 Cliff
Eberhardt knew by age seven that he was going to be a singer
and songwriter. Growing up in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, he and
his brothers sang together and their parents played instruments.
His dad introduced him to the guitar and he quickly taught
himself to play. Fortunate enough to live close to the Main
Point (one of the best folk clubs on the East Coast), he
cut his teeth listening to the likes of James Taylor, Joni
Mitchell,
Bruce Springsteen, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bonnie
Raitt, and Mississippi John Hurt — receiving an early
and impressive tutorial in acoustic music. At the same time,
he was also listening to great pop songwriters like Cole
Porter, the Gershwins, and Rodgers and Hart, which explain
his penchant
for great melodies and clever lyrical twists.
At fifteen, Cliff and his brother Geoff began touring as
an acoustic duo, playing the Eastern club circuit until Cliff
turned twenty-one and moved to Carbondale, Illinois. There
he found space to develop his own voice within a vibrant
and
supportive music scene that included Shawn Colvin. After
a couple of years there and a short stay in Colorado, Cliff
moved
to New York in 1978.
Because
the clubs were great (the Bitter End, the Speakeasy, Kenny’s Castaway, Folk City) and the company amazing
(John Gorka, Suzanne Vega, Lucy Kaplansky, Julie Gold, Steve
Forbert, Christine Lavin, and Shawn Colvin), New York was an
ideal musician’s boot camp. Though he put in long hours
as a taxi driver, Cliff worked steadily on his music throughout
the 80’s, doing solo gigs and studio work, and playing
guitar on the road with Richie Havens, Melanie and others.
Singing advertising jingles for products like Coke, Miller
Beer and Chevrolet (“The Heartbeat of America” campaign)
allowed him to devote more time to his songwriting.
 In
1990 Cliff’s song “My Father’s Shoes,” appeared
on Windham Hill’s Legacy collection, leading to a deal
with the label. They released Cliff’s first album, The
Long Road (1990), a work featuring a duet with Richie Havens.
The critical response to this debut was outstanding (the Philadelphia
Inquirer called the album a “repeatedly astounding collection”).
He followed with two more records on Windham Hill before releasing,
12 Songs of Good and Evil (1997) on Red House Records, which
stemmed from a chance meeting with Red House founder Bob Feldman
at John Gorka’s wedding. Since then, Cliff
has released 3 albums on the label, including
his latest
The High Above
and the Down Below, recorded in Minneapolis with
noted jazz players Gordy Johnson, J. T. Bates
and Rich Dworsky.
Long
one of the most respected songwriters on the club scene,
his peers often mine his catalog
for themselves.
Cliff’s
song “Memphis” was included on Cry Cry Cry, an
album of collaborative covers by the “folk supergroup” of
the same name (comprised of Dar Williams,
Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell). Other
performers
who have recorded
his songs
include Richie Havens, Shawn Colvin, Russ
Taff and Buffy Sainte Marie. A collection
of his
songs has recently
been
published
in The Cliff Eberhardt Songbook (Cherry
Lane Publishing). |
