Anyone who has ever seen George Jones live has probably already been struck by what a fantastic singer Ron Gaddis is. For nearly two decades now, Gaddis has served as Jones’ frontman out on the road, playing bass, leading the Jones Boys through their marvelous opening sets, and providing harmony and duet vocals for his famous boss (that was Gaddis singing the Merle Haggard part on countless versions of “No Show Jones”).
With so many years in the business, it’s no wonder Gaddis has been able to put together such a stellar lineup for his debut. Besides legends such as Hargus “Pig” Robbins on piano and the late Jimmy Day — in his final recorded performances– on steel guitar, Gaddis duets here with guest vocalists Porter Wagoner, Texas Playboy Leon Rausch, Lorrie Morgan (she and Gaddis were once married and have a daughter together), and, on an all-too-prescient barnburner titled “I Fell Off The Wagon”, George Jones.
That list of musicians alone should be enough to pique anyone’s interest. What’s most worthwhile about this disc, though, is Gaddis himself. As you’d expect from a singer who has not only matched the impossible leaps and bounds of Jones but actually had to learn to anticipate them, Gaddis’ expert phrasing betrays more than a little bit of Possum and, consequently, more than a little bit of Lefty Frizzell as well. Listen closely to Gaddis’ rough, heartfelt twang and you’ll also pick up traces of later honky-tonk disciples such as Mel Street and Moe Bandy. Gaddis really is, as he boasts in the Vern Gosdin-penned title track, “a chip off the chip off the old block.”
It helps a lot that Gaddis isn’t afraid to come off lowdown and pathetic when it’s needed — his recording of “Holding My Own” conveys more loss in one twisted note than the entirety of George Strait’s more even-keel version — or that he can be unabashedly devoted and sweet when he wants to be, as he does when promising an engaged daughter his undying love in “If The Red Leaves The Rose”.
In an earlier period of country music, Gaddis would have long ago graduated to a successful solo career. Given the state of current country radio, that isn’t likely to happen any time soon, but he’s nevertheless made his mark with Chip Off The Old Block.
