The Civil Wars Officially Part Ways, Offer Free Download
Though the writing has been on the wall for a while now, today one country music’s most critically-acclaimed modern singing duos officially called it quits. The Civil Wars, who embodied evolved songwriting much more indicative of Americana, spellbinding vocal presentation bordering on the classical or operatic, and whose talent won the four Grammy Awards and multiple nominations from major country awards shows despite their out-of-place, refined nature, released a statement today saying the duo is officially no more.
The Civil Wars made up of duo partners Joy Williams and John Paul White have regretfully decided to permanently part ways. The difficult decision ends a tumultuous period for the four-time Grammy Award-winning band, who has been on indefinite hiatus since late 2012. As a thank you gift and farewell, the band is offering a download of their rendition of “You Are My Sunshine.” Recorded in 2010, the track was originally released in 2011 as a b-side to the band’s limited edition Barton Hollow 7” vinyl. This is the first time the song has been available digitally in the U.S. Both Joy and John Paul have added their personal words on disbanding here below.
Joy Williams comments, “I am saddened and disappointed by the ending of this duo, to say the very least. JP is a tremendous musician, and I will always be grateful for the music we were able to create together. I sincerely hope that ‘You Are My Sunshine’ will be accepted as a token of my gratitude for every single person that has supported our duo throughout the years. I’m so thankful and my heart is full. Looking ahead, I’m excited to share the music that I am writing and recording in the midst of this difficult transition. I’ve loved being back in the studio, and have missed performing live. I look forward to seeing you soon.”
John Paul adds, “I would like to express sincere thanks to all who were a part of the arc of The Civil Wars from the beginning, to the end, and all points in between. My deep appreciation goes out to all who supported, disseminated, and enjoyed the music. Whatever shape or form the next chapter takes, thanks for being a large part of this one.”
Download “You Are My Sunshine”
After only one full-length album, 2011’s Barton Hollow, The Civil Wars who met at a songwriting session in 2008 in Nashville, found themselves amongst “internal discord and irreconcilable differences,” announcing this to the public after abruptly canceling a tour in November of 2012. It was clear that Joy Williams and John Paul White wanted different things from their music careers, and despite the stark intimacy of their music—many times sung with the duo looking into each other’s eye—they could not find enough common ground to move forward.
In 2013, amidst the openly-acknowledged separation, the duo finished and released a second album, aptly self-titled. Despite the turmoil surrounding the band and the lack of a tour, the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Charts, and again became a favorite of critics, while still finding good commercial success.
Both John Paul White and Joy Williams have moved on to different things: Joy mostly as a singer, and John Paul as a guitar player, producer, and founder of Single Rock Records in Muscle Shoals in Alabama, releasing an album from St. Paul & The Broken Bones.
The duo is done for good. But their influence for intimate and ornate harmonies deftly refined, and their two finely-crafted albums, will live on.
August 5, 2014 @ 8:53 am
I’m very sad about this. I’d always thought they’d reconcile after some time apart. I love their albums ”“ Both were beautiful, haunting and well-written. I wish them both individual success with their future endeavors.
August 5, 2014 @ 9:24 am
I guess you could say they had their own…[flips shades] Civil Wars going on.
YEAHHHHHH!
No, in all seriousness though, the were a great duo. It’s a shame they’re parting ways.
August 5, 2014 @ 11:23 am
I know the Civil Wars weren’t fully appreciated on this site, as they were not very country, at all. But I love listening to their music. White brought some grit to balance Williams’s too-pretty vocals, and I can’t imagine that she will do as well in another venture. It will be interesting to see where she goes from here. Wish them both the best.
August 5, 2014 @ 3:02 pm
My favorite duo of all time. The talent was equaled by the passion that was palpable.
Their performance of Barton Hollow at the Opry is a great example of what I mean (YouTube), and I only regret not seeing them live.
That’s why I paid the scalpers big bucks to see Simpson open for Isbell at the Ryman in October:
You never know.
August 5, 2014 @ 4:54 pm
Band members can’t have sex with each other. Rule #4,356.
August 5, 2014 @ 9:05 pm
I know that few people besides Joy and John Paul know what happened between them but it’s still bewildering. If their relationship was so tumultuous as to fall apart so quickly it’s a wonder that they worked well enough together to even issue the two albums under their belt. Oh, well. They’re still country sounding to me and quite good at that.
August 5, 2014 @ 11:10 pm
I don’t particularly believe that they were involved with one another like every pathetically hopeless romantic does, but I firmly believe that two people couldn’t write, record, music with such emotional depth and not create some sort of tension, considering that they’re both married.
You can’t turn chemistry on and off. I doubt anything actually happened, but still. You try it. Actors can act it over a year’s time on a movie set, but when it’s your every day life–there’s no way there wasn’t intimate tension.
August 5, 2014 @ 11:50 pm
My thoughts exactly ….from the first day I heard they were cancelling their tour .
I think there was an unavoidable emotional ,spiritual connection established through some of the most inspiring , fresh , passion-filled music to come along in years and years and , apparently , HE was the one to suggest putting a stop to something more than the music -something which may have been encroaching on their respective marriages and families.
This music was , for me , a reason to keep listening to EVERYTHING that comes along in case SOMETHING is worthwhile . It was like a paradigm shift when CIVIL WARS demonstrated the boundless power of one guitar and two phenomenal vocalists becoming a single entity HUGELY greater than the sum of its parts . It was the conduit for other-worldly art .
August 6, 2014 @ 6:43 am
I wanted to like them. I really did. But I found their music pretty boring.
August 6, 2014 @ 8:24 am
“Civil Wars” weren’t fully appreciated on this site.” Really?
I like them but Joy became an idealized version of herself on stage….so overly dramatic and theatrical. I like Lorde but I certainly can’t watch all of the Joe Cocker gyrations. It freaks me out.
August 7, 2014 @ 7:51 am
“an idealized version of herself”
That’s a great way to put it. I struggled with how to explain my distaste for her increasingly cutesy movements on stage.
August 8, 2014 @ 4:50 pm
I actually really dislike all emotional “movement” for vocalists without instruments. It looks overly dramatized and ends up being a distraction. There’s ways to move on stage and show energy, but when you take a simple emotion and turn into a flailing hand gesture and hemorrhoid facial contortion, it looks ridiculous.
August 6, 2014 @ 10:46 am
As is heard in many, many homes….”If she continues to work there, then you are not going to work there…”
August 6, 2014 @ 9:40 pm
I am still confused about WHAT exactly Americana is. Wiki is no help. It seems to be some kind of junction point between country, bluegrass, & folk. And I’ve read elsewhere is was a genre created solely for traditional country acts to have place to get recognition and where legacy acts went to die. I don’t mind the label as such, though I think too much labeling is more destructive by dividing people as opposed to being some kind of useful definition.
I just wish country legacy acts, instead of jumping ship reclaimed the genre they helped usher into maturity. Couldn’t they all just band together like some super country crime fighting team. (sigh)
August 8, 2014 @ 2:56 pm
I find it odd that while Joy made a point to mention John Paul in her statement, he failed to mention her by name in his statement..I am not trying to start rumours, or have people look at their statement in a different light, because I do not know these people, and never will, nor do I know what goes on when you are a professional singer. However, it just does not make any sense that he would not mention her by name..
June 19, 2015 @ 10:42 am
Does anyone know if you can still get the free download of you are my sunshine? And if so where