David's Album
Encyclopedia
David's Album was a 1969 album by Joan Baez
, recorded in Nashville
. It was Baez' eleventh album to date. It peaked at number 36 on the Billboard
Pop Albums chart.
, a country music fan, was about to be imprisoned for draft resistance, and she recorded the album as a gift to him. It was recorded during the same sessions as Baez's previous release of Bob Dylan
songs, Any Day Now.
The cover sketch is a drawing of David Harris by Joan Baez.
The Vanguard reissue contains two previously unreleased tracks, "How Can I Miss You", a duet with Baez' sister Mimi Fariña
, and Tom Paxton
's "The Last Thing on My Mind
."
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
, recorded in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. It was Baez' eleventh album to date. It peaked at number 36 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Pop Albums chart.
History
Baez's then husband, David HarrisDavid Harris (protestor)
David Victor Harris is an American journalist and author. He is known chiefly for his role as an anti-war activist during the Vietnam War, most notably as a leading opponent of the Draft.-Early life and education:...
, a country music fan, was about to be imprisoned for draft resistance, and she recorded the album as a gift to him. It was recorded during the same sessions as Baez's previous release of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
songs, Any Day Now.
The cover sketch is a drawing of David Harris by Joan Baez.
The Vanguard reissue contains two previously unreleased tracks, "How Can I Miss You", a duet with Baez' sister Mimi Fariña
Mimi Fariña
Mimi Baez Fariña was a singer-songwriter and activist, the youngest of three daughters to a Scottish mother and Mexican-American physicist Albert Baez .- Early years:Fariña's father, a physicist affiliated with Stanford University and MIT, moved his family...
, and Tom Paxton
Tom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
's "The Last Thing on My Mind
The Last Thing on My Mind
"The Last Thing on My Mind" is a song written by American musician and singer-songwriter Tom Paxton in the early 1960s, which Paxton first recorded in 1964...
."
Reception
In his Allmusic review, music critic Bruce Eder wrote of the album "the singing and playing still hold up. Baez also sets aside some of her occasional stridency here, in favor of a more relaxed performance that shows her in the most engaging manner of her career... David's Album has transcended its origins in part because of the sheer range of material on it... David Harris is long since out of jail, and he and Baez parted, but it's still an excellent album."Track listing
- "If I Knew" (Nina Dusheck, Pauline Marden)
- "Rock Salt and Nails" (Bruce Utah PhillipsUtah PhillipsBruce Duncan "Utah" Phillips was a labor organizer, folk singer, storyteller, poet and the "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest". He described the struggles of labor unions and the power of direct action, self-identifying as an anarchist...
) - "Glad Bluebird of Happiness" (Darryl Skrabak)
- "Green, Green Grass of Home" (Curly PutmanCurly PutmanClaude "Curly" Putman, Jr. is an American songwriter, based in Nashville. His biggest success was "Green, Green Grass of Home" , which was covered by Elvis Presley, Johnny Darrell, Gram Parsons, Joan Baez, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roberto Leal, Merle Haggard, Bobby Bare, Joe Tex, Nana...
) - "Will the Circle be UnbrokenCan the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By)"Can the Circle Be Unbroken " is the title of a country/folk song reworked by A. P. Carter from the hymn "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" by Ada R. Habershon and Charles H. Gabriel. The song's lyrics concern the death, funeral, and mourning of the narrator's mother.The song first gained attention due...
" (traditional) - "The Tramp on the Street" (traditional)
- "Poor Wayfaring StrangerThe Wayfaring Stranger (song)"The Wayfaring Stranger" , Roud 3339, is a well-known American spiritual/folk song likely originating in the early 19th century about a plaintive soul on the journey through life. It became one of Burl Ives's signature songs, included on his 1944 album The Wayfaring Stranger...
" (traditional) - "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" (traditional)
- "Hickory WindHickory Wind"Hickory Wind" is a song written by country rock pioneer Gram Parsons and former International Submarine Band member Bob Buchanan. The song was written on a train ride the pair took from Florida to Los Angeles in early 1968, and first appeared on The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo album. Despite...
" (Gram ParsonsGram ParsonsGram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
, Bob Buchanan) - "My Home's Across the Blue Ridge Mountains" (A.P. Carter, Tom Ashley)
Personnel
- Joan Baez – vocals, guitar
- Fred Carter, Jr.Fred Carter, Jr.Fred Carter, Jr. was an American guitarist, singer, producer and composer.- Early career :Carter was raised in the delta country in Winnsboro, the seat of Franklin Parish in northeastern Louisiana. Carter grew up with the heavy musical influences of jazz, country & western, hymns, and blues...
– mandolin - Pete DrakePete DrakePete Drake , born Roddis Franklin Drake, was a major Nashville, Tennessee-based record producer and pedal steel guitar player....
– pedal steel guitar - Johnny GimbleJohnny GimbleJohn Paul Gimble , better known as Johnny Gimble, is an American country musician associated with Western swing. He is an award-winning fiddle player and considered one of the most impressive fiddlers in the genre's history....
– fiddle - Roy Huskey, Jr.Roy Huskey, Jr.Roy Milton Huskey was a prominent American upright bass player in country music from Nashville, Tennessee. Huskey performed alongside musicians such as Chet Atkins, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, George Jones, Steve Earle, Doc Watson and many others...
– bass - Tommy Jackson – fiddle
- Jerry Kennedy – guitar
- Jerry ReedJerry ReedJerry Reed Hubbard , known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country music singer, innovative guitarist, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films...
– guitar - Harold BradleyHarold BradleyHarold Bradley is a pop guitarist and an American country guitarist.Harold played banjo as a child but switched to guitar on the advice of his elder brother, Owen Bradley. Owen arranged for Harold to tour with Ernest Tubb while Harold was still in high school. After graduation, Harold joined the...
– guitar, dobro - Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano
- Harold Rugg – guitar, dobro
- Grady MartinGrady MartinThomas Grady Martin was one of the most renowned, inventive and historically significant American session musicians in country music and rockabilly....
– guitar - Buddy SpicherBuddy SpicherBuddy Spicher is an American fiddle player.Spicher started in the late 50s as part of the backing band for Audrey Williams, the widow of Hank Williams, later with Hank Snow, the Charles River Valley Boys....
– fiddle - Norbert PutnamNorbert PutnamNorbert Putnam is an American record producer and musician. He grew up near Florence, Alabama and was part of the Muscle Shoals musicians brought to Nashville to play for Elvis Presley in 1965. Putnam worked there as a bassist on recording sessions with Presley, Roy Orbison, Al Hirt, Henry...
– bass - Kenny ButtreyKenny ButtreyAaron Kenneth Buttrey was an American drummer and arranger. According to CMT, he was "one of the most influential session musicians in Nashville history"....
– drums
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Billboard Pop Albums | 36 |