THE PALADINS’ BEST VOL. 1 - Bluesy Stray Cats!

THE PALADINS’ BEST VOL. 1 

The Paladins’ two core members; guitarist Dave Gonzalez & bassist Thomas Yearsley met in high school, & worked together at a San Diego lumberyard while they got the band off the ground.  

I once described The Paladins as BLUESY Stray Cats, but bandleader Gonzalez explained their sound in the liner notes to their second album: “I really like country, Tom really likes swing and R&B, and Scott's a real blues guy… so all this stuff we try to put together. We're not a blues band, not a rockabilly band. We just like all these different sounds and we try to interpret them in our own way."

Their first three albums are my favorites.  One of the band’s strengths is choosing material that suits them as well as the wonderful songs they write.  Those first three records contain songs by: Johnny Horton, The Collins Kids, Jimmy Reed, Hayes & Porter, & Chuck Willis.

The Paladins sprung from the San Diego scene alongside The Beat Farmers & made the drive up I-5 to play alongside The Blasters & Los Lobos in Los Angeles. 

They toured with Los Lobos, & Stevie Ray Vaughan, & often backed Hollywood Fats at The Belly Up Tavern.  Alejandro Escovedo is a fan (who brought them to Austin) & The Fabulous Thunderbirds' Kim Wilson produced the band's self-titled debut. The Los Lobos connection continued on their second album Years Since Yesterday, which was produced by Lobos saxman/producer Steve Berlin and engineer Mark Linett.  (It's where I suggest the curious stick a toe in--& it's where the cover art is from.)

For more information check out this splendid article: https://sandiegotroubadour.com/the-paladins-decades-of-delivering-the-goods-from-san-diego-to-the-world/