COWBOY
''REACH FOR THE SKY.''
FEBRUARY 1971
40:50
1 /Opening
Peter Kowalke / Bill Pillmore/1:54
2 /Livin' in the Country
Scott Boyer / Bill Pillmore/3:08
3 /Song of Love and Peace
Scott Boyer/2:37
4 /Amelia's Earache
Tommy Talton/0:41
5 /Pick Your Nose
Bill Pillmore/1:52
6 /Pretty Friend
Tommy Talton/4:14
7 /Everything Here
Tommy Talton/5:31
8 /Stick Together
Scott Boyer/2:41
9 /Use Your Situation
Scott Boyer/3:11
10 /It's Time
Scott Boyer/4:25
11 /Honey Ain't Nowhere
Scott Boyer/1:57
12 /Rip & Snort
Scott Boyer/4:12
13 /Josephine, Beyond Compare
Tommy Talton/4:27
Scott Boyer /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Violin, Vocals
George Clark /Bass, Vocals
Peter Kowalke /Drums, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Bill Pillmore /Fiddle, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Keyboards, Piano,
Tommy Talton /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Tomm Wynn /Drums, Percussion
REVIEW
By Lindsay Planer
While not exactly the house band for Phil Walden's Macon, GA-based Capricorn Records label, the members of the acoustic aggregate Cowboy -- consisting of Scott Boyer (guitars/violin/vocals), Tommy Talton (guitars/vocals), Bill Pillmore (piano/guitar/fiddle/vocals), Tomm Wynn (drums/percussion), George Clark (bass), and Pete Kowalke (guitars/vocals/drums) -- could be found on recordings by the Allman Brothers Band, Gregg Allman (whom they regularly supported), Alex Taylor, and Bonnie Bramlett. Their debut Reach for the Sky (1971) amply shows off their rural whimsy and substantial acoustic capacities. While their country-rock leanings are comparable to the Hearts & Flowers, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, or Pure Prairie League, they rely on their solid original material rather than adaptations and variations on traditional works and standards from the genre. However, as the mini-hoedown "Honey Ain't Nowhere" proves, they dew drop in for some unquestionably bluegrass-inspired pickin'. The succinct "Amelia's Earache" and "Pick Your Nose" are both off-the-wall indulgences that nicely balance out the stunning "Beautiful Friend" and the mid-tempo rocker "Stick Together," which bears all the earmarks of an early-'70s Allman Brothers side. Similarly, "Rip & Snort" features a strong repetitive rhythm that is accentuated by the guitarists in a tandem lead similar to that of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts. Another recommended spin is the languid and laid-back "It's Time," as it wafts into a vibe reminiscent of Neil Young circa After the Gold Rush (1970). Reach for the Sky (1971) is full of pleasurable, if not slightly pastoral, music that is recommended for inclined ears who likewise favor Southern rock.
BIOGRAPHY
By Steve Leggett
One of Southern rock's best-kept secrets during its golden age in the 1970s, Cowboy was formed by songwriters Tommy Talton and Scott Boyer in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969. Playing a kind of acoustic country-rock similar to contemporaries Pure Prairie League, Cowboy had its own twist on the formula, thanks to Talton and Boyer's sharp, focused songwriting and a distinguishable Muscle Shoals flair. After hearing the band, Duane Allman passed the word along to Phil Walden at Macon, Georgia's Capricorn Records, who offered the group a recording contract. The band's membership was pretty fluid during this time, other than Talton and Boyer, both of whom became de facto members of the Capricorn house band, playing with the Allman Brothers, Gregg Allman, Alex Taylor, and Bonnie Bramlett, among others. In all, four albums were released under the Cowboy name on Capricorn Records, 1970's Reach for the Sky and 1971's 5'll Getcha Ten (combined into the two-disc compilation Why Quit When You're Losing in 1973), 1974's Boyer & Talton, and 1977's Cowboy. Also, the 1976 album Happy to Be Alive, attributed to the trio of Tommy Talton, Bill Stewart, and Johnny Sandlin, was a Cowboy album in all but name. That was it, though, until 30 years later when Talton and Boyer put Cowboy back together in 2007, recording tracks at Sandlin's Duck Tape Studio in Decatur, Alabama, but none of those tracks has yet been released.
''REACH FOR THE SKY.''
FEBRUARY 1971
40:50
1 /Opening
Peter Kowalke / Bill Pillmore/1:54
2 /Livin' in the Country
Scott Boyer / Bill Pillmore/3:08
3 /Song of Love and Peace
Scott Boyer/2:37
4 /Amelia's Earache
Tommy Talton/0:41
5 /Pick Your Nose
Bill Pillmore/1:52
6 /Pretty Friend
Tommy Talton/4:14
7 /Everything Here
Tommy Talton/5:31
8 /Stick Together
Scott Boyer/2:41
9 /Use Your Situation
Scott Boyer/3:11
10 /It's Time
Scott Boyer/4:25
11 /Honey Ain't Nowhere
Scott Boyer/1:57
12 /Rip & Snort
Scott Boyer/4:12
13 /Josephine, Beyond Compare
Tommy Talton/4:27
Scott Boyer /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Violin, Vocals
George Clark /Bass, Vocals
Peter Kowalke /Drums, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Bill Pillmore /Fiddle, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Keyboards, Piano,
Tommy Talton /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Tomm Wynn /Drums, Percussion
REVIEW
By Lindsay Planer
While not exactly the house band for Phil Walden's Macon, GA-based Capricorn Records label, the members of the acoustic aggregate Cowboy -- consisting of Scott Boyer (guitars/violin/vocals), Tommy Talton (guitars/vocals), Bill Pillmore (piano/guitar/fiddle/vocals), Tomm Wynn (drums/percussion), George Clark (bass), and Pete Kowalke (guitars/vocals/drums) -- could be found on recordings by the Allman Brothers Band, Gregg Allman (whom they regularly supported), Alex Taylor, and Bonnie Bramlett. Their debut Reach for the Sky (1971) amply shows off their rural whimsy and substantial acoustic capacities. While their country-rock leanings are comparable to the Hearts & Flowers, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, or Pure Prairie League, they rely on their solid original material rather than adaptations and variations on traditional works and standards from the genre. However, as the mini-hoedown "Honey Ain't Nowhere" proves, they dew drop in for some unquestionably bluegrass-inspired pickin'. The succinct "Amelia's Earache" and "Pick Your Nose" are both off-the-wall indulgences that nicely balance out the stunning "Beautiful Friend" and the mid-tempo rocker "Stick Together," which bears all the earmarks of an early-'70s Allman Brothers side. Similarly, "Rip & Snort" features a strong repetitive rhythm that is accentuated by the guitarists in a tandem lead similar to that of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts. Another recommended spin is the languid and laid-back "It's Time," as it wafts into a vibe reminiscent of Neil Young circa After the Gold Rush (1970). Reach for the Sky (1971) is full of pleasurable, if not slightly pastoral, music that is recommended for inclined ears who likewise favor Southern rock.
BIOGRAPHY
By Steve Leggett
One of Southern rock's best-kept secrets during its golden age in the 1970s, Cowboy was formed by songwriters Tommy Talton and Scott Boyer in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969. Playing a kind of acoustic country-rock similar to contemporaries Pure Prairie League, Cowboy had its own twist on the formula, thanks to Talton and Boyer's sharp, focused songwriting and a distinguishable Muscle Shoals flair. After hearing the band, Duane Allman passed the word along to Phil Walden at Macon, Georgia's Capricorn Records, who offered the group a recording contract. The band's membership was pretty fluid during this time, other than Talton and Boyer, both of whom became de facto members of the Capricorn house band, playing with the Allman Brothers, Gregg Allman, Alex Taylor, and Bonnie Bramlett, among others. In all, four albums were released under the Cowboy name on Capricorn Records, 1970's Reach for the Sky and 1971's 5'll Getcha Ten (combined into the two-disc compilation Why Quit When You're Losing in 1973), 1974's Boyer & Talton, and 1977's Cowboy. Also, the 1976 album Happy to Be Alive, attributed to the trio of Tommy Talton, Bill Stewart, and Johnny Sandlin, was a Cowboy album in all but name. That was it, though, until 30 years later when Talton and Boyer put Cowboy back together in 2007, recording tracks at Sandlin's Duck Tape Studio in Decatur, Alabama, but none of those tracks has yet been released.
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