For Immediate Release—
Loney Hutchins Unearths Gems From Nashville’s Lauded Past On Buried Loot, Demos from the House of Cash and Outlaw Era, ‘73-‘78
Buried Loot out via Appalachia Record Co. on December 10th; Hear “Pinball King” now
October 26, 2021 - Nashville, TN - Around 1972, in a chance encounter with June Carter Cash, now-legendary Nashville song-man Loney Hutchins’ future was forever changed. Hutchins knew he’d been writing good songs for a while, but right then, they found their way into the right hands. After hearing his demo reel, June’s husband Johnny signed Hutchins to their House of Cash publishing company and the rest is history. Hutchins’s time at House of Cash coincided with the rise and pinnacle of America’s outlaw country movement, and on December 10th, from the archives of Loney Hutchins, fans will be treated to a treasure trove of long-forgotten tunes of the era on a brand new release on Appalachia Record Co. titled Buried Loot, Demos from the House of Cash and Outlaw Era, ‘73-‘78. Buried Loot is full of never-before-heard recordings, presented for the first time from 80+ hours of tape tucked away through the years by Hutchins. Much of the material is fully produced demos made for Johnny Cash when Hutchins managed the House of Cash publishing catalog, performed by in-demand session players of the time. Today, fans got an early taste of Buried Loot with “Pinball King,” a head-bobbing, clavinet and telecaster-driven ode to everybody’s favorite paddle-driven pastime. In the refrain, Hutchins sings, “I told the undertaker, ‘When I die, put a couple pinballs in my eyes. Line my coffin with flashing lights and I’ll play pinball in paradise.’” Today, Wide Open Country premiered “Pinball King,” writing “Hutchins flaunts his way with words.” Fans can hear “Pinball King” today at this link and pre-order or pre-save Buried Loot ahead of its December 10 release right here.
The songs compiled on Buried Loot are unmistakably influenced by the era in which they were recorded. There's never-before-heard "Stoney Creek," written by the woman often credited as coining the "outlaw" label, the late Hazel Smith, and Hutchins' own material ranges from Byrds-ish country rock, Everly-esque ballads, to Appalachian folk and down and out honky-tonkers. Meanwhile, there are Cash-penned songs performed here as demos before they would officially be recorded and released—tongue in cheek numbers far from the Music Row norm like, "Committed To Parkview," as well as a Helen Carter-penned tune never recorded, "You Gotta Live It Brother (If You Wanna Serve the Lord)."
Buried Loot is a compilation of unearthed demos recorded between 1972-’78, primarily at House of Cash with producer/engineer, Charlie Bragg (Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Nashville Skyline), and star session players, Lloyd Green, Kenny Malone, Sonny Louvin, D.J. Fontana, and more. Carlene and Helen Carter lent their harmonies to some of the songs, and music journalist Hazel Smith (who coined the term “outlaw country”) co-wrote “Stoney Creek.” His son and label owner, Loney John Hutchins recorded present-day A-list players, adding only minor touches to some unfinished material, and two-time Grammy-nominated engineer, John Baldwin, gave them a fresh restoration and remaster. Songs like “Pinball King” reflect his escapades running with the outlaws of Nashville, while “Paradise” and “My Tennessee Hills” depict his childhood in a sharecropper family. The 24-track LP displays his keen ear for folk ballads, commercial country hits, and the sonic space between.
Buried Loot Demos from the House of Cash and Outlaw Era, ‘73-‘78 Tracklist:
Pinball King
Who’s Gonna Be My Fire?
Paradise
Fools Gold
Stoney Creek
One More Habit
Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t So
Daughter Of A Railroad Man
I Do Declare
Nashville Suite
Every Day’s A Monday
We Got It All
Four More Reasons
Whippoorwill
Whisky Lady
Taxi Please
Five Years In Hell
Committed To Parkview
Ya Gotta Live It
Hillbilly Ghetto
Reedy Creek
I’ll Always Have The Good Lord Watching Over Me
Sheets Of Green Clover
My Tennessee Hills
|
|
More About Loney Hutchins: A native of Appalachia, Hutchins grew up across the holler from Clinch Mountain with one foot in Virginia and the other in Tennessee. "Lonnie" was spelled phonetically by his mother in her thick, south-Appalachian accent. Both of his parents could neither read nor write. His songwriting and flat-picked guitar style are indicative of his upbringing, grounded by the hard life of poverty he was born into, while inspired by the region's natural beauty and the earliest sounds of Country Music. Hutchins left Tennessee for college through the GI Bill but returned for music in 1972 and soon finagled a job at the House of Cash after a short stint selling mobile homes in Madison, north Nashville. He inspired the character, "Loney," in Cash's '76 bicentennial rumination, "Sold Out of Flagpoles."
Hutchins set out on his own in the ‘80s, disillusioned by Nashville's increasing hesitance to support what he considered authentic country or "mountain" music. He started his own publishing label, Appalachia Recording Company, releasing a handful of 45's and one album, charting independently on Billboard and Cashbox, as well as appearing on the Opry from time to time through the ‘90s. He spent most of the following decades doing pioneering work in music therapy for traumatic brain injury survivors. Late in life he was forced to retire from the business he helped found in this field after ongoing legal battles, but took it as an opportunity to return to his music. Now in his 70's, Hutchins continues to write and perform when he's not spending time with his dogs, at the horse barn, or in the woods collecting stones and pictures to paint.
###
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
