New Release: Seven Levels by Tommy Talton (Strolling Bones Records)

Frank Thomas Talton was born in Orlando, Florida on January 9, 1949. He took to the guitar early and played in several bands in his teens growing up including The Offbeets and We The People. While in California in 1969, Talton met up with Scott Boyer, Chuck Leavell, and Bill Stewart eventually forming Cowboy.

Talton and Boyer forged a friendship with fellow Floridians the Allman Brothers. Cowboy even joined Greg in recording his debut solo album Laid Back and backed him on the tour in 1974. Talton continued to tour and release original music as long as he was able. After bravely fighting health issues off and on, Talton finally succumbed to cancer on December 28, 2023 at the age of 74.

Opening track “Time Will Take Us” unfurls with a rarefied guitar, as if Tommy was speaking to us from the great beyond. A Talton original, this track was featured on the Cowboy interlude on the 1974 Gregg Allman Tour. Levels finds Talton sounding better than ever, including Capricorn Records legends such as Leavell on electric piano, Randall Bramblett playing the organ, Rick Hirsch with the electric guitar, and Bill Stewart on drums. The song is an uplifting experience and puts Tommy right back in the room with us.

The Boyer/Talton tune “Ramblin’ Man,” a predecessor to the Dickey Betts-penned hit for the Allman Brothers, was written in 1971 but never made it to a Cowboy album. In it, Talton sings, “He is gifted with a song / I think he hopes we’ll sing along / Sometimes things get hard to say I guess you know that it’s that way / But it don’t mean it’s got to stay that way.” A song written more than five decades ago seems to be a modern day dedication to Boyer.

The most happily upbeat tune on the album hands down is “I’ve Got the Sun in My Heart,” a Dixieland gem featuring Donna Hall Foster harmonizing with Tommy, and James Pennebaker on fiddle. It’s a whole lotta fun, TT style. Singing of huntin’ deer and drinkin’ moonshine, “I got the sun in my heart, the moon in my head / I like to travel a lot, but I stay home instead / I’m takin’ in the bright sunshine, and I’m savin’ some daylight time.” Yep, we’re in the South.

A few of the new tracks seem to give a nod to Talton’s wife, Patty. Songs such as “I Can Pick You Up,” “I Want To Do It All Again” (though this could also be a love letter to his musical career), and especially “Waiting For the Lady to Return,” a beauty of a love song referencing Patty’s recent stroke and how the resulting aphasia – a language disorder affecting speech and comprehension – makes communicating challenging. “Now the words are lost, her frustration grows / We are looking for some peace in used to be / She feels lonesome now, thinking no one knows / It’s so hard for her to give up feeling free,” Talton sings for his bride. This power couple supported each other with grace and understanding throughout their shared health episodes.

Closer “Say a Prayer On My Behalf” finds Tommy deep in the Blues, with an echoey voice proclaiming, “My woman calls to me / To save her from all harm / I hear her in my dreams / I need to be back in her arms.” It’s a hauntingly wonderful tune with Talton’s electric guitar wailing and slide guitar begging for mercy. Bramblett’s eerie, just-right organ anchors the whole thing.

Seven Levels was recorded mainly at the old stomping grounds of Capricorn Records in Macon, Georgia and was produced by Talton along with Rick Hirsch and Jeremy Stephens, and executive produced by Joe Bell. To listen and/or purchase Seven Levels, check out the Strolling Bones Records website.

On a personal note, I first met Tommy in the fall of 2009 just after we moved into this cul-de-sac neighborhood in Marietta, Georgia. As we were grabbing the mail one day, he slowed his car down to exchange niceties. He introduced himself as a musician. “You can Google me” he said. Being a straightforward communicator, that comment was not an arrogant Tommy, just a roadmap for me (who claimed to “know a lot about music”). We soon discovered the real Tommy and Patty, two wonderfully compassionate people. And both very cool. I would frequently see Tommy in the yard and we’d chat it up about the latest music. We shared a mutual admiration for Dawes, referred to as “the real deal” by Tommy. Incredible stories about his time playing and hanging with the Allmans, like the time that Duane said to Tommy, “Hey, check out this new riff. Clapton is gonna use it in a song.” Duane proceeded to play the opening chords to “Layla.”

Meditation is a practice promoting calmness and focus. But just a few minutes hanging with TT – a handshake or a hug – could lift your spirits like nobody’s business. I’d always walk away with a smile on my face and feeling a couple inches taller. That’s the effect Tommy had on people. Add his singing, songwriting, and guitar playing to that and you’re approaching euphoria. Tommy’s friends, family, and neighbors will always remember his generous spirit and musical genius. We love and miss you, Tommy.

“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” — Thomas Campbell