Don Francisco – The Live Concert – 1982

I guess it’s rather silly to point out that this is a live album from Don Francisco but I have to open the paragraph some way. It was recorded at the Huffman Assembly of God in Birmingham, AL on September 20, 1982 and released later that year. At this point in his career Don was established as THE folk artist of CCM music. At the time this album came out I was not a big fan of folk music but I liked this album. Let that be a testament to how good it is. In fact I would say it is probably one of the best live albums of the 80’s regardless of style. I can honestly say that I would have loved to have seen him live as it sounds like it was a really good show. Years later I have listened to most of his albums now and most of the versions he did live are the best versions of these songs.

Tracklist
1 – Since I Met Him I Can See – 3:24
2 – Got To Tell Somebody – 5:11
3 – Jesus Is The Lord Of The Way I Feel – 2:34
4 – Steeple Song – 3:01
5 – I’ll Never Let Go Of Your Hand – 3:28
6 – Adam – 4:30
7 – I Don’t Care Where You’ve Been Sleeping – 3:12
8 – Give Your Heart A Home – 3:52
9 – Too Small A Price – 5:52
10 – Christmas Song – 2:44
11 – Come And Follow Me – 4:10
12 – I Could Never Promise You – 3:03
13 – Love Is Not A Feeling – 1:57
14 – Beautiful To Me – 4:22
15 – The Package – 3:08
16 – Jehoshaphat – 3:01
17 – Closer To Jesus – 3:22
18 – He’s Alive – 4:50

Credits
Art Direction, Design – Bill Barnes, Randy Martin
Backing Vocals – Duann Hall, Gary Dunham
Bass, Acoustic Guitar – Louie Hall
Engineer – Noah White
Executive-Producer – Michael B. Suttle
Keyboards – Gary Dunham
Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Don Francisco
Mastered By – Ken Perry
Mixed By [Remixed By] – Louie Hall
Photography By – Dean Dixon
Producer – Don Francisco, Louie Hall

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – The Benson Company, Inc.
Mixed At – Spectrum Recording Studios, Birmingham, AL
Mastered At – Masterfonics

Don Francisco – The Traveler – 1981

Don Francisco was one of the most dependable musicians in the CCM genre. His fans were given a regular diet of new albums almost every year from 1979 to 1994. The Traveler was his 1981 offering and it was well received. It had the sound we have grown use to from Don. His folk style was a standout in Christian music. This album isn’t that sit in the park with an acoustic guitar kind of folk but instead a more pop oriented folk. The album didn’t stand out to me but it is a good album from a respected artist.

Tracklist
1 – Too Small A Price / Joy – 5:55
2 – Since I Met Him – 3:57
3 – The Lord & I Together – 2:45
4 – Beautiful To Me – 4:39
5 – If You Ain’t Gonna Sing The Gospel – 4:27
6 – Messengers From Heaven – 4:15
7 – The Package – 4:06
8 – You Can’t Take It With You – 3:13
9 – Give Your Heart A Home – 4:38
10 – The Traveler / Joy – 5:12

Credits
Design, Photography By – Bill Barnes
Engineer – Gene Eichelberger, Jim Cotton, Noah White
Engineer [Assistant] – Barry Baily, Chuck Ainley, Gerry Lentz, Jim Baird, Jon Putnam, Pat Holt, Quitman Dennis
Illustration – Randy Martin
Mastered By – Glen Meadows
Photography By – Matt Barnes
Producer, Arranged By [Strings] – Shane Keister
Written-By – Don Francisco, Gary McSpadden (tracks: B3), Gloria Gaither (tracks: B4), Bill Gaither (tracks: B4)