Gloria Darling "Gloria Darling" (Release Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Hughes & Fred Meijer)
This gets a little confusing, so bear with me. This is the third album from the sometimes-mononymic Irish country gal, "Gloria," who over the course of her career also went by Gloria Smythe, Gloria Sherry and -- on this album -- as Gloria Darling. Her big hit was a cover of Kris Kristofferson's "One Day At A Time," a version that stayed on the Irish charts for nearly two years. Gloria was born in the town of Navan, County Meath, not far from Dublin, and was the daughter of a regional showband musician. She grew up singing in her dad's band, toured with other showbands and with singer Johnny McEvoy, until she finally set out on her solo career. She later married yet another showband artist, Don Sherry, and toured with his group as well.
Mal Daron "The Sad And The Glad Side Of Mal Daron" (Cambrian Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob McClure)
Mal Daron "This Is Mal Daron: Volume One" (Firebrand Records, 1974) (LP)
Mal Daron "Hey There You! Here's Mal Daron" (Country Music Recordings, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Alan Green)
Mal Daron "Ladies Man" (Folk Heritage Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Alan Green)
Gerry Dean & Margaret McGee & The Lincoln County Boys "By Request" (Tank Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Norman Stagles & Bob Young)
A fine set of sentimental songs and oldies, this is one of the few Tank Records LPs that doesn't feature the house band backing an aspiring singer. The Lincoln Country Boys featured John Eyre on piano, Malcolm Hamilton (pedal steel), Pete Jackson (drums), Gordon Mumby (fiddle), Patrick O'Connor (bass) and Stuart Taylor on lead guitar, with Dean and McGee contributing vocals and some rhythm guitar.
Terry Dean & The Nashville Katz "The Studio Sessions" (2020-?)
(Produced by Phil Birkitt)
Nostalgic later recordings, focussing on 'Fifties rock and twang oldies, and on up to the 'Seventies countrypolitan scene, with a slight nod to Depression-era sentimental era with a version of "When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again." Bassist/guitar player/raconteur Terry Dean's name pops up on a lot of UK country records, spanning back to the 1960s. He played in several bands, notably backing a slew of visiting American country stars, as well as British singers such as Jeannie Denver, Little Ginny, Stu Stevens, Frank Yonco, a group called The Mavericks, and many others. He is also a font of knowledge, having posted his own site, Terry Dean's World of Country Music, which, sadly, is one of very few online resources for historical info on UK twang. (Thank you, Mr. Dean!) This was apparently the last album by his group The Nashville Katz, whose core members included drummer/producer Phil Birkitt, steel player Malcolm Hamilton, and bassist Patrick O'Connor, with numerous other moving in and out of the lineup. The group disbanded sometime around 2020.
Jeannie Denver "Yorkshire Rose" (Westwood Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Dusty Gordon, David Whitely & Kelvin Henderson)
One of the most UK's popular country singers of the 1970s, Yorkshire-born Jeannie Denver was a pub singer who "went country" in 1973, joining Kelvin Henderson's band where she quickly stole the show and became a showcase performer. She went solo in '75, recruiting several members of Henderson's ensemble to form the JD Band, including her husband, hotshot guitarist Stewart Barnes. This was her first album, and it leaned heavily on cover songs and current hits such as "Delta Dawn," "Field Of Stone," "Jolene," and "For The Good Times," with obvious nods to American "girl" singers such as Dolly Parton and Tanya Tucker.
Jeannie Denver/Various Artists "The Music Festival Show" (Westwood Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Gordon Davies & Mike Naylor)
Here, the up-and-coming Denver shares billing with several of her bandmembers and labelmates, British twangsters such as Nick Carter, Lee Williams and steel guitarist Slim Pickins, all packed by her own group, the JD Band.
Jeannie Denver "Queen Of The Silver Dollar" (Westwood Records, 1975) (LP)
Jeannie Denver & Slim Pickens "At The Spur And Saddle" (Westwood Records, 1976) (LP)
Recorded live at the Welsh country music venue, The Spur And Saddle.
Jeannie Denver "With Love" (Westwood Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Gordon Davies & Bob Whitely)
Sydney Devine -- see artist profile
Ray Dexter "Alligator River" (Lucky Records, 19--?) (LP)
The first album by English country crooner Ray Dexter, a Hertfordshire lad who got into "cowboy" music and recorded a string of well-regarded albums, notably packed with original material. Like many Brits of his generation, Dexter started out playing in skiffle bands in the late 1950s, though unlike the other kids of that era, he didn't get swept up into Beatlemania and Merseybeat, but rather dug deeper into the American roots traditions of the folk-oriented music of the skiffle scene. Apparently he was backed on this album by a band called the Dynamoes, which included guitarist Albert Lee (who would later make his own mark in the country world, both as a member of the British band Heads Hands & Feet, and perhaps more significantly as a member of the Emmylou Harris Hot Band...)
Ray Dexter "Country Seasons" (Philips/Pine Ridge, 19--?) (LP)
Ray Dexter "Goin' Up Country" (Avenue Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Gordon Smith)
An odd, but also rather compelling release from this British country-folk artist. This was his third album and showcases fewer of his original songs, in favor of covers of classics such as "Four Walls," "Faded Love," a funky-cool version of "Solitary Man" a nice reading of "Before The Next Teardrop Falls," and a languid rendition of Neil Young's "Birds." Some songs feature spoken introductions -- with an English accent, immediately dropped when he starts to sing in a Merle Haggard-meets-Jim Reeves rural drawl. The album's three originals are all winners: "Nebraska Sunrise" was re-released as a single in the United States, and "Mississippi Messenger" has perhaps the album's most unique arrangements, and "Your Lovin' Man," while not as distinctive is still a nice solid country ballad. This album was apparently a big hit, selling several hundred thousand copies -- the biggest selling British country record of its time. Unfortunately, the liner notes don't include information about the backup band, but this was a pretty solid effort throughout. Worth tracking down!
Ray Dexter "From Midnight Through 3AM" (Decca/Emerald Gem, 1974) (LP)
Charley Dey "Country Days" (Ross Records, 19--?) (LP)
Lonnie Donegan "Puttin' On The Style" (United Artists Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Adam Faith)
As the main avatar of the UK's 1950s skiffle movement, Scottish troubadour Lonnie Donegan (1931-2002) had an immeasurable influence on Great Britain's folk and country scenes, and was especially important to the creation of their homegrown brand of rock'n'roll. Here, decades later, he's joined by a bunch of his younger acolytes, with some of the more eye-popping participants including Elton John, Nicky Hopkins, Albert Lee, Brian May (of Queen), Klaus Voorman and Ringo Starr, along with a few (arguably) lesser lights, such as Procol Harum's keyboardist Gary Booker, Rory Gallagher, Zoot Money, Leo Sayer, and many others. Sadly, this sounds much better than it actually sounds: this album is largely an over-the-top barrage of manic, jittery, quite possibly coked-up performances, with an energetic Donegan frequently overshadowed by showboating soloists. The album opens with a heinous remake of "Rock Island Line," in which Rory Gallagher inexplicably delivers one of the worst, most piercing guitar solos ever, though other contributions are more subtle and demure. (One of the best tracks, "Diggin' My Potatoes," pairs an atypically reserved Elton John with a semi-acoustic Brian May, who reins himself in and delivers some intriguing, unusual riffs.) This was something of a comeback album for Lonnie Donegan, whose career had been flagging for years -- he had just had a major heart attack, though you'd never guess it from his animated, uptempo delivery. He does seem to have been poorly served by producer Adam Faith, an early-'Sixties contemporary who could have made a great record, but instead delivered a shrill, distracting mess. Oh, well.
Lonnie Donegan "Sundown" (United Artists Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Adam Faith & Steve Waldman)
Donegan continued his pursuit of country twang on this more stripped-down outing, still working with Adam Faith, but shorn of sprawling cast of all-star rock-pop stars in favor of a more tightly focused country crew. The group was anchored by several musicians drawn the orbit of Emmylou Harris, notably "Hot Band" members Emory Gordy Jr. and British guitar whiz Albert Lee, as well as Rodney Crowell's pal, Richard Bennett, who plays steel guitar here. Also on board are cajun fiddle king Doug Kershaw and Willie Nelson's harmonica compadre Mickey Raphael... a pretty hip gang, picked from the late 'Seventies country-rock elite.
The Donnettes "Country Now" (Chevron Records, 1979) (LP)
The Down County Boys "About Time Too!" (Westwood Records, 1974) (LP)
The Down County Boys "Live" (Westwood Records, 1975) (LP)
The Down County Boys "Better Times A'Coming" (Tank Records, 197--?) (LP)
The Duffy Brothers & Ron Ryan "Massington Flyer" (Buffalo Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Ryan & Bob Tomkins)
A Hank Williams tune and two Johnny Cash oldies are the extent of the cover songs on here -- the rest of the music was written by singer Ron Ryan, a fella who apparently wrote pop songs such as "Because," for The Dave Clark Five. He's backed here by Leo Duffy and Ray Duffy; not sure what their background was... This album was recorded at Beck Studios in Wellingborough, while the Buffalo label was based in nearby Lincolnshire.
The Duffy Brothers "The Duffy Brothers" (Marina Records, 1982) (LP)
Carey Duncan "Carey Duncan" (WEA, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Brian Oliver)
A slick, somewhat low energy pop-country set from an Irish vocalist working in somewhat the same territory as early vintage Olivia Newton-John, perhaps, or maybe gals such as Crystal Gayle or Susie Allanson. This didn't really wow me -- a little too aloof and professional-sounding for my tastes -- but it's intriguing within the global context. What's most interesting about this album is that all but three of the songs were written by the fabled songwriting pair of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, including versions of "Rocky Top," "Tell It To Your Old Grandma," and "Apologising Roses" (which had been recorded elsewhere) and several others that were written specifically for this album. Duncan's band, Front Page, included Tommy Gammell on lead guitar, Terry Grimwood (bass), Terry Keating (pedal steel) and Mic Relf (drums), with additional help from pianist Dave Atkin and Steve Usher, who did the fancy banjo picking on "Rocky Top." (She had an entirely different lineup backing her on her live album below, so maybe Front Page were just a for-hire band provided by the label? I dunno. Either way, I'm curious to hear her live stuff, for a little contrast...)
Carey Duncan & The Carey Duncan Band "Live In London" (Double B Records, 1982) (LP)
Johnny Duncan & The Blue Grass Boys "Back In Town" (Lucky Records, 197-) (LP)
