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Honky-Tonk Man is the third solo album by American singer, songwriter and guitarist Steve Young. Originally released by the independent Mountain Railroad label in 1975, it combines traditional country material with folk, blues, Southern rock and the uncompromising musical independence associated with the emerging outlaw-country movement.
Young was already admired for albums such as Rock Salt & Nails and Seven Bridges Road, but Honky-Tonk Man is among his most direct country recordings. His weathered, emotionally expressive voice is supported by acoustic and electric guitar, pedal steel, dobro, harmonica, bass and restrained drums.
The backing musicians include Bill Peterson on bass, Eric Gravatt on drums, Cal Hand on pedal-steel guitar and dobro, and Mark Henley on harmonica. Producer Stephen Powers and Betsy Kaske also contribute vocals, creating an intimate ensemble sound that remains close to the atmosphere of a small country band playing together in the studio.
The opening title track, originally associated with Johnny Horton, immediately establishes the album's traditional honky-tonk character. Bob Wills' “Brain Cloudy Blues” and Utah Phillips' “Rock Salt & Nails” follow, allowing Young to bring his own rough, reflective delivery to well-known country and folk compositions.
“Rockin' Chair Money” has a lighter Western-swing feel, while Hank Williams' “Ramblin' Man” suits Young's recurring themes of travel, restlessness and emotional isolation. The first half concludes with an expansive interpretation of The Band's “The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down.”
The second half contains several Steve Young originals. “Traveling Kind” and “Alabama Highway” draw upon the landscape, movement and contradictions of the American South, while the instrumental “Sally Goodin'” gives the musicians room to explore a traditional fiddle-tune melody.
“Vision of a Child” and “We've Been Together on This Earth Before” reveal Young's more introspective songwriting, combining spiritual reflection with understated country arrangements. The closing “The White Trash Song” brings the album to a lively conclusion with additional vocals from producer Stephen Powers.
Recorded at the acclaimed Sound 80 studio in Minneapolis, Honky-Tonk Man is an important early example of the music now described as Americana. This Big Pink Music edition presents the complete original twelve-track album with remastered sound in a miniature LP-style papersleeve.
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