Jenni Muldaur & Teddy Thompson Biography
The great country duets are an American treasure. Recorded by country music royalty in Nashville in the 1960s through the 1970s, these songs of euphoric, put-a-ring-on-it love, and private-tears heartbreak have a universal resonance that spans generations and cultures.
Take British singer-songwriter Teddy Thompson and New York folk-rock artist Jenni Muldaur. Both grew up decades and hundreds of miles from when and where these timeless songs were recorded. Yet the poetry and hard luck humor in the great country duets spoke to them. Now, Teddy and Jenni are sharing this music with new generations of fans with their achingly beautiful and faithfully-recorded album, Once More: Teddy Thompson & Jenni Muldaur Sing The Great Country Duets (Sun Records), out September 8, 2023.
“It doesn’t matter where you are from or what accent you have, this music can speak to you,” shares Teddy. “I fell in love with it as a little boy growing up in London a longtime after it was recorded.” Jenni adds: “These songs speak directly to the heart. I can remember pulling over to the side of the road while listening to George Jones because a song made me so emotional.”
Once More: Teddy Thompson & Jenni Muldaur Sing The Great Country Duets is a 12-song collection of teardrop ballads and reflective mid-tempo songs previously recorded by George Jones and Tammy Wynette; Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn; and Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. Teddy and Jenni exude their own easy charm on Once More: Teddy Thompson & Jenni Muldaur Sing The Great Country Duets with their honeyed vocal phrasing, seamless lead vocal swapping, and sumptuous harmony vocals.
Teddy is a Brooklyn-based, British-born folk and rock singer-songwriter, and he is the son of folk-rock legends Richard and Linda Thompson. Over a 6-album body of work, Teddy has carved out his own music path. Jenni is a New York City-based songwriter, vocal arranger, producer, and the daughter of Maria Muldaur, one of the most sought-after backup singers. Jenni has been a professional musician since she was a teenager, and she has sung for superstars such as Eric Clapton, Linda Thompson, John Cale, Donald Fagen, Ronnie Spector, and producer Hal Willner.
Select album standouts include “Just Someone I Used to Know,” “After The Fire Is Gone,” “Makin’ Believe,” and “We’re Caught Between A Love And A Love Affair.” Teddy and Jenni capture the wistful resignation on the Porter and Dolly classic “Just Someone I Used to Know” with plaintive harmonies and interweaving lead vocals. They mine the poetic sadness inherent in Loretta and Conway’s “After The Fire Is Gone.” Their version of “Makin’ Believe” goes down like Tennessee honey—sweet but with a biting kick of reality. Teddy and Jenni winsomely invoke the sweet stalemate in the lilting “We’re Caught Between A Love And A Love Affair.” David Mansfield produced the album before he scored the hit Showtime series, George & Tammy.
Teddy and Jenni will be taking this classic duets project on the road and sharing this music with fans new and old.
