Freddy Weller - The Roadmaster
In this week's episode, we're featuring a solid traditional country release from the often overlooked career of Freddy Weller: "The Roadmaster" (1972). As a member of popular rock/pop act Paul Revere & The Raiders in the late 60s, it was his version of Joe South's "Games People Play" which shot him to country stardom. Weller never recaptured that level of fame but spent most of the 70s recording country to mixed commercial results. His hits dropped off completely after 1980, but as a writer he kept an iron in the fire and scored considerable success with a BMI one-million spinner in Reba McEntire's "They Asked About You" as well as "Lonely Women Make Good Lovers" for Bob Luman. Freddy Weller also co-wrote every SINGLE one of the tracks on "The Roadmaster" (frequently collaborating with Muscle Shoals session staple Spooner Oldham) and solid gold country cuts like "Bars Have Made A Prisoner Of Me", the dark but humorous "Ballad Of A Hillbilly Singer", some wonderful trembling steel in "An Oldie But A Goodie" and the kicking title track warrant a revisiting of Freddy Weller's underrated but extremely worthy place in country music history.