REVIEWSJim Ford, ‘Harlan County’

8

• SPIN Rating:8 of 10

• • Listen:

    Spotify

Release Date: July 26, 2011
Label: LIght in the Attic

A Kentucky-born singer-songwriter once called the "baddest white man on the planet" by Sly Stone, Jim Ford pioneered a seamless blend of country, soul, and funk on 1969's Harlan County, using a crack studio band that included Elvis guitarist James Burton and Dr. John. Other, more famous artists (Bobby Womack, Aretha Franklin, the Temptations) covered his material, but Ford's debut sank without a trace. This is the first stateside CD reissue of the stylistically peerless album.