Eddie Hinton :: Dear Y’all: The Songwriting Sessions

An artist that will forever go down as one of the key architects of Southern soul, the late Eddie Hinton is about as swampy as the genre gets. A veritable Muscle Shoals renaissance man, Hinton paid the bills as a scratch session musician, in the town’s famed rhythm section, contributing to some of the most well known sides to come out of the storied Alabama enclave. Hinton’s chops can be found on the likes of Wilson Pickett, Arthur Conley, Aretha Franklin, Joe Tex, Solomon Burke, Percy Sledge, The Staple Singers, Elvis Presley, The Box Tops, and Otis Redding. Not too shabby.

Of Hinton’s limited official studio recordings it is Dear Y’all: The Songwriting Sessions that really hits the note; a quality demo collection capturing the bare essence of both Hinton’s playing and vocals. And what of that voice? It was years before I learned Hinton was indeed a white man, that the voice belting out those swampy R&B stompers and soulful blues belonged to a man of a complexion more akin to Bobby Charles than Otis Redding.   In short, Hinton was on it—he was the real deal. His instincts, hell, his entire aesthetic, are where it’s at. His brilliance was also criminally under-appreciated at the time of his death in 1995.

Comprised of unreleased material and versions of songs that would make it onto his 1978 debut (the awesomely titled, Very Extremely Dangerous), the Dear Y’all collection, since it’s 2000 release on Zane Records, has been one of my favorite turn-ons for genre enthusiasts. Come on a get ya a little taste….

MP3: Eddie Hinton :: Super Lover
MP3: Eddie Hinton :: Cover Me
MP3: Eddie Hinton :: Build Your Own Fire
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12 thoughts on “Eddie Hinton :: Dear Y’all: The Songwriting Sessions

  1. Hinton’s “Everybody Needs Love” is being covered on the upcoming DBT ablum Go Go Boots….out February 15, 2011.

  2. Thanks for helping to keep Eddie’s memory, and stellar musical legacy, alive* He was indeed one of the most criminally overlooked R&B/soul artists ever, and his story is one of the saddest as well. Just give a listen to his brilliant “Hard Luck Guy”, and you’ll hear arguably the most gut-wrenching soul ballad ever committed to record. I can’t listen to it — especially after a few drinks — and not be brought to tears. Eddie Hinton lives!

  3. Shake it Records in Cincinnati has been pressing 7″ vinyl by artists covering Eddie’s songs. Greg Dulli and The Drive-By Truckers have contributed and there’s another one in the pipe.

    The DBT’s version has the “Everybody Needs Love” cover J mentioned above, and they’ve been playing it quite a bit on their current tour.

  4. Satisfied…I guess technically, I’ve never heard a version of BIB by Hinton or co-writer Donnie Fritz, so I suppose they probably just wrote it for Dusty, in which case, guess it’s technically not a cover. (I was actually introduced to this song as a kid by my dad who listened to the UB40 version a lot.)

    And for those that mentioned DBT, don’t forget Sandwiches for the Road has a lot to do with Eddie.

  5. Great review. We all need some soul education. Eddie Hinton is the real deal indeed. Keep writing, we’ll keep listening!

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