Horseback Riding Ranch Estates For Sale

Chip Taylor's 1975 Country Album 'This Side of the Big River' Reissued by Collectors' Choice Music

Los Angeles, Calif. (PRWeb) January 14, 2007 -- Chip Taylor, best known for penning hits like "Wild Thing" and "Angel of the Morning" as well as his more recent critically acclaimed duo albums with Carrie Rodriguez, had a nearly secret recording career in the 1970s. Signed to Warner Bros. as a solo artist, Chip recorded three country albums, the last of which - This Side of the Big River - is about to be reissued on Collectors' Choice Music on February 20.

The trouble with Chip Taylor recording country albums -- other than that he was a New York native known for rock and pop hits -- was that Warner Bros. Records didn't have a Nashville division at the time. Taylor was Warner Nashville's first artist. A song from his 1974 album Some of Us titled "Me As I Am" was the label's first charting country record. Still, the albums themselves did little, and Taylor feared he'd be dropped after his two-album contract expired. Ah, but it pays to have fans at the label. A promotion man who'd been asked to stop promoting the Taylor album had promoted it on his own time at night, catapulting the song onto the charts. Finally the head of the Nashville division said, "How the hell can we drop Chip Taylor? He's our first country hit artist." So he got to record a third album: This Side of the River.

White Plains, N.Y. is not known as a country hotbed, but that's where Taylor retreated to record the album. He enlisted Nashville steel player Pete Drake along with fiddler Buddy Spicher. The Jordanaires, fresh from several Elvis sessions, sang backups. Multi-instrumentalist Sandy Bull added oud to a couple of songs. Three of the basic tracks ("Big River," "John Tucker" and "You're Alright Charlie" - the latter a tribute to his friend and business associated Charlie Knoblock) - were lifted from a radio appearance in New Hampshire.

In addition to "You're Alright, Charlie," there were other songs about real-life characters. "John Tucker" is about a guy who used to frequent bars at which Taylor performed, always carrying a suitcase. There were many songs about his wife, from whom he had separated prior to recording, including "Sleepy Eyes," "Circle the Tears" and "Holding Me Together."

This Side of the River also housed some of Taylor's earliest political efforts, a side of his songwriting that characterized his most recent album, Unglorious Hallelujah, just last year. "Same Ol' Story" referred to the final throes of the Vietnam War. For some reason, the song took off in Holland where it charted at a peak position of No. 2. Taylor toured the country, playing many sold -out shows. Alas, this was not enough for Warner Bros. to commission a fourth album and he was dropped. Johnny Cash, whose mid-'50s hit "Big River" was the album's sole cover song, wrote a letter to DJs asking them to give Chip a listen. But the decision was final.

Taylor dropped out of sight shortly thereafter and became a professional gambler. His gambling escapades were noted in a New York Times Magazine cover story. However, he re-emerged in the '90s, recording both alone and with Carrie Rodriguez on his own Trainwreck label.

Taylor recently commented on the album: "This Side Of The Big River brings back very special memories for a couple of reasons. First, the subject matter: Johnny Cash, The Vietnam War, Joan - the wonderful mom of my kids, her grandma Nana, Charlie ("the neighborhood hero"), my great friend, John Tucker - a fan who came to all my shows at a bar called J.P's on the Upper East Side. Second, it brought a life change. This is the album that took me away from the race tracks and the casinos. With unbelievable support from Warner Brothers Holland, the first single release went to No. 2 on the national charts and the album became successful. And there I was playing for those wonderful fans. A few months later, Warner Brothers U.S. dropped me and the race tracks and casinos got me back."

# # #

MORE ARTICLES:

5 Reasons Why Brinks Home Security is Just What You Need
5 Reasons Why Brinks Home Security is Just What You Need

The Right Mindset For Your Home Business
Starting your own home business and becoming a successful entrepreneur is not as impossible as it seems All it takes is getting your self in the right mindset

The Power of Small Numbers: Trading Success is Based on Consistency, Not Home Runs
Online trading is so seductive - just sit, click, and rake in the profits! But as anyone who has ever seriously attempted online trading will probably tell you, it's just not as easy as it sounds.Many beginning traders are seduced by the lure of the "home run", that big trade that makes you an instant millionaire and retires you overnight to your own private island paradise.

How Stay-at-Home Moms can Build a Web Business
Many mothers who look after their children at home often consider starting a part-time business. The problem is they do not have a lot of time.

Did Howard Hughes View a Captured UFO and Its Occupants?
Did Howard Hughes ever get a chance to view a captured or crashed UFO and its occupants I have long pondered this question and there may now be an answer to it

Hello From Nova Scotia: Putting My Car In The Ditch In Chebogue River
So after my visit to the Yarmouth County Museum I said goodbye to this fishing town on the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia and set off on my trip along the Lighthouse Trail. It was an overcast and drizzly early afternoon when I began my trip along the curvy roads heading east from Yarmouth. A flat landscape with marshy areas and occasional rocks and forest was stretched out in front of me. The odd farm house or small village brightened up the drive.

Succeeding in Your Home Based Business
Home based business has many advantages but it also has some pitfalls. In order to succeed in your home based business you need to adopt some strategies to manage these pitfalls and ensure that you have a profitable business as well as a balance in your life.

Gilt Groupe Launches Children?s Category with Lucy Sykes Inaugural Sale Top Children?s Brands Added Following Successful Debut of Women?s and Men?s Sa
Gilt Groupe (www.gilt.com), which provides access by invitation only to coveted fashion and luxury lifestyle brands at prices up to 70% off retail, announced today the launch of its new Children?s category; the first Children?s sale is scheduled for Tuesday, July 15th, commencing at 12:00 PM EST.

Home For The Holidays: Ask Yourself Some Questions
Annie easily slipped into becoming the sole caregiver of her parents. What started out as monthly grocery shopping for them, over the course of 2 years became a full time duty, an overwhelming burden and just about broke her emotionally and financially.

Way to Quickly Sell Your Home in Sarasota Real Estate Market
If you are planning to sell your house in Sarasota real estate market in a great price and in fastest way, you should hire a real estate agent. These agents are expert enough in selling a house.

Birds Eye View of Mortgage Process in U.S
The mortgage process in U.S normally comprises of six basic steps and in general takes from 4-6 weeks, and includes 6 major milestones. If you want to taste sweet successful mortgage process in U.S then make sure to understand below mentioned steps:

One-Stop Online Resource for Work-From-Home Parents Launched
Wendy Piersall, founder of eMomsatHome.com, "the internet home business magazine for moms and dads," announced recently the expansion of the internet magazine. The new site will include seven blogs (written by nine authors) that cater to work-at-home parents, including both business content as well as parenting information.

Home Improvement Catalog: Should You Order From A Home Improvement Catalog?
If you're looking to remodel your house, a home improvement catalog can be an invaluable resource. In many cases, you can use them to order exactly what you want without having to worry about looking through a ton of home improvement warehouses for what you need. If you haven't started remodeling yet, you can also use a home improvement catalog to help you price out the materials that you need to get your project finished. Once you have used one to get the basic budget put together, you will know how much money you need to get a loan for, or how much money you need to set aside in the future to get started.

Work at Home Opportunities - Find the Right One For You
Work at home opportunities are hard to come by, especially with all the work at home opportunity scams out there Finding the right work at home job can save you not only time, but a WHOLE lot of money in gas costs