Author: Jeanine Shea

No less than the Smithsonian Institution has applauded Britt Gully for his interpretations of Jimmie Rodgers’ pioneering country music. So when Gully gets a chance to borrow the Singing Brakeman’s original Martin to record an album, it’s time to lend an ear.

Rodger’s custom-ordered the 1927 Martin 000-45. The guitar features his name inlaid in mother-of-pearl on the fretboard and “Blue Yodel” on the headstock after his famous cycle of 13 songs. “Thanks” was painted upside down on the guitar’s back.

After his death, Rodgers’ widow loaned the guitar to Ernest Tubb, who played it for 40 years. Nowadays, it spends most of its time safe and sound behind glass at the Jimmie Rodgers Museum in Meridian, Mississippi.

So, with permission granted, Gully rounded up a group of friends and special guests to record this tribute.

“This guitar is magical,” Gully says about the Martin. “There was never a time when playing it that I did not realize what I was playing, and who played it before me.”

Happily, the album is not a slavish recreation of Rodgers’ music. Instead, it’s a series of joyful jam sessions on 13 songs with a full band flushing out the sound of that vintage Martin.

Gully sings, picks the 000-45, and of course, yodels. His lineup of friends includes fiddle, harmonica, mandolin, piano, and accordion players.

The album kicks off with “Any Old Time,” Gully’s band swinging the song subtly with an easy jazz gait that fits perfectly. Their version – complete with clarinet and violin – echoes Rodgers’ original, but has a life of its own.

On “California Blues” (a.k.a., “Blue Yodel #4”), the harmonica and background vocals accent Gully’s lead. For “Nobody Knows But Me,” Mac McAnally lends lovely mournful guitar leads, while Carl Jackson’s guitar augments “Miss The Mississippi And You.”

The finale, “Walking Up Jimmie’s Guitar,” is Gully’s lovely instrumental blend of country, blues, and ragtime.
Gully proves himself throughout. His singing and yodeling echo back to the late 1920s. And that guitar sounds gorgeous – warm, clear, woody, and wonderful, a living testament to Martin.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s January ’15 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Eighteen years of embroidered cowboy suits, stellar alt-country songcraft, and stylish guitar work has made legends of Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. Now they’re back with their eighth album, the rich and rewarding South.

Think of the band as the Canadian version of the Flatlanders, but don’t get them confused. Like the Texas band, this trio sports three frontmen who also juggle solo careers, other bands, and sideman duties. But Blackie and the Rodeo Kings have their own unique sound, far from that of the Lone Star state: The band blends Canadian roots music with Americana, creating a more laidback, northof-the-border vibe.

The trio includes singer-songwriters Stephen Fearing and Tom Wilson (former lead singer of Junkhouse), along with guitarist-producer Colin Linden. The fretman has also cut several killer solo albums and served as a sideman to the stars, including Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Cockburn, Emmylou Harris, and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.

South owes its name to the southerly locale of Linden’s Nashville studio, where the band cut the album. The process proved to be a journey for the band. They initially planned to record one original and one cover by each of the trio, yet the originals proved the strongest material and so the album grew from there.

The collection is mostly acoustic, a change, too, from past forays. This stripped-down sound seems to have rejuvenated the band with fresh inspirations and a return to their sources. Throughout, their tone is rich in warm, resonant tones with plenty of Linden’s slidework. They’re backed by bassist Johnny Dymond and drummer Gary Craig, creating a full-tilt altcountry band once again.

The album opens with Wilson’s rollicking “North,” an infectious country melody spiced with Linden’s bottleneck playing. Linden’s title track is autobiographical, reflecting on following his parents’ footsteps in moving his family from Canada to the United States.

The uptempo “I’m Still Loving You” finds Linden unleashing country Dobroi-nflected slide that drives the song with banjo-style rolls. “Reinventing The Wheel Of Love” is catchy country rock.

The album closes with the sole cover, “Drifting Snow” by Willie P. Bennett, the Canadian folk legend who inadvertently inspired the band’s creation 18 years back.

South is both classic Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and at the same time, signals a new direction. Either way, it’s a fine album of alt-country and great guitar work.

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This article originally appeared in VG April 2014 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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Thirty-seven years between his debut album and today, HandPicked, Klugh’s first new album since 2008’s The Spice Of Life, appears on his own label (distributed by Concord). Like his past few albums, Klugh offers a blend of standards and originals in a solo setting with guests on three tracks, starting with an elegant rendering of Burt Bacharach’s “Alfie.” A restrained “Blue Moon” becomes collaboration, with Bill Frisell playing amplified. Playing solo on “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing” and “But Beautiful,” Klugh delves into rich, almost Bill Evans-style harmonic explorations.

“Hotel California,” features him in tandem with Jake Shimabukuro’s ukulele. “Goin’ Out Of My Head” straddles its roots in pop (Little Anthony and the Imperials) and jazz (Wes Montgomery), Klugh again offering brief, thoughtful improvisational passages.

He offers a stately take on the Beatles’ “If I Fell.” Vince Gill joins in on guitar on the Everly Brothers’ “All I Have To Do Is Dream,” offering a brief vocal reprise. Klugh waxes mellow throughout, but the four minute “In Six” offers some lively, swinging moments.

Klugh’s approach has always tended to the smoother, albeit with a high level of consistency. HandPicked maintains that vision.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s December. ’13 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.