Logan

June 14, 1999
Web posted at: 12:41 p.m. EDT (1641 GMT)

By Jamie Allen
CNN Interactive Senior Writer

(CNN) -- Sure, Jack Logan has been featured in Rolling Stone and profiled on NBC's "Today." But unless you're a critic or some other kind of music freak, you've probably never heard of him.

Unlike most performers today, he's not the type to seek out publicity. Just to get an interview with the guy -- which would lead to an article which might lead to more album sales and acclaim -- seems to be an exercise in patience.

But on the fourth try, after a few missed meetings and plenty of busy phone signals, Logan is finally reached at his home in Winder, Georgia.

He has just returned from a tour of the Midwest, the "chitlin circuit" as Logan calls it. That's Southern-boy slang for playing small crowds in small-time venues. He was promoting his May release, "Buzz Me In" (Capricorn Records), a collection of country ballads and twangy rockers, all centered around Logan's heartfelt pinings.

The brevity of the tour belies the fact that Logan is considered by many in the industry to be one of the best songwriters in the last 10 years. He's like a comet most people never see, flying just far enough away from Earth to avoid detection by the masses.

"I have primarily been a critical phenomenon," says Logan. "It's a lot different than going out and drawing a bunch of people and making a lot of money."

But, as stated, Logan is not big on seeking attention. Hand him a guitar and a four-track recorder and he's a happy man.

He says he lives to make music. Some people golf, some people bowl, some people fish -- he writes songs.

"I'll record with someone who knows one chord," Logan says, and he's serious.

"BUZZ ME IN"

"Gimme a Room" [125k MPEG-3] or [175k WAV] "Glorious World" [165k MPEG-3] or [230k WAV] "Metropolis" [175k MPEG-3] or [240k WAV] "Melancholy Girl" [200k MPEG-3] or [275k WAV] (Courtesy Capricorn Records)

'The most substantial rock 'n' roll'

Born in Mississippi but raised in Lawrenceville, Illinois, Logan didn't get into making music until he was 25. (He's 40 now and moans when asked his age.) He was hanging out with some other musicians, and they asked him to pen some lyrics to the music they wrote.

In hindsight, he says it was one of those moments in life in which fate converges with reality: Logan had found his calling.

Since then, he's taught himself guitar and piano. By the early 1990s he'd moved to Georgia and developed a catalog of more than 600 songs -- folk, country, rock -- home-recorded on a four-track system. He was creating for the love of music, working a job fixing pool pumps to pay the bills.

Enter Minneapolis' Twin/Tone Records, which compiled a "best of" Logan record and titled it "Bulk." The double-CD of 42 songs was released in 1994, and the critics responded.

Logan became the working man's success story, Billboard saying his music would "stand with the most substantial rock 'n' roll of this decade." Rolling Stone gave "Bulk" four stars. NBC eventually came calling.

Logan was a star, right? Well, he was touring to a growing fan base -- people would come to Doraville Electric Motor Service, where he still worked between gigs, to get his autograph -- but the bills weren't going away.

He followed "Bulk" with the equally-praised 17-song album "Mood Elevator" in 1996, and the 1998 14-song release "Little Private Angel."

"Angel" led to a five-week tour of Europe, including war-torn Croatia. It gave Logan some perspective on his own existence as a struggling singer-songwriter.

"That was amazing -- we played in Zagreb and then we played in a town down south of there. There were bullet holes in the ceiling and there were these guys that had been at war since they were 12.

"It brought a lot of stuff into perspective, to see how easy we've got it (in the United States). We sit over here and drop bombs on other countries."

Logan's touring band, The Possibilities

'Glorious World'

On his return, Logan set his sights on a new album. He recorded "Buzz Me In" for $9,000 (a record sum for Logan) in Atlanta, working his repair job during the day and heading to the studio at night.

The album features contributions from many of Logan's long-time music buddies, including songwriting collaborator Kelly Keneipp, Dave Philips and Vic Chestnutt. The result is a departure from the rough-hewn sound that made Logan popular with critics and fans. Produced by Kosmo Vinyl, "Buzz" sports a slick sensibility. Logan's lyrics, however, remain the beating heart of his music.

"Glorious World," for instance, starts off with what Logan proudly calls his "cheesiest line ever": "Your neck smells like peppermint/ C'mon baby, lemme pay your rent ... ."

"The response to this record seems to be good," Logan says. "I know I'm going to alienate people with this one because my others were homemade ... but I've gotten some pretty good critical response."

Besides, it's not like Logan is waiting for that big break in which he develops a Springsteen-esque following, basking in rock 'n' roll riches.

"Of course it's nice to scrape by and make a living," says Logan. His true love is in the creation.

"I'm a recording madman," he says. "That's the best part for me."