Curtis Gordon – Draggin’ With Curtis Gordon
Bear Family – BAF 14012
Draggin’ (Without Echo) – Rock, Roll, Jump and Jive – Sixteen – Mobile, Alabama – Cry, Cry – Oh Lonely Heart – From Memphis to New Orleans – Sittin’ on Top – So Tired of Crying – Baby Please Come Home – Blue Lifetime – Draggin’ (With Echo)
Born in 1928, Curtis Gordon grew up listening to Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, and Ernest Tubb; the influence of these giants is evident in his early recordings. For anyone wishing to explore this era more deeply, the album Play the Music Louder—also released by Bear Family—is highly recommended. However, the mid-1950s saw the Presley phenomenon change the landscape, pushing crooners and hillbilly singers into the background for younger audiences.
With his innate sense of swing, Curtis Gordon quickly embraced this new genre, producing a series of tracks that, while they didn’t trouble the charts at the time, are now prized by collectors. Bear Family had the excellent idea of compiling eleven of these tracks (plus an alternate mix) onto this magnificent 10-inch record.
While this selection highlights Gordon’s more up-tempo numbers, it does not overlook his early roots—featuring prominent fiddle and steel guitar—on tracks like So Tired Of Crying (in the style of Hank Williams), Baby, Please Come Home (reminiscent of Ernest Tubb), and the country tear-jerker “Blue Lifetime.”
Yet, the bulk of the selection focuses on rockabilly. The artist’s signature song, Draggin’, takes center stage with two versions. The first sounds like it came straight out of Sun Records, featuring a massive upright bass and Scotty Moore-inspired guitar licks. The song goes from brilliant to wild in its second version, which is drenched in slapback echo. It is hard to resist the infectious Rock, Roll Jump and Jive, a track that delivers exactly what its title promises. Another gem of the genre, Sittin’ On The Top Of The World, applies the rockabilly formula to a classic traditional tune, giving it a new lease on life. The melody of Mobile Alabama isn’t particularly original, but Gordon’s expressive vocals—backed by inventive guitar and steel guitar solos—make it an essential track, right alongside the preceding ones.
In a different vein, there are songs that highlight the piano. Oh Lonely Heart sounds a bit like Mona Lisa (the Carl Mann version, not Nat King Cole’s), while From Memphis To New Orleans is a boogie-woogie number that will delight Jerry Lee Lewis fans.
Released together as a single, Sixteen and Cry Cry are much mellower and seem tailored to capture the teenage market.
If you aren’t familiar with Curtis Gordon, this record is a must-have; and even if you already own these tracks elsewhere, it will be very hard to resist this magnificent limited-edition release (complete with a booklet and a bonus photo).
Available here.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis
