Doug Seegers: Going Down To The River (Humphead Records)

DOUG Seegers is quite a new name to country music and this is his first release. Two years ago a film crew from Sweden visited Nashville with country artist Jill Johnson and other Swedish country singers on a film-fact finding tour. While buying food from a street vendor, Jill was overheard by the vendor saying that she was involved in making a film about Nashville and he suggested that they listen to a homeless musician, who was sitting on a park bench opposite. Seegers performed his own song Going Down to the River. She loved his performance so much that arrangements were made to record the song in Johnny Cash’s old studio in Nashville.

That song became the title of Seegers’ first album release with the Lionheart Music Group. It is now being released in the UK and gives the listener an eclectic mix of country tinged with blues over the 12 tracks.

EmmyLou Harris and Buddy Miller give support on two of the tracks. The album has already hit the number one slot on the Sverigetopplistan Charts in Sweden and earned Seegers a 60-day tour.

Fame has not changed this former homeless singer and he says: “I’d just like to own my own home, buy a Larrivee acoustic guitar and get a dog.”

You can hear for yourself because the CD features as Album Of The Week on Saturday’s American Connection Country show. Log onto americanconnection.euvue.co.uk