RECORD MACHINE
Rockabilly Hall of Famer Buzz Cason is proudly releasing his new studio album Record Machine on August 21, 2015. This is his second album to be released via Plowboy Records.
Touring the US and the UK was just a small portion of the incredible year Buzz had in 2014. In July, the Country Music Hall of Fame honored him as part of their “Poets & Prophets” series, and Cason’s then recently-released album Troubadour Heart was enjoying chart success and heavy airplay on Americana Radio.
Following this, Buzz hunkered down at his famed Creative Workshop studio with engineer Joe Funderburk to begin pouring his soul into Record Machine.
Buzz Cason notes in the opening title track, which is a love letter to his record player, that he’s “got Rock ‘N’ Roll, R&B, and everything between…on my record machine,” and it shows in the breadth of the songs that follow. Record Machine is an eclectic mix of Americana sounds, dosed with rock, folk, rockabilly, and even a touch of reggae, with his loosened-up remake of George Jones’ “She Thinks I Still Care,” which was originally written by Buzz’s good friend Dickey Lee. The other ten original tracks visit different moods and stories, from the stripped-down acoustic skip of “Don’t Worry Mama” and the whiskey-soaked bar room confessional “Dodgin’ Bullets,” to the lonely ballad “Just My Dreams,” the upbeat bounce of “Follower,” and the rockabilly swing of “Memphis Friday Night” and “Overload.”
The album also features a few cameos by Nashville-based duo Steelism, who are featured on “Record Machine,” “She Thinks I Still Care,” and “Wait On Your Love,” as well as Sugarcane Jane’s Anthony Crawford (“Woe Is Me,” “Just My Dreams”), and Buzz’s son Parker Cason, who co-wrote “Record Machine” and played on several tracks.
“Record Machine is special to me and hopefully it will be a positive experience for the listener,” says Buzz. “The record is a slice of my musical life, incorporating emotions and thoughts of recent times as well as just fun times recorded in the studio. Once again I have the support of extremely talented players and writers on this set of songs… [Guitarist] Anthony Crawford plays a key role in the record as well as the guys from my band contributing on several tracks… As the title cut says: From the first time I heard a needle hit vinyl: ‘I’ve been in love with music ever since that day!’ ”
And quite the love affair it’s been! With a career six decades rich as a performer, songwriter, and publisher, Buzz Cason has touched upon every facet of the music industry, as well as influenced countless musicians and fans. Coined as “The Father Of Nashville Rock” by Alamo Jones of Sirius XM’s “Outlaw Country,” this Americana/Roots Rock singer-songwriter has created songs that have gone on to live beyond the genre, from the classic “Everlasting Love” (co-written with Mac Gayden), which has been recorded by U2, Gloria Estefan, Robert Knight, and Carl Carlton, and has charted in every decade since its inception, to “Soldier of Love” (co-written with Tony Moon), which has been recorded by The Beatles, Pearl Jam, Marshall Crenshaw, and Arthur Alexander. To this day, Buzz is the only songwriter credited with cuts by The Beatles, Pearl Jam, AND U2.
As a producer, Buzz left his stamp on Jimmy Buffett’s Down To Earth and High Cumberland Jubilee albums (he also co-wrote a few songs), and he even produced Buddy Holly’s former band The Crickets, and toured England with them as their singer. He’s sung back-up for Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, John Denver, Kenny Rogers, Roy Orbison, George Jones, and Leon Russell, and was even the voice of Alvin of the Chipmunks!
The music legacy continues on with the release of Record Machine.
Buzz Cason will tour this year in support of Record Machine, with some solo dates, and some shows with his band The Love Notes. Tour dates to be announced soon.
Track List:
1.) Record Machine
2.) Don’t Worry Mama
3.) Woe Is Me
4.) Follower
5.) Just My Dreams
6.) Dodgin’ Bullets
7.) No Word From You
8.) Overload
9.) Memphis Friday Night
10.) She Thinks I Still Care
11.) Wait On Your Love
Troubadour Heart
Plowboy Records is proud to announce that they’ve signed Buzz Cason and will release his new album ‘Troubadour Heart’ on Feb 4. ‘Troubadour Heart’ is a culmination of Cason’s six decades as a singer, songwriter, musician and producer. His career includes the founding of Nashville’s first rock band (The Casuals), singing backup for Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers and Roy Orbison, and writing songs recorded by The Beatles, Pearl Jam and U2.
‘Troubadour Heart’ builds on the series of albums that Cason has released under his own name since 2000. Recorded at his Creative Workshop studio in Nashville, the album features co-writing and performance contributions from Dan Penn, who wrote ’60s soul hits, Bobby Keys, a saxophonist who’s toured with The Rolling Stones, The Who and Eric Clapton, and Anthony Crawford, who’s written songs recorded by Kenny Rogers and has toured with Neil Young, Dwight Yoakam and Steve Winwood.
‘Troubadour Heart’ salutes the spirit of the songwriter. From nimble acoustic blues like “Midnight Sun” to bar-band rockers that border on punk (“The Call”), the album is shot through with a freewheeling, zealous spirit. “When I Get to California” sounds like a lost cut from Neil Young’s ‘Zuma,’ with Cason searching for “a bar where they never make you check your gun.”
A member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, Cason has found success in myriad facets of the entertainment industry, from producing Buddy Holly’s former band The Crickets to being the voice of Alvin of The Chipmunks. As a songwriter, his most well known work is “Everlasting Love,” originally a hit for Robert Knight in 1967 and later covered by Carl Carlton, U2 and Gloria Estefan. Other songs have been recorded by Jan & Dean, The Oak Ridge Boys, Mel Tillis, Martina McBride and Alan Jackson. Cason documented his career in his 2004 autobiography “Everlasting Love: Living the Rock ‘n’ Roll Dream.”
In 2014 Cason will tour in support of ‘Troubadour Heart,’ both solo and with his band, The Love Notes.