Fried Glass Onions--Memphis Meets The Beatles Vol. 2
It’s been almost one year since Inside Sounds released Fried Glass Onions—Memphis Meets The Beatles. The CD was an immediate success, and the idea of producing a second volume was soon underway. There’s usually some trepidation when considering a follow-up CD (think movies with sequels), especially when there were so many highlights on our first volume. We decided to take a similar approach with Fried  Glass Onions—Memphis Meets The Beatles Vol. 2—selecting Beatles songs that would lend themselves to a Memphis twist. On this recording, however, it’s even more Memphis—more Beale Street. In many ways, this CD comes together as a concept even more than the first one. Realizing that casual Beatles fans may not be familiar with “Glass Onion,” it made sense to open the CD with this song. That idea led to the “Glass Onion Reprise,” recorded specifically to precede the magnificent finale “All You Need Is Love.” Both songs happen to be in the same key, which adds greatly to the transition. With a more focused vision, Fried Glass Onions—Memphis Meets The Beatles feels more connected than our first volume. As far as highlights, there are many. “All You Need Is Love” still gives me tingles, even after listening to the final mix twenty times. Dave Smith (bassist/co-producer) and I talked about this song for hours, brainstorming about different approaches to this Beatles anthem! . This track required several recording sessions and, with four different lead singers, a gospel choir and a lot of instrumentation, the mix was a two-day affair. I will admit that the stars were perfectly aligned for this one—these amazing vocalists (Robert Clayborne, Jackie Johnson, Charles Ponder & Z-Da) rehearsed the song individually. Engineer Kevin Houston and I later pieced together the different takes. We were astonished at how the different textures and vocal performances came together as if all four singers had planned it all along. This song could not have been produced anywhere but Memphis. The same can be said of most of this CD. The Memphis music community really shines here and I am honored to have worked with so many great artists. My thanks to all of you, and, of course, to John, Paul, George & Ringo.