Esteemed maverick country/blues artist, LARRY JON WILSON, favourably compared in earlier years to the likes of Guy Clarke and Townes Van Zandt and more recently the late Johnny Cash, follows up the release of his first album in 30 years, with some UK live shows
10 July Soapbox Club, New Evaristo, 55 Greek Street, W1
13 July Lounge On The Farm Festival, Kent
14 July The Gladstone, Borough, SE1
15 July Rough Trade Instore
More to be confirmed shortly.
On 'Larry Jon Wilson' the album:
".....it's a cracker. Human, real, beautiful. Relax in the sun and enjoy a gin with Larry. That's my plan." Artrocker
"It sounds so old, it made me feel young." Uncut, 4/5
"....sparse, beautiful, straight-talking ode to self-pity." Mojo, 4/5
"...his slow, dignified tales of betrayal and wandering speak an outsider's truth. Almost as magical as the whispers promised." Q
"Trimmed to little more than his voice and guitar, the results are as gripping as the late Johnny Cash recordings, full of languid ruminations on the past and bitter existential reflections...." The Independent, 4/5
LARRY JON WILSON
self-titled album
16th June
1965 Records
“When the music business comes knocking, vultures start circling my house.” Larry Jon Wilson
LARRY JON WILSON is, and has been for the past thirty years, both a musician’s insider and the ultimate outsider. During the 1970s Larry Jon was an outlaw’s outlaw, a renegade’s renegade. Ask the Nashville hip to name their favourite singer/songwriter and Larry Jon’s name is always near the top of the list. Willie Nelson, Kristofferson, John Prine, Guy Clark, Steve Earle; Larry Jon fans one and all. And yet Larry Jon managed to steer a course through the often debilitating inner circle of Nashville success.
“Music city’s trying to break me, they don’t know how to take me” LJW
The early1970’s was a golden period for alternative Nashville singer/songwriters; great records appeared almost weekly. Larry Jon made four of the best. Hailed at the time by both fellow singer/songwriters and the music press, they were masterpieces of funky southern storytelling. Rollingstone called him ‘The next big one. The real deal.” The L.A. Chronicle said “Performers like this come along once in a lifetime.” John Hammond, legendary A & R man for Columbia Records, the man who discovered Billie Holliday and Bob Dylan, said, “He’s the most exciting thing I’ve seen in twenty years.”
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“If you’re at a party, and they say Larry Jon’s gone for a drink, that means he’s gone to Georgia.” Guy Clark
Larry Jon never learned how to be an uptown outlaw; he lived and toured with Townes Van Zandt, his best friend was Mickey Newberry. He never sold out or took the easy option. His songs were too soulful for the rednecks, too down home for the discos. He was too real for the radio, too sophisticated for the honky tonks. So he stuck with those that loved him; his fans. He travelled restlessly throughout the country; playing endless solo shows to mesmerised audiences. He continued to write, he stayed in touch with his friends, and when he gigged in Nashville there they were, all the big names huddled in the front rows.
Larry Jon is the last of a vanishing breed. A man who has insisted, for thirty years, on doing things his own way.
And now, finally, he’s back.
“I’ll do it,but i got to do it with no sticks and no plugs.” LJW
So here it is, unplugged and without drums. A new, self-titled record of Larry Jon songs, some written by himself, some by his friends. It was recorded in one week on the Florida coast, the sessions more about storytelling and remembering than pristine studio performances. Stories bled into songs, songs faded into lengthy memories. He’d crack open a beer and let the coastal breeze warm his hands. He’d call an old friend and talk all evening. He’d disappear for hours. He’d drive off on lazy late night rambles. He kept everyone guessing. All the tracks are first and only takes. The tape was kept rolling while Larry Jon did things his way. He wasn’t interested in perfection, he wanted something raw, something intimate. He wanted people to hear what his life sounds like. He wanted it real.
“Fuck ‘em if they can’t take a joke.” LJW
DISCOGRAPHY
NEW BEGINNINGS 1975
LET ME SING MY SONG TO YOU 1976
LOOSE CHANGE 1977
SOJOURNER 1979
(All albums released by Monument Records)
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