EDITORIAL REVIEWS
The Sundowners' music and love of life struck a chord with generations of music fans. They are true legends in Chicago and an important part of the city's ongoing connection with country music. "Echoes of the Sundowners can be heard in urban honky tonks ranging from the Hideout on the Near North Side to Carol's Pub in Uptown to Fitzgerald's in BErwyn. Jon Langford and the Mekons used to jam with the traditional Western trio, although the Sundowners were almost twice the age of the punk band from Leeds, England." - CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

From 1959 to 1989, the Sundowners--bassist/steel guitarist Curt Delaney, singer Bob Boyd, and lead guitar man Don Walls--were the Windy City's ultimate country bar band. Close harmonies, ebullient, robust rhythm, and Walls's tantalizing, fleet-fingered lead guitar work made them durable stylists. Their admirers weren't just local fans; it included visiting sports, music, and film luminaries. It's easy to understand that appeal. The trio amassed a rich and genre-blind repertoire encompassing thousands of numbers. Western ("Cimarron"), pop ("I Remember You"), folk ("Tom Dooley"), and hard country ("Shenandoah Waltz") easily coexisted with lounge (Bobby Darin's versions of "Clementine" and "Things"). Even George Harrison's "Something" fit their sound as if they'd written it, as did Robbie Fulks's "Cigarette State." The bulk of this material, from 1960-1971 live recordings complete with clanking glasses and applause, powerfully documents their greatest years. There's a fascinating story to go along with the music, even if Sundowners authority and annotator Dave Hoekstra gets only enough room here for a light version of it. --Rich Kienzle