WIWS Banner

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

Storytellers: Raven Anthologizes Jerry Jeff Walker, Bobby Bare

May 20, 2015 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Jerry Jeff Walker - No Leavin TexasTwo American country legends have recently been celebrated by Australia's Raven Records label with new 2-CD, multi-label anthologies - Jerry Jeff Walker ("Mr. Bojangles") and Bobby Bare ("Detroit City").

No Leavin' Texas 1968-82: The Classic Jerry Jeff follows Raven's recent reissue of three of the New York-born troubadour's albums in one package.  This 2-CD anthology collects 39 tracks sourced from 15 albums on five different labels (Atco, Vanguard, Decca, MCA and Elektra) originally released between 1968 and 1982.  It kicks off, appropriately enough, with "Mr. Bojangles" from Walker's debut album of the same name.  Though the songwriter's earliest success (via a hit 1971 recording by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) has proven his most enduring, the former Ronald Crosby has continued to influence generation after generation of songwriters.

Walker has refused to be pigeonholed over the years, and has deftly incorporated a blend of styles in his own music, including country, folk, pop, blues, rock and jazz.  That he wouldn't follow a "traditional" path was obvious from his first album, a "country" LP recorded in New York City!  No Leavin' Texas traces Walker's path from early Atco and Vanguard recordings through his five straight Top 50 charting country albums for MCA and Elektra (which followed his move to Austin, Texas in 1971) all the way to 1982's CowJazz.  Following CowJazz (his description of his musical style), Walker took a break from recording.  He didn't return with another LP until 1987, by which point he had broken off entirely with the major label system.

In addition to his own songs, No Leavin' Texas features Walker's interpretations of others' compositions, too, including Bob Dylan's "One Too Many Mornings" (from 1977's A Man Must Carry On), Willie Nelson's "Pick Up the Tempo" (from 1975's Ridin' High), Rodney Crowell's "I Ain't Livin' Long Like This" (from 1979's Too Old to Change) and a trio of songs from Guy Clark, "That Old Time Feeling" and "L.A. Freeway" (both culled from his 1972 Decca self-titled album) and "Comfort and Crazy" (from 1978's Jerry Jeff).  Even Tom Waits is represented with Walker's cover of his "(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night," off Jerry Jeff's 1976 It's a Good Night for Singin'.

Touching on all of Walker's various sides, No Leavin' Texas paints a full portrait of the artist as vocalist and songwriter.  With al tracks remastered by Warren Barnett, it includes a new 12-page full-color booklet with liner notes by Thom Jurek.

Bobby Bare - StorytellerBobby Bare, born not in Detroit City but in Ironton, Ohio, first rose to prominence when Nashville Sound pioneer/legendary guitarist Chet Atkins signed him to RCA in 1962.  But Bare's story actually begins prior to that, when he recorded a demo of a little novelty song he'd written called "The All American Boy."  But with Bare drafted into the army, it was decided to release the demo under the name of his friend Bill Parsons - and Parsons' name remained as singer and songwriter when the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Pop chart in 1960!  "The All American Boy" begins Raven's Storyteller: The Anthology 1960-83 which takes in a whopping 51 tracks first released on RCA, Mercury and Columbia Records.  Like the Walker set, it follows other reissued titles from Bare on the Raven label.

Though Bare was a songwriter himself, the first song Bare released on the RCA label in 1962 was "Shame On Me" by Bill Ennis and Lawton Williams. It was a No. 18 Country/No. 23 Pop hit, showcasing Atkins' lush, trademark countrypolitan sound.  Bare's very next RCA release, "Detroit City," became a career high point.  The Mel Tillis/Danny Dill song made it to No. 6 Country and No. 16 on the Hot 100, netting the artist a Grammy Award in 1964.  Bobby Bare was off and running, notching subsequent hits including his adaptation of a traditional ballad, "500 Miles Away from Home," and Ian Tyson's "Four Strong Winds."  All of these tracks, of course, are featured on Raven's new anthology.

In 1970, Bare departed RCA for Mercury, where he continued his hitmaking streak with songs by Tom T. Hall ("How I Got to Memphis"), Kris Kristofferson ("Come Sundown" and "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends"), Shel Silverstein ("Sylvia's Mother") and even Carole King and Toni Stern ("What Am I Gonna Do").  Bare became closely identified with Silverstein's quirky songs, fourteen of which are reprised on this collection.  Upon returning to RCA, he scored his only Country chart-topper with Silverstein's "Marie Laveau" in 1974.  Other hits ensued during Bare's second tenure at RCA, including Billy Joe Shaver's "Ride Me Down Easy."

Raven's compilation follows Bare next to Columbia Records, where he remained from 1978 to 1983.  At Columbia, he continued to hone his persona as purveyor of novelty songs ("a smart-ass redneck clown," per Keith Glass' new liner notes here) while also recording a hit duet with Rosanne Cash (Rodney Crowell's "No Memories Hangin' 'Round") and cutting Don Schlitz's "The Gambler" before Kenny Rogers immortalized the tune.  Though better-known during the Columbia years for fare like "I've Never Gone to Bed with an Ugly Woman," Bare also recorded more "straight" country songs including Bob McDill's "Song of the South."  (Both songs came from the album called Drunk and Crazy.)

After 1983's Drinkin' from the Bottle, Bobby Bare all but retired from the recording studio, though he returned in 1998, joining with Waylon Jennings, Mel Tillis and Jerry Reed as a group of Old Dogs.  Subsequent recordings arrived in 2005 and 2012, even as his son Bobby Bare Jr. followed in his father's singer-songwriter footsteps.  Storyteller: The Anthology has been remastered by Warren Barnett, and the 12-page full-color booklet features Keith Glass' notes.

Both of these comprehensive collections from Jerry Jeff Walker and Bobby Bare can be ordered at the links below!

Bobby Bare, Storyteller: The Anthology 1960-83 (Raven RVCD-388, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

CD 1

  1. The All American Boy
  2. Shame on Me
  3. Detroit City
  4. 500 Miles Away from Home
  5. Miller's Cave
  6. Four Strong Winds
  7. Long Black Limousine
  8. Have I Stayed Away Too Long
  9. It's Alright
  10. A Dear John Letter - Skeeter Davis and Bobby Bare
  11. Together Again - Skeeter Davis and Bobby Bare
  12. Times Are Gettin' Hard
  13. The Long Black Veil
  14. A Little Bit Later on Down the Line
  15. The Streets of Baltimore
  16. The Town That Broke My Heart
  17. (Margie's At) Lincoln Park Inn
  18. When Am I Ever Gonna Settle Down
  19. God Bless America Again
  20. How I Got to Memphis
  21. Come Sundown
  22. Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends
  23. Help Me Make It Through the Night
  24. What Am I Gonna Do
  25. The Year That Clayton Delancey Died
  26. Ride Me Down Easy
  27. Daddy, What If
  28. Marie Laveau
  29. Dropkick Me, Jesus

CD 2

  1. Sylvia's Mother
  2. The Mermaid
  3. Alimony
  4. The Winner
  5. The Gambler
  6. Greasy Grit Gravy
  7. Sleep Tight, Good Night Man
  8. No Memories Hangin' 'Round - Rosanne Cash with Bobby Bare
  9. Red Neck Hippie Romance
  10. Numbers
  11. Tequila Sheila
  12. Some Days are Diamonds (Some Days are Stone)
  13. Rough on the Living
  14. I've Never Gone to Bed with an Ugly Woman
  15. Song of the South
  16. The World's Last Truck Drivin' Man
  17. Willie Jones
  18. Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go)
  19. New Cut Road
  20. Praise the Lord and Send Me the Money
  21. The Jogger
  22. Diet Song

Jerry Jeff Walker, No Leavin' Texas 1968-82: The Classic Jerry Jeff (Raven RVCD-387) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

CD 1

  1. Bojangles
  2. Driftin' Way of Life
  3. Morning Song to Sally
  4. I Makes Money (Money Don't Make Me)
  5. Help Me Now
  6. I'm Gonna Tell on You
  7. A Secret
  8. Stoney
  9. Hill Country Rain
  10. Charlie Dunn
  11. That Old Time Feeling
  12. A. Freeway
  13. Gettin' By
  14. Desperados Waiting for a Train
  15. Up Against the Wall, Redneck
  16. Salvation Army Band
  17. Pot Can't Call the Kettle Black
  18. Pissin' in the Wind
  19. (Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night

CD 2

  1. Pick Up the Tempo
  2. She Left Me Holdin'
  3. Standin' at the Big Hotel
  4. Couldn't Do Nothin' Right
  5. Old Five and Dimers Like Me
  6. Some Day I'll Get Out of These Bars
  7. It's a Good Night for Singin'
  8. Don't It Make You Wanna Dance
  9. One Too Many Mornings
  10. Leavin' Texas
  11. Tryin' to Hold the Wind Up With a Sail
  12. Suckin' a Big Bottle of Gin
  13. Eastern Avenue River Blues
  14. Comfort and Crazy
  15. Northcoast Texas Women
  16. Too Old to Change
  17. I Ain't Livin' Long Like This
  18. Got Lucky Last Night
  19. Maybe Mexico
  20. Dealing with the Devil

Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Country, Folk, Pop Tags: Bobby Bare, Jerry Jeff Walker

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

Connect With Joe: FacebookTwitter

You Might Also Like

  • Jerry Jeff Walker Mr Bojangles BoxHoliday Gift Guide Spotlight: Cherry Red Box Set Bonanza - Rhinoceros, Jerry Jeff Walker, Fumble
  • ElvisPresley FromElvisInNashvilleRelease Round-Up: Week of November 20
  • Release Round-Up: Week of October 23
  • Bare SilversteinReview: "Bobby Bare Sings Shel Silverstein Plus" from Bear Family Records

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • BT Express Do It Til Youre Satsified
    Do It ('Til You're Satisfied) (Remastered and Expanded Edition)
    B.T. Express
    May 27, 2022
  • ABBA Albums Box
    Album Box Set
    ABBA
    May 27, 2022
  • Sex Pistols Original Recordings
    The Original Recordings
    Sex Pistols
    May 27, 2022
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,433 other subscribers

Popular

  • Beatles Get Back BD
    UPDATE: "The Beatles: Get Back" Documentary Premieres on Blu-ray and DVD in July posted on May 24, 2022 | under News
  • Combat Rock Peoples Hall
    Release Round-Up: Week of May 20 posted on May 20, 2022 | under Release Round-Up
  • Dolenz Jones Boyce and Hart
    I Remember the Feeling: 7a Records Reissues Studio and Live Albums from Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart posted on May 18, 2022 | under News

Comments

  • small faces here come the nice2
    Return To Itchycoo Park: Small Faces' "Here Come The Nice" Deluxe Box Set Arrives In January [UPDATED 12/3] 84 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 3, 2013 | under News
  • the beatles u s albums box2
    British Invasion! The Beatles Unveil "The U.S. Albums" Box Set in January 69 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 12, 2013 | under News
  • Rolling Stones in Mono
    Out of Their Heads: Stones Plan Mono Box Set 47 comments | by Mike Duquette | posted on August 10, 2016 | under News

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popblerd
  • Popdose
  • Record Racks
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Viva La Mainstream
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Resonance Records
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2022 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy