Memphis-born songsmith Paul Craft (1938-2014) penned several of my favorite country songs of the 1970s, notably the anthemic Moe Bandy classic, "Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life," "Midnight Flyer" by the Eagles, and the super-catchy "Brother Jukebox" (most successfully recorded in 1977 by Don Everly, and covered more blandly by Mark Chesnutt in 1990), and of course the comedy classic, "Drop Kick Me Jesus," made famous by Bobby Bare. Craft had a single or two of his own edge into the charts, but mostly he was known as a composer, and was elected into the Songwriter's Hall Of Fame around the time of his death. Although he once cast himself as a novelty performer, in kind of a Ray Stevens mode, he later reemerged as a more measured, relaxed elder statesman of song. Here's a quick look at his work...
Paul Craft "Warnings" (Peabody Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Craft, Lewis Anderson & Ray Baker)
A country comedy album with a lot of sex-oriented "blue" songs, including some fairly un-PC material, much of it with a sexist slant, stuff like "Linda Lovelace (Come And Sit On My Face)" and "I've Got You On My Conscience (But At Least You're Off My Back)" and a couple of others that are more genuinely offensive. All the songs are Paul Craft originals, with some more original than others. Although this particular naughty-boy record isn't quite my cup of tea, it does have its charms. Craft also includes a few tamer tunes, such as "Drop Kick Me Jesus," and one called "Positively Bob Dylan Revisited," among others. Eager to cultivate a crass, balls-out dude-humor persona, he thanks Ray Stevens and a couple of porn stars in the liner notes, as well as "Quell lotion," which I'm assuming was used to treat STDs, since one of the songs is called "VD Ain't Nothing To Clap About." You get the idea. There's no info about any session musicians, etc., alas.
Paul Craft "Brother Jukebox" (Strictly Country Records, 1998)
His name may not roll right off your tongue when asked to name some great country songwriters, but when you give this disc a listen, you'll be amazed at how many of these tunes you'll recognize - and what a high calibre they all are! There is, of course, the original 1976 demo version of title track, along with his spins on hits like "Midnight Flyer" and "Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life," as well as more obscure numbers like "Ancient History," and a slew of others that are less well known, but no less well-crafted. This is a very relaxed set, with subtle backing by a slew of talented well-wishers (including Rob Ickes, John Starling, Scott Vestal, Charlie Sizemore, and others from the Nashville/bluegrass axis...) Some of the songs may suffer in comparison to the punchier, bigger-sounding hit versions, but there's a lot to be said for Craft's low-key, unpretentious approach. This disc's a real gem.
Paul Craft "Songs And Legends Of The Outer Banks" (Kitty Hawk Records, 1996)
Paul Craft "Raised By The Rail Road Line" (Strictly Country Records, 2002)
Paul Craft "Too Bad You're No Good" (Strictly Country Records, 2007)
