LYLE LOVETT FACTS:
Genre: Country, Alternative country
Hometown: Klein, Texas
Awards: 4 Grammys
Albums: Lyle Lovett (1986), Pontiac (1988), Lyle Lovett and His Large Band (1989), Joshua Judges Ruth (1992), I Love Everybody (1994), The Road To Ensenada (1996), Step Inside This House (1998), My Baby Don’t Tolerate (2003), It's Not Big It's Large (2007), Natural Forces (2009)
Hits: "Cowboy Man", "Give Back My Heart", "She's No Lady", "If I Had a Boat", "Private Conversation", "San Antonio Girl"
Other: Has extended his career into acting with roles in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Opposite of Sex, and several appearances on the TV series Mad About You
While he may be widely remembered for being briefly married to Julia Roberts, Lyle Lovett has been one of the most popular country music acts for almost three decades. Ever since he got his start as a songwriter in the early 1980s, Lovett has produced a long line of critically acclaimed albums, earned a substantial following of devoted fans and appeared in a number of films and TV shows.
After dabbling in songwriting throughout much of the '80s, Lovett signed a record deal in 1986, and not too soon after released his self title debut album that same year. The record enjoyed significant praise from critics, largely for its seamless blend of country western style with folk and jazz. It has since been considered one of the best albums of the decade, thanks to popular tracks such as "Cowboy Man" and "If I Were the Man You Wanted."
Lovett's follow-up to his debut was 1988's Pontiac, which was equally successful. In addition to reaching number 12 on the country album charts, the release also was believed by many critics to be one of the the best albums of the year. For the rest of the decade, Lovett's success continued, thanks to 1989's Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, which won him his first Grammy Award for Best Country Male Vocal.
In the 1990's, while Lovett was still producing quality albums such as 1992's Joshua Judges Ruth and the 1994's I Love Everybody, he was also beginning to appear in movies. He has earned roles in numerous productions, including The Player, Short Cuts and Cookie's Fortune. Most recently, he played himself in the 2007 spoof Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
Although he may have exercised his acting chops, Lovett still maintained a successful music career throughout the '90s. He earned another Grammy for Country Album of the Year in recognition of The Road to Ensenada, which was released in 1996. The album reached number four on the country charts, and featured the hits "That's Right (You're Not From Texas)" and "Long Tall Texan."
With a new decade, Lovett continued to produce popular music. His most recent release, 2009's Natural Forces, was met with excitement from fans and critics alike, and the 52-year-old Lovett does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon.