CMH RECORDS (County. Music. Heritage.) maintains a rich history of classic country and bluegrass albums and is honoring several of these legacy releases by remastering them and making them available in digital format for the first time ever. Today, October 27, the self-titled debut from Eddie Adcock & Talk of the Town is being released for the first time on digital and streaming platforms.
Stream Eddie Adcock & Talk of the Town out now on CMH Records here.
Not only notable for its excellent musicianship, creative arrangements and varied selection of songs, Eddie Adcock & Talk of the Town spotlights several great women in bluegrass--Martha Hearon Adcock, Missy Raines and Susi Gott. Joined by musician Jody Maphis (son of country legends Joe & Rose Lee Maphis) together with Eddie, the group delivers a varied collection of songs sure to please any listener of American roots music.
Working across several styles and equipped with an expert-level ensemble, Eddie’s skills as an arranger shine here. Across western swing (“I’m Walkin’”), rockabilly (“Baby, Let’s Play House”), jump blues (“Saturday Night Fish Fry”), folk ballads (“A Rose on the Riverbank”), bluegrass barnburners (“The Hotter She Burns”), and even a Creedence Clearwater Revival cover (“Up Around the Bend”), the whole ensemble shows their skill and adaptability, crafting an album with plenty of ups, downs and everything in between. Additionally, originals like “Renaissance Man” and “Eddie’s Matchbox Blues” showcase these excellent instrumentalists as accomplished soloists and accompanists.
One-time farmhand, professional boxer, high school custodian, sheet-metal mechanic and drag-car racer, Eddie Adcock has done it all. And that’s not to mention his illustrious career as a banjoist, guitarist, mandolinist, singer and songwriter. Born in 1938 in Scottsville, Virginia and inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 1996, Eddie Adcock has had a long and eventful career in music.
Early on, Adcock supported key figures like Smokey Graves, Mac Wiseman, Bill Harrell, Buzz Busby and Bill Monroe before finding partnership in music and life with his wife, guitarist, singer and songwriter Martha Hearon Adcock. Talk of the Town was one of several projects Eddie and Martha worked on together, recording two albums with the group for CMH in 1987 and 1988 respectively.
Founded in 1975 by Martin Haerle, CMH Records has released albums from artists whose monumental influence on American roots music is unparalleled. The label is responsible for essential recordings throughout the 70s and 80s by bluegrass, old time and traditional country music legends such as Merle Travis, The Osborne Brothers, Mac Wiseman, Joe Maphis, Jim & Jesse McReynolds, Grandpa Jones, Lester Flatt and Eddie Adcock. Throughout the ‘90s and into the new millennium, CMH Records continued to cut records with artists such as Wanda Jackson (aka “The Queen of Rockabilly”), Raul Malo, Larry Cordle, Pine Mountain Railroad, Jimmy Gaudreau, and many others. Producing songs rich in American heritage by artists with their own distinct style created a strong backbone and history for the label.
The label remains a proud family business, now run by Martin’s son David. Described by the Los Angeles Times as a “stubborn, curious Silver Lake music company,” the label has been a strong proponent for honest music and has found success with its classic catalog and its ongoing “Pickin’ On” series, which features bluegrass interpretations of contemporary artists, including recent hit albums dedicated to the music of Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Modest Mouse. The Times piece added that CMH “meets unsung needs in the music industry” and cited its “creative diversification.”
Tracklist for Eddie Adcock & Talk of the Town:
1. Windy Woman
2. Give This Message to Your Heart
3. Saturday Night Fish Fry
4. Renaissance Man
5. Dreams Are Made to Remember
6. I’m Walkin’
7. Baby, Let’s Play House
8. A Rose on the Riverbank
9. The Hotter She Burns
10. Long Black Veil
11. Eddie’s Matchbox Blues
12. Up Around the Bend
