R. C. Bannon "Have Some R.C." (Aura Cee Records, 1976-?) (LP)
This indie album was released back when Bannon was still a struggling local, doing bar band gigs in the Pacific Northwest, mostly around Seattle. It was recorded at the legendary Ripcord Records studio, but released on Bannon's own one-off Aura Cee label. All of the songs but two were Bannon originals, with covers of "Proud Mary" and "Delta Dawn" being the exceptions. Two tracks were recorded in Bakersfield, at the Buck Owens Studios, with Owens protege Mayf Nutter producing the session, and there's a real see-what-sticks vibe to the whole show. Bannon gets a little twangy, a little countrypolitan-pop, tosses out some novelty numbers and even a little bit on raunch, as on "Lucy Jones," one of those an-older-woman-taught-me-about-the-ways-of-love fantasy songs, in which our hero does some chores for the local widow but doesn't get paid in cash... (Is it just me, or is it a little warm in here?) Other standouts include "Yellow Haired Woman" and "Out Of Tune Love," which both don't totally hold together musically, but still grab your attention. You can see why this ambitious album worked as a demo disc to get him noticed in Nashville.
R. C. Bannon "R.C. Bannon Arrives" (Columbia Records, 1978) (LP)
R. C. Bannon & Louise Mandrell "Inseparable" (Epic Records, 1979) (LP)
R. C. Bannon & Louise Mandrell "Love Won't Let Us Go" (Epic Records, 1980) (LP)
R. C. Bannon & Louise Mandrell "Me And My R.C." (RCA, 1981) (LP)
R. C. Bannon & Louise Mandrell "(You're My) Super Woman And (You're My) Incredible Man" (RCA, 1982) (LP)
R. C. Bannon "And Then I Wrote These" (2008)
Although he was a notable country star of the late 1970s and early '80s, history hasn't been kind to R. C. Bannon. Thirty-plus years since his biggest hit -- 1979's country cover of "Reunited" -- and still not a single best-of set has come out... anywhere. Bannon was best known for his duets with his wife, Louise Mandrell, the younger sister of country superstar Barbara Mandrell. Bannon quit headlining in the early '80s, but continued to tour with Mandrell and to successfully write songs, such as "Only One Love In My Life" (a hit for Ronnie Milsap) and more recently Steve Azar's "I Don't Have To Be Me ('Til Monday)". Here's a quick look at his work...
