Rock Archeologia

Sammy Walker - Sammy Walker (1976 Warner Bros.) 

Artist: Sammy Walker
Album: Sammy Walker
Label: Warner Bros. Records
Catalog#: BS 2961
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1976
Genre: Folk, World, & Country, Pop
Duration: 00:40:19

• Phil Ochs discovered singer-songwriter Sammy Walker in 1975. Walker recorded two superb albums for Warner Bros. in the '70s, Sammy Walker and Blue Ridge Mountain Skyline. He also recorded two albums for Folkways: one of original political songs and another of Woody Guthrie songs. Sammy became somewhat of a recluse for years and did not record another album until 1990, when Brambus released a live recording.
• Old Time Southern Dream is the follow up studio release of 12 songs. It features Sammy on acoustic guitar and banjo, with others providing piano, bass and drums. The songs are an excellent mixture of originals, songs by other writers and a traditional song (Lonesome Valley). The best of the original songs is Guns And Guns And Guns, a protest song against the proliferation of weapons in America and the propensity to use them as a solution to problems. Other excellent originals include The Seed Of Life and an evocative song about an old Tennessee woodcarver called Rakestraw Wood. Lee The Weaver is a beautiful tribute to the late singer and activist Lee Hays.
• The two borrowed songs here were written by individuals who greatly influenced Sammy: Phil Ochs and Pete Seeger. Ochs' There But For Fortune is done with sensitivity and passion, excellently backed by Kim and Reggie Harris on harmonies. Seeger's Oh, Had I A Golden Thread is also covered wonderfully with simple accompaniment that allows the song's words to be heard loud and clear. Sammy combines the best of original songwriting and a tribute to his musical roots and personal influences here. It's an excellent recording. -- Singout!

                 •  Interview: Sammy Walker

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 • Side One:
A1. Brown Eyed Georgia Darlin' 03:35
A2. Days I Left Behind 03:02
A3. A Cold Pittsburg Morning 03:42
A4. My Old Friend 02:58
A5. Catcher In The Rye 03:48
 • Side Two:
B1. Decoration On The Wall 04:05
B2. Little New Jersey Town 04:02
B3. I Ain't Got Time To Kill 03:20
B4. The Street Above Lake Erie 03:43
B5. The East Colorado Dam 03:52
B6. If I Had The Time 03:19

     Producer by Nikolas Kos. Venet
     Engineer by Mark Piscitelli
     Assistant by Alison Vallard
     Teavi Mote - Assistant
     Cabalka Studio - Design
     Lockart - Art Direction
     Don Peterson - Photos

Members:
Ben Benay - Guitar, Mandolin
James Burton - Dobro Guitar
Dan Dugmore - Pedal Steel Guitar
James B. Gordon - Drums
Bill C. Graham - Fiddle
Ernie Hawkins, Marc Piscitelli - Background Vocals
John Hobbs - Piano, Organ, Background Vocals
Peter G.D. Jameson - Guitar, Background Vocals
Lyle Ritz - Bass
Robert (Waddy) Wachtel - Guitar, Slide Guitar
Sammy Walker - Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals

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