Ricky Warwick has made the title song from his upcoming record When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues) available online.
The Black Star Riders frontman is set to release the full-length as part of a double CD next month along with acoustic album Hearts On Trees.
Warwick says it was his friend Sam Robinson who came up with the lyrics for the song.
He adds: “He handed me these lyrics and my jaw hit the floor. They were the lyrics for the title track When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues) and that title alone just evoked so many memories for me from my childhood.
“The strange thing is that Sam and I grew up about a mile apart from each other and supported the same football team, we had the same working class upbringing but never met each other.
“Now here was a guy who wrote in this song about the music that his father listened to, which was the same music that my father listened to – about his father working during the week, having a flutter on the horses on a Saturday, winning money, buddies coming over, the whiskey coming out, the cards coming out and we’d get to be the DJs and get to put the records on.
“And when you’re 10 years old, that was a big thing that you were in charge of the record player. You got to put on Sinatra, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and all these greats, and that was magical.
“Sam and I both had that when we were kids. So as soon as he handed me those lyrics I could hear the song, I could hear the music and I could hear the melody.”
Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts support Stiff Little Fingers on their UK tour in February.
When Patsy Cline was crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues) and Hearts On Trees will be released as a double CD on February 26 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.
The package is available to pre-order on CD, digital, standard vinyl and limited-edition vinyl.
