General Info:
The Kingmakers play a high-octane mix of rockabilly, jump jive, roots and good old rock and roll which appeals to all ages and is guaranteed to get your toes tapping. Based in Ottawa, Canada, the band recorded their first CD at legendary SUN Studio in Memphis Tennessee and have just released their 3rd CD, "Last Night In Nashville", recorded at Cowboy Jack Clement's studio in Nashville, with The Jordanaires and rockabilly hall-of-famer JM Van Eaton on hand!
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Kingmakers Record Third Album In Nashville
With Legends On Hand
IN BRIEF:
Ottawa band The Kingmakers record their third album in
Nashville at Cowboy Jack Clement's studio, with rockabilly hall-of-fame
inductee J.M. Van Eaton and Country Music Hall of Fame inductees/Elvis backup
singers The Jordanaires. CD release party Sept. 10 at Elmdale House
Ottawa
rockabilly band The Kingmakers, preparing to record their third album this
spring, sought a studio with some history and a vintage vibe. "The
experience of recording our first album at SUN Studio in Memphis, following in the footsteps of our
heroes like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, was an amazing
one," says guitarist John Cormier. "For our second album we stayed
close to home, so it was time again to hit the road and see w …
General Info:
The Kingmakers play a high-octane mix of rockabilly, jump jive, roots and good old rock and roll which appeals to all ages and is guaranteed to get your toes tapping. Based in Ottawa, Canada, the band recorded their first CD at legendary SUN Studio in Memphis Tennessee and have just released their 3rd CD, "Last Night In Nashville", recorded at Cowboy Jack Clement's studio in Nashville, with The Jordanaires and rockabilly hall-of-famer JM Van Eaton on hand!
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Kingmakers Record Third Album In Nashville
With Legends On Hand
IN BRIEF:
Ottawa band The Kingmakers record their third album in
Nashville at Cowboy Jack Clement's studio, with rockabilly hall-of-fame
inductee J.M. Van Eaton and Country Music Hall of Fame inductees/Elvis backup
singers The Jordanaires. CD release party Sept. 10 at Elmdale House
Ottawa
rockabilly band The Kingmakers, preparing to record their third album this
spring, sought a studio with some history and a vintage vibe. "The
experience of recording our first album at SUN Studio in Memphis, following in the footsteps of our
heroes like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, was an amazing
one," says guitarist John Cormier. "For our second album we stayed
close to home, so it was time again to hit the road and see what a completely
new environment could bring to the project".
After considering legendary venues like Abbey Road (too expensive), RCA Studio B
(no longer a commercial studio) and Muscle Shoals, the band eventually settled
on Nashville
and the studio of music icon Cowboy Jack Clement. Says upright bass player
Steve Donnelly, "Cowboy Jack was a house engineer at SUN Studio in the
fifties, engineer and friend to Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, and went back
to produce U2's Rattle and Hum session at SUN, using the same drums that we
used on our first album. With all these connections, it just made sense to
continue The Kingmakers musical journey in that direction."
"After speaking with engineer Brooks Watson in Nashville, it became clear that this was the
studio for us. Brooks had the same laid-back southern style as James Lott, our
engineer at SUN. So we knew it would be a great fit" says singer Clark
Lawlor.
After a few conversations, and having heard The Kingmakers two albums and
checked them out on YouTube, Watson glowed enthusiastically about the band and
their songs, then added a new twist. "I'm friends with J.M. Van Eaton,
maybe I could get him to play on your session," Watson mentioned casually.
J.M. Van Eaton may not be a household name, but he is an inductee in the
Rockabilly Hall of Fame: as a teenager in the fifties, he was the house drummer
at SUN Studio, playing on the earliest hits by Jerry Lee Lewis including
"Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On",
as well as Billy Riley's "Flying Saucer Rock and Roll" and "Red
Hot", a song near and dear to The Kingmakers and often featured in their
live set. "I remember singing along with Red Hot in the car as a kid. Back
then I didn't know what rockabilly was, but I knew I liked it. So to record in Nashville, with J.M. Van
Eaton on drums, is an honor and a privilege" says Donnelly. Van Eaton was
the most-recorded musician at SUN, recording on hundreds of tracks with dozens
of artists.
Watson discussed the project with Van Eaton and played him some of the tunes,
and Van Eaton was on board. Ian Cook, The Kingmakers drummer and latest
addition, is also one of Ottawa's
biggest rockabilly fans, so of course he was not offended at the prospect of
having a legend sit in on drums for a few songs. It was agreed that Van Eaton
would play on a few tracks, and Watson also suggested that The Kingmakers cover
one of Van Eaton's songs, "Memphis
in '55". When Cook also mentioned The Jordanaires at rehearsal, this set
some more wheels in motion.
The next day, Donnelly contacted The Jordanaires - members of the Country Music
Hall of Fame - who sang with Elvis ("Return To Sender", "It's
Now Or Never", and many others), Ringo Starr, Johnny Cash, and many more,
as well as having an illustrious career of their own. After a few friendly
emails back and forth, The Jordanaires were also confirmed for the session.
Watson also mentioned that if Cowboy Jack Clement likes the songs, he may be
interested in sitting in on a few tunes. Although Clement did not end up
playing on the session, he was on hand for the session, supervising and
directing, telling tales, and dancing along with the band while they played.
In one marathon day, The Kingmakers managed to record 13 tracks, including 3
with J.M. Van Eaton on drums and 2 with The Jordanaires on vocals. They
returned to add a few finishing touches at home, including horns courtesy of
locals Zeek Gross and Kelly Craig, and banjo courtesy of Keith Snider (Fiftymen).
The CD, now titled “Last Night In
Nashville” was released on Friday Sept. 10, 2010 online and at their CD release show.
Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Wanda Jackson, Brian Setzer, Hank Williams, Handsome Ned, Corb Lund, Imelda May, Kim Lenz, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Los Straight Jackets, Stray Cats, Johnny Cash, Wayne Hancock, The Jordanaires, JM Van Eaton
