bdp24, thank you for this. I had (so far) only one opportunity to see Iris in a small venue (350 seats) near me a few years back, and I literally fell in love that night. I had all of her records and listened to them often, but seeing/hearing her at the piano singing was transcendental. BTW, I agree that NTTC could be the finest song of the last half century, and Merle's version of it is transcendent. I might have to put it against a John Prine song or two, but think NTTC would still be at the top. I think Merle became aware of Iris when she covered his Big City on a tribute record.
Merle & Iris
For reasons that I cannot identify I decided yesterday to pull out some discs I had not played in too long; one is a Merle Haggard recording titled 1996 (on Curb, at a time when he was having (unbelievable but true) difficulty getting a recording contract), and there is a magnificent cover of a magnificent Iris DeMent song titled No Time To Cry. The liner noted by Theresa Haggard describe it as "an indescribable masterpiece".
I agree.
Richard
I agree.
Richard