COWBOY
''REACH FOR THE SKY.''
FEBRUARY 1971
40:50
1 /Opening
Peter Kowalke / Bill Pillmore/1:54
2 /Livin' in the Country
Scott Boyer / Bill Pillmore/3:08
3 /Song of Love and Peace
Scott Boyer/2:37
4 /Amelia's Earache
Tommy Talton/0:41
5 /Pick Your Nose
Bill Pillmore/1:52
6 /Pretty Friend
Tommy Talton/4:14
7 /Everything Here
Tommy Talton/5:31
8 /Stick Together
Scott Boyer/2:41
9 /Use Your Situation
Scott Boyer/3:11
10 /It's Time
Scott Boyer/4:25
11 /Honey Ain't Nowhere
Scott Boyer/1:57
12 /Rip & Snort
Scott Boyer/4:12
13 /Josephine, Beyond Compare
Tommy Talton/4:27
Scott Boyer /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Violin, Vocals
George Clark /Bass, Vocals
Peter Kowalke /Drums, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Bill Pillmore /Fiddle, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Keyboards, Piano,
Tommy Talton /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Tomm Wynn /Drums, Percussion
REVIEW
By Lindsay Planer
While not exactly the house band for <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/phil-walden-mn0000339689" class="name-link">Phil Walden</a>'s Macon, GA-based Capricorn Records label, the members of the acoustic aggregate <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/cowboy-mn0000120411" class="name-link">Cowboy</a> -- consisting of <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/scott-boyer-mn0000305415" class="name-link">Scott Boyer</a> (guitars/violin/vocals), <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tommy-talton-mn0000518174" class="name-link">Tommy Talton</a> (guitars/vocals), <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bill-pillmore-mn0000087197" class="name-link">Bill Pillmore</a> (piano/guitar/fiddle/vocals), <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tomm-wynn-mn0001663667" class="name-link">Tomm Wynn</a> (drums/percussion), <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-clark-mn0001212334" class="name-link">George Clark</a> (bass), and <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pete-kowalke-mn0001208029" class="name-link">Pete Kowalke</a> (guitars/vocals/drums) -- could be found on recordings by the <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/allman-brothers-band-mn0000745964" class="name-link">Allman Brothers Band</a>, <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gregg-allman-mn0000801101" class="name-link">Gregg Allman</a> (whom they regularly supported), <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/alex-taylor-mn0000621821" class="name-link">Alex Taylor</a>, and <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bonnie-bramlett-mn0000085415" class="name-link">Bonnie Bramlett</a>. Their debut <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/reach-for-the-sky-mw0000100735" class="album-link">Reach for the Sky</a> (1971) amply shows off their rural whimsy and substantial acoustic capacities. While their country-rock leanings are comparable to the <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/hearts-flowers-mn0001563871" class="name-link">Hearts & Flowers</a>, <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-nitty-gritty-dirt-band-mn0000718907" class="name-link">the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band</a>, or <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pure-prairie-league-mn0000371879" class="name-link">Pure Prairie League</a>, they rely on their solid original material rather than adaptations and variations on traditional works and standards from the genre. However, as the mini-hoedown "Honey Ain't Nowhere" proves, they dew drop in for some unquestionably bluegrass-inspired pickin'. The succinct "Amelia's Earache" and "Pick Your Nose" are both off-the-wall indulgences that nicely balance out the stunning "Beautiful Friend" and the mid-tempo rocker "Stick Together," which bears all the earmarks of an early-'70s <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/allman-brothers-mn0000745964" class="name-link">Allman Brothers</a> side. Similarly, "Rip & Snort" features a strong repetitive rhythm that is accentuated by the guitarists in a tandem lead similar to that of <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/duane-allman-mn0000807028" class="name-link">Duane Allman</a> and <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dickey-betts-mn0000260361" class="name-link">Dickey Betts</a>. Another recommended spin is the languid and laid-back "It's Time," as it wafts into a vibe reminiscent of <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/neil-young-mn0000379125" class="name-link">Neil Young</a> circa <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/after-the-gold-rush-mw0000192439" class="album-link">After the Gold Rush</a> (1970). <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/reach-for-the-sky-mw0000100735" class="album-link">Reach for the Sky</a> (1971) is full of pleasurable, if not slightly pastoral, music that is recommended for inclined ears who likewise favor Southern rock.
BIOGRAPHY
By Steve Leggett
One of Southern rock's best-kept secrets during its golden age in the 1970s, <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/cowboy-mn0000120411" class="name-link">Cowboy</a> was formed by songwriters <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tommy-talton-mn0000518174" class="name-link">Tommy Talton</a> and <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/scott-boyer-mn0000305415" class="name-link">Scott Boyer</a> in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969. Playing a kind of acoustic country-rock similar to contemporaries <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pure-prairie-league-mn0000371879" class="name-link">Pure Prairie League</a>, <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/cowboy-mn0000120411" class="name-link">Cowboy</a> had its own twist on the formula, thanks to <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/talton-mn0000518174" class="name-link">Talton</a> and <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/boyer-mn0000305415" class="name-link">Boyer</a>'s sharp, focused songwriting and a distinguishable Muscle Shoals flair. After hearing the band, <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/duane-allman-mn0000807028" class="name-link">Duane Allman</a> passed the word along to <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/phil-walden-mn0000339689" class="name-link">Phil Walden</a> at Macon, Georgia's Capricorn Records, who offered the group a recording contract. The band's membership was pretty fluid during this time, other than <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/talton-mn0000518174" class="name-link">Talton</a> and <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/boyer-mn0000305415" class="name-link">Boyer</a>, both of whom became de facto members of the Capricorn house band, playing with <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-allman-brothers-mn0000745964" class="name-link">the Allman Brothers</a>, <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gregg-allman-mn0000801101" class="name-link">Gregg Allman</a>, <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/alex-taylor-mn0000621821" class="name-link">Alex Taylor</a>, and <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bonnie-bramlett-mn0000085415" class="name-link">Bonnie Bramlett</a>, among others. In all, four albums were released under the <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/cowboy-mn0000120411" class="name-link">Cowboy</a> name on Capricorn Records, 1970's <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/reach-for-the-sky-mw0000036647" class="album-link">Reach for the Sky</a> and 1971's <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/5ll-getcha-ten-mw0000839318" class="album-link">5'll Getcha Ten</a> (combined into the two-disc compilation <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/why-quit-when-youre-losing-mw0000839204" class="album-link">Why Quit When You're Losing</a> in 1973), 1974's <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/boyer-talton-mw0000838868" class="album-link">Boyer & Talton</a>, and 1977's <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/cowboy-mw0000838361" class="album-link">Cowboy</a>. Also, the 1976 album <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/happy-to-be-alive-mw0000838517" class="album-link">Happy to Be Alive</a>, attributed to the trio of <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tommy-talton-mn0000518174" class="name-link">Tommy Talton</a>, <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bill-stewart-mn0003028816" class="name-link">Bill Stewart</a>, and <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/johnny-sandlin-mn0000245748" class="name-link">Johnny Sandlin</a>, was a <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/cowboy-mn0000120411" class="name-link">Cowboy</a> album in all but name. That was it, though, until 30 years later when <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/talton-mn0000518174" class="name-link">Talton</a> and <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/boyer-mn0000305415" class="name-link">Boyer</a> put <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/cowboy-mn0000120411" class="name-link">Cowboy</a> back together in 2007, recording tracks at <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sandlin-mn0000245748" class="name-link">Sandlin</a>'s Duck Tape Studio in Decatur, Alabama, but none of those tracks has yet been released.
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