If you’re a fan of real-deal honky tonk country, this is a pretty exciting release.
A new collection of previously unreleased recordings from Gary Stewart is coming out July 17th. The project is called One Track Mind, and it includes 16 recordings from 1967 through 1972, years before Stewart became known as one of the greatest honky tonk singers country music ever produced.
The collection features demos, home recordings, work tapes, and even an old acetate recording that had been sitting unheard for decades before finally being restored.
Some of the songs were later recorded by artists like Del Reeves, Cal Smith, and Jack Greene, but these are Gary Stewart’s original versions.
The first preview track released from the project is called “Iron Bar Motel,” and it sounds exactly like a lost Gary Stewart song should sound. Raw, lonely, and dripping with heartbreak.
The CD and digital versions of the album will also include a few Motown covers Stewart reportedly recorded early in his career while trying to make extra money singing demos.
Gary Stewart never got the mainstream recognition a lot of people think he deserved, but his influence on traditional country and outlaw country music is massive. Songs like “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles),” “Drinkin’ Thing,” and “Out Of Hand” are still considered essential listening for hardcore country fans.
You can listen to “Iron Bar Motel” above.
One Track Mind Track List: (previously unreleased except where noted)
* denotes CD/streaming bonus track
1. “One Track Mind”
2. “Kings and Queens”
3. “Woman Will Tear the Heart Right Out of a Man”
4. “Big Bad Train”
6. “Living the Life of a Dog”
7. “Don’t Put a Poor Hand on Me”
8. “Her Apple Pie”
9. “My Mind is on You”
10. “Iron Bar Motel”
11. “The Bottom of the Pile”
12. “There’s a Whole Lot About a Woman (A Man Don’t Know)”
13. “If You Come Back Darling”
14. “You Can’t Housebreak a Tomcat”
15. “The Snuff Queen”
16. “Beautiful River”
17. “WIlliamson County”
18. “Morbid the Great” *
19. “Baby I Need Your Loving” (released on Delmore Recording Society 7″ single DE028, 2018) *
20. “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday” (released on Delmore Recording Society 7″ single DE028, 2018) *
21. “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” *
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