Boil Lucinda Williams’ catalog of music down to its basic elements and you come up with big dollops of rawness and honesty.

Her recording debut – 1979’s Ramblin’ On My Mind – may have been an album of covers, but the then-26-year-old dug into tunes written by the likes of Robert Johnson, Melvin “Lil’ Son” Jackson, and Hank Williams Sr., found their core, and donned them with the collar turned up – a comfortable fit.  A year later, all the songs on Williams’ Happy Woman Blues were hers from start to finish … and she’s never looked back since.

The aforementioned honesty is what fuels Lucinda Williams’ songwriting: from blushing crush to sweaty passion; from heartache to heartbreak to changing the locks; tears, blisters, blood, and mud … she writes what she feels; more importantly, she writes what we all feel.

And the rawness is the key to Williams’ delivery: the ability to out-drawl Mick Jagger and turn the word “that” (as in “Get me all worked up like that” from “Righteously”) into a multi-syllable passage that tells you just what that is.  Her vocals don’t aim to capture you with their technical preciseness – that’s not what the music’s about.  It’s the raw flesh, bone, heart, and soul that hits you, no matter the subject matter.

Speaking of which, the theme of her new World’s Gone Wrong album is pretty much what you might expect – to a point.  Yes, Williams is talking about where we’re at these days and the turmoil that’s become the norm, but rather than rave from a mountaintop at how far off the rails this ol’ world has gone, the album’s songs take things on at a more personal level.  Lucinda Williams is singing to you as a fellow human being and the characters in her songs could be you; might be me … and in that personal, look-you-in-the-soul delivery, there’s hope to be found. 

Along with rawness and honesty, Williams’ music – both in the studio and live – has long been marked by killer guitar work.  A quick list of some of her six-stringed collaborators spans the gamut from cool atmospheric explorers to bluesy twangsters and gritty raunchmasters: Bill Frisell, David Grissom, Greg Leisz, Chet Lyster, Stuart Mathis, Val McCallum, Buddy Miller, Gurf Morlix, Bo Ramsey, Charlie Sexton, and Johnny Lee Schell, to name a few. 

The sessions for World’s Gone Wrong and Lucinda Williams’ live shows of the past couple of years have featured a pair of pickers with reputations as guitarists’ guitarists.  Doug Pettibone and Marc Ford are the kind of players whose equipment is always under scrutiny by those trying to crack the code when it comes to their command of tone – but the fact of the matter is, both of them will tell you the gear isn’t as important as playing with your heart and ears open.

And that’s why they’re currently playing key roles in delivering Lucinda Williams’ music to the world.

“I’m going to work with her”

If the Jeopardy board ever reads, “Jewel, Ray LaMontagne, Steve Earle, Joan Baez, Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Mark Knopfler, and Keith Richards – along with many others – have all worked with this guitarist,” hit your buzzer and yell out (remember, it has to be in the form of a question), “Who is Doug Pettibone?”

While it’s true that Doug’s impressive resume includes onstage and in-studio supporting roles with a wide-ranging list of artists (along with a pair of solo albums – 2004’s The West Gate and Gone, released in 2014 – which are both hidden gems), his 25-year-or-so connection with Lucinda Williams is like no other.

“I remember the first time I heard Lucinda,” he tells me, recalling a memory from 2000 or thereabouts.  “I was like, ‘What …?  What is this?’  It was the sound of the guitars that got me first – and then I heard her lyrics … and that just knocked me out: ‘Holy cow – what’s going on here?  I love this stuff.’

“That day – that moment – I said to myself, ‘I’m going to work with her.’  I’ve never said that about anybody – and I had no idea how or when that was going to happen, but … the universe opened up and made it happen.  One day, a couple years later, I got a call that Lucinda Williams was looking for a guitar player.”

Pettibone shares that origin story with a mix of wonderment and a solid trust in what’s meant to be: “I really believe that if you want something bad enough and put it out there, it can happen,” he says.  “All that stuff is out there – that’s where all the songs are; that’s where they live, just floating around.”

Doug’s studio debut with Lucinda was 2003’s World Without Tears and continued with West (2007) and the 2008 release Little Honey, along with steady touring (a sample of which was brilliantly captured on 2005’s Live @ The Fillmore).  His work on guitar, mandolin, and both pedal and lap steel proved to be the ideal match for Williams’ songs and vocal delivery: beauty without being polished to death; as nasty as was needed; just-right without being overthought. 

Doug eventually gave in to the demands from others for his talents (2009 found him touring and writing songs with Marianne Faithfull), but his bond with Lucinda Williams was solid – steady bandmates or not.

“I was living in LA at that point,” he says, “and if I was in town, I’d sit in for a couple of songs whenever she came through LA.”  It was obvious to anyone on hand for those moments – whether it was Doug’s guitar blending with a full band or just he and Lucinda with a pair of acoustic guitars – the connection remained … and it was a unique one.

In November of 2020 Williams was at her home in Nashville when she suffered a stroke due to a blood clot in her brain.  The same fire that had always burned throughout her career fueled her recovery: although she was unable to play guitar and walked with a cane, she was back performing by the following summer and began writing for another studio album, Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart, released in 2023.

While Doug Pettibone guested on a number of tracks on Rock n Roll Heart, Stuart Mathis – a picking friend of Pettibone’s since they were young – was leading Lucinda’s guitar attack at that point.  When Mathis was struck down by Covid just prior to a sold-out gig at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, however, it was Pettibone to the rescue. 

“It made sense for them to call ‘Doug’s Emergency Guitar Services’ because I knew the songs,” says Doug.  “To do the gig, rather than just sitting in for a few songs with the band … it felt like coming home, you know?  I could play like I wanted to play; all these other things that I’ve done, you kind of have to play parts most of the time – but with Lucinda, she just wants you to be you. 

“It felt so good to be back …”

Stuart Mathis’ subsequent decision to step back from touring to concentrate on his health made Doug’s reentry permanent – but with Lucinda unable to help drive the songs with her rhythm guitar work, the band needed another six-string slinger to round out the sound.  The key would be someone with not only the chops to handle the chore, but the feel for the music’s heart and soul.

Enter Marc Ford.

“I really love being part of this band”

You can mention Marc Ford’s tours of duty with the Black Crowes (their golden years of 1991-97 and a revisit in 2005-2006) for context, but there’s so much more to his musical career. 

Besides his guitar work with the likes of Ben Harper (including the Grammy award-winning There Will Be A Light, featuring the Blind Boys of Alabama), Booker T. Jones, and all-star jammers Blue Floyd, Ford has an catalog of recordings as a solo artist and bandleader, dating back to 2003’s It’s About Time.  Highlights include 2010’s Fuzz Machine (re-released in 2020), which is considered serious guitar porn; Live In Germany documents a 2017 performance in a power trio setting; and 2023’s Neil Songs pays homage to some classic Neil Young tunes.  Plus, Ford has proven his talents as a “player/coach” in the studio, with producer credits including albums by Ryan Bingham, Steepwater Band, Chris Lazotte, Phantom Limb, and Grainne Duffy.

Marc Ford’s first crossing of paths with Lucinda Williams came in 2003.  “She was kind of a fan of my first solo record,” Marc remembers, “and she offered me the opening slot on a tour.  I wasn’t able to take it at the time, but we did some hanging out in LA and got to know each other.”

Doug Pettibone has a memory from back then of Marc Ford & The Sinners opening a show for Lucinda and her band: “We were playing at a winery in California, and I remember Marc sat in with us on ‘Joy’ … one of those guys who was easy to talk to and we got along really well – the same as we did musically.  The two of us had a conversation with our guitars and I said, ‘I like this guy.’”

The duo reconnected in 2022, backing singer/songwriter/actor Kiefer Sutherland on a series of European shows.  “Marc and I hit it off the same way we had years before,” says Doug.

Which is no doubt one of the reasons why Marc Ford’s name was the first to come up the following year when another guitar voice was needed in Lucinda Williams’ band.  “Everybody was excited to bring Marc on board,” says Doug.

There are pairings of guitar slingers that could easily result in jostled egos and dented fenders, but there were natural places for the Pettibone/Ford team to apply their talents as the band took to the road.

“There were the parts I’d played on the original records; it just made sense for me to cover those,” says Doug.  “And then with Lucinda not playing acoustic guitar anymore, there were some songs where I’m playing pedal steel and Marc would play acoustic … or if he’s playing slide, I’d step in on acoustic.”

“That was the approach when I joined the band,” agrees Marc.  “I was basically there to cover the ground that Lu had been doing … plus there were songs where there obviously was more room for a second guitar – or we just sort of made room for a second guitar.”

“We split it up however we thought it would be interesting musically,” says Doug.  “There are no egos; it’s all about the music and who sounds better doing what.”

“It’s a real respectful thing and the roles just kind of naturally came out of that,” says Marc.  “Doug obviously knew the melody lines of the existing songs; he was in charge of that. 

“The main thing is simply listening and not stomp all over each other – or Lu.”

Doug agrees: “Those are the three things: fingers, ears, and awareness – sometimes it’s a matter of listening and knowing when to not make any noise.”

When I ask Marc about the idea of having the confidence not to overplay, he laughs.

“Yeah – absolutely,” he says.  “It’s a much more mature and grown-up way of playing, for sure.  It’s hard to develop that skill: to play and be an observer at the same time.  I think as you’re developing your own style and your own touch, you’re also developing the ability to listen and maneuver … it’s kind of like two brains at once.

“You know,” he continues, “the older I get, the more I realize that years ago we expended way more energy than we needed to … I thought everything was a much bigger deal and there was all that extra bullshit pressure.  Now it’s like, ‘Am I being helpful to the situation?’ – you know what I mean?  ‘Where can I help?’

“There’s enough pressure; enough tension in life – why make more?  Especially when you’re playing music.

“I really love being part of this band; being part of this sound; helping to lift up whoever has the message and helping them deliver that message as purely as they can.”

Both Marc and Doug credit the talents of longtime Lucinda bassist David Sutton and his ability to tie things together.

“David’s great,” says Doug.  “He’s really melodic; plays all the right stuff and is all about the groove.  David’s one of those players who you might not realize what he’s doing – until he isn’t … like if there’s a problem with his amp or something.  And then it’s, ‘Holy Cow … David – get back here!  We need you!’” 

“Everybody in the band has good ears and that’s really necessary,” says Marc.  “The song and the lyrics are number one – and David’s remarkable at that.  He’s all about not letting anything get in the way of the song or distracting from it.”

While on the road in 2024, the Pettibone/Ford-powered lineup paid a visit to Abbey Road Studios to record an album of Beatles classics.  (“It still seems like a dream that we did that,” says Doug.)  And Lucinda Williams began responding to the changing world around us in the best way she knew how: by writing songs for a new album.

Birthing World’s Gone Wrong

Prior to her stroke, Lucinda Williams’ standard approach to songwriting was to work out the basic tune on her guitar.  With that not being an option, it was up to Doug Pettibone to become Lucinda’s hands and strings, bringing the songs in her soul to life.

Doug describes sitting down with Lucinda and her husband/business manager Tom Overby, who assisted in the writing process: “I’d come in and help with the lyrics if they needed me to; we always started with the lyrics.  Then Lucinda would sing the melody she was hearing and that would be the seed – I’d find the chords that fit.

“Lucinda’s such a great writer – one of the greatest living writers we have, and that’s the truth.  Her songs tell stories and they make you think.” 

“That’s how the album came together: lyrics; melodies; chords … and that gave us something to take into the studio with the rest of the band and work out the grooves and the feel of the songs.”

“Where Lu wasn’t writing on an acoustic guitar, it no doubt changed things a bit,” says Marc.  “Doug did a lot of the heavy lifting to put the songs together; it’s obvious he knows Lu really well … and she feels comfortable enough with him to open up her songs to him, you know?

“From there, we’d get together in the studio, find our parts and work out the arrangements.  We’d agree on how we were going to do a song, record it, and move on.  And I think it worked out well; the music really lends itself to what the record’s all about: it’s in your face and it’s angry at times.  Shit’s gone wrong – it can’t be a very polite-sounding record, you know?”

World’s Gone Wrong is augmented with some guest vocalists – including Mavis Staples, Norah Jones, Maureen Murphy, Siobhan Kennedy, and Brittney Spencer; harmonica legend Mickey Raphael makes an appearance; sitting in on keyboards are Rob Burger and Reese Wynans; and drummer Brady Blades teamed up with David Sutton to hold down the rhythm in the studio.  (Since the sessions, Brad Templeton – whose credits include drumming with the Cardinals and Steve Earle – has taken over behind the kit.)

The resulting album is full of power: disgust rides shotgun with anger while pathos wraps an arm around the shoulders of weariness – yet that trademark Lucinda Williams honesty manages to provide hope at the same time.

And, oh – the vignettes: “How Much Did You Get For Your Soul?” is just as finger-pointing as the title sounds, but the band delivers it disguised in a total beach-blanket-party-in-the-garage arrangement, slathered in vintage Fender vibrato-and-reverb shimmer.  (“You might wonder, ‘Is this too cheeky?’” says Marc.  “But I don’t think so.”)  Meanwhile, “Low Life” is classic sitting-at-the-bar-peeling-the-label-off-a-beer-bottle (or in this case, downing a hurricane) pensive: “I guess this is the low life/But it’s where I wanna be” sings Lucinda, but it’s not a matter of giving up hope; it’s a matter of finding hope with some Slim Harpo on the jukebox.

The title song lays all the struggles out there, but it does it with shoulders squared; “Something’s Gotta Give” accomplishes the same (there’s no denial of the fucked-upness of things; you have to come to terms with that fucked-upness before things can get better); “Black Tears” reminds us that the past is still the present in too many ways (“400 years is long enough/How long will they rain down?”).  And the question asked in “Punchline” – “Did God forget the punchline?” – is one we all wonder.

It’s a tribute to the heart and soul of these songs and this band that a Bob Marley tune (“So Much Trouble In The World”) feels completely at home and in good company.  Listen to Sutton’s wonderfully rubbery bassline weaving with the drums and hold your breath when Lucinda and Mavis Staples dig into the vocals.  As heavy of a load as the lyrics lug, however, you can’t help but smile as Pettibone and Ford’s guitars wokka-wok and skank, embracing the one-drop and beckoning your being (and body) to join in.

“This band can switch gears pretty easily and go in any direction,” says Doug.  “And Lucinda’s the captain of the ship, telling her stories … it really is something to be part of all this.”

Marc echoes his partner-in-guitar’s feelings about the gift that making music with Lucinda Williams is.  “I think I’m where I’m supposed to be right now,” he says.  “Life is good and I’m part of some music that really matters.  Lucinda is an incredible artist and being able to play her music for her is an absolute honor.

“I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”

You can’t ask for any more than that.