After the dissolution of
the Long Ryders, musician
Sid Griffin (who doubles as a music journalist, having penned Gram Parsons: A Music Biography in 1985) formed
the Coal Porters in Los Angeles alongside
Long Ryders drummer
Greg Sowders and English bassist
Ian Thomson. The group, which quickly relocated to England, debuted with
Rebels Without Applause (originally an Australian 12" EP), followed in 1994 by the full-length effort
Land of Hope and Crosby. The album featured such guests as ex-
Green on Red organist
Chris Cacavas and ex-
Rockpile member
Billy Bremner.
Griffin continued to use a revolving cast of musicians on the band's follow-up,
Los London.
The Gram Parsons Tribute Concert, a live recording taken from a London gig at the Garage in September 1998, would prove to be
the Coal Porters' last electric effort before
Griffin took the group in an acoustic direction. (
Griffin was producing
Here Comes the Neighbourhood by
Lindisfarne when he found himself inspired by that group's acoustic sound.) Subsequently,
the Coal Porters re-emerged as an acoustic bluegrass project, with
Griffin on mandolin,
Pat McGarvey on banjo,
Neil Robert Herd on guitar,
Alan Bisset on bass, and
Ivor Ottley on fiddle. In 2001, that version of
the Coal Porters released the all-acoustic bluegrass album
The Chris Hillman Tribute Concerts, which explored the career of the ex-
Byrds and
Flying Burrito Brothers member. This acoustic incarnation of
Coal Porters made its studio debut in 2004 with
How Dark This Earth Will Shine, followed in 2008 by
Turn the Water On, Boy!, the latter of which continued
Griffin's exploration of his own bluegrass roots.
–
Erik Hage, Rovi