Chicago, IL (April 5, 2022)─Musical archaeologist and record label Delmore Recording Society is honored to announce an all-new collection, Shuckin’ Sugar, from legendary blues and folk singer Karen Dalton.
Available April 23rd on vinyl as a Record Store Day exclusive, followed by a wide release in CD and digital formats on May 6th, Shuckin’ Sugar is a riveting 12-track live set recorded in 1963-1964, featuring the earliest known duets of Dalton (with then-husband, guitarist, and songwriter Richard Tucker) and seven never-before-heard solo performances. The collection is accompanied by an 8-page (LP)/24-page (CD) booklet featuring a treasure trove of newly discovered unseen and rare photos, as well as newspaper clippings, artwork by Dalton, and a heartfelt 6,000-word essay by veteran UK journalist and author Kris Needs.
Limited to 3,500 copies worldwide, the RSD release was pressed at Third Man Records on transparent, natural vinyl which comes housed in an old style, tip-on jacket. Click here to find your nearest participating record store. The CD and digital editions will be available to pre-order on April 25th at Delmore Recordings on Bandcamp and at most digital retailers.
Since falling completely under the spell of Karen Dalton in the 1990s, Delmore has been on a mission to unearth previously unheard Dalton recordings, including acting as North American liaison for Cotton Eyed Joe and Green Rocky Road, and in 2012, releasing the intimate cabin recordings Karen Dalton – 1966. Now, Delmore is incredibly proud to present a never-before-heard performance by Dalton, offering an unprecedented glimpse of a cult legend in the making. Label founder and release producer Mark Linn shares, “To describe the record would take a poet, but all I can say is that unveiling a missing chapter in the Karen Dalton story─with six songs we’ve never heard her sing before─is cause for celebration in Delmore’s world.”
In his essay, Needs writes, “Shuckin’ Sugar is of major significance for several reasons. Most obviously because it adds to a catalogue with even less official releases than her close friend and biggest champion, Fred Neil (if larger on the excavated tape front). It also illuminates a missing piece of Karen’s story, capturing rarely documented duets with partner Richard Tucker at full throttle, along with several superlative solo flights…From her opening jaw-dropping lift-off with early blues standard ‘Trouble In Mind,’ the unique otherworld Karen conjured springs into vivid life. Playing to audiences inevitably bound to the era’s formalities and traditions, Karen instinctively pushed the envelope, straying into uncharted territory beyond the established borders. She must have bewildered many who came to see her in those winsome Peter, Paul and Mary times.”
Shuckin’ Sugar comes on the heels of the internationally acclaimed documentary film Karen Dalton: In My Own Time (released last fall on Greenwich Entertainment) and the 50th-anniversary celebration from Light in the Attic (featuring a highly-praised, expanded release of Dalton’s second and final album In My Own Time, along with a separate 7”/digital single featuring award-winning singer/songwriter Angel Olsen covering Dalton’s iconic “Something on Your Mind”). Directed by Robert Yapkowitz and Richard Peete, and executive produced by Delmore, Wim Wenders, and Light in the Attic, Karen Dalton: In My Own Time chronicles the life, music, and legacy of Dalton and features interviews with family, friends, collaborators, and a variety of artists (including Peter Walker, Nick Cave, Lacy J. Dalton, and Vanessa Carlton). Angel Olsen lends her voice to the film as the principle narrator, reading aloud from Dalton’s personal journal. Praise for the film includes: The Hollywood Reporter (“In sync with a singular musical artist. In tune with the haunting poetics of her work.”), The Guardian (“An unvarnished authenticity that cannot be mass-manufactured.”), The New York Times (“Critic’s Pick: An Elemental Musical Force.”), and The Washington Post (“The new film spotlights a fascinating tale of a singularly talented and complex woman.”). Click here to watch the film’s trailer.
and previously unseen photo of Dalton (credit Kai Mort Shuman/courtesy of Mark Linn and Jan McL
Tracklist (vinyl edition):
Side A:
Trouble In Mind
If You’re A Viper*
When First Unto This Country*
Shiloh Town
Shuckin’ Sugar Blues*
Everytime I Think Of Freedom
Side B:
Ribbon Bow
Blues Jumped The Rabbit
Lonesome Valley*
When I Get Home*
In The Pines*
Katie Cruel
* previously unheard Karen Dalton rendition