“Kimmie Rhodes: The soul of a poet and the voice of an angel.”
Rodney Crowell
In 1996 Kimmie Rhodes released West Texas Heaven, an album that marked a groundbreaking moment in her career as a singer-songwriter, to critical acclaim. The album was chosen as “best of the year” by many publications worldwide, including USA Today. It featured duets with fellow Texans Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Townes Van Zandt, and was recorded at Willie’s Pedernales Studio in Austin, and Jack Clements legendary Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa in Nashville.
Now she is re-releasing the album, which has been re-mixed and re-mastered, along with some rare bonus “out take” tracks from the original sessions and a since recorded duet with Emmylou Harris and Beth Nielson Chapman that Rhodes says “fits the spirit of the album.” “West Texas Heaven Revisited” will be available for download and for listening across all streaming platforms.
Along with the re-release, she is also publishing a commemorative companion songbook “West Texas Heaven: The Stories & Songs.” Comprised of her personal archival photos and images, sheet music scores of the songs with guitar charts and lyrics, and a memoir for each song, Kimmie offers her insights on how and why the songs were written and intimate stories about recording with her Americana heroes and the unlikely circumstances under which the sessions came to be.
A compelling storyteller and humorist, Kimmie plans to promote the album with a unique show, “West Texas Heaven: The Stories & Songs – an Evening With Kimmie Rhodes”, in which she will share tales from the era as she plays and sings the songs from the album.
