Big news for fans of the late legend.
When you think of country music from the late 70s and early 80s, there are probably a few different artists and movements that come to mind. In the 70s, you’ll probably automatically think of the rise of the Outlaw movement spearheaded by the likes of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Jessi Colter and more, as well as the continued success of the likes of Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and the rise of Dolly Parton.
In the 80s, of course, you’ll most likely think of massive debuts and decades-long success from the likes of George Strait, Randy Travis, Alabama, Keith Whitley and Reba McEntire, late-career resurgences from Hank Williams Jr., Conway Twitty and George Jones and the continued success of acts like Parton, Nelson and Ronnie Milsap, among others.
One artist, however, who doesn’t quite get the same amount of attention, looking back, is Don Williams.
As we know, Williams tragically passed away in 2017 due to emphysema. Throughout the course of his five decades in the genre, one can argue that he built up one of the most impressive, oftentimes overlooked careers of the era.
It should go without saying that most country fans know his 1978 #1, “Tulsa Time,” given the fact that it’s become a staple at this point. However, he would additionally score major hits with the likes of “I Believe In You,” “It Must Be Love” and “You’re My Best Friend.” In fact, he charted 56 singles, including 50 Top 20 hits, 45 Top 10s, and 17 No. 1s throughout his storied career.
That’s not even mentioning his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010, a Male Vocalist of the Year win at the 1978 CMA Awards, a Single of the Year award for “Tulsa Time” at the 14th ACM Awards and his ACM Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award, which is given to artists who progressed the genre, in 2007.
Following in the footsteps of fellow 70s legend, Waylon Jennings, there is new music on the way from Williams coming straight from the archives. Epilogue: The Cellar Tapes will contain 12 previously unheard tracks from the late legend and will be released on Friday, May 29th.
As the story goes, the collection is derived from an old batch of work tapes that were found in Williams’ family home, miraculously still in working condition. The tapes themselves are from William’s most successful years, 1979-1984, an era where hits like “It Must Be Love,” “I Believe In You,” “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good,” “Stay Young” and many more were recorded.
Epilogue: The Cellar Tapes will be produced by William’s longtime co-producer, Garth Fundis, who collaborated with him for more than four decades. Discussing the album, Fundis would note that Williams loved each and every song in the collection; however, they never fit inside the albums he released at the time. Additionally, he’d add that he’s certain that Don himself would be proud of the record.
“Don liked every one of these songs. I remember recording all of them… He was very particular about the songs he recorded and the sound we created for each of them. But, if a song didn’t make in to an album, it wasn’t necessarily because he didn’t like it. Moreover, it was because of how songs fit together to create an album. I think he’d be thrilled to know that people could hear him sing these new songs they didn’t know existed. I’m certain Don would be proud of this album.”
Tim Williams, Don’s son and a fellow musician, is also involved in the record as an executive producer. He’d also add that he and Fundis’ main goal of the album was to preserve the nature of the “Tulsa Time” singer’s original compositions.
“These songs Dad recorded are—as music can be—a time machine. Obviously, I grew up always hearing what he was doing. He’d bring home three to four songs at a time from the album he was working on at different stages. In working on this project, we tried above all to stay true to how Dad approached production, made much easier for me with Garth’s involvement, and then just to stay out of the way of the music.”
Epilogue: The Cellar Tapes is available for pre-order now on vinyl, CD and digital download and will be streaming on all platforms on May 29th.
Epilogue: The Cellar Tapes Tracklist
1. Try Me Again
2. You Came True
3. I’m The One (Alternate Version)
4. Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight
5. I Wish I Was Crazy Again
6. I’m In Love For My Last Time
7. Spinning Around
8. A Matter Of Time
9. I’m The One (Original Version)
10. How Can I Miss What I Never Had
11. Goldy’s Gone From Golden
12. Growing On Me
Before you go, listen to the first track of the album that was released last month, “Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.whiskeyriff.com ’
