Sweet Water

Home is where sweet water falls
And kneeling down to take a little drink is like sipping wine
Home is where the little woman lies waiting keeping it warm 
I got to make it back by the summer town.

Give me a drink of sweet water
Give me the taste of a wine
Give me the feel of my woman’s body nestling close to my mine 
and I’ll know I’m home

Sweetwater Valley is/was the fantastic ‘B’ side to If I Could Write A Love Song. This was the first single (released before the album dropped) from his 1974 album ‘Digby Richards’. In 1973, Digby ventured to Los Angeles to record the tunes with an all American cast and crew. The single failed to chart.

The third single (of four from the album), Do The Spunky Monkey/My Daddy Was A Song And Dance Man (June) achieved the highest rating in relation to the charts peaking at number 12 on July 13, 1974 (Go Set National Music Charts). This would be Digby’s all time highest ranking single. As I have mentioned previously, the charts are not always an accurate indication of the quality of a tune nor an indication of Digby’s typical songwriting style, after all, this was a novelty tune. The song was definitely influenced by Ray Stevens’ 1970 hit Guitarzan (he even mentions Guitarzan) and incidentally was in the charts when Ray Stevens The Streak was climbing to the Top of the Pops.

The ‘B’ side in my opinion has more appeal, but don’t confuse it with Mike McClellan’s fantastic Song And Dance Man from the same year that topped the National Charts. I had! There are two toons penned by other artists on the album, Kevin Johnson’s number one hit from the previous year, Rock ‘N’ Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life) and the album’s producer, legendary Larry Murray’s Be My Day. Kevin and Digby were comrades and Digby’s take is pretty bloody good.

Now if you’re one of the punters out there screaming that Sweetwater Valley doesn’t appear on your vinyl copy, you either have an overseas print or a later (perhaps not that much) Aussie pressing. Sweetwater was sacked for (I believe for every drop of rain that falls) a re-recorded (in LA) version of his 1971 charting A Little Piece Of Peace. As Professor Sumner Miller would exclaim “Why is it so?” I certainly wouldn’t have given it the ‘Khyber’!

I am not very familiar with Jeff Gilkinson the man who blows the harmonica chops on Sweetwater Valley. He joined Bluegrass legends, The Dillards, in the seventies. Jeff has worked with Jackson Browne, Waylon Jennings, and Tom T Hall. His harmonica can be heard on Back When The Old Homeplace Was New from Tom’s 1997 ‘Home Grown’ album. 

Sweetwater Valley is in the key of ‘C’ and Jeff is playing cross in ‘F’. He equally provides some nice flourishes with the ‘Tennessee Triller’ on the catchy New York City (Send My Baby Home) the ‘A’ side of the third single (number 31 on the Go Set Charts). Jeff also contributes five string Banjo on Digby’s album.

Could he be a candidate for the harmonica on Neil Diamond’s Brooklyn Roads? Interestingly (but not very funny) two of Digby’s musicians on his album, Richard Bennett (Guitar) and Alan Lindgren (Keyboard), were longtime Neil Diamond band members. I managed to find a contact for Richard and he kindly replied for a to and fro. Richard, up to recently, had been associated with Mark Knopfler.

SD: Hi Richard. Welcome to HRR. I see you were the guitarist in Digby Richards’ band on his self titled album. If your memory serves you, can you recall anything about your involvement with Digby’s recording, please?

RB: Digby Richards…. that was a LONG time ago.  Don’t recall much except he was a really nice guy and the sessions went well.  Don’t even remember the studio we recorded in, possibly RCA in Hollywood as it was for that label.  The album was produced by my friend Larry Murray who recently passed. 

SD: Yeah it was the RCA Hollywood and there’s certainly been a few trips around the sun since. Jeff Gilkinson plays harmonica on the track Sweetwater Valley and I’m wondering if he could be the uncredited harp player on Brooklyn Roads. If not, I’m hoping you can help me with the harpist.

RB: Brooklyn Roads was just before my time with Neil in the studio and on tours. Neil’s stuff was somewhat “arranged”. It would be great if there was some kind of data base on line for all the AFM contracts from LA, NY, Nashville as well as other recordings that were filed.  Those contracts would contain every musician who participated on the dates. Alas…..

SD: I’ve had Larry Nelson as a prime candidate before coming across Jeff on this track and the connection to Neil through you and Alan. It would be grand if session harmonica (and other instruments) players were always credited on the album

RB: Doubtful it’s Knechtal as Brooklyn Roads was recorded in New York prior to ND settling in LA.  It may well be Hugh McCracken. After hearing it again it sure sounds like a written part to me, whatever can of worms that opens up.

SD: I hear you have a connection with the ‘Land Down Under’, Richard.

RB: My wife is from Melbourne, well, Preston, England originally but I met her down under when I toured with ND there in 1976.  I told her you’d been in contact and doing a blog on Digby.  I forget what year we did Digby’s record, might well have been prior to me meeting her.

SD: It was, in 1973. What are you up to presently Richard?

RB: 1973, Yikes… that’s a lotta years.  Dunno how that much water got under the bridge so quickly.  I’m sailing into 75 years old next month, but don’t feel much different than I did back then and sadly not much smarter.  Our health is good and the luck still holds.  I’m still doing session work here in Nashville and am closing in on a new album for myself.

So the mystery continues. Do yourself a service and head to Bandcamp for Richard’s recent musical creations. They are well worth a listen and a purchase.

Sadly Digby passed this mortal coil aged 42 from pancreatic cancer in 1983. Checkout a couple of other Digby toon posts, Jet Black and Ashton County Park.

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