Wes Freed
Wes Freed (April 25, 1964 – September 4, 2022) was an American outsider artist. His works appeared on album covers of Lauren Hoffman and numerous American rock bands, including Cracker and the Drive-By Truckers.[1]
Wes Freed | |
---|---|
Born | April 25, 1964 |
Died | September 4, 2022 58) | (aged
Spouse |
Jyl Freed (divorced) |
Early life
Freed was born in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia,[2][3] on April 25, 1964.[4] During his high school years, he served as secretary of his school's Future Farmers of America chapter.[5] He intended to move to New York to become an artist.[3] However, he relocated to Richmond, Virginia, in 1983 to study painting and printmaking at Virginia Commonwealth University.[2][6] He ultimately remained in Richmond until his death.[2][7]
Career
Before delving into art, Freed played in Dirt Ball, an alternative country band based in Richmond.[7][8] He served as its lead singer starting in 1986.[5] He also played with other local groups, such as the Shiners (a spin-off from Dirt Ball),[8] Mudd Helmet,[3] the Mutant Drones, and the MagBats.[6] It was during his time with Dirt Ball and Mudd Helmet that Freed designed show posters, adopting an "outsider" style that would influence his later works.[2]
Freed became acquainted with the Drive-By Truckers (DBT) in 1997, when they both performed at the Bubbapalooza Festival.[2] He first worked with the group four years later on their album Southern Rock Opera.[7] He ultimately designed ten album covers for the Truckers.[2][9] He later identified the cover art of The Dirty South (2004) as his personal favorite. Freed utilized marker, watercolor, and acrylic paint, typically on wood.[7] He also designed posters,[3] T-shirts,[10] backgrounds, and miscellaneous merchandise for DBT,[3] as well as the artwork in the 2009 documentary about the Truckers, titled The Secret To A Happy Ending.[11] The final cover he designed for the band was for Welcome 2 Club XIII (2022).[2][7]
Apart from his work with DBT, Freed collaborated with Lauren Hoffman and Cracker.[9] He released in 2019 The Art of Wes Freed – Paints, Posters, Pin-ups and Possums,[12] a coffee table book that compiled his most notable works.[7]
Personal life
Freed was married to Jyl Freed,[13] until they divorced. She consequently received some of his original album cover art as part of the settlement.[14]
Freed died on September 4, 2022, at the age of 58, nine months after he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.[2][7][15]
References
- "Drive-By Truckers artist Wes Freed rocks Floyd art center". www.roanoke.com. Retrieved January 25, 2016. (Subscription required.)
- Taylor, Drew (September 5, 2022). "Wes Freed, artist behind many of Drive-By Truckers' albums, dies". WIAT. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- Bloom, Madison; Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (January 12, 2022). "Wes Freed, Drive-By Truckers Artist, Dies at 58". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- Weatherford, Greg (September 7, 2022). "In Memoriam: Wes Freed". Style Weekly. Richmond, Virginia. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- Melton, Wayne (January 1, 1980). "In Memoriam: Wes Freed". Style Weekly. Richmond, Virginia. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- Holmberg, Mark (February 1, 2018). "Wes Freed, 35 years of underground art and music in Richmond". WTVR-TV. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- Hudak, Joseph (September 5, 2022). "Wes Freed, Visual Artist Who Designed Drive-By Truckers' Albums, Dead at 58". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- Mervis, Scott (February 15, 2002). "Weekend Hotlist, 02/15/02". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- Tryens-Fernandes, Savannah (September 5, 2022). "Wes Freed, iconic artist for Drive-By Truckers albums, reportedly dies at 58". The Huntsville Times. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- Burger, David (March 26, 2013). "Drive-By Truckers' Patterson Hood to headline 2-night stand in Salt Lake City". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- Reid, Zachary (March 18, 2010). "James River Film Festival a community event". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- Freed, Wes (2019). The Art of Wes Freed: Paintings, Posters, Pin-Ups and Possums. Story Farm, LLC. ISBN 9781732645622.
- Downing, Andy (February 2, 2011). "Truckers documentary captures tension as well as music". The Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- Wake, Matt (December 19, 2019). "The secrets of Drive-By Truckers' trippy album covers". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- Sexton, Paul (September 5, 2022). "Wes Freed, Admired Artist For Drive-By Truckers And Others, Dies At 58". uDiscover Music. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
Further reading
- Humes, Pete (September 9, 2005). "Renaissance Man – Freed's Odd World Races Into Clear View". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- Allen, Mike (July 24, 2015). "Drive-By Truckers artist Wes Freed rocks Floyd art center". The Roanoke Times. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- Ruggiero, Bob (March 5, 2015). "Patterson Hood Touts Drive-By Truckers' New Unity". Houston Press. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- Rhines, Brad (September 10, 2013). "Drive-By Painter: Wes Freed". Southern Glossary. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- Robbins, Brian (August 31, 2011). "The Drive-By Truckers' Family Part I – Wes Freed". Relix. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- LaBate, Steve (November 16, 2009). "The 25 Best Album Covers of the Decade (2000–2009): 15. Drive-By Truckers – Decoration Day. Cover Artist: [Wes Freed]". Paste. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- Davis, Hays (July 13, 2006). "The sinister tale of Truckers' rock – Band embraces Southern roots, twisted and all". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- Brady, Linda East (April 8, 2005). "Don't pass up music of Drive-By Truckers". Standard-Examiner. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
External links
- Official website
- Wes Freed discography at Discogs
- Wes Freed at IMDb