Larry Jon Wilson dies at 69

Sad news. Larry Jon, may you rest in peace. You left quite a musical treasure. May your soul and your music live forever.

Southern Cross Band - Lady Killer & Outlaw (Josie Wales) (1982)

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Thanks to Jorge for this rare gem. It's a promo single from (New York?) Southern Rockers the Southern Cross Band. I tried to find information about this band on the internet, but found little more than the fact that both these songs had been released on sample albums which featured other bands as well ("The Apple WAPP FM" and "A Double Shot of Local Talent"). No doubt some people will ignore this, simply for being from up North, but if you can look past geographical boundaries, you just might find you get what you need. "Lady Killer" is the uptempo Southern Rocker, while "Outlaw (Josie Wales)" is a terrific classic Southern Rock song. Alas it suffers a few skips and some crackle, but all in all this is splendid stuff.

Joe Sun - Sundries (2006)

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"Sundries" is a collection of unreleased Joe Sun recordings. Thanks to Frank for providing this beaut. Here's the info from the text file: "Tracks 1-4 recorded at the time of the Interchord release. Cuts 5 & 13 recorded by Joe in the mid 80's after he wrote the songs with his lead guitarist of that time Max T Barnes.Track 6 written and recorded in the late 80's. Cuts 7 & 8 were recorded late 80's at a "a" list Nashvuille session. Track 9 witten with Swede Red Jenkins and recorded in 2002. Cuts 10-12 recorded just after the Hank Bogart album. No info' ref track 13. 14 written about his boyhood in Rochester Minnesota and recorded prior to 2006 tour. Album compiled to sell at 2006 UK tour."
Great to get a chance to hear this, otherwise unavailable, music. Like I said before, any Joe Sun is good Joe Sun. And this just proves my point. I ain't crazy!

The Charlie Daniels Band - Party In The Park (1979)

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Recorded in Elmont, New York in 1979, Party In The Park was broadcast on radio, and here you have it. A short set, 5 songs, this is mostly just Charlie Daniels and guitar. Decent recording, sounding sweet. There's a new song called "The Daybreakers", which I hadn't heard before. And I really love the song "Reflections" from the "Million Mile Reflections", also featured here. I have to admit, it still sent shivers down my spine hearing Charlie sing about Ronnie Van Zant. The last two songs feature the full CDB, Southside Johnny and David Bromberg. Check out this Long Haired Country Boy.

Don Bowman - Whispering Country (1970)

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On "Whispering Country" funny man Don Bowman has taken up the task of butchering 'Whispering' Bill Anderson's repertoire. And trust Don to do a thorough job at that. Even in an effort to keep things 'clean', there's enough here to raise an eyebrow or two. Guess I'll go somewhere and find myself a sheep...

Stillwater - Runnin' Free (1998)

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After having been off the radar for close to 20 years, Stillwater surprisingly reemerged with this great come-back album in 1998. "Runnin' Free" sounds like they never left and no time had past. Well, almost. The album kicks off with "The Big Payback", an original Causey/Walker song, which had previously been recorded by Molly Hatchet for their "Lightning Strikes Twice" album. And it's that distinctive Stillwater sound alright. What we get from there is a slightly updated version of the Stillwater we know from their two Capricorn releases from the 70's. And it's really cool to hear old Southern Rockers delivering the goods after so many years of absence. Though it doesn't grab me as much as the old albums did, I thoroughly enjoy listening to this album. I guess the main difference is that it all sounds somewhat poppier and there seems to be less room for extended soloing/improvisation. But that's the curse of the 80's music, which left its mark on most Southern Rock released after the 70's. It still rocks. And it still has enough Soul to have you believing this is the real deal. Enough diversity here to make repeat playing worth your while. Ready to rock?

Chris Anderson - Old Friend (1995)

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Chris Anderson is a name that could ring a bell with fans of The Outlaws. Chris played with The Outlaws from 1986–1989 and has rejoined in 2005. In between he also played with Blackhawk. This is quite different fare, though. Recorded in 1995, this was pretty much the thing to do at the time: record an album full of uneventful, contemporary Blues Rock. Much in the vein of the Gary Moore blues albums, this is slick, rather bland Blues Rock. Les Dudek made an album like that too, very forgettable. But there are some gems hidden here, which will make you pleased having taken the trouble getting it. And if you like (Southern) Blues Rock, this could knock you off your feet. I guess. My favorite track is "Jake's Song", which makes it pretty clear we're on Southern Rock turf here. And I basically enjoy the second half of this album very much. Thanks to Templar33 for bringing this to my (and your) attention. I lost some e-mails, so I'm not sure that's what he calls himself. Anyway, good stuff. Trust me.

Richard Torrance - Bit Torrance (2010)

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I'm a fan of Richard Torrance and I used to have some of his album posted here as vinyl rips. Then Steve sent me the "Living Today" rip and pointed out the fact that these days Richard was selling all of his albums on his homepage. Thank you Steve and you are right. Hence I pulled them all, instead offering you a sampler which features songs from all of his 70's releases. But wait, check out this video first:



Yes, Richard is still making music and performing. Again, check out his website. The music is not strictly Southern Rock (and he's really from North Dakota), but it has all the ingredients to cook up a nice Funky Southern-tinged musical stew. Dig in, I say. Tracks on this sampler come from the albums:
"Eureka" (1974)
"Belle Of The Ball" (1975)
"Living Today" (1976, European release only?)
"Bareback" (1977)
"Live At The Boarding House" (1977)
"Double Take" (1978)
"Anything's Possible" (1978).
Since then he's released a couple more CD's, all available at www.richardtorrance.com.
Richard's a great singer and musician and he sure deserves your attention. So, why don't you try a bit Torrance?!

Allgood - Reel To Real (1990)

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Allgood was originally called the Allgood Music Company. The band was based out of Athens, GA. Through constant touring, the band grew a following in the southeastern United States. Constantly changing set lists and additions of new songs appealed to the masses. The band created a demo tape of original songs entitled "Reel to Real". Taking only one day to record all 8 songs, the band used this for promotion to get gigs at bars and colleges. Next up was a 45 rpm called "Meat Salad". "Meat Salad" was sent to the college radio stations looking for more exposure.
This is "Reel To Real" including the tracks that made up the "Meat Salad" 45. It sounds like what it is, a collection of songs, demoed by a bunch of enthusiasts. The band gets funky occasionally and the songs are worth hearing again. This was a great band back then. Too bad they split. But at least they left us some fine music. It's Allgood..

Rusty Wier - Don't It Make You Wanna Dance? (1975)

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"Don't It Make You Wanna Dance?" is Rusty Wier's second album and, since it features his most covered track "Don't It Make You Wanna Dance?", likely to be his best known. Some artists you just can't go wrong with, Rusty Wier being one for sure. Rusty's music is the best among Outlaw Country/Austin Country, and this album sure nuff confirms that statement with ease. Besides the title-track, here we also find the beautiful "Sally Mae". And this album knows plenty Southern Rock moments as well. Lovely album by a lovely artists (alas no longer with us). Broaden your horizon and get this. Sing me..

Live Bait - EP (1995?)

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Live Bait is a band connected to Ned and features Norman Reim. This is a four song EP, which sounds like it was demo sold at live shows. It was provided to us all by Slidewell, and this is the information he had on this project:
Unfortunately Live Bait never came within a country mile of a recording contract. These 4 songs were self-produced and were basically a souvenir for the lucky few attending their rare live performances in the wilds of central New Jersey. The band consisted of:
Norman Reim: vocals, guitar
Kenny Heller: lead guitar
Max Crandall: drums
Anita Crandall: bass
Musically it's easygoing Americana really. Some definite Southern flavor, but any Outlaw Country fan would be just as pleased. Sometimes it reminded me a lot of Billy Joe Shaver. Very enjoyable. These day Ned are back as a unit again. Having released another CD as well, you can find out about that on their website. Let me hook you up with some Live Bait...

Ian Moore - Live From Austin (1994)

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"Live From Austin" was Ian Moore's second release. And a hot live one at that. Running at around 35 minutes and just 5 songs, this is still very much worth your attention. Bluesy Southern Rock played with verve and passionate vocals to boot. If you enjoyed Ian Moore's first album, you'll find this is where he really gets the chance to show off. And do that with flying colors. Great tasty live record, this one. Recommended for sure. Satisfied...

Whiskey River - Whiskey River (1978)

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This is the first album released by Whiskey River. I posted their second release a while back with the promise to post this. And I was getting asked about it too. Well, here it is. Another fine contribution by Luc (who's been one of my main providers). Thanks man. As for the music, it's another batch of Southern Country Rock. Not always as strong as the second album, this slice of vinyl breathes enthusiasm and will keep you up and up all night. About half the songs are originals, the other half covers. Nice version of Waylon's "Rainy Day Woman". And lots of fiddlin' about.. Southern Rock with the emphasis on Country Pickin'.

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..