Old No 1 Revisited
Various Artists
Old No. 1 Revisited is a track-by-track tribute album to Guy Clark's landmark 1975 debut, released in 2026 through the Guy Clark Family Foundation's Truly Handmade Records imprint to mark the 50th anniversary of the original record. Clark's Old No. 1 was not a commercial success upon its release but became revered over the decades as one of the foundational texts of outlaw and Americana country, its songs — "LA Freeway," "Desperados Waiting for a Train," "Texas 1947," and others — going on to influence generations of songwriters including Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, and Lyle Lovett. Recorded at Dan Knobler's Good Wishes studio in Nashville, the tribute follows the original album's track sequence exactly, with Knobler — whose production credits include Allison Russell, Lake Street Dive, and Rachael & Vilray — assembling a roster of some of contemporary Americana's most respected voices. Proceeds from the album, released alongside the companion book Old No. 1 at 50: A History of Guy Clark's First Album by Peter Blackstock, benefit the Guy Clark Family Foundation.
The album's contributors represent a who's who of modern Americana and alternative country: Margo Price opens with the free-spirited "Rita Ballou," Jade Bird handles "LA Freeway," Sarah Jarosz brings a precise emotional intimacy to "She Ain't Goin' Nowhere," and Kelsey Waldon delivers an exuberant "A Nickel for the Fiddler." The album's centrepiece is "Desperados Waiting for a Train," taken on by Andrew Combs with Rodney Crowell on the chorus — a pairing noted by PopMatters for its poignant irony, with Combs adopting an aged vocal while the 75-year-old Crowell sounds remarkably youthful. The session musicians are equally distinguished: Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson's harmonica player), Sam Bush on mandolin, Dennis Crouch on bass, Russ Pahl on pedal steel, and harmony vocals from Rosanne Cash and Ruth Moody all appear across the record, lending the production both warmth and historical weight.
Old No 1 Revisited
Various Artists
Old No. 1 Revisited is a track-by-track tribute album to Guy Clark's landmark 1975 debut, released in 2026 through the Guy Clark Family Foundation's Truly Handmade Records imprint to mark the 50th anniversary of the original record. Clark's Old No. 1 was not a commercial success upon its release but became revered over the decades as one of the foundational texts of outlaw and Americana country, its songs — "LA Freeway," "Desperados Waiting for a Train," "Texas 1947," and others — going on to influence generations of songwriters including Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, and Lyle Lovett. Recorded at Dan Knobler's Good Wishes studio in Nashville, the tribute follows the original album's track sequence exactly, with Knobler — whose production credits include Allison Russell, Lake Street Dive, and Rachael & Vilray — assembling a roster of some of contemporary Americana's most respected voices. Proceeds from the album, released alongside the companion book Old No. 1 at 50: A History of Guy Clark's First Album by Peter Blackstock, benefit the Guy Clark Family Foundation.
The album's contributors represent a who's who of modern Americana and alternative country: Margo Price opens with the free-spirited "Rita Ballou," Jade Bird handles "LA Freeway," Sarah Jarosz brings a precise emotional intimacy to "She Ain't Goin' Nowhere," and Kelsey Waldon delivers an exuberant "A Nickel for the Fiddler." The album's centrepiece is "Desperados Waiting for a Train," taken on by Andrew Combs with Rodney Crowell on the chorus — a pairing noted by PopMatters for its poignant irony, with Combs adopting an aged vocal while the 75-year-old Crowell sounds remarkably youthful. The session musicians are equally distinguished: Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson's harmonica player), Sam Bush on mandolin, Dennis Crouch on bass, Russ Pahl on pedal steel, and harmony vocals from Rosanne Cash and Ruth Moody all appear across the record, lending the production both warmth and historical weight.