Roots auteur Larry Jon Wilson (1940-2010) was a growling, smoky Southern spiritualist with a funky, swampy feel similar to Tony Joe White, as well as an echo of Bill Withers' brand of wistful, meditative nostalgia. Born in rural Swainsboro, he had the same rich Georgia drawl as Jerry Reed; on a tune or two you could almost mistake the two for one another... A singular artist, Wilson slowly accrued a following over the decades, and was able to record one last album in 2008 with the help of the Drag City indie-hipster label. Here's a quick look at his career...
Larry Jon Wilson "New Beginnings" (Monument Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Rob Galbraith & Bruce Dees)
An alluring debut, this idiosyncratic album didn't dent the charts, but it has a bunch of songs on it that became staples of '70s freeform radio: I remember hearing "The Truth Ain't In You" and "Broomstraw Philosophers And Scuppernong Wine" on KFAT, lo those many years ago. Most of the musicians seems to be from the Muscle Shoals side of the tracks, though country session man Lloyd Green plays steel on several tracks. This record's a real find and one of the decade's true classics; a one-of-a-kinder, for sure. (Reissued on CD along with his second album, reviewed below.)
Larry Jon Wilson "Let Me Sing My Song To You" (Monument Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Rob Galbraith & Bruce Dees)
His second album has a much more disciplined, streamlined, more overtly pop-folk sound -- still bluesy but less Tony Joe White, more Fred Neil, if not quite Gordon Lightfoot. It's not quite as much fun, but it did yield Wilson's lone entry into the Country charts, the mellow "I Think I Feel A Hitchhike Comin' On," which didn't go very high, but did make it into the back end of the Top 100. The country element is even more in the background, though Weldon Myrick sits in as a session player, adding a few licks on the dobro. This isn't as striking a record as New Beginnings, but still worth a spin, particularly if you're drawn to Wilson as an auteur artist.
Larry Jon Wilson "Loose Change" (Monument Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bruce Albertine, Bruce Dees, Brent Maher, Al Pachucki, et.al.)
Larry Jon Wilson "Sojourner" (Monument Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Foster, Stan Dacus, Brent Maher & Tommy Strong)
Larry Jon Wilson "Larry Jon Wilson" (Drag City Records, 2008)
(Produced by Jerry DiCicca, Jake Housh & Jeb Loy Nichols)
