Over the years we’ve had the good fortune of playing in a band called Bad Dog. 

As some of our highly esteemed and reasonably steadfast fans know, Bad Dog draws upon the B-sides of the Americana songbook, mixing in alt-country, the occasional well-meaning folk song for the benefit of English majors, a smattering of Chicago blues, along with a side order of what is now called vintage rock and roll…. all the while drawing upon songs that like to hole up off the beaten path until a night comes along when your guitar has been over-served and the next thing you know you’re slipping past the event horizon and disappearing into Brown Sugar.

Over the years Bad Dog has seen its share of musicians come and go, but what hasn’t changed is our love of the material we play.  There’s a reason for that. Many of these songs aren’t just great songs, they’re songs that early on gave voice to our lives…. at a time when songs could actually do that. Once you’ve had that experience, it never leaves you…. for the songs we play are as alive today as the moment when we first heard them.  And that’s why it’s been so enjoyable to be part of Bad Dog.  As much as the band has tried to make a small contribution towards nurturing and embracing and celebrating this music, what we’re really doing is nurturing and embracing and celebrating our own lives.

That’s how music, in the end, pays so well.

But all of this is just a preamble to what we would like to share with you now. And here’s the big reveal:  if you  go to iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music or to any of the other 100 streaming services, you will find yet another addition to the 1 million songs already on these platforms.

And that addition is an album called Winter Sun.

Winter Sun is a collection of 27 original songs written by us which has been released in 3 volumes called (please be seated when you read this)…. Winter Sun One, Winter Sun Two and Winter Sun Three.

Winter Sun brought together a gaggle of musicians from Wales, Argentina, Denmark, New Zealand, Tivoli New York, Portland, Oregon, Tucson, Arizona, Branson, Missouri, Austin, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee ….. all accomplished instrumentalists and singers who have surrounded Turner’s vocals with fiddles, mandolins, pianos, B3s, synths, cellos, accordions, pedal steel guitars, harmonicas, electric and acoustic basses, drums, percussion and backup singers.  To which we’ve added every guitar we’ve ever owned.  The result is 2 hours and 4 minutes of music, which means the next time you find yourself driving from Memphis, Tennessee to Helena, Arkansas, Winter Sun can accompany you all the way.

So, if you’re antsy for a road trip, punctuated by some well-intentioned yet rollicking aural companionship, bring Winter Sun along for the ride.  And send us a postcard when you get to Helena.

Happy listening!

Turner Smith and John Abbott