Personnel: Guy Clark (vocals, guitar); Shawn Camp (vocals, guitar, fiddle); Verlon Thompson (guitar, National guitar, nylon-string guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, percussion); Darrell Scott (guitar, baritone guitar, nylon-string guitar, dobro, banjo, mandocello, mandolin, accordion, marimbula); Tim O'Brien (fiddle); Suzy Ragsdale (accordion).
Recording information: Douglas Corner Cafe, Nashville, TN (10/31/1996-11/02/1996).
Photographer: Jim McGuire .
Covering Guy Clark's late-1990s tenure with the alternative country label Sugar Hill Records, BEST OF THE SUGAR HILL YEARS works as a surprisingly fine introduction to the Texas singer-songwriter. Though Clark began making his name back in the 1970s, his weathered-but-not-worn vocals and plainspoken lyrics became better and more truthful by the time of songs such as "Soldier's Joy 1864" and "Ain't No Trouble To Me." A cover of Steve Earle's "Fort Worth Blues" is a charming nod to a clear acolyte, and three live tracks complete the solid package.
