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"Anybody that was a fan of the show Northern Exposure will recognize this as the song from the final scene of the final episode. Coming from a town that was once vibrant and thriving and was left on life-support once the mines closed, this song brings a tear to my eye every time... and is that not what a good country song is supposed to do?" Mike Cox
Iris Luella DeMent (born January 5, 1961) is an American two-time Grammy nominated singer and songwriter. DeMent's musical style includes elements of folk, country and gospel. DeMent was born near Paragould, Arkansas, the youngest child of Pat DeMent and his second wife, Flora Mae. As the baby of the family, she was Pat DeMent's 14th child, and Flora Mae's eighth. Iris's mother had harbored dreams of going to Nashville and starting a singing career. Although she put those plans on hold to get married, her singing voice was an inspiration and influence for her youngest daughter Iris.DeMent was raised in a Pentecostal household. Her family moved from Arkansas to the Los Angeles area when she was three. While growing up, she was exposed to and influenced by country and gospel music. Singing at age five as one of "the little DeMent sisters", Iris had a bad experience when she forgot her words during her first performance, which caused her to avoid performing in public for some time. DeMent was inspired to write her first song "Our Town" by a drive through a boarded-up Midwest town, at the age of 25. The song lyrics came to her "exactly as it is now", without need for re-writing, and she realized then that songwriting was her calling in life."Our Town" was played during the closing scene for the final episode (July 26, 1995) of CBS's television series Northern Exposure.
****REVISED August 28, 2019 - SR****