Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Carolyn Sills Gets Candid About “Return to El Paso”

by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

Winners of the 2018 Ameripolitan Award for Western Swing Band of the Year, the Carolyn Sills Combo has long been known for their “Spaghetti Western Swing” style of music.

Carolyn Sills Combo, Carolyn, Sills, Combo, Return to El Paso, El Paso
Carolyn Sills/The Press House

Carolyn Sills and her husband, Gerard Egan, were recently inducted into the Sacramento Swing Hall of Fame. With this album, the group pays homage to country music and keeps the intrigue of “El Paso” alive 60 years after it first stirred listeners’ imaginations.

We here at Country Thang Daily had the pleasure to interview the eclectic frontwoman about their upcoming album!

Interview with Carolyn Sills

Carolyn Sills, Carolyn, Sills, Album, El Paso
Carolyn Sills/The Press House

Country Thang Daily: Tell us a little bit more about yourself.

Carolyn Sills: I front The Carolyn Sills Combo, a Spaghetti Western Swing band out of Santa Cruz, CA. Our biggest influences are classic country, western swing, and spaghetti western films.

I take great pride in my lyrics, preferring to tell stories that paint a cinematic picture or give a unique perspective on a historical event. My guitarist husband, Gerard Egan, and I started the Combo when we moved to Santa Cruz some years back, to work at Santa Cruz Guitar Company. We have an 80 lb cattle dog named Cowboy, a wonderful collection of vinyl records, and a healthy addiction to Mexican food.

CTD: What or who are your biggest inspirations in music?

CS: One of my biggest musical influences is Marty Robbins – and for so many reasons. Of course was a fabulous singer, with amazing range, delivery, and passion to his voice. But he was also an incredible songwriter and storyteller. Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs is like a movie for your ears; the characters and narration are so captivating.

As a child, I would imagine all the characters in my head – so much so that years later, it feels like a Western film I once saw. He always surrounded himself with fantastic players, like Grady Martin, the Glaser Brothers – like I do with Gerard Egan, Charlie Joe Wallace, Jim Norris, and Sunshine Jackson… and just like our Combo, he didn’t limit himself to one style.

Of course, we know him for his cowboy and Western songs, but he has amazing Hawaiian albums and pop albums. He wrote for the sake of the song and to what inspired him – and that’s what I set out to do.

CTD: You are known for your “Spaghetti Western Swing” style of music. Describe it a little bit for us -along with your creative process?

CS: Gerard and I have been writing music together for years, and we never set out to fit into one specific style. It was always about writing a good song with genuine lyrics and a melody and style that was best suited for the story.

Of course, one will gravitate towards what they are listening to at the time, and in the last few years, a lot of Western swing and cowboy music has been on our record player. It wasn’t until we were nominated for our first Ameripolitan Award for Western Swing Group that we realized people considered us a Western Swing band.

And being big fans of Spaghetti Western movies like the Dollars Trilogy, as well as Ennio Morricone’s music, we were influenced by that vast cinematography and thematic soundtracks, so Spaghetti Western Swing just seemed to fit the bill.

CTD: Congratulations on the newest album, by the way, can’t wait for it to be released! Can you talk more about your inspiration for this album?

CS: We wanted to write a record that gave more back story to one Marty Robbins song in particular: “El Paso.” This year marked the 60th anniversary of the release of that iconic song, and we thought it should be celebrated.

We wrote five songs about various characters within Marty’s “El Paso” to expand on his original story and give the characters even more personality and motivation for their fateful actions. We stay true to Marty’s tale and even the back story he provides in his follow up song, “Feleena From El Paso.”

We recorded it over two days in a small studio in Joshua Tree, California, with producer/engineer Sylvia Massy, who has worked on a long list of famous albums, including Johnny Cash’s Unchained with Rick Rubin.

CTD: I love how creative you are when it came to writing it based on the perspectives of the song’s characters. What made you decide to do it this way?

CS: We wanted to do something different – something more than just a collection of new Combo songs. We wanted to show our respect and appreciation for an album that has truly influenced our music and songwriting, and do our part to introduce it to a new audience. So much happens in four minutes and thirty-eight seconds of El Paso – an album’s worth of characters, action, and drama.

So it was a fun assignment to take that on and focus on specific characters. Of course, there is the wicked Feleena… Did she know what she was doing all along – that if she shared a drink with this handsome young stranger at Rosa’s for long enough, her jealous lover would come in and take action? And who was this “dashing and daring” stranger, “wild as the West Texas wind,” as Marty described him?

Perhaps he was a former lover of hers from her days in Santa Fe that she still planned to marry, but he rode to El Paso to end things with her once he caught wind of her affair. And don’t forget a very important character, the horse Marty steals as he runs for his life out the back door of Rosa’s. “I caught a good one, it looked like it could run, up on its back and away I did ride…”

How did that horse end up at Rosa’s that night? And when Marty comes back, lovesick, from the Badlands of New Mexico, who were those “five mounted cowboys” off to his right… and who was the ranger who actually pulled the trigger, sending Marty off his horse and to his fate in the wicked arms of Feleena? These are the questions I had and the motivation for these songs.

CTD: Last question! What are you most excited about in the album?

CS: I am most excited for fans of Marty Robbins to hear our album. I hope they appreciate the references and it adds to the movie “El Paso” they’ve been watching in their heads all these years, as well.

Latest Stories

Morgan Wallen Donates $500,000 Worth of Musical Instruments to Students Across the Nation

Morgan Wallen Donates $500,000 Worth of Musical Instruments to Students Across the Nation

Country music superstar Morgan Wallen isn’t just wowing crowds on his One Night at a Time tour; he’s also rocking the world of music education. Through his Morgan Wallen Foundation, ...

Luke Combs and Eric Church's Concert Raises $24M for Hurricane Helene Victims

Luke Combs and Eric Church’s Concert Raises $24M for Hurricane Helene Victims

Country music superstars Luke Combs and Eric Church united for a powerful cause, headlining the “Concert for Carolina” to benefit victims of Hurricane Helene. The star-studded event, held at Bank ...

13 Surprising Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Brad Paisley

13 Surprising Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Brad Paisley

When you think of Brad Paisley, you probably picture the quick-witted country star with a guitar in hand and a string of chart-toppers behind him. But there’s much more to ...

Blake Shelton Honors Elvis Presley with "Suspicious Minds" Cover

Blake Shelton Honors Elvis Presley with “Suspicious Minds” Cover

Elvis Presley’s influence on music is undeniable, and his legacy inspires generations. His 1969 hit “Suspicious Minds” remains a signature track, capturing love, conflict, and heartbreak themes. Decades later, country ...

Alan Jackson Stops "Pop a Top" at CMAs in Honor of George Jones

Alan Jackson Stops “Pop a Top” at CMAs in Honor of George Jones

It’s always remarkable when country legends support each other, especially on music’s biggest stages. Alan Jackson’s unforgettable tribute to George Jones at the 1999 CMA Awards was one such moment, ...

Ben Haggard Pays Tribute to His Dad with "Sing Me Back Home"

Ben Haggard Pays Tribute to His Dad with “Sing Me Back Home”

Stepping into the spotlight with a last name like Haggard carries immense weight. Still, Ben Haggard embraces it with remarkable grace and sincerity. As the youngest son of the legendary ...

Vince Gill and Alison Krauss' Soulful Duet of "Tryin' to Get Over You"

Vince Gill and Alison Krauss’ Soulful Duet of “Tryin’ to Get Over You”

Heartbreak has never sounded as hauntingly beautiful as when Vince Gill and Alison Krauss come together to perform “Tryin’ to Get Over You.” In this breathtaking live duet, their voices ...

Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” Surprise at Tyler Perry Play

Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” Surprise at Tyler Perry Play

On February 14, 2020, Nashville concertgoers were treated to an unforgettable surprise during Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Tour stop at Bridgestone Arena. It wasn’t just Madea that left the crowd ...

Allie Colleen Honors Keith Whitley with a Heartfelt Cover of "Don't Close Your Eyes"

Allie Colleen Honors Keith Whitley with a Heartfelt Cover of “Don’t Close Your Eyes”

In 2015, Allie Colleen—daughter of country icon Garth Brooks—delivered a touching tribute to Keith Whitley with her rendition of “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” Shared on her Facebook page, the performance ...

Scotty McCreery Wows the Opry with His “Hello Darlin’” Performance

Scotty McCreery Wows the Opry with His “Hello Darlin’” Performance

In 2015, country artist Scotty McCreery took the stage at the Grand Ole Opry, four years after winning American Idol Season 10. He captivated the audience with a stunning rendition ...