Album Notes

YESTERDAY AND TODAY RECORDS from Australia says about THE BERLIN TAPES:

'*Billy Don Burns – “The Berlin Tapes” ... this is a result of the solo tour the slightly wacky Billy Don made to Germany, and features just him and his guitar and a mix of new and old songs of which the spectacular “Outlaws at the Cross” is as good as you are ever going to hear. Comparisons can be made to the likes of Waylon and David Allan Coe, though someone once said to me that where Coe stretches the truth (just a tad mind you) Billy Don actually constricts it. He is a wild and crazy guy but his German mentor has harnessed him to produce what may be his best work. He is a true outlaw and the lyrics, which are included, will make you shake your head. A must for fans of the mentioned artists and the likes of Billy Joe Shaver, Willie Nelson etc.'



Willie Nelson recorded his song 'California', his album 'Desperate Men' (a cooperation with Hank Cochran) kicked Johnny Cash' UNCHAINED from the #1 position of the Gavin Americana Charts in 1999; yet, his big break never came.

For more than 30 years he‘s been writing songs and touring America, he‘s one of the last survivors and a role model for country outlaws: Billy Don Burns.

His songs are no trendy pop-country, but lived to see stories from a life on the hard side. Unsparingly melancholic, but never demanding commiseration, his booze-imbued voice tells tales of loneliness and women, of drugs and desperation.

The idea to The Berlin Tapes was born in the summer of 2007, when Helmut Hamm, Rockin‘ H Records and promoter of the Hillbilly Babylon Festival, invited Billy Don to play in Germany.
Billy Don came, without his band, with just his guitar. There he stood, a lone wolf in the spotlight, and sang his songs; an exceptional artist, one that makes you feel the 'low places‘ he has been to.
The directness and intimacy of his solo shows left no questions unanswered. In a single nightly session The Berlin Tapes were recorded in Hamm‘s private apartment in Berlin. During the production process, every attempt was made to preserve the private atmosphere of the recordings.

THE BERLIN TAPES bring you honest-to-God, rough-and-raw country music.

This 12-track CD comes with a 16 page, full color booklet.