One night not too long ago, I was on a road trip in the middle of the night in Tennessee. I am a radio scan button addict, especially on the AM side of the band in the wee small hours. It is usually really interesting pulling in snippets of stations, some from faraway places, banging off the ionosphere as it provides a shield for amplitude modulation when the sun goes down. But on this particular night, I left the scan button alone, in favor of listening to WSM out of Nashville. There is a great book about the history of this most incredible radio station, and the contribution it made to the city and the music business, Air Castle of the South: WSM and the Making of Music City, written by Craig Havighurst. But on this particular night, a song I haven’t heard in a couple of decades came on, and I found myself singing along to Mel Tillis’ “Southern Rain.”
Then the DJ played some Foster & Lloyd. Everything was right in the world, if only for the duration of those two songs. Now mind you, I used to do Country radio, back when it sounded like this; great harmonies, tunefulness, hooks and meaningful lyrics.
During our visit to MusicFest at Steamboat this past January, we connected with Radney Foster. After his session, he went down the hall to bring us the as yet unmastered songs for the forthcoming Foster & Lloyd project. It was as if two decades hadn’t passed between releases. And today is the day for the digital debut of It’s Already Tomorrow. You can find it in their website's store, and other online retailers. The physical CD will be coming out on May 17th, and WSM has invited Radney Foster and Bill Lloyd on the air that morning with Bill Cody. You will be able to listen to that live online, just click here.
From our Music Fog Marathon last month at Threadgill’s here is "If It Hadn't Been For You."
- Jessie Scott
