by David Wilikofsky
In Alternative Canon, we take a closer look at an obscure or underappreciated album from the past that deserves more recognition. Some of these albums may be hard to find, but they’re always worth the effort to seek out.
I grew up on country music. Not the schlock that too often passes for country on the radio today; my childhood was soundtracked by Hank and Merle and Willie. I also fully recognize that country is not everybody’s cup of tea; steel guitar and fiddles are an acquired taste. But I’d bet that if anyone is going to change your mind about country, it’s Gary Stewart.
Gary Stewart was born in Jenkins, Kentucky in 1944. He began playing music and writing songs in his teens, and soon moved to Nashville to pursue a music career. He signed to Kapp Records, where he recorded some unsuccessful songs and wrote some successful ones. Eventually dropped by Kapp, he then was signed to and dropped from Decca Records. Disillusioned with the music industry, he left Nashville for Florida. Soon after, some Stewart demos fell into the hands of producer Roy Dea, who convinced RCA to sign him. He returned to Nashville to record the tracks that would come to form his RCA debut, Out of Hand.
Out of Hand is held up by those in the know as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) honky tonk albums of all time. The genre developed in rowdy bars known as honky tonks across the American South. Many of the bars features poorly tuned pianos and loud crowds, which led to an initial emphasis on the music’s rhythmic elements rather than melody. Many of the most celebrated and foundational country artists, such as Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb and George Jones, began their careers in honky tonks. Suffice to say, honky tonk as a genre is critical to the history of country music.
Lyrically, the album treads well-worn territory for the genre. You’ve got plenty of drinking songs (“Honky-Tonkin'”), cheating songs (“Out of Hand”), and combos of the two (“She’s Acting Single, I’m Drinking Doubles”, “Drinkin’ Thing”). There’s even a murder ballad, closer “Williamson County”, thrown in for good measure. The songwriting is uniformly excellent, filled with clever turns of phrase, but the main attraction is Stewart’s voice. He hits high notes out of nowhere. His natural vibrato imparts emotion to his delivery; on the chorus of “She’s Acting Single”, his quaking, drawn out delivery at the end of each phrase sells the sadness and desperation. There’s a rawness and vulnerability to his performance. It’s magnetic.
Out of Hand went to number six on the Billboard Country charts, and “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles)” was a #1 single. As Stewart’s career continued, he never found similar chart or popular success. His music was a little to rock for country fans and a little too country for rock fans. Although much of Out of Hand is straight up country (and it is certainly one of his most traditional albums), you can hear hints of his stylistic adventurousness. The piercing electric guitar lines on “Honky Tonkin'” straddle a line between twang and rock bravado, and “Draggin’ Shackles” is closer to Southern rock than country.
Stewart’s career was hampered by drug and alcohol abuse, but his genius was recognized by a small audience; Bob Dylan, a Stewart fan, went out of his way to track him down and meet him while touring through Florida. Stewart continued to record and perform throughout the years following Out of Hand, releasing a smattering of albums through the eighties and nineties. In 2003, following the death of his wife of over forty years, Stewart died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the neck. He left behind a rich discography that rivals any other country artist. Stewart stands out as an artist who crafted albums with an intentionality rarely seen in the genre, and it all starts with Out of Hand. Take a seat, grab a drink, and get ready to be hooked on country.