Pedro Alejandro Escovedo (born January 10, 1951) is an American

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

ian, songwriter, and singer, who has been recording and touring since the late 1970s. His primary instrument is the guitar. He has played in various rock genres, including

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

roots rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in contemporary folk music, folk, blues, and country music. First emerging in the late 1960s, it is seen as a response to the perceived excesses of the then dominant psychedel ...

and

alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

, and is most closely associated with the music scene in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

but also San Francisco and New York. He comes from a family of musicians.

Biography

Early life

The son of a Mexican immigrant to Texas father and a Texas born mother, Escovedo is from a family that includes several professional musicians, including his brothers (and percussionists)

Coke Escovedo Joseph Thomas "Coke" Escovedo (April 30, 1941 – July 13, 1986) was an American percussionist, who came from a prominent musical family including five musician brothers and his niece, Sheila E. He played in various genres, including R&B, jaz ...

and Pete Escovedo, and Sheila E. (Pete's daughter and Alejandro's niece). Alejandro's brother Mario fronted the

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

band the

Dragons A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depict ...

, and another brother, Javier Escovedo, was in the

band the Zeros.

Career

Escovedo began performing in the first-wave

group the

Nuns A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of Evangelical counsels, poverty, chastity, and obedience in the Enclosed religious orders, enclosure of a monastery or convent.' ...

, with Jennifer Miro and Jeff Olener, in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He moved to New York in 1978 and joined the

Judy Nylon Judy Nylon (born Judith Anne Niland in 1948) is a multidisciplinary United States, American artist who moved to London in 1970. She was half of the Punk rock, punk rock music group Snatch, which also featured fellow American expat Patti Palladin. ...

band. Escovedo lived in the

Chelsea Hotel The Hotel Chelsea (also known as the Chelsea Hotel and the Chelsea) is a hotel at 222 West 23rd Street (Manhattan), 23rd Street in the Chelsea, Manhattan, Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Built between 1883 and 1884, the hot ...

. In the 1980s Escovedo moved to

, where he adopted a

style in the band

Rank and File Rank and file may refer to: *A military term relating to the horizontal " ranks" (rows) and vertical " files" (columns) of individual foot-soldiers, exclusive of the officers *A term derived from the above used to refer to enlisted troops, as oppo ...

(with Chip and Tony Kinman) and then started True Believers (with his brother Javier, Jon Dee Graham and the bass player Denny DeGorio). Escovedo's first solo albums, ''

Gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...

'' and '' Thirteen Years'', were released in 1992 and 1994, respectively. In 1997, Escovedo collaborated with

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American Rock music, rock and Country music, country singer-songwriter. He has released 30 studio albums and three as a former member of Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams left Whiskeytown and released ...

and the band Whiskeytown in recording sessions for their album '' Strangers Almanac''. He sings on "Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight", "Dancing with the Women at the Bar", and "Not Home Anymore". Whiskeytown also covered the True Believers song, "The Rain Won't Help You When It's Over," written by Escovedo, on the re-released '' Strangers Almanac (deluxe edition)''. In 1998 '' No Depression'' magazine named him Artist of the Decade. Escovedo was also involved in a side project with Buick MacKane, who released the album ''The Pawn Shop Years'' in 1997. In 1999, Escovedo contributed to a

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

to Skip Spence, a co-founder of

Moby Grape Moby Grape is an American rock band founded in 1966. Part of San Francisco's psychedelic music scene, the band merged elements of rock and roll, folk music, pop, blues, and country. They were one of the few groups of which all members were lea ...

. The album, '' More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album'' (

Birdman Records Birdman Records is an independent record label based in South San Francisco, California, that was founded in 2000 by David Katznelson, former A&R vice president of Warner Bros. Records. History Birdman Records is the flagship label of the Bird ...

, 1999), was intended to raise funds to address Spence's medical bills from cancer. On ''More Oar'', Escovedo performed a rendition Spence's "Diana". The critic Rob Brunner commented, "The best contributions come from artists who realize that Spence's work is as much about atmosphere as words and chords. ...Alejandro Escovedo offers an appropriately bleary 'Diana', Spence's darkest song." The album ''Boxing Mirror'' came out on May 2, 2006, and included many of the songs he had promoted with the Alejandro Escovedo String Quintet. Escovedo went on a short tour with the Quintet, which included a date at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

's Zankel Hall in early December 2006. In April 2008, Escovedo changed managers, hiring managers

Jon Landau Jon Landau (born May 14, 1947) is an American music critic, manager, and record producer. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen. He is the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and received that institution's Ahme ...

and Barbara Carr. Later that year, he released '' Real Animal'', produced by

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

and co-written with Chuck Prophet. In 2009, Escovedo was invited to contribute to a tribute album to the late

Doug Sahm Douglas Wayne Sahm (November 6, 1941 – November 18, 1999) was an American musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from San Antonio, Texas. He is regarded as a key Tejano music, Tex-Mex music and Music of Texas, Texan Music pe ...

, recording a version of "Too Little Too Late" to '' Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm'' (

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the so ...

). In June 2010, Escovedo released ''Street Songs of Love'', also produced by Visconti but released on a new label, featuring songs that were originally presented during "Sessions on South Congress" at the Continental Club in Austin, Texas with his band, The Sensitive Boys. According to Escovedo, the record “ended up being an album about different types of love, the pursuit of a feeling that is forever elusive, mysterious, and addictive.” A ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' "critic's choice" review of ''Street Songs of Love'' stated, "In another, less fragmented pop era, this would be the album of thoughtful but radio-ready love songs to finally get Mr. Escovedo the big national audience he deserves." The album received airtime on radio shows such as Little Steven Van Zandt's ''

Underground Garage ''Underground Garage'' is the name of two different related radio outlets that present rock 'n' roll and garage rock on radio: a syndicated show and a satellite radio station. Steven Van Zandt, best known as a guitarist in Bruce Springsteen & ...

'', continuing to play the song "Silver Cloud" into the following year. In 2014, Escovedo appeared in the movie and contributed to the soundtrack of the movie ''

Veronica Mars ''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen neo-noir Mystery fiction, mystery Drama (film and television), drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas (writer), Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional city, fictional town of Ne ...

'', singing an acoustic version of "

We Used to Be Friends "We Used to Be Friends" is a song by American alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols. It was released as the lead single from their fourth studio album ''Welcome to the Monkey House'' in 2003. The single did not chart in the US but peaked at nu ...

". Also that year, he co-produced and co-hosted the

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

Tribute to

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

with Richard Barone. In October 2016, Escovedo released the album ''Burn Something Beautiful'', which had been recorded in April of that year in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. In January 2017, he did a short tour supporting the album, backed by some of the members of The Minus Five

Scott McCaughey Scott Lewis McCaughey is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter and the leader of the Seattle and Portland-based bands The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus 5. He was also an auxiliary member of the American rock band R.E.M. from 199 ...

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.; he played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...

Kurt Bloch Kurt Bloch (born August 28, 1960) is an American songwriter, guitarist, engineer and record producer. Music career Bloch is best known as songwriter and lead guitarist of Fastbacks, and is a member of The Young Fresh Fellows. Record Production ...

and John Moen, all of whom had performed on the album. All songs on ''Burn Something Beautiful'' were written by Escovedo, McCaughey, and Buck. In 2015 Escovedo is cured of Hepatitis C. In 2017 Escovedo recorded "The Crossing" in Villafranca,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

at Cosabeat, he co-wrote with Don Antonio band. The band Don Antonio and Escovedo toured the US and Europe extensively.

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

magazine wrote a feature article on Escovedo published October 2018 by Nick Paumgarten. Escovedo received the Townes Van Zandt Songwriting Award at the 37th annual Austin Music Awards in 2019. Also in 2019 Escovedo recorded "La Cruzada". Translating his 2018 "The Crossing" into Spanish lyrics sung by Alex Ruiz. Escovedo received the Independent Icon Award at the 2020 A2IM Libera Awards. Escovedo was honored to be inducted into the

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American Concert, live music Television show, television program recorded and produced by KLRU, Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", an ...

Hall of Fame in 2021. In 2023 Escovedo was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame. Escovedo is in the works of his memoir, a screenplay and more music to follow.

Personal life

In 2003, after having lived with

Hepatitis C Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection period, people often have mild or no symptoms. Early symptoms can include ...

for many years, Escovedo collapsed onstage in Arizona as a result of the disease. Escovedo lacked health insurance and several musicians performed benefit concerts to assist with his medical bills. They also released the album ''Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo.'' The proceeds of the two-disc set went to the Alejandro Escovedo Medical and Living Expense Fund. Contributing musicians included

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayl Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums, ''Ramblin' on My Mind (Lucinda Williams album), Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and ''Happy Woman Blues'' (198 ...

, Ian Hunter,

Jennifer Warnes Jennifer Jean Warnes (born March 3, 1947) is an American singer and songwriter who has performed as a vocalist on a number of film soundtracks. She has won two Grammy Awards, in 1983 for the Joe Cocker duet " Up Where We Belong", and in 1987 fo ...

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American country, rock, and folk singer-songwriter. He began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Earle's breakthrough album was his 1986 debut album '' ...

, the Jayhawks, Bob Neuwirth, Son Volt, and Escovedo's brother Pete Escovedo with Pete's daughter, Sheila E., Javier, and Mario (as a member of the

). In 2005, media reports on George W. Bush's

iPod The iPod is a series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices that were designed and marketed by Apple Inc. from 2001 to 2022. The iPod Classic#1st generation, first version was released on November 10, 2001, about mon ...

playlist included Escovedo's song "Castanets" In response, Escovedo announced that he would not play the song again as long it was on Bush's iPod or until he was out of office. After two years, as Bush was nearing the end of his term, Escovedo lifted the moratorium and began performing the song again. Escovedo was cured of Hepatitis C in 2015.

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (1992) * '' Thirteen Years'' (1993) * ''The End/Losing Your Touch'' (Maxi, 1994) * '' With These Hands'' (1996) * ''More Miles Than Money: Live 1994-1996'' (1998) * ''

Bourbonitis Blues ''Bourbonitis Blues'' is an album by the musician Alejandro Escovedo, released in 1999 on Bloodshot Records. Production The tracks were recorded in Austin and in North Carolina, with a few live recordings from a Chicago show. Critical reception ...

'' (1999) * '' A Man Under the Influence'' (2001) * '' By the Hand of the Father'' (2002) * ''Room of Songs: Recorded live at the Cactus Cafe in Austin, TX on February 28 and March 1, 2005'' (2005) * '' The Boxing Mirror'' (2006) * '' Real Animal'' (2008) * ''Live Animal: Live EP'' (2009) * ''Street Songs of Love '' (2010) * ''Big Station'' (2012) * ''Burn Something Beautiful'' (2016) * '' The Crossing'' (2018) * ''La Cruzada : Record Store Day version Vinyl'' (2020) (Re-recording of 2018 album ''The Crossing'', sung in Spanish with all liner notes translated to Spanish) * ''La Cruzada'' (2021) (Full release of CD and Vinyl) * ''Echo Dancing'' (2024)

Other contributions

* '' More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album'' ( Birdman, 1999) *'' Hear Music Volume 7: Waking'' (2002,

Hear Music Hear Music was a record label that was founded in 2007 in a partnership between Concord Music Group and Starbucks. Hear Music began as a catalog company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1990 before being purchased by Starbucks in 1999. Concep ...

) – "Wave" *''107.1 KGSR Radio Austin – Broadcasts Vol. 10'' (2002) – "Ballad of the Sun & the Moon" *''WYEP Live and Direct: Volume 4 – On Air Performances'' (2002) – "Rosalie" *'' Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm'' (

Vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. ...

, 2009) *'' Metro: The Official Bootleg Series, Volume 1'' 2010 *''Uncut Starman - A Tribute CD featuring various artists covering 18 songs of David Bowie'' (

Uncut Magazine ''Uncut'' is a monthly magazine based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections. A DVD magazine under the ''Uncut'' brand was published quarterly from 2005 to 2006 ...

, 2003) - "All The Young Dudes" *''You Don't Know Me - Rediscovering Eddy Arnold'' (Plowboy Records, 2013)- "It's A Sin" *''«From death to Texas» The task has overwhelmed us, the Jeffrey Lee Pierce sessions project '' (Gliterhouse Records, 2023)

Awards

* AMA Lifetime Achievement Award for Performing, 2006 * 37th annual Austin Music Awards Townes Van Zandt Songwriting Award, 2019 * A2IM Libera Awards Independent Icon, 2020 * Austin City Limits Hall of Fame Inductee, 2021 * Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee, 2023

References

External links

Alejandro Escovedo's websitePosh Boy RecordsAlejandro Escovedo at NPR MusicAlejandro Escovedo on Live Music Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Escovedo, Alejandro 1951 births 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American singer-songwriters 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American musicians 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American male musicians Hispanic and Latino American musicians Living people Musicians from San Francisco Musicians from Austin, Texas Musicians from San Antonio American musicians of Mexican descent Singer-songwriters from Texas American male singer-songwriters American writers Singer-songwriters from California Escovedo family