Album Notes

Mark Selby is a musician who's had a lot of dreams come true. Growing up and learning to play the guitar in western Oklahoma -- one of the more rural and isolated spots in America -- he couldn't have imagined where his music would take him. "All I knew was that I'd fallen in love with the guitar, and that I liked making up songs and loved to dream about going places. So as I was finishing high school, I began to wonder, could I make this my job somehow? I didn't have any visions of glory or delusions of grandeur, I just wanted to be able to keep playing the guitar...and maybe see a little of the world!" Since those humble beginnings, Mark and his guitar -- and his songs -- have certainly seen a lot of the world. He's written #1 hits for multi-platinum recording artists (including the Dixie Chick's Grammy-winning "There's Your Trouble" and Kenny Wayne Shepherd's "Blue On Black", Billboard Magazine's Rock Track of the Year in 1998), released his own internationally-acclaimed albums, and toured over several continents fronting his own band and as an acoustic solo artist, often sharing the stage with musical heroes like B.B. King, Jeff Beck and Robert Cray. Now based in Nashville, Tennessee, he's also a valued session and touring guitarist, backing artists ranging from country superstar Kenny Rogers to rock/soul legend Jimmy Hall. And to top it all off, he's found true love and is married to his frequent musical collaborator, songwriter extraordinaire Tia Sillers. So, what now for a guy who's managed to live so many of his dreams? Time to spend some quality time with an old friend, as the man himself will tell you in the liner notes to his stellar new CD, Mark Otis Selby...And The Horse He Rode In On.

"On a handful of occasions in late 2005, I sat down in front of a couple of microphones with my oldest musical pal, the 'horse I rode in on': my trusty 1974 Mossman acoustic guitar. I punched the red button on a little recording machine and played some of my new songs, some of my not-so-new songs, and a few of my favorite songs. Here and there a friend joined in, and once or twice I added a guitar part later, but this is basically 'Moss' and I (we share the same nickname), 'live' in the living room, warts and all. Listen close and you'll hear trains, dogs, squeaks, rattles -- and my better-half Tia knocking at the front door (to her own house!). I'd like to tell you that it was a labor of love or a long-awaited dream come true making this CD, but truth be told, it's just what the ol' Mossman and I do -- and plan to keep doing for a long time. The musical equivalent of two fellas who meet in the park everyday for a friendly chess game."

What Mark doesn't mention is that the not-so-new songs he's referring to are his own inimitable versions of hits he's written for other artists, and that the new songs are some of the best he's ever created. And as for the favorites he speaks of, for years fans have been asking Mark to record the masterful cover versions he pulls out as concert encores, and they won't be disappointed: the disc includes a fiery open-tuning slide workout on Bob Dylan's "Down in the Flood", a soulful interpretation of Jimi Hendrix' "Little Wing", and Procul Harum's classic "A Whiter Shade of Pale" -- an elegiac fingerpicked gem in Selby's hands. And while...And The Horse He Rode In On is a more intimate recording than Selby's high-octane blues/rock CD's Dirt and More Storms Comin', there's plenty of dynamic energy to be found in the new acoustic album, as well. "I actually started my career as an acoustic solo act, playing everything from college concerts to rough-and-rowdy bars to opening act slots; to survive as a solo performer you had to learn fast how to pace a show and hold an audience. I approached this record the same way -- I wanted to make it a captivating musical ride from top to bottom, even though it's mostly just me and the guitar." "To keep things interesting," Mark also sprinkles some mean blues harmonica throughout the album, and is joined on select cuts by Tia Sillers on vocals, Tim Lauer on keys, and Brent Maher (co-producer of Selby's previous two releases) on down-home leg-slappin' rhythm. The end result is an up-close-and-personal snapshot of a man in his musical prime, with a battered, beloved guitar and a batch of great songs; the front door's open for anyone who wants to drop by. So, as Mark says to close the album liner notes: "...pull up a chair, make yourself comfortable, open that bottle you've been saving. Here's to you...and the horse you rode in on."