The Complete Recordings of Hezekiah Procter is a live medicine show act, a dazzling display of virtuosity by Canada’s most revered old-time and folk musicians, and a performance art piece that takes audiences back to the beginnings of country music.
A collaboration between Montreal songwriter Li’l Andy and folk festival darlings Sheesham and Lotus & ‘Son, The Complete Recordings of Hezekiah Procter sees Andy adopting the persona of “Hezekiah Procter” a long- lost legend of old-time music. The groupcombines harmony vocals, fiddles, banjos, sousaphone and theatre to recreate the medicine show and vaudeville act of the fictional 1920s performer.
The album began as Andy writing old-time country songs as Hezekiah Procter, imagining the singer’s troubled life and legend through song. He then recruited the multi-instrumentalists of Sheesham and Lotus & ‘Son to record those songs on a “wire- recorder” — an actual antique piece of recording equipment from the 1920s. The double album they made together sounds like a new discovery of 78rpms records from the early days of country music.
Included in that box-set is a novel written by Li’l Andy telling the imagined life story of Hezekiah Procter, a performer as talented and troubled as Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers or Robert Johnson.
Links:
Listen to the album: linktr.ee/thisislilandy
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