2016 – EllerSoul Records
By Phillip Smith; Nov. 6, 2016
I’ve been a fan of the good Reverend Billy C. Wirtz since around 1990. My first exposure to his music was either from
my Sunday night ritual of tuning in to Dr.
Demento’s syndicated radio, or was from listening to WEGR, Memphis’ Rock 103 on
my thirty minute morning commute. Wirtz’s music was getting a lot of
airplay on both. It didn’t take long before
I was hooked and purchased Wirtz’s wonderfully
wicked album, Backslider’s Tractor Pull,
which featured hilariously twisted songs such as “Sleeper Hold on Satan”, “Just
Friends”, and “Honky Tonk Hermaphrodite”.
Recorded live from the First House of Polyester Worship Full Circle is a brand new tasty dish
of humorous off-the-wall songs performed by Wirtz on piano, and fried up with a heaping helping of swinging
back-up from legendary blues greats, The
Nighthawks (Paul Bell – guitar, Johnny
Castle – bass, Mark Stutso –
drums, and Mark Wenner – harmonica).,
Other players featured on the album include guitarist Bob Driver, bassist Steve
Riggs, and Lil’ Ronnie Owens on
harp.
Wirtz takes
a satirical tongue-in-cheek jab at The
Grateful Dead and its diehard community with “Mama Was a Deadhead”. He then takes country music to a whole new planet
with the hilarious “Daddy Was a Sensitive Man”, about a channeling, Volvo-driving,
drum-circle fanatic who makes his living at the futon shop, and longs for quality
time with his family. While on the
subject of family matters, Wirtz hits
another homerun with a ditty based on a true story, as told to him by a
waitress at a diner he often visited.
Her father had passed away, and her step mother ran off with her
favorite girlfriend, “Daddy Passed Away” and mama turned gay.
On the serious side of the
album, Wirtz and The Nighthawks rip it up on a smashing
rendition of Charlie Rich’s “Breakup”.
This is rockabilly goodness at its best.
In addition, Brother Billy serves up a couple of cool instrumentals,
showcasing his piano prowess on the 1959 Bill
Black Combo hit, “Smokie Part 2”, and dishing out a smooth and velvety cover
of Floyd Cramer’s, “Your Last
Goodbye”.
Wirtz scores with Full Circle. The combination of Reverend Billy and The Nighthawks makes for such a terrific listen. It takes me back to the carefree days of
being glued to the radio on Sunday nights listening to Dr. Demento.
