RAY WYLIE HUBBARD
''THE RUFIAN'S MISFORTUNE''
APRIL 7 2015
33:12
1 All Lose Things 03:33
2 Hey Mama, My Time Ain't Long (Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jonathan Tyler) 03:49
3 Too Young Ripe, Too Young Rott 03:14
4 Chick Singer, Badass Rockin 02:52
5 Bad On Fords (Ronnie Dunn, Ray Wylie Hubbard) 03:16
6 Mr. Musselwhite's Blues 03:15
7 Down By the River (Sean ''Nino'' Cooper, Marco Gutierrez, Ray Wylie Hubbard) 03:15
8 Jessie Mae 02:38
9 Barefoot in Heaven 03:45
10 Stone Blind Horses 03:31
Tracks By Hubbard, Except 2, 5, 7
Conrad Chocrun/Drums
Lucas Hubbard/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric)
Ray Wylie Hubbard/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Harmonica, Percussion, Vocals
Jessie Mae/Fiddle, Guitar (Tenor)
The McCreary Sisters/Vocal Harmony
Carson McHone/Vocal Harmony
George Reiff/Bass Guitar
Gabe Rhodes/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Mandolin, Percussion, Piano
Brad Rice/Guitar
Rick Richards/Drums, Percussion
REVIEW/AMG
by Mark Deming
Is Ray Wylie Hubbard a country artist? Is he a bluesman? Is he a rocker? Well, he's all those things at any given moment, and doesn't seem to worry about where you file his album as long as you give it a fair hearing. Hubbard's long been a man who does things his own way, and at the age of 68, he's more determined than ever to make music on his own terms and no one else's. That strategy is working pretty well for him, too. 2015's The Ruffian's Misfortune is a tough, fierce, and joyous album full of great songs and performances that suggest Hubbard has taken over Rufus Thomas' position as the World's Oldest Teenager, singing with the ferocity of a man a third his age and a confidence informed by every single day of his life. With Gabe Rhodes and Lucas Hubbard joining Ray Wylie on guitars and Rick Richards on drums, The Ruffian's Misfortune is full of fine, smoky grooves with just the right amount of gravel-road growl, and the quiet songs like "Barefoot in Heaven" and "Too Young Ripe, Too Young Rotten" are played and sung with a strength that rivals rowdy hell-raisers like "Bad on Fords" and "Chick Singer Badass Rockin'," the latter a high-octane tribute to women with guitars and attitude in equal proportion. Hubbard can sound defiant, sorrowful, or compassionate with the same degree of emotional power, and whether he's bragging about bad deeds or mourning a life gone wrong, Hubbard's lyrics are both intelligent and perceptive, and he draws his characters with a clarity that's artful but never pretentious. And at less than 35 minutes, The Ruffian's Misfortune never wastes a note: Hubbard and his band hit their marks and conjure a rich and colorful world with a few well-applied brushstrokes. Ray Wylie Hubbard cut his first album in 1975, but The Ruffian's Misfortune shows the man is doing some of the very best work of his career 40 years on, and anyone who cares about American roots music in any form would do themselves a favor by adding this set to their collection.
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Jason Ankeny
A leading figure of the progressive country movement of the 1970s, singer/songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard remains best known for authoring the perennial anthem "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother." Born November 13, 1946, in Soper, Oklahoma, Hubbard and his family relocated to Dallas during the mid-'50s; there he learned to play guitar, eventually forming a folk group with fellow aspiring musician Michael Martin Murphey. Befriended by the likes of Jerry Jeff Walker and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Hubbard later formed a trio named Three Faces West, which regularly performed at the Outpost club in Red River, New Mexico, a musical hotbed also trafficked by artists including Steve lb and Bill & Bonnie Hearne. Upon the breakup of Three Faces West, Hubbard toured the Southwestern coffeehouse circuit as a solo act before forming another group, Texas Fever; they too proved short-lived, and he returned to New Mexico to again take up residence at the Outpost.
While in Red River, Hubbard rekindled his friendship with Walker, who in 1973 recorded Hubbard's most famous (if least representative) composition, "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother," on his acclaimed Viva Terlingua LP. The success of the album guaranteed Hubbard instant cult status within progressive country circles, and at the same time, he set about organizing a new backing band, dubbed the Cowboy Twinkies. Considered by many the first cowpunk group -- their regular set lists included everything from Merle Haggard songs to a show-stopping cover of Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown" -- the Cowboy Twinkies' music met considerable resistance in both country and rock quarters; frustrated, Hubbard funded a demo tape that won the group a contract with Atlantic. However, the label left the band in limbo, and they finally jumped ship to Warner Bros., which shipped them off to Nashville to record their debut LP, Ray Wylie Hubbard & the Cowboy Twinkies.
Released in 1975, the album suffered from label-imposed over-production and fared poorly; Hubbard did not resurface prior to 1978, when he signed to Willie Nelson's short-lived Lone Star imprint to record Off the Wall, which contained his own version of "Redneck Mother." The following year Hubbard acquired a new backing unit in the form of the Lost Gonzo Band, previously Walker's supporting group; comprising guitarist John Inmon, bassist Bob Livingston, and drummer Paul Pearcy, they recorded the live LP Caught in the Act. By 1984, Hubbard was backed by the Bugs Henderson Trio, which featured guitarist Henderson, bassist Bobby Chitwood, and drummer Ron Thompson; with them he cut another live effort, Something About the Night.
Hubbard didn't record for another eight years, instead building a small but loyal following through constant touring. Finally, he issued Lost Train of Thought on his own Misery Loves Co. label in 1992, followed in 1995 by the Dejadisc release Loco Gringos Lament. Dangerous Spirits appeared two years later, and in 1999 Hubbard returned with Crusades of the Restless Nights. Eternal & Lowdown, which was issued in summer 2001, captured the haunting poetics of religion, philosophy, and salvation. It was followed in 2003 by the raw and gripping Growl, the laid-back Delirium Tremolos in 2005, and Snake Farm in 2006. Hubbard's near constant touring schedule and curating his own Grit 'N' Groove Festival in 2009 and 2010 kept him busy. He eventually emerged with A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There Is No C) in 2011, and followed it up with The Grifter's Hymnal in 2012. In April 2015, Hubbard released another self-produced set, The Ruffian's Misfortune, which like his previous two albums was released through his own Bordello Records imprint. Later in 2015, Hubbard was slated to publish his long-awaited autobiography, A Life...Well, Lived.
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''THE RUFIAN'S MISFORTUNE''
APRIL 7 2015
33:12
1 All Lose Things 03:33
2 Hey Mama, My Time Ain't Long (Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jonathan Tyler) 03:49
3 Too Young Ripe, Too Young Rott 03:14
4 Chick Singer, Badass Rockin 02:52
5 Bad On Fords (Ronnie Dunn, Ray Wylie Hubbard) 03:16
6 Mr. Musselwhite's Blues 03:15
7 Down By the River (Sean ''Nino'' Cooper, Marco Gutierrez, Ray Wylie Hubbard) 03:15
8 Jessie Mae 02:38
9 Barefoot in Heaven 03:45
10 Stone Blind Horses 03:31
Tracks By Hubbard, Except 2, 5, 7
Conrad Chocrun/Drums
Lucas Hubbard/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric)
Ray Wylie Hubbard/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Harmonica, Percussion, Vocals
Jessie Mae/Fiddle, Guitar (Tenor)
The McCreary Sisters/Vocal Harmony
Carson McHone/Vocal Harmony
George Reiff/Bass Guitar
Gabe Rhodes/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Mandolin, Percussion, Piano
Brad Rice/Guitar
Rick Richards/Drums, Percussion
REVIEW/AMG
by Mark Deming
Is Ray Wylie Hubbard a country artist? Is he a bluesman? Is he a rocker? Well, he's all those things at any given moment, and doesn't seem to worry about where you file his album as long as you give it a fair hearing. Hubbard's long been a man who does things his own way, and at the age of 68, he's more determined than ever to make music on his own terms and no one else's. That strategy is working pretty well for him, too. 2015's The Ruffian's Misfortune is a tough, fierce, and joyous album full of great songs and performances that suggest Hubbard has taken over Rufus Thomas' position as the World's Oldest Teenager, singing with the ferocity of a man a third his age and a confidence informed by every single day of his life. With Gabe Rhodes and Lucas Hubbard joining Ray Wylie on guitars and Rick Richards on drums, The Ruffian's Misfortune is full of fine, smoky grooves with just the right amount of gravel-road growl, and the quiet songs like "Barefoot in Heaven" and "Too Young Ripe, Too Young Rotten" are played and sung with a strength that rivals rowdy hell-raisers like "Bad on Fords" and "Chick Singer Badass Rockin'," the latter a high-octane tribute to women with guitars and attitude in equal proportion. Hubbard can sound defiant, sorrowful, or compassionate with the same degree of emotional power, and whether he's bragging about bad deeds or mourning a life gone wrong, Hubbard's lyrics are both intelligent and perceptive, and he draws his characters with a clarity that's artful but never pretentious. And at less than 35 minutes, The Ruffian's Misfortune never wastes a note: Hubbard and his band hit their marks and conjure a rich and colorful world with a few well-applied brushstrokes. Ray Wylie Hubbard cut his first album in 1975, but The Ruffian's Misfortune shows the man is doing some of the very best work of his career 40 years on, and anyone who cares about American roots music in any form would do themselves a favor by adding this set to their collection.
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Jason Ankeny
A leading figure of the progressive country movement of the 1970s, singer/songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard remains best known for authoring the perennial anthem "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother." Born November 13, 1946, in Soper, Oklahoma, Hubbard and his family relocated to Dallas during the mid-'50s; there he learned to play guitar, eventually forming a folk group with fellow aspiring musician Michael Martin Murphey. Befriended by the likes of Jerry Jeff Walker and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Hubbard later formed a trio named Three Faces West, which regularly performed at the Outpost club in Red River, New Mexico, a musical hotbed also trafficked by artists including Steve lb and Bill & Bonnie Hearne. Upon the breakup of Three Faces West, Hubbard toured the Southwestern coffeehouse circuit as a solo act before forming another group, Texas Fever; they too proved short-lived, and he returned to New Mexico to again take up residence at the Outpost.
While in Red River, Hubbard rekindled his friendship with Walker, who in 1973 recorded Hubbard's most famous (if least representative) composition, "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother," on his acclaimed Viva Terlingua LP. The success of the album guaranteed Hubbard instant cult status within progressive country circles, and at the same time, he set about organizing a new backing band, dubbed the Cowboy Twinkies. Considered by many the first cowpunk group -- their regular set lists included everything from Merle Haggard songs to a show-stopping cover of Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown" -- the Cowboy Twinkies' music met considerable resistance in both country and rock quarters; frustrated, Hubbard funded a demo tape that won the group a contract with Atlantic. However, the label left the band in limbo, and they finally jumped ship to Warner Bros., which shipped them off to Nashville to record their debut LP, Ray Wylie Hubbard & the Cowboy Twinkies.
Released in 1975, the album suffered from label-imposed over-production and fared poorly; Hubbard did not resurface prior to 1978, when he signed to Willie Nelson's short-lived Lone Star imprint to record Off the Wall, which contained his own version of "Redneck Mother." The following year Hubbard acquired a new backing unit in the form of the Lost Gonzo Band, previously Walker's supporting group; comprising guitarist John Inmon, bassist Bob Livingston, and drummer Paul Pearcy, they recorded the live LP Caught in the Act. By 1984, Hubbard was backed by the Bugs Henderson Trio, which featured guitarist Henderson, bassist Bobby Chitwood, and drummer Ron Thompson; with them he cut another live effort, Something About the Night.
Hubbard didn't record for another eight years, instead building a small but loyal following through constant touring. Finally, he issued Lost Train of Thought on his own Misery Loves Co. label in 1992, followed in 1995 by the Dejadisc release Loco Gringos Lament. Dangerous Spirits appeared two years later, and in 1999 Hubbard returned with Crusades of the Restless Nights. Eternal & Lowdown, which was issued in summer 2001, captured the haunting poetics of religion, philosophy, and salvation. It was followed in 2003 by the raw and gripping Growl, the laid-back Delirium Tremolos in 2005, and Snake Farm in 2006. Hubbard's near constant touring schedule and curating his own Grit 'N' Groove Festival in 2009 and 2010 kept him busy. He eventually emerged with A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There Is No C) in 2011, and followed it up with The Grifter's Hymnal in 2012. In April 2015, Hubbard released another self-produced set, The Ruffian's Misfortune, which like his previous two albums was released through his own Bordello Records imprint. Later in 2015, Hubbard was slated to publish his long-awaited autobiography, A Life...Well, Lived.
WIKIPEDIA
WIKIPEDIA
TO THE TOP
