We’ve recently told you about Go Ahead & Back Up: The Lost Motown Masters, Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records’ CD of unheard Bobby Darin Motown recordings due in July.  Now we’ve gotten word of two more Real Gone July releases, both in the country genre: one for Willie Nelson and one for The Statler Brothers.

Country legend Willie Nelson hardly needs an introduction.  The 85-year-old is one of the biggest names in country and has been recording for over six decades, including up through this year.  But, like nearly every artist, Nelson had to start somewhere.  Real Gone is looking back to the very beginning of Willie’s career, to a time when he was known more as a just a songwriter than as a singer as well with Things To Remember – The Pamper Demos.

Nelson had recorded a few singles and performed live on television, radio and in clubs by the time he moved his family to Nashville in 1960, but he wasn’t breaking through.  That changed when he met Hank Cochran, a country songwriter who worked for the publishing company Pamper Music.  Pamper, owned by country star Ray Price, fiddler Hal Smith and baker Claude Caviness, was hot at the time due to a string of hit including Cochran and Harlan Howard’s “I Fall To Pieces,” a No. 1 Country entry as recorded by Patsy Cline.  Cochran was so impressed with Nelson that he told the company to pay Willie the $50 a week raise he had gotten to get the songwriter started.  And get started he did.  Nelson wrote quickly and would go into the studio to record demos of the songs with whatever A-list musicians were around that day.  He would continue making these demos even after his own recording career had started.  The compositions he wrote during this period are among the most famous country songs ever and represent an incredibly fertile time.  Some of the songs include “Night Life” (recorded by Ray Price), “Hello Walls” (recorded by Faron Young – a No. 1 country hit), “Funny How Time Slips Away” (first recorded by Billy Walker and a crossover hit for Joe Hinton), “Pretty Paper” (recorded by Roy Orbison and a Christmas classic) and “Crazy” (a No. 2 hit for Patsy Cline and a true country standard).  Nelson would subsequently sign with various labels including Liberty, Monument, RCA and Atlantic.  While he had critical and some commercial success, his big breakthrough was 1975’s Columbia Records concept album Red Headed Stranger and he has remained a country superstar ever since.

Real Gone’s new compilation contains 28 Pamper demos.  Some of these tracks have appeared on random compilations over the years and Sugar Hill released a CD in 2003 with a number of the songs, but this is the most comprehensive collection of the material to appear.  The liner notes have been written by Grammy-winning writer Colin Escott and the booklet features photos courtesy of Richard Weize, founder of the Bear Family label.  Mike Milchner at SonicVison has done the remastering.  The compilation will be released on CD and on a 2-LP set, pressed in red vinyl and limited to 1,000 copies.

Next up from Real Gone is The Statler Brothers Sing the Classics.  The Statler Brothers, the famous country-gospel quartet, was formed in 1955.  By 1963, when they adopted the Statler Brothers name, the group consisted of Don Reid (lead vocals), Harold Reid (bass), Phil Balsley (baritone) and Lew DeWitt (tenor).  As with other musical acts, only two of the members were brothers and none were actually named Statler.  In 1964, Johnny Cash discovered them and they began to perform background vocals on his recordings and appear on his television show.  Their first hit 1965’s “Flowers on the Wall,” written by DeWitt, went to No. 2 on the Country chart and No. 4 on the Pop chart.  The song was off their debut album on Columbia Records, Cash’s label.  They would leave Cash a few years later as their own success grew and moved to Mercury in 1970, remaining on the label for over 20 years and releasing over 30 albums.  During that time, their fame only increased.  They became known for incorporating comedy in their act.  The group earned four Country No. 1s (1978’s “Do You Know You Are My Sunshine?,” “1984’s “Elizabeth” and 1985’s “My Only Love” and “Too Much of My Heart.”  Due to failing health, DeWitt left the group in 1982, replaced by Jimmy Fortune.  DeWitt passed away in 1990.  The Statler Brothers have also won three Grammy Awards and been named the Vocal Group of the Year by the Country Music Association nine times.

After leaving Mercury in 1993, The Statler Brothers recorded a 2-CD set of 24 songs for Heartland Music in 1995 entitled The Statler Brothers Sing The Classics.  The material consisted of covers of pop songs from the 1940s-1960s.  The album was never released at retail and could only be bought through a direct response TV campaign.  The Statlers would then release two studio albums on Crossroads in 2001 and 2002, respectively.  2002 was also the year that the group decided to retire and disband after a farewell tour.  They were inducted into the Gospel Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008.

Real Gone’s new edition of The Statler Brothers Sing The Classics puts all 24 tracks onto a single CD.  New liner notes have been written by Johnny Cash scholar John M. Alexander and feature new quotes from Don Reid.  The package has also been updated with new cover art and photos.

If you would like to give either of these releases by these country legends a try, due July 13, we’ve got the full tracklistings and preorder links below.

Willie Nelson, Things To Remember – The Pamper Demos (Real Gone Music, 2018)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD

1. Healing Hands of Time
2. Where Were You Yesterday
3. More Than One Way to Cry
4. I Just Can’t Let You Say Goodbye
5. A Broken Promise
6. I’m Gonna Lose a Lotta Teardrops
7. Little Things
8. Will You Remember Mine
9. My Own Peculiar Way
10. I Gotta Get Drunk
11. Half a Man
12. You Left a Long Time Ago
13. Undo the Right
14. I’ve Just Destroyed the World
15. Are You Sure
16. Country Willie
17. Three Days
18. You Wouldn’t Cross the Street
19. Pretty Paper
20. Night Life
21. Hello Walls
22. Good Times
23. Funny (How Time Slips Away)
24. Crazy
25. Within Your Crowd
26. Save Your Tears
27. A Moment Isn’t Very Long
28. Things to Remember

Willie Nelson, Things To Remember – The Pamper Demos (Red Vinyl 2-LP Edition) (Real Gone Music, 2018)

2-LP Red Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD

Side One

1. Where Were You Yesterday
2. More Than One Way to Cry
3. I Just Can’t Let You Say Goodbye
4. A Broken Promise
5. I’m Gonna Lose a Lotta Teardrops
6. Little Things

Side Two

1. Will You Remember Mine
2. My Own Peculiar Way
3. I Gotta Get Drunk
4. Half a Man
5. You Left a Long Time Ago
6. Undo the Right
7. I’ve Just Destroyed the World

Side Three

1. Are You Sure
2. Country Willie
3. Three Days
4. You Wouldn’t Cross the Street
5. Pretty Paper
6. Night Life
7. Hello Walls
8. Healing Hands of Time

Side Four

1. Good Times
2. Funny (How Time Slips Away)
3. Crazy
4. Within Your Crowd
5. Save Your Tears
6. A Moment Isn’t Very Long
7. Things to Remember

The Statler Brothers, The Statler Brothers Sing The Classics (originally issued on Heartland Music CD 3404-2, 1995, reissued Real Gone Music, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD)

1. Memories Are Made of This
2. The Great Pretender
3. Gone
4. Naughty Lady of Shady Lane
5. She Thinks I Still Care
6. I’ll Go to My Grave Loving You
7. Moments to Remember
8. Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy
9. Making Believe
10. Tom Dooley
11. Love Letters in the Sand
12. Hello Mary Lou
13. Unchained Melody
14. The Battle of New Orleans
15. I Can’t Stop Loving You
16. Bye Bye Love
17. Only You
18. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
19. Oh Baby Mine (I Get So Lonely)
20. It Only Hurts for a Little While
21. He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
22. Bed Of Roses
23. Love Me Tender
24. Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight