{"product_id":"bobby-charles_last-train-to-memphis_2026_soc","title":"LAST TRAIN TO MEMPHIS","description":"Appearances by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Fats Domino, Clarence \"Frogman\" Henry, Sonny Landreth, Dan Penn, Delbert McClinton, and Maria Muldaur dot this collection, a major work by this legendary songwriter, recorded during his retirement years. No other album better captures this period than this compilation of tracks covering the period 1971-2003, all written and produced by Bobby Charles. Far more than just a compilation, this album testifies to the consistency of Charles's quality and spirit throughout the three decades it covers, reflecting his faithfulness to himself. \"Everyday,\" recorded in 1975, flows naturally into \"Don't Make a Fool of Yourself,\" recorded in 1997. 'Last Train to Memphis' reveals itself as a true album, drawing its inspiration from Charles's life. Throughout his life, he crossed paths with many exceptional musicians who supported him and recorded for him for decades. After the release of his only commercial American album of the last century, \"Bobby Charles\" in 1972, featuring Dr. John, Ben Keith, and members of The Band, he retired to the anonymity he so cherished, in his hometown of Abbeville, Louisiana. But he never stopped writing and recording. In fact, his label Rice 'n' Gravy Records partnered with international record companies in the 80s and 90s to release four albums. At the dawn of the 21st century, Charles had an impressive quantity of recordings, but was virtually unknown in his own country. He had lost almost everything when his Abbeville home was ravaged by fire in the mid-90s. Yet, the tracks he had been discreetly recording since the 70s - with the participation of Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Fats Domino, Clarence \"Frogman\" Henry, Sonny Landreth, Delbert McClinton, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, and Maria Muldaur - were there, ready to be dusted off. Charles therefore partnered with Jim Bateman and Ben Keith to create the definitive work on his years of \"inactivity,\" on his art, his life, and his vision. It is fitting, as Bateman wrote in the original liner notes, that the album title pays homage to Peter Guralnick's biography of Elvis Presley, bearing the same name, as Elvis embodied a fundamental aspect of Charles himself: the rock and roll rebel. Charles, too, had been mistaken for a black singer by the public in the 50s. All his songs blended genres, drawing from soul, R\u0026B, and country - from his first single on Chess Records in 1955, \"Later, Alligator,\" a hit covered by Bill Haley and His Comets, to \"(I Don't Know Why) But I Do,\" written for Allen Toussaint and Clarence \"Frogman\" Henry, and \"Walking to New Orleans,\" composed for Fats Domino. Over time, Charles became increasingly content to let others perform his songs. But his voice, meanwhile, became unrecognized. As Bob Dylan humorously put it on his Theme Time Radio Hour show decades later: \"My old friend, Robert Charles Guidry, better known as Bobby Charles, had more success as a songwriter than as a singer. It's a shame, because he was one heck of a singer. He had one of the most melodious voices ever recorded on vinyl, simply put.\" This will be truer than ever with the reissue of Last Train to Memphis, available for the first time on vinyl. On two discs, this edition highlights Charles's inimitable husky and melodious voice, on tracks from the first disc of the original CD version. It is in these 15 tracks, which Charles considered to be the complete album, that the soul of Last Train to Memphis resides. The journey begins with the title track and its rock and roll pilgrimage, carried by Delbert McClinton's infectious blues harmonica, not to mention Sonny Landreth's virtuoso guitar playing. The album then moves towards the ardent passion and broken dreams of his hometown in \"The Legend of Jolie Blonde,\" Rufus Thibodeaux's violin evoking Charles's Louisiana roots. The album then offers us true gems, the fruit of Charles's talent for hard-won wisdom and striking formulas. Some regular studio recording sessions captured this relaxed magic, such as those at Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana, or the brilliant 1984 sessions at Pendernales Recording Studio, Willie Nelson's personal studio in Austin, Texas, with Maria Muldaur's voice and Nelson and Neil Young on guitar. There are also the Nashville sessions, including the one that gave birth to \"Sing,\" with the greats Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, David Briggs, and Chris Ethridge in the band. This song restores the very essence of Charles's soulful voice, both authentic and sincere, imbued with the warmth, subtlety, and simplicity of an artist who dedicated his entire life to music. This double LP version contains a bonus track from the second disc of the CD edition: \"The Jealous Kind,\" Charles's version of one of his most covered compositions, formerly recorded by another Charles, Ray, one of Bobby's heroes.","brand":"Bobby Charles","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56383655280984,"sku":null,"price":20260206.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0898\/4943\/0360\/files\/5065023660094.jpg?v=1769644901","url":"https:\/\/vinyles.com\/en\/products\/bobby-charles_last-train-to-memphis_2026_soc","provider":"Vinyles.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}