Willis Alan Ramsey

with Sam Knutson ICSF Kick-Off Party at The James! with Sam Knutson ICSF Kick-Off Party at The James! Doors Open 6:30 PM Event Starts 7:30 PM Join us at The James Theater on November 4 for an Iowa City Songwriters Festival Pre-Party! Over 50 years after the release of his wildly influential self-titled album on Leon Russell’s Shelter Records, Willis Alan Ramsey returns to touring. Ramsey’s debut in 1972 earned scores of accolades from artists ranging from The Allman Brothers to Lyle Lovett. The album was mined by many artists for their own recordings including Jimmy Buffett’s “The Ballad of Spider John”, Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s “Goodbye Old Missoula”, Shawn Colvin’s “Satin Sheets”, Captain & Tennille’s “Muskrat Candlelight/Love”, Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Northeast Texas Women”, Waylon Jennings’ “Satin Sheets”, New Grass Revival’s “Watermelon Man”, and many more. Since that landmark first release, Ramsey has toured only occasionally, spending time instead honing his craft in Austin, Nashville and London, educating himself in the science of audio recording and composing new songs. His new material has received critical acclaim, including Lyle Lovett’s recordings of “Sleepwalkin’”, “North Dakota” and “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas”), as well as Eric Clapton’s recording of “Positively”. Ramsey’s personal appearances always garner excitement among some of the top critics in the country as well as from his fellow artists: “His cozy, orderly, tiny-detail songs express a willful turnabout from hippie chaos, a visceral reaction particular to the early 1970’s. His songs are sweet, emotionally guarded and often musically complex, fitting strains of melody together that seem as if they ought not connect, expertly using rhythmic displacement as the words and chords unspool …. Perfection is terrifying, and some of these songs felt spooky.” – Ben Ratliff, The New York Times “You might have not seen him lately, but if you’ve listened to Shawn, Lyle or Jimmie Dale, you’ve heard him.” – John T. Davis, The Austin American Statesman “Even if Ramsey had made a dozen more albums, this would still be the record that no home should be without.” – No Depression “When I got his record, I loved everything on it. I heard some Flannery O’Connor and William Faulkner in there. It was a little more literary than most of the Texas stuff.” – Jimmy Buffett “Everybody owned his record when I lived in Austin. That’s because it’s great and them Texans knew it. I think Lyle’s great, but tell me he didn’t learn something from Willis.” – Shawn Colvin “I learned every song off his record. I went to see him every time he played, got tennis shoes like his. I wanted to be Willis Alan Ramsey.” – Lyle Lovett Doors Open 6:30 PM Event Starts 7:30 PM Tue: 10am - 6pm Wed-Fri: 10am - 4pm Oct 21, 2026 The Englert Theatre with Matthew Logan Vasquez Oct 23, 2026 The Englert Theatre 40 years of Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams... and Good Things Oct 23, 2026 Wildwood Saloon