Michael Weston King

Michael Weston King

Michael Weston King is an English country singer-songwriter from Southport. He is a solo performer and has also been a member of The Good Sons and My Darling Clementine. His work sits within country, but he draws on a wider range of styles, including pop, folk and soul.

Career

He is a former leader of the UK alt-country group The Good Sons, with whom he makes four albums across a seven-year period. A later compilation, Cosmic Fireworks: The Best of The Good Sons (1994–2001), gathers material from that era.

After leaving the band, he continues as a solo troubadour and tours internationally. He appears with artists including Nick Cave, John Cale, Roger McGuinn, Steve Earle, Guy Clark, Chris Hillman, Ron Sexsmith, Steve Forbert and Son Volt.

Songwriting and recordings

King releases six solo albums over the course of his solo career. His songs are recorded by other artists, and some are used in television programmes in the United States and Germany. Townes Van Zandt records one of his songs, and he is admired by figures including Chris Hillman and Ron Sexsmith.

Other projects and publications

A songbook of his work, Beautiful Lies, is published in 2005. Brian Richmond's play Happy Infidels is based around 12 of King's songs. He also works on a book about notable “lost” songs from the past 40 years.

Selected releases

The Tender Place, a solo retrospective collection, is released in November 2006. A New Kind of Loneliness follows in May 2007 and includes contributions from Chris Hillman, Ron Sexsmith and Jackie Leven. He also releases the live album Crawling Through the USA on Valve Records.

Collaborative country project

King works on a country duets album with Lou Dalgleish, with additional contributions from Geraint Watkins, Martin Belmont and others.