Neo-soul singer-songwriter Amos Lee makes his third visit to Mountain Stage to play songs from his new album Mission Bell before an enthusiastic sold-out audience in Charleston, W. Va. Influenced by 70's soul of Bill Withers and folk singers like James Taylor, Lee eventually left his job an elementary school teacher to peruse songwriting full-time. After a series of high-profile opening performances for Norah Jones, Lee released his self-titled debut album on Blue Note in 2005, which was produced by Jones' bassist Lee Alexander. For Mission Bell, which features cameos by Lucinda Williams and Willie Nelson, Amos Lee enlisted the help of Calexico's Joey Burns to produce.
With a seven-piece band that includes longtime drummer Fred Berman, keyboard player Jaron Olevsky, electric guitarist Zach Djanikian, pedail steel, banjo and electric guitar by Andy Keenan, bassist Vicente Archer and backing vocals by Mutlu Onaral and Alecia Chakour, Lee showcases his unmistakable voice and penchant for a groove.
This segment originally aired on June 13th, 2011.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.