''The Ballad of Calico'' is the eighth studio album by

Kenny Rogers and the First Edition Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, until 1970 billed as The First Edition, were an American rock band. The band's style was difficult to singularly classify, as it incorporated elements of country, rock and psychedelic pop. Its stalwart memb ...

and released as Reprise Records 6476. It reached No. 118 on the albums chart and produced one single, "School Teacher", which reached No. 91. The double album was released in February 1972. The album is a country-rock concept album about the real-life town of Calico, California. The entire double album was written by

Michael Murphey Michael Martin Murphey (born March 14, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter best known for writing and performing Western music, country music and popular music. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including ''Cowboy Songs' ...

and Larry Cansler and the songs tell the stories of individuals who lived in the town. The various members, not just

Rogers Rogers may refer to: Places Canada *Rogers Pass (British Columbia) * Rogers Island (Nunavut) United States * Rogers, Arkansas, a city * Rogers, alternate name of Muroc, California, a former settlement * Rogers, Indiana, an unincorporated communit ...

, took lead vocals on the different songs, giving the album the sound of it coming from the characters themselves. A 15-page booklet with the album includes pictures of the group in period costumes, pictures of the town, and the lyrics written in long-hand with explanations by Murphey about the origins of the individual songs. As of March, 2016, the album remains out of print, though several songs from the album have been released on compilation LPs and CDs.

The individual songs

Side one

The album begins with the instrumental "Sunrise Overture" then goes into "Calico Silver" about a man leaving his farm after a drought to a take a job in the silver mines near the town of Calico. "Write Me Down" is about the people who were forgotten over time. "The Way It Used to be" is about day-to-day life in Calico. "Madame De Lil and Diaboilical Bill", the saloon keeper who scares her boyfriend out of town when she finds out he's stealing from her.

Side two

Side Two begins with "School Teacher", the teacher who faces being an old maid (The teacher, Virginia Merritt, was actually 24 years old at the time and married soon after she left Calico). "Road Agent", about a dead road agent. "Sally Grey's Epitaph" was based almost verbatim on a gravestone in the town cemetery. "Dorsey, the Mail-Carrying Dog", the dog who delivers mail for the disabled postmaster. This song has each member of the group bark like a dog (which is broken by them laughing). The last song suddenly ends with the last phrase "your carrying dog" cut off.

Side three

Side Three begins with the missing phrase appearing and immediately going into the first song, "Harbor for My Soul". "Calico Saturday Night" is an instrumental, followed by "Trigger Happy Kid" about a young boy who idolizes

gunfighter Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the t ...

s. Side Three closes with "Vachel Carling's Rubilator", a song about a con man who creates a machine which takes over the town

Side four

"Empty Handed Compadres" is about prospectors who returned without anything. "One Lonely Room" is about a man who never leaves the town after it becomes a ghost town. "Rockin' Chair Theme" is a brief instrumental leading into the next song, "Old Mojave Highway" about the road itself which crossed the desert (now the pathway of

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Cana ...

). "Man Came up from Town" is about remains of early man later found in the mountains. The album closes with "Calico Silver (reprise)" in which the silver runs out and the town becomes a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

Track listing

All lyrics by

; music by Larry Cansler and Michael Murphey

Side one

# "Sunrise Overture" # "Calico Silver" # "Write Me Down (Don't Forget My Name)" # "The Way It Used to be" # "Madame De Lil and Diabolical Bill"

Side two

# "School Teacher" # "Road Agent" # "Sally Grey's Epitaph" # "Dorsey, the Mail-Carrying Dog"

Side three

# "Harbor for My Soul" # "Calico Saturday Night" # "Trigger Happy Kid" # "Vachel Carling's Rubilator"

Side four

# "Empty Handed Compadres" # "One Lonely Room" # "Rockin' Chair Theme" # "Old Mojave Highway" # "Man Came up from Town" # "Calico Silver (reprise)"

Personnel

*Dann Rogers, Gloria Vassy, Kenny Rogers, Kin Vassy, Larry Cansler, Mary Arnold, Michael Murphey, Mickey Jones, Terry Williams - vocals *Terry Williams - lead guitar * Kin Vassy,

- rhythm guitar *

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted m ...

- bass guitar, arrangements *Larry Cansler - piano, harpsichord, organ, orchestrations, conductor *

Mickey Jones Mickey Jones (June 10, 1941 – February 7, 2018) was an American musician and actor. He played drums with acts such as Trini Lopez and Bob Dylan, with whom he played on his 1966 world tour. He became a founding member of The First Edition ...

- drums *

John Hartford John Cowan Hartford (December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001) was an American folk, country, and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive kn ...

- fiddle *Doyle Grisham - pedal steel ;Technical *Claude Hill, Don Sciarrotta - engineer *Terry Williams - assistant producer *Bill Matthews - photography

References

*Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. ''The Ballad of Calico'' (album & liner notes). Reprise Records, 1972. *''Billboard'' article about albu

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballad of Calico 1972 albums Concept albums Kenny Rogers and The First Edition albums Reprise Records albums