American Blues Scene is honored to premiere the first single from the late Southern rock icon and Cowboy co-founder Tommy Talton’s final studio album, Seven Levels, out November 7, 2025 via Strolling Bones Records. “I’ve Got the Sun In My Heart” exudes the warmth, soul, and storytelling charm of the American South. With vivid lyrical imagery, the track feels like a lazy afternoon drive — windows down and time suspended. Talton’s guitar work is fluid and expressive beneath swells of fiddle and keys. It’s a song rich in atmosphere, character, and, fittingly, sunshine.
Joe Bell’s liner notes perfectly capture the essence: “‘I’ve Got the Sun In My Heart’ is a classic Louisiana style ballad with a delicious fiddle, slinky guitar work, an unforgettable keys jam plus a long outro that is very soul satisfying. The always adorable and capable Donna Hall adds her voice to the mix. Sheriffs, drinking and driving and saving daylight time – what could go wrong, all in the hot southern sunshine?”
Talton first made his mark in Macon, Georgia, at Capricorn Studios, where his work with Cowboy caught the attention of fellow musicians and producers alike. His collaborations with Gregg Allman and the Allman Brothers Band would go on to cement his place in the genre’s storied history. Chuck Leavell, longtime Rolling Stones keyboardist/music director and close friend, recalls meeting Tommy in 1971 and being blown away by the distinct Southern flavor Cowboy brought to their fusion of country, rock, and folk.
I was playing with Alex Taylor at the time, and both Scott Boyer and Tommy had contributed songs and played on Alex’s first record, Alex Taylor With Friends and Neighbors… Tommy and Scott had started the band Cowboy and were recording at Capricorn Studios in Macon… I was blown away with the beautiful songs, harmonies and playing…
Chuck Leavell, excerpted from his full testimonial
Cowboy was doing it with a distinct Southern flavor, which gave them a unique sound. Then in 1972, when I was just 20 years old, fate put us together to record Gregg Allman’s first solo record, Laid Back… Our friendship blossomed even more as we worked on the project, and both Tommy and Scott contributed strongly on the record… That led to an invitation for me to join the ABB, which was the opportunity of a lifetime… and almost simultaneously we began to record the Brothers and Sisters record.
We became the core band of Gregg’s first solo tour… These were wonderful times, and the music flowed beautifully… The tour included not only our core band, but a 13-piece string orchestra… three background singers and a horn section. To document the tour, a live record was released in ’74, The Gregg Allman Tour, with ‘Cowboy, Boyer and Talton’ opening… I played on a couple of songs on their 1975 release called Cowboy: Boyer and Talton, which remains one of my favorite records.
Through all of this, and with all of Tommy’s talents, it was his songwriting that really shone through and that I loved. From ‘Only Josephine Beyond Compare’ on the first Cowboy record to ‘Time Will Take Us’ on the Gregg Allman Live record… and all the way up to his current works, he has always had a special ability to put words, melodies and chords together that makes beautiful music.
Seven Levels was recorded over several memorable days in April 2022, featuring the talents of Tommy’s former bandmates and Capricorn label mates Randall Bramblett, Chuck Leavell, Rick Hirsch, Charlie Hayward, and Bill Stewart. Despite undergoing medical treatments and battling illness, Tommy’s perfectionism and spirit pushed the project forward, resulting in seven expertly crafted songs.
Rick Hirsch, who mixed and mastered the album, reflects on their years of collaboration: “Now and again I pull up the voluminous texts with Tommy over the last several years, especially while bringing these songs to fruition. It’s akin to reading a novel. We’d met a lifetime ago in 1970, Macon, GA. I remember clearly being impressed by his strength of mind and spirit, which he never lost an ounce — even during his illness — and I was an instant fan.
“There’s an expression musicians use with each other: ‘play it like you mean it!’ Tommy embodied that certitude whether he was showing me a new song he’d written or inventing solid, defined parts in a studio setting. I had the feeling that so many of his songs were from a higher plane of the spirit within that he seemed to be able to tap into effortlessly. He was passionate and tenacious about his music — and maybe more importantly, his poetry. If you’re tuned in somehow, Frankie Natola, we miss your presence every day, dear friend.”
