Judy Mayhan has one of the greatest country/rock/blue-eyed soul voices I ever heard. She has that heartbreak catch, that undersung shiver, like it's all about to fall apart. She has restraint and power, and when she hits the high notes the top of your head lifts off.
She also has the most astonishing lineup of backing musicians on this, her second [sophomore - Ed.] album. Duane Allman, playing with exquisite taste, all over it. Lowell George (rhythm guitar and flute!), and the godlike Richie Hayward. Warren Klein (Fraternity Of Man) on sitar (!), Arif Mardin on string arrangements. The Muscle Shoals mafia on everything else. But this is absolutely Judy's show, she's not drowned out but lifted up by the session talent.
Did I mention the songs? They're terrific, and she wrote 6/10ths of them. The album plays out with versions of You Are My Sunshine and I Shall Be Released that evoke Joe Cocker at his finest.
Oh - nice sleeve, too!
This post made possible by reading about the album in Ben Fong-Torres' book about Little Feat, Willin'. He doesn't mention how great it is, though. Psychfan provides links to two other albums [below - Ed.] in the comments.
To grab this hot biscuit, simply answer the following question - whatever happened to Judy Mayhan?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.judymayhan.com/
ReplyDeleteBTW not 8 out of 10 (that's an advert for catfood), 6 out of 10 are written by hers self
Dylan, Webb, Hall, Mitchell/Davis wrote the four others
She's been here all along - trouble is once she dons her specs she is rarely recognised; for she is... wait for it... Judy in disguise (with glasses).
ReplyDeleteThat poor joke was mine... soz, didn't mean to contribute anonymously.
ReplyDeleteSECURITY!!!!!
DeleteJudy who?? She's probably dead? Can't believe I never heard of this before -- Duane Allman, Lowell George (on flute?!), some other dudes I'm probably supposed to recognize and Muscle Shoals?!?! How has this slipped under my radar? So many questions? Thanks in advance for turning me on (if this isn't some cruel joke that is).
ReplyDeleteShe left the music world, moved abroad, and started a line of hosiery for senior citizens- Mayhan's Madams Made in Form, Made in Mongolia. She also was my 2nd wife, but I'm under a non-disclosure so I cannot say anything else.
ReplyDeleteWe are grateful for small mercies.
Deletehttps://workupload.com/file/KFcGm3XAuDZ
ReplyDeleteThis really is as good as I say it is (which is not always the case). Enjoy.
Never heard of her but with the band credits alone, I'll give it a try. Thanx, I think!
ReplyDeleteHowdy Pardner,
ReplyDeleteI'll keep it short and sweet as the weather here at the ol' homestead is enough to cause the flies hanging around the cow flop to head to the ol' watterin' hole where a truce has been enacted between the Miss' and them. She hates them, they give her the stink face and everyone is chasin' each other around causin' a indoor tornado. But I digress - it's probably the heat. Don't sleep on this one, starts off like Dusty Springfield record (which ain't bad in it's own way) and then somehow goes into post Balaclava Pearls Before Swine like territory.
As ever,
Billy Gates of the Doubble XX Ranch.
It is still much of a mystery about the nature of their relationship but its speculated she retired from music and disappeared from public view in the same year as Cary Grant passed away as she and not Judy Garland nor indeed Rita Hayworth (in the film Only Angels Have Wings') was the real 'Judy Judy, Judy'.
ReplyDeleteSince other than a single retrospective release of previously unreleased recordings in 2004 she has not been heard of again. Urban myths that she threw herself into Grant's tomb have not been verified and are fervently denied by the Grant estate.
And with that I'm off to find her other albums if I can. Toodles.....
I think she's living on the Isle of Foam with you, Farq!! ..but being the modest chap you are ......
ReplyDeleteThis is very nice (Thanks!) and so is the earlier folk LP. How is it possible for unknown items to keep turning up at this point?
ReplyDeleteI hoped the s*t*r reference would hook you in! If you could save me the trouble of finding/upping the folk album - 'preciate it!
DeleteI was amazed to discover this one. Its internet presence is almost non-existent - no reviews anywhere, nothing on all the usual reference sites (except discogs). Limited CD release (on what looks like Mayhan's own label). If ever there was a "lost classic" I think this qualifies.
Coming up. It wasn't just the exotic twang that caught my attention. It was the guest list and the mixture of genres. BTW, nice cover of I Shall Be Released.
ReplyDeleteYou might expect an unknown singer to be swamped by the heavyweight studio support, but it's very much her album all the way. I suspect one reason why she never got the star billing she merited was, well, er, the way she looked? Not conforming to stereotypes of feminine beauty, if I can put it that way?
DeleteAlso includes eponymous '71 LP.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.mediafire.com/file/v0ph7itzglf2jvy/J00dy+M@yh@n.rar/file
https://www.mediafire.com/file/ajxjtoowot0ouk5/R0cki9+The+Cr@dle.rar/file
I theng kyaouw!
DeleteThis is a great discovery - since I found Eva Cassidy by accident.
ReplyDeleteYup. You may be interested to know out of the thousands (literally thousands) of visitors to th' IoF©, only 312 have viewed this post, and even fewer will have downloaded. Why? because they never heard of her. Yes, it's their loss, but it's Judy's loss, and music's loss too.
DeleteThis is where and why the Four Or Five Guys© matter.
It's all because of MUSIC industries have become so MEGA - it's all about MONEY. Profitability...
DeleteThe music business has always been about money/profitability. That's why it's called a business. Here on th' IoF©, nobody makes a red cent. Everything's free. But you can't even give Judy's terrific album away. People want, mostly, what they already know, or something there's a buzz about.
DeleteOh, I am totally getting this. I dabble in obscure 70s stuff via my All Pearls, No Swine series, but have also never heard of Mrs. Mayhan, but will gladly remedy that situation via the links provided. Thanks Farq and Psychfan!
DeleteI hope you feature her on your blog. It's crazy she's not better known.
DeleteI just posted my favorite unreleased album over at my place, and if you don't know Terry Dolan's self-titled album, you should swing by and check it out. A great record that never came out (music industry bullshit...sigh).
DeleteOh yes, I have this. I'll add Donnie Fritts to the list:https://falsememoryfoam.blogspot.com/2020/05/tending-to-list-dept.html
Delete