Iris DeMent performs at City Winery on Nov. 13, 2018. (Photo by Matt Ruppert)

Iris DeMent holds a special place in my heart. Growing up in the suburbs of Akron, Ohio, every night I listened to WKSU, the local public radio station, originating at Kent State. On the weekend evenings, WKSU would play folk music. Iris DeMent’s song “Our Town,” from 1993, is the first song I clearly remember hearing on the radio at night. But I’d forgotten who sang it, and the song and the artist were lost to me for 25 years.

Earlier this year, I rediscovered Iris, and she reminded me of why she is so great in a perfect show at City Winery on Nov. 13.

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