Gunfight at O.K. Corral

by Johnny Western

Overview

Johnny Western as he sounded in 1984, which is good -- the voice is still a rich, enveloping baritone, rougher and not as flexible as it was in the early '60s but still pleasing and memorable. His rendition of "Gunfight at OK Corral" won't displace Frankie Laine's, but it has a drive and power all of its own. Stan Jones' "Ghost Riders in the Sky" gets a beautiful workout, as flamboyant vocally as Johnny Cash's was instrumentally -- Jones is also represented by "The Searchers," "Hannah Lee," "Lillies Grow High," and "Cheyenne." Bob Nolan's poignant "Song of the Bandit" (adapted from the English ballad "The Highwayman") is also here, sung with great affection, sincerity, and intensity. Western also covers his own "The Gunfighter," which he wrote for Marty Robbins, and Johnny Cash's "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" -- at this point in his career, Western's voice lacked the expressive range of Cash's. There are also lots of covers of television themes, including two very upbeat medleys of "Johnny Yuma -- The Rebel" (originally a Johnny Cash song on which Western played rhythm guitar), "Bonanza," and "The Ballad of Paladin"; "Bat Masterson" and "Wyatt Earp"; and the theme from "Rawhide." The personnel includes Billy Strange, Art Sparer, Jack Clement (who also produced), and Western on guitars. ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	05/12/1994
Label:	Bear Family Records
UPC:	4000127154293
Rank:	77080

Tracks

1. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky
2. Gunfight at O.K. Corral
3. The Gunfighter
4. Don't Take Your Guns to Town
5. Ringo
6. The Hangin' Tree
7. Cross the Brazos at Waco
8. The Rebel - Johnny Yuma/Bonanza/Ballad of Paladin
9. Rawhide
10. The Searchers
11. High Noon
12. Song of the Bandit
13. Hannah Lee (High Are the Gallows)
14. The Lillies Grow High
15. The Ballad of Boot Hill
16. Cheyenne/Wyatt Earp/Bat Masterson

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Johnny Western   Primary Artist,Choir/Chorus,Guitar (Electric)
Phil Forrest   Choir/Chorus
Joseph Allen   Bass
Art Sparer   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Kenny Malone   Drums
Joe Allen   Bass
Jack Clement   Guitar (Rhythm)
Louis Dean Nunley   Choir/Chorus
Harold Bradley   Guitar,Gut String Guitar
Billy Strange   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)

Technical Credits

Richard Weize   Producer,Photography,Reissue Producer
Bill Mill   Photography
Art Sparer   Producer
Fritz Bauer   Photography
Stan Jones   Composer
Jim Rooney   Engineer
Bob Jones   Digital Mastering
Carl Perkins   Composer
Johnny Cash   Composer
Johnny Western   Composer,Photography
Richard Markowitz   Composer