Press
NEW RELEASE On Earwig Music - Payson Lyon - Long Day's Journey Into Light
EARWIG MUSIC COMPANY, INC.
2054 West Farwell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60645-4963
Michael Robert Frank
President and CEO
mfrank@earwigmusic.com
June 14, 2023
Hello
Radio DJs, Internet DJs, Writers and Reviewers
I am sending you the debut album of singer/songwriter Payson Lyon, age 78. Though Payson in his late 20s had a songwriter contract with a major label publishing company in Nashville, for which he made demos of some of his songs, that deal did not result in any released recordings of his material. He kept living, writing and teaching music to kids and adults all these intervening years.
Two years ago, a mutual friend of Payson’s and mine suggested to Payson that he contact me to help him realize his lifelong dream to release an album of his songs. Payson did so and got a friend and fellow musician who had collected all of Payson’s own demo recordings, to send many of them to me.
Payson’s personal story and heartfelt songs really moved me personally, as emotionally as the stories and music of the deepest blues musicians I have known and recorded. So
though Earwig Music is generally regarded as a blues label, I feel that what Payson has to say supersedes a blues connection. I fervently believe his songs deserve to be heard by a global audience, and that the most likely way that is going to happen is if I make it happen.
I hired Colin Linden to co-produce this album and play on it. I have known Colin almost 40 years, since he was young and bitten by the blues after meeting Howlin’ Wolf at age 11. I had a sense that Colin would get what Payson was singing about. Colin played lots of guitars on this album, and also brought in his best musicians to support Payson and his songs. Payson and I appreciate deeply the beautiful production of the 10 songs Colin and his mates played on. Payson and I produced the other 2.
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