A Road Leading Home - Songs By Dan Penn Various Artists (Songwriter Series)

£11.70

Genre:
Southern Soul
Label:
Ace Records
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDCHD 1370

“A Road Leading Home” is the follow-up to our Mojo award-winning “Sweet Inspiration: The Songs Of Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham”. On this occasion we’ve cast the net a little wider to include a number of other songwriters with whom Dan collaborated when he wasn’t busy turning out classics with Spooner Oldham. Spooner is not excluded here, with two co-writes which metaphorically span the bridge between FAME and American. The format also gives us a long-awaited opportunity to showcase what many regard as two of the greatest southern soul ballads ever written: ‘Do Right Woman, Do Right Man’ and ‘The Dark End Of The Street’, both penned with Chips Moman following Dan’s career move from Muscle Shoals to Memphis.

From FAME’s formative years come several co-writes with label boss Rick Hall and Dan’s colleague in the Pallbearers, Donnie Fritts. Over time various FAME studio musicians such as Roger Hawkins and Jimmy Johnson came up with ideas which Dan expanded into classic songs. Oscar Franck and Bob Killen also appeared on credits under the FAME umbrella, while Norala/Quinvy boss and Percy Sledge mentor, Quin Ivy, had previous co-writing form with Rick Hall. FAME colleague Marlin Greene was also a significant collaborator on several Dan Penn songs, three of which are featured here, including one sung by Greene’s wife Jeanie Fortune. Marlin went on to become Quin Ivy’s right-hand man, while Donnie Fritts has continued, sporadically, to collaborate with Dan in the years since.

Dan’s burning ambition to produce records was a major reason for his move to Memphis in 1966, but he and Chips Moman wasted no time in their songwriting activities, the results of which benefited the careers of Aretha Franklin and James Carr. The pair wrote very few other songs together, but Chips’ American Studio set-up harboured its fair share of other budding tunesmiths. The names of Darryl Carter and Leroy Daniels appear on two of the credits, with Carter’s moniker alongside those of Dan Penn and his old buddy Spooner Oldham, who had moved to Memphis a year later to pick up the threads of their writing partnership. Spooner moved to L.A. at the end of the decade for a successful spell as a session man.

Dan Penn’s musical pilgrimage seldom took him far from the adjoining states of Alabama and Tennessee, and in the mid-70s he upped sticks once again and headed to Nashville, where he remains to this day. There he worked with various co-writers, and gradually formed more substantial partnerships with like-minded tunesmiths such as Carson Whitsett, Bucky Lindsey, Jonnie Barnett and Gary Nicholson. Dan also produced albums for Bobby Purify and the Hacienda Brothers.

We hope you enjoy this selection which again showcases Dan’s awesome songwriting talent, this time in conjunction with many other collaborators who contributed to his songbook.

 By Bob Dunham 

 

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Track listing

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Side 1

  • 01 Preview Without A Woman - Ted Taylor

  • 02 Preview You Left The Water Running - Billy Young

  • 03 Preview I Tried To Tell You - The Entertainers

  • 04 Preview Break Up The Party - Linda Gail Lewis

  • 05 Preview Is A Blue Bird Blue - Dan Penn

  • 06 Preview Once More With Feeling - Jeanie Fortune

  • 07 Preview The Dark End Of The Street - Roy Hamilton

  • 08 Preview (Almost Persuaded To) Give Him One More Try - Linda Carr

  • 09 Preview Come On - Tommy Roe

  • 10 Preview Oh! What A Fool I've Been - The Sweet Inspirations

  • 11 Preview Far From The Maddening Crowd - The Drifters

  • 12 Preview Up Tight Good Man - Laura Lee

  • 13 Preview So Many Reasons - James & Bobby Purify

  • 14 Preview Do Right Woman, Do Right Man - Brenda Lee

  • 15 Preview Cheater Man - Esther Phillips

  • 16 Preview Long Ago - Bobby Patterson

  • 17 Preview I Can't Stop - The Blues Busters

  • 18 Preview Rainbow Road - Percy Sledge

  • 19 Preview Zero Willpower - Irma Thomas

  • 20 Preview Tearjoint - Ted Roddy and the Tearjoint Troubadors

  • 21 Preview What's Wrong With Right - The Hacienda Brothers

  • 22 Preview Better To Have It - Bobby Purify (Ben Moore)

  • 23 Preview I Hate You - Ronnie Milsap

  • 24 Preview Like A Road Leading Home - Albert King

Delivery & Returns

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We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

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You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

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