5 / 17
5
From 1956 to 1960 Johnny Horton made timeless music.
With few exceptions, Horton’s C
OLUMBIA
records stand up brilliantly
with no need to make allowance for their age.
As with all truly great artists, Horton transcends time and place,
and occasionally weak material.
His voice was riveting, like a magnet it drew you in and demanded attention.
Gone was the tentative nature that marked some of the C
ORMAC
,A
BBOTT
and M
ERCURY
sides.
He was now vocally in charge. Maybe it was the ‘C
OLUMBIA
sound’,
or perhaps Johnny’s singing “
any way you want me to
”, but 1956 found him
with five years of recording and PA experience behind him,
a new manager, a new record label, and a new voice.
He always sang with a smile, and that mannerism of trailing up at the end of certain lines
– almost a yelp – was now used for its fullest measure and effect.
He also started tearing into the occasional word or phrase, literally barking it out.
His vocals had personality.
He sounded larger than life.
Musically, the records were tough and urgent.
Even when strings and vocal groups were brought in, they never seemed syrupy or precious.
Enough can’t be said of Grady Martin’s contribution.
His playing – with its dizzying honky-tonk drive on the earlier sessions,
to the highly melodic creativity on the ballads,
and the stately tone of the saga songs – was a perfect foil to Horton.
Technically, the recordings were beautiful.
Big, bright and clear. Very innovative.
Honky Tonk Man
is one of the largest-sounding four piece records ever made,
and still beats the re-make thirty years later.
Then there’s the ‘too much’ echo on the bass drum-cannons on
Sink The Bismarck.
Fantastic!
And the thunderous head-banging quality of
Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor
.
This music made no apologies then, and makes no excuses now.
Richard Bennett, former guitar player for Neil Diamond, has produced Steve Earle,
Jo-El Sonnier, Marty Stuart, and Emmylou Harris among others. He has been a Johnny Horton fan since the mid-‘50s.
Johnny Horton An Appreciation
by Richard Bennett