CD Reviews - Mike Headrick

Mike has produced and recorded Jacob Lyda, Benny Berry, Roger Cooper and Judy Bailey, and more recently has produced and recorded Shane Worley, Wade Sims, Derrick Mehaffey, Tony Martin........the list goes on. He records sessions that come to him from all over the world. Last month Barb Marchuk a fantastic singer from Canada, Next week J.W. Houston from England. Bente Boe a powerful singer from Norway has been produced and recorded .

Mike has been on the road with Louise Mandrell as her band leader and played two years with his good friend Don King. From Don King sprang a well known group, Sawyer Brown, who offered Mike the position of guitar player, he turned it down to start his own business in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.

Mike plays several instruments as a professional, the Harmonica, Banjo, Dobro, Mandolin, Bass and the Pedal Steel Guitar, playing a lot of the instruments on the sessions he records. He was recently nominated this year with the ICMAG for CD of the year with "Slanted" his first instrumental CD to go out to radio, also record label of the year and business of the year.

As well as the many talents mentioned above, Mike is also a fine songwriter and is responsible for all of the songs on this 10 track instrumental CD.

Backed up by some fine musicianship from, Jim Unger & Joe Caverlee("Yankee Gray") - Fiddles, Jimmy Hyde & Bob Courter - Drums, Don Barrett & Kenny Berry - Bass and Gene Sisk & Nick Holman - Piano. Guitars, Harmonica and of course the Pedal Steel Guitar are all played by Mike.

Songs range from the swing of "San Antonio Slant", a very catchy tune that would be a sure fire hit with the linedancers and "Swang Thang" a novel tune with finger clicking breaks, to great country shufflers like "Springtime In Austin" and "Strong As Steel".

Ballads are also catered for via the wonderful "Tears On The Bar" with it's nice touches of Harmonica, "Steel Of The Night" and the mournful sounding "Wishing" while "When You Let Go Of Me" is a nice tune I would like to hear with words.

Mike goes for the Buck Owens sound with "West Coast Turnaround" while the album closes with the lively "Straight Up", a tune that as I write has just entered the European Independent Labels Country Music Top 30. A fine acheivement for an instrumental track.

This is a fine album of solid country instrumentals from a man who believes in keeping it country and for 20 years has fought to keep the music traditional. As the acompanying information states, "Its in his heart, blood, and soul. Its truly who he is".
Mike Headrick is a very talented multi-instrumentalist who sure knows how to make the Pedal Steel Guitar sing.

Check It Out!