Ramsey was signed to the Leon Russell label, Shelter Records, in the early ‘70’s when progressive country or Redneck Rock was just starting to gain popularity and included artists such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffett, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and Michael Martin Murphy. I was fortunate enough to see him play on the same bill with Michael Murphy in Austin, Texas.
Ramsey’s singing style varies, sounding formally trained and choir-like at times as he does on “Goodbye to Old Missoula.” He also knows how to sing with a flavor as tasty as Texas barbecue with a soulful, bluesy, country voice heard on the slide guitar driven “Watermelon Man” and “Geraldine and the Honeybee.” He can also be very smooth, but no less authentic as he was on “Boy from Oklahoma,” a song written about Woody Guthrie, and his pop-folk rendition of Muskrat Candlelight--still my favorite version of that song.
Several of his songs have been covered by other artists including, Waylon Jennings, Jimmy Buffet (“The Ballad of Spider John”), Widespread Panic (“Geraldine and the Honeybee”), Jimmie Dale Gilmore (“Goodbye to Old Missoula”), Shawn Colvin (“Satin Sheets”), Jerry Jeff Walker (“Northeast Texas Women”), America, and Captain and Tennille (“Muskrat Candlelight”).
I eventually sold my vinyl record collection and replaced a fair amount with compact discs. It wasn’t until many years later that I bought Willis Alan Ramsey on CD, and I’m glad I did. Besides the fact that this is one of the best in my collection, it’s hard to find it for less than $49 used, but I would encourage you to keep looking. I’m not a collector of things, but I do collect music I want to listen to. It might not be worth it to you to drop this much cash for an album. One thing for sure is I’m not giving mine up, and if that second one ever gets released, I’ll be one of the first in line to buy it.