Singer-songwriter and harpist Hattie Webb on new album, Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty, David Gilmour
Goldmine spoke with British singer-songwriter and harpist Hattie Webb, who will be performing at Madison Square Garden as part of David Gilmour’s entourage, about her new album ‘Wild Medicine,’ her many years singing background vocals for Leonard Cohen as part of the Webb Sisters with her sister Charley, and touring with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. We begin with both sides of a Leonard Cohen Record Store Day vinyl single that Webb performed on, followed by several songs from her new album, ending with a Bob Seger cover.
Available digitally from Missing Piece Records
GOLDMINE: Welcome to Goldmine. Let’s begin with Canadian Leonard Cohen. How long did you and your sister Charley tour with him?
HATTIE WEBB: We did a good six years with him, and it led to a few live records, too.
GM: “If It Be Your Will,” from Live in London, is beautiful with you singing and playing harp and Charley singing and playing acoustic guitar. For Record Store Day in 2009, a vinyl single from the album was released with "The Future” on the A side.
HW: That is an amazing song with very powerful and deep lyrics.
GM: The flip side was “Suzanne,” originally Leonard’s first A side in 1967 in Canada, which I learned in the ‘70s by another Canadian artist, Tom Northcott. It is a beautiful song.
HW: Oh, isn’t it? It is one of the heavenly gifts that a songwriter has been bestowed. It is extraordinary and the fingering of the notes on his guitar is spectacular. It was breathtaking to witness on stage. Charley and I had the best seat in the house to watch Leonard Cohen from two meters away play every night, witness his process, and absorb the way he structured his creative life, which really influenced me.
Leonard Cohen
Fabulous Flip Side: Suzanne
A side: The Future
Debut: Record Store Day April 18, 2009
Columbia 38-749409
GM: On your new tribute “Waltz for Leonard,” you mentioned Lissadell, three hours directly north of where I spent time in Limerick, Ireland.
HW: Lissadell House is in County Sligo, and we played there with Leonard in a beautiful outdoor space. It has a huge history. There were a few poets that he immersed himself in and Yeats was one of them. Yeats’ poem “In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markievicz” begins with, “The light of evening, Lissadell. Great windows open to the south. Two girls in silk kimonos, both beautiful, one a gazelle.” Leonard recited Yeats’ poem that evening. It was an extraordinary space to be in. After the concert we went into Lissadell House. There was a little soiree where we had food, wine, and a discussion. It was magical. Whenever I am in these historic places, I like to go downstairs, because normally in the belly of the houses there are a lot of the original kitchens, and I am always fascinated by that. At Lissadell House, it is very much steeped in 18th century architecture, like a wooden cupboard that looked like it was opened ten thousand times before by many hands. I just can’t help but go back in time.
GM: My wife Donna and I live in Florida, two hours southeast of Gainesville where Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, and Benmont Tench got their start before The Heartbreakers. She often quotes “I Won’t Back Down” as a personal anthem, one of the songs they performed on their 2017 for their 40th anniversary tour, which you were part of.
HW: Yes, in fact I saw Benmont this summer when he was in London. He is such a beautiful man and a wonderful artistic creator. It was extraordinary working with them on the tour. They had such a brethren spirit between them. They never had singers join them apart from Stevie Nicks. It felt very much like hallowed ground because my sister Charley and I are very big fans of Stevie and her work.
GM: “Hearts Connect,” which you co-wrote with Mike, along with Nina Baker, has a Heartbreakers sound with a bit of “Refugee” and “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” in it. With Mike’s guitar and your harp, you blend as “Harpbreakers!”
HW: You’re a wordsmith! I really appreciate your feedback. I feel like Mike’s electric guitar and my harp are very much like the masculine and feminine characters in the story, with the instruments representing emotion in a more fundamental way than voices. It was wonderful writing that with Mike. I showed up with the chorus. He picked up his guitar and created the verse in its entirety. The songwriting collaboration was pretty much complete in seven minutes. He is an incredible person to work with and is so immediate. I told him, “I like this descending line. It is quite Beatles-esque.” He said, “If you are going to steal, then steal from the best.”
GM: On the title tune “Wild Medicine,” your harp is heard immediately. How did you choose this as your instrument?
HW: I wanted to play when I was four. I grew up in a house built in 1580 and the wood in our house either used to be from a church or a boat, transformed into this old cottage. My mum would have the radio on a lot when she was cooking, and I would be in the kitchen with her. I heard a harp on the radio and felt an immediate sense of connection and inspiration. For several years, I asked my parents for lessons. I began the piano at six because we owned one, and then the harp at eight. I remember my first lesson landing in the instrument, feeling that it was natural to me, and immediately understanding how the harp moves sonically, where with the piano, I didn’t have that feeling at all, and struggled with the piano. I think about that when children are learning instruments, and they should have the chance to explore and find which instrument speaks to them.
GM: Around the time that Tom Petty’s “You Don’t Know How It Feels” was a hit in the ‘90s, another one of the songs you performed on that historic final anniversary tour, our daughter Brianna chose trumpet as her instrument in middle school. She thought she wanted to play the flute, but with trumpet, she could successfully achieve a sound, a loud one at that, and she still plays the instrument in two orchestras in Virginia. Trying out different instruments helped.
HW: That is so great to hear. I am so happy because the trumpet obviously had a quality that connected with Brianna.
GM: Another instrument, drums, comes through tastefully in “Ruined in the Rain.”
HW: That is Steve Ferrone from The Heartbreakers. In addition to being a wonderful musician, he has become a great mentor. If I have queries about music law or if I am unsure what to do in a situation, I will often call him. We had the song, but the drums didn’t feel right, and I sent it to him, asking if he would be willing to overdub some drums on the track, and he said, “Absolutely!” Originally there were drums in the verses, but what he did was create more space in the verses by not playing through it and leaving his power for the chorus. Tom Petty used to always say, “Steve Ferrone is a songman,” meaning that he plays for the song with no ego. I love the eclectic feeling that he brought to the song. It rolls along in a vintage way yet is driving and fresh. I’m thrilled with what he did on that track.
GM: On “Never Just Your Daughters,” you sing about scars, and share the lines, “secrets carry forever, no one saw it happen” and “I’ve served my time for a crime that wasn’t mine.”
HW: The song has narratives of abuse. I think many people grow up with elements of abuse, disempowerment, or challenges in society. It can be carried out through your family line or friendship groups. We are all so connected. This was rooted around the time of the #MeToo movement, hearing lots of people saying, “You would never want that to happen to your daughter,” which I absolutely agree with. I feel that we must care about each other as a community, whether we are blood relatives, friends, men, or women. While I appreciated where that care came from, I felt a sense of humanity between us is what makes the difference. I know that men suffer abuse as well. I know now that I have a sense of where my boundaries are and reinforce them with love and openness, not with tension and aggression. That wisdom takes time. I am 43, still learning, but I am invested in it. I do a lot of work with a domestic abuse charity, AAFDA, Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse, which I am very passionate about. I know you have been involved in this cause too, with your charitable work. We need loving, sensible, and smart minds to navigate changing statistics for so many people.
GM: I thought your album was ending with the gentle song “Shine” and then I heard one more, which felt like a bonus track. Right before you were born, Bob Seger’s Against the Wind album was released bringing three singles to the Top 40 including “You’ll Accompany Me.” Your tender rendition of his song is wonderful, making your album’s conclusion feel like a double finale.
HW: I have not had such insightful and eloquent feedback before, so I am very grateful. I am excited to be back in the U.S. I feel like it is my second home. I am very excited to be playing here with a very British artist, David Gilmour, with Leonard being Canadian, and Tom being very much a Gainesville, Florida, American, it is very interesting to be coming back to America under an umbrella of Britishness. There is such a wonderful lilt to David’s guitar playing, which I witnessed, rehearsing with him at his home in England. Thank you again for listening to my album and all your wonderful questions and comments. You got me thinking and I am very honored to be part of your Goldmine series.
The Webb Sisters’ New York City run with Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour continues tomorrow, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.
This Hattie Webb interview article is dedicated to her late friends Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) and Tom Petty (1950-2017).
Related links:
Click here to stream Hattie Webb's album 'Wild Medicine'
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Goldmine 2022: Leonard Cohen documentary
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