Joe South

The music of the American South can't be folded,
creased, and slipped into a neat little file -- it's a
mishmash of styles, influences, feelings, and
emotions, mattering none whether the players are black
or white, rich or poor, born and bred in a bayou shack
or raised in a ranch house. It's pop and soul, rock
‘n’ roll, dirt-bred country and thick, earthy blues,
all mixed with grits and humidity into a mad, meaty
stew that -- once you taste the taste and feel the
feeling -- is mighty hard to resist.

It's this kind of rich musical landscape that bred
fascinating, complex characters like Joe South, a rock
‘n’ roll guitar man with a wide, swampy streak of
country-soul and a knack for hook-filled melodies.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1940, the young Joseph
Souter was exposed early on to a broad spectrum of
sounds. By 1958, he'd cut his first single for Atlanta
DJ and music publisher Bill Lowery's new label NRC. He
continued making his name writing songs for groups
like the Tams and playing guitar on sessions in Muscle
Shoals and Nashville (he appears on Bob Dylan's Blonde
on Blonde). His buddy, Billy Joe Royal, hit with South's
song "Down in the Boondocks," and Deep Purple thrust
"Hush" at the charts through a heavy psychedelic haze.
South himself finally took center stage after signing
with Capitol and releasing the amazing Introspect in
1968. "Games People Play" became a smash, earning
multiple Grammys, and later titles like "Walk a Mile
in My Shoes" and "Don't It Make You Want to Go Home"
didn't do too badly, either. Then 1971 brought Lynn
Anderson's version of South's "(I Never Promised You
a) Rose Garden," which lodged in the brain of every AM
listener from Montgomery to Malibu.

After his brother's suicide, South took a break from
the spotlight; he returned with 1975's Midnight
Rainbow only to retreat once again, retiring from the
stage and studio. Appearances since have been rare,
but as this tribute album testifies, his songs have
proved as sturdy and durable as Georgia pines. They've
weathered time and trends to emerge here, decades
later, fresh and reinspiring all over again.

The Joe South tribute project came about after bassist
Rob Douglas, a fellow Atlantan, got an itch to try
producing something himself. He began work on it in
2001, calling in favors of current and former musical
employers, bandmates, and musicians he'd met both on
the road and on the bandstand. Some of these were
artists Douglas whom had admired long before ever playing
a paying gig. Singer-songwriter Tom Heyman passed
word of the project along to Jackpine Social Club
honcho Nick Tangborn, who agreed to release it. The
resulting lineup is both impressive and diverse,
pulling together artists from across the country,
spanning genres as well as generations.

Chris Von Sneidern does heady justice to "Hush," while
Atlanta native Kelly Hogan lends her powerhouse voice
to "The Greatest Love." Onetime Crawdaddys singer Ron
Silva handles "I Knew You When," Detroit-turned-San
Francisco indie hero Kelley Stoltz breathes new life
into "Rose Garden," and Stephanie Finch adds depth,
hope, and promise to the tender "Children." Otis Clay
pleads in glorious fashion to "Walk a Mile in My
Shoes," after which singer-songwriter Chuck Prophet
enriches "Don't It Make You Want to Go Home" with rock
‘n’ roll gusto, and burly-voiced Austin, Texas
troubadour Ted Roddy begs to "Fool Me" one more time.
Jesse DeNatale chimes in from "Down in the Boondocks,"
former Go To Blazes guitarist Tom Heyman does a thick,
swampy "Redneck," rising pop stars Persephone's
Bees brighten "Games People Play," and Milwaukee
mainstay Paul Cebar closes the show with "Untie Me."

South may never have promised us a rose garden, but he
sure delivered a stellar body of work, and in such
caring and capable hands, the music really does feel
like it's come back home all over again. I’d walk a
mile for music like this any old day.

Kurt Wolff
-------------------------------------------------------------

'the Joe South
Tribute record'
:: format :: cd
:: out » 02.22.05

tracks
» HUSH- Chris Von Sneidern
» THE GREATEST LOVE- Kelly Hogan
» I KNEW YOU WHEN- Ron Silva and The New Believers
» ROSE GARDEN- Kelley Stoltz
» CHILDREN- Stephanie Finch
» WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES- Otis Clay
» DON'T IT MAKE YOU WANT TO GO HOME- Chuck Prophet
» FOOL ME- Ted Roddy
» DOWN IN THE BOONDOCKS- Jesse DeNatale
» REDNECK- Tom Heyman
» GAMES PEOPLE PLAY- Persephone's Bees
» UNTIE ME- Paul Cebar