NASHVILLE, TN – (March 16, 2011) – Behind every great musician, there is a pinnacle moment of inspiration that has a resounding influence on the musician they are today. Long before critically acclaimed musician John Oates became one-half of the award-winning duo Hall & Oates, he was reveling in the American classics of artists such as Chuck Berry and Mississippi John Hurt. Mississippi Mile, available everywhere on April 12, emanates Oates’ musical autobiography; stringing together the heavy influences of classic hits with his distinct Americana Blues sound and musical talents.
“This album is about honoring the tradition of the song itself,” Oates explains. “I wanted to go back to the songs that really shaped me when I was growing up. I wouldn’t be the musician that I am today without these songs. It’s a stripped-down effort to showcase what the song was before it ever made it on the record and became a hit. The music you hear on Mississippi Mile is as close to a live album as it gets.”
The tracks on Mississippi Mile directly capture what Oates and the musicians played on the first take in the studio, with the exception of only two overdubs, giving the record a live album feel. The strong group of musicians–which include renowned performers such as Bekka Bramlett, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and co-producer Mike Henderson, to name a few–helpMississippi Mile reach a diverse level of sound unlike any other record to date.
The 12-track album chronicles Oates’ musical inspirations from Curtis Mayfield’s “It’s Allright” to Allen Fraser’s “Dance Hall Girls” and even the Hall & Oates classic “You Make My Dreams Come True,” all intertwining elements of Oates’ authentic roots sound. “Deep River” was penned by Oates about the Nashville flood, while paying homage to Doc Watson’s “Deep River Blues.” The album’s title-track is the other Oates original song, kicking-off the album with reverence to his strong respect for classic American music.
“’Mississippi Mile’ is about the music that comes from the heart of the Delta,” Oates said. “There’s something very unique and important about the music that comes that geographic area that has become the foundation of all American popular music. This song is one of those songs that can be stripped away from the entire record and still stand on its own.”
Grammy-nominated artist and American Songwriter Hall of Fame member, John Oates, is one-half of the most successful duo in rock history, Hall & Oates. He has penned over eight No. 1 hits with “Sarah Smile,” “You Make My Dreams,” “She’s Gone,” “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do),” “Maneater” and “Out of Touch.” He has received numerous American Music and MTV Awards, as well as the BMI Icon Award for the duo’s outstanding career achievement in songwriting. In the last few years, Oates has created the annual concert series, 7908 The Aspen Songwriters Festival, at the Historic Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, CO.
For more information on John Oates, please visit www.JohnOates.com.
For more information, please contact Tree Paine at Warner Music Nashville:
615.214.1500 / [email protected]