THREE TOP 30 SINGLES : COUNTRY NEWCOMER FROM GERMAN STOCK

Lyle Lovett didn’t get into the music business through the usual channels. In fact, the country newcomer opted for a musical career only after graduating in the early ‘80s from Texas A&M; University with degrees in German and journalism.

The interest in German is natural: Lovett’s great-great-grandfather came to Texas from Germany in 1840 as one of the early settlers of a small farm community north of Houston where his family still lives.

As for the journalism degree, Lovett said by the time he graduated he was more interested in writing songs than the news stories and music reviews he contributed to the campus newspaper.

“I never looked for real work as a journalist because I was already doing something that didn’t pay,� he said with a chuckle.

That same droll sense of humor crops up frequently on “Lyle Lovett,� the debut album that has made the Texas singer-songwriter increasingly popular with record buyers as well as with other musicians. The album, which reached No. 14 on the country chart, has produced three Top 30 country singles since its release last July, and a fourth single has just been released.

Lovett has opened shows--often at the artists’ request--for the Judds, Reba McEntire, Randy Newman, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ricky Skaggs and Bonnie Raitt, with whom he played his first Southern California club dates two weeks ago. He opens for his fellow MCA-Curb Records act Chris Hillman at the Roxy tonight, and will return to the Southland on July 24 to play the Pacific Amphitheatre with Emmylou Harris.

Speaking by phone recently from the apartment he uses when visiting Nashville (his home is outside Houston), Lovett, 29, said he is as eager about his Los Angeles debut as are fans of his inventive songs.

“I’ve wanted to come out there for a long time and play some of those great acoustic clubs like McCabe’s in Santa Monica. I think the record company has just been waiting for what they thought was the right kind of show,� the soft-spoken musician said.

At the Roxy, Lovett will be backed by what he calls a “country big band�--including the saxophone section that is integral to the plot of his mordantly funny “An Acceptable Level of Ecstasy (The Wedding Song).�

But when he opened for Raitt earlier this month at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, he was accompanied only by his own acoustic guitar and cellist John Hagen. It was an unexpected combination but one that provided varied and colorful backing to everything from Lovett’s wry country waltz “God Will� to his jazz-tinged Top 10 country hit “Cowboy Man.�

“Doing those shows with Bonnie at the Coach House was great,� Lovett said. “Most of those people weren’t familiar with my songs (but) they were laughing in the right spots and reacting the way I hoped they would react. I can’t help but think more people would like my music--if I can find a way to get through to the folks who would be interested.�

Lovett said his second album, “Pontiac,� due for release at the end of August, will be more representative of the balance between the light and the serious sides he shows in concert. “I was very happy with the first album and the songs we picked but I think with the second album we gave more consideration to continuity.�

Lovett’s first songwriter role models were other Texans such as Guy Clark (who brought Lovett’s demo tape to MCA’s attention), Townes Van Zandt, Steve Fromholz and Willie Nelson.

“I also listened to blues music a lot,� he said, “people like Lightnin’ Hopkins and Mance Lipscomb, and I also listen to a lot of Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder and Little Feat.�

Although the observational skills he learned as a journalism student have helped him as a songwriter, he noted a fundamental difference between the two callings: “In journalism you are somewhat limited in that you can observe but you can’t really comment. But writing songs you can comment all you want and you don’t even have to observe accurately. You can lie about what you see.�