Honky Dalton Conley

In 1962, Karen summoned Richard Tucker to join her in Colorado, extolling the healthier lifestyle and plentiful gigs at Boulder folk club, The Attic. Upon his arrival, the pair solidified their personal and professional relationship, riding horses in the mountains, and performing as a duo at parties and venues throughout Denver and Boulder. Stories of the spell they conjured - and rumors of tapes - have circulated among friends and musicians who witnessed them, but until now, no recorded evidence had turned up. Shuckin' Sugar is the glorious result of three reel to reels that miraculously found their way to us in November 2018, which featured two complete shows from The Attic in January '63, and a benefit concert for The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) recorded the following February.

The Essential by Earl Thomas Conley highlights the gruff-voiced country singer's 20 chart-topping entries from the late '70s and early '80s. These original RCA recordings include "Holding Her and Loving You," "Angel in Disguise," "Chance of Loving You," and his first number one single, "Fire and Smoke." The only complaint about this set is the omission of Conley's duets with Emmylou Harris ("We Believe in Happy Endings," number one in 1988) and Anita Pointer ("Too Many Times").

Dalton Reed's Louisiana Soul Man establishes the singer as an heir to the deep Southern soul of such artists as Otis Redding, Arthur Conley, and Percy Sledge. Despite the title, there's no hint of cajun music or zydeco on the record it's pure testifiying from start to finish. The new material is usually quite good, and it should be with songwriters like Doc Pomus, Dr. John, Dan Penn, and Delbert McClinton involved. Louisiana Soul Man is for anyone who believed that pure Southern soul died with Otis Redding.