Dutch bands that perform rocking country and honky tonk with verve are very few and far between. If you then set the additional requirement that they must all be original songs, then it becomes a real search for the classic needle in the haystack. You can now give up that search, because with their debut album ‘Another Town’, PJ TAYLOR BAND meets these requirements one by one. The album (on cd) contains 14 tracks supplemented with 2 bonus tracks, plus a surprising, unmentioned track. ‘Another Town’ was recorded by PJ in his home studio and produced, mixed and mastered by himself. In addition, all the songs flowed from the pen of lead singer and lead guitarist Snijders. PJ has already proven his talented songwriting extensively on the albums of Supersonics, on which he is also the frontman. It is therefore no wonder that all the tracks are again full of beautiful melodies, incredibly clever country-worthy arrangements and contain profound lyrics. What’s more, in those lyrics PJ also profiles himself as a sublime storyteller, which makes his songs powerful musical paintings that take you on a fascinating country trip. ‘Another Town’ opens immediately with ‘Anywhere USA’ and immediately radiates that authentic country atmosphere and how wonderfully that twang guitar sounds. That PJ has both feet firmly planted in country is immediately proven. Wonderful guitar work manifests itself in all tracks. ‘Brokedown’ sounds incredibly clever, with those cool stops, where PJ goes low vocally for a moment. Super!. He then works his way through ‘Drinkin’ Thing’ in a relaxed country rocking style. He takes his foot off the gas for a moment with the emotional ‘Would You Miss Me’, in which Jim Reeves can also be heard to some extent. PJ’s love and respect for his great examples George Jones and Buck Owens can be heard throughout the entire album. Trucker songs are inextricably linked to country. So they could not be missed here. This happens for the first time with the appropriate ‘Truckdrivin’ Man’, in which the ‘eighteen wheels’ roll across the asphalt. ‘Diesel Smoke’ is also situated in that genre, which starts off with a roaring engine. In ‘Another Town Left Behind’ PJ tells the daily life of the trucker.
‘I’m No Country Star’ PJ sings a little later, but with this debut album he can certainly crown himself a ‘country star’.
With the shuffle ‘Unholy Mess’ and the uptempo ‘It’s Happening Again’ we end up with the bonus tracks, which can only be heard via the CD or streaming. But pay attention… because with ‘Heartbreak School’ there follows another track that is not mentioned on the inlay.
‘Another Town’ is without a doubt a class album that every lover of excellent and especially original rocking country and honky tonk should have on their shelf. Put on those cowboy boots, take that Stetson off the coat rack, pour yourself a beer, give that volume knob a good tug and place your thoughts to a smoky saloon, where PJ TAYLOR BAND is giving the best of themselves on stage and………enjoy!

In the late eighties, Paul Deakin, Robert Reynolds and Raul Malo, three school friends, decided to form the band The Mavericks. In 1990, they got a contract with MCA Records in Nashville and their second album ‘What A Crying Shame’, which sold more than a million copies in America, put The Mavericks on the musical map. For their album ‘Music For All Occasions’, they won a Grammy Award, gold and silver. The band surpassed themselves once again with their fifth studio album ‘Trampoline’, released in 1998. An album that was particularly well received in Europe. The sound of The Mavericks is therefore without a doubt unique. You can hear The Travelling Wilburys, Los Lobos and Chris Isaak in it. It is therefore fantastic that the German Bear Family Records is releasing ‘Trampoline’ for the first time in a deluxe edition with 2 180 gram LPs. Furthermore, this edition is limited to 1500 copies worldwide, contains 17 tracks with a playing time of approximately 69 minutes. And the most special is yet to come… Not only do you get the original album on vinyl, but this edition also contains four bonus tracks, which were only found on the CD released in Japan. ‘Trampoline’ is also the most varied and even artistically the highest quality album of the band. It also gave the band their mega hit ‘Dance The Night Away’, which made it to number four in the British pop charts. It is therefore not surprising that the number of European fans of the band experienced a huge explosion.
From the first track ‘Dance The Night Away’ the super good sound quality of this vinyl edition is noticeable, which is more better than the CD. The frontman of the band is the extremely talented songwriter and charismatic singer, the Cuban-born Raul Malo, who vocally can certainly be counted in the category of Roy Orbison. Another plus is the original style of The Mavericks. With their mix of country, Tex-Mex, gospel, Western swing and rock-‘n-roll, they were not only founders of the Americana style at the time, but their songs still sound wonderful today. ‘Quality always comes first’ is a statement that certainly applies to ‘Trampoline’. It is astonishing how well Malo and his fellow supporters manage to combine various music genres, both in uptempo and in ballads. Of the latter, ‘Fool #1’ and ‘Dream River’ are great examples. In addition, the band is also strong in an instrumental track, such as in the wonderful ‘Melbourne Mambo’. Gospel influences come to the surface in ‘Save A Prayer’. The four bonus tracks that only ended up on the CD released in Japan can be heard on the fourth side of this double LP. ‘All I Get’, a composition by Nick Lowe and Raul Malo, is an emotional song that immediately grabs you by the scruff of the neck. The next bonus track is the traditional, the festively exuberant ‘La Mucara’ performed in Spanish, which is followed by the uptempo ‘She Does’. It ends with the instrumental ‘Panatella’, which once again puts the musical craftsmanship of The Mavericks in the spotlight.
If you have the chance to attend a concert of The Mavericks, definitely do so, because they are still active and their sound is still at a lonely high level.
Bear Family Records can rightly put several feathers in their cap for this sublime edition of the legendary ‘Trampoline’ album that, we cannot say it often enough, bathes in a heavenly sound quality. Lovers of special editions, be quick, because this edition is limited to 1500 copies worldwide. It would be a shame if you missed out on this vinyl reissue.

Now Grey is promoting her new CD, ‘The Grey Album’, which embraces no less than twenty beautiful country songs. She is definitely the perfect return to the golden age of Nashville country singers. 

Steve Howell is from  Marshall, a region steeped in tradition, and so he finger picks the guitar content to recreate country blues. This is his nineth album overall. 

The Maddox Brothers And Rose are the next artists in the spotlight in the three-part CD series ‘The California Acetates And More’. Previously, this unique series had already released boxes about Jimmie Dolan, Billy Barton and Terry Fell. The Maddox Brothers and Rose are no strangers in the history of American roots music. Together, the brothers and their sister Rose made quite a few, sometimes daring recordings, which included hillbilly, blues and country. As a result, they can certainly be considered pioneers of rockabilly. The group was formed by brothers Fred, Cal, Cliff and Don and their sister Rose. The Maddox family initially lived in Alabama but moved to California with their then young children. It was the 1930s, years of the economic depression and the family worked from early morning until late at night as pickers of fruit and vegetables. Social security did not exist, which made life extremely difficult and hard. The family noticed that those who performed at local rodeo shows made more money and more easily than those who worked hard. They decided to take the plunge into music. In 1937, they made their first appearance on a country radio station as The Maddox Brothers Band. However, there appeared to be a small problem. The sponsor thought the band had a female lead singer, which they did not. Fred Maddox responded that his then eleven-year-old sister Rose was the best singer. Anecdotally, he did not mention that Rose only knew the lyrics to three songs. But then World War II came as a spoilsport and the family's musical activities were interrupted from 1939 to 1945. At the end of World War II, the now 16-year-old Rose was married and had a son. However, that did not prevent her from recording and touring again with her brothers. With their mix of hillbilly, country and gospel and Fred who played the slap bass, the band was one of the founders of rockabilly, although they called it ‘Okie Boogie’ and the rest is history.
This box contains no less than 93 uptempo songs that The Maddox Brothers and Rose recorded between 1947 and 1963. 7 of those songs come from acetates and have therefore never been released before.
The first CD contains the recordings made for the 4 Star label, supplemented with 2 acetates, namely the demos of ‘I Don’t Care If Tomorrow Never Comes’ and ‘Tell Me You Care’.
The first CD kicks off with ‘I Couldn’t Believe It Was True’, where you are immediately overwhelmed by Rose’s lead vocals, which are nicely complemented by the brothers. The band was also extremely versatile. Be sure to listen to their version of ‘Milk Cow Blues’ for that. But also wonderful country and Western Swing and ‘Okie Boogie’ as they call it themselves, were no problem for this quintet. The lightning-fast instrumental ‘Water Baby Blues’ and the equally instrumental ‘Texas Guitar Stomp’ are also magnificent.
The first CD also contains songs where Fred, Cal or Don sing the lead vocals separately or together. The cheerfulness that the family radiates on all recordings is also striking.
This also applies to the second CD, which, in addition to recordings for 4 Star, also features their recordings for Columbia and Decca. The songs recorded with a string band are also beautiful. The songs on which Eddie Cletro’s orchestra provides the accompaniment show that Rose has evolved and has more control over her voice. ‘Hey Little Dreamboat’, recorded together with Eddie Cletro, already clearly shows how Rose is successfully moving towards rockabilly. The second CD concludes with the acetate demo of ‘Georges Playhouse Boogie’.
On the third CD we find recordings made for Columbia, Capitol, Black Jack and Flat-Git-It. Songs that were recorded in the second half of the fifties. You can clearly hear that the band has evolved enormously and where Rose's vocal control once again reaches new heights. The recordings that Rose made with Billy Strange's orchestra are so beautiful. Those songs are bathed in a fuller sound. A sign that Rose, Fred and Cal were clearly inspired by the then new prevailing musical zeitgeist.
The third part concludes with four acetate recordings of demos.
This three-part box not only offers an impressive overview of the career of The Maddox Brothers and Rose, but also shows the enormous evolution that the quintet went through.
In this respect, we can fully agree with Fred Maddox's statement: 'We are ten years ahead of ourselves'. Rose then always hit back with 'twenty!'. We cannot put it better ourselves.

Elvis would have turned 90 this year. This inspired the German Bear Family Records to release the fourth volume in the series ‘The Elvis Presley Connection’. The first volume in this series focused on the 1950s, the second covered the late 1950s up to and including 1962 and the third contained the period 1963-1966. The fourth volume puts the period 1967-1969 in the spotlight. In the 1960s, Elvis mainly concentrated on his film career in Hollywood, but he reclaims his place on stage in 1968 with the grandiose ‘Comeback Special’. This volume also contains 28 impressive tracks. Both original songs that Elvis covered, as well as covers of original Elvis songs. That Presley had a nose for great songs is beyond dispute. In addition, he was also extremely creative in the period 1967-1969 and recorded many timeless hits. Think of ‘Guitar Man’, ‘Big Boss Man’, ‘Hi-Heel Sneakers’, ‘U.S. Male’, ‘In The Ghetto’ or ‘Suspicious Minds’, of which you get all the original versions here. A fun fact is the following. ‘Guitar Man’ is here in the original version by Jerry Reed, although Bob Luman’s version inspired Presley more. On the version that Elvis recorded, Jerry Reed played lead guitar. Incidentally, he also did that on Presley’s version of Jimmy Reed’s ‘Big Boss Man’. That song is also here in the faster version by Charlie Rich, clearly the version that inspired Elvis. Jerry Reed was a great source of inspiration for Presley, because ‘U.S. Male’ was also written by him. A classic within rhythm & blues is Tommy Tucker’s ‘Hi-Heel Sneakers’. In addition to Elvis, José Feliciano, Jerry Lee Lewis and Jeff Beck also covered the song. In 1967 Elvis recorded the magnificent ‘You Don’t Know Me’, a song performed here by Ray Charles. Elvis’ musical interests were very broad. He also covered ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, now the theme song of Liverpool’s Football Club, here in the version of crooner Andy Williams. This song is also performed by the formidable Conway Twitty. The version of ‘A Little Less Conversation’ by Mac Davis, who wrote the song together with Billy Strange, also sounds wonderful. As is known, Elvis was a fan of gospel, including the song ‘Saved’, which he performed in a medley on the ‘Comeback Special’. The original version by LaVern Baker graces this compilation. Presley often preferred to record songs that had made a great impression on him, rather than using the new songs that were presented to him. For example, he often sang ‘Tiger Man (King Of The Jungle)’ live in a medley with ‘Mystery Train’. ‘Tiger Man (King Of The Jungle’ is the original version by Rufus Thomas who recorded it in 1953 in Sam Phillips’ Sun studios. You experience a touch of country in ‘Long Black Limousine’ by Vern Stovall. It was Elvis’ first song that he recorded in the American Sound Studio in Memphis in 1969. Bobby Bare’s version, which you can also hear here, sounds ‘country to the top’ and has more connection with Elvis’ version. Ned Miller scored worldwide with ‘From A Jack To A King’. Elvis previously sang the song with a gospel slant, which made Miller decide that Presley’s version was better than his own. ‘In The Ghetto’ was one of the many monster hits for Elvis. Here you hear the version by Mac Davis who was also a co-writer, although it must be said that Elvis added more empathy to the song. ‘Suspicious Minds’ is a composition by Mark James, who also recorded the song as a single. James’ producer Chips Moman and also owner of the aforementioned American Sound Studio, offered the song to Presley after James’ single flopped. Not surprising when you hear his version. James clearly lacked a connection with the song. Before Presley made the second take of Johnny Tillotson’s ‘It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin’’, he jokingly sang ‘Only The Lonely’ by Roy Orbison. When Elvis was asked why he didn’t record an Orbison song, he replied that Roy’s songs couldn’t be sung better.
A rarity on this album is certainly the Elvis-inspired Vince Chu from Singapore, with his version of Carl Perkins’ ‘Blue Suede Shoes’.
In the 38-page booklet, you get, in addition to rare photos and illustrations, extensive information about the recorded tracks and the artists. The King was inspired by rhythm & blues, soul, country, rock-‘n-roll, gospel and pop and he always managed to make those songs immortal thanks to his beautiful voice and empathy. Great album!

Lovesick is an Italian based band formed of Paolo Roberto Pianezza, Francesca Alinovi and Alessandro Cosentino. They are all multi-instrumentalists, whose influences are deeply rooted in the American Country, rock'n'roll and western swing music of the 40s and 50s. In some songs The Mavericks are never far away. What a wonderful voice Pianezza has! And then that tight and cool rhythm section. 'Remember My Name' is a brilliant release... 

Jam packed with west coast twang and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, the Doohickeys' debut albumAll Hat No Cattle tackles classic country topics like gettin' groped, tiny trucks, and LA traffic. Produced by two-time Grammyr nominee,Eric Corne, the record will have you two-steppin' along and laughing out loud. The opening track ‘Rein It In Cowboy’, includes rippin' licks from Dwight Yoakam’s touring guitaristEugene Edwards, as well as back-up vocals fromHayley Orrantia (The Goldbergs, The Masked Singer). World-famous comedianJim Jefferies makes an appearance at the end of ‘Please Tell Me You're Sleepin’ (he infamously suggested the song idea to the duo). ‘This Town Sucks’ earned an award for Outstanding Songwriting in the 2023 Great American Song Contest and the music video for "Rein It In Cowboy" won The American Songwriter music video contest.

In ‘The California Acetates And More’ series, this edition about Terry Fell is the third release. Jimmie Dolan and Billy Barton were previously featured in this series.
This box about Terry Fell also contains 3 CDs with a total of 94 songs and covers Fell’s career that ran from 1945 to 1963. Added are a number of Fell’s compositions that were recorded by fellow artists for the Lode Records label, which Fell owned. On this 3-part box, which focuses on Fell’s uptempo songs, you get no less than 21 acetate recordings, two of which are by Sammy Masters, which belonged to Fell’s record label.
Terry Fell was born on May 13, 1921 on a farm in Dora, Alabama. According to himself, he started playing guitar and harmonica at the age of 14 or 15 and played along with local musicians for fun. His musical interest was mainly sharpened by the broadcasts around The Grand Ole Opry and more specifically by The Delmore Brothers. A nice anecdote is that, at the age of 17, he decided to cycle to California, but he soon realized that the distance was too far. Fell sold his bike and together with a friend he went to California. His family joined him there around 1938-1939. Terry did volunteer work there and developed his musical talent by working with Merle Lindsay's Oklahoma Night Riders and shortly after with Billy Hughes and The Pals of The Pecos. His collaboration with Everette Ishmael 'Billy' Hughes also put Terry on the road as a songwriter. Between October 1945 and June 1946, Fell recorded three releases on the Memo Record label. He then signed with the Fargo Record label in 1946, where he recorded with His Red River Rangers. When listening to the recordings on this release, it is immediately noticeable that these last recordings are completely different and more refined in terms of arrangements. You can hear that especially on ‘You Don’t Want Me Any More’, which Terry recorded for Fargo in 1946.
In mid-1946, Fell signed for Courtney Records, where he recorded under his own name, as well as working with Lucky White and Dude Ranch Playboys, Douglas Venable and His Bar X Ranch Hands, and his most active participation with Leodie Jackson and His Western Swingsters. You will find songs from the latter on the first CD, including the sublime instrumental ‘Steeling The Blues’. Both on these tracks and on, among others, the instrumental ‘Texas A La Mode’ recorded for Courtney that Terry recorded with His Seven Southerners, you can hear that Terry evolved enormously musically. In 1947 Fell moved to the 4 Star Record label for a short period, where he recorded a new version of the Memo-released ‘I’ve Done All I Know To Do’. You can hear all this and much more on the first CD, which ends with 10 acetate recordings, and from which you can conclude that Terry had grown enormously as an artist in just a few years. Also note the good sound quality that could be achieved from the ‘acetates’.
 
With the second CD we find Terry’s recordings for the Gilt-Edge label, which after a short existence would merge into 4 Star Records. He recorded two sublime boogies for Gilt-Edge, namely the instrumental ‘Fireball Boogie’ and the sung ‘I Can Hear You Clucking’. With ‘Hillbilly Impersonations / Smoking Cornsilks’ Terry’s collaboration with Gilt-Edge ended in 1953. In late 1953, early 1954 he found a home with RCA's "X", for which he made five releases. His first recording for that label also gave him his first hit, namely 'Don't Drop It', which rose to fourth place in the charts. From the first notes you can hear that the song has commercial potential. Not surprisingly, it would be covered by Tommy Sands, Red Sovine, Betty Amos, Wilbert Harrison and Jerry Lee Lewis. Strangely, however, the b-side 'Truck Driving Man' did not make the charts. It was still a wonderful and now legendary country rocker, with a catchy harmonica. The song would be covered more than 90 times. Well-known covers are certainly those by The Green River Boys with Glen Campbell, Bill Woods, Buck Owens and His Buckaroos and Rick Nelson. Bill Woods' version can be found on the third CD. Also worth mentioning is ‘Mississippi River Shuffle’ that Terry recorded for “X” and where you can hear that rock-‘n-roll is starting to germinate. The second CD ends with 8 acetate recordings, including demo versions of ‘Smokin’ Cornsilks’, ‘Don’t Drop It’ and ‘Truck Driving Man’.
 
But Fell’s collaboration with “X” also failed. The label broke off the collaboration 4 months after Fell’s 34th birthday, after which he switched to the big RCA Victor. There he recorded a remake of his Gilt-Edge recording ‘I Can Hear You Clucking’. With the recording of ‘Wham! Bam! Hot Ziggity Zam / Consolation Prize’ on February 10, 1956, his collaboration with RCA Victor ended, which also brings us to the third CD.
 
In 1958, Terry took matters into his own hands and founded Lode Records and Lode Publishing, which he ran from his home address. He made magnificent recordings there with his most creative artist Sammy Masters and Fell himself did it under his pseudonym Johnny Valentine in the poppy ‘Angel On A Cloud’ and ‘Sandy’. That the appreciation between Terry and Sammy was mutual, Sammy proved by recording his ‘Hootnanny Hill’ and ‘Jenny Come Down’ as acetates for Fell. However, these numbers were never released commercially and you hear them here for the first time. Formidable rockabilly that flowed from Fell's pen can be heard here on Curtis Gordon's ‘Play The Music Louder’. Eddie Cochran is also present with ‘Never’, a composition by Fell, often wrongly attributed to Merle Travis and the also by Fell’s hand ‘Craddle Baby’
Fell rocked under his own name in ‘Y’All Be Good Now’. Lode Records recorded cool songs, such as the instrumental rocking ‘Grounded Wasp’ by Bob Morris and Gary Links ‘Her Skirt Was Just Too Tight’.
 
Terry Fell was not a real rock-‘n-roll artist. He did get involved in rock-‘n-roll indirectly because he added his country boogie to rock-‘n-roll. You can convince yourself of that on the third CD, where he managed to secure a place within rock-‘n-roll.
This release ends with ‘That’s What I Like’. Incidentally, it is the version he performed during his only known TV appearance, which was recorded on November 5, 1955 during the Ozark Jubilee and where he was introduced by Red Foley.
Fell moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1962 after having lived in Downey, California for 26 years. In Nashville, he rarely appeared in public due to throat problems. He did work there as a songwriter until his retirement. Terry Fell passed away at the age of 85 on April 4, 2007. It goes without saying, but with this release in ‘The California Acetates And More’ Atomicat has hit the jackpot yet again. Three stunning CDs full of discoveries, supplemented with a 16-page beautifully designed booklet by reissue producer Mark Armstrong, in which you can find all the information about Terry Fell. The way in which the label puts well-known and lesser-known artists in the spotlight is unique. Without a skilled and talented team, series like this would not be possible. We would therefore like to mention the clever design by artist Urban Zotel, Heiko Schulz of Black Shack Recordings responsible for the good sound result of the acetates and The Studio That Time Forgot in El Paso Texas for mastering the albums. They did an excellent job, so that we can enjoy these 94 gems. What a great series!

Inspired by and made in honour and celebration of my Grandmother, Philomena ‘Phyl’ Gallyot (née Scott), my musical roots and cultural heritage, this album is made up of 5 cover songs, 2 reworked originals from my catalogue and a brand new song which is also the title track. 

It has been a year and a half since volume 5, entitled ‘Audrey’, was released in ‘The Rockin’ Spot’ series. With ‘Belinda’, the new volume in this series, compiler Mark Armstrong once again serves us 30 tracks belonging to rock-‘n-roll, country and doo-wop.
Not much is known about Patsy Clark, who opens with ‘Watcha Do To Me’. What we do know is that Hillous Butram, bassist for Hank Williams, wrote this catchy rocker. Patsy is followed by Red Williams with ‘Walkin’’, which also has some country in its genes. A good dose of pop is more likely to be found in ‘Start Movin’’ by Loren Becker and The Zig Zags. Hopeless Homer provides a good dose of hillbilly with ‘The Girl In The Red Blue Jeans’.
You will find nice rock-‘n-roll with Rocky Storm in ‘Every Night’. Western Swing and rock-‘n-roll form the basis for ‘Big Foot Annie’ by Don Boots and The Western Swing Band. Also nice is the rock-‘n-roller, with excellent sax drenched ‘Fireball’ by The Rocket-Tones.
Formidable country presents the well-known Dave Dudley in ‘Under Cover Of The Night’. Number that had Garland Perry Cochran as producer. He recorded as The Cochran Brothers with Eddie Cochran. You also get more country during ‘Ride Jesse Ride’ by Merle Kilgore.
Del Shannon is not unknown. Here he is present with the uptempo ‘You Never Talked About Me’. Shannon is followed by the British Cliff Richard, as always accompanied by The Shadows. ‘Choppin’ ‘n’ Changin’’ is such a typical Richard song, with magnificent lead guitar by Hank B. Marvin. Despite the fact that the number was released in the States, Cliff could barely get a foothold there. Another legend who is present on this compilation is Carl Perkins. In ‘Lend Me Your Comb’, a duet, Carl is vocally assisted by brother Jay. Another great artist who is present is Ronnie Hawkins with the well-known ‘Baby Jean’.
Chuck Miller was a boogie pianist. That genre still resonates in the rocker ‘Bright Red Convertible’. Pianist was also Darryl Vincent, who goes wild here on ‘Wild Wild Party’. What a great song!
Bonnie Fussell came from North Baton Rouge, Louisiana and his origins are clearly reflected in ‘Too High Class’. Some artists do not get further than one recording. That happened to guitarist and singer Hunter Watts, also from Baton Rouge. Incomprehensible because ‘Wild Man Rock’ is a more than worthy song.
Vocal group The Spindrifts is responsible for the title track of this album. Member of the band Frederick Picariello can later be heard as Freddy Cannon in the top rocker ‘Patty Baby’. We know Cannon from ‘Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It’ and ‘Tallahassee Lassie’. The Sunbeams also serve up more fine vocal work with ‘Come Back Baby’ and so do The Selections in the uptempo ‘Guardian Angel’. Certainly not to be forgotten in this genre are Billy Huhn and The Catalinas with ‘Baltimore’ and The Four Cheers who close this album with ‘Fatal Charms Of Love’.
Just like the previous volumes in ‘The Rockin’ Spot’ series, volume 6 is also one that you can hardly get out of your playback device.

A few months ago we were introduced to the three-CD box set around Jimmie Dolan. That was also the first release in the series ‘The California Acetates And More’, created by the Atomicat label. For more information about ‘acetates’, we would like to refer you to the review of the Jimmy Dolan release, which you can read again here https://www.keysandchords.com/album-review-blog/jimmie-dolan-stingy.
‘The California Acetates And More’ series now gets a nice sequel with the also 3-CD box ‘Billy Barton And Friends’. In total you get 97 songs, of which no less than 37 previously unreleased ‘acetates’. Barton also wrote songs for others. These friends, who you will also find on this three-part box, are Johnny Horton, Barton's second wife Wanda Wayne, Carlyn Johnson, Cousin Herb Henson, Fuzzy and Bonnie Owen, Carolyn Bradshaw, Herb and Kay, The Maddox Brothers and Rose, Webb Pierce, Lefty Frizzell, The Variatones, Bob Miller, Benny Martin and Wynn Stewart. The common thread between these artists is, as previously indicated, that they all recorded songs that flowed from Billy Barton's pen. Among them were a number of crucial songs in the history of country music. Think of 'Forgive Me John', 'I Love You', 'Silence', 'Somebody Cries', 'You Got To Bite To Catch On', 'I'll Find Her', 'Donna On My Mind' and 'Done Done It'. To make it even more extensive, Billy Barton did not always record under this name. He also used pseudonyms such as Johnny Grimes (his real name was John Ralph Grimes), Hillbilly Barton, Billy Boy Barton and Laurel London.
Billy Barton was born on November 21, 1929 in East Bernstadt, Laurel County, Kentucky. In his teens he studied to be a tobacco auctioneer, a title he was allowed to claim at the age of 16. However, World War II threw a spanner in the works and after Billy had completed his military service, he started a career in the music industry. In 1951, in an unidentifiable studio in California, he became friends with Johnny Horton during his demo recordings, who was the first artist to be signed to the Abbott label. The second artist to be signed there was Billy Barton. In March 1952, Barton made his first commercial recordings as Hillbilly Barton with ‘Strange Affection / She’s A Good Ole Gal’, ‘No Interest / Never Satisfied’ and ‘My Darlin’ Liza Lou / You Made Me Love You (With A Twinkle In Your Eye)’. In 1953, he recorded as Billy Barton With The Circle O Ranch Boys. As Hillbilly Barton, he was also the lead singer on ‘No Help Wanted / A Heartbreak Ago’ by Bill Woods and His Orange Blossom Playboys. Later that year, he also went into the studio as Johnny Grimes, and together with Wandy Wayne for the King label. In 1957, Grimes or Barton, as you prefer, went to an unknown California studio where he recorded for Stars, Inc. Records. A year later, in June 1958, he recorded ‘Crazy Lover / Day Late And A Dollar Short’, two rockabilly numbers written by himself. For the Fire label, which was re-launched in 1958, Barton also served as band manager, producer, songwriter, mixing manager and most likely instrumentalist. There is even speculation that Barton may have been the owner or co-owner of Fire, which ceased to exist in 1960. In the sixties, Barton could often be found in Gulf studios, Sim's studios and those of the Quartercash label.
Just as Billy Barton recorded under various names, he also married several times. In addition to all the information about Barton, you can also read all the details about this in the 14-page booklet written by Mark Armstrong. Billy Barton passed away on October 8, 2011.
What is striking is that all three CDs contain songs that abundantly demonstrate Billy Barton's songwriting talent. Whether it's uptempo hillbilly, country, duets, rockabilly or swinging teenage rock-'n-roll, Barton always had the ears to package those genres in a nice melody. For example, the waltzing 'Betty Lorraine' by Johnny Horton is a song that not only captures the zeitgeist in two minutes, but is also immortal. Horton and Barton shine together vocally a little later in 'Somebody's Rockin' My Broken Heart'. Wonderful harmony! They repeat that together by the way. When Barton does the vocals alone, you only hear what a beautiful and dynamic voice he has. There are plenty of examples of this. You can already hear the first traces of Barton's rockabilly in 'A Lying Tongue', a first 'acetate' on this box, which he recorded as Hillbilly Barton. Later on, beautiful 'acetates' follow by Barton of course, but also by Wanda Wayne and Johnny Horton. A very fine 'acetate' is certainly Barton's country tearjerker 'I'm Through With Your Love'. Barton and Wanda Wayne shine together several times. It is difficult to choose a topper, because the duo always knows how to get the best out of each other to get. Billy Barton pulls out all the stops solo in the fast ‘Why Don’t They Leave Her Alone’ that he recorded for King in 1955. But also in a slow number like ‘What God Has Put Together, Let No Man Tear Apart’ Barton’s talent effortlessly comes to the fore. Billy goes in the direction of rockabilly with ‘So Called Friend’, ‘Crazy Lover’ and ‘Date Late And A Dollar Short’. He conducts a bit more teenage poppy as Billy Boy Barton in ‘Blue Lover’ and certainly also in ‘Two Kids In Love’ on which he can be heard together with Carlyn Johnson.
And then there is the third CD, on which most of the ‘acetate’ recordings can be found. Recordings that are all more than worth listening to.
It is beyond doubt that Barton, Grimes or under whatever name he recorded, had a feel for the prevailing music of his time. Even more, he succeeded with flying colors in adapting to new emerging styles such as rockabilly or even pop.
And yet I am still left with one question. Why did Billy Barton become no more than a footnote in American music history? A question that should not have been asked, because these 97 tracks show that Barton is worth more than that simple footnote.
What also deserves a mention is the superior sound in which this box bathes. The fact that these songs are three quarters of a century old can only be seen on the track listings. You certainly do not hear it!

In 2019, we were already very enthusiastic about Ray Allen's album 'Personally'. The somewhat sophisticated way in which this German approached rockabilly certainly appealed to us. For his new album 'Chains', Ray went to the Lightning Recorders Studio in Berlin. He recorded 13 songs by Mathias Arnold, as Ray's real name is. Lyrically, Ray sought inspiration in what each of us experiences. Love, happy relationships, failed relationships, searching for oneself to ultimately end up with true love. He packages all of this in danceable songs. In the opener and the title track, Ray does this in an infectious country and western way. Country also forms the basis for the warm piano-driven 'Walking Through The Mountains'. He goes more rocking on 'Don't Push Me', which deals with 'wasted time'. The life of an artist is not always a bed of roses. ‘Footlights, Fears & Fame’ are part of it. Dream subjects to pour into a catchy emotional song. The love-craving ‘The Only Thing That Matters’ is captivating, with a great piano part by Holger Niemeyer. Allen rocks cheerfully and enjoys the good moments on ‘Let’s Have A Good Time’. Ray also rocks on ‘Let Me Be The One’, including a wonderful clean guitar moment, which he repeats on ‘I’ll Have My Way’. Ray drifts towards blues mid-tempo on ‘Get Down With The Blues’. Ending a relationship with ‘No Hard Feelings’ is not always self-evident. Ray shows that it is possible in a cheerful melody, with another nice piano part.
That it doesn’t always have to be doom and gloom is demonstrated by the final track ‘You Move Me’, which also has a somewhat summery undertone.
With ‘Chains’ Ray Allen proves once again that he has mastered writing ‘catchy’ songs and that you don’t have to kick around wildly to make rockabilly sound catchy. Add a good dose of country and you know that Ray Allen keeps the fire of the roots genre burning in his own way.

India Ramey blazes a trail through cinematic spaghetti western landscapes to wood floored Honkytonks and the Appalachian foothills. India’s musical journey was not typical.  “Having grown up poor, there was a lot of pressure for me to ‘go to college and make money’ so I convinced myself that music was a hobby”. Ramey, a domestic violence survivor graduated college, got a law degree and became a domestic violence prosecutor. “I thought if I was helping people like my Mom, I would like being a lawyer more”. Despite her love of helping people, Ramey’s love for music won in the end. She gave up her law career to become a full time musician and songwriter and has never looked back.  

Johnny Burnette's brother Dorsey was a versatile artist. In Johnny's rock-'n-roll trio, Dorsey was the man of the scorching 'slapping bass'. He also scored as a solo artist, but together with Johnny he certainly made it as a songwriter for Ricky Nelson, among others. Dorsey was also a well-known producer. In that role he was responsible for Stevie Wonder, then still Little Stevie Wonder's session for Tamla.
At the age of 6, Dorsey got his first guitar, on which he practiced like a maniac. Dorsey was quite temperamental, which caused him to get involved in fights several times. As a youngster he dreamed of a career as a boxer. Together with Johnny he visited the local boxing clubs, although it soon became apparent that this would not be his career.
There are many great releases about Dorsey's successful early years in the Bear Family catalogue. A catalogue that was not yet complete, however, because the wonderful recordings that Dorsey made between 1962 and 1965 were missing. That shortcoming is now being remedied by this double CD, with recordings he made for Sinatra's Reprise label and on Motown's not-so-long-existing sublabel Mel-o-dy. These are supplemented with singles that Dorsey recorded in the same period for Lama and Imperial. All this fills the first CD. The second disc is even more impressive. Here, Dorsey Burnette's musical legacy is thoroughly explored. It contains 20 previously unheard impressive original recordings, including songs that Dorsey wrote together with Joe Osborn, bassist with the Wrecking Crew.
Both CDs give a good picture of Dorsey's passion for rock-'n-roll, country, soul and pop.
This double album immediately impresses with 'Back To Nature', which shows that Dorsey effortlessly combines rock-'n-roll, country and pop in one song, and he does so even more often. The high level that this song reaches is effortlessly maintained throughout both CDs, making it difficult to pick out highlights, because each song is a highlight in itself. Not only are these all enormously strong compositions. They are also performed by an artist with a beautiful, impressive voice, who also has a great deal of empathy. Moreover, both CDs are bathed in a sublime sound. Pure class!
The 45 tracks in total captivate from start to finish and show a wealth of impressive recordings that Dorsey made between 1962 and 1965. ‘The Complete Reprise and Motown Recordings plus … (1962-1965)’ is without a doubt the link that was missing in Dorsey’s musical legacy until now.
In the illustrated, extensive and well-founded booklet you will find a detailed biography by Bill Dahl, as well as a discography by Nico Feuerbach.
But………be quick because this edition is limited. It was only released in 1000 numbered copies worldwide. Fans know what to do. An indispensable release that will complete your Dorsey Burnette recordings without a doubt. A more than absolute recommendation!

Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra is a band that is hard to pigeonhole. The band is influenced by rockabilly, blues, country, swing and soul, but the way they turn these styles into a ‘melting pot’ is quite unique. With ‘Feet First’ the gentlemen are already on their sixth album. This album was recorded in two days at the Lightning Recorders studios in Berlin. Studios that are known for authentic analogue recordings. ‘Feet First’ was recorded without overdubs and is therefore the capturing of a musical moment. In short, authenticity is the key here! In addition to Rob Heron (vocals, rhythm guitar), the band consists of Tom Cronin (baritone guitar, mandolin, harmonica and backing vocals), Ben Powling (tenor sax, clarinet and backing vocals), Adam Richards (upright and electric bass and backing vocals) and Paul Archibald (drums and percussion). Of the 14 tracks, 13 flowed from Heron's pen and one, namely 'Happy Hour' is a song by Arnold Lasseur. The songs meander between rock-'n-roll, blues, country and folk and everything in between. The arrangements are however so unpredictable, which reveals an original and unique sound. A sound that has its origins in the clubs, dance halls and theatres of the middle of the previous century, but which is given a contemporary but above all idiosyncratic look by Heron and his companions, which gives each song a life of its own. For example, 'Six Month Sleeper' evokes a somewhat Vaudeville atmosphere, while 'Three Button Suit' clearly refers to authentic country. Swinging is 'I Blinked And It Was Over', which can boast a nice part of harmonica. A touch of folk later adorns 'Hungry For Your Love'. A song that also contains a nice change of tempo, after which we waltz through 'Another Night In The Doghouse'. ‘Every Day Is Misery’, which comes later, is built on solid rock-‘n-roll foundations.
Rob Heron is not only a talented songwriter who does not shy away from humor in his lyrics, but also a passionate performer. An album to cherish!

Recently you already received the reviews of the fourth volumes in the series ‘Stroll-A-Rama’ and ‘Jive-A-Rama’ on this site and now it is the turn of ‘Bop-A-Rama’. Here too the Atomicat label serves you 30 boppin’ tracks. 28 of them date from the golden period 1953-1963, supplemented with 2 tracks from the Rhythm Bomb Records archives. Brace yourself for energetic rockabilly, rhythmic country rockers and tight blues. Tony and Jackie Lamie with The Swing Kings may surprisingly give the starting shot with ‘Sunset Blues’, a song that has rockabilly, country and blues in it. The next one to be discussed is a well-known one, namely Moon Mullican. The fiddle breathes both hillbilly and country in ‘Jenny Lee’. Among the accompanists we find guitarists Hank Garland and Grady Martin. Martin returns later for brilliant guitar work on the bopping ‘Be Bop Baby’ by Autry Inman. Grady was a much sought-after studio musician, because he also provides a sublime sound on the six strings on Johnny Bond’s country-like ‘All I Can Do’. Clever guitar work also adorns ‘You Can Have My Love’ by Judy Capps and Pat Kingary. A cool rock-‘n-roll song comes with ‘It Ain’t Right’ by Gordon Terry, who brings in wonderful backing vocals with The Jordanaires. Mojo Buford became known as a harmonica player in Muddy Waters’ band. Here you can hear him at work on the blues harp in the instrumental ‘Can’t Sit Down’ by the Voodoo Men. Buford also has a link with the next number, the well-known ‘Hold Me In Your Arms’ by that other blues harper James Cotton. When Cotton left Muddy Waters’ band in 1967, Buford returned to replace him. Cotton leaves the harmonica in the box here and concentrates on the vocals. Also note the beautiful guitar of Pat Hare. Henry Wilson with The Bluenotes present a top rockabilly number in ‘Are You Ready’. Curley Jim was originally a country singer. That rock-‘n-roll is also in his genes, he proves with The Billey Rocks on ‘Rock And Roll Itch’. Sonny Hall also provides more rousing rock with ‘My Big Fat Baby’, as does Ricky and The Stompers with ‘The Wild One’. Rock-‘n-roll in its purest form comes later with Billy Smith and ‘Tell Me Baby’. Guitarist Joe Maphis was Larry Collins mentor and Joe can also be heard here. Larry formed The Collins Kids together with his sister Lorrie. Youthful rock of the highest order is the result here and can be heard on ‘Hoy Hoy’. ‘Great old school country’ is next with ‘Wishin’ I Was Kissin’ You’ by Leon Merritt. Vocalist and drummer Willie Nix worked with blues legends like Earl Hooker, Walter Horton and Joe Hill Louis. Of course his ‘Just Can’t Stay’ can also be classified as blues. More blues follows immediately afterwards with grandmaster Lightnin’ Slim in ‘Have Your Way’. On the harmonica you hear super face slider Lazy Lester. You certainly know the country blues ‘Step It Up And Go’ from Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee. In a completely different arrangement, with beautiful backing vocals by The Jack Halloran Singers, Mac Wiseman presents the song here. The Netherlands also made itself heard through Peter Koelewijn in the golden years of rock-‘n-roll, and….. in Dutch. No ‘Kom Van Dat Dak Af’ here, but the equal ‘De Hele Stad Is Gek En Dol’. A beautiful steel guitar characterizes the mix of hillbilly and country in ‘Baby I’ll Soon Be Gone’ by Lattie Moore. Unfortunately unknown to many!
Tracks 29 and 30 are reserved for the songs from the archives of Rhythm Bomb Records. First up, the British Rhythm River Trio may perform with the seventh take of ‘I Can’t Go’. A song that can be heard here for the first time. The Australian Chrome Daddies may close with ‘It Must Be Something’. The released version can be found on their album ‘Gear Up Daddy’.
Frontman of the Daddies is Doug Wilshire. On the previously reviewed fourth volume of ‘Jive-A-Rama’ you can hear him under his own name in ‘Five Star Boogie’.
It is clear that the Atomicat team does not ‘take any chances’ when compiling albums. These series never disappoint, but……….. they do leave you wanting more!

Every song on ‘Rugged Elegance’, the majority of which are Rose/ Tolchin co-writes, is a distinct portrait of someone or someplace beloved, but they all emanate from a singular place of honesty, reflection and a desire to embrace one another in times of difficulty. Its sound channels the icons who have defined her old-time roots – Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt to name three. The release ‘Rugged Elegance’ is a an anointing for your soul ! 

Singer, songwriter, producer and label owner Jim Terr delved into his Blue Canyon recording archive and selected 21 tracks for this album 'Treasures From The Blue Canyon Vaults' released by Bear Family Records. The same Jim Terr also wrote the liner notes for this release, and also provided all information and photos regarding the tracks and the artists. The recordings cover the period 1970-2022 and contain highlights in the singer/songwriter, folk and country genres. These include songs by country legend Steve Young, who wrote hits for The Eagles and Waylon Jennings, among others. Also present is the alternative country star Junior Brown. This compilation contains previously unreleased songs by this duo and a number of original songs by the 'crème de la crème' of the New Mexico music scene. As becomes apparent upon listening, this scene contained a diversity of country genres. It is not surprising that several of the artists presented here won New Mexico Music Awards, because the country music presented here is certainly top-notch. In addition to the beautiful harmonies in the opener ‘She Gave Her Heart To Jethro’ from Terr and Brown, the banjo in ‘Plains Of San Augustine’ by Elliott’s Ramblers provides a light bluegrass feel. Lara Manzanares serves up some wonderful up-tempo country a little later in the ‘Census Song’ written by herself. Chantel Mullen shows that Jim Terr was also a talented songwriter in the lovely ‘Another Sweetie Has My Heart’. The great Steve Young is there with the impressive, emotional ballad ‘Always Loving You’. Wonderfully up-tempo is ‘Dig That Crazy Music’ by Jim Terr and Junior Brown, including excellent guitar work. To get into that typical Mexican atmosphere, there is Carlos Medina with his accordion in ‘Mi Amigo Soldado’, which immediately reminds us of the work of Los Lobos. The vocals of Yara Sisters Madeline and Mia in the song ‘Every Time I See Your Face’, which also came from Terr’s pen, are certainly catchy. Terr can be heard later on in the typical country song ‘Talkin’ To My Wine’ by Bob Aldo, as well as in the song ‘Objects In Mirror’, written by himself.
The album contains several spoken songs, including the beautiful ‘Son Of A Rabbi Man’ by Kate Bennett.
The only two non-original songs are the opener ‘She Gave Her Heart To Jethro’ by Tom T. Hall, performed here by Jim Terr and Junior Brown, and Tom Faile’s spoken trucker classic ‘Phantom 309’ by Junior Brown and The Last Mile Ramblers.
‘Treasures From The Blue Canyon Vaults’ offers a wonderful insight into the rich country scene of New Mexico. The label Blue Canyon Records, as well as the region of New Mexico, are still unexplored by many. Undeservedly so, as this compilation shows. So it was high time that this changed and Bear Family Records has proven this beyond doubt.

Gerry has now gathered a whole cast around him, Teresa James comes to sing along in a few songs, just as we are happy to embrace, in addition to the usual instruments, mandolin, violin, dobro and pedal steel. This album is packed with no fewer than twenty wonderful country songs. Great..!

When you first listen to Mark Brown, you might find yourself wondering where he’s been and why it took him so long to get here. Combining a sharp eye with a sly sense of humor reminiscent of John Prine, Mark makes songs that hail from everywhere, incorporating ballads, cowboy songs, jigs, sideshow melodies, and field hollers. His songs give voice to craftsmen, broken-hearted mechanics, heavy equipment operators, squatters and girls with their dirt bikes. Like many of his characters, Mark’s been around: after growing up in Maryland, he’s done some farming, worked as a mechanic, spent years as a commercial fisherman in the northern Pacific and worked as a carpenter in the northeastern US. These experiences have influenced his music the way an oak cask influences good whiskey. In his latest album ‘Happy Hour’, Mark's distinctive voice is accompanied by his band of longtime friends: Ken McGloin joining in on guitar, Mark Murphy on bass, Dean Sharp on drums and the versatile talents of Dean Jones.

Keeping in spirit with his predecessor troubadouring minstrels, Keegan has spent the better part of the last two decades traversing the roads, wildernesses, and cities of the Old World and New, weaving the resulting experiences and observations together with varied influences from folk, country, and the blues to create an original and evolving tapestry of story-driven American roots music.  

Chicago-based singer-songwriter Steve Dawson has announced the release of his latest album ‘Ghosts’ on Pravda Records on 14th June 2024. The album’s ten songs were largely written between 2017 and 2023, and combine “intimate confessions and tightly constructed narratives where there are no clear answers to violent changes. 

Driftless Girl’ is produced by the multi-talented Jolie Holland, with whom DeLisle connected via social media over the Covid period. Holland brought in Buck Meek (Big Thief) with whom she had worked as co-writer and performer on their respective 2023 releases.  She also involved  Nikki Grossman (The Sapsuckers) and guitarist and mixing engineer Adam Brisbin. Eight of the eleven tracks are DeLisle originals.  This is delicious and seductive country….

Three time Blues Foundation Traditional Female Artist award winner, Sue Foley’s new album One Guitar Woman is a heartfelt tribute to the female pioneers of the guitar - including Memphis Minnie, Lydia Mendoza, Maybelle Carter, Ida Presti, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The album showcases the dexterity of Foley’s acoustic nylon string guitar skills as she expands on her blues playing into other genres like Piedmont fingerpicking, traditional country, flamenco and classical.