Dick Curless - Don't Fence Me In: The Early Recordings (1956-1960) (2021)

Widely known in country music circles for his distinctive look (an eye patch covered his right eye after an accident) and a string of hits that began in the mid-1960s with the truck driving classic 'A Tombstone Every Mile' and that took him into the Billboard charts a total of 22 times between 1965 and 1973, Maine-born Dick Curless packed a lot of recording into his five decades as an active country artist.

Although he became associated with the truckin' sub-genre after the success of 'Tombstone'. Dick started out as a singer of both country and, specifically, western music. The material featured in this new Jasmine collection focuses on Dick's early recordings from the mid-50s to the early 60s. His warm baritone makes traditional cowboy songs come to life in the same way that his later hits did for trucking music.

After he became famous later on, the company he recorded for bought these up and essentially buried them so they would not form the basis of 'cash in' budget releases. Seldom if ever reissued, this may well be the first time that they have all been brought together on a single CD.

As always, this collection is remastered from the best possible sources and features a comprehensive biography of this prolific singer-songwriter in the booklet.

Dick was extremely popular in Europe, touring and even recording albums throughout the EU in the later part of his career. Those who caught his act will be very pleased to add this appealing anthology of 'early Curless' to their collections of his recordings.