No April Fool: Real Gone Announces Packed Line-Up For Month with Grateful Dead, Whiting, Jans, Atkins, More

April is known for showers, so why shouldn’t Real Gone Music shower collectors with a big line-up encompassing not just some super-rare rock and soul, but also country, film soundtracks, pop vocals and even crossover classical?  Nine releases, all due on April 2, run the gamut for this busy label.

On the rock front, fans will likely snap up the first-time domestic CD release of the 1971 solo album by Memphis music legend Don Nix.  Featuring the Muscle Shoals rhythm section, Living by the Days was originally released on the Elektra label.  Nix, who began his career playing saxophone with the Mar-Keys, went on to play a major role behind the scenes at Stax while also finding time to work with a “Who’s Who” including Leon Russell, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Isaac Hayes. For Living by the Days, the composer/arranger/musician was joined by Donald “Duck” Dunn, Roger Hawkins and Barry Beckett.  Real Gone’s reissue of this lost southern soul classic, with flourishes of both folk and gospel, recreates the original release’s gatefold artwork and adds new notes by music historian Colin Escott.

From the same year, Real Gone is reissuing the funk-soul-rock-folk stew Barbara & Ernie: Prelude To… This unusual LP, first issued on Cotillion, paired guitarist Ernie Calabria and soul singer Barbara Massey.  Calabria had played on sessions for Harry Belafonte, Nina Simone and Anita Carter, while Massey had shared the microphone with Jimi Hendrix, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock and Cat Stevens.  Real Gone describes this lost album as a “funky, folky, psychedelic soul gem graced with a stellar list of sidemen (e.g. Joe Beck and Keith Jarrett) that vanished without a trace in the more stratified world of early ’70s music retail.”  Calabria and Massey’s talents were enhanced by the orchestrations of Brazil’s Eumir Deodato, whose credits prior to his own solo breakthrough included arrangements for Wes Montgomery, Astrud Gilberto and Frank Sinatra.  The repertoire on Prelude consists of originals plus a cover of the Great Society/Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love.”  Real Gone’s release marks its first legitimate release on CD, with liner notes written by Pat Thomas.

After the jump: Tom Jans, Grateful Dead, Margaret Whiting and more!  Plus: pre-order links to all titles!