Gnarly Guitarists: C.C. Adcock

 

Sometimes you hear a song before you're ready to really listen to it.  Such was the case for me with the music of C.C. Adcock.  Two decades ago, I received a sampler CD from Yep Roc Records which contained a song from C.C.'s album Lafayette Marquis.  At the time, it didn't resonate with me.

But last year, C.C was one of the artists recommended by Peter Lubin for our American Explorers project.  I fell in love with C.C.'s song Poke Chop.  Digging a bit further, I read about the Louisiana supergroup Lil' Band Of Gold and was even further smitten with C.C.'s song Runaway's Life.  

C.C. Adcock's first recording credit was on a 1990 compilation album called L.A. Ya Ya, where he backed Top Jimmy and King Cotton.  C.C.'s self-titled solo album was released in 1994.  The Lil' Band Of Gold (with Steve Riley, Warren Storm, David Egan, Pat Breaux, C.C. and other Louisiana swamp pop and zydeco musicians) released three albums.  The last one, 2012's Lil' Band O'Gold Plays Fats, is a set of Fats Domino songs sung by Robert Plant, Lucinda Williams, Jimmy Barnes (Cold Chisel), Tim Rogers (You Am I), and others.  

C.C. Adcock has contributed to TV and film soundtracks, and is also a producer who has worked on albums by Doyle Bramhall, James McMurtry, the 2022 comeback album from Tommy McLain, and last year's Clifton Chenier tribute album. On those last two projects, C.C. worked with Elvis Costello, Van Dyke Parks, and the Rolling Stones.