Dan Penn - Singles & Demos

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Another pot of gold, as far as I'm concerned. And for those of you that read the Peter Guralnick book "Sweet Soul Music", this is about just as good as he made this stuff out to be. Peter said some very, very nice words about Dan Penn and his recordings, including the demos. And here we have some singles (not all, but none released on any regular albums) and demos, mostly from the 60's. And 26 of 'em. I found these files on 'My Blog Too', though I did try to clean them up some. I was very grateful finding them. I hope someone will find the rest soon as well. But until then, what we have here is a bunch of terrific Country Soul music. Some of the vinyl was seriously wounded, but it's still well worth checking out. I mean come on, it's Dan Penn! Creator of some of the finest Southern Soul classics ever. Maybe the people at Bear Family Records could turn this into one of their ambitious projects. That would sure please me. So sit you down, have a glass of red wine and enjoy Dan Penn at his very obscurest. But pretty. Diamonds..

Dan Penn - Nobody's Fool (1973)

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This is the legendary debut album by Dan Penn. And quite a little treasure trove it is too. Most people will know Dan Penn songs, without knowing Dan Penn. He's written some of the greatest Soul tracks for people like Aretha Franklin, Solomon Burke and James Carr. But he is a wonderful performer in his own right just as well. The music is pretty much in between Soul and Singer Songwriter, accompanied by some cats from Muscle Shoals and, as always, by his friend, keyboard player and co-writer Spooner Oldham.
If you dig Southern Soul and people like Townes and Guy, then this should be very pleasing to the ears. And very much recommended to all Amazing Rhythm Aces fans! He also has a fine sense of humor, as can be heard in the excellent "Tearjoint", a great spoof on Country tearjerkers.
This album was hard to get from the time it was first released and has since been discontinued by the manufacturer. Which is a pity, for sure. Classic album.

Dan Penn - Queen Elizabeth Hall (1994)

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Soon after I first discovered Southern Rock, I also found the link with other Southern music. Like Southern Soul. And how a lot of people were both associated with Southern Rock as well as the Soul scene. With studios like Stax, Fame and Muscle Shoals, there was a lot to be learned from just inspecting back covers of those albums and reading books like Peter Guralnick's Lost Highway and Sweet Soul Music. People like Donnie Fritts, Don Nix and Travis Wammack. And of course the legendary Dan Penn. Singer-songwriter extraordinaire, responsible for classics like "I'm Your Puppet" and "The Dark End Of The Street".
Dan Penn's been mostly known for others recording his songs, but he's quite the entertainer himself. Not the outgoing kind, yet very charming just the same. And a great storyteller, as you will hear when the show starts and he tells the audience about how "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" came about. If you dig the Amazing Rhythm Aces, then this is right up your alley. And I guess any Southern Rock fan would fall for "Memphis Women And Chicken". This is a short set, so give it a go.