The Amazing Rhythm Aces - How The Hell Do You Spell Rhythum? (1980)

The Amazing Rhythm Aces are an American country-rock band originally formed in the early 70s.

By 1980 The Amazing Rhythm Aces had finished their contract with ABC Records. They then found themselves with Warner Bros. for one more album, their second with lead guitarist Duncan Cameron (whose stunning solo on the opening track was particular notable). How The Hell Do You Spell Rhythum? saw them lean further towards R&B than their previous albums had done, though of course also featuring a few moments of pure country. It featured a higher proportion of covers than any of their previous albums, with only two originals from lead singer Russell Smith. The covers included Dan Penn's "You Left The Water Running", Eddie Hinton's "I Got The Feeling", Van Morrison's "Wild Nights" and Taj Mahal's "Further On Down The Road".

It turned out to be the band's last album for a good few years, as they broke up shortly afterwards. Russell Smith turned to a full time solo career (having released his debut solo album in 1978), Duncan Cameron joined Sawyer Brown, and the other members went on to work with various other artists as band members and session musicians.

The Amazing Rhythm Aces (1979) <|> Full House: Aces High (1981)
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The Amazing Rhythm Aces - The Amazing Rhythm Aces (1979)

The Amazing Rhythm Aces are an American country-rock band originally formed in the early 70s.

The Amazing Rhythm Aces' self-titled 1979 album was recorded at the Muscle Shoals Sound studio, produced by Jimmy Johnson. It was also their first with new lead guitarist / multi-instrumentalist Duncan Cameron, who also proved to be a capable singer and songwriter, singing his own "Homestead In My Heart". The album offered the group's usual eclectic mix of rock, country, soul & R&B sounds, and was notable for featuring some contributions from outside the band for the first time - some of the R&B tunes were augmented by a horn section, one song featured strings, and the closing number had guest vocals from from Joan Baez and Tracy Nelson. It also differed from the earlier albums in its inclusion of three cover songs - Al Green's "Love And Happiness", Benny Spellman's "Lipstick Traces" (an Allen Toussaint composition) and Rudy Clark's "If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody".

Burning The Ballroom Down (1978) <|> How The Hell Do You Spell Rhythum? (1980)
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The Amazing Rhythm Aces - Burning The Ballroom Down (1978)

The Amazing Rhythm Aces are an American country-rock band originally formed in the early 70s.

Burning The Ballroom Down was The Amazing Rhythm Aces' fourth album in as many years, another brilliant blend of country, rock and blue-eyed soul. However compared to its predecessors it was mostly devoid of rock numbers - it was a very mellow album, which turned out to be the best way to showcase the band's strengths. The instrumentation, arrangements and production were superb, Russell Smith's voice was as wonderful as ever, and the songs were simply very, very good. It was notable for several rootsy country-styled numbers (featuring guitarist Barry 'Byrd' Burton playing pedal steel and mandolin), and a trio of stunning ballads which closed the album. It turned out to be a firm fan favourite, and is surely a contender for their best record.

Before the tour to support it, Burton left and was replaced by newcomer Duncan Cameron. As the last album with the classic lineup of Rusell Smith, Barry Burton, Jeff Davis, Billy Earheart, James Hooker and Butch McDade, it marked the end of the most creatively successful period of the band's career.

Toucan Do It Too (1977) <|> The Amazing Rhythm Aces (1979) 
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The Amazing Rhythm Aces - Toucan Do It Too (1977)

The Amazing Rhythm Aces are an American country-rock band originally formed in the early 70s.

1977 brought another album from the Amazing Rhythm Aces, their third. Toucan Do It Too was a solid follow-up to their highly regarded first two, with a similar soulful country-rock sound, full of their characteristic eclecticism. Standout tracks included "Living In A World Unknown", their hardest-rocking number at the time, and the achingly sad and beautiful "Last Letter Home", sung from the point of view of a hospitalized (and possibly dying) American Civil War soldier (the vocals handled by drummer Butch McDade). This song in particular is perfect testimony to the band's songwriting abilities and instrumental skills, and Russell Smith's wonderful vocals. Elsewhere on the album several tracks were notable for some soaring lead guitar from Barry 'Byrd' Burton.

Unlike its predecessors, Toucan Do It Too produced no hit singles. It did modestly well on the country album chart, getting to #24.

Too Stuffed To Jump (1976) <|> Burning The Ballroom Down (1978) 
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The Amazing Rhythm Aces - Too Stuffed To Jump (1976)

The Amazing Rhythm Aces are an American country-rock band originally formed in the early 70s.

The second album from The Amazing Rhythm Aces followed swiftly in the footsteps of their splendid debut, fusing together elements of country, rock, soul, blues and jazz, resulting in a sound full of both rootsy authenticity and radio-friendly appeal. Russell Smith again proved himself to be a truly talented singer and songwriter, with excellent instrumental support from the rest of the band.They actually managed to get themselves a Grammy for the song "The End Is Not In Sight (The Cowboy Tune)", in the Country Vocal Performance category. Released as a single, the song got to #12 on the country chart and #42 on the pop chart (the album itself made it to #16 on the country album chart).

Stacked Deck (1975) <|> Toucan Do It Too (1977)
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The Amazing Rhythm Aces - Stacked Deck (1975)

The Amazing Rhythm Aces are an American country-rock band originally formed in the early 70s.

Singer/guitarist Russell Smith, bassist Jeff 'Stick' Davis and drummer Butch McDade originally got together in Knoxville, Tennessee in the late 60s. By the early 70s they had left Knoxville for Memphis and become The Amazing Rhythm Aces, with the addition of lead guitarist Barry 'Byrd' Burton, pianist James Hooker and keyboardist Billy Earheart III. Together they produced a fusion of rock, country, soul and other roots music forms. Their debut album, Stacked Deck, came out in 1975, and showcased this wide range of styles they had at their fingertips, perhaps what could only be called 'American music'. Russell Smith proved to be a fantastic singer, his voice bridging the gap between country and soul, and also a very talented songwriter, writing most of the material on the album (the two cover being the traditional gospel tune "Life's Railway To Heaven" and a brilliant reading of Charlie Rich's "Who Will The Next Fool Be"). Barry Burton meanwhile contributed not only guitar but mandolin, dobro and pedal steel, adding to the group's instrumental versatility, and he also produced the album.
It produced two hit songs - "Amazing Grace (Used To Be Her Favorite Song)" was a #9 country hit, and "Third Rate Romance" got to both #11 on the country charts and #14 on the pop charts.

|> Too Stuffed To Jump (1976)
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