LP limited to 1,000 copies pressed at Clampdown on Okeechobee Purple Vinyl. Printed inner sleeve includes full credits, previously unseen photos and images.
CD limited to 1,000 copies housed in a gatefold eco-pak, with 8pp book including full credits, previously unseen photos and images.
CD includes 4 bonus tracks, including the legendary, complete Motown session:
Morbid The Great
Baby I Need Your Loving
Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday
I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)
"You get hooked on Stewart. He's like a damn drug." -Roy Dea
Previously unreleased, pre-RCA recordings by the once, future and always, King Of The Honky-Tonks. For 20+ years we've been obsessively scouring the vaults of multiple publishing houses on Music Row, as well as the archives and memories (and patience!) of Gary Stewart's best friend, Tommy Schwartz. Crawling around in attics and dusty, forgotten closets, we transferred and re-transferred hundreds of reels in search of that one magical performance / take, while simultaneously chasing down elusive live recordings and video, on road trips to rural Kentucky, Tennessee, and an especially memorable trip to San Antonio. And it was well worth every minute and mile! One Track Mind is the first in what we hope will be more albums of unreleased recordings spanning the length of Gary's storied career.
One Track Mind is Delmore's third Gary Stewart project (Grandma's Roadhouse LP in 2010 / Mowtown 7" in 2018). The majority of the songs included are high energy Nashville publishing demos dating from Gary's relationship with his friend and original writing partner, Bill Eldridge. Their partnership led to cuts from the likes of Nat Stuckey, Billy Walker, Hank Snow, Jack Greene and Del Reeves (who recorded the opening track here, "One Track Mind" on his Looking At The World Through A Windshield LP). Also included is "Beautiful River", an informal, gorgeous song performed solo, recorded in Gary's Williamson County, TN trailer, and a guitar-vocal demo of "The Snuff Queen", found on a beat to hell acetate disc, that puts an altogether different country blues spin on the tale. The LP culminates in a jaw dropping, awe inspiring early recording of "Williamson County", which is unlike anything Gary recorded before or since. It is a singular performance that needs to be heard to be believed. The whereabouts of the other recordings he laid down in that session remains a mystery.
What isn't a mystery is that Gary sings every song here with everything he's got. Whether you're new to the powerful artistry of Gary Stewart, or a long time obsessive, there's much to love within these fully loaded grooves. Delmore couldn't be prouder to have the opportunity to present more Gary Stewart music to y'all.
Earlier this month, a definitive biography, Gary Stewart: I Am From the Honky-Tonks, was published by writer Jimmy McDonough (author of the New York Times bestseller Shakey: Neil Young's Biography). Could the Country Music Hall of Fame be next?
