NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country music entertainer and Texas native George Dearborne (Wingate Records) is set to release his next Nashville recording project, LOTTA HONKY TONKIN’ LEFT IN ME. Recorded in Nashville (spotlighting musical performances by award-winning, A-list instrumentalists) and produced by Jimmy Ritchey (Jake Owen/Mark Chesnutt/Clay Walker), the 15-song album will be available Friday, July 12, 2024 via all major digital retail and streaming outlets (Amazon/iTunes/Pandora/Spotify/Tidal).
Aptly-titled, LOTTA HONKY TONKIN’ LEFT IN ME, is quintessential “honky tonk” music. The tune embodies Dearborne’s old-school Texas twang, the simplistic character of life, and the times of the Texas troubadour–in personal perspective, and in music on stage and the dance floor.
Carrying the torch for the legendary country music trendsetters in their hay days (Ray Price, Webb Pierce, Hank Locklin, Lefty Frizzell, Faron Young, George Jones, and Hank Williams) and those that walked in their footsteps to revive the sound in the 90s (Mark Chesnutt/Tracy Byrd), LOTTA HONKY TONKIN’ LEFT IN ME is classic to the “George Dearborne” signature. The album boasts shuffles, two-steppers, line-dance tunes, heartbreak and good-timin', drinkin’ songs written by hit songwriters, including Don Poythress (Tim McGraw/Willie Nelson/Bonnie Raitt/Blake Shelton/Sheryl Crow), Wynn Varble (Brad Paisley/Easton Corbin/Darryl Worley), and Jim Lauderdale (George Strait/Blake Shelton/Dixie Chicks) among others.
“I went back to my roots and chose songs reminiscent of George Strait and Mark Chesnutt early days. The album’s got up-tempos and ballads, and a few recordings have a Cajun flair,” said Dearborne. “…and I love to dance. I picked songs that struck me as being good dance tunes. From melody to instrumentation, I’m hopin’ the music will move folks to the dance floor.”
With song titles like “Huggin’ Thin Air”, “Muddy Water”, and “How’s That Workin’ Out For You” (featuring a special vocal performance by Pam Tillis), nostalgic production and evocative storylines turn back time to feed the soul of folks who enjoy downright, straight-up, traditional country music. Instrumentation spotlights performances by award-winning, A-list Nashville musicians.
"Very few performers carry the tradition of preserving dancehall music; sadly, it seems to be a dying art. George Dearborne is a hidden gem...one of the greatest performers on the honky tonk stage," said album producer and contributing songwriter, Jimmy Ritchey. "Some of my favorite songs, that I've ever written, appear on LOTTA HONKY TONKIN' LEFT IN ME, and at least one fiddle, steel guitar and upright bass are spotlighted in every song as a standard."
Dearborne made early introductions to the project with the release of the title track “Lotta Honky Tonkin’ Left In Me” on Friday, May 31, 2024.
“I hope to take listeners back to Cutter's Dance Hall in Beaumont, Texas in the early 90's with this one!”
LOTTA HONKY TONKIN’ LEFT IN ME
TRACK LISTING
1. Lotta Honky Tonkin’ Left In Me (Kendell Marvel, Jim Lauderdale, Jimmy Ritchey)
2. Bar Fly (Jimmy Ritchey, Ronnie Bowman, Dale Dodson)
3. I'll Break Out Again Tonight (A.L. Owens, Whitey Schafer)
4. Misery Loves Country (Josh Kerr, David Frasier, Edward Hill)
5. Love Goes On (Don Poythress, Greg Bates, Jimmy Ritchey)
6. Leavin’ Ain't As Easy As It Seems (Don Poythress, Greg Bates, Jimmy Ritchey)
7. No Time For The Wine (Tommy Conners, Rodney Hayden)
8. Muddy Water (Joe Babcock)
9. Huggin’ Thin Air (Douglas Wayne Sahm)
10. I Put A Smile On This Sad Face (Ken Treece)
11. One More Reason To Love You (Don Poythress, Wynn Varble, Blaine Larson)
12. Dynamite Woman (Douglas Wayne Sahm)
13. Fightin' Side Of Me (Merle Haggard)
14. How's That Working Out for You (Jimmy Ritchey, Pam Tillis)
15. By George (Joel Shewmake, Cledus T. Judd, Doug McCormick)
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES
Lead Guitar - Brent Mason
Acoustic Guitar - B. James Lowry
Acoustic/Electric Guitar - Jimmy Ritchey
Bass Guitar/Stand-up Bass- Glenn Worf
Steel Guitar - Mike Johnson
Keyboards - Jimmy "Moose" Brown
Fiddle - Larry Franklin
Drums - Shannon Forrest
Background Vocals - Wes Hightower / Pam Tillis
ABOUT
Dearborne launched his career sitting behind a drum kit in the late 70s. Amidst the upstart of the music careers of fellow “Beaumont Boys” (Mark Chesnutt and Tracy Byrd) who reignited “honky tonkin’,” in the 90s, Dearborne moved to center stage as a solo performer fronting his own band.
He and his band opened for Chesnutt and Byrd, and legendary country music traditionalists such as Keith Whitley, Conway Twitty, George Jones, Hank Williams Jr., and Kevin Fowler among others.
Dearborne became a signature mainstay, cultivating a loyal fan base, as the house regular at Beaumont's legendary, low-slung honky tonk Cutter's; he’s performed at Marsh Fest and Rice Festival, and notable Texas venues such as Billy Bob’s and Lil Red’s Longhorn Saloon (Ft. Worth, TX), 11th Street Cowboy Bar (Bandera, TX), Mo’s Place (Katy, TX) and at the Texas Club in Baton Rouge, LA.
His set list includes original tunes (from his OLD BROWN BOTTLE CD), and honky tonk favorites originally recorded by Dale Watson, Willie Nelson, George Strait and Mark Chesnutt.
Dearborne has appeared on the “Penny Gilley Show,” “If That Ain’t Country” (podcast), “Jim King Of The Road” (FOX 4), the CW, Stryk TV and has been featured in Texas Monthly Magazine and Raised Rowdy.
In late 2020, George released a 12-song recording project titled OLD BROWN BOTTLE produced by Jimmy Ritchey and spotlighting two Ray Price songs. George was recognized as “Artist Of The Year” by CMA of Texas the last two consecutive years (2023/2024).
CONNECT
www.facebook.com/OfficialGeorgeDearborne
www.george-dearborne.com
PR CONTACT
Music City Media
K. Atwood | KATwood@musiccitynews.com | 615.770.2994
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