Rayward Powell St. John (September 18, 1940 – August 22, 2021) was an American singer and songwriter, active on the mid-1960s

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

campus folk/bohemian music scene. He was an occasional member of various Austin rock groups, including The Conqueroo, and wrote some songs for

The 13th Floor Elevators The 13th Floor Elevators was an American rock band from Austin, Texas, United States, formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland. The band was together from 1965 to 1969, an ...

, including "You Don't Know (How Young You Are)", included on the band's 1966 debut, ''

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators ''The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators'' is the debut studio album by the 13th Floor Elevators. The album's sound, featuring elements of psychedelia, hard rock, garage rock, folk, and blues, is notable for its use of the electric ...

''.

Biography

Powell St. John was born in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, Texas on September 18, 1940. Three years later, his family moved to

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the flag of th ...

. He moved from Laredo to Austin, Texas in 1959 as a beatnik. St. John began his musical career in Austin in the early 1960s, playing at parties and clubs around the University of Texas campus. Eventually, he came to work with

Kenneth Threadgill Kenneth Threadgill (September 12, 1909 – March 20, 1987) was a country singer and tavern owner, who mentored the early Austin folk music scene that included Janis Joplin. He also lent his name to two nationally famous restaurant/bar venues. ...

of Austin's Threadgill's Bar, performing with Janis Joplin and Lannie Wiggins in a small trio called The Waller Creek Boys. Later, responding to a request for material from Tommy Hall of the 13th Floor Elevators, St. John wrote six songs for their first two albums. In the late 1960s, St. John moved to San Francisco, California, forming the band Mother Earth with Tracy Nelson. He left the group along with some other members after the band's second album, when they relocated from California to the Nashville area. St. John's songs have been recorded by artists including Janis Joplin ("Bye, Bye Baby"), Boz Scaggs ("I'll Forever Sing"), Mother Earth ("Living with the Animals", "The Kingdom of Heaven is Within You", "Marvel Group", "Then I'll Be Moving On", and "I, The Fly"), Roky Erickson ("Right Track Now"),

Doug Sahm Douglas Wayne Sahm (November 6, 1941 – November 18, 1999) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in San Antonio, Texas. Sahm is regarded as one of the main figures of Tex-Mex music, and as an important per ...

("You Don’t Know"), and The Vietnam Veterans ("Right Track Now"). In 2005 the Texas Music Hall of Fame inducted Powell St. John as part of the South by Southwest Music Conference. In Spring 2006 he was reunited with Roky Erickson in performance at South By Southwest. In 2009, he released his second solo album of new material, ''On My Way to Houston'', Tompkins Square TSQ2233. From 2006, Powell St. John was performing in live concerts backed by The Aliens, the band who had previously backed Roky Erickson on recordings and performances. Powell St. John died on August 22, 2021.

Discography

With Mother Earth

* ''Living with the Animals'' (1968), Mercury SR 61194 * ''Make A Joyful Noise'' (1969), Mercury SR 61226

Solo

* ''Right Track Now'' (2006) * ''On My Way to Houston'' (2009),

Tompkins Square Tompkins Square Park is a public park in the Alphabet City portion of East Village, Manhattan, New York City. The square-shaped park, bounded on the north by East 10th Street, on the east by Avenue B, on the south by East 7th Street, and on ...

TSQ2233 * ''Women Rule'' (2015)

References

External links

Official Powell St. John Website

Interview with Powell St John on Music Life Radio

The Austin Chronicle: Article about Powell St John and the early years of his musical career
{{DEFAULTSORT:St. John, Powell 1940 births 2021 deaths People from Houston American male singer-songwriters Mother Earth (American band) members Singer-songwriters from Texas