''A-Town Blues'' is the fourth studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

musician

Wayne Hancock Thomas Wayne Hancock III (born May 1, 1965, in Dallas, Texas) better known as Wayne "The Train" Hancock, is an American singer-songwriter. Hancock is known as "The King of Juke Joint Swing," because his sound is unique, as he incorporates jazz, ...

, released in 2001.

Production

The album was recorded at Cedar Creek Studios, in Austin, Texas, and was produced by

Lloyd Maines Lloyd Wayne Maines (born June 28, 1951) is an American country music record producer, musician and songwriter. He was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame as one of the first three members, the other two being Willie Nelson and Stev ...

. It was Hancock's intention to make a simpler, less-produced album. The band only minimally rehearsed the songs, and laid down the tracks in 20 hours; the results were mixed in two days. ''A-Town Blues'' was made with Hancock's road band. Many of the songs are about travel, highway pilgrimages, and the road.

Critical reception

The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...

'' wrote that the album "swings like crazy, there's some top-notch playing, and Hancock certainly knows his way around a country-blues song." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' thought that "the music is vibrant, as shimmering steel and chattering electric guitars dance over swinging bass lines." ''

The Columbus Dispatch ''The Columbus Dispatch'' is a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and it has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since ''The Columbus Citizen-Journal'' ceased publication in 19 ...

'' wrote that "Hancock's tunes bring home the bacon with the stylistic accuracy of the old honky-tonk masters."

Track listing

# "A-Town Blues" – 1:48 # "Man Of The Road" - 2:29 # "Sands Of Time" - 2:53 # "Miller, Jack & Mad Dog" - 2:06 # "Track 49" - 2:48 # "Life's Lonesome Road" - 1:43 # "Cow Cow Boogie" - 3:54 # "Route 23" - 2:34 # "Happy Birthday Julie" - 2:54 # "California Blues" - 4:05 # "Every Time" - 3:25 # "Viper" (

Stuff Smith Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith (August 14, 1909 – September 25, 1967), better known as Stuff Smith, was an American jazz violinist. He is well known for the song " If You're a Viper" (the original title was "You'se a Viper"). Smith was, al ...

) - 3:10 # "We Three" - 4:14 # "Railroad Blues" - 4:05

Personnel

*Dave Biller – guitar *Wayne Hancock – vocals *Ricardo Ramírez – bass *Jeremy Wakefield – steel guitar

References

External links

Wayne "The Train" Hancock's Official web site

Wayne Hancock on rockabilly.net

Wayne Hancock collection
at the

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