Currently available from Brambus Records:
Old Time Southern Dream
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In Conert
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"Sammy combines the best of original songwriting and a tribute to his musical roots and personal influences....an excellent recording" -- Singout!
Phil Ochs discovered singer-songwriter Sammy Walker in 1975. Walker recorded two superb albums for Warner Bros. in the '70s, Sammy Walker and Blue Ridge Mountain Skyline. He also recorded two albums for Folkways: one of original political songs and another of Woody Guthrie songs. Sammy became somewhat of a recluse for years and did not record another album until 1990, when Brambus released a live recording.
Old Time Southern Dream is the follow up studio release of 12 songs. It features Sammy on acoustic guitar and banjo, with others providing piano, bass and drums. The songs are an excellent mixture of originals, songs by other writers and a traditional song (Lonesome Valley). The best of the original songs is Guns And Guns And Guns, a protest song against the proliferation of weapons in America and the propensity to use them as a solution to problems. Other excellent originals include The Seed Of Life and an evocative song about an old Tennessee woodcarver called Rakestraw Wood. Lee The Weaver is a beautiful tribute to the late singer and activist Lee Hays.
The two borrowed songs here were written by individuals who greatly influenced Sammy: Phil Ochs and Pete Seeger. Ochs' There But For Fortune is done with sensitivity and passion, excellently backed by Kim and Reggie Harris on harmonies. Seeger's Oh, Had I A Golden Thread is also covered wonderfully with simple accompaniment that allows the song's words to be heard loud and clear. Sammy combines the best of original songwriting and a tribute to his musical roots and personal influences here. It's an excellent recording. -- Singout!
Biographical Notes:
Born and raised near Atlanta, Georgia in southeast U.S.A..
Main influences: Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger.
1975: Moved to New York, discovered by the late Phil Ochs, who produced Walker's first album for Folkways in 1975 (the two are pictured here in 1975).
1976: Legendary producer Nik Venet discovered Sammy's music and produced his first record for Warner Brothers.
1977: Venet produced a second album for Warner Brothers titled Blue Ridge Mountain Skyline.
1978: Walker toured Europe for the first time giving several concerts in France and Belgium and was part of the Woody Guthrie tribute shows in Paris.
1979: Recorded an album of Woody Guthrie songs for Folkways.
1986: Returned to Europe, giving 18 concerts in Italy and Austria;
1989: Returned to Italy and recorded the live album, Sammy Walker in Concert released by Brambus Records in Switzerland.
1994: Records Old Time Southern Dream, consisting mostly of new originals, also released Brambus Records.
