Country Music and More Magazine article by Ian McQueen
KYLE ESPLIN
To Memphis ‘N’ Back — KCD 021
Tracks: Why You Been Gone So Long? She Sure Makes Leaving Look Easy; Sweet Little Sixteen; Makin’ Whoopee; Folsom Prison Blues; You Don’t Know Me; Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee; The Bigger The Fool, The Harder The Fall; Great Balls Of Fire; One For The Moon; I’d Rather Be Sorry. Running time: 39:49.
Kyle Esplin is from Forfar,Scotland. He is a full-time professional musician and the son of the well-known Scottish entertainers Joss Esplin & Sandra Wright.
Kyle is the Scottish for a narrow strait or channel, a very apt name for this young piano player because at the end of the channel is Jerry Lee Lewis and this laddie is so good he was invited to play at Jerry’s 66th birthday party. Born into the world of entertainment he has been playing the piano as long as he can remember, he sang on one of his father’s recordings at the age of 10. He can also play clarinet and guitar but his first love is the piano, at the age of 15 years he played in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Jerry Lee Lewis’ band heard him and thought his playing sensational for his age.
When most 16-year-olds are checking out their birthday presents Kyle was recording his Great Balls Of Fire CD and appearing with his parents in New York.
The following year he took over as musical director for a three-week tour of Canada by the Breath Of Scotland company when the MD fell ill. As a boogie-woogie pianist/singer he has more than earned permission to use the title international. Whenever and wherever he chooses to play I can assure you he will have the place jumping, I defy you to sit still when this album of classic cover numbers is playing.
Half of the album was recorded in Memphis with a band of Memphis musicians, the other half in Glasgow with Scottish musicians. It was then mastered at the famous Abbey Road Studios, London.
There is only one word to describe how I felt listening to the awesome talent of Kyle Esplin and that’s one of Jerry Lee Lewis’ top ten hits “Breathless”.
By IAN McQUEEN - Country Music and More Magazine