Sunday, July 3, 2011

Alan Case



The Mystery of Alan Case

Five strong, original folk songs (out of 12) from the otherwise unknown Alan Case -- a sole documented appearance at the Checkered Flag Club in Austin in the late sixties is the extent of my knowledge of this artist. The tape box simply says, "Alan Case, brought in by J. Roland Cole, pastor, St. Mark's Methodist Church, Austin." For some reason the tape was forwarded to Tantara Records, who sat on it.

Case wrote some typical upbeat love songs, but the stark, bleak vision that permeates dirges like "Melinda" and "Can Anybody be to Blame?" is what stands out today. It's a shame that a singer/songwriter of this caliber can be totally forgotten. The Austin Methodist Church connection adds another layer of intrigue here; several songs have religious undertones.

Austin musician Paul Tennison knew Case and remembered that Stacy Sutherland actually wanted to recruit him into the 1968-69 era 13th Floor Elevators as lead vocalist. This of course didn't happen. Mr. Case's subsequent moves are, at this point, a mystery.

Thanks to Craig Malek.

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