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Drift Away (MCA Records - Late 1972 / Early
1973 )
Still heralded as Gray’s signature song, and still in heavy
rotation on radio stations around the country
today, Drift Away was recorded at Quadrafonic
Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The
album, of the same title, is considered by most to
be some of Gray’s greatest work.
With songs by Mentor Williams (composer of "Drift
Away" and Gray’s producer), Troy Seals, Will
Jennings, Don Dunn and Gray, the album became a
stand-out in that it was one of the first to be in
on the ground floor of a new sound dubbed "Country
Rock." Its appeal brought Gray the same audiences
that were followers of The Allman Brothers, The
Charlie Daniel’s Band, The Marshall Tucker Band
and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Gray’s album featured the cream of the crop of Nashville’s
musicians: Reggie Young on guitar/banjo; Mike
Leech on bass & string arrangements; Kenny Malone
on drums/percussion; David Briggs on keyboards;
Troy Seals on guitar; Buddy Spicher on fiddle;
Weldon Myrick on pedal steel; and Mentor Williams
on guitar.
Gray shares some droll anecdotes he’s heard on the song’s
hook over the years: "Gimmie the Beach Boys," "Gimmie
the meatballs," "Gimmie the sweet boys," "Gimmie
the wheat boys" (proposed for a cereal ad ), "Gimmie
the peat moss" and his favorite: "Gimmie a beatin’
boys."
Gray’s brilliant re-creation of the title cut appears on his
1997 Diamond Cuts CD, available from Dobie Gray
Productions through this website. |
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Loving Arms (MCA Records 1974)
Many Dobie Gray followers concur that Loving Arms is the most
beautiful ballad of the many recorded by the
singer.
The sparse track and no-frills production is the perfect
accompaniment for Gray’s empathetic vocal
translation of the late Tom Jans’s explicit
declaration of lost love. Not unlike Drift Away,
Loving Arms, often referred to as Too Long In The
Wind, is immediately identifiable by the
unmistakable Reggie Young guitar lick in the
opening strands of the song.
The "Loving Arms" album features the same choice of excellent
musicians that graced Drift Away. An addition is
the great Charlie McCoy on harmonica.
Versions of the song prior to Gray’s include Rita Coolidge
and Waylon Jennings. Subsequent versions include
Elvis, Ray Charles and Millie Jackson.
Gray’s excellent reproduction of Loving Arms appears on his
1997 "Diamond Cuts" CD, available from Dobie Gray
Productions through this website. |
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Hey, Dixie (MCA Records 1974)
Whatever became of Hey, Dixie, Gray’s third album for MCA, is
a mystery. It is certainly one of his best efforts
for that label. Mentor Williams’s production is
flawless and the choice of material outstanding.
This album leans more towards Dobie’s pop side
than the two works preceding it (both of which
bordered on the country edge), but is by no means
somewhere out there in left field. For hard-core
Dobie Gray fans, Hey, Dixie is a must, and well
worth the effort it might take to find it.
Stand-outs: "Hey Dixie" /"Watch Out For Lucy"/"Old Time
Feeling" /"So High (Rock Me Baby Roll Me Away" -
later popularized by John Mayall) /"Turning On
You" and "The Music’s Real: Mentor’s Song" (Gray’s
tribute to producer Mentor Williams). |
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