New York, NY (Top40 Charts) "Walter Hyatt,
David Ball and Champ Hood have been an inspiration to me ever since the first time I heard Uncle Walt's Band," says Lyle Lovett, a journalism student at
Texas A&M University when he first heard them. "Musically, their finely crafted original compositions reflect diverse influences, while lyrically they demonstrate a sensitive, sophisticated understanding of the dignified South."
On March 9, 2018, Omnivore Recordings will release an Uncle Walt's Band career compilation titled Anthology: Those Boys From Carolina, They Sure Enough Could Sing…. The first anthology to chronicle the eclectic trio's history, the set contains five previously unreleased tracks, plus liner notes from
Peter Cooper of the Country
Music Hall of Fame, a recording artist in his own right. The package contains a 16-page booklet with many rare photographs and memorabilia.
Uncle Walt's Band, from Spartanburg, S.C., moved to Nashville in 1972 and shortly thereafter to Austin at the urging of Willis Alan Ramsey. An attempt at an album proved unsuccessful, so in 1974 the three headed back to Spartanburg, where they recorded their own debut LP, Blame It on the Bossa Nova. One thousand copies pressed — sold through performances and self-promotion — disappeared quickly. Heat was gaining for the band so they headed back down to Austin with a reissued album now titled Uncle Walt's Band. (Pressings of their original LP change hands for hundreds of dollars these days.)
While the album gained many fans and followers it wasn't enough to sustain the band's larger ambitions. Going on hiatus for a few years, Uncle Walt's Band reunited in Austin at
Liberty Lunch in 1978, which launched a second phase that turned out to be the trio's most popular and productive union yet. A second indie effort, An American in Texas, was released in 1980, followed by a live album from Austin's famed Waterloo Icehouse, Recorded Live, along with a cassette-only release of studio sessions titled simply Six • Twenty Six • Seventy Nine.
Gaining the love of
Texas music fans, performing regularly throughout the state, yet unable to get national traction, they called it quits again in 1983. Although remaining friends and working on various projects over the years, each went on to pursue solo music careers. Hyatt released several albums and performed on Austin City Limits, Hood became a
Texas Music Hall of Fame sideman playing for
Lyle Lovett and Jerry Jeff Walker, among others, and Ball's success with the hit "Thinkin' Problem" established him as a country music star.
Back in the late '70s at the Waterloo Ice House you could find Uncle Walt's Band fans listening raptly in the packed venue sitting beside the likes of Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Nanci Griffith, Jerry Jeff Walker, or Marcia Ball. Now, you can pull up a seat next to them yourself. This long overdue collection attempts to correct missed opportunities and finally gain Uncle Walt's Band the recognition they deserve.
Enjoy the show!
CD /
Digital Track List:
1. Seat Of Logic
2. Dish Wiped Clean
3. Ruby
4. High Hill
5. Aloha
6. Don't You Think I Feel It Too
7. Deeper Than Love
8. As The Crow Flies
9. Bluebird
10. Last One To Know
11. Stay With The One
12. So Long Baby
13. Holding On
14. Walking Angel
15. Gimme Some Skin (Live at The Waterloo Ice House)
16.
Whatever Reason
17. One Meatball (Live at The Waterloo Ice House)
18.
Shine On
19. Getaway
20. Sitting On Top Of The World (Live at Austin Aqua Fest)
BONUS TRACK:
21. I'll Come Knockin' (Demo)
