Bogguss Steps Out on the Rebound

Country singer Suzy Bogguss went through a divorce earlier this year, but not the kind that made a star out of Tammy Wynette.

The relationship that fizzled for the Illinois-born Bogguss was the one she’d had for 12 years with Capitol Records. She’s still happily married to songwriter-producer Doug Crider.

“It was difficult not to think of it as a divorce and to feel a little bit like a failure,” Bogguss, 42, said earlier this week by phone from Chico, Calif., a stop on a tour that brings her to the Galaxy Concert Theatre in Santa Ana tonight. “Suddenly, you’re in this state of limbo, with self-doubt starting to creep in.”

Leave it to Bogguss, who may be the only female country singer with a degree in metalworking (from Illinois State University), to start quickly forging the pieces of her career back together.

“My husband really got me going in a positive direction. He said, ‘Instead of feeling halfway depressed, why not get motivated and work on some new songs?’ And that’s just what we did.”

Indeed, she and Crider had a hand in writing half of the dozen songs on “Suzy Bogguss,” her first album for a new, independent Nashville-based record company, Platinum Entertainment.

Platinum, as it happens, is headed by George Collier, a former Capitol executive and longtime Bogguss advocate. The match was ideal for Bogguss, who says she’s found a more supportive atmosphere that emphasizes artistic merit over trends and the bottom line.

“To have somebody understand what you’re about . . . to ‘get it’ . . . makes all the difference in the world,” she said. “In addition to the creative control that I have, you can feel the passion the staff has for selling my work. I know I’m not going to get lost in the shuffle now.”

Although Bogguss scored a handful of top 10 country singles during her years with Capitol, including a duet with Lee Greenwood, “Hopelessly Yours,” Merle Haggard’s “Somewhere Between” and Cheryl Wheeler’s “Aces,” she never turned into a commercial powerhouse. Yet she earned critical and peer respect for the purity and conviction of her singing and for the savvy sense of song selection she’s shown in covering material by the likes of John Hiatt, Lowell George and Ian Tyson.

The fact that she wasn’t easy to categorize may have contributed to the difficulty she’s had getting country radio airplay.

“I’m not real good at working within formats,” she said. “When I started out, I played a lot of solo acoustic shows, so I was drawn to singer-songwriters like Emmylou Harris, James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt.

“I like some pop, rock, folk and jazz, but I am a country singer at heart,” she added. “Every time I get ready to make a record, I say, ‘Let’s do this with just electric guitar.’ But then I get into the studio and say, ‘Let’s have [steel guitarist] Dan Dugmore come over . . . ‘ and he winds up playing on every song.”

The themes she explores in her new album don’t get any more country than on “In the Day,”--a haunting tale she and Crider wrote about a dead-end romance between two drunks.

“Sometimes when I’m performing live, I am consciously reaching out or emoting . . . looking for a reaction from the audience,” Bogguss said. “If I’m singing a song that really tells a story, I wonder, ‘Do you feel this, too? Is this saying anything about our lives?’ ”

Bogguss, who now lives outside Nashville in the rural surroundings of Franklin, Tenn., with Crider and their 4-year-old son, Ben, is hopeful that “Suzy Bogguss” will help her career gather some commercial momentum. Regardless of how it sells, the Academy of Country Music’s 1989 top new female vocalist is comforted knowing she landed on her feet.

“I love these new songs,” she said. “They’re really a good representation of where I’m at these days. I know I’m not making platinum-selling albums like I used to, but I’m still growing and making music that speaks to people. I honestly feel as confident now as I’ve ever been.”

* Suzy Bogguss performs tonight at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. Anthony Rivera & Raining Horseshoes open. 8 p.m. $18.50-$20.50. (714) 957-0600.