CD - Ian Calford & The Brakemen - Goin' To Memphis

Tracks

1. Goin' To Memphis
2. Katy Too
3. Locomotive Man
4.Wanted Man
5.The Fable Of Willie Brown
6.Give My Love To Rose
7.I Was There When It Happened
8.Cat's In The Cradle
9.Country Trash
10.Home Of The Blues
11. Don't Take Your Guns To Town
12. Country Boy
13. Sugartime 1
4.Six White Horses 1
5.Ballad Of A Teenage Queen 1
6.So Doggone Lonesome 1
7.Cry, Cry, Cry 1
8.I Still Miss Someone 1
9.Long Black Veil 20.Folsom Prison Blues
21. Tennessee Flat-Top Box

To Stand In 706 Union Avenue In Memphis, Where It All Began, And To Actually Sing In There Was A Dream Come True. All This As A Result Of 'Strapped For Cash.' Our Trip To Tennessee Will Be With Me Forever. As A Result Of This Trip, The Last Six Tracks Of This Cd Were Recorded At Burns Studio, Tennessee And Featured C.W. Gatlin And Mark Winchester. I Have Now Become Friends With People That I Have Read About All My Life. I Keep In Regular Contact With Tommy Cash And I Would Like To Think That Chris, Andy And Myself Will Have The Opportunity To Work With Him Again. He's A Real Gentleman. Burl Boykin Once Told Me "Life Without A Little Cash Is Mighty Dull." On Behalf Of Chris And Andy We Would Like Especially To Thank Johnny And June And Everyone Who Has Helped Us In Nashville And Here In The Uk. Ian Calford

Way Back In The Mid To Late 50's, A Haircut Was Always An Event To Remember, Not So Much Because The Barber Would Cut Me A Neat Trim, But More To Do With The Fact That, If I Timed It Right On A Friday Afternoon After School, I Could Listen To The Whole Of The Murry Cash C&W Show On Bbc's Light Programme On The Radio. The Younger Of The Two Hairdressers Was Of Italian Descent And He Adored Country Music. He Never Missed A Broadcast Of Murry's Show. My Early Teenage Years Were Filled With The Strains Of Hank Williams, George Jones, Webb Pierce, Faron Young, Ferlin Husky, Hank Snow And Johnny Cash. When I Hear Country Music Today, I Still Relate To That Barbers Shop, Tucked Away On A Side Street, Off Coatsworth Road, In The Jewish Sector Of Gateshead In The North East Of England. Gateshead May Have Been A Long Way From The Rural Routes Of Country Music In America, But So Too Was Merthyr Tydfil, Where Welsh Country Artist, Cal Ford Would Have Experienced Similar Influences. He Too Was Steeped In Country Music From An Early Age, And In Turn, Passed It On To His Son, Ian Calford. Ian And His Band, The Brakemen, Last Year Recorded One Of The Best Country Albums This Side Of Tennessee! The Album, Dedicated To Music Of The 'Man In Black' (Not To Mention Cal Ford), Was Simply Entitled 'Strapped For Cash' But When Released By Mcg/Vampirella, Attracted Critical Acclaim! Ian Has Been Back In The Studio On Both Sides Of The Atlantic, Recording, Once Again With The Brakemen In This Country And Also With Two Excellent Session Musicians In The States. Mark Winchester, Bass Player With The Brian Setzer Orchestra And C. W. Gatlin, Guitarist From Sun Records In Memphis, Have Put Their Instrumental Mite Behind Ian On Half A Dozen Of Johnny Cash's Most Popular Numbers Including 'So Doggone Lonesome' 'Cry Cry Cry' 'Folsom Prison Blues' And 'Tennessee Flat Top Box'. I First Caught Up With Ian When His Band, The Railmen, Played At The Moon, A Local Rockin' Venue On The Outskirts Of Derby. I Enjoyed The Show And Reviewed It Enthusiastically In 'Now Dig This'. Since Then I Have Followed His Career With Great Interest And Gave His 'Strapped For Cash' Release A Similar Enthusiastic Review In The Same Magazine. Ian Has Told Me All About His Dad And How He Toured The U.K. For Almost Five Decades With His Band, The Original Brakemen, Meeting Many Times During That Period With His Idol, Johnny Cash. Ian Showed Me A Poster Where His Father Had Played On The Same Bill As Gene Vincent's Blue Caps At A Rockin' Weekender In Weymouth During The Summer Of 198
7. I Was There With The Blue Caps But Unfortunately Did Not See Cal's Act, A Failure On My Part, Which I Will Regret For The Rest Of My Life!
However, I May Not Have Got To See The Father, But I Certainly Did Get To See (And Hear) The Son. Ian Calford's Dedication To The Music That His Father Taught Him, And In Particular To The Unique Sound And Style Of Johnny Cash, Has Earned Him A Well Deserved Reputation On Both Sides Of The Atlantic. In Terms Of Fame, He Has Yet To Reach His Full Potential, But I'm Sure This Second Album Of Johnny Cash Country Milestones Will Enhance His Career To A Level Deserving Of Such An Exciting New Talent! Steve Aynsley - 'Now Dig This' Magazine

When Ian Sent Me A Tape Of Tracks He Had Recorded And Planned To Release On An Album Titled 'Strapped For Cash' I Must Admit To Being Dubious About Listening And Offering To Mention The Cd In The Johnny Cash Fanzine. Since Starting The Fanzine Back In 1994 I Had Always Made An Effort To Avoid Cash Impersonators And For A Couple Of Days It Sat On My Desk Unplayed. It Was Only When I Decided To Give The Songs A Listen That I Could See The Errors Of My Ways, For Ian Calford And The Brakemen Were Definitely Not Impersonators But Had Produced A Sincere Tribute To Johnny Cash. What Struck Me Most About The Tracks Was The Authentic Fifties 'Tennessee Two' Sound Recreated By Chris Cummings (On Guitar) And Andy Sykes (On Bass) Along With The Way That Ian Handled The Vocals In His Own Style, Not In An Attempt To Copy Cash's Deep Baritone Voice. I Was Honoured When Ian Asked Me To Design The Booklet For His Follow-Up Cd, The One You Are Currently Holding In Your Hands!
Peter Lewry - Editor: Johnny Cash - The Man In Black