Tim Krekel is an American original. He’s dedicated himself to creating music that is a real testament to life, love and, mostly, rock & roll. Tim’s gifts to the music world are plentiful. He has a warm, personal vocal style and has perfected his own distinctive guitar style. He is a master craftsman of songs that "get across with fire and conviction and without a trace of pretension". (CD Review) Tim’s approach is straight-up rock & roll and nothing short of phenomenal. Rolling Stone said, "Krekel unleashes a monster riff".
Tim is based in his hometown, Louisville, KY. He also spends a good deal of time in Nashville, where he is on the creative team at Bluewater Music. The "Krekkies" know that the best ticket in town is to a Krekel show. Filmmaker Morgan Atkinson even has a documentary about Tim in the making. It’s titled, appropriately, Local Hero.
Tim has enjoyed success on many levels: He’s earned acclaim by writing hit songs for numerous artists, toured the States and Europe a few times, and collaborated live and in the studio with many performers. He also found time to record several critically acclaimed albums of his own prolific brand rock and roll tunes that are as about as infectious as they come.
Tim’s songs have been recorded by artists such as Rick Nelson, Lonnie Mack, Jerry Reed, Dr. Feelgood, Shakin’ Stevens, Canned Heat, Kathy Mattea, Jason & the Scorchers, Vern Gosdin, BJ Thomas, Delbert McClinton Aaron Tippin, Deana Carter and Kim Ritchey. Many artists have had great success with Tim’s songs. Crystal Gayle had a number one hit with Turning Away in 1984. Patty Loveless also went to number one with You Can Feel Bad, a song Tim co-wrote with Matraca Berg and that also earned Tim a BMI Country Award in 1997. Cry on the Shoulder of the Road, another Krekel/Berg penned tune was a chart topper for Martina McBride. Kim Richey’s version of Come Around, a song she co-wrote with Tim, was used in the 1999 Kevin Costner film, For Love of the Game.
There have been many people who have been thrilled to play with Tim Krekel. Some of them are well-known, but it’s also important to emphasize that Tim regularly encourages other musicians to join him for a song: His humility onstage makes it easy for those performers to do their best. They might be a little more nervous if they realized that Tim has played with performers like Jimmy Buffett, Billy Swan, Bo Diddley, Delbert McClinton, Skeeter Davis, Steve Forbert, Tracy Nelson, Pam Tillis, Marshall Chapman, Lonnie Mack, and Sam Bush. Tim has appeared with Mark Germino on Late Night with David Letterman. He has also performed on NPR’s Mountain Stage with Matraca Berg. Speaking of public radio, Tim is a favorite of the pioneering Louisville station WFPK. He was named among their Essential Artists A-Z in 2000. Four of Tim’s tunes were voted among the 2001 Greatest Songs All Time by WFPK listeners.
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