Gib Guilbeau - Louisiana Rain (1965-1969)

Compilation
Gib Guilbeau is an American country-rock musician, best known as a fiddle player. He has been a member of Nashville West, Swampwater and The Flying Burrito Brothers.

This compilation consists of fourteen songs taken from the period when Guilbeau was working on Gary Paxton's Bakersfield International label. He recorded with Gene Parsons as Cajun Gib & Gene, and they released several singles, as well as appearing on all sorts of other records (including The Gosdin Brothers' Sounds Of Goodbye). One album came out of it - Cajun Country was credied to Guilbeau himself as a solo artist, featuring him as lead singer, and didn't see release until 1973. In 2002 Louisiana Rain was released, credited to Guilbeau & Parsons, and consisting of the Cajun Country album interspersed with various other Guilbeau-related tracks from the period, including singles and outtakes. What we have here is those extra fourteen songs put together into a handy album.
Almost all of them feature Guilbeau as lead singer, and almost all of them are originals (several written with Parsons or Paxton). Includes covers of Johnny Cash's "Home Of The Blues" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Lodi". Many of these songs would be re-recorded later - "Louisiana Woman", "Workin' On A Tugboat" and "Desperation's Back Again" appear on Swampwater's first LP, and "Woman's Disgrace" was recorded by the Gosdin Brothers. "Your Gentle Ways Of Loving Me" was recorded by The Byrds on their Dr Byrds & Mr Hyde album.
Whilst most of the songs are by Guilbeau or Guilbeau & Parsons, one song ("World Of Dreams") was a single by Guilbeau and Wayne Moore, and was written by Moore. The other anomaly is "On Pins & Needles", which was a single by another artist on Bakersfield International, Bruce E. Oakes, and was written and sung by him. Guilbeau appears on this one just as rhythm guitarist and backing singer.

This collection is a great look into the many things Guilbeau was up to in the 60s, to go alongside his criminally overlooked Cajun Country album.

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