Welcome to Figures From the Backroom, a series from me, Jonny Brick, founder of A Country Way of Life, a site where I have been evangelizing about country music in all its forms since 2017.
Over the course of the year I’m going to build my fantasy studio, my ‘A’ Room, Shangri-La or Cash Cabin, and each week I’ll profile writers, producers and players.
The writers will churn out the songs that address the moment but can be enjoyed afresh in 100 years and given new arrangements and settings.
The producers will man the board. They’ll turn up certain microphones and turn down others, making individual instruments more or less prominent on the recording. Sometimes the production will feature syrupy strings; at other times there will be programmed drums. It all depends on what the audience is used to and how the words and melodies can best be framed by the instrumentation.
That backing track will sit underneath the vocalists. It will be provided by top session players who may be pianists, fiddlers, drummers, electric guitar players or steel guitar players.
As well as giving brief biographies, I’ll try and provide songs you can listen to in order to appreciate how great they are or, sadly in many cases, were.
- Episode 16: Producer: Zach Crowell, Player: Brent Mason, Songwriter: Pat Alger
- Episode 15: Producer: Bart Butler, Player: Stuart Duncan Songwriter: Bobby Braddock
- Episode 14: Producer: Jonathan Singleton, Player: Paul Franklin, Songwriter: Liz Rose
- Episode 13: Producer: Dave Cobb, Player: Buddy Harman, Songwriter: Dewayne Blackwell
- Episode 12: Producer: Owen Bradley, Player: Lefty Frizzell, Songwriter: John D Loudermilk
- Episode 11: Producer: Jimmy Bowen, Player: Mac McAnally, Songwriter: Mike Henderson
