Straight from Nashville, Tennessee’s Country Music Foundation (CMF Records) and the Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum exhibition Dylan, Cash and the Nashville Cats; A New Music City opened on 27th March earlier this year, and will run till December 2016. This is a fabulous tribute to the pickers who didn't embellished but dominated some of best recordings of the late 1960s and early 1970s of not only country music but a wider spectrum. Due to Dylan, The Byrds, Joan Baez, Flatt & Scruggs, Judy Collins, Leon Russell (as Hank Wilson), The Monkees and Simon & Garfunkle plus Canadians Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot and folk act Ian & Sylvia Tyson joining the likes of later-day Texas favourite Jerry Jeff Walker, J.J Cale, Eric Anderson, Steve Young, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Goodman, John Hartford and Kris Kristofferson plus Beatles, George, Paul and Ringo and from America's West Coast you had Country Joe McDonald, The Beau Brummels and one of the finest female vocalist to grace Nashville’s famed Music Row studios blues, rock, folk country singer Tracy Nelson. Nelson was soon to move to Nashville and like the Nashville Cats lend her talent to a good few recordings, as well as put out albums in her own right.
As for players; you have the likes of Charlie McCoy, Lloyd Green, Grady Martin, Hargus ‘Pig’ Robbins, Weldon Myrick and Buddy Spicher plus Charlie Daniels and Jerry Reed who went on to become stars in their own right. It was a wonderful time for the music and one to help inspire the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s ground breaking epic triple-album Will The Circle Be Unbroken. Quality fare, it does not stop with the albums either. For Johnny Cash’s Nashville TV show (a song by Eric Clapton (Derek & The Dominos) from Carl Perkins has writer and Cash join the fun on “Matchbox” gains inclusion on the collection) had artists from the rock world join him, and with the likes of session man Norman Blake add more power to the cause a new era dawned. It helped line the pockets of labels, artists and session men alike. Much of the music featured pedal steel guitar, which gave the likes of Green in particular to explore fields outside country music. Same applies to harmonica ace, McCoy who gained respect and admiration of a large catchment area.
Nestled among those from Dylan, Cash etc the listener gets to sample a number of lesser known, overlooked and in some cases forgotten versions from the likes of Canadian’s Ian & Sylvia Tyson of Dylan’s “This Wheel’s On Fire”, The Monkees’ version of band member, and later-day country rock artist, Mike Nesmith’s “Some Of Shelley’s Blues”, Kristofferson’s demo recording of “If You Don’t Like Hank Williams”, Leon Russell as ‘Hank Wilson’ on “Six Pack To Go” and Earl Scruggs w/ Linda Ronstadt version of Merle Haggard’s “Silver Wings”. You also have Jerry Jeff Walker with an easy as an old shoe fitting “Driftin’ Way Of Life”, and that is not to mention “Girl From The North Country” (Bob Dylan with Johnny Cash), Simon & Garfunkle’s ode “The Boxer”. While with the Nashville Cats all-over Country Joe MacDonald “Blowing Down That Dusty Road”, The Byrds' “Hickory Wind”, Joan Baez’s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and classics from Steve Goodman “City Of New Orleans”, J.J Cale (“Crazy Mama”) and John Hartford (“Gentle On My Mind” the listener is spoilt for choice. You also have a bonus track of Dylan with Lloyd Green’s “If Not For You” and a Byrds’ radio ad for “Sweetheart Of The Rodeo”.
Bob Dylan coming to Nashville to record Blonde On Blonde, country covers of his compositions and Johnny Cash’s TV show with his eclectic (forward thinking) selection of guests opened the way for Nashville’s recording studios. It helped fill a lot of pockets and give the Nashville Cats more work than they ever had; and it helped turn people otherwise steeped in rock music to country music, fellow musicians and recording artists included. A feast of awaits the listener with roots and branches aplenty to further explore. There is a book also available ( sold separate).
Maurice Hope