I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)

Background

"I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" is the sixth track of The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again, the ninth solo album of John Fogerty with new material. The collection is a follow-up to Fogerty's first solo album The Blue Ridge Rangers which consisted of covers of old country and gospel tunes and came out in 1973.

Recording of The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again started in October 2008 at Village Recorders in Santa Monica with engineer Mike Piersante. The album was arranged and produced by John Fogerty. It was released in August 2009. The album peaked at #24 in the USA, #1 in Norway and #3 in Sweden. 

Ray Price's country hit "I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" is one of the oldest songs on The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again. Price recorded the single on December 28th, 1953 at the Tulane Hotel's "Castle Recording Studio" in Nashville. Released in January next year, the song reached #2 on the Billboard chart in the USA. 

Personnel

Vocals, acoustic guitar: John Fogerty

Electric guitar: Buddy Miller

Steel guitar: Greg Leisz

Drums: Jay Bellerose

Bass: Dennis Crouch

Fiddle: Jason Mowery

Harmony vocals: Jodie Kennedy

The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again was the second John Fogerty release featuring Jodie Kennedy on backing vocals. She debuted on the Comin' Down the Road live DVD. 

Collector's notes

"I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me") was also released as a promotional single in 2010.  

Live versions

John Fogerty has never performed the song live. 

Critical reception

"And where shuffle-beat honky-tonk is concerned, Fogerty and his band blaze their way through a trio of golden-era touchstones: Ray Price's "I'll Be There" and "Fallin', Fallin', Fallin'," and Buck Owens's "I Don't Care." Rife with Bob Wills-style shout-outs and crisscrossing instrumental breaks, notably from fiddle player Jason Mowery and steel guitarist Greg Leisz, each of these songs sounds as fresh as it is familiar." -Bill Friskics-Warren, The Washington Post, September 1st, 2009.

"Fogerty takes the opportunity to pay tribute to some of his heroes who made the country music that belied CCR hits such as “Green River” and “Lodi”. He takes on Buck Owens himself with “I Don’t Care” and Ray Price with “I’ll Be There” and “Fallin Fallin Fallin”. A testament to his devotion to this era of country is the band he surrounded himself with, who ably fill the tracks with more twang than any top-10 country artist. Fogerty obliges the band with old-school shout-outs as they take their solos, adding to the charm." -The Sounds Country, September 15th, 2009.

"Most everything works quite well here without much of a difference between this and Fogerty's solo discs, although there is definitely more of a country vibe going on. Picking songs such as Buck Owens' I Don't Care (Just As Long As You Love Me) will ensure that." -Jeffrey B. Remz, The Country Standard Time,

Fans' views

"I like John's arrangement of this one. He moves away from the original just enough to make it his own while holding true to the song - very much like the original BRR songs."

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