Shotgun Angel
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Shotgun Angel is the title of a 1977 album released by Daniel Amos and a song written by Bill Sprouse Jr..
The song was inspired by the many all night drives to and from concerts by Sprouse and his band The Road Home. As the band traveled in two old vans, they kept each other awake by talking and singing over the CB radio. The conversations between Bill and his sound tech. Mike Shoup and Ed McTaggart the drummer became the idea behind the song. The band's name "The Road Home" was all too prophetic for Bill. After his untimely death at age 26, Shoup dug up an old 4 track tape and asked Dom Franco of the Maranatha group "Bethlehem" to add pedal steel guitar to the song. The rest is history, for when the guys from Daniel Amos heard it they enlisted Dom Franco to play the pedal steel and Mike and Ed to add the CB radio voices on the recording.
Although DA's previous release was largely country, this album marked the start of a return to the band's pre-label roots, rock and roll, which took some of their country fans by surprise. Shotgun Angel was half country and half rock-opera. The 'Side 2' of the LP featured lush orchestrations and a string of rock songs linked together in a way that was reminiscent of The Beatles Sgt. Peppers album. The band even made a number of concert performances at this time with a full orchestra backing them.
Track listing
Side one
- "Days And Nights" (Taylor/Chamberlain)
- "Black Gold Fever" (Taylor)
- "Praise Song" (Taylor)
- "Father's Arms" (Taylor)
- "Meal" (Taylor)
- "Shotgun Angel" (Bill Sprouse, Jr)
Side two
- "Finale: Bereshith Overture" (Stipech/Taylor/Cook)
- "Lady Goodbye" (Taylor/Chamberlain/Cook)
- "The Whistler" (Taylor/Chamberlain/Cook)
- "He's Gonna Do A Number On You" (Cook)
- "Better" (Taylor/Chamberlain/Cook)
- "Sail Me Away" (Taylor/Chamberlain)
- "Posse In The Sky" (Taylor)
Personnel
- Terry Scott Taylor on rhythm guitars and lead vocals.
- Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar.
- Jerry Chamberlain on guitar.
- Mark Cook on keyboards.
- Ed McTaggart on drums.
Production Notes
- Engineered By: Jonathan David Brown.
- Strings Arranged and Conducted by Jim Stipech.
- Recorded At: MartinSound Studios, Alhambra, California.
- Mixed by Jonathan David Brown (alias "Your Local Hokie Okie") at Producers' Workshop, Hollyweird, California.
- Mastered by Ken Perry at Capitol Records, Hollywood, California.
- Cover Concept by Daniel Amos.
- Art Direction, Design and Layout by Neal Buchanan.
- Inside Photographs by Scott Lockwood.