Malcolm Holcombe, Who Carried You, Rolling Stone Mag. ******

Malcolm Holcombe is one of the true musical talents and wonders of the world. He has the type of musical genius that I classify as verging on the edge of savant (and I mean this as the highest compliment). Malcolm is a singer/songwriter, recording artist who hails from the mountains of North Carolina near Asheville. He's received great reviews by Rolling Stone Magazine.

This cut, Who Carried You, was released on Malcolm's CD - A Hundred Lies in the mid-90's.

I first met Malcolm and his good friend Ray Sisk in passing, at The Grubstake Saloon, (now Woodlands) in Blowing Rock, NC in the late 1970's. He and Ray came to play music there. However, I didn't get to know Malcolm and Ray back then.

Years later I arrived in Nashville to fire up a music publishing company on Music Row. Malcolm was working as the cook at the great songwriting venue, Douglas Corner Cafe, near Music Row. Malcolm's longstanding friend, Ray Sisk was also affiliated with Douglas Corner. Ray hosted the Tuesday 'open mic nights', for songwriters clammoring to 'get heard' by important music business people and to connect with fellow songwriters.

A few nights a week I'd head out to Douglas Corner to listen to the songwriter's and I'd usually order a hamburger from Malcolm. He cooked one mean, North Carolina-style ... chili, slaw, onion, mustard and ketchup hamburger and it makes me hungry just to think about Malcolm's fine cooking. However, Malcolm didn't play at Douglas Corner anytime I was there, so I had no idea that he was in town working towards a music career.

Malcolm and I made a little 'small talk' as I'd order and eat my hamburger, but we talked mostly about the mutual love of our lives in the North Carolina mountains. Ray Sisk and I talked a whole lot, Ray is a big talker and so am I, and I knew Ray was in town for business and that business was songwriting.

Malcolm was a man of few words when it came to chatting with me. I don't know what I thought Malcolm was doing in Nashville, except perhaps he was there to hang with his good friend Ray, while Ray worked on his songwriting.

One night I went out to The Bluebird Cafe to listen to the songwriters. Tony Arata was scheduled, (writer of Garth Brooks, The Dance), and I hadn't heard Tony play The Bluebird, so I wanted to 'make it' that night. The Bluebird does an 'in the round' songwriter performance and usually there are 3, sometimes 4 songwriters who play. It was crowded as usual and I took a seat at the bar and noticed Malcolm was in the audience, (at least I thought he was in the audience).

To my surprise, Malcolm took a seat 'in the round' with guitar in hand, with the other songwriters, who were themselves major hit writers in Nashville.

I got one of the biggest shocks of my life when I finally heard and SAW Malcolm sing and play that night. He was incredible, the best artist I'd seen in Nashville, hands down, the very best talent I'd run across, bar none, during my time in Nashville.

Many of his songs were petite novels and he growled out his lyrics with a striking and strong, melodic guitar, finger picking the daylight out of that guitar and using his picking hand as percussion, hitting his guitar with his hand as he played, while at the same time stomping his feet, becoming a seemless package of drummer, bass, singer, guitarist extraordinaire. Even though he was in a room with an audience, when Malcolm played, he was alone in his head, totally lost in 'his world' with his wonderful songs, voice and music making.

I'm not going to compare him to anyone - there is NO ONE like Malcolm Holcombe. He is country, blues, bluegrass, rock-and-roll, jazz, folk, Americana ... his songwriting is whatever he wants it to be ... I consider Malcolm to be a genre all to himself. Coming from the Appalachian Mountains, he was strongly influenced by the bluegrass and other music he was exposed to as a child, I'm sure ... but Malcolm is so much more, it defies my ability at descriptions and that is rare.

I saw Malcolm perform recently. The friend who went with me cried tears of joy, when hearing Malcolm play. The performance was described by my friend as "spiritually moving and soul stirring".

If you ever have a chance to see Malcolm LIVE, you need to beg, borrow or steal, whatever it takes to see him in person. I say it'd be worth a couple of nights in jail, just to be able to experience Malcolm Holcolmbe - LIVE.

Please go to his website and follow him on the live radio he does and catch him on tour in the states & in Europe. Buy his CD's.

He's just released a new CD and he's on a new label Echo Mountains Records. The release is 'Gamblin House', produced and engineered by Ray Kennedy, and it does not disappoint Holcombe fans.

www.malcolmholcombe.com

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• greenteawoman

[greanteawoman]

Viewers - Please check out TennesseeShines video of Malcolm doing his song - Sittin Sad - recordeed live, backstage in their studio. Now, THAT is the real deal when it comes to seeing a live performance of Malcolm's. I think this is currently the best live clip of Malcolm up on YouTube. Great job TennesseeShines.

[heymama1]

I've seen him live. And hung out with him. He's like nobody else.

[greanteawoman]

@heymama1 I've been meaning to thank you for your comments, Hey Mama! (Couldn't resist calling your YT name, love it!). Yes, I totally agree with you about Malcolm standing out of the crowd. When I had my music publishing company in Nashville, I caught as much live entertainment as I could. You know by living there that I saw a lot of GREAT artists and songwriters. A lot of them blew me away, but none could touch the emotion I felt when I finally caught Malcolm at the Bluebird. NONE compared.

[cinderellalifestyle]

now I'm hungry too, your side bar big as that burger notes are as wonderful as the listening, ....:-) big smile:-)

[greanteawoman]

Now you've got me hungry too ... 're-reading' what I wrote about Malcolm's fine cooking, Laurie :-P What a hamburger Malcolm could cook! Of course, he's been able to answer 'his true musical calling' rather than cook and that causes me great happiness!

[cinderellalifestyle]

I only recently "found" this artist myself...he is amazing, and I immediately enbraced him, his sound, heart, songwriting is the kind most writers only hope to achieve, and nail! LOL,....really amazing--this one brings tears, immediate tears! LOL. Laurie

[greanteawoman]

Take a look at phillbe's channel and his capture of Malcolm doing A Far Cry From Here live ... THAT one makes me cry too ... wonderful song!

[heymama1]

After my mom died last January, I turned to this song. I knew it, and it was already special to me (before she died). But a few weeks after she died, I listened to it after a bottle or two of wine. I cried my eyes out. It was a release. Of course, God is who got me through my mother dying, but this song was part of releasing some earthly tears. If any of you have a momma, listen closely to the words of this song. No matter your relationship with your mom, the words of these songs will ring true.

[morgan28269]

that's my uncle .

[seymourbbest]

I've seen Malcolm play 3 times at Hippie jack's and each show was amazing. I'm listening to him on youtube and slacker radio and looking forward to someday seeing him again at Jacks.

[heymama1]

I live in Nashville and I've seen everyone from the likes of Guy Clark and John Prine to Bob Dylan, Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt. I've seen Malcom live as well. He seems to have dropped in from another world. He is one of the most amazing singer/songwriters I have ever seen.