In the recent past there have been relevant and excellent albums from Bobby Bare, Kris Kristofferson and Charlie Louvin. Willie Nelson had two albums out last year and Merle Haggard one. This year they team up with long time pal Ray Price to produce a fantastic 2-disc set covering a wide breadth of Country Music.Last of the Breed (Lost Highway) is the first album to team up all three Country legends and also the first to team Haggard and Price.Ray Price began his career in 1946 in the Dallas area with appearances on the Big D Jamboree radio barn dance. He soon moved to Nashville to pursue a major label contract, finally signing to Columbia in 1951. A year after signing, Price had his first top ten hit with “Talk To Your Heart” and soon after met his hero, Hank Williams.Hank took a liking to young Price and soon gave him a song to sing (“Weary Blues”) and took Price on the road. One of Price’s duties turned out to be standing in for Williams when he was too incapacitated to perform. In 1953, Williams died and Price inherited his backing band, The Drifting Cowboys.With the Drifting Cowboys backing him, and the ghost of his hero guiding him, Price continued to tour and hone his sound. In late 1954 he realized that to forge his own place in Country Music, he would have to assemble his own band and concentrate on his own sound.In 1956, Price continued in the hard country, honky-tonk vein Williams first mined, but added his own distinctive style, scoring chart hits with “Run Boy” and “Crazy Arms.” He also traded out the Drifting Cowboys for a new band, the Cherokee Cowboys, made up predominately of ex-band members of another of his heroes, Lefty Frizzell.Meanwhile on the other side of the country, in California, another Frizzell fan was on his way to realizing his dreams of becoming a musician. Merle Haggard had been playing music only for a short time when a man approached him in a club in 1956 and asked him to appear on a television show in Missouri. The experience wasn’t a great one for Haggard and he decided to move back to Bakersfield.At the same time, a young songwriter and disc jockey decided to make a run at a recording career and went to Vancouver, Washington to record a song written by Leon Payne the writer of one of Hank Williams’ best known songs “Lost Highway.” Nelson played the song on his radio shows stimulating sales and gaining encouragment to continue.As the Fifties gave way to the Sixties, Price continued his hit making streak, while different fortunes struck his peers, Haggard and Nelson.After returning to Bakersfield, Haggard, having a hard time finding work, ran afoul of the law and was soon arrested after trying to break into a restaurant that was, unfortunately for Haggard and his accomplice, still open for business. Having a long juvenile record, he was sentenced to San Quentin prison.Nelson, who had continued to write songs after the encouragement of Leon Payne and others, also was in need of cash and sold an early song, “Family Bible,” for $50. Hearing the song on the radio in 1960, he decided to make an attempt at getting a contract in Nashville. Unfortunately at that time, if they ever were, Nashville wasn’t ready for the offbeat sound of Nelson’s voice. But the power and beauty of his songwriting shone brightly through the rough demos.Fellow songwriter and recording artist Hank Cochran used his clout to help Nelson get signed to a publishing deal with Pamper music – co-owned by Ray Price. Recognizing something special, Price recorded Nelson’s “Night Life” and invited him to join the Cherokee Cowboys as bass player.While playing with Price, Nelson watched his songs hit the top of the charts sung by stars he admired: Faron Young (“Hello Walls”), Patsy Cline (“Crazy”), Billy Walker (“Funny How Time Slips Away”). During that time he also signed a recording contract with Liberty Records and in 1962 scored two top ten singles of his own.In California, Haggard himself was picking up the bass. After being released from prison in early 1962, he made his way back to the Bakersfield clubs and was soon asked to join the band of early Bakersfield sound pioneer Wynn Stewart. Haggard heard Stewart practicing a new song and asked his boss if he could record it himself. Stewart obliged and “Sing a Sad Song” became a national hit sending Haggard on his own path to stardom.The late Sixties would see Haggard’s star rise high while Nelson’s began to fade and his dreams of being a recording star buried by his songwriting success. The Nashville Sound was taking shape and the sales of hard-country music began to wane. In response, Price began to record a more crooning style more acquainted with singers like Eddy Arnold and drew sharp criticism from his many fans.As the Seventies bloomed, Haggard was one of the hottest stars in Country Music. Nelson, on the other hand, left Nashville in discouragement and returned to Austin, Tx. Where his career exploded. For Price, hits were becoming hard to come by and the lush sounds he had adopted in the ‘60s were losing favor.Even as these stars continued their separate careers, their paths would cross from time to time. Nelson invited Price to record an album of duets in 1980 and San Antonio Rose featured Price returning to a Western Swing sound he had moved on from in the early ‘60s as he and Nelson ran through an inspired set of old favorites and songs Price had made famous.In 1983, Nelson and Haggard teamed up to produce the No. 1 album (and No. 1 single) Pancho and Lefty. The duo came together again in 1987 for Seashores of Old Mexico, while the re-teaming of Nelson and Price would be 23 years after the San Antonio Rose with 2003’s Run That By Me One More Time.Now, in 2007, these three superstars combine their still incredible talents on Last of the Breed.The song list runs from the ‘40s to the ‘70s, with two new songs put into the mix. The album kicks off with “My Life’s Been A Pleasure,” a song from the Bob Wills repertoire that was covered by Nelson and Price on San Antonio Rose and Nelson and Haggard on Pancho & Lefty. The song is the perfect kick-off. Having been covered by various configurations of the artists, it shows the way they came up with the material to record, like an old-fashioned guitar pull where the artists sing whatever they know, sharing tunes that might not be as familiar with the others. It also exhibits another factor in picking the material – to show the influences of these great artists.Throughout the 22 song set the enthusiasm and respect for the material is evident. The backing band is made up of a mix of studio legends (Boots Randolph (saxophone), Buddy Emmons (pedal steel), Charlie McCoy (harmonica) and Johnny Gimble (fiddle) and newer hotshots (Aubrey Haynie (fiddle) and Brent Mason (guitar)). Vince Gill guess to lend harmony to Ray Price as he sings the Harlan Howard classic “Heartaches by the Numbers” while Kris Kristofferson alternates verses with Nelson and Price on his classic “Why Me.”There are two originals on the album, “Sweet Jesus,” a modern hymn to the Savior by Haggard and “Back to Earth” by Nelson, which is originally found on last years Songbird. While the song was a standout on that album, the production here brings a more classic quality to it as legendary producer Fred Foster (who produced Nelson’s other album from last year You Don’t Know Me: Songs of Cindy Walker) brings his immense understanding of the artists and their talents to the table.Oral tradition has always played a part in folk music, even in early Country Music, as one generation passed important songs of the day on to younger generations. In one sense this is exactly what N
elson, Haggard and Price are doing here, passing on a wealth of classic songs, songs that shouldn’t be forgotten and that should be passed on for generations to enjoy. As people lament the death of “real Country Music” legendary artists are still producing works of art such as Last of the Breed.
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