Legendary producer David Ferguson steps up to the microphone on own album Nashville No More out on 3rd September via Fat Possum Records. ‘Knocking Around Nashville’ is available here. For fans of John Prine, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, Townes Van Zandt and more
David Ferguson is the name behind some of Nashville’s most revered recordings of the last 40 years – a Grammy Award-winning recording engineer, studio owner, video game soundtrack composer, and collaborator with the likes of Johnny Cash, John Prine, and Sturgill Simpson. Until now, Ferguson has not made a name as a recording artist but that is about to change with the release of his album Nashville No More. Out September 3rd, Nashville No More finds Ferguson—better known around town as “Fergie”—exiting the control room and entering the spotlight with a self-produced, ten-song collection that will erase any doubt about his lack of history as the name on the marquee. This is no greenhorn debut album, but a long-marinated and much-awaited reveal of a warm and familiar voice of a generation.
Today, fans were treated to the first track from Nashville No More, the sweet fiddle and steel waltz of “Knocking Around Nashville.” The Pat McLaughlin-penned song has swirled around in Ferguson’s mind for a couple of decades now. “I’ve known this song since I recorded the first demo on it in the mid-90s,” he says. After his famed studio The Butcher Shoppe closed in 2020 when the entire property was sold, the weight of the song grew in Ferguson. “It just seems to become more relevant with every day that passes.”
The company Ferguson keeps on Nashville No More speaks much more highly of him than written words in promo materials can. Bluegrass power couple Sierra Hull and Justin Moses lend their voice and instrumental prowess to album closer “Hard Times Come Again No More” and reigning Americana queen Margo Price jumps in on the country-meets-bossa nova feel of “Chardonnay.” But it keeps going beyond those featured tracks—the entirety of Nashville No More’s roster is A-lister after A-lister. Bluegrass fans will easily pick out the playing of Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Béla Fleck, Ronnie McCoury, and Tim O’Brien, to name a few, and the more guitar-minded will catch the six-string picking and strumming of Dan Auerbach, Mark Howard, Billy Sanford, and Kenny Vaughan. Add in Nashville studio greats like Russ Pahl on pedal steel, Sam Bacco on percussion, Mike Rojas on keyboards, and Mike Bub and Dave Roe on bass, and the end result is a mutual admiration society of taste and respect not equalled in most Nashville recordings of today. All of those instruments and all of those people are in turn enveloped by Ferguson’s resonant baritone singing his favourite songs and the results are breath-taking.
“I’m so used to doing something and then moving on to the next thing, but I think it’s going to be neat to have a record come out,” Ferguson says before joking, “I’ll give it to my mom, let her see what she thinks about it.” Though he states that his reasoning behind making this record was to “pass time during the pandemic,” it ended up being an exhibition on everything he’s learned in his decades of recording experience; dialling in the tones, aligning the players, and now, singing the songs. Honestly and humbly he admits, “The hardest thing to do is doing a record on yourself. You’ve got to learn how to listen to it like you’re listening to somebody else. Man, that takes gumption.” Gumption, sure, but being the living breathing legend David Ferguson certainly helps.
Nashville No More Tracklist:
Four Strong Winds
Boats to Build
Fellow Travelers
Nights With You
Looking for Rainbows
Chardonnay
Early Morning Rain
Knocking Around Nashville
My Autumns Done Come
Hard Times Come Again No More
