New York, NY (Top40 Charts) TEXAS SCRATCH, the legendary never-released but long anticipated blues album featuring two iconic guitar slinging Texans and their friends finally gets its due after 13 years. The self-titled album is out today Digitally via Quarto Valley Records on all platforms.
Perhaps you've heard the term but don't know what it is.
Texas scratch is a style of guitar picking (also known as the "Carter Scratch") said to have originated by Mother Maybelle Carter back in 1927. Quarto Valley recording artist
Texas Scratch is a blues band consisting of
Texas guitar slingers' Jim Suhler (George Thorogood and the Destroyers) and
Buddy Whittington (John Mayall's Bluesbreakers) and the driving drum beat of Jeff
Simon (George Thorogood and the Destroyers) with the help of their friends -
Texas guitarist Vince Converse, drummer
Roger Earl (Foghat/Savoy Brown) and bassists'
Nathaniel Peterson and Kirk Yano.
The musicians got together over a decade ago in New Jersey to jam and lay down each other's tracks at the legendary Showplace Studios. Each artist had never played the other's original tunes before so they had to learn their parts in record time. There was literally little or no time for rehearsals since each artist and the studio had other obligations to tend to. What ended up being recorded is an album of guitar slaying, foot tapping modern-day blues music that you could never get enough of -- Until Now! For one reason or another through the years -- be it music industry woes, conflicting gigs and most recently, the pandemic -- this hot blues album never got its release. That didn't stop the stories from spreading throughout the world about what a tremendous album this was. The tales have taken on a life of their own now to legendary status. People in the industry, artists and fans alike still ask about the album release date.
Known for their long, illustrious careers backing noted bluesmen and bands as
George Thorogood and The Destroyers, John Mayall, Kim Simmonds, Savoy Brown and Foghat, among others, these iconic musicians have rarely played together, especially as their own band.
The new self-titled album has a total of nine original songs, eight of which are written by its band members. TEXAS SCRATCH is produced by Quarto Valley Records' Mike Carden and
Arnie Goodman and recorded in just four days by Ben Elliott at his Showplace Studios in Dover, NJ.
TEXAS SCRATCH (SONGS & CREDITS):
Texas Trio 2:51 Written by
Buddy Whittington | Published by Whittingtunes (ASCAP)
I'd Rather Be Lucky Than Good 4:32 Written by Jim Suhler & Tom Hambridge | Published by Papa Charlie
Music BMI & Hambridgetunes (ASCAP)
What The Devil Loves 3:35 Written by Vince Converse | Published by Koller/Bishop Lucrative
Music (BMI)
Trip Hammer 4:34 Written by Jim Suhler | Published by Papa Charlie
Music (BMI)
Purple Mountain Flask 5:12 Written by Jim Suhler | Published by Papa Charlie
Music (BMI)
Louisiana Cock Fight 3:40 Written by John Nitzinger | Published by Fancy Space (BMI)
Evil (Do Right by You) 6:33 Written by Vince Converse | Published by Koller/Bishop Lucrative
Music (BMI)
Ain't Got The Scratch 3:54 Written by
Buddy Whittington | Published by Whittingtunes (ASCAP)
Showdown 3:51 Written by Jim Suhler | Published by Papa Charlie
Music (BMI)