Take A Wild Ride Down Little Known Backroads of Early Americana On 'Wayfaring Strangers: Cosmic American Music' on March 18th

Courtesy: Conqueroo

The acclaimed archival record label Numero Group unearths nineteen fascinating twangy obscurities from 1968-1980.

CHICAGO, Ill. (Press Release) — Spurred by superstars like the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, country-rock became, in the words of music historian Peter Doggett, “the dominant American rock style of the 1970s.” But for everyEagles mega-success, there was a big-label bust like American Flyer. And for every one-hit wonder like the Amazing Rhythm Aces, there were one-shot never-weres such as Angel Oak and Deerfield. These acts, whose albums are hard to find for even the most dedicated thrift-store bin hunters, now get their belated time in the spotlight on Wayfaring Strangers: Cosmic American Music compilation, due out on Numero Group on March 18, 2016.

Cosmic American Music was the name Gram Parsons coined to describe the blend of rock, country and soul that he played in the Byrds, the Flying Burritos Brothers and on his own solo albums. Although widely acknowledged as the “Father of country-rock,” Parsons hated the term “country-rock.” As he once said, “We are playing roots music . . . It’s a form of love music, a binding type of music between people.” Cosmic American Music’s eclectic lineup of unknown performers might not have strictly followed Parsons’ musical path but they did share the heartfelt spirit behind his Cosmic American Music.

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The nineteen songs on this collection, recorded between 1968-1980, come from albums that were privately pressed, released on tiny labels like Sugarbush and Hobbit or, worse, entrusted to scam artists. It was a world away from today, when CDs can be created in a bedroom, uploaded it to the Internet and discovered by like-minded fans. The indie acts on Cosmic American Music had to sell their albums at bar gigs, street corners, college bookstores and, in the case of one Dan Pavlides, on the road while hitchhiking. 

Every act here has its own fascinating story. There are bands like Jimmy Carter and the Dallas Country Green and the Black Canyon Gang, composed of farm and ranch hands who just liked making music. Others, such as Mistress Mary and Mike & Pam Martin, harbored dreams of record deals only to see them dashed when their demo albums were ignored. Sandy Harless’s tale is particularly heartbreaking. After financing his album through his fish breeding business, he got duped by a sham record label. Then there is a case of the mysterious Kathy Heideman, a San Jose session vocalist who recorded an album of songs written by one Dia Joyce; however, not even the experts at Numero Group could dig up info on her.  

One thing that all of these acts unfortunately have in common is that their albums flopped. Many wound up never recording again. The disappointment hit Kenny Knight so hard that he tossed his master tapes in a dumpster. As the one-time Southern California singer-songwriter F.J. McMahonreflects: “My concept of record albums and musicians was, you came out with an album and went on T.V. and you had some money and you lived off it and you made another album. I had no concept of you make an album and it goes nowhere, which it did. It was a harpoon to the heart for a long time.”

It’s not that the musicians found on Cosmic American Music lacked talent. The tunes by Plain Jane’s “You Can’t Make It Alone” and Doug Firebaugh’s “Alabama Railroad Town” wouldn’t sound out of place on a record by Firefall or some other major label ’70s country-rock group. Ethel-Ann Powell’s politically tinged “Gentle One” impresses as a beguiling folk-rocker. Mistress Mary’s “And I Didn’t Want You” projects a raw Lucinda Williams-like quality and the Houston outlaw country outfit Deerfield achieves a Flying Burritos Brothers feel on “Me Lovin’ You.” Strands of Nick Lowe’s twangy pub rock sound surface in Jeff Cowell’s rollicking “Not Down This Low,” while White Cloud’s “All Cried Out” suggests a laidback Buffalo Springfield track.  

White Cloud also is one of the few groups with a band-member of some small renown. Frontman Thomas Jefferson Kaye was a music biz vet who had success as a Brill Building songwriter and also helmed albums by Loudon Wainwright III, Gene Clark and Dr. John. The North Carolina band Arrogance, represented here with the revved-up twang rocker “To See Her Smile,” was co-founded by Don Dixon, who later co-produced R.E.M. and made several critically acclaimed solo albums. 

Cosmic American Music contains some unexpected guest appearances as well. Pure Prairie League’s John David Call contributed his pedal steel prowess to Sandy Harless’ “I Knew Her Well,” and White Cloud’s 1972 cut “All Cried Out” features the picking of Eric Weissberg, who did the breakout Deliverance soundtrack the same year. And that distinctive guitar playing that weaves through Mistress Mary’s “And I Didn’t Want You” is the handiwork of then-Byrd Clarence White. 

Cosmic American Music marks the fifth compilation in the Numero Group’s Wayfaring Strangersseries, following the critically praised titles Ladies From the Canyon, Guitar Soli, Lonesome Heroes and Darkscorch Canticles. Since starting in 2003, the Chicago-based archival record label has quickly achieved acclaim for their extraordinary reissue releases. They received a 2009Grammy nomination for their Light: On the South Side compilation, while Syl Johnson: Complete Mythology garnered two Grammy nominations: Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album.

Track Listing:
1. Jimmy Carter and Dallas County Green: Travelin’
2. Mistress Mary: And I Didn’t Want You
3. Plain Jane: You Can’t Make It Alone
4. Dan Pavlides: Lily of the Valley
5. Angel Oak: I Saw Her Cry      
6. Kathy Heideman: Sleep a Million Years
7. Deerfield: Me Lovin’ You
8. Arrogance: To See Her Smile
9. Jeff Cowell: Not Down This Low
10. Kenny Knight: Baby’s Back
11. The Black Canyon Gang: Lonesome City
12. Allan Wachs: Mountain Roads
13. Mike And Pam Martin: Lonely Entertainer
14. Bill Madison: Buffalo Skinners
15. White Cloud: All Cried Out
16. Ethel-Ann Powell: Gentle One
17. Sandy Harless: I Knew Her Well
18. F.J. McMahon: The Spirit of the Golden Juice
19. Doug Firebaugh: Alabama Railroad Town