Posted by Pete Smith on August 10, 2009, 3:58 pm
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Pete Smith's Reviews - “The Advertiser” (UK)
24 July
Josh Johnson was born and raised south of Nashville where at an early age he was inspired to play country music listening to his father's band. At the age of six, his parents bought him his first guitar and from that day there was no turning back, Josh just had to be a country performer. Whilst still a boy Josh played in his father's band on Friday and Saturday nights and on a Sunday would play and sing Gospel songs with his mother. When it became apparent that the young Josh had a real talent for music they sent him for vocal coaching, an investment that really paid off. The last few years have seen Josh growing in stature as a performer whilst developing a real talent for songwriting, a talent that has seen the young writer garnering several awards. “Everyday, All The Way, Average Man” (Farm Boy), Josh's current album, features among the dozen tracks two Johnson originals plus seven more co-writes and shows the young performer has inherited the traditions of Lefty Frizzell and Merle Haggard. This is real country; honky tonk and two steps, heart ballads and story songs beautifully performed by the young baritone accompanied by an ensemble of really talented musicians including my top favourite instrumentalist Mike Headrick (Dobro, mandolin, steel, lead guitar) and Aaron Till (fiddle). The programme of twelve well crafted songs feature the honky tonking “Bartender” and the beautiful “Auctioneer's Waltz”. This is my first encounter with the music of Josh Johnson and I hope it will not be the last. www.farmboymusic.com
Sixty-one years ago tomorrow (25 July) Steve Goodman was born in Chicago. From his teenage years Steve played his country/folk in clubs and bars. It was whilst opening for Kris Kristofferson in a Chicago bar that his first break came. Impressed by his young support artist Kristofferson introduced him to Paul Anka who persuaded Steve to go to New York where he obtained, on the strength of his writing, a recording contract with Buddah. The next break came after persuading Arlo Guthrie (son of Woody) to listen to some of his songs. Guthrie immediately chose “City Of New Orleans” which he later turned into a pop hit. The song was also picked up by Sammi Smith who hit the country charts with the song and later Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins and many more covered the ballad. Break number three was when David Allan Coe chose “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” and took the song high into the country charts in 1974. Goodman will, I suspect, always be remembered more for his writing than his singing though he recorded eight critically acclaimed albums during his career with eleven more being released after his untimely death on 20 September 1984. Steve Goodman died of leukaemia and such was the stature of the man that he kept on performing almost to the point of death never revealing his fatal condition.
Remember there are stars in the southern sky.
31 July
You know I always think my birthdays come at once when I receive an album from the Hillside label. During the past year I have been absolutely delighted by releases on Curtis Potter, Ray Sanders and Janie Brannon and now by the compilation “Hillside Records Country Song Roundup”, a collection of 21 knock out tracks by six country veterans. The album is summed up on the liner notes; “if you don't like steel guitars and fiddles and Texas-style honky tonkin' dance hall music, this CD is not for you!” The artists are Curtis Potter, Ray Sanders, Justin Trevino, Jerry Inman, Darrell McCall and Kenny Seratt. Readers of a certain age may remember Kenny appearing at the Limes Club (Sheffield CMC) in Sheffield during the early eighties. Sanders, Inman and Potter have three tracks each plus 2 trios (Potter, Sanders and McCall) and one duet (Potter and McCall), Trevino contributes four songs whilst Serrat has five. As with all Hillside releases the backing musicians are legendary; guitarists Ray Edenton, Jimmy Capps and Billy Sanford, steelies Buddy Emmons, Weldon Myrick, Lloyd Green and Sonny Garish with Hargus Robbins (piano), Buddy Harmon(drums), Bob Moore (bass) and Buddy Spicher (fiddle). Tracks include “Hank And Lefty Raised My Country Soul” (Serrat), “Loose Talk” (Sanders), “January, April And Me” (Potter), “Make Room For The Blues” (Inman), “Don't Tell My Wife” (Trevino) and “Fraulein” (Potter and McCall). www.hillsiderecords.net
On this very day (31 July) in 1964 a single engine Beechcraft aircraft crashed during a heavy rainstorm over Tennessee. Jim Reeves died instantly. In the four years to that date Jim had scored nine hits on the UK charts, in the eight years following his death Reeves had 18 more UK chart entries, proving that even death cannot defeat talent. Today the Reeves voice is alive on television advertising which no doubt prompted RCA to once again release his greatest hits. Jim's posthumous longevity must be largely attributed to Jim's widow, Mary, who carefully collected together a large body of Jim's unreleased material and allowed RCA to “clean it up” and make it available to a public thirsting for more of the velvet voice that was Gentleman Jim. I cannot agree with all RCA did. For instance I thought the duet of Jim and Patsy Cline, two artists who had never met and who had died two decades before the recording was made, rather ghoulish. Similarly the duet of Jim and Deborah Allen a young singer who had not even been born in Reeves' lifetime. However that is just a personal opinion. Far to better to remember “He'll Have to Go”, “I Love You Because”, “Welcome to My World”, “Blue Bayou” and all those other wonderful hits.
Remember there are stars in the southern sky.
7 August 2009
Eighty-three years ago tomorrow (8 August) Webb Pierce was born in West Monroe, Louisiana. The young Pierce was influenced at a very early age by the records of Gene Autry and Jimmie Rodgers and was a proficient guitar player before he entered his teens. At the age of fifteen Webb was hired to sing on station KMLB in his hometown but soon after was called to serve his country in World War 11. Whilst in the Army Pierce married Betty Jane Lewis and upon his discharge the couple moved back to Monroe briefly before relocating to Shreveport. The couple played bars and clubs as a duo and in 1949 were signed to separate contracts by Four Star Records. Webb was fairly successful but his wife unfortunately failed to make and impression. The Pierces divorced in 1950. Prior to that Webb joined the “Louisiana Hayride” and formed a band that included future hitmakers Faron Young, Floyd Cramer and The Wilburn Brothers. Showing his flair for business, Pierce formed his own record label, Pacemaker, and publishing company, Ark-La-Tex Music. Webb recorded a few sides for his own label purely for radio performances, he desperately wanted his voice to be heard by as wider audience as possible, and this paid off when Decca signed him. His second single for the label. “Wondering” hit the number one spot heralding a chart career that would last solidly for twenty years and include chart toppers “There Stands The Glass”, “More and More”, “In The Jailhouse Now”, “Love, Love, Love” and “I Don't Care”. Pierce also scored duet hits with his close friend from the “Hayride” days Red Sovine, notably with “Why, Baby, Why” and “Little Rosa”. Webb did more than any other singer to popularise the use of the steel guitar, credit for which is rarely given, whilst forging his reputation as one of country music's finest honky tonk singers. As the Pierce career grew so did Webb's outlandish lifestyle. He could often be seen driving around Nashville in his custom built cars (one with gold dollars set into the upholstery) and his guitar shaped swimming pool became one of “Music City's” busiest attractions. By the 1970s the hits started to dry up and throughout that decade until the time of his death, Webb's major income came from his astute and highly lucrative investments. Webb Pierce died of pancreatic cancer on 24 February 1991. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
Happy fifty-ninth birthday today (7 August) to Rodney Crowell. Born in Texas, Crowell first moved to Nashville to try to establish himself as a songwriter, then was persuaded, in 1975, to relocate to California where he joined Emmylou Harris's Hot Band. Emmylou successfully recorded Rodney's “'Till I Gain Control Again” and this encouraged Crowell, in 1977, to launch what would become a lucrative solo career.
Remember there are stars in the southern sky.
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