Album Notes

Since Arty Hill and the Long Gone Daddys' February 2008 release, Bar of Gold, spent two consecutive months in the number one slot of the Freeform American Roots chart, country music fans around the world have been discovering Arty and his no-nonsense brand of modern Honky Tonk. At year’s end, Arty and the Long Gone Daddys made four of the FAR Chart’s “Best of 2008” lists: Best Songwriter, Best CD, Best Group, and Album of the Year, while Cow Island took the FAR Chart’s “Best in the Industry” award.

In between live appearances up and down the eastern seaboard as well as four showcases during the NotSXSW event in Austin, Texas in March of this year, Arty and the Long Gong Daddys carved out time to record their latest Cow Island release, Montgomery On My Mind: The Hank EP.

This release combines five songs made famous by Hank Williams ("Pan American," "Lovesick Blues," and others) with three Arty Hill originals, including an ode to the Grand Old Opry's golden era ("Church On Saturday Night"), an instrumental tribute to Hank's steel player, Don Helms ("Don's Bop") and a contemporary love song set in Hank's hometown of Montgomery, Alabama ("Montgomery On My Mind"). Arty is superbly backed on these recordings by the Long Gone Daddy's including the steel guitar of Dave Giegerich (the Hula Monsters), Steve Potter on stand-up bass, Jack O'Dell (Bill Kirchen's Too Much Fun and the Twangbangers) and Ed Hough on drums and Patrick McAvinue on fiddle(Don Rigsby and Midnight Call, Audie Blaylock and Redline).

We're sure you'll agree with Jerome Clark of Rambles.net that Arty Hill is "...a country songwriter of the first order." and his latest release, like Back on the Rail and Bar of Gold, shows a bright future for true country music.