Singer, songwriter, bandleader, DJ and all-around music nut Paul Burch seems to be settling nicely into his new vocation as published author. A wildly imaginative biofiction memoir with country legend Jimmie Rodgers as its protagonist, Burch’s debut novel, Meridian Rising (University Of Georgia Press), has earned raves from Southern literary institution Roy Blount Jr. and esteemed music critic Greil Marcus.
A passionate multitasker, Burch also has a new album with longtime backup band WPA Ballclub. Produced with Dennis Crouch (Blind Boys Of Alabama, Ringo Starr) and Fats Kaplin (Mitski, John Prine), Cry Love is the 13th entry in a diverse 30-year discography that includes collaborations with the likes of Mark Knopfler, Waco Brothers, Billy Bragg, Lambchop and Ralph Stanley. Burch has hosted everyone from Tim O’Brien and the E Street Band’s Garry Tallent to Robyn Hitchcock and Silver Jews’ David Berman at his Pan American Sound studio. He also presides over the Works In Progress Radio Hour on Nashville’s WXNA.
“I’m still bewitched when I see DJs in action—especially musicians,” Burch says in Cry Love’s liner notes. “I have ringing memories of watching Ira (Kaplan) and Georgia (Hubley) of Yo La Tengo or Jon Langford at the turntables and how inspired I felt for weeks afterwards.”
Burch offers more detail on Cry Love.
—Hobart Rowland
1) “Glencoe”
“Glencoe is a small town in Oklahoma I drove through on the way to meet the late, great musician and producer Steve Ripley. I was in town to play the Woody Guthrie Festival, and I drove out to meet Steve and his wife, Charlene, who were longtime dear friends of my pal Fats Kaplin. We spent a glorious afternoon listening to Leon Russell outtakes (Steve and Leon worked together for many years), looking at rescued acetates of Bob Wills (that Steve remastered) and eating chicken-fried steak from Click’s. I wanted to write Steve a song in thanks. Fats played lovely fiddle on this.”
2) “One If By Land”
“I was intrigued by the name of the band the War And Treaty and started thinking about the classic Paul Revere poem. It’s also possible that my family was watching the TV show Turn about the Revolutionary War. I usually don’t do lengthy guitar solos, and I’d really wanted David Hidalgo from Los Lobos to play something. I didn’t know him, so I took the plunge. The feeling I was going for were those great Ritchie Valens singles like “Come On, Let’s Go.” I could never quite get Ritchie’s guitar tone, though. (Los Straitjackets guitarist) Eddie Angel loves the solo, which is a high compliment for me. Richard Bennett plays great six-string bass.”
3) “Cry Love”
“Another song that was written very quickly—like most on the album. At the time, a dear friend had sent me an early Smokey Robinson & Miracles album. Around the same time, Richard Bennett told me Don Everly used to put a high-octave G string on his guitar to give it that upper-register ring, which I started using, too. At first, ‘Cry Love’ came out like a driving country shuffle, then an R&B tune, then as you hear it here. I like all three. But I settled on the album version, which is a bit more contemporary.”
4) “The Fat Man”
“I started this song in 1996 and had the whole thing in my head—the story of a young kid who comes to challenge the famed pool shark Minnesota Fats, much like the character Fast Eddie in The Hustler. At the time, Minnesota Fats had been living at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville and had just passed away. When I moved to town, I brought a copy of Willie Mosconi’s book on how to win at straight pool. I thought maybe I could make a few extra bucks when I got to town. But I started playing on Lower Broadway and forgot all about hustling pool. Nothing I wrote back then was worth keeping except the line, “Number two beats a drum in the ears of number one.” Since I have Fats Kaplin—who we call the Fat Man—in the band, I thought it was time to finish it. This was recorded without drums, so I slid behind the kit and added to the stomp.”
5) “Rice Pudding”
“The title comes from eating rice pudding at Dreamland Bar-B-Que in Tuscaloosa, Ala.—something to do while waiting for a rehearsal to begin. I wrote the melody after the rhythm track came together, but they sound just right side by side. This reminds me what TV theme songs sounded like in my childhood. Chloe Feoranzo plays the great horn passes, and Heather Moulder plays the piano solo at the end. Great bass playing by Jim Gray.”
6) “I Won’t Miss My Baby”
“This arrangement reminds me of Allen Toussaint’s early singles—like Ernie K-Doe’s “Mother-In-Law.” I was also listening to a lot of Mickey Baker at the time, especially his duets with Memphis Slim. Fats showed up for the session without a guitar or an amp, so he’s playing my Epiphone Casino and I’m playing my Harmony Hollywood, which is sort of a like Gretsch with a back-alley attitude. I’m not sure we’d ever played electric guitar live together—and I think it turned out terrific.”
7) “Radio Gal”
“Inspired—in feeling—by Steve Earle’s “Guitar Town” and Grady Martin’s guitar playing on the early Johnny Horton songs. Written in about 15 minutes and with a loving salute to my fellow DJ Laura Cantrell. I tried to vibe Grady’s style on things like “One Woman Man”—not to mention Richard, who played on the original “Guitar Town.” He would’ve done a smoother job, but it was so much fun to play I didn’t want to let it go. Tommy Perkinson plays a terrific beat, and Fats plays some biting steel.”
8) “Close To Love”
“Written and recorded quickly—second take, I think. Heather sings harmony and plays the lovely keyboard melody that sounds like a celeste. I love Justin’s tom-toms that kick it off. Richard plays a dynamite solo. Terrific upright bass on this—and all over the album—from co-producer Dennis Crouch.”
9) “Chemistry”
“A personal favorite of mine. ‘Love’s the element of surprise,’ indeed. We had a number of hysterical moments to see who could hold the ‘surprise’ note the longest. Dennis’ bass line on the minor chords at the end just knocks me out.”
10) “Braggin’”
“Me and Fats on electric guitars again, along with our friend and longtime WPA Baseball Club member George Bradfute, one of my favorite guitar players ever. Much like ‘I Won’t Miss My Baby’ and ‘Cry Love,’ this was inspired by Smokey Robinson and Willie Dixon’s wordplay rhymes. Great shuffle from Justin Amaral.”
11) “Step Out”
“Take one … the one and only time we recorded it. One of the first songs written for the album and another one about stepping back into the world. I love the Alabama Shakes tune (‘Killer Diller Blues’) from The American Epic Sessions. I think the stomp feeling probably came from wanting to write something like that. Great fiddle by Fats.”
12) “Don’t Forget To Come Back Home”
“Another take one. We tried several, but this was the best—probably because we’d just learned it. A personal favorite and, fittingly enough, the last song we recorded for the album. Lovely Hawaiian steel by Fats.”
13) “Jitterbug Waltz”
“Written by Fats Waller. Heather would often warm up before a session with whatever she was working on, so I asked her to do a solo piano session. She’s a great singer, too. ‘Jitterbug Waltz’ was the perfect way to bring the album home—like closing a book you didn’t want to end.”
