News from PRS and the Panhandle "Are You Happy With Him?" by Big John Hamilton, the latest Playground Compilation of Playground Archives was released on Soulscape UK earlier this month.
We also have a CD in production with a German company that will feature the classic song "Georgia Pines" This will be a limited run CD with historical notes and photos. Georgia Pines was penned by Buddy Buie and John Rainey Adkins.
Recent Visitors include Keith Glass, John Edd Thompson, David Abrahams, Hill Abrahams, Bruce Blackwell, Bostonian, now Nicevillian Steve Carrasco, Paul and Helen Vizard, Danny Burns, Flight into Madness, Mike Barnhill, The Elmores and their boat, Mississippi Max, and Walt Richardson and most recently WILEY & THE CHECKMATES! The Right Reverend Willie Meigs brought us a district ADDY award for the artwork on the WaCo Ramblers CD. WOW... we are excited! NEW Tunes!! The Playground Team has inserted 6 new tracks for your listening pleasure on our MySpace page that would be Thanks for listening! PRODUCT is now available at www.playgroundrecordingstudio.com
Soulscape Records UK will release another 40 tracks that were recorded in Valparaiso.. Right here in your own backyard. The Decemeber issue of MOJO gave us a 4 star rave review on SOUL RESURRECTION. New sessions are being recorded daily.. (for session news check out The Chief's Diatribes).
"MR. REDBUD" by Wilbur Walton Jr. featuring David Adkins.
Playground Recording News
We are on the last leg of 2 CD projects by regional artists that we are really excited about. Steve Fisher's "Nothing But Hope" is an Americana Canvas that seems to be timeless. With many guest musicians and two years in the making... we are looking for a late summer release.
The group Heritage, formerly known as Solid Ground, and Mosaic, has assembled a reggae/pop compilation of mostly original tunes that is current and fresh. We are looking for big things from this group. They have a great singer and a refreshing instrumentation (a couple of ukes). Their appeal is broad based and were looking for a release within the month.
In 2003 we entered a track in a contest on Garageband. http://www.gargageband.com We forgot about it until December 2008, when we discovered that the song actually did quite well. So we decided for fun we would enter another couple of tracks. These songs are doing quite well and receiving pretty good reviews....point is that as a musician, band or songwriter.. you can participate in this garageband thing and actually get some good qualified comments on your work.. give it a try.. you'll also be asked to review other folks' songs.. very good for critical listening. This link might take you to the Playground GB site http://www.garageband.com/user/index.html
GB also interfaces with iLike, Facebook,Twitter, Myspace, Utube and other apps and blogs, all which we highly reccomend. Solid Ground You can check out a studio photo a in our blog section. The name is liable to change but the music will remain the same. Roots/Pop, a blend of Island/sublimey pop/multi-cultural rhythms.. These guys have delivered some hip tunes with work in progress. There is a "sneak peek" on Utube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPyLXKXtaPw Earth Vibes A unique blend of native American Flute, bass and percussion.. very moody, sometimes happy and sometime sad.. but always unique Steve Fisher Steve's album is in the final stages.. Will be definite ear candy for roots Americana fans.. Latest additions to the already Star-studded studded cast are Lance and Mr. Freezy This Ain't Hi-Fidelity Vol. 20 A compilation of Playground Old and New.. There's some PRS Rhythm Section, Wilbur Walton Jr. (new and old) Reuben Howell, The Truth's Inc. Some Salt n Pepper,plus more archived jewels and then Some recordings done in 2008 "Mississippi" Bobby Maxwell, Clayton, Steve Fisher, Wiley and the Checkmates, Wilbur Walton Jr., LaRue McKinney,The waCo Ramblers and more.. Compiled but not ready for mass disrtibution.. You have to order your own personal copy by emailing the chief. $25.00 bucks (we have to pay royalties) "Lost Soul" The Playground Series Vol. 2 details to be disclosed soon!
Congrats to the Hill Country Review on their new deal with RazorandTie..We're looking for some innovative stuff from them! also Congrats to Eli Reed signing with Virgin just this past week. This follows a difficult but successful year of touring in the states and abroad.. Keeping the Soul Alive!
PRS PIKS
Doris Allen " A Shell of a Woman" Soulscape UK
WE Like the "all American Rejects"
"We Call It Soul" Wiley & The Checkmates on Rabbit Factory
Check out the first release by "The Hill Country Review" !!!
"A Voice From The Shadows" Mary Gresham on Soulscape UK
Check out Southern Music on the internet 24/7 at the Mighty Field of Vision.. www.mightyfieldofvision.com .. you never know what you'll hear and it's always interesting.
The Record Escapes!!The WaCo Ramblers, from Walton County Florida, not Waco Texas, are a group of rock musicians from different bands who joined up a year and a half ago with The “Red Rocket”, Jeremiah Campbell, to play late 40’s style Bluegrass music. Campbell has used the style made popular by Smiley and Reno, Hank Williams, Ralph Stanley, and Jimmie Rodgers as a conduit for his lyrics that address local and global problems as well as those “of the heart ”.The Ramblers have played over 350 gigs in the last year, sometimes two a day to spread their message and Americana music to audiences from all walks of life. Their market appeal literally runs from 2 ½ years old to octogenarian. As Campbell states “Our biggest compliment is when someone from the audience tells us that they never thought they would like bluegrass but they loved our show”.
The self titled debut album was recorded at the newly renovated, world famous Playground Recording Studio in Valparaiso, Florida and is due for release on Oct.25, 2007. Jim Lancaster current alias “Chief BigWater”, whose multi-genre musical background includes associations with Jim Dickinson, The Replacements, Toots Hibbard, Dan Penn, David Allen Coe, Willie Mitchell, Johnny Vincent, Alex Chilton, Waylon Jennings and many more, will release the WaCo Rambler debut on Playground Records. BigWater, earlier this year released “Soul Resurrection” The Playground Series Volume One, on the Southern Americana label to critical acclaim. “Resurrection” is a compilation of soul material recorded at Playground by previous owner Finley Duncan and restored by the Chief.
southernamericana.com Southern Americana Music is our "in house" record company that is also the parent company for Tucker St. Music ASCAP and Southern Americana Tunes BMI. It is also the parent company for our production company, Fustercluck Productions. Southern Americana Records is the company that we use to issue our Playground Treasures and Playground Records is the label we use for our "New" artists. For licensing contact Jim Lancaster at bassace123@aol.com. Southern Americana Music represents Chu-Fin Music BMI and Friendly Finley Music BMI.
Kent "Hair" Phillips.. 1968....Bass and Guitar with 1st playground rhythm section. That's Kent Playing guitar on Johnny Dynamite's version of the Minaret Classic "Everybody's Clown". Kent also told the PRS story in the liner notes on the Sundazed re-issue "A Fine Time"....
