My Darling Clementine

"How Do You Plead?" is an album of pure and natural country duets, written and sung by Michael Weston King and his wife and partner, Lou Dalgleish. My Darling Clementine evokes the great duets of such icons as Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, George Jones & Tammy Wynette but adds a touch of country soul to the mix bringing memories of the likes of Delaney and Bonnie, Donnie Fritts, Bobby Gentry and Dan Penn. Lou Dalgeish - BIOG. / 2010 - Leaves school aged 16 as a classically trained dancer and musician, and spends the next 12 months dancing in a circus in Mexico, - Returns to the UK and spends the next 10 years as a professional dancer in British theatre, television and film (including a performance in Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). - Music is becoming a bigger passion than dance; throughout this time she continues to develop her own song writing and piano playing. - Decides to forego her dancing career and turns professional as a musician in the early 90’s - Within 12 months she is selling out Birmingham’s (her home town) Ronnie Scott's club, and records her debut album, featuring a guest appearance from Brian Kennedy - The following year she plays the SXSW festival in Texas sharing the bill with Vic Chesnut, Victoria Williams and Ani DiFranco. - She tours Europe with Bryan Ferry, and Holland with Sophie B Hawkins - 1998 - 2001: Three albums follow, as do more tours with the likes of David Gray, Mica Paris, Heather Nova, Mary Coughlin, The Christians - 2001: She turns her attention to the work of her main influence, Elvis Costello, writing and appearing in the play They Call Her Natasha, a story of obsession and infatuation, based around a series of Elvis Costello songs, first performed at the Edinburgh Festival. - 2002 -2003: Lou amazes audiences throughout the U.K. and Ireland with her own stunning interpretations of Costello’s material,. Her fourth album CALMER, features Lou’s intimate version of his Indoor Fireworks; which was favourably acknowledged by Costello - 2004: Costello agrees that Lou, in collaboration with Paul Cassidy of The Brodsky Quartet, should sing all vocals in the tenth anniversary celebration concert of “The Juliet Letters” - 2005 - 2006: Lou becomes a mom and, six months later, takes motherhood on the road touring with The Brodsky Quartet, as they collaborate and record together. - 2007: She tours the US with husband Michael Weston King (and toddler in tow), writing and performing her new solo material. - 2009: Lou co-writes and records an album of pure country duets with her husband, under the name of My Darling Clementine. - 2009 - 2011; Stars in the musical play They Call Her Natasha, (a musical play based around the songs of Elvis Costello), at numerous venues around the UK. Starts work on her new album, her first in 6 years. - 2011 My Darling Clementine album released. Michael Weston King is widely acknowledged as one of Britain's finest singer songwriters, Admired by the likes of Chris Hillman, Ron Sexsmith, Jackie Leven, and the legendary Townes van Zandt (who recorded one of his songs), he draws his influence from a wide range of styles, from Pop to Folk, from Country to Soul, from Gospel to Blues He is the former leader of U.K. Alt Country pioneers The Good Sons, with whom he made 4 critically acclaimed albums in a seven year career, which was celebrated by the double album, Cosmic Fireworks-The Best of The Good Sons (1994-2001). MOJO magazine wrote "The band who must rate as England's very own Uncle Tupelo. A truly thrilling collection.", while www.americana-uk.com said "The British band that played alt. country before anyone knew what the hell it was. Had the Good Sons done this same thing across the Atlantic, they would surely have been acclaimed trailblazers." For the past ten years he has been a solo troubadour, touring all over the world, performing with the likes of Nick Cave, John Cale, Roger McGuinn, Steve Earle, Guy Clark, America, Chris Hillman, Nils Lofgren, Ron Sexsmith, Arlo Guthrie, Steve Forbert, Son Volt, and many more, and releasing 6 studio albums, 3 live albums and a career retrospective dvd, The Crowning Story, along the way. As fine a singer songwriter as Gram Parsons CHRIS HILLMAN Michael Weston King has a voice part Nashville balladeer and part Alt Country hero.........a cross between Nick Cave and Rodney Crowell. THE INDEPENDENT Like Tim Hardin, Phil Ochs or Townes van Zandt, King transmutes squalor and self-laceration into pure gold. MOJO Many different artists have recorded his songs, while a number of his songs have also been used in TV shows in America and Germany. Beautiful Lies, a songbook of his work, was published in 2005, Happy Infidels, a play by the Irish writer Brian Richmond, was based around 12 of Michael's songs, and he is currently working on a book about some of the greatest 'lost' songs of the past 40 years. A solo retrospective collection, The Tender Place, was released in November 2006, while his 2007 studio album, A New Kind of Loneliness including contributions from Chris Hillman, Ron Sexsmith and Jackie Leven, was met with high critical acclaim, and was widely hailed as his best album to date; A powerful work of unblinking emotional seriousness. Entombed in gorgeously sepulchral tunes, the effect is quite magnificent. King is a special talent. The Word MWK has entered the rarefied field of classic singer songwriters. USA Entertainment News His 2008 live album, Crawling Through The USA, recording during a grueling tour of N America, perfectly showcased the man alone, with just his guitar and songs for company. The album features Michael's stunning interpretation of the Townes Van Zandt song, Marie. The accompanying video perfectly captures the mood of the song, and was nominated for awards in the UK 2010 saw Michael address the serious issues facing everyday people in such difficult modern times, when he released his latest album, "I Didn't Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier" An album made up entirely of Protest songs. Some new, some old, and some going as far back as the 1900's. Since it's release Michael has appeared, at a number of protest festivals, political rallies, and human rights events in the UK, Germany, Scandinavia, N. America and, in May 2011, his first ever concerts in China. I Didn't Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier wields a potent eternal truth. This is music of intelligent dissidence Mojo A harrowing and viscerally powerful statement, its a magnificent achievement. Americana-UK 8/10******** Hey Ma, Im Coming Home is simply one of the best protest songs ever written www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk 9/10 ********* Protest music for a new generation but as heartfelt as anything you will ever hear Maverick 4/5 **** Protest by pathos as well as passion - an excellent record R2 4/5 **** MWK is currently curating an album for the British Socialist newspaper The Morning Star. The latter half of 2011 will see another musical departure, with the release of an album of country duets, recorded with his wife Lou Dalgleish, under the name of My Darling Clementine. Entitled, How Do You Plead?, it contains 12 brand new MWK songs, paying homage to the likes of George Jones & Tammy Wynette, Porter Waggoner & Dolly Parton, Delaney & Bonnie,. It will be released initially in Europe in November 2011