The Dudek, Finnigan, Krueger Band - Live (1978)

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In 1980 Les Dudek, with the help of Mike Finnigan and Jim Krueger, released the terrific album "DFK". Before that, being all signed by Columbia at the time, they already toured together. And making some fine music on the road, as you can tell by getting yourself this splendid live recording. Not a lot of live Les Dudek out there, I'm afraid. But this makes up for that. It's a FM broadcast for WPIX, recorded in 1978. Great sound, great songs, great musicians. Really, it's all great (such a fine word). And I just love hearing Les pick that guitar of his. And the Mike Finnigan songs are very good as well. As are Jim Krueger's. So, how could there be any stopping you from getting this now? Merry Christmas all! Enjoy some City Magic...

Rusty Wier - Kum-Bak Bar & Grill (1987)

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This Rusty Wier album is his most Country album. Er.. Hey, but it's excellent. I've said it a couple times before and I'll say it again: do yourself a favor, go get yourself some Rusty! He has a magnificent voice, sings great songs, he has that Outlaw thingy I love so much and... I added 3 live tracks as a bonus. Come on y'all, do some Daytime Drinkin'!

Blackberry Smoke DVD

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Excellent Southern rockers Blackberry Smoke have issued two albums ("Bad Luck Ain't No Crime" from 2003 and "Little Piece Of Dixie" from 2009) and they will be releasing their "Live From The Georgia Theatre" DVD on December 6. You can already pre-order, you can also get it for free. That is, the people of Blackberry Smoke have made two DVD's available to the first two people who will mail me the Georgia Satellites song which Blackberry Smoke covered for their debut. Edit: the first two people with the right answer (Another Chance) are Karen and Drew. Congrats.



For those wanting a taste of this fine music, you can get a couple of mp3's for free here (there's a cover of "Yesterday's Wine" featuring George Jones too!).
Do good sounding soundboards of these guys exist? Cause I'd love to get me some more of this great rock & roll.

Ray Wylie Hubbard - Off The Wall (1978)

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This album was requested and I am happy to share this nice rip with all of you Outlaw Country aficionados. As a matter of fact, this is right up there with any classic produced by artists such as Joe Sun, Rusty Wier or Randy Howard. "Of The Wall" is Ray Wylie Hubbard's second solo album. Before that, he did make an album with a group called Three faces West. A nice article about that period can be found on A Truer Sound. His first solo album, "Ray Wylie Hubbard & the Cowboy Twinkies" has recently been released on CD. Not this one, though. "Off The Wall" was released on Willie Nelson's Lone Star Records and is much harder to find. It features the Outlaw classic "(Up Against The Wall) Redneck Mother", made famous by Jerry Jeff Walker, which is a bit of a parody on Merle Haggard's "Okie From Muskogee". Though Merle apparently didn't care much for Ray Wylie's effort. Vocally Ray Wylie is somewhat reminiscent of David Allan Coe. 10 songs on this piece of vinyl, and it's all good. Yes. Bittersweet Funky Tuesday...

Rich Mountain Tower - Playin' To The Radio (1976)

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Excellent third - and final - release by Tennessee pickers Rich Mountain Tower. This should please fans of early The Ozark Mountain Daredevils and fans of Country Rock in general. Tight and fiery, great songs, splendid musicians, lovely harmonies. It's got banjo and steel guitar, yet it will have you rocking alright. Dana Paul, one of the original members of the band commented on my previous Rich Mountain Tower post and provided some worthy information. Especially considering the fact that there's hardly any info to be found on the net. Thanks again to Pete for this beaut. And it's a hot sounding transfer too. Good time music band!

Archives interviews Bands Of Dixie sur SweetHomeMusic.fr

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Jay Boy Adams en français
JJ Muggler Band en français
Plug & Play en français
Mose Jones in English
Hogjaw in English
Jeff Prine in English
MelonHeadMan in English

Illusion - I Like It Loud (1986)

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This is the second album by Illusion and it would turn out to be their last. Featuring Gary "Moses Mo" Moore (Mother's Finest) on guitar, this is another blast of commercial sounding 80's Hard Rock. I quite like both albums, I do enjoy the squeaky vocals and think the songs are worth repeated listening. Why they re-recorded "Call In The Law" from their first album is beyond me, but it doesn't bother me. The first album had a more recognizable Southern tone to it, but this record you should not pass by if you dig some punchy rocking. Shake!

Marcia Waldorf - Memoranda (1975)

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Marcia Waldorf released (as far as I can tell) only one album and did so for the legendary Capricorn label. Musically it's very much a Singer-Songwriter type of album. But a very good one, let me assure you. Fans of early (folky) Heart will eat this up, as will fans of artists like Carole King and such. So, how Southern is this? Well, it's got the Capricorn Rhythm Section playing along as well as some great guests. People like Chuck Leavell, Jimmy Nalls and Davis Causey (Sea Level) and Paul Hornsby. If you're in a reflective mood (or want to impress your woman with some thoughtful and easygoing tunes), this will definitely work. The woman's got a very pleasant voice, there are some good lyrics and well written songs. The rhythm of the South?

Wet Willie - Drippin' Wet (1973)

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Here's a fine, raunchy Southern Rock & Soul show for ya. After having released two studio albums, Wet Willie turned in their third offering with this hot live registration. You can just imagine the sweat drippin' from your speakers. I'm at a loss for words. All I need is a beer and a Red Hot Chicken..

Russell Smith - The End Is Not In Sight (2002)

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Another fine piece of Amazing Rhythm Aces singer Russell Smith. Now, Russell albums may be few (as are Amazing Rhythm Aces albums, considering the fact they have been around since the early 70's), but they're always worth the time to check them out. This is the kind of album that at first you might dismiss as average and inoffensive, give it a few spins and you'll soon realize this is plain craftsmanship. So, it's not 'all over the place', it's just good. Good songs, good picking and splendid singing (as always). Included here are a couple of re-recordings of Amazing Rhythm Aces classics that are pretty nice, though I prefer the originals.
I always listen to Russell Smith right before or right after listening to Dan Penn. You should try that. For those still in the dark: this is some of the finest Singer-Songwriter Southern Country Rock (all capitals!). Old school.

Allgood - Kickin & Screamin (1994)

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"Kickin & Screamin" is Allgood kickin' and screamin' alright. An infectious live show that shows very well just how good these cats were. Excellent Southern Rock and with deserved capitals too. There are just 5 songs here, it still has you toe-tappin' for 40 minutes. My favorite song on here would be the 16 minute long "Trilogy", with some fiery fiddle thrown in for good measure. Really, the whole album just makes you wanna go out, grab a case of beer and.. Oh well, you know what I mean. A great time to be had by all. Solid vocals and a band that sure knows how to get the crowd moving. Funky house.

Doc Holliday - Modern Medicine (1983)

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I guess you all know how I feel about the 80's and how, in my opinion, that period was just a really black page in the history of Rock & Roll. Doc Holliday have almost always stuck to their roots. Almost. Cause on this Mack produced album from 1983 they nearly blew it. All kinds of electronic sounds and an uncharacteristic production makes this a record a real strange piece of work. When listening to this, if someone told you this is Southern Rock, you would probably laugh right in their face. And who could blame you. But still, it's Doc Holliday, one of my favorite bands to this day. And if you try real hard, you might actually find something to enjoy. Who could say no to that raspy voice of Bruce Brookshire's? After this misstep they soon got their thing back together, playing their music the way we know and love it. But try this out. You might just have a good time after all. Doc Holliday has just finished their farewell tour and released their last album. So, buy that one. It's called "From The Vault" and has songs from their entire career that never made it to disc, both live songs, outtakes and all. Don't let "Modern Medicine" scare you off ;-)... Rock City!

Gregg Allman - Duck Tape Sessions

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These are the recordings made at Johnny Sandlin's Duck Tape Studio back in 1995. They were meant to become Gregg's "Searching For Simplicity" album. Instead they all turned it upside down and wound with quite a less earthier sound than these tapes. Some people even call it being butchered into the end result. Maybe. Truth is that I prefer these recordings as well. And Gregg Allman is my main man anyway. The first 11 songs are the same as on "Searching...". Then, instead of "Memphis In The Meantime" and Starting Over", there's another song, which closes this album, called "Please Let Me Know". I know all of you people own the "Searching..." album, so this makes for some nice comparing. Hey, it's the real thang! House of Blues.

Joe Sun - Heartbreak Saloon (1998)

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You can never have enough Joe Sun music. So, without repeating all the superlatives of previous posts, all I have to say right now is: get it. Great voice, Outlaw Country at its finest. You can't go wrong here. This is Joe Sun doing what he does best: Honky Tonkin' This World Round