Wikipedia

Border Town Legend

Border Town Legend is an album by the American musician Long John Hunter, released on January 30, 1996, by Alligator Records.[1][2] The album title refers to the many years Hunter spent playing in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez nightclubs.[3] Border Town Legend was one of the most played albums on blues radio the year of its release and was nominated for a W. C. Handy Award.[4][5] Hunter supported it with a North American tour.[6]

Border Town Legend
Studio album by
Long John Hunter
ReleasedJanuary 30, 1996
StudioGem/Lone Star
GenreBlues
Length50:45
LabelAlligator
Producer
  • Tarry Owens
  • Jon Foose
Long John Hunter chronology
Smooth Magic
(1994) 		Border Town Legend
(1996) 		Swinging from the Rafters
(1997)

Production

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Produced by Tarry Owens and Jon Foose, Border Town Legend was recorded at Gem/Lone Star Studio, in Austin.[7][8] Hunter wrote nine of the album's twelve songs.[9] He was most influenced by B. B. King, rather than Texas blues musicians, but tried to find his own sound; he considered himself more an entertainer than an accomplished musician.[10][11] Hunter used a horn section on many of the tracks.[12] "John's Funk" is an instrumental.[13] "Everybody Knows" is a cover of the O. V. Wright song.[14]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [15]
Chicago Sun-Times    [9]
DownBeat     [16]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide     [7]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings    [17]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues     [18]

The Los Angeles Times said that Border Town Legend "reveals Hunter as a raw, feral talent bursting with energy... His vocals are high and joyfully reedy, his guitar playing alternately restrained and flashy."[4] The Chicago Tribune called it "a simmering pot of hot, R&B-grooved Texas-style blues, distinguished by Hunter's smooth crooning and bell-toned, Albert Collins-ish guitar leads."[19] The Michigan Chronicle noted that "Hunter's secret weapon is a funky baritone sax ace by the name of Kevin Brown."[13] The Chicago Sun-Times labeled the album "tough music for grownups."[9]

The Dallas Observer deemed it "a travelogue of Hunter's eccentric life—the barrooms of Beaumont, the sparkling lights of Marfa, and the fields of Arkansas—set to a boogie-blues beat."[10] The Kansas City Star praised "Hunter's spare-but-spunky songwriting, engaging vocals and infectious guitar stylings."[20] The Post-Tribune considered Border Town Legend "a good guitarist's blues album, and Hunter writes nine fast-paced songs that loosely mirror his influences, T-Bone Walker and B. B. King."[21]

Track listing

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Border Town Legend track listing
No.TitleLength
1."T-Bone Intentions"3:08
2."Ice Cold"4:21
3."Ole Red"5:24
4."Marfa Lights"4:52
5."Nasty Ways"3:30
6."Grits Ain't Groceries"2:53
7."Arkansas"5:19
8."Rooster and the Hen"5:42
9."Lone Star Shootout"4:07
10."Everybody Knows"3:22
11."Road Hog"3:59
12."John's Funk"4:08
Total length:50:45

References

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  1. ^ Dahl, Bill (January 19, 1996). "Blues notes". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 6.
  2. ^ Iglauer, Bruce; Roberts, Patrick A. (2018). Bitten by the Blues: The Alligator Records Story. University of Chicago Press. p. 318.
  3. ^ Forte, Dan (April 1996). "Long John Hunter's Border Blues". Guitar Player. Vol. 30, no. 4. p. 23.
  4. ^ a b Seigal, Buddy (July 12, 1996). "Blues Man Hits the 'Big Time'". Los Angeles Times. p. F1.
  5. ^ Ellis, Bill (January 17, 1997). "Allison Leads Handy Award Nominations". The Commercial Appeal. p. A15.
  6. ^ Thompson, Stephen (August 8, 1996). "Also tonight...". Rhythm. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 6.
  7. ^ a b MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 180.
  8. ^ Point, Michael (March 15, 1996). "Hunter blazes beyond border". Austin American-Statesman. XL Ent. p. 17.
  9. ^ a b c Johnson, Jeff (February 11, 1996). "Spin Control". Showcase. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 10.
  10. ^ a b Wilonsky, Robert (February 15, 1996). "Lonely Hunter". Music. Dallas Observer.
  11. ^ Beal Jr., Jim (April 23, 1997). "Bluesman Hunter has guitar, will travel". San Antonio Express-News. p. 2G.
  12. ^ Gregory, Hugh (2003). Roadhouse Blues: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Texas R&B. Backbeat. p. 169.
  13. ^ a b Seedorff, George (October 22, 1997). "Texas blues master Long John Hunter may be finest club act". Michigan Chronicle. p. 3D.
  14. ^ Meyerowitz, Robert (May 3, 1996). "Blues Comes to Alaska via Texas and Mexico". Anchorage Daily News. p. H24.
  15. ^ "Border Town Legend Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  16. ^ Point, Michael (May 1996). "Border Town Legend". DownBeat. Vol. 63, no. 5. p. 57.
  17. ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 296.
  18. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Virgin Books.
  19. ^ Reger, Rick (August 16, 1996). "Long John Hunter...". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. S.
  20. ^ Wilson, Calvin (June 5, 1996). "'Border Town' to our town". The Kansas City Star. p. F8.
  21. ^ Knopper, Steve (December 6, 1996). "Long John Hunter Stalking a Place Among Blues Greats". Post-Tribune. p. D8.
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