Under The Influences is the second solo album from longtime leadsinger/songwriter for Social Distortion, Mike Ness. Produced by Ness and James Saez, the album showcases a defining genre of music for Ness - primitive rock 'n' roll. He has adapted tunes from many of the artists who have influenced him over his 20-year career and the full track list is made up of his take on songs from some of his longtime favorites.

While on tour in support of his first solo effort, Cheating At Solitaire, Ness introduced some of these old tunes into his set list thus inspiring him to do the album. Going into the studio with his touring lineup, Chris Lawrence (guitar/pedal steel guitar), Sean Greaves (guitar), Brent Harding (bass) and Charlie Quintana (drums), Ness has recorded a stellar tribute to his heroes.

Each of the13 tracks on Under The Influences has a certain significance to Ness. Looking back over who and what has influenced his career, Mike Ness talks about the album...

"If you don't have roots you don't have shit and there are examples everywhere. If the Clash didn't have reggae and blues then they wouldn't be who they are; if the Rolling Stones didn't have Muddy Waters, they might not have come to America; if the Beatles hadn't heard Little Richard then they wouldn't have made the music they did. The first wave of punk rockers - the Sex Pistols, Johnny Thunder, the Ramones - were all older guys who grew up listening to Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones (even though they may not have admitted it back then). My roots are early blues and country, and the fusion of the two which bore rockabilly. There is a wealth of great music that came out of that time. So much of the 40's, 50's and 60's is virtually undiscovered or was just overlooked by Top 40 in it's day. I have had to research and hunt to find this music and I seem to gravitate toward music that isn't readily accessible or necessarily commercially successful. The songs that I chose for this album have not only influenced my singing and songwriting but also my way of living. They touch me, describe how I feel and have given me a great deal. This is my chance to pay homage and respect to them. Under The Influences is a way to honor some of the artists who have affected me, whether it be Hank Williams, the Carter Family or countless others." ­ Mike Ness

The artists and the songs

Wayne Walker All I Can Do Is Cry
Wayne Walker is one of country music's more obscure figures. Better known as a songwriter than an entertainer, Walker has penned songs performed by a countless number of major acts including Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran and Patsy Cline. He had his first big hit as a songwriter with I've Got A New Heartache performed by Ray Price and ten years later won the Billboard Song Of The Year award with All The Time. All I Can Do Is Cry was one of the few tunes both written and performed by him.

Marvin Rainwater Gamblin'Man
Of Indian ancestry, Marvin Rainwater was a singer and prolific songwriter who became a star briefly in the 1950's. Working in a variety of styles, Rainwater was equally skilled at western ballads, pop confessions and go-for-broke forays into rockabilly. His big crossover hit came in 1958 with the rocking Whole Lotta Woman which propelled him up not only the American pop and country charts, but also skyrocketed him to the number one position on the British charts. Rainwater's American fame was shorter lived than his success oversees and he continued touring there through the early 70's.

Carl Perkins Let The Jukebox Keep On Playing
Carl Perkins was one of the most influential figures in roots music. His country and rock 'n' roll tunes have been deeply ingrained in the American consciousness and are still widely played today. (Under his umbrella is Blue Suede Shoes - the song that made Elvis famous.) Let The Jukebox Keep On Playing is one of Perkins' earliest country songs, recorded before he started playing Memphis rock 'n' roll. Perkins later joined Johnny Cash's road show and continued to play music until he died in 1998.

Bobby Fuller I Fought The Law
Bobby Fuller is the father of "the West Texas rock 'n' roll sound." Deviating from the surf tunes that were dominating the California airwaves in the early 60's, Fuller incorporated the sounds of the British Invasion and Motown R&B techniques into his recordings. His biggest hit was the infamous I Fought The Law, released in 1963. Fuller was found dead three years later; the circumstances of his death remain suspicious to this day.

Marty Robbins Big Iron
Marty Robbins was one of country music's most successful and diverse performers. His vocal style was compatible with almost all types of country music: weepers, western ballads, pop standards and rockabilly. Robbins made his chart debut in 1952 and managed to place records on the country and pop charts every year for the next 31 years, ultimately taking 16 singles to the number one position. Big Iron appeared on the 1959 concept album Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs which was influenced by the movies of Gene Autry.

Billy Lee Riley And The Little Green Men One More Time
Billy Riley is one of rockabilly's original performers. In the 50's, affiliated with Sun Records after recording his first hit record Flying Saucer Rock there, Riley backed up many of the performers who came through the doors to do session work at the label. Joining him during many of these sessions were Roland James and J. M. Van Eaton who later became The Little Green Men. The three went on to record together and perform on the songs of other acts such as Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison for Sun until 1960. One More Time was one of Riley's last recordings for the label. Riley continued to work as a session player and touring musician for the next 25 years.

Hank Williams, Sr. Six More Miles/House Of Gold
Hank Williams, Sr. was country music's most charismatic and tragic figure. One of the few performers who wrote most of his own material, Williams left a legacy of over 700 songs, recording 129 during his career. He was only 13 when he started his lifelong band The Drifting Cowboys, who gained immediate recognition playing regularly on WSFA-AM in Montgomery, AL. Partnering with Fred Rose, a Nashville, TN music publisher, Williams signed to the newly formed MGM label in 1947 and quickly shot up the charts. His memorable performance of Lovesick Blues on the Grand Ole Oprey in 1949 won him a permanent place on the show. Unfortunately Williams was a habitual drug user and alcoholic who cut both his career and life short. He died on New Year's Day at the age of 29. Williams was well-loved in the country music community with over 20,000 people attending his memorial service. His albums continued to chart and sell after his death.

Jean Shepard A Thief In The Night
Few female country singers have produced a body of work as enduring as Jean Shepard. A country purist, Shepard is best known for her devotion to hardcore Honky Tonk, which gained her a series of Top Ten hits in the early 50's. In 1956, her success at a peak, Shepard was invited to join the Grand Ole Oprey. That same year she wrote and recorded Songs Of A Love Affair, the first-ever concept album in country music history. As rockabilly started to top the charts in the early 60's, Shepard fell out of site for nearly ten years as she remained committed to her undiluted brand of country music. Her star rose again in 1964 with the single Second Fiddle (To An Old Guitar) and Shepard continued to record until the end of the 1970's and tour well into the1990's.

George Jones Once A Day
Once called "the second best singer in the world" by Frank Sinatra, George Jones is one of the biggest stars country music has ever produced. His vocal style has influenced countless performers and though he suffered many personal and professional setbacks, Jones never left the top of the country charts through the length of his career. Jones started in 1957 on Starday records, doing stints on Mercury and UA, before settling into a record deal with Musicor where he spent a good number of prosperous years recording number one albums and singles for the label. But by the time he met and married his third wife country star Tammy Wynette in 1969, his career had begun to wane. After some dispute, he relinquished the rights to all of his Musicor recordings and switched over to Wynette's label Epic. The two began a musical partnership recording and touring, reviving Jones' career and making them the biggest stars in country music. Unfortunately, as the duo toured the country, Jones sunk deeper into the alcoholism and drug abuse that had simmered under the surface for years. Subsequently, their marriage and Jones' career began to fall apart. However, in the mid-seventies Jones became a star again in his own right. He was voted Rolling Stone's Country Singer of the Year in 1976 which was followed by a series of Top Ten hits that lasted until 1987.

Wanda Jackson Funnel Of Love
Wanda Jackson is credited with being America's first female rock 'n' roll singer. A child prodigy that could play both the guitar and piano by the time she was ten, Wanda Jackson's musical career began early. At 13 she had her own radio show; by 17 she was cutting records for Decca; and at 18 she was on tour with Elvis and subsequently became Capitol Records leading rocker. Jackson's recording career spans 40 years with over 50 albums to her credit. Originally released as a single, Funnel Of Love did not appear on a full-length record until Capitol Records put together a compilation CD of Jackson's greatest hits in 1997.

The Carter Family Wildwood Flower
One of the most prominent families in country music, the Carters enjoy a lineage of country music that spans from the early 1920's to the present. The original Carter Family (A.P. Carter, his wife Sarah and Maybelle Addington who joined the group after marrying A.P.'s brother Ezra) was first recorded in August of 1927. A short six months later the group recorded its biggest seller Wildwood Flower. The single was recorded at Camden in New Jersey on May 9, 1928 and has registered over a million in sales to date. In 1943 the group officially disbanded, having recorded over 250 songs. In 1960, Maybelle and her daughters began working as the Carter Family; June Carter eventually going solo and becoming part of the Johnny Cash Road Show (and later marring Johnny Cash). In 1970 the Carter Family was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame.

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RECORD COMPANY:
Time Bomb Recordings
31652 2nd Ave.
Laguna Beach, CA
92651
ph: (949) 499-8338
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PUBLISHING INFORMATION:
Wixen Music Publishing (818) 591-7355
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BOOKING:
US: Andy Somers / The Agency Group
INTERNATIONAL: Martin Horne / ITB
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OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
www.mikeness.com
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