Category Archives: Country Soul

YOU SHOWED ME-THE SONGS OF GENE CLARK.

You Showed Me-The Songs Of Gene Clark. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Like so many of his generation, Gene Clark developed an interest in folk music after hearing the Kingston Trio. It was no surprise that after graduating from Bonner Springs High School, in Bonner Springs, Kansas, in 1962, that the seventeen year old formed …

Continue reading

FOR THE GOOD TIMES-THE SONGS OF KRIS KRISTOFFERSON. 

For The Good Times-The Songs Of Kris Kristofferson. Label: Ace Records. Nowadays, the name Kris Kristofferson means different things to different people. For film fans he’s the star of eighty-five films, while record buyers remember the singer-songwriter who has released eighteen studio albums and three live albums between 1970 and 2014. He’s also collaborated on …

Continue reading

REGGIE YOUNG: SESSION PLAYER TO THE STARS.

Reggie Young: Session Player To The Stars. There aren’t many musicians whose career spans seven decades and get to work with the great and good of music including Elvis Presley, JJ Cale, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Neil Diamond and Dusty Springfield. They’re just a few of the musicians that Reggie Young has worked with during his long …

Continue reading

REGGIE YOUNG-SESSION GUITAR STAR.

Reggie Young-Session Guitar Star. Ace Records. In many ways, session musicians are the unsung heroes of the music industry, and far too often, don’t get the credit that they deserve. They’re mostly anonymous musicians, who are musical hired hands who over the course of a year, will work with countless musicians in the studio or live. However, some of these anonymous musicians have gone on to greater things This previously includes some of the legends …

Continue reading

STEVE YOUNG-THE STORY OF A MUSICAL PIONEER AND FREE SPIRIT.

Steve Young-The Story Of A Musical Pioneer and Free Spirit.  Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll,  there have been countless examples of  truly talented and gifted artists music whose music  failed to find the audience it deserved during their lifetime. This ranges from Nick Drake and Gram Parsons and to some extent, Tim Buckley. It’s only in death …

Continue reading

WILLIE HIGHTOWER-OUT OF THE BLUE.

Willie Hightower-Out Of The Blue. Label: Ace Records. Sadly, nowadays ageism is rife in society and many experienced and talented professionals are consigned to the scrap-heap. Many talented and experienced people are suddenly jettisoned by organisations who should know better. Many of these people are only in their fifties and sixties and have a lot …

Continue reading

STEVE YOUNG-THE STORY OF A MUSICAL FREE SPIRIT AND PIONEER.

Steve Young-The Story Of A Musical Free Spirit and Pioneer. Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll,  there have been countless examples of  truly talented and gifted artists music whose music  failed to find the audience it deserved during their lifetime. This ranges from Nick Drake and Gram Parsons and to some extent, Tim Buckley. It’s only in death …

Continue reading

REGGIE YOUNG-FOREVER YOUNG.

Reggie Young-Forever Young. Ace Records. There aren’t many musicians who release a new album at the age of eighty-one. However, most musicians aren’t Reggie Young, who recently released a new album Forever Young on Ace Records. This isn’t just any album though. Forever Young is Reggie Young’s long-awaited, and much-anticipated, debut album.  In some ways …

Continue reading

BOB HOLMES’ NASHVILLE SOUL.

Bob Holmes’ Nashville Soul.  For many people, Nashville has always been synonymous with country music. It is, after all, the country music capital of America. However, back in the sixties and seventies, it wasn’t  just country music that was coming out of Nashville. So was soul, R&B and jazz. A reminder of that period can …

Continue reading

LOS ANGELES SOUL-KENT-MODERN’S BLACK MUSIC LEGACY.

LOS ANGELES SOUL-KENT-MODERN’S BLACK MUSIC LEGACY.  During the fifties, the Los Angeles’ based, Modern and Kent labels were two of the most successful independent record labels. Their star was definitely in the ascendancy. Modern and Kent signed some of the most successful soul, blues and R&B artists of the fifties, including John Lee Hooker, B.B. …

Continue reading

COLD COLD HEART-WHEN COUNTRY MEETS SOUL VOLUME 3.

COLD COLD HEART-WHEN COUNTRY MEETS SOUL VOLUME 3. For the past fifty years, country music has influenced soul music, and soul singers. Many soul singers grew up listening to soul music. This would later influence and help shape their careers. Later, when their careers began, many soul singers would pay homage to how country music …

Continue reading

MILLIE JACKSON-ON THE COUNTRY SOUL SIDE.

MILLIE JACKSON-ON THE COUNTRY SOUL SIDE. Trying to describe Millie Jackson in just one word, is almost impossible. If I was asked to do so, the word I’d use would be versatile. She could breath life, meaning and drama into a variety of songs. Whether it was heartbreaking, soulful ballads or country soul, Millie could …

Continue reading

SWEET DREAMS: WHERE COUNTRY MEETS SOUL VOLUME 2.

SWEET DREAMS: WHERE COUNTRY MEETS SOUL VOLUME 2. Ever since the fifties, country music has influenced soul music. That’s no surprise. After all, many soul singers grew up in the southern states, listening to the country music coming out of Nashville, Memphis and Muscle Shoals. Back then, country music was King. There was no alternative …

Continue reading