horton, johnny
the ballads of johnny horton

BCD 16384 (1-CD digipack with 28-page booklet, 25 tracks, playingtime: 66:42) A new slant on one of the greatest country artists of all time! Some well-known hits'North To Alaska, All For The Love Of A Girl, When It's Springtime In Alaska'plus many overlooked gems!

Originally, a 'ballad' was a story song, and then it became shorthand for a slow love song. Johnny Horton was the master of both sorts of 'ballads. ' Bear Family has issued everything that Johnny Horton ever recorded on two monumental boxed sets, and we have also issued the best of his rock'n'roll recordings. Now, on this exclusive single CD collection, we've focused upon his ballads, and emphasized just what a great singer he was. The set was compiled by Richard Bennett, who has produced Emmylou Harris and currently works with Mark Knopfler. As Bennett writes, -Horton's voice was big, infectious and friendly, bursting with charisma and personality. While he is much admired for the rocking up-tempo tunes and the mega hit 'Battle Of New Orleans,' Johnny Horton is less remembered as the great ballad singer he was. Very often the flip side of the record was where the heartfelt ballad was hiding or maybe a few would turn up tucked into a long playing album. It's these overlooked treasures that make up this set.-