibone—guitar, lap steel guitar, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, harmonica, background vocals
Jim Christie—keyboards, drums, percussion
Taras Prodaniuk—bass guitar, background vocals

Produced by:

Lucinda Williams, Taras Prodaniuk

Comments:

I've never seen Lucinda Williams live, but this album really makes me hope I get the chance. It's a great selection of her catalog, all performed well. Some songs, especially the more rocking ones, are really outstanding. It amazes me how she can traverse such a range of styles (and change her voice to suit each one) so quickly. Highly recommended, probably essential, for fans. (JoAnn Whetsell)

West

Release info:

2007—Lost Highway Records—B0006938-02

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Lucinda Williams—lead vocals, acoustic guitar

Guest artists:

Rob Burger—piano, prepared piano, Hammond, vox & field organs, Wurlitzer electric piano, accordion
Doug Pettibone—acoustic, electric and baritone guitars
Bill Frisell—acoustic and electric guitar
Tony Garnier—electric bass and double bass
Jim Keltner—drums and percussion
Jenny Scheinman—violins
Rob Brophy—viola
Tim Loo—cello
Hal Wilner—turntable and samples
Gary Louris and Gia Ciambotti—background vocals

Produced by:

Hal Wilner and Lucinda Williams

Comments:

Country-folk, more laidback than her last 2 albums, but with a smoldering intensity, like the most ferocious purr you've ever heard. Definitely her best since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, though it's not much like that album in style. (JoAnn Whetsell)

I'm still getting through my first listen of the Lucinda Williams. After the straight-ahead cookie-cutter predictability of the production on the second track, I was worried, but the rest is making a much better impression. (timjy@sbcglobal.net)

Kind of a depressing album, but Lucinda really captures a mood—this album has been in constant play since I saw her last year, and is solid throughout. (jjhanson@att.net)

Little Honey

Release info:

2008—Lost Highway Records—B0011434-02

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Recommended

Group members:

Lucinda Williams—vocals, acoustic and electric guitar

Guest artists:

Butch Norton (Buick 6)—drums, maracas, congas, tambourine, orchestral cymbals, chang chang, finger cymbals, bowed cymbals, washing machine, big ass drum, street gas hole cover, plastic sheet and drumhead stomp scrunch, bull rora and objects, Gon Kogi bell, rainstick
David Sutton (Buick 6)—electric bass, cello, guitaron, double bass
Chet Lyster (Buick 6)—electric guitars, saw and acoustic guitar, table steel
Doug Pettibone (Buick 6)—electric 6- and 12-string guitars, electric guitars, electric slide guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar, acoustic guitar, dobro, backing vocals
Rob Burger—Wurlitzer, Hammond organ, pump organ, piano, vibraphone, mellotron, accordion, Fender Rhodes
Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs—backing vocals (1, 4, 11)
Susan Marshall, Gia Ciambotti, Kristin Mooney—backing vocals (3, 8, 13)
Charlie Louvin—backing vocals (6)
Jim Lauderdale—backing vocals (6, 8)
Elvis Costello—vocals (8)
Tim Easton—backing vocals (13)
Bruce Fowler—trombone, horn arrangements (9, 11)
Walt Fowler—flugelhorn, trumpet
Albert Wing—tenor saxophone
Eric Liljestrand—horn arrangement (11)

Produced by:

Eric Liljestrand and Tom Overby

Comments:

I was originally rather disappointed by this album, but it's growing on me. The opening track "Real Love" was an instant hook from the first listen, and it's still my favorite track. I've figured out that I like the slower songs far more than the blues rock tracks. Interesting because that's not been the case with previous albums; I've always loved her gritty side as well as her softer side. But for some reason Little Honey's rock songs kind of grate on me. There's enough good material on here for me to recommend it to fans, but I don't think it's a good introduction to (or representation of) her work. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Blessed

Release info:

2011—Lost Highway—B0015189

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Lucinda Williams—vocals and acoustic guitar

Guest artists:

Butch Norton—drums and percussion
David Sutton—electric and upright bass
Val McCallum—electric, slide and national steel guitar
Greg Leisz—electric, 12-string and pedal steel guitar
Rami Jaffee—Hammond organ, piano, accordion and Casiotone
Elvis Costello—electric guitar (1, 6, 10)
Eric Liljestrand—nail file guitar (12)
Nathan Barr—cello (12)
DJ Bonebrake—vibes (12)
Matthew Sweet—backing vocals (1, 3, 6)

Produced by:

Don Was, Eric Liljestrand and Thomas Overby; "Kiss Like Your Kiss" produced by Eric Liljestrand and Thomas Overby

Comments:

LOVE this album, which is not only far better than her last effort bu up there with her best work since Car Wheels On A Gravel Road. It's got a good mix of styles and mood. Highlights are hard to pick out because the overall quality is so high and the songs work together so well as an album, but I'd pick out "Seeing Black," "Awakening," and title track "Blessed" for special mention.
     The deluxe edition with "Kitchen Tapes" recordings of the entire album is worth getting if you like stripped down, acoustic stuff. The versions are mostly lovely if not revelatory, but occasionally haunting and achingly beautiful. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone

Release info:

2014—Highway 20 Records—7 48252 25483

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Lucinda Williams—vocals, acoustic guitar

Guest artists:

Greg Leisvs—drums, percussion
Davey Faragher—bass
Gia Ciambotti—background vocals
Greg Leisz—acoustic and electric guitars, electric 6- and 12-string guitars, lap steel, pedal steel, background vocals
Jonathan Wilson—electric guitar
Pete Thomas—drums, percussion
Patrick Warren—chamberlin, organ, piano, pump organ, autoharp, keyboards
Stuart Mathis—electric guitar
Ian "Mac" McLagan—Wurlitzer, piano, organ
Tony Joe White—electric guitars, harmonica
Sebastian Steinberg—bass
Doug Pettibone—electric guitar, background vocals
Val McCallum—electric guitar
Bob Glaub—bass
Bill Frisell—electric guitar
Butch Norton—drums
David Sutton—bass
Jakob Dylan—harmony vocals
David Ralicke—saxophone, euphonium
Jordan Katz—trumpet

Produced by:

Tom Overby, Greg Leisz, Lucinda Williams

Comments:

I haven't listened to too much of this as these songs all kinda sound like the same folk lament song but the voice is amazing. Rating: 52/100. Best tracks: "When I Look at the World," "Wrong Number," "West Memphis." (raschee@gmail.com)

It took me a while to get into this album, I think because with 2 discs (which could really each be full-length albums) there was a lot of material to digest. But once I took the discs one at a time and got to know them, I found a lot to like. The first disc is more hard-edged and rocking, more raw; the second is a bit slower and more down-tempo. I probably listen to the first disc more, but they're both good. Standout songs include "West Memphis" and "Stowaway in Your Heart," but there are quite a few others I could name. "Burning Bridges" and the cover of J. J. Cale's "Magnolia" come to mind. I really think it's an excellent album. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Further info:

Lucinda Williams released the DVD Live from Austin, TX in 2005. She also appears on the DVD Return to Sin City—A Tribute to Gram Parsons (2005). The EP iTunes Live: SXSW was released in 2011.

BOOKS

Lucinda Williams wrote the foreword to Bill Rouda's book of photographs Nashville's Lower Broad: The Street That Music Made (2004).

She is featured in the following books:

• Life Stories: Profiles from The New Yorker (2001)
• Shout, Sister, Shout!: Ten Girl Singers Who Shaped a Century by Roxane Orgill (2001)
• She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll by Gillian G. Gaar (2002)
• In Other Words: Artists Talk About Life and Work by Anthony DeCurtis (2005)
• The Best of No Depression: Writing About American Music (2005)
• The Oxford American Book of Great Music Writing (2008); and
• Heroes and Villains: Essays on Music, Movies, Comics, and Culture by David Hadju (2009)

COMPILATIONS

Lucinda Williams has contributed to numerous compilations including:

• "Main Roads"* on Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams (1993)
• "You Don't Have Very Far to Go"* on Tulare Dust: A Songwriter's Tribute to Merle Haggard (1994)
• "Lafayette" on Smithsonian Folkways American Roots Collection (1996)
• "Can't Let Go" on the Jack Frost soundtrack (1998)
• "Still I Long for Your Kiss" on The Horse Whisperer: Songs From and Inspired By the Motion Picture (1998)
• "One Night Stand" on the Tumbleweeds soundtrack (1999)
• "Passionate Kisses" on R*E*S*P*E*C*T: A Century of Women in Music (1999)
• "Lafayette" on The Best of Broadside: 1962-1988 (2000)
• "Nothin'"* on Poet: A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt (2001)
• "Cold, Cold Heart" on the Hank Williams tribute album Timeless (2001)
• "Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor" on Classic Blues, Vol. 2, a Smithsonian Folkways collection (2003)
• "Buick Blues" and "Righteously" on Lost & Found, Vol. 1 (2003)
• "Right in Time" on The L Word: Music from the Showtime Original Series soundtrack (2004)
• "Like a Rose" on the Transamerica soundtrack (2006)
• live versions of "I Lost It"* and "Jackson"* on The Bridge School Collection, Vol. 2 (2006)
• "Honey Chile"* on Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (2007)
• "Are You Alright" on the House M.D. soundtrack (2007)
• "Bonnie Portmore"* on Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys (2008)
• "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys"* on The Imus Ranch Record (2008)
• "Lake Charles" on the True Blood, Music from the HBO Original Series soundtrack (2009)
• "Positively 4th Street"* on The Village: A Celebration of the Music of Greenwich Village (2009)
• "Joy" on the Crazy Heart soundtrack (2010)
• "Kiss Like Your Kiss" on the True Blood, Music from the HBO Original Series, Volume 2 soundtrack (2010)
• "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan"* on Twistable, Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein (2010)
• "Somebody Somewhere (Don't Know What He's Missing Tonight)"* on Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn (2010)
• "I'm So Happy I Found You"* on The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams (2011)

*Track not available elsewhere.

COLLABORATIONS

Collaborations include:

• "Reunion" with Jimmie Dale Gilmore on his album Spinning Around the Sun (1993)
• A Cut So Deep" with John Brannen on his album Twilight Tattoo (1998)
• "Precious Memories" and "Credo" with Hayseed on his album Melic (1998)
• "Love Hurts" with Little Milton on his album Welcome to Little Milton (1999)
• "Wedding Bells/Let's Turn Back the Years" with John Prine on his album In Spite of Ourselves (1999)
• "GayleAnne" with Terri Binion on her album Fool (2002)
• "Don't Tell Me" with Colin Linden on his album Big Mouth (2003)
• "Down to the Well" with Kevin Gordon on the compilation No Depression: What It Sounds Like, Vol. 1 (2004)
• "There's a Story in Your Voice" with Elvis Costello & The Impostors on their album The Delivery Man (2004)
• "Closing in On the Fire" with Tony Joe White on his album The Heroines (2004)
• "Overtime" with Willie Nelson on his albums It Always Will Be (2004) and Lost Highway (2009) and on his live album Outlaws & Angels (2009)
• "Going Back Home" with Taj Mahal on the compilation Every Woman's Blues (2006)
• "Oh Lonesome Me" with M. Ward on his album Hold Time (2009)
• "Galveston" with Jimmy Webb on his album Just Across the River (2010)
• "Long Way From Home" with Ray Davies and The 88 on Ray Davies' album See My Friends (2010)
• "Clear Blue Eyes" with Amos Lee on his album Mission Bell (2011)
• "If I Can't Have You" with Blackie & the Rodeo Kings on their album Kings and Queens (2011)
• "When I Get Like This" with Steve Cropper on his album Dedicated: A Salute to The 5 Royales (2011)
• "Dedicated to the One I Love" with Steve Cropper and Steve Winwood on Steve Cropper's album Dedicated: A Salute to The 5 Royales (2011)
• "Return of the Grievous Angel" with David Crosby on the album Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons (2011)
• "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" with Tom Russell on his album Mesabi (2011)

COVERS OF HER WORK

• Mary Chapin Carpenter's cover of "Passionate Kisses" appears on her albums Come On Come On (1992) and The Essential Mary Chapin Carpenter (2003). The song was also recorded by Jim Thompson on his album Cosmic Cabin Memories (2005) and by Hargreaves on the album Sooner But Not Later (2009).
• Bob Evans covered "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" for the compilation No Man's Woman (2007).
• "Essence" has been covered by Helen Schneider on her album Like a Woman (2007) and by Alice Ripley on her album Daily Practice, Vol. 1 (2011).

SONGS NAMED AFTER HER

• The Robert Bobby Quartet's album Mister Joe (2004) includes a song titled "Lucinda Williams." The song also appears on Robert Bobby's albums F*U*B*A*R (2001) and Meet Robert Bobby (2008).
• Songs titled "Lucinda Williams" also appear on Vic Chesnutt's album West of Rome (1991); The Wayfarers' album Sorrow and Snakes (2008); and Buffalo Nickel's album Up on Blocks (2002).

Thanks to neal and JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.