TO CAPTURE THE TRUE ESSENCE OF ALL NIGHT ALL STARS YOU'D LISTEN TO IT LATE AT NIGHT, UNDER THE STARS OF A CLEAR WARM SOUTHERN SKY, HAULING ASS DOWN BACK ROADS BETWEEN MACON, GEORGIA AND MUSCLE SHOALS, ALABAMA IN A NINETY-EIGHT OLDS CONVERTIBLE, STEREO BLASTING, WITH BOBBY WHITLOCK BEHIND THE WHEEL AND LEVON HELM IN THE BACK SEAT HOLDING COURT. THAT'S WHAT TIM WILSON SAW IN HIS HEAD WHEN HE AND STEVE MELTON WERE DREAMING UP THE IDEA TO MAKE THIS ALBUM.

"WE LOOKED OUT IN THE STUDIO ONE DAY WHILE WE WERE WORKING ON ONE OF MY COMEDY ALBUMS AND REALIZED WE HAD THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD SITTING IN FRONT OF US," TIM SAID. "AND WHEN LEVON SAID HE'D BE INTERESTED IN HELPING US MAKE AN ALL STARS ALBUM HAPPEN, BOOM! WE PUT TOGETHER A WISH LIST, AND GOT ON THE PHONE! YOU'D BE SHOCKED AT WHO'LL SHOW UP ON TUESDAY WHEN LEVON'S GONNA BE THERE."

"BOBBY SAID YES.JIMMY SAID YES. T. GRAHAM SAID YES, AND THEN RUSSELL AND AMY AND RONNIE AND MIKE GOT ON BOARD, AND WHEN GREG ALLMAN SAID HE'D SING 'NORMAL LOVE,' MAN THAT WAS ICING ON THE CAKE. I LOVE THE PEOPLE ON THIS RECORD."

THE LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS LABOR OF LOVE READS LIKE THE ROLL OF A SOUTHERN MUSIC HALL OF FAME, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION, THE MUSCLE SHOALS RHYTHM SECTION, DEREK AND THE DOMINOS, THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, STEPPENWOLF, WET WILLY, TRAFFIC, AND THE BAND, ALONG WITH THE GREATEST VOCALISTS AND SESSION MUSICIANS WHOSE NAMES ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH BLUE-EYED SOUL. TIM'S LONG-TIME CO-WRITER AND COLLABORATOR, DANNY SIMPSON, SAID IT BEST - "NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU'VE KNOWN THESE GUYS, YOU TILL WANT THEIR AUTOGRAPHS."

THE CAST OF CHARACTERS WAS ASSEMBLED AT THE LEGENDARY MUSCLE SHOALS

SOUND STUDIO, WHERE LANDMARK ALBUMS BY ARTISTS INCLUDING ARETHA FRANKLIN, CHER, PAUL SIMON, PERCY SLEDGE, WILSON PICKETT, AND MANY MORE WERE CREATED. THEY JAMMED LATE INTO THE NIGHT, ROLLING TAPE AND

GETTING MANY OF THE SONGS ON THE FIRST TAKE.

"WHEN IT'S TIME TO GO TO WAR IN A RECORDING STUDIO, GIVE ME STEVE MELTON EVERY TIME," TIM BRAGS ABOUT HIS CO-PRODUCER AND FRIEND.

"STEVE FINISHED MIXING THE ALBUM ON A SATURDAY NIGHT, AND WAS GETTING

HIS AORTIC VALVE SWAPPED OUT THE FOLLOWING MONDAY. DAMN!"

"IT'S ALMOST HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE TO ORGANIZE A PROJECT WITH THIS CALIBER

OF MUSICIANS AND SINGERS AND ENGINEERS, TOGETHER, LIKE A TEAM, WORKING

IN SHIFTS RECORDING THE WHOLE THING IN ONLY EIGHT DAYS. THAT'S WHY I

TELL EVERYBODY THAT GOD PRODUCED THIS ALBUM...WITH A BUNCH OF HELP

FROM MELTON. HE MADE IT SOUND LIKE IT WAS RECORDED SOMEWHERE

BETWEEN A TENT REVIVAL AND A SOUTHERN JUKE JOINT."

"WE OPERATED LIKE GOD LIKES TO OPERATE. WE PLAYED AND SANG AND LAUGHED AND FOUGHT AND CUT THE WHOLE DAMN THING ON A HANDSHAKE. WHEN IT WAS FINISHED, WE TOASTED IT WITH WHAT GOD LIKES TO DRINK NOW...SWEET TEA!"

Jeff Lysyczyn

August 2003