Search - Sundowners :: Chicago Country Legends

	Sundowners Chicago Country Legends Genres: Country, Pop From 1959 to 1989, the Sundowners--bassist/steel guitarist Curt Delaney, singer Bob Boyd, and lead guitar man Don Walls--were the Windy City's ultimate country bar band. Close harmonies, ebullient, robust rhythm, and Walls... more » « less
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CD Details

All Artists: Sundowners
Title: Chicago Country Legends
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Bloodshot Records
Release Date: 11/18/2003
Genres: Country, Pop
Styles: Americana, Roadhouse Country, Classic Country, Vocal Pop
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 744302080925

Synopsis

Amazon.com

From 1959 to 1989, the Sundowners--bassist/steel guitarist Curt Delaney, singer Bob Boyd, and lead guitar man Don Walls--were the Windy City's ultimate country bar band. Close harmonies, ebullient, robust rhythm, and Walls's tantalizing, fleet-fingered lead guitar work made them durable stylists. Their admirers weren't just local fans; it included visiting sports, music, and film luminaries. It's easy to understand that appeal. The trio amassed a rich and genre-blind repertoire encompassing thousands of numbers. Western ("Cimarron"), pop ("I Remember You"), folk ("Tom Dooley"), and hard country ("Shenandoah Waltz") easily coexisted with lounge (Bobby Darin's versions of "Clementine" and "Things"). Even George Harrison's "Something" fit their sound as if they'd written it, as did Robbie Fulks's "Cigarette State." The bulk of this material, from 1960-1971 live recordings complete with clanking glasses and applause, powerfully documents their greatest years. There's a fascinating story to go along with the music, even if Sundowners authority and annotator Dave Hoekstra gets only enough room here for a light version of it. --Rich Kienzle

CD Reviews

Real music played by real people...

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 02/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A uniquely alluring, informal set, documenting the work of these good-natured elder statesmen of Chicago's country music scene. The Sundowners, comprised of guitarists Bob Boyd and Don Walls, along with bassist Curt Delaney, were a hard-working ensemble that performed together almost continuously from 1959 to 1989, playing at dives and local taverns throughout the Windy City. They all originally hailed from the South, but after meeting up north, they plugged away for many a year and became legendary figures on Chicago's urban country circuit. This disc, drawn from three decades of live performances, is both a heartwarming momento of these long-off-the-radar hillbilly singers, and a really fun record in and of itself. The material is a mix of western cowboy tunes, old-fashioned heartsongs, countrified pop and rock standards and even a song written by Robbie Fulks, back in 1988. The Sundowners also recorded several albums on various local micro-labels (good luck finding them!), but the ambiance of their live shows has a special appeal. I thought this was a really charming record, more authentic and genuinely heartfelt than a truckload of Number One hits from modern-day Nashville. Recommended!"