PENSACOLA, FL. (Conqueroo/ www.conqueroo.com) - Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, who helped shape the development of Southern soul music with legendary songwriting, musicianship, and production, made a live album in the U.K. in 1998 called Moments From This Theatre: Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham LIVE. While the recipient of solidly favorable press, the album was never released in the U.S. - until now. Proper American Recordings (distributed by Ryko Distribution) plans to release the album Stateside on
September 13.
Penn handles most of the lead vocal and acoustic guitar work on 'Moments', while Oldham complements the endeavor with his signature Wurlizter and occasional vocals. No Depression called it 'a 'master class with two great soul men.' Neil Brockbank and Bobby Irwin produced the album.
Penn has produced or written hits for such artists as the Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, Aretha Franklin, James Carr and more while based in the Muscle Shoals area with forays to Memphis, where he wrote and produced hits by The Box Tops. Penn relocated to Nashville in the 70s - where in the past year, he produced recent albums by Greg Trooper and the Hacienda Brothers, among others.
Oldham co-wrote several hits with Penn including James & Bobby Purify's 'I'm Your Puppet,' The Box Tops' 'Cry Like a Baby' and Percy Sledge's 'Out of Left Field.' He was a frequent keyboardist in Rick Hall's ace Fame studio band, and has participated in well over 150 hit recordings during his career. Oldham is currently recording and touring with Neil Young. Together and separately, Penn and Oldham contributed greatly to the history of soul music. They worked in the studio together more recently on Bobby Purify's comeback album, Better To Have It, released earlier this year.
Penn and Oldham were reunited for a British tour in which they opened for Nick Lowe in 1998. Dublin, Belfast, London, Somerset and South Petherton shows were recorded and became Moments From This Theatre, which features spare and intimate renditions of many of their hits: 'I'm Your Puppet,' 'Sweet Inspiration,' 'Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,' 'I Met Her in Church,' 'Lonely Women Make Good Lovers' and more - a total of 14 songs.
The two are best known for nurturing artists rather than being artists in their own right, but Penn's 1994 album Do Right Man (Sire) is nonetheless beloved by connoisseurs of songwriting craft and soulful vocals. Oldham, who lived and worked out of California until recent years, has appeared on albums by Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and the Flying Burrito Brothers, among others.
Southern soul is in a resurgence, with recent spotlight cast on such artists as Solomon Burke and a re-energized Al Green. Moments From This Theatre gives listeners a chance to hear the hits stripped down to essentials.
A spring 2006 tour featuring Penn and Oldham is in the planning stages, and will include Bobby Purify as well. Penn produced Purify's comeback album, Better To Have It (Proper American) for which he co-wrote all but one of the selections with Malaco sideman Carson Whitsett and Bucky Lindsey. Oldham attended this soul studio reunion and performed on it alongside several other Muscle Shoals and Memphis veterans.
