Big Country

Big Country is the debut album from RC Edwards and features 11 songs recorded over the span of 6 months in the fall of 2020. With the exception of "The Blues Man," a Hank Williams Jr. Song, this is all-original material that showcases the breadth of Edwards' writing alongside his longtime songwriting partner, Johnny Burke - with a notable contribution from Hank Early, Turnpike Troubadours steel guitar player, in "Oklahoma Beach Body."

This collection of songs explores a fittingly massive landscape of emotion, expression and creativity. Through tongue in cheek humor, barroom anthems, sports hero folklore, historical exposition, tales of life and love set somewhere between Cherokee County, Oklahoma, and the farthest reaches of space, Big Country lives up to it's name.

Recorded and produced by Hank Early at his home studio, Pine Curtain Studios, in Tahlequah, OK, it features contributions from fellow Troubadours; Kyle Nix (fiddle) and Gabe Pearson (drums), as well as Cory Graves of the Vandoliers (horns) and the stirring vocals of Amber Watson.

The album came together one track at a time, with the bulk of the music arranged and performed by Early, who can be heard performing acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, bass, pedal steel, dobro, accordion, keyboards, sampling, and background vocals. The musical content of the album matches the breadth of the lyrics, with a wide range of tones and textures that give this album a sound that at times confounds comparison.

RC Edwards wrote many of Turnpike Troubadours' most well known and beloved songs, including: "Kansas City Southern," "Morgan Street," "7 Oaks," "Wrecked," and "Fall Out of Love," with the latter appearing here as a duet. Big Country shows RC Edwards stepping confidently into the spotlight.