Not unlike myself, Tyler Ramsey some years ago moved closer to nature with his wife and daughter. For me personally, I can tell you it was the best decision I’ve made by some margin. There is nothing like walking into the woods in the middle of any given day and surrounding yourself by the quiet noises of your feet landing on fallen leaves, a woodpecker packing at a tree above you or a deer rushing away through the bushes. One of the few other things that come close to that feeling? Putting on my headphones and turning on any album by Ramsey. Back in November 2019, he recorded this session for The Influences at TakeRoot, playing covers of Cyndi Lauper’s All Through The Night, The Pretenders’ Back On The Chain Gang and his own White Coat.

“Cyndi Lauper’s voice and presence have been inspiring to me always.”

After playing this session, Tyler Ramsey also recorded these songs for an EP called Found A Picture Of You that also features Elizabeth Cotton’s Shake Sugaree which Tré Burt recently covered in his The Influences session.

When that EP was released, the former Band Of Horses guitarist and singer-songwriter told Relix: “And then of course there is Cyndi Lauper! Growing up with her hits playing on the radio…. Her voice and presence have been inspiring to me always.”

“Back On The Chain Gang has a line that gets me every time.”

To guitarplayer.com, Tyler Ramsey said: “I love Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders – I grew up hearing that unique voice on the radio and got hooked on their records. This song has a line in it that gets me every time: I found a picture of you/those were the happiest days of my life/like a break in the battle was your part/in the wretched life of a lonely heart.”

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There is no better way to discover music than watching great musicians cover the songs they love. The Influences has been producing these videos ever since 2008.

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