Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member and world-renowned Nashville-based keyboardist REESE WYNANS announces his first-ever solo album “Sweet Release” a collection of songs honoring a paramount selection of blues-rock legends.
The long anticipated album comes following a career that has spanned fifty years and literally hundreds of historical collaborations.
“Sweet Release” also serves as Joe Bonamassa’s inaugural credit as a producer. Bonamassa has long been a fan of Wynans’ work, urging him to create a solo album and championing the project as producer. Today, the album is available for pre-order now.
The fact is Reese Wynans is everywhere. For a full half-century, Wynans has been the engine-room behind America’s greatest roots music. With Sweet Release, this modest legend has delivered the long-awaited solo album that puts his own name top of the bill and places his world-class talent in the spotlight. “I’ve never had an album out with my name on it before,” he considers, “so I’m very excited. I’d like this record to make people feel happy and celebrate the music. Because that’s what we were doing…”
“Reese inspires me every day,” Bonamassa said. “He encouraged me and was the heart and soul of the entire session. All the guest artists performed brilliantly and totally brought their best stuff from the very down beat. It was not lost on Reese nor me how blessed we were to work with such talent. All I know is what I know … I love the man… He is as gracious and a gentleman as he is talented and an icon.”
In the late-’60s, Wynans was playing alongside future blues-rock royalty in Florida up-and-comers, the Second Coming. “Dickey Betts was one of our guitar players and our bass player was Berry Oakley,” he says. “Duane Allman was in Muscle Shoals at the time and would come down on a weekend and sit in with us. For Sweet Release, we covered the old Les Dudek song, “Take The Time”, which reminds me of being back in Jacksonville during the dawn of that Southern rock era.”
Other songs salute the ’70s, when the keys man could be found flanking Boz Scaggs as the rising songwriter established his reputation on the West Coast. For Wynans, “Sweet Release” of Scaggs’ acclaimed catalogue shone brightest, and decades later, it gives Sweet Release its title track.
Of course, the Sweet Release track-listing wouldn’t be complete without a nod to the great Stevie Ray Vaughan. In 1985, Wynans’ world changed forever when the iconic Texas bluesman drafted him into the Double Trouble band for the era-defining Soul To Soul and In Step albums. “It was unbelievable to play on a stage with those guys,” he remembers. “I have to tell you that I hardly ever heard Stevie play a bad note. He was on his game every single night. The Stevie songs on Sweet Release – “Crossfire”, “Say What!”, “Riviera Paradise” and “Hard To Be” – are our tribute to him.”
To celebrate the announcement, the first single “Crossfire” [shared below] a tribute to the legacy of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Wynans’ work with Double Trouble, is available as a free song download on Reese and Joe’s websites (reesewynans.com and jbonamassa.com respectively) and features the iconic Sam Moore of Sam & Dave on vocals.
“Playing music with Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble for five years was an outrageous experience. I loved every minute of it,” shares Wynans. “It was a real treat getting to play a couple of our old songs with Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton. When we were writing this, someone said it reminded them of a Sam & Dave groove. Joe suggested we ask Sam Moore to sing it.”
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