slaid cleaves

Biography

Richard Slaid Cleaves, born June 9, 1964, in Washington, D.C., and raised in South Berwick, Maine, began his musical journey playing keyboards in high school garage bands, including The Magic Rats with childhood friend Rod Picott in 1980, and later singing covers with The Classifieds behind a Hammond Porta-B organ in local venues.[1][2][4] After studying abroad in Cork, Ireland, during college where he learned guitar and debuted as a busker, he released early cassettes like The Promise (1990) and fronted the alt-country band The Moxie Men with Looks Good from the Road (1991) in Portland, Maine.[4][1] In late 1991, Cleaves moved to Austin, Texas, with his wife Karen, immersing himself in the vibrant scene amid artists like Lucinda Williams and Joe Ely, winning the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk award in 1992, and persisting through open mics and side jobs.[1][3][4][5]

Cleaves's career breakthrough came in 1997 with No Angel Knows, produced by Gurf Morlix for Rounder-Philo, blending folk, early rock and roll, traditional country, and Americana influences from Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Bruce Springsteen, and others.[1][2][4] Key albums followed, including the chart-topping Broke Down (2000, co-written with Picott), Wishbones (2004, #1 on Americana charts), Unsung (2006, covers of friends' songs), Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away (2009), and Still Fighting the War (2013), with recent work like Together Through the Dark (2022) produced by Scrappy Jud Newcomb.[1][2][4][5] He toured extensively across North America, the UK, and Netherlands, performing at festivals like Newport, Cambridge, and Kerrville.[1]

Cleaves's style—storytelling with a novelist's eye and poet's heart—has earned critical acclaim, fan loyalty including Stephen King, and a lasting legacy in Americana, alt-country, red dirt, Texas country, and outlaw country, with 25+ years of heartfelt, chart-successful records.[1][2][4][6]

Fun Facts

• Won the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk award in 1992, alongside past winners like Nanci Griffith, Robert Earl Keen, and Steve Earle.[1][3][4]
• Spent his junior year of college in Cork, Ireland, learning guitar to play American artists' songs and debuting as a busker on November 18, 1985.[4]
• Horror author Stephen King provided liner notes for his 2009 album Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away as a fan.[1]
• Supplemented income in early Austin days by working as a human guinea pig in pharmaceutical testing and running sound for other artists.[5]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Woody Guthrie - major stylistic influence (general inspiration for folk style) [early career]
• Johnny Cash - key musical inspiration (influenced country-folk blend) [throughout career]
• Hank Williams - traditional country influence (Americana amalgamation) [early career]

Key Collaborators

• Gurf Morlix - producer and former Lucinda Williams guitarist (No Angel Knows (1997), Broke Down (2000), Wishbones (2004), others (five albums total)) [1996-2006]
• Rod Picott - childhood friend and co-writer (title track of Broke Down (2000)) [1980s-present]
• Scrappy Jud Newcomb - producer (Still Fighting the War (2013), Together Through the Dark (2022), others) [2000s-2022]
• The Moxie Men - alt-country band fronted by Cleaves (Looks Good from the Road (1991)) [late 1980s-1991]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Breakfast In Hell (Broke Down)
2. Breakfast in Hell (Sorrow & Smoke)
3. Millionaire (Unsung)
4. Broke Down (Broke Down)
5. Texas Love Song (Still Fighting the War)
6. One Good Year (Broke Down)
7. Horseshoe Lounge (Broke Down)
8. Welding Burns (Still Fighting the War)
9. Horses (Wishbones)
10. Tumbleweed Stew (Sorrow & Smoke)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #country, #folk