David Ball on Uncle Walt's Band

David Ball is one of our best traditional country singers, a regular on the Grand Ole Opry and that rare classic indie who had big radio hits in two different decades. But before he twanged us up with Thinkin' Problem, in his well-spent youth, he was bass player and singer in Uncle Walt's Band, one of the most exceptional and under-appreciated ensembles in roots music history. The acoustic trio was made up of Champ Hood on fiddle and Walter Hyatt on guitar. All three contributed to the complex sound and stellar songwriting, but it was Walter Hyatt's peculiar energy and intellect that stamped the group with his name and personality. Uncle Walt's Band's biggest fans were some of the biggest names in their base in Austin TX, including Lyle Lovett and Marcia Ball. They were truly something, but eventually they went their separate ways. Walter Hyatt died in a plane crash in 1996. Hood died of cancer in 2001. Here, Ball talks about the band and the new Anthology of its best work out now on Omnivore Recordings.