Gypsy Cowboy
Encyclopedia
Gypsy Cowboy is the third album by the country rock
band the New Riders of the Purple Sage
. It was recorded and released in 1972.
The album includes six original songs by John Dawson
and three by Dave Torbert
, plus cover versions of "She's No Angel" and "Long Black Veil". Donna Jean Godchaux of the Grateful Dead
sings background vocals on two songs, "Whiskey" and "Long Black Veil". One single was released in conjunction with the album — "Groupie" / "She's No Angel".
In 2007, Gypsy Cowboy was re-released on the Wounded Bird Records
label, with four bonus tracks. These were live versions of "Groupie", "Sutter's Mill", "Superman", and "She's No Angel". All except "Superman" were from the New Riders' 1974 album Home, Home on the Road
.
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
band the New Riders of the Purple Sage
New Riders of the Purple Sage
New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco, California in 1969, and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. Their best known song is "Panama Red"...
. It was recorded and released in 1972.
The album includes six original songs by John Dawson
John Dawson (musician)
John Collins Dawson IV, nicknamed "Marmaduke" , was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the leader and co-founder of the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage.-Musical career:...
and three by Dave Torbert
Dave Torbert
Dave Torbert was a Bay Area musician, best known for his associations with the Grateful Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage. He played bass for the latter group, replacing Phil Lesh during the sessions for their first album...
, plus cover versions of "She's No Angel" and "Long Black Veil". Donna Jean Godchaux of the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
sings background vocals on two songs, "Whiskey" and "Long Black Veil". One single was released in conjunction with the album — "Groupie" / "She's No Angel".
In 2007, Gypsy Cowboy was re-released on the Wounded Bird Records
Wounded Bird Records
Wounded Bird Records is a CD only, re-issue record label, that was founded in 1998 in Guilderland, New York. They re-release lesser known albums from both popular and lesser known artists, including Deborah Harry, Chic, David Blue, Marilyn Martin, Gordon Haskell, Jon Anderson, Adrian Belew, Ellen...
label, with four bonus tracks. These were live versions of "Groupie", "Sutter's Mill", "Superman", and "She's No Angel". All except "Superman" were from the New Riders' 1974 album Home, Home on the Road
Home, Home on the Road
Home, Home on the Road is an album by the American country rock group the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Released by Columbia Records in 1974, it was their first live album, and their fifth album overall. The eleven songs on the album are a combination of originals and covers...
.
Track listing
- "Gypsy Cowboy" (Dave TorbertDave TorbertDave Torbert was a Bay Area musician, best known for his associations with the Grateful Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage. He played bass for the latter group, replacing Phil Lesh during the sessions for their first album...
) – 4:17 - "Whiskey" (John DawsonJohn Dawson (musician)John Collins Dawson IV, nicknamed "Marmaduke" , was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the leader and co-founder of the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage.-Musical career:...
) – 3:33 - "Groupie" (Dave Torbert) – 2:40
- "Sutter's Mill" (John Dawson) – 1:52
- "Death and Destruction" (John Dawson) – 8:39
- "Linda" (John Dawson) – 3:04
- "On My Way Back Home" (Dave Torbert) – 3:29
- "Superman" (John Dawson) – 3:09
- "She's No Angel" (Wanda Ballman) – 2:51
- "Long Black Veil" (Danny DillDanny DillHorace Eldred Dill , known professionally known as Danny Dill, was an American country music singer and songwriter...
, Marijohn WilkinMarijohn WilkinMarijohn Wilkin , née Melson, was an American songwriter, famous in the country music genre for writing a number of hits. Wilkin won numerous awards over the years and was referred to as "The Den Mother of Music Row," as chronicled in her 1978 biography from Word Books--Lord, Let Me Leave a Song...
) – 3:56 - "Sailin'" (John Dawson) – 2:49
New Riders of the Purple Sage
- John DawsonJohn Dawson (musician)John Collins Dawson IV, nicknamed "Marmaduke" , was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the leader and co-founder of the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage.-Musical career:...
- rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - David NelsonDavid Nelson (musician)David Nelson is an American guitarist and musician.Although he started his musical career playing folk and bluegrass music Nelson is probably best known as one of the original members of psychedelic country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, dobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, bagpipesBagpipesBagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
, vocals - Dave TorbertDave TorbertDave Torbert was a Bay Area musician, best known for his associations with the Grateful Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage. He played bass for the latter group, replacing Phil Lesh during the sessions for their first album...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, vocals - Buddy CageBuddy CageBuddy Cage is an American pedal steel guitarist, best known as a longtime member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage....
- pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"... - Spencer DrydenSpencer DrydenSpencer Dryden was an American musician best known as the longest-serving drummer for Jefferson Airplane. He also played with New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Dinosaurs, and The Peanut Butter Conspiracy.-Early life:...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Additional musicians
- Carlene DiDomenico - vocals on "Whiskey", "On My Way Back Home", "Superman"
- Donna Jean Godchaux - vocals on "She's No Angel", "Long Black Veil"
- Richard Greene - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Mark NaftalinMark NaftalinMark Naftalin is an American blues keyboardist, composer, and record producer.-Life:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, Naftalin is the son of former Minneapolis mayor Arthur Naftalin; he is married to third wife Ellen Naftalin...
- pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Jack SchroerJack SchroerJohn Henry "Jack" Schroer was a saxophonist, pianist and arranger best known for his work with Van Morrison in the 1970s as a member of his band The Caledonia Soul Orchestra....
- saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Production
- Producer: Stephen Barncard and NRPS
- Recording Engineers: Stephen Barncard, Dave Brown, Ellen Burke
- Cover Art: Lore Orion
- Liner notes: John ToblerJohn ToblerJohn Hugen Tobler is a British rock music journalist, writer, occasional broadcaster, and record company executive.With Pete Frame, he was one of the founders of ZigZag magazine in April 1969...