Former Don Henley collaborator Al Perkins with Nick Young in Nashville.

Singer-songwriter Nick Young of South Lima spent July 21 through 23 in a Nashville music studio, putting some finishing touches on a dozen original songs he recently recorded at East Avon’s Bluebrick Studio. On two of those cuts Nick roped in a personal idol, pedal steel legend Al Perkins, who added instrumental flourishes to ‘Make It All Right’ and ‘Nicotine and Tar’.

You may not have heard of Al Perkins, but you certainly have heard of his associates. Perkins came out of Texas in 1970 with a band called Shiloh, with fellow member and drummer Don Henley, soon to become the percussion and voice of The Eagles, whose greatest hits album has been neck-and-neck with Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ as the biggest seller of all time.

Nick was privy to Perkins’ account of his work with Mick Jagger on the ‘Exile on Main Street’ album. Although vocal tracks were already cut, Jagger decided Perkins needed the inspiration of a live vocal when adding the steel guitar tracks.  As Perkins laid down the steel parts, Jagger proceeded to dance in front of him, sing into his face and make an assortment of contorted movements.

Throughout his musical career, Perkins has had the reputation of being a devout Christian who was never known to swear or use drugs. Nick reports that Perkins is true to that image, a southern gentleman, humble and modest.

“He drives a mini-van,” Nick said. “He and I loaded the steel guitar back into it when we were done.”

Nick notes that Perkins charged him an “independent artist rate”, a fee substantially under the union studio session rate, which would have cost $2,300. “He hadn’t heard the songs before. I gave him the charts and we knocked out the parts in about two hours,” Nick relates.  “To think that Al Perkins played on Gram Parson’s records and Rolling Stones’ records, and now he’s played on my record is amazing,” Nick reflected.

On his new record Nick is accompanied by his band ‘Burning Daylight’, who are Tim Mroz on bass and Jesse Sprinkle on drums. Adam Jester supplies harmony vocal on some cuts.

This will be Nick’s second full length record. Totaling singles and shorter EP collections, he has recorded about 50 original songs. Nick is a native of Seneca Falls and 2000 graduate of SUNY Geneseo.

Entitled “Truth Is," Nick's new album will be released later this year. It will be available as a CD, via iTunes and other Internet outlets. His next show will be a solo performance at The Bug Jar in Rochester on Aug. 21.

Complete story appears in our Aug. 13 print edition.

Tagged as: Livonia-Conesus, music, Nashville, South Lima