Van Duren
Van Duren was part of the 70’s Memphis Power Pop scene, playing with the likes of Chris Bell and Jody Stephens and at one point auditioning as the 2nd guitar player for Big Star just before the band’s demise. While a seminal musician, Van remained an obscure figure, mainly because his 1977 debut Are You Serious? was only reissued in limited quantities and the 1979 follow-up Idiot Optimism was released 20 years too late. But Van has continued making music on small indie labels with a variety of collaborators. Slowly, but surely his hard-to-find music will be re-released to a growing audience. In the meantime check out the soundtrack to his documentary “Waiting.”
Musician Wade Jackson sums up Van Duren perfectly:
“When I first heard “Grow Yourself Up” by Van Duren, I immediately felt familiar with it whilst having my mind blown. The familiarity came with just how classic it sounds, the chord structures, the instrumentation, the production, the vocal… wow, the vocal and it’s pure, honest, desperate delivery. A voice that should have been behind top 10 hits worldwide, passed down from generation to generation, from AM to FM radio and back again.
There is no doubt that this guy is the real deal, an artist who has crawled deep inside his craft, his songs, his soul and delivered them directly to you personally from his heart. That annoying old saying “they don’t write em’ like this anymore” actually applies to Duren’s songs because frankly, they don’t. Van Duren’s debut release “Are You Serious?” is a classic album, there is no other way to put it. There is something on there for all walks of life, great songs are great songs and if you don’t have great songs as an artist then you have nothing. Van Duren has everything. He is often pigeonholed amongst Big Star, Emmit Rodes, Todd Rundgren, and Paul McCartney but the truth of the matter is, he is his own artist with his own style, flare and point to prove and he has proved that. The fact the Van Duren has never stopped playing music and believing in its magic is awe-inspiring. He is a true star.”