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CD Cover photo by Richard Dress
"Adcock,
Gaudreau, Waller & Gray -
The Country Gentlemen Reunion Band"
(RadioTherapy Records RTR-CD-001) | Song
Samples
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Review
by Larry Stephens "Country Standard Time"
"Back
when rock‘n’roll was about to destroy country and bluegrass music, a
few bluegrass bands persevered. One of those was the Country Gentlemen. While
viewed as a 'not quite bluegrass' band in those years they went on to become an
icon in the bluegrass world. Veterans include the likes of Jimmy Gaudreau, Eddie
Adcock and Tom Gray. The consistent thread through the decades was Charlie Waller,
who passed away in 2004. Waller had one of the most recognizable voices in bluegrass:
clear, unwavering, always on key. He passed that on to his son, Randy, who now
heads up the Gents. "This
CD reunites these four musicians, each a star in his own circle of bluegrass music.
If you’re a fan of the Gents, the opening song, Randall Hylton’s 'Widow
of the Glade', will send chills down your spine. The classic sounds of the Country
Gentlemen come alive again. "Producers
Eddie and Martha Adcock picked a variety of songs, from the late Hylton's to standards
like 'Sweet Georgia Brown' and 'Some Old Day'. They reach out to country music
with 'Sundown and Sorrow' and 'White Line Fever' and give one of the best renditions
of 'Grave In The Valley' you’ll ever hear. "Without
question, this is a great CD. It will leave you asking, 'When is the next one
due out?' " Larry
Stephens, "Country Standard Time" (www.countrystandardtime.com)
| To
Order:
Send check or money order (payable to Martha Adcock)
in the
amount of $15, plus $3 domestic postage
(or $6 international postage) to:
PO Box 219, Lebanon TN 37088-0219 Have
a question? Send us an Email
| Press
Release: April 10, 2008 From
its 'retro-style' cover (- you'll dig the bowling shirts!-) to its little round
blue heart, this 'tater takes the cake! The CD is the long-awaited premiere release
of a group of guys who represent the entire five-decade span of the groundbreaking
Country Gentlemen, bringing to life the sound of the 'Classic' Gents era -- the
iconic group that created "the sound that changed the color of bluegrass"! And
who could be better qualified than these guys? Eddie Adcock (banjo) and Tom Gray
(bass) are the surviving half of those 'Classic' Gentlemen; Jimmy Gaudreau (mandolin)
replaced original Gent John Duffey; and Randy Waller (guitar), now carrying on
the 'regular' Gentlemen, is the son of original Gent Charlie Waller. Fans have
said it's like hearing the past and present all together at once! The
songs and tunes on the project feature some of the best new material (including
four from the pen of Randall Hylton) and a few time-honored ones as well. "Widow
Of The Glade", the ghost-story lead song, is a modern counterpart to "Bringing
Mary Home", the big Country Gentlemen hit from years ago. "El Doggo",
the coolest new instrumental anyone's written lately, speaks from jazz as much
as bluegrass. From "Country Poor and Country Proud" to "Twenty
One Miles" the signature picking and singing of these gentlemen will make
you smile plenty, and you'll play this CD over and over. RadioTherapyRecords
PO
Box 219, Lebanon TN 37088-0219
(615) 443-7135
Email:2adcocks@bellsouth.net
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Liner Notes ~
"It's
good, but it ain't bluegrass" is what they said 50 years ago ... but folks
who know bluegrass music know that the 'Classic' Country Gentlemen are a big reason
why bluegrass sounds the way it does today.
For those who don't know, those
Classic Gents are true icons of the genre; they're known as the first truly progressive
band in bluegrass, and the most influential one of those because, having broken
the hillbilly barrier, they took their extraordinary brand of music to new and
wider audiences -- and added a 'cool' factor. Along the way they became a juggernaut
and, then, one of the longest-lived bluegrass groups ever to grace a stage. The
Country Gentlemen Reunion Band
-- Adcock, Gaudreau, Waller, & Gray -- are four
remarkable musicians representing the entire five-decade span of the Country Gents
era. On board to bring to life the sound of the Classic Gents are Eddie
Adcock (banjo player and baritone singer) and Tom
Gray (bassist and bass vocalist), the surviving half of those early Classic
Country Gentlemen; Jimmy Gaudreau, who followed original
Gent John Duffey in the mandolin and tenor-singing spot; and original Centleman
Charlie Waller's son Randy Waller on guitar and lead
vocal, completing the circle. Since his dad's passing in 2004, Randy carries on
the 'regular' Country Gentlemen touring the band in
the spot that his father held for 47 years.
But you've got to wonder how
that classic band might have evolved, had they stayed together as a group all
these years since. Eddie, Jimmy, Randy, and Tom wondered too -- that's how this
CD came about. And these guys bring to this project what each of them originally
brought to the Gentlemen: themselves, and nothing less.
Though the Country
Gentlemen first raised a ruckus of controversy a half century ago, today's Country
Gentlemen Renuion Band incarnation shows why they became a benchmark and
touchstone, and came to define the music's mainstream itself. Full
circle, and rolling on. ~
Martha Hearon Adcock ~
Lebanon, Tennessee
February 14, 2008 | ~
The Musicians ~
Eddie
Adcock: Banjo, and lead and bariton vocals
Jimmy Gaudreau: Mandolin, and lead
and tenor vocals
Randy Waller: Guitar, and lead vocals
Tom Gray: Upright
bass, and bass and baritone vocals
The Production ...
Produced
by: Eddie & Martha Adcock
Executive Producers: Eddie & Martha Adcock
Recorded
by: Wes Easter at Eastwood Studios, Cana VA
Mixed by: Eddie & Martha Adcock
and Wes Easter
Mastered at: Benny Quinn Mastering, Franklin, TN
Art Direction
and Design: Martha Adcock
Photography: Richard Dress (front cover), Martha
Adcock
Thanks ...
For their inspiration, patience, and unselfnishness
Eddie, Jimmy and Tom would especially like to thank their wives -- Martha Adcock,
Gloria Bliel, and Sally Gray; Randy would like to thank God, his daddy Charlie
Waller, and the rest of the Reunion Band.
The group would also like to
sincerely thank their equipment sponsors: Deering Banjos, Gibson Guitars, Kentucky
Mandolins/Blueridge Guitars (Saga Musical Instruments), D'Addario Strings, GHS
Strings, Shubb Capos, Dogwood Design Straps, and Colorado Case Company.
Jimmy
Gaudreau appears courtesy of Rebel Records
Randy Waller appears courtesy of
Lendel Records. |
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