Tony Booth was a modest hitmaker in the early 1970s who had a #1 hit with "The Key Is In The Mailbox," and a handful of follow-up singles in the middle rungs of the Top 40. Born in Florida, Booth moved out west and became one of the many alumni of LA's booming country-rock scene, notably taking over the Palomino Club's house band in the late 'Sixties, later passing the reins to his brother Larry after Bakersfield baron Buck Owens tapped Tony to become a Top Forty star in the early 'Seventies. As an Owens protege, Booth is often seen as part of the "Bakersfield Sound," especially as his early records were produced by Owens and featured a bunch of Buck's material... But he came during at the last wave of the Bakersfield tsunami, and when Owens began edging towards retirement, Booth had to find his own path. Dwindling chart success led Booth to step out of the spotlight himself, and after forming a series of smaller bands, he and his brother eventually joined Gene Watson's band, a steady gig that lasted through the 1980s and early '90s. Tony Booth eventually moved to Texas and continued to record on indie labels, while he and Larry Booth joined the cast of the Alvin Opry, a mom'n'pop country music variety show staged in the Houston suburbs. Here's a quick look at his work...
Johnny Booth "Country '67" (Uni Records, 1967) (LP)
(Produced by Cliffie Stone & Hugh Davies)
Tony Booth was still struggling to break through when he cut this album, mostly a set of cover tunes recorded semi-anonymously, although on a major label imprint. The set list is heavy on recent Bakersfield hits from the likes of Wynn Stewart and Bobby Austin, as well as pop tunes and country classics from the likes of George Jones Ned Miller, Ray Price and Wiley Walker. Perhaps most interesting is the involvement of arranger David Gates (later the leader of the '70s AOR juggernaut Bread) who also worked with Booth on some of his early recordings for Capitol Records. A pretty workmanlike album, but definitely worth a spin.
Tony Booth "On The Right Track" (MGM Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Dusty Rhodes)
If, like myself, you've worked your way backwards to this early album after first hearing Booth's more robust, mid-'70s records, with their mix of Texas twang and Buck Owens bounce, you might be a bit surprised by how poppy this stuff is. The album title is pretty misguided, since the florid pop-soul arrangements don't really frame Booth's vocals well... I guess they were aiming for a Mac Davis/Tony Joe White kinda feel, with mainly white soul pop-rock tunes defined by by-the-numbers brass and string arrangements (courtesy of Me Decade popmeister David Gates, no less!) It isn't until almost the end of Side Two that they finally let him sing alongside a good old pedal steel and plunky snare drums on one of his own songs, "One Too Many Times," and then finally Tony Booth sounds more confident and at ease. I guess this one would be of interest to 'Seventies soft-pop devotees, though country fans may feel disappointed by such bland offerings.
Tony Booth "The Key's In The Mailbox" (Capitol Records, 1972)
Tony Booth "Lonesome 7-7203" (Capitol Records, 1972)
Tony Booth "When A Man Loves A Woman (The Way That I Love You)" (Capitol Records, 1973) (LP)
Tony Booth "This Is Tony Booth" (Capitol Records, 1973) (LP)
Tony Booth "Happy Hour" (Capitol Records, 1974) (LP)
Tony Booth "Workin' At The Carwash Blues" (Capitol Records, 1974) (LP)
Tony Booth "Is This All There Is To A Honky Tonk?" (Heart Of Texas Records, 2008)
Tony Booth "The Key's In The Mailbox/Lonesome 7-7203" (Heart Of Texas Records, 2010)
Tony Booth/Darrell McCall/Curtis Potter "The Survivors" (Heart Of Texas Records, 2010)
A collaboration with fellow retro-honkytonkers Darrell McCall and Curtis Potter...
Tony Booth/Darrell McCall/Curtis Potter "The Survivors, v.2" (Heart Of Texas Records, 2012)
Tony Booth "The Essential Tony Booth" (Heart Of Texas Records, 2009)
