Sun Records has released “It’s Been So Long,” a collection of rare and previously unreleased recordings by Memphis band The Gentrys, produced by Knox Phillips, son of Sun founder Sam Phillips. The 12-track set documents a later, lesser-known incarnation of the group from the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the band shifted from its garage-rock roots toward softer harmonies influenced by the West Coast sound of the era.
The collection includes two previously unreleased tracks from the Sun vault, “Two Of Us” and the title track, along with covers of Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl” and Cat Stevens’ “Wild World” and “Father And Son.” A lyric video for “Cinnamon Girl” was released alongside the album. The lineup featured Jimmy Hart, later known for his career in professional wrestling, who joined The Gentrys after its original members disbanded in 1969 and connected with Knox and Sam Phillips at Sun Recording Studio.
The tracks were remastered by the Sun Records team in Nashville with input from Hart, and the packaging includes archival photos scanned in partnership with Third Man Records. Laura Pochodylo, Sun Records’ Director of Marketing & Strategy, wrote the album’s liner notes. The release follows a listening event in Memphis on Sept. 2, and Hart is set to perform at Sun Label Group’s AmericanaFest Day Party in Nashville on Sept. 16.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by The Press House.