Credits

That Daddy-O Daddy! is an exceptional record worthy of listeners who span the generational spectrum ought to come as no ground-shaker. Forget, for a moment, that this is a Woody Guthrie tribute--a designation signaling that whatever's to come, it'll be electric-blanket cozy--and focus instead on the talent that producer Frankie Fuchs pulled together here. There's the glorious rough stuff of Taj Mahal; Billy Bragg & the Blokes' robust riptide; Cissy Houston's graceful vocal sway; and the back-porch warble of Ramblin' Jack Elliott, among others. It's a meandering but easy-to-follow recipe of master interpreters, in other words, and one that's not afraid to intermingle ingredients. Add to that the tingly thrill of being on the receiving end of raw material mined from folk music's dear, departed pop (six unreleased, unrecorded, and in some cases unfinished tracks poke up), and you can't help feeling a little awed. Cue this up for kids as young as 2, as the whirly-twirl of tracks like "Tippy-Tap Toe" and "Little Sack o' Sugar" will set them to swooping, swaying, and singing the way Woody would've wanted. Houston's "Sleep Eye" and Bragg's "Dry Bed" soar--one's as warm as the other is high-spirited. These 16 tracks, though, are to be savored for the simple joy with which their creator so deftly dashed them off. "Howdy Little Newlycome," Guthrie's own recitation of a wonderment-filled ditty he recorded in his kitchen in 1951, caps off a perfectly executed disc that pours its heart out in the name of a plainspoken genius. --Tammy La Gorce

PRODUCTION / CREDITS

Two-time Grammy Nominee for Producer of the Year 1997 and 1992

Produced soundtrack for Grammy-nominated animated film This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie/Arlo Guthrie

Produced Grammy-nominated Grow Big Songs by Woody Guthrie and Family

Produced Daddy-O Daddy! CD on Rounder Records featuring Taj Majal, Billy Bragg, Cissy Houston, Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Kim Wilson, Ramblin' Jack Elliot and Syd Straw

Co-produced tracks for Blue Note Records' Strawberry Fields featuring Sylvia Shemwell of R&B vocal group The Sweet Inspirations

Wrote theme music for ABC-TV's two-hour special We Have a Dream

Wrote seven songs for the Czech/Slovak feature film A Fountain for Susan (1999) released in Europe and Africa, featuring Song of the Year Water of Love in 2000

Original Songs recorded by Artists: The Brass Construction; Cissy Houston; Melba Moore; The Spinners; Syd Straw; Phoebe Snow; Ronnie Dyson; Pure Prairie League; Kim Wilson (co-written with Woody Guthrie); and Angela Clemmons, to name a few.

Played guitar for Whitney Houston and Cissy Houston

Contributed music and songs to TV Movies If You Only Knew (aka Who's on First?) premiered on HBO; Passion and Prejudice premiered on USA Networks; Direction Unknown premiered on Cinemax; Ice Angels premiered on Fox Network ; Silencing Mary (aka The Texas Cadet Murder Mystery) premiered on ABC's Movie of the Week ; The Michael Jordon Story premiered on Fox Network; Swearing Allegiance premiered on Showtime.

Scored for TV: The Entertainers; Kickin' It With Byron Allen; Urban Style; American Athlete; Beautiful Homes and Great Estates; Recipe TV; Every Woman; Automotive Vision; Designer Fashions & Runways; Feel the Beat.

Produced Artists / Bands: Taj Mahal; Billy Bragg, Cissy Houston, Kim Wilson, Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Arlo Guthrie/Woody Guthrie, Mary Davis, Syd Straw, Greg Walker; Wood and Smoke (Australia), Pharoah; Fear; Teazer; Guise (Canada), Wildest Dreams; Rene Geyer (Australia), Max Mencik (Czech).

Wrote, arranged, produced and performed his own CD Love's Own Road.

Contributed various articles to trade magazines and on-line music websites. Learn more about producing your own home demo. Click here for Home Demo Recording article.

FRANKIE FUCHS