Fayssoux

You've heard Fayssoux McLean, even if you haven't heard of her. Fayssoux's beguiling voice was an integral element in some of the finest country music recordings of our time.
Fayssoux sang harmonies all over Emmylou Harris' legendary early recordings, "Luxury Liner," "Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town," "Elite Hotel," and "Pieces of the Sky," and she sang duets with Emmylou on "Spanish is a Loving Tongue" and Green Rolling Hills."

Given that Emmylou Harris is herself the single greatest and most consequential harmony vocalist in country music history, Fayssoux's role as Emmylou's harmony singer of choice should tell you nearly all you need to know.

But what you also need to know is that Fayssoux possesses a stunning lead voice, one that she finally lets the world hear on her debut recording, "Early." For awhile, it seemed as if that voice would never be properly heard and recorded, as Fayssoux dropped out of the music business in the 1970s and ultimately became a teacher in her native South Carolina. But in 1996, a middle school teacher named Peter Cooper was writing a book about the oddly extraordinary musical history of Spartanburg, SC (Pink Anderson, The Marshall Tucker Band, Marshall Chapman, Hank Garland and numerous others hailed from the Hub City), and he found out that Fayssoux was living in Spartanburg. He wrote about her in the book, she sang at a book release party, and hundreds of unsuspecting listeners were instantly smitten.

Fast forward to the first decade of the new century, in Nashville. Cooper is one of the country's most respected music journalists, for The Tennessean newspaper, as well as Esquire, Britannica, No Depression, and more. He's also singing, playing and producing, and he offers to produce an album on Fayssoux. "Early" is that album.

Turning the tables on history, that's Emmylou Harris singing harmonies for Fayssoux. "Early" also features such talent as Ricky Skaggs, the Whites, David Ball, and the legendary pedal steel player Lloyd Green (The Byrds, Paul McCartney, Charley Pride, Don Williams, etc.). Also featured on nearly every track is sublime young guitarist Brandon Turner, Spartanburg's latest gift to the world of music.

This debut is a work of grace and beauty. Besides her own compositions ("Early," "I Know It's Over"), Fayssoux interprets the work of old friends (and songwriting greats) Rodney Crowell and Paul Craft, and takes on songs her grandmother sang to her as a child. Traditional folk songs, old-time gospel, contemporary country-rock and love ballads... all are given the Fayssoux treatment and are much the better for it.

"Charm, elegance, whippoorwills and Magnolia dewdrops: these are the things that come to mind when I hear Fayssoux sing," says Rodney Crowell, who first sang with Emmylou Harris in Fayssoux's living room.

Aside from her one-off stint playing percussion on an egg whisk on a Lowell George track, it's Fayssoux's singing that has drawn the admiration of collaborators like Crowell, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Buddy Miller. For decades, that singing was a secret known only to esteemed musicians and astute and/or compulsive liner note readers. "Early" lets the secret out of the bag.

"I've always loved Fayssoux's voice. She's one of my favorite singers," says Emmylou.

See if you don't agree.

www.fayssouxmusic.com
www.myspace.com/fayssouxmclean