Gibson Brothers sign with Compass

The Gibson Brothers sign with Compass Records - Garry West, Leigh Gibson, Eric Gibson, Alison BrownCompass Records has signed The Gibson Brothers, and plan to release the band’s next CD during Spring 2009.

As with previous albums from Eric and Leigh Gibson, this next one will be heavy on their original songs. In addition to six Gibsons compositions, the CD will include new songs from Shawn Camp, Paul Kennerly, Chet O’Keefe, Joe Newberry, and Marshall Warwick – and a grassed up cover of Angel Dream, a Tom Petty song from the mid-1990s.

This project was recorded with the Gibsons’ road band – Mike Barber on bass, Clayton Campbell on fiddle, and Joe Walsh on mandolin – with Leigh on guitar and Eric on banjo. Resonator guitarist Mike Witcher is also featured as a guest artist.

Compass tells us that the guys came in to cut at the label’s Nashville studios, and got all the tracking done during a single six-day visit. Eric and Leigh produced, with the assistance of long-time bassist Mike Barber.

Eric Gibson shared a few thoughts about the new album…

“I think this might be our hardest-driving record to date. We have not lost sight of the ‘brother duet thing’ at all, but I think this record has a lot of energy. It will fun to play these songs on stage, and we’ve already started doing some of them. We wrote half the songs (one a co-write with Nashville hit man’ Bob DiPiero) and new songs by Marshall Warwick, Chet O’Keefe, Shawn Camp, and Joe Newberry. We also cut Tom Petty’s Angel Dream, my wife’s favorite song on the record.

It would be hard for me to pick a favorite. I find myself listening to a great Joe Newberry song called I Know Whose Tears a lot. Leigh’s harmony makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. He does the same thing on Chet O’Keefe’s Ring The Bell. We also did a couple of songs that deal with farming. We grew up on a dairy farm, and I still dream about the farm all the time. One of the songs is called Farm Of Yesterday, and I think it pays tribute without being over-the-top sentimental.  I wrote it like it really was.”

More details, including a firm release date, should be forthcoming in the next few weeks.

Share this:

About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.