Personnel includes: Ann Murray (vocals); Aidan Mason (acoustic, electric & classical guitars); Bob Mann, Michael "Pepi" Francis (acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin); Steve Smith (pedal steel, dobro); Kevin Breit (National steel guitar, tenor guitar, mandocello, 5-string banjo, mandolin, mandola); Don Reed (fiddle); Richard Armin (cello); Lou Pomonti (accordion, piano, Hammond B-3 organ); Vern Dorge (clarinet, alto saxophone); Guido Bassio (trumpet flugelhorn); Doug Riley (piano, Hammond B-3 organ); Steve Sexton (keyboards); Brian Barlow (vibraphone, marimba, percussion); Peter Bleakney (bass); Gary Craig (drums, percussion); Debbie Ankeny, Colina Phillips, Vivienne Williams, Tommy West (background vocals).
Recorded at Sounds Interchange, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Serving as a companion to Anne Murray's 1993 collection CROONIN', (a tribute to pre-rock & roll artists of the '50s), COUNTRY CROONIN' more than lives up its equally intriguing predecessor. For an artist whose spent her career straddling the worlds of pop and country music, this two-CD set brings the Canuck siren full circle. In her quest for material, Murray is fairly forthright about her biases. The Everly Brothers, Kris Kristofferson, and Don Gibson all rate highly with multiple selections. Murray's impeccable taste also finds her digging up plenty of other classics including the 1963 Skeeter Davis smash "End Of The World," the Volunteer State official anthem "Tennessee Waltz," and the Hank Williams nugget "Take These Chains From My Heart."
Other artists getting a tip of the hat include fellow Canadian legend Hank Snow ("A Fool Such As I"), Patsy Cline ("I Fall To Pieces"), and Elvis Presley ("Can't Help Falling In Love With You," "Always On My Mind"). Best of all is "Let It Be Me," a sweet-sounding Vince Gill duet that was originally a 1960 Top 10 hit for The Everly Brothers. Stellar liner notes by noted Nashville music journalist Robert K. Oermann help make COUNTRY CROONIN' a keeper.
