Over 40 years after the release of his wildly influential self-titled album on Leon Russell’s seminal Shelter Records, Willis Alan Ramsey returns to touring in advance of a long-anticipated follow-up.

Since that landmark first release, Ramsey has toured only occasionally, spending time instead with his family, honing his craft in Austin, Nashville and London, educating himself in the science of audio recording and composing new songs, some of which will appear on his upcoming album, Gentilly.

His new songs have received critical acclaim as well, including Lyle Lovett’s recordings of “Sleepwalkin’,” “North Dakota,” and “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas),” cowritten with his wife, Alison Rogers, as well as Eric Clapton’s recent recording of Willis’ “Positively.”

Ramsey’s infrequent personal appearances always garner excitement among some of the top critics in the country as well as from his fellow artists. “You might not have seen him lately,” writes John T. Davis of The Austin American Statesman, “but if you’ve listened to Shawn, Lyle or Jimmie Dale, you’ve heard him.”