CD Artwork
North Carolina Artist David Merck painted the first four CD Covers. ’40 Ford Coupe ( 2020 ) was painted by Mike Emery of Sheffield, England
’40 Ford Coupe
Majestic Stone Mountain, NC lends us a perfect backdrop to feature this legacy moonshine racer, the ’40 Ford Coupe. Junior Johnson takes a breather with his Red Bone Coonhound and Willie Clay Call (” The Uncatchable” ) taste tests the delived product. Rob McHale is featured with his guitar case in hand and his brother Pat relaxing with his harmonica with his own ‘stash’. An American Bald Eagle fittingly flies overhead.
Prophets on the Boulevard
On the cover we feature an image of the abolishionist John Brown preaching to a few lost souls, looking for a better way. The lines are taken from the title track as is the rest of the setting. In addition you may have noticed a hooker, a young immigrant ( top right ) looking for work, and the author sitting against a wall. John Brown is featured due to his presence in the song ‘ Deep in the River ‘ track 11, which expresses his effect on the civil war and times to come. Once again, artist David Merck was able to capture this theme in another exquisite painting.
Tom Dooley and Friends
On the cover of Tom Dooley and Friends we wanted to have the characters of the songs on the cover in an appropriate setting. The setting is Whippoorwill Village in Ferguson, NC (home of the Tom Dooley Museum) with the Daniel Boone replica cabin in the background. L to R on the cover are: David Merck ( the artist ) – Daniel Boone – Jesse James – Tom Dooley – Laura Foster – Rob McHale – and Julia Shumake under the porch on the cabin.
Fields
On the cover of Fields we were trying to capture some key lines from the song ‘ Fields ‘ and the reflective nature of the title track. The subject is walking down an old dirt road looking at cotton fields reflecting on the history of the land he sees, ” the shadows of the men who worked this land, are lyin’ on these fields hand in hand, sons of farmers sons of slaves are only shadows that remain” ” and the fields go on for miles and miles, until they reach the southern sky“.
Company Town
This was the first project with David. We connected well with the concept and David found the setting just south of downtown Mooresville, NC. The site of the old Burlington Cotton Mill, complete with company homes and would convey the message in the title track very well.
As a young man, I was a Captain on the DC-3 aircraft, flying cargo in the US and Canada, we thought it would be a nice touch to put it on the cover painted in the colors of the beloved Piedmont Airlines that was native to this region and where I later worked as a pilot.
The three men standing on the corner are Alex Merck – Andy Simkus – David Merck ( the artist )