“Patton has improbably deepened and broadened his art. For his new album with his wife and longtime musical partner Sherry Brokus, The Great Unknown, Patton has crafted 10 new songs that do more than explain himself to his listeners; these songs explain those listeners to themselves.”- Geoffrey Himes, Washington Post music writer.
“The Tom Petty of Folk!” – Bruce A. Newman, Austin songwriter
Berkalin Records is proud to announce the summer 2019 European Release of Jim Patton and Sherry Brokus‘s “Collection: 2008-2018”, compiled from the folk-rock duo’s four acoustic CDs.
Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus have sung together for 40 years. They led the folk rock band Edge City from Baltimore to Austin where they recorded with Lloyd Maines, the guru of Texas record producers. In 2006, a supporter in Atlanta asked which of the four CDs on the merchandise table sounded most like what he had heard that night. And there were none. They had played as a duo and all their recordings were with bands.
They released “Plans Gang Aft Agley”, an all acoustic CD, in 2008 as “Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus”, and it broke into the top 30 on the Folk charts. Their next CD, “Ray of Hope” another acoustic CD, made the top 100 on the Americana charts. They made 2 more acoustic albums in the next decade, and “The Great Unknown” was named one of the Top 100 CDs of the Year by legendary music critic Geoffrey Himes in Paste Magazine.
The band producer Ron Flynt assembled has remained consistent throughout the four albums. Besides Patton, Brokus, and producer/bassist/keyboardist Flynt, guitarist Rich Brotherton, fiddler Warren Hood, and percussionist John Bush have been the core band for all four CDs and Scrappy Jud Newcomb, Mary Cutrufello, and Marvin Dykhuis have also appeared on two or more albums.
“Patton & Brokus’ all-acoustic CD puts the spotlight on Jim Patton’s lovingly crafted tales of working class heroes and losers, life’s simple pleasures and the longing for something more. We know the characters in these songs, and we’re pulling for them.”
-Jeff Talmadge
Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus 