Night Train To Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945-1970 CD

Though R&B is hardly the first thing that comes to mind when Nashville, Tennessee is mentioned, the town known worldwide as the cradle of country music does indeed have a long, rich tradition of blues, soul, and more. The revelatory two-disc collection NIGHT TRAIN TO NASHVILLE makes Nashville's R&B legacy clear by tracing it across four decades. The first disc abounds with delightful obscurities like Cecil Gant's jump-blues tune "Nashville Jumps" and convict vocal group the Prisonaires' haunting ballad "Just Walkin' in the Rain." The second disc contains more familiar fare, such as Joe Simon's soul gem "The Chokin' Kind" and Arthur Alexander's legendary Brill Building-goes-South lament "Anna (Go to Him)" (later covered by the Beatles). The context provided by NIGHT TRAIN's theme also serves to underscore the not-so-subtle connections that have always existed between country music and R&B; it's easy to imagine a great country singer sinking his teeth into virtually any of the soulful gems on offer here.

Recorded between 1945 & 1970. Includes liner notes by Michael Gray.

Compilation producers: Daniel Cooper, Michael Gray.

Rolling Stone (p.92) - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 - "[I]nteresting on this collection are lesser-known artists such as Christine Kittrell, who shines on the depressive blues number 'Sittin' Here Drinking'..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.112) - 4 stars out of 5 - "The tunes here speak for themselves....NIGHT TRAIN TO NASHVILLE proves indispensable and irresistible."