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lost in the ozarks, found again: cosmic American’s prodigal son

An article by To Ramona Magazine

Jimmy Carter and the Dallas County Green’s double-released album “Summer Brings the Sunshine” was originally released in 1977 by BOC and again 39 years later by the Numero Group. The archival record label is known for repressing and recirculating lost media from the 20th century. It features Jimmy Carter’s Missouri drawl backlit by the haunting femininity of folk sirens Mary Beth Lemons and Eliane Fender.

Steve Lemons would take on lead and rhythm guitar, along with piano, while the rest of the band, Jerry Bell on bass, Steve Storey on drums, and Bill Belky on lead guitar, working as farm hands along with Steve. The album was recorded on a farm prairie in one of the barns which was turned into a recording studio. The location is credited as BIBS, which is thought to be the studio BOC and Audioloft shared due to historical records of recording studios in Macks Creek, Missouri. How this Ozark oddity made its way to Columbia Records for mastering is generally unknown.

The cover of the album, postcard-esque, can be visually recognized as the lake of the Ozarks, a fertile green river bank streaming through the cover. The back of the album features a photograph of winding trees with no leaves and ground powdered with snow titled “Winter Brings the Snow”, and Jimmy Carter's thanks and appreciation to his band for their talents and time, along with a message to his parents, Mr and Mrs Glen Carter.

Though it lives under the Gram Parsons-coined term “cosmic American music”, the album stands on its own, with heavy folk and outlaw country influences, and streams of sunshine through white oak leaves giving glimpses of psych rock. “A Night of Love”opens with an acoustic guitar lick similar to “California” by Joni Mitchell before crashing into a into a true sensual showcase of intimacy, like two stars orbiting with love under the moon. The trajectory of the album, however, would shift with the second track “Travelin”, which added a more rambling feel with the traditional country shuffle of innocent youth.

Later, the fifth track and album titled song “Summer Brings the Sunshine” would have a similar feel, bringing back the country shuffle, shining with optimism, like letting your lonely highways take you home through luck and trouble, sunshine and snow. Slowing back down again, “Honeydew” would be a ballad of a young man, with plans laid solid, only to be altered by a ladies persuasion of love and tenderness.

The album takes a new approach with track four. “You” would be the most prominently psych track, with an intro that resembles “Sacrifice of the Moon” by Ultimate Spinach, but laid out to be more drawn and paced, with an echoing transcendence and self reflection in the hour of contemplation.

Track six, “Anyway”, is one of the very few protest-like songs from the Cosmic American genre, a self reflection of one’s self and the world. Rather than shining a light on riots and war, the song is from a young man’s point of view within himself. A young man who is learning to deal with hate, rage and misfortune.

The album would begin to reach its end with track seven, “Let Me Be Your Player”. This has the same feel, but played more fast paced. The eighth and final track, “Dues” has a heavy bass and is more gritty, showing an impeccable interlocking of blues rock and psych. It is a song of questions, making one self reflect. It is the second generally heavy song on the album along with “A Night of Love”.

The album is overall progressive for its time, yet modern enough to be circulated to this day. The album highlights the often over looked genres in Cosmic American music. Jimmy carter and the Dallas County Green are an essential must do when listening to Cosmic American music.

Critics may find the later reissue to be stripping the record of its collectible quality, but in reality it's not the rareness of the album that makes it collectible. When caught in the light fragments of a rhinestone cowboy, it's important to remember the cosmic cowboy.

Through my interpretation, along with Jimmy Carter and the Dallas County Green, I hope you find the music to your taste.

lost in the ozarks, found again: cosmic American’s prodigal son