Doug Supernaw "Red And Rio Grande" (BNA Records, 1993)
(Produced by Richard Landis)
A swell hard-country debut... there are hints of slicker formulas to come, but really, this is a nice little honkytonk album, opening with the plain-and-simple truths of "Honky Tonkin' Fool," and the homespun puniness of Bob McDill's "The Perfect Picture (To Fit My Frame Of Mind)." There are also some mega-weepers, like "I Don't Call Him Daddy," a forlorn ditty about a divorced parent visiting his boy -- of course it went to #1, and proved to be Supernaw's biggest hit. It ain't the best song on here, but hey, it paid the bills so we could hear the rougher stuff as well. Nice record, though -- I kept my copy.
Doug Supernaw "Deep Thoughts From A Shallow Mind" (BNA, 1994)
(Produced by Richard Landis)
His second album out on a major, yet it still has the feel of an indie release. The album title, the opening track, his brilliant cover of Steve Goodman's "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" (with mischievous guest cameos by Waylon Jennings, Charlie Pride, Merle Haggard and David Allan Coe...) all give you a sense of just how true Supernaw is to his Texas country roots; the second half of the album loses focus and momentum, but it's still a breath of fresh air, with its stripped-down honkytonk arrangements. This isn't a "great" record, but it sure is nice. Definitely worth tracking down!
Doug Supernaw "You Still Got Me" (Warner Giant, 1995)
(Produced by Richard Landis)
Well sure, Supernaw may not have the world's greatest voice, but he sure has an affable personality, and he really grows on you after a while. This was the first album of his I'd ever heard, and by the end, when he sang the last song, a laid-back, Jerry Jeff-ish weeper called "What In The World," I was a convert. He's best on the faster songs, dopey romper-stompers like "Daddy Made The Dollars (Mama Made The Sense)" and the daffy "We're All Here," but given the right accompaniment, he completely nails the slow songs, too. Take his version of "The Note," for example -- whereas Daryle Singletary's version, which came out a couple of years later, is slick to a fault, Supernaw delivers it as a non-nonsense weeper, and makes you pay attention to every word. This guy is really a superior true-country singer.
Doug Supernaw "Encore Collection" (Warner Giant, 1997)
This reissue features material from his first two albums on the BNA label, Red And Rio Grande and Deep Thoughts, from 1994. His earliest singles were as pure a blast of hard country grooviness as you're ever likely to hear. "You're Gonna Bring Back Cheating Songs," "Honky Tonkin' Fool" and "I Would Have Loved You All Night Long" are all real doozies, and the guest-star cameos on his version of Steve Goodman's immortal "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" are a work of sheer genius.
Doug Supernaw "Fadin' Renegade" (Tack Records, 1999)
(Produced by Freddie Fletcher & Doug Supernaw)
For whatever reason, Supernaw fell off the radar in the 1990s, and wound up cutting this record on an indie label... The album title sounds promising -- maybe ol' Doug's gonna cut loose and show those damn Nashvillers a thing or two -- but the opening numbers seem disappointing, like he was trying to recreate his more commercial-sounding successes, rather than resurrecting his hard country glory days. But just when you're ready to shrug and say "oh well," he pulls out a trio of cover tunes that let us know he's still got his heart in the right place. There's a fine version of Gene Watson's "Nothing Sure Looked Good On You," followed by a nice cover of "Jaded Lover," a sardonic song best known from Jerry Jeff Walker's early years, and then the old Willie Nelson chestnut "Me And The Drummer," fine songs all, given soulful readings by this fadin' honkytonk hero... If you liked Supernaw's old stuff, this disc is worth looking for as well.
Doug Supernaw "Greatest Hits" (B&G Records, 2017)
Though framed as a best-of collection, this was actually a set of re-recorded versins of his old chart hits. Folks who like to hear musicians revisit their work later in life might get a kick out of this one.
100% pure Texas, modern-day honkytonker Doug Supernaw (1960-2020) did his time in Nashville back in the late '80s working as a songwriter before heading back home to lay siege to Music City while enjoying a view of the Rio Grande. He came back roaring, scoring a string of uncompromsing hard-country hits, doing for the 'Nineties what Moe Bandy did for the '70s and Dwight Yoakam did in the '80s. Despite his early commercial success, Supernaw's career faced numerous setbacks, including several medical emergencies and an ever-changing marketplace in which Supernaw's good-natured neotrad style lost ground by decade's end. Following in the footsteps of many 1990s country stars, he was let out of his major label contract, and his last album came out as an indie. Supernaw reestablished himself as a regional Texas artist Here's a quick look at his work.
