The Purple Bird finds Bonnie “Prince” Billy working with a “producer” for only the second time in his illustrious career. His relationship with David ‘Ferg’ Ferguson dates back more than two decades to the sessions for the Johnny Cash album American III with Rick Rubin, where Ferg served as engineer and where Cash performed a cover of the BPB track I See A Darkness. The pair have worked together on numerous projects over the years but none as deeply as The Purple Bird (which takes its name from a drawing Ferg made as a second-grader). He is credited as a co-writer on 7 of the 12 tracks. Oldham says of the relationship:
“I’ve made records with friends, collaborative records like The Brave and the Bold with Tortoise; the two Superwolf records with Matt Sweeney; The Wonder Show of the World with Emmett Kelly; Get on Jolly with Mick Turner. These collaborators get top billing because that’s how this business works. This record, The Purple Bird, is similarly a collaborative effort but the collaborator is the producer, David Ferguson. He’s a giant of a man, an epic musical force, a dear friend. Our work together on this record was the result of years of sharing hard times and great joys, songs and stories, of making music together and apart. There’s a lot of trust in this record on Ferg’s part and on mine, and the trust was hard- and well-earned. When I listen to the record, oftentimes I can’t help but laugh in wonder that life allowed me to participate in such a thing.”
The Purple Bird is available now via No Quarter / Rocket distribution. Watch/hear first single London May here