SWALMEN, THE NETHERLANDS

REPORTER: ENTERTAINMENT NEWS, COUNTRY &

WESTERN CORNER MAGAZINE, SANTA FE, TEXAS

REPORTER: THE TRAIL MGAZINE, MARIEHOLM, SWEDEN

Howdy Billy D.

I received your letter and outstanding MC this morning, I listened to it twice and I must admit you really made a masterpiece. I also told that to Sonny May. Something that is so good needs only some fine comments. I said that you have that real country feeling in your veins and the world is happy to hear this unique country act on radio and expecially on all my shows. I will do specials about you on my Dutch and Belgian shows (three two hour shows weekly) and I will feature your music on my international country shows on worldwide short wave radio JRR from Ireland and on the Michigan Jamboree where I am guest host for my friend Big John Baldry from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Yes, I am very good friends with Bente Kyed from Radio Midtpunkt in Vejle Denmark. She recently visited me and we made a show together. If you want your life story in country music published in European Country Magazine, just send me something along with photographs and I will write your story in the Swedish The Trail Magazine for which I am a reporter. Wishing you all the best in country music.

Sincerely,

Keep it country,

Ted Clark

Billy D. Hunter “Headed for the High Countrys” Rocade RRCD 008277

Erstklassig-mit einer stark fiddle-be-tonten Fassung vom “You Asked Me to: (Waylon Jennings)-beginnt die neue CD von Billy D. Hunter. Sieben Lieder seiner 95er Produktion, darunter seine gelungene Huldigung an seinen Freund Dick Curless “The Tumbleweed Kid”, wurden Ubernommen. Das ergibt beiinsgesamt 17 Liedern eine fast 60-minutige Spielzeit. Mit Country-adawuaten zutaten (u.a. Steelguitar, Fiddle, Mundharmonika, Mandoline und sogar Dobro) findet der Horer ein gefalliges album vor, auf welchem sich altbekannte Lieder und interessante Neukompositionen abwechsein. Hier in Europa gut anzukommen scheint die einfache Art von Billy und seine als Country identifizierbare Musik, da “Headed For the High Countrys” such in Norwegen erschienen ist.

Billy’s rich vocals are the perfect compliment to the production by Andy and Mark Moseley. Perhaps the most astounding feature of this debut is that the songs are so even. This is not to say that there are no high points in the twelve cuts, but quite the opposite…there are no low points that one often finds in debut releases.

There is one other aspect of this album that should encourage every songwriter. Billy clearly recalls Bill Woods saying, “I like what you’re doing, but you just need some time.” That was 10 years ago. This is a wonderful example of how persistence pay off.

The new Mosrite CD release, “Mr. Jesus” by Billy D. Hunter and Bobby Sykes has exploded on the national gospel scene. The immediate response has been tremendous and as one DJ stated, “the hand of God is on this song”. Two other notable tracks are “I Have All I Need” recorded by Billy and Dick Curless and Johnny Russell’s “Ain’t You Even Gonna Cry” sung by Billy.

Bobby Sykes, who regularly performed with Hand Snow on the Grand Ole Opry, was a backup singer with Marty Robbins for many years and has written many hit songs himself. Dick Curless was a popular performer who sold more than 1 million copies of “Tombstone Every Mile” and recorded many other top charted songs. Johnny Russell is a Grand Ole Opry member and is well known for his many hit songs as a performer and writer. Billy D. Hunter has had a very good reception both in the United States and the European market, with his releases on the Mosrite label.

All of these men thank God every day for the miracle of salvation. They have been led to hang their whole lives on Jesus Christ and are Christian witnesses who demonstrate what God can do for those who hear His call. If even one person is led to Christ through the gifts the Lord gave these men, we will all be truly blessed. We are saved to serve. May all the glory be to God.

Curless joins Boston-born Hunter on “Neon Nights”

When talk at the Massachusetts Country Music Awards Association turned to Dick Curless, fans were asking who Billy D. Hunter was and why did Curless make an appearance on Hunter’s latest album, “Neon Nights to Day’s Light” on Mosrite Records.

A background check on Hunter shows that he was born and grew up in Boston, where he began his music career. While performing around New England, Hunter would appear with Dick on shows from time to time, and through these shows, they became very good friends.

Leaving Boston, Hunter has lived on the West Coast, mid west, Texas and New York as he performed at fairs and night clubs around the country. Besides appearing with Curless, Billy has worked with Merle Haggard, Johnny Paycheck and Bobby Helms.

It was while he was living in Texas that Hunter got hooked on the sound of Texas music. Texas music is a combination of the dance rhythms and heavy beats of country swing and Tex-Mex music, along with the rhythmic influences of Cajun and Germanic-Slavic music. This occurred due to the large numbers of immigrants from these countries that settled throughout what was known as the Texas territory.

Billy D. recorded an album of up-tempo songs on Axbar Records called “The Best of Billy D. Hunter,” and the single released from this album was a ballad called “This Darn Pen,” a simple but powerful song. His latest single is “Walk Softly on the Bridges” produced by Andy Moseley on Bold Records.

Jean Paul Sinistre, Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Houston Press Club

Billy D. Hunter…he’s the guy from New Jersey who sounds as though he took special instruction from Ray Price. Billy D’s “Neon Nights” will turn on. It did us for sure. We note too that Mr. Hunter has been represented on every chart in Europe and on some charts he’s holding more than one spot. Is he that good? You bet he is!

Get to know what good is. Get to know the music of Billy D. Hunter. Billy sent us two cassettes. The “Neon Nights” offering is great, with each and every selection rated “best.” How can that be? Well, you just have to listen for yourself neighbor. Mr. Hunter is an individualist for sure. Can he help it if he sounds like Ray Price? Of course there’s the Jim Reeves influence in Hunter’s work. Having Dick Curless in this album is an unbeatable combination. Although Billy D. is from Boston he sounds western swing and honky tonk at times. Take it from us, Billy D. Hunter is an act that’s impossible to follow.

Reviews by Craig Baguley

Billy D. Hunter, “Neon Nights to Day’s Light

You know, when I first started listening to country music back in the 60s, I heard, through the music publishing operation I worked for, hundreds of Indie singles, particularly vanity records on custom labels that the artists themselves had paid for. Perhaps I was lucky, but many of these singles were highly listenable, and certainly none were trashable.

How times have changed. Gracing our office floor at this moment are around three hundred singles sent to us for our one-time indie column. I recently put them to the test, searching for a passable single that at least had the decency to stay in tune-a vain quest. I don’t know why there should have been such a drastic drop in standards, but I now approach the indie product with rather less optimism than in the past.

Which is why artists like Billy D. Hunter are so welcome. This Boston-based singer may not meet the age or looks criteria demanded by the image conscious majors, but he has an appeal and conviction that make for honest country music in the honky tonk tradition. This is apparent on reworkings of classic songs such as Mel Street’s “Walk Softly On the Bridges”, Shaver’s “Old Fiver and Dimers” (produced here by Tommy Collins-all other tracks are helmed by Andy and Mark Moseley) and Eddy Arnold’s hit from the 50’s, “How’s the World Treating You.”

The album opens with the self-composed “I’ve Lived It Up” and ends with the gospel ballad “I Have All I Need”, written by longtime Marty Robbins sideman Bobby Sykes and featuring guest star Dick Curless, a fabulous singer in his time. In fact, Hunter himself is very Curless-like in his vocals, and certainly had me fooled on more than one occasion. He even includes his own cut of the Curless hit from 1972, “January, April and Me”. Nice too, to hear a reminder of the great Wynn Steward in “After the Storm”, the late star’s last Top Ten hit back in 1976.

The production and support are simple and uncluttered, with good musicians like Walt Cunningham (keyboards), Roger Ball (mandolin/acoustic guitar), Hall Rugg (steel/dobro) and Buddy Spicher (fiddle) providing competent backup in the one-take mould. Give this a listen.

Billy D. Hunter “Old Five and Dimers:. Billy Joe Shaver; Producer Joe Scates; BMI, Axbar

Superb scampering fiddle work, lively guitar picking and a warm vocal all wrapped around one of country’s all-time most wonderful songs. Congratulations to Billy and all concerned.

Song collection: semi-biographical selections

There are a lot of promising country singers who for one reason or another sort of “slip through the cracks.” That is, they never achieve the chart status or recognition they deserve, which doesn’t make them any less talented, just unluckier than some of their peers who make the right connection.

Billy D. Hunter is one of those artists, though the singer-songwriter continues to provide sterling performances for his followers while still pursuing a love of music.

The independent Mosrite Records released Billy D. Hunter’s album “Neon Nights, to Day’s Light, a worthy co-production of Andy Moseley and his son, Mark Moseley.

The Moseley’s spotlight the singer on 11 songs, while the 12 th, Billy Joe Shaver’s “Old Five and Dimers”, was produced earlier by noted tunesmith Tommy (Leonard) Collins in RCA’s famed Studio B. Incidentally, Collins’ ballad “Jamey”, co-written with Sterling Whipple, is also featured as produced by the Moseleys.

Six numbers reflect the Neon Nights of his life, while the final half dozen attest to his emergence into Day’s Light. For this effort, the Moseleys have assembled quality Nashville session players at their Sound Control Studio. They include Buddy Spicher on fiddle, Ronnie Hughes on bass, Walt Cunningham on keyboards, Roger Ball on mandolin, Steve Wilkerson on steel Billy West on Drums and Hal Rugg on dobro. Furnishing backup vocals are such skilled harmony singers as Jennifer O’Brien, Gary Paxton and Julie Maners.

A highlight of this collection is a superb cameo vocal contribution by Hunter’s hero Dick Curless, on the inspiring Bobby Sykes gospel offering “I Have All I Need.” At times, Hunter is reminiscent of Curless, who still boasts one of the greatest ranges among country vocalists.

Hunter, a smooth-voiced crooner, does equally well on honky-tonk tracks like his self-penned “I’ve Lived It Up” or when giving testimony in the gospel flavored “I’d Rather Live Right” which he also wrote.

How great to hear Boudleaux Bryant’s great 1953 Eddy Arnold smash “How’s the World Treating You” again. Other exceptionally rendered covers include Dallas Frazier and A. L. (Doodle) Owens “Walk Softly on the Bridges” (a Mel Street success in 1973) and Dale Noe’s “After the Storm” (a 1976 Wynn Stewart hit).

Hunter’s composition “Liquid Salvation” recalls his past, while his heartfelt vocal on “January, April and Me” is yet another salute to Curless, who recorded the Buddy Mize tune himself 20 years ago.

Hunter is a very likeable, gentle man, whose dedication includes a paen to his wife Rosalia, “The flower of my heart which will never fade.”