Lynn Drury was at home in New Orleans when we spoke about her latest album, High Tide. The release date for her 10th studio album was approaching (April 5, 2024) and she was preparing for a record release party at the Maple Leaf in New Orleans on the 13th of April. I sometimes ask a singer-songwriter which song on a new album is their favorite. Of course, that is like asking a parent which of their children is their favorite. Lynn gave the question some thought before she answered. “I really think the one that people are loving, laughing, and identifying with – and it is maybe the most vulnerable song – is ‘I Waited Too Long,’” Lynn said. She admitted it is a very personal song for her but did not dwell on it.
Lynn also says the title track was written the night before it was recorded. “That just came out of nowhere,” she told me. “I’ve never been able to record like that. It’s a luxury.”
Songwriting takes a certain amount of discipline, something that Lynn developed at an early age. Her dad had a side hustle buying and selling and training horses. He managed a 450-acre farm for some surgeons in New Orleans, mainly raising quarter horses. Lynn entered horse shows and rodeos, doing quite well in both. “I went to the national high school finals in my 11th and 12th grade years,” Lynn said. “And after that I went to college and my sister and I went to the Tri-State Rodeo, which is Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama.” Her sister, Rene Drury (now Riley), turned pro for a few years.
“Every day I came home from school and I had to go ride for an hour,” Lynn recalled. “So I had to saddle my horse up, ride for at least an hour practicing patterns, then washing him. And afterward I had to water about 40 horses a day. Before I could do anything, I had to do all that.”
In terms of songwriting and performing, Lynn says her riding experience taught her a lot. “I kind of went at it the same way when I started music,” she told me. “I was older. I didn’t pick up the guitar until I was twenty-five. I knew I had to get somewhere and I just played every day in my apartment for about a year. All of my time was spent learning.”
When it came time for her to play in public, Lynn followed the same rules she did while competing in rodeos. “You have to learn the layout. Every arena is different. Every dirt is different. There may be a band set up at the first barrel. There are all these different things.”
Just as there were variables in each rodeo arena there are variables in each stage where you perform. “In my mind I felt I needed to play as many stages as possible and get used to everything, the sound, all the different variables that are going to happen, and still be able to perform under different situations. So it (rodeo training) did teach me discipline. And you really don’t grow unless you travel and interact with different people. Play a bigger stage. I’ve always tried to play bigger stages so I can get acclimated to that.”
Sounds like good advice for those starting out: don’t get too comfortable in one place.
“Exactly,” says Lynn. “And remember the sound man’s name. Or woman’s,” she added with a laugh. “Thank the sound person; it is very important. Thankfully, we have a lot of great ones here. I work with a lot of the same ones every year. That’s beautiful because they know me and it’s a good relationship.”
That is more good advice because as Lynn says, a good relationship or lack thereof can really make or break a show. Also important are the great relationships she has with the musicians on High Tide.
“I’ve known the drummer (Doug Belote) for twenty years but never had the pleasure of recording with him,” she told me. When the pandemic hit Lynn was able to play a few gigs with him thanks to the free time they both had. The opportunity to record together soon followed. Bass player Rene Coman has played with Lynn for nine years now and is very solid. Producer and guitarist Papa Mali told Lynn he really wanted to play guitar for her. Lynn told him she really needed a producer. Papa Mali, who had produced for Ruthie Foster, agreed. The result? A well-produced album teeming with memorable guitar riffs.
High Tide was recorded over three days last year at Dockside Studio in Maurice, Louisiana, by Justin Tocket. Other guest artists include Roddie Romero on vocals and slide; Yvette Landry on vocals; Andriu Yanovski on piano; and Jason Mingledorff and Satoru Ohashi on horns.
High Tide was made possible in part by a grant from the Threadhead Cultural Fountain. The non-profit group has been vital to keeping New Orleans’ music alive following Hurricane Katrina and during the recent pandemic. It was formed in 2009 to promote the city’s cultural heritage. The Foundation awards grants and assistance to musicians, artists, and others whose work helps preserve, promote, and disseminate the cultural heritage of New Orleans and the surrounding area of Louisiana.
Performances at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the French Quarter Fest are set to follow her record release party.
