''The Wind'' is the twelfth and final studio album by American singer-songwriter

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", " Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Th ...

. The album was released on August 26, 2003, by

Artemis Records Artemis Records was a New York-based independent record label, founded in July 1999 by Danny Goldberg with Daniel Glass as President, and closed in April 2006. The label was acquired by E1 Entertainment. Artemis had a leading share of the U.S. ...

. Zevon began recording the album shortly after he was diagnosed with inoperable pleural

mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The most common area affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining ...

(a cancer of the lining of the lung), and it was released just two weeks before his death on September 7, 2003. The album was awarded the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for Best Contemporary Folk Album, and "Disorder in the House", performed by Zevon with Bruce Springsteen, won the Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance (Group or Duo). Songs from the album were nominated for an additional three Grammys.

Recording and release

Upon learning of his cancer diagnosis, Zevon determined to record a final studio album. His record label gave him a large budget to record, and he got assistance from several high-profile musicians and friends. Zevon was inspired to include a

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

cover after Dylan performed several of his songs in concert in 2002.

Critical reception

The record was regarded by Robert Christgau as "one of those nearness-of-death albums", along with

Mississippi John Hurt John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist. Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself to play the guitar around the age of nine. He w ...

's '' Last Sessions'' (1972),

's '' Time Out of Mind'' (1997),

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...

's '' Prairie Wind'' (2005), and Johnny Cash's '' American VI: Ain't No Grave'' (2010).

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted credits from the liner notes of ''The Wind''. ;"Dirty Life and Times" *Warren Zevon – vocals and acoustic guitar * Ry Cooder – guitar * Jorge Calderón – bass guitar * Don Henley – drums *

Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller ''One False Move'', and received international attention after writing, directing, a ...

– backing vocals *

Dwight Yoakam Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album ''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerabl ...

– backing vocals ;"Disorder in the House" *Warren Zevon – vocals *Jorge Calderón – bass guitar, acoustic guitar and percussion *

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...

– drums * Bruce Springsteen – electric guitar and backing vocals ;"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" *Warren Zevon – vocals *Jorge Calderón – backing vocals, bass * Brad Davis – electric guitar and backing vocals * Steve Gorman – drums *Randy Mitchell – slide guitar and backing vocals *

Tommy Shaw Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx (band), Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups includi ...

–

12-string A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

acoustic guitar and backing vocals *Billy Bob Thornton – backing vocals *

John Waite John Charles Waite (born 4 July 1952) is an English musician. As a solo artist, he has released ten studio albums and is best known for the 1984 hit single " Missing You", which reached No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the top ten on ...

– backing vocals ;"Numb as a Statue" *Warren Zevon – vocals and piano *Jorge Calderón – bass guitar,

maracas A maraca (), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas (from Guaraní ), also known as tamaracas, were ...

and backing vocals *Jim Keltner – drums * David Lindley – lap steel guitar ;"She's Too Good for Me" *Warren Zevon – vocals and acoustic guitar *Jorge Calderon – bass guitar *

Luis Conte Luis Conte (born 16 November 1954) is a Cuban percussionist best-known for his performances in the bands of artists including James Taylor, Madonna, Pat Metheny Group, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart and Shakira. He began ...

– drums and percussion * Don Henley – backing vocals * Timothy B. Schmit – backing vocals ;"Prison Grove" *Warren Zevon – vocals *Ry Cooder – slide guitar *David Lindley – electric saz and backing vocals *Jorge Calderon – electric guitar and backing vocals *Reggie Hamilton –

upright bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar ...

*Jim Keltner – drums *Jordan Zevon – backing vocals *Bruce Springsteen – backing vocals * Jackson Browne – backing vocals *Billy Bob Thornton – backing vocals * T Bone Burnett – backing vocals ;"El Amor de Mi Vida" *Warren Zevon – vocals *Jorge Calderón – Spanish-language vocals *Luis Conte –

bongos Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...

*Reggie Hamilton – upright bass *Jim Keltner – drums *James Raymond – piano ;"The Rest of the Night" *Warren Zevon – vocals and electric guitar * Mike Campbell – electric guitar *Jorge Calderón – bass guitar and electric guitar *Luis Conte – drums and percussion *

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...

– backing vocals ;"Please Stay" *Warren Zevon – vocals and keyboard * Gil Bernal – saxophone *Jorge Calderón – bass guitar *Luis Conte – drums and percussion * Emmylou Harris – backing vocals ;"Rub Me Raw" *Warren Zevon – vocals *Jorge Calderón – electric guitar and bass guitar *Jim Keltner – drums *

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr ...

– slide guitar ;"Keep Me in Your Heart" *Warren Zevon – vocals *Jorge Calderón – acoustic guitar, bass guitar and

tres Tres may refer to: * Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument * Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy * "Tres" (song) by Juanes * "Tres", a song by Líbido from their album ''Hembra'' * TrES, the ''Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey'' * Templi ...

*Jim Keltner – drums ;Technical personnel *Bridgette Barr –

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

Record producer *Hugh Brown – art direction *Jorge Calderón – production *

Steve Churchyard Steve Churchyard is an English record producer, recording engineer and mixer who began his career at Sir George Martin’s AIR Studios in London. He currently resides in the United States. He has been nominated for 15 Grammy awards. In 2008 he wo ...

–

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

*Greg Hayes – engineering *

Stephen Marcussen Stephen Marcussen is the founder and chief mastering engineer at Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California, United States. He has been mastering music since 1979. Biography Marcussen's introduction to music recording happened in 1976 when, at ...

– mastering *James Mitchell – engineering *

Matthew Rolston Matthew Russell Rolston is an American artist, photographer, director and creative director, known for his lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design. Rolston has been identified throughout his career with the revival a ...

– cover photo *Noah Scot Snyder – engineering, mixing, production *Joe West – engineering * Jordan Zevon – executive production *Warren Zevon – production

Chart performance

Awards

Grammy Awards Grammy Award Nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wind 2003 albums Warren Zevon albums Folk rock albums by American artists Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album Artemis Records albums Rykodisc albums Concept albums