American singer-songwriter Ray Lamontagne. Photo / Supplied
Laughter greets my confession that I had to resort to Wikipedia to find out about Ray LaMontagne.
"Don't believe everything you read online," laughs this intensely private American singer-songerwriter, who has just released his third album, Gossip in the Grain.
He isn't known for giving interviews and information
is scarce. But it appears there's more truth to the snippets in cyberspace than LaMontagne would have me believe.
Is it true that he's so shy he plays gigs in the dark to avoid interaction with the listening audience?
"I did that a lot earlier on because I had no control over the lighting," he answers. "So I'd just turn them off, which a lot of people didn't like."
And, what of the rumour he's a recluse who lives in the woods of Maine in a house that once belonged to novelist and playwright Norman Mailer?
"Yeah, I bought a little farmhouse that was owned by him. It's very modest - just a little cottage. I didn't seek it out, it just appeared," says the 35-year-old.
It seems LaMontagne's award-winning music career just appeared too - while working 60-hour weeks in a shoe factory he woke one morning to a Stephen Stills song and rushed out to buy the album. I tell him it cannot be true that he just picked up a guitar and started to sing.
"Why don't you believe that?" he quips back.
I explain that he writes such beautiful songs, delivered with such a stunning voice; he must have had an inkling before then that he was good and that he'd one day achieve the critical acclaim he has.
"Not in my wildest dreams. I just started writing songs for myself and then when I did begin to have grander visions it was only to supplement my other job, " he says.
It's an unbelievable story from a guy with unbelievable talent.
- Gossip in the Grain is out now.
