Colin produces landmark CD for Nashville star

Lisburn school principal Colin Elliot produced the CD ‘Old Fashioned Hymns and Gospel Songs (For Those Who Miss Them) with the backing music provided by several Northern Ireland musicians.

George Hamilton IV will be making two visits to Ireland during the autumn to promote theCD and he will be playing in all six counties, as well as venues throughout the Republic of Ireland.

The album was released at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in July and is now available in shops throughout the province.

A double CD collection of 28 Gospel classics, it features duets from many of Country and Gospel’s foremost entertainers and took over 18 months to complete.

The recording took place both in Hillcrest Recording Studios outside Portadown and in various studios in Nashville and throughout the United States - and the local man had the challenging task of bringing the whole project together.

"This was an amazing project to have been a part of," said Colin, "and something that couldn't really have been considered until recently. It would have been next to impossible to arrange for so many top Country artists to be in the one studio at the same time. However, with today's technology, we were able to make it happen."

Musicians from the Gospel band Live Issue, of which Colin Elliott is a member, were used to produce all the backing music for the album and there were contributions from other local musicians, including steel player Ivan McLeron, violinist Jan Lyttle and banjo picker Derek Norwood. Fellow Live Issue member and pianist, Samuel Purdy, also assisted with pre-production work and arranging keys for the various singers on the album.

George Hamilton IV then took time out from a hectic touring schedule to record his main vocals with Colin in December last year. The basic music tracks and Colin's arrangement notes were then sent to each artist in turn and studios were booked for them to record their vocals in America. These vocal tracks were individually returned to Colin and the songs were rebuilt and finished in Northern Ireland before the album's American launch at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on July 3.

"It was such an honour to work with so many legendary musicians from the Grand Ole Opry and through this project I've made a lot of friends, including some true Nashville legends,” added Colin. “Everyone involved in this album, including artists, musicians and studio engineers, gave freely of their time and talents to make this recording happen. This is something quite unique and refreshing in a world of music unions and contractual obligations."

Old Fashioned Hymns and Gospel Songs For Those Who Miss Them is currently on sale on the Lamon label in all Faith Mission Bookshops throughout Northern Ireland and online at www.hillcrestrecordings.btik.com price 14.99.