“Hell and High Water”
T. Graham Brown
Written by T. Graham Brown and Alex Harvey
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
November 21, 1986
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
December 13, 1986
T. Graham Brown was an overnight success thirteen years in the making.
A gifted singer and songwriter, Brown first pursued music professionally through the duo Dirk & Tony in 1973. Two band stints followed – Reo Diamond, then T. Graham Brown’s Rack of Spam – before Brown moved to Nashville, working as a songwriter for EMI and singing commercial jingles on the side. By 1985, he’d signed with Capitol Records, and after his debut single scraped the top forty, he got the greenlight to record his debut studio album, I Tell it Like it Used to Be.
It was a hit right out of the gate. The title track went top ten, and then “I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again” went top five. The album’s final two singles went to No. 1, starting with “Hell and High Water.”
I’d give the first two singles an edge over this one, but “Hell and High Water” is still a strong showcase for Brown’s distinctive vocals. The contrast between his empathetic lyrics and his rough and ready voice was what made Brown’s work so special, and it’s on full display here as he makes a full commitment to a woman who has some heartbreak under her belt.
Brown doesn’t get spoken about as much as he should be when people talk about the Class of 1986, but like Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakam, and Steve Earle, this was an artist who arrived fully formed with a clear point of view and an instantly recognizable sound. If the Class of 1989 wasn’t right around the corner, so many of the acts that broke out around this time would’ve stuck around for a lot longer. Let’s enjoy him while we can.
“Hell and High Water” gets a B+.
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The insane diversity of style and sound that is the most interesting aspect of the decade to me is furthered by the consecutive success of artists as disparate as T. Graham Brown and Michael Johnson.
As for Brown, his second single, “I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again,” had a strong pedigree. I believe Kenny Rogers recorded it for on “The Gambler” in 1978. John Conlee would record it the following year on his album “Forever.”
“Come Hell or High Water” was both slick and soulful. Brown had found his own lane with his big, confident vocals. He was another commanding vocalist who was just plain fun to listen to sing.
I am so happy he was recently invited to join the Grand Ole Opry. It was on that stage that I first heard him perform ‘Wine into Water.”
I am a big fan of his Royal T-ness!
his royal T-ness indeed!
“Wine into Water” was one of the best singles of the nineties. What a brilliant record.