John Hammond "Southern Fried;" Old & Heavy Gold
Southern Fried
John Hammond
This true “lost treasure” is now available on CD at Amazon and for download at iTunes. Recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios back in 1969, blues rocker John Hammond’s Southern Fried is among his most enduring albums, and one of my favorite pieces of “Old and Heavy Gold.”
Accompanied by the Swampers, Jimmy Johnson on guitar; Barry Beckett on keyboards; Eddie Hinton on guitar; David Hood on bass and Roger Hawkins on drums, Hammond weaves a blues rock masterpiece, with a lot of that Shoals r&b/country element sprinkled throughout the mix.
Pitching in with his own particular magic on four tracks is slide guitar wizard, the legendary Duane Allman. In my opinion, the Swampers, along with Allman, are just as responsible for the greatness of this record as Hammond himself. It is most definitely a group effort.
As for myself, my first exposure to John Hammond at all came via the Duane Allman Anthology albums, which featured Duane and John trading licks on “Shake For Me” and “Cryin' For My Baby.” It was actually after the fact that I bought my first glorious slab of Hammond vinyl called Southern Fried.
Not only is the record chock full of top drawer musicians, the material rocks as well, with songs penned by the likes of Willie Dixon, Howlin Wolf, Chuck Willis, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters.
1969 was a hell of a year for Muscle Shoals Sound, yielding many a great record, including the self titled solo album from one Boz Scaggs that many consider the other “book end” to Hammond’s release.
Hammond's vocals and harmonica work here are out of the ball park. His aggressive, raw passion and energy offset the Swampers’ polished and relaxed approach, making for a marriage made in Heaven. That is if Heaven is located in the deep South, and we all know that it is.
I still wish they had used the original LP cover for the CD issue. Hammond looked like a true rebel in that picture, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t find that old LP cover online, and my copy is long gone. Guess I just need to rejoice that the actual music is still available, and sounds just as good as ever. Buffalo says "check it out."
Keep it Real. Keep it Southern.
Buffalo
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