Herb Pedersen - Southwest/Sandman
BGO Records BGOCD1151
I’ve been the proud owner of this pair of albums since the late 1970s when I purchased them on vinyl. They have remained personal favourites ever since. SOUTHWEST, originally released on Epic Records in 1976, was reissued on CD by Evangeline in 2002. SANDMAN followed in 1977 on vinyl, and though I hadn’t seen a CD reissue prior to this release, it probably has at some point been out on CD. Herb Pedersen is a one-of-a-kind performer—singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist—who has seemingly worked with everyone of note, from Linda Ronstadt to John Denver; Gram Parsons to Stephen Stills; Jackson Browne to Kris Kristofferson …... the list seems endless. His amazing career crosses the boundaries of bluegrass, country, and pop music, and includes recording, television, and film credits. His versatility as a vocalist and instrumentalist has made him one of the most sought after performers and studio musicians in the business. For most of his musical career, he has chosen to take a back seat, leaving the spotlight to others. But he has been rightly recognised as the musical backbone of each band he has been with.
His recording discography is like a who’s who of the singer-songwriter scene, so prevalent in the 1970s and 1980s. After stints with bluegrass bands the Pine Valley Boys and the Smokey Grass Boys in the early 1960s, he went on to careers with several well-known outfits where he usually went unnoticed. These have included the Dillards, Country Gazette, New Kentucky Colonels, the Desert Rose Band, and more recently the Laurel Canyon Ramblers. Not quite so well known, though, is that back in 1976 he decided to take a chance on his own and launch a short-lived solo career. Signed to Epic Records he released just the two albums reissued on this excellent 2on1 CD package with extensive sleeve notes by noted music journalist John Tobler.
The simple, clear production on SOUTHWEST is purely 1970s singer-songwriter, but Pedersen’s knack for scene painting and subtle love lyrics are timeless and irresistible. Cutting-edge West Coast country-rock, classic bluegrass and hook-filled pop-country—all of that and more is swirling around in a work that is decisively and distinctively Herb Pedersen. This guy helped set the standard in country-rock and contemporary bluegrass and this album shows why he has continuously been out front as a major influence.
Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris are in there providing the background vocals on Our Baby’s Gone. Herb’s stellar tenor is perfectly complemented by the lovely harmonies that lift this rather twee but endearing song. The hard-edged Rock & Roll Cajun is a driving country-rock number with cutting steel guitar slicing through the upbeat arrangement. In contrast, If I Can Sing A Song is simple and graceful, with its drama invoked through Herb’s mature and confident vocals enhanced by swirling strings and acoustic guitar picking. Wait A Minute, which has since been cut by Seldom Scene and Herb’s current band, the Laurel Canyon Ramblers, is a great little song. The melody has a sultry groove, and Herb proves yet again, that vocally, he is much more than just a great harmony singer.
He continued in very much the similarly vein with SANDMAN with several of the same musicians and singers involved in the sessions. Again, most of the songs were written by the singer and demonstrate that he was an excellent writer. Of my own favourites here, the one I recall most often has to be Is That Any Way To Love You, a delicate romantic ballad that resonates with me, due to what was happening in own personal life at the time this album first hit my record player’s turntable. Alongside such other ballads as When She Makes Love To Me and My Little Man, he also shows off his bluegrass skills with a great rendition of Cora Is Gone, with Dolly Parton adding high harmonies and the infectious self-penned tune, Tennessee Sal, driven along by David Lindley’s fiddle, Josh Graves’ Dobro and Herb’s banjo, underpinned by Leland Sklar’s bass and the drums of Mike Baird. The album closes with a revival of the Stanley Brothers’ If I Lose, with Lowell George’s slide guitar and the Howdy Cracker Vocal Revue featuring Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Johnny Rivers. Jill Gordon, Dennis Brooks and several more that were present in the studio.
Coinciding with the release of this second album in late 1977, Herb Pedersen was invited to join John Denver’s band for both recording and touring. That impacted on any promotion for the album and Herb’s solo aspirations were put on indefinite hold as he toured the world with Denver for the next six years. Next came the Desert Rose Band and mainstream country success in the late 1980s.
Herb Pedersen continues to work with his lifelong pal, Chris Hillman in recreating the type of music they both grew up playing and singing. The bluegrass community has long known Herb for his banjo playing and beautiful tenor vocals, but with this reissue, there is an opportunity for country, rock and music lovers in general to become reacquainted with this man’s talent. It is a collection that could only have resulted from a man of Herb Pedersen’s boundless talent and influence. This pair of albums is yet another glimpse of the California country-rock movement’s impact on the future of mainstream country: electric lead, sighing steel and lush harmonies waltzing hand in hand with country sentiment. This collection deserves a place in any country-influenced record collection.
www.bgo-records.com
I’ve been the proud owner of this pair of albums since the late 1970s when I purchased them on vinyl. They have remained personal favourites ever since. SOUTHWEST, originally released on Epic Records in 1976, was reissued on CD by Evangeline in 2002. SANDMAN followed in 1977 on vinyl, and though I hadn’t seen a CD reissue prior to this release, it probably has at some point been out on CD. Herb Pedersen is a one-of-a-kind performer—singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist—who has seemingly worked with everyone of note, from Linda Ronstadt to John Denver; Gram Parsons to Stephen Stills; Jackson Browne to Kris Kristofferson …... the list seems endless. His amazing career crosses the boundaries of bluegrass, country, and pop music, and includes recording, television, and film credits. His versatility as a vocalist and instrumentalist has made him one of the most sought after performers and studio musicians in the business. For most of his musical career, he has chosen to take a back seat, leaving the spotlight to others. But he has been rightly recognised as the musical backbone of each band he has been with.His recording discography is like a who’s who of the singer-songwriter scene, so prevalent in the 1970s and 1980s. After stints with bluegrass bands the Pine Valley Boys and the Smokey Grass Boys in the early 1960s, he went on to careers with several well-known outfits where he usually went unnoticed. These have included the Dillards, Country Gazette, New Kentucky Colonels, the Desert Rose Band, and more recently the Laurel Canyon Ramblers. Not quite so well known, though, is that back in 1976 he decided to take a chance on his own and launch a short-lived solo career. Signed to Epic Records he released just the two albums reissued on this excellent 2on1 CD package with extensive sleeve notes by noted music journalist John Tobler.
The simple, clear production on SOUTHWEST is purely 1970s singer-songwriter, but Pedersen’s knack for scene painting and subtle love lyrics are timeless and irresistible. Cutting-edge West Coast country-rock, classic bluegrass and hook-filled pop-country—all of that and more is swirling around in a work that is decisively and distinctively Herb Pedersen. This guy helped set the standard in country-rock and contemporary bluegrass and this album shows why he has continuously been out front as a major influence.
Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris are in there providing the background vocals on Our Baby’s Gone. Herb’s stellar tenor is perfectly complemented by the lovely harmonies that lift this rather twee but endearing song. The hard-edged Rock & Roll Cajun is a driving country-rock number with cutting steel guitar slicing through the upbeat arrangement. In contrast, If I Can Sing A Song is simple and graceful, with its drama invoked through Herb’s mature and confident vocals enhanced by swirling strings and acoustic guitar picking. Wait A Minute, which has since been cut by Seldom Scene and Herb’s current band, the Laurel Canyon Ramblers, is a great little song. The melody has a sultry groove, and Herb proves yet again, that vocally, he is much more than just a great harmony singer.
He continued in very much the similarly vein with SANDMAN with several of the same musicians and singers involved in the sessions. Again, most of the songs were written by the singer and demonstrate that he was an excellent writer. Of my own favourites here, the one I recall most often has to be Is That Any Way To Love You, a delicate romantic ballad that resonates with me, due to what was happening in own personal life at the time this album first hit my record player’s turntable. Alongside such other ballads as When She Makes Love To Me and My Little Man, he also shows off his bluegrass skills with a great rendition of Cora Is Gone, with Dolly Parton adding high harmonies and the infectious self-penned tune, Tennessee Sal, driven along by David Lindley’s fiddle, Josh Graves’ Dobro and Herb’s banjo, underpinned by Leland Sklar’s bass and the drums of Mike Baird. The album closes with a revival of the Stanley Brothers’ If I Lose, with Lowell George’s slide guitar and the Howdy Cracker Vocal Revue featuring Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Johnny Rivers. Jill Gordon, Dennis Brooks and several more that were present in the studio.
Coinciding with the release of this second album in late 1977, Herb Pedersen was invited to join John Denver’s band for both recording and touring. That impacted on any promotion for the album and Herb’s solo aspirations were put on indefinite hold as he toured the world with Denver for the next six years. Next came the Desert Rose Band and mainstream country success in the late 1980s.
Herb Pedersen continues to work with his lifelong pal, Chris Hillman in recreating the type of music they both grew up playing and singing. The bluegrass community has long known Herb for his banjo playing and beautiful tenor vocals, but with this reissue, there is an opportunity for country, rock and music lovers in general to become reacquainted with this man’s talent. It is a collection that could only have resulted from a man of Herb Pedersen’s boundless talent and influence. This pair of albums is yet another glimpse of the California country-rock movement’s impact on the future of mainstream country: electric lead, sighing steel and lush harmonies waltzing hand in hand with country sentiment. This collection deserves a place in any country-influenced record collection.
www.bgo-records.com