Keep On Keepin' On
Encyclopedia
Keep On Keepin' On is the twelfth studio album
by the country rock
band the New Riders of the Purple Sage
. It was released in 1989 by Mu Records, and subsequently re-released by Relix Records.
Keep On Keepin' On is the first of two studio albums by the New Riders to feature only one original member of the band, John Dawson
, the second being 1992's Midnight Moonlight
. It includes a version of the Grateful Dead
song "Friend of the Devil
", which was co-written by Dawson.
The album is more influenced by folk-rock
and bluegrass
music than the band's previous efforts, partly due to the contributions of multi-instrumentalist
Rusty Gauthier.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the country rock
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 released in 1989 by Mu Records, and subsequently re-released by Relix Records.
Keep On Keepin' On is the first of two studio albums by the New Riders to feature only one original member of the band, 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:...
, the second being 1992's Midnight Moonlight
Midnight Moonlight
Midnight Moonlight is the thirteenth studio album by the New Riders of the Purple Sage, released in 1992 on the Relix Records label.Midnight Moonlight features studio recordings of original and cover songs, performed in a style heavily influenced by bluegrass and American folk music. The...
. It includes a version 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...
song "Friend of the Devil
Friend of the Devil
"Friend of the Devil" is a song recorded by the Grateful Dead. The music was written by Jerry Garcia and John Dawson and the lyrics are by Robert Hunter. It is the second track of the Dead's 1970 album American Beauty....
", which was co-written by Dawson.
The album is more influenced by folk-rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
and bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
music than the band's previous efforts, partly due to the contributions of multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
Rusty Gauthier.
Track listing
- "Keep On Keepin' On" (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 - "Now I Call It Love" (Dawson) – 2:46
- "It's O.K. to Cry" (Val FuentesVal FuentesVal Fuentes is the original and current drummer for the psychedic folk-rock band It's a Beautiful Day...
, Rusty Gauthier, Lina Valentino) – 3:18 - "Bounty Hunter" (Fuentes, Gauthier, Valentino) – 4:01
- "Barbaric Splendor" (Joe New) – 3:19
- "Señorita" (Dawson) – 3:00
- "Night of the Living Lonely" (Johnson, New) – 2:58
- "Rancher's Daughter" (Dawson) – 3:02
- "Big Ed" (Gauthier) – 3:17
- "Friend of the DevilFriend of the Devil"Friend of the Devil" is a song recorded by the Grateful Dead. The music was written by Jerry Garcia and John Dawson and the lyrics are by Robert Hunter. It is the second track of the Dead's 1970 album American Beauty....
" (Dawson, Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
, Robert HunterRobert Hunter (lyricist)Robert C. Hunter is an American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator, and poet, best known for his association with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.-Biography:He was born Robert Burns in San Luis Obispo, California...
) – 3:36
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:...
– acoustic guitarSteel-string acoustic guitarA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
, jaw harpJew's harpThe Jew's harp, jaw harp, mouth harp, Ozark harp, trump or juice harp, is thought to be one of the oldest musical instruments in the world; a musician apparently playing it can be seen in a Chinese drawing from the 4th century BC...
, lead and background 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... - Rusty Gauthier – acoustic guitar, lap steel guitarLap steel guitarThe lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
, 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...
, fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, twelve-string guitar, lead and background vocals - Gary Vogensen – electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, background vocals - Greg Lagardo – 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 ....
- Michael White – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Additional musicians
- Jennifer Hall – background vocals
- Jeanette Sartain – background vocals
- Carolyn Gauthier – background vocals
- Boots Hughston
- Kincaid Miller
- Lina Valentino
- Val FuentesVal FuentesVal Fuentes is the original and current drummer for the psychedic folk-rock band It's a Beautiful Day...
- Bill Amatneek
- Stu Feldman
- Bing Nathan
- Bob Black
Production
- Boots Hughston – producer, executive producer, mixing
- Bob Heyman – executive producer
- Ricky Lynd – engineer, mixing
- Wendy Bardsley – second engineer
- Jamie Bridges – sub-engineer
- Tom Flye – mixing
- Bob Missbach – mixing
- Mixed at Hyde Street Studios, San Francisco