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Lavender Country was an American
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
band formed in 1972 whose self-titled 1973 album is the first known gay-themed album in country music history. Based in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, Washington, the band originally consisted of lead singer and guitarist Patrick Haggerty (1944–2022), keyboardist Michael Carr, singer and fiddler Eve Morris and guitarist Robert Hammerstrom. Lavender Country has released two studio albums ''Lavender Country'' (1973) and '' Blackberry Rose'' (2019). The band had many members based in various cities with Haggerty serving as the only constant member."The First Openly Gay Country Singer....Was Patrick Haggerty, in 1973"
''Queer Music Heritage'', July 10, 2013.


History


Early years

Haggerty was born on September 27, 1944 and raised on a dairy farm near
Port Angeles Port Angeles ( ) is a city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,960 at the 2020 census, it is the most populous city in the county, as well as the most populous city on the Olympic Peninsula. T ...
, Washington. His father Charles Edward Haggerty (1901–1961), was a dairy farmer, while his mother Asylda Mary (née Remillard) (1915–1999), was a homemaker, who later became a teacher following the death of her husband. Haggerty was the sixth of ten children. He has stated that his parents, particularly his father, were very accepting of his sexuality and effeminate personality, with his father encouraging him to come out and to not “sneak”. Haggerty attended Port Angeles Senior High in
Port Angeles Port Angeles ( ) is a city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,960 at the 2020 census, it is the most populous city in the county, as well as the most populous city on the Olympic Peninsula. T ...
, Washington, from 1958 to 1962, where he was “pep promoter”, which was similar to being head cheerleader. After college he joined the
Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...
, but was discharged in 1966 for being gay. He later became an artist and an activist with the local chapter of the Gay Liberation Front after moving to Seattle to pursue graduate studies at the
University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...
. After coming out in 1969, Patrick became very involved with the
gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Not ...
movement, and became a
socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
after "cutting cane" in
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
in the early-1970s. He has two children, daughter Robin Boland (née Thetford) (a biological child with
lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...
friend Lois Thetford), and son Amilcar Navarro (adopted and co-parented with his biological mother Linda Navarro). He has one grandchild, Maxwell Boland II. Haggerty was close friends with
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
musician Blackberri,
activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
s Faygele Ben-Miriam and Bobbi Campbell and gay
film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film scholars, who study the composition of film theory and publish their findin ...
Paul Kagourtine. His son Amilcar is the grandson of
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
musician Fats Navarro.


Self-titled album

Their
eponymous An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...
1973 album was funded and released by Gay Community Social Services of Seattle, with funding and production assistance from activist Faygele Ben-Miriam. Just 1,000 copies of the album were pressed at the time of its original release. The band performed at the first Seattle Pride event in 1974, and performed at numerous pride and other LGBT events throughout Washington,
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
and
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 ...
until their dissolution in 1976. Shan Ottey, a DJ for Seattle radio station KRAB, played the band's song "Cryin' These Cocksucking Tears" on the air in 1973, resulting in Ottey's dismissal from the station.


Other activities

Haggerty was also a member of the gay country music group, Doug Stevens & The Outband, from 2001 to 2003, and later released one album with the gay country music group Pearl River in 2003, ''Live at the Grange Hall''. Along with blues musician Bobby Taylor, Haggerty formed the duo, The Landlord Tenant Act in the early-2000s, and released two albums, a
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
tribute album, and an album of original music, titled ''Further Down The Road''. Haggerty and Taylor also performed under the name Memory Lane, where they performed at nursing homes and seniors centres, mainly playing classic
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
,
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...
and
pop standard Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...
songs from the 1940s and 1950s, and played around 50 shows a year. They still performed as of 2017."40 Years Later, Patrick Haggerty’s Gay Country Album Gets a Proper Release"
''
Seattle Weekly The ''Seattle Weekly'' is an alternative biweekly distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as ''The Weekly.'' Its first issue was published on March 31, 1976, and it becam ...
'', March 18, 2014.


Post-breakup activity

After disbanding Lavender Country in 1976, Haggerty ran two unsuccessful campaigns for political office, once for
Seattle City Council The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-larg ...
and once as an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
candidate for a seat in the
Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...
, and continued to work as a gay rights and anti-racism activist. In 1987, Haggerty began dating Julius "J.B." Broughton, an
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
retired
Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
man. They married in the mid-2000s and have been together ever since, and according to Haggerty in a 2018 interview with Robert L. Conway of ''Conway's Concast'', they were still "madly and gayly in love".


Revival

In 2000, the now-defunct ''
Journal of Country Music A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of personal secretive thoughts and as open book to personal therapy or used to feel connected to onesel ...
'' published an article on gay country musicians, focusing in large part on Haggerty and Lavender Country. As a result of the renewed attention, the album was rereleased on CD in December 1999, and in 2000 the band released a five-song EP, ''Lavender Country Revisited'', which featured three rerecordings of songs from the original album and two new songs."Gay community resources, organizations and events"
. ''
Kitsap Sun The ''Kitsap Sun'' is a daily newspaper published in Bremerton, Washington, United States. It covers general news and serves Kitsap, Jefferson, and Mason counties on the west side of Puget Sound. History Publication of The ''Sun'' began i ...
'', June 25, 2000.
The band reunited briefly in 2000, performing the album in its entirety at Seattle's Broadway Performance Hall in January 2000, and at that year's Seattle Pride. In addition, the album was archived at the
Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...
by former ''Journal of Country Music'' editor Chris Dickinson. Their song "Cryin' These Cocksucking Tears" was included in the 2012 compilation album ''Strong Love: Songs of Gay Liberation 1972–1981''. The 1973 album was rereleased on independent label Paradise of Bachelors in 2014, and the band have played several reunion shows in 2014 to support the reissue. Haggerty recorded a story for
StoryCorps StoryCorps is an American non-profit organization which aims to record, preserve, and share the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs. Its mission statement is "to help us believe in each other by illuminating the humanity and po ...
about coming out to his father in 1959, which was adapted into the animated short film ''The Saint of Dry Creek'' in 2015. In 2016, director
Dan Taberski Dan Taberski is a writer, director, and producer based in New York City. He is best known for hosting investigative journalism podcasts ''Missing Richard Simmons'', ''Surviving Y2K,'' '' Running From Cops'', '' 9/12'', '' The Line'', and '' Hyst ...
directed a short film titled '' These C*cksucking Tears'' which starred Haggerty and told the story of his life and career. In 2017 and again in 2019 Robert Dekkers' Post:Ballet company staged a modern ballet performance of Lavender Country, choreographed by Vanessa Thiessen and performed at the
Z Space Z Space is a regional theater and performing arts company located in the Mission District of San Francisco, California. Z Space is one of the leading laboratories for developing new voices, new works, and new opportunities in the American theater. ...
theater in San Francisco with Patrick Haggerty performing live with a new Lavender Country band featuring guitarists Dennis Fortin and Mark Newstetter, violinist Calvin K. Murasaki, Mya Byrne on bass, Paisley Fields on piano and Joyce Baker on drums. In 2019 the band released ''Blackberry Rose and Other Songs and Sorrows'', their first full-length album of new material since 1973. In 2020, Haggerty was featured in a version of
Trixie Mattel Brian Michael Firkus (born August 23, 1989), better known by the stage name Trixie Mattel, is an American drag queen, television personality, makeup entrepreneur, DJ and singer-songwriter originally from Silver Cliff, Wisconsin, Silver Cliff, Ma ...
's reprise of "I Can't Shake the Stranger Out of You", titled "Stranger" on her album '' Barbara''. In 2020, Pat also hosted a
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
series called "Aunt Patty's Lavender Hour", where he interviewed several people who influenced him in his life and musical journey, the guests included his son, filmmaker Amilcar Navarro, visual artist Pat Moriarity and filmmaker
Dan Taberski Dan Taberski is a writer, director, and producer based in New York City. He is best known for hosting investigative journalism podcasts ''Missing Richard Simmons'', ''Surviving Y2K,'' '' Running From Cops'', '' 9/12'', '' The Line'', and '' Hyst ...
, among others. In January 2022, it was announced that the band's second album, '' Blackberry Rose'' would get a full release on
Don Giovanni Records Don Giovanni Records is an independent record label originally specializing in punk rock from the New Brunswick, New Jersey music scene but eventually working with a variety of artists from different genres. Its also operated out of Lansing, Mic ...
on February 18, 2022. Ahead of the album, the band released a new recording of "I Can’t Shake the Stranger Out of You" with a full band arrangement. Haggerty died from complications of a stroke on October 31, 2022, at the age of 78.


Critical reception

Lavender Country's self-titled first album ''Lavender Country'' was described by Pitchfork upon its reissue in 2014 as "...wobbly and amateurish, but in a playful, "come on y'all" sort of way." '' Blackberry Rose'' has been described as "full of twang, sometimes funny, often quirky, and not very tight musically (in a
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
kind of way)." Pitchfork's Jason Greene describes Lavender Country's sound as unchanged from their first album to their second, saying, "Haggerty returns to recording virtually unchanged: His voice, which was unaffected and childlike in its simplicity in 1973, is unaffected and childlike in 2022."


Discography

* 1973 – ''Lavender Country'' * 1999 – ''Lavender Country'' (reissue) * 2000 – ''Lavender Country Revisited'' * 2014 – ''Lavender Country'' (reissue released by Paradise of Bachelors) * 2019 – ''Blackberry Rose and Other Songs and Sorrows'' * 2022 – '' Blackberry Rose'' (reissue released by
Don Giovanni Records Don Giovanni Records is an independent record label originally specializing in punk rock from the New Brunswick, New Jersey music scene but eventually working with a variety of artists from different genres. Its also operated out of Lansing, Mic ...
).


References


External links


''Lavender Country''
at Paradise of Bachelors
''Lavender Country''
at Don Giovanni Records * * {{Authority control 1976 disestablishments in Washington (state) 2014 establishments in Washington (state) American country music groups Musical groups from Seattle LGBTQ-themed musical groups Musical groups established in 1972 Musical groups disestablished in 1976 1972 establishments in Washington (state) Musical groups reestablished in 2014 Don Giovanni Records artists 2022 disestablishments in Washington (state)