Albums & Merch

“The person who invented folk music must have had something like this in mind.”
Culture Mob

All CDs below may be purchased directly from us
for $19 ($15 for CD and $4 for shipping)

Don’t want to buy an actual CD? Sons of the Never Wrong music & videos are available on your favorite streaming platforms.

Albums

**NEW ALBUM** – Undertaker’s Songbook

  1. Muddy Muddy River
  2. Higher Ground
  3. Shorebird
  4. Oh Chocolay
  5. No One Only You
  6. Bob & Socrates
  7. Om Not This Time
  8. Everyone’s In The House
  9. Set Us To Prayin’
  10. Black Dirt Ground
  11. Saints and Martyrs
  12. From Where The Strings Descend
  13. This Is Pretty Too
  14. Blessed Little Let It Be
  15. In The End

A new album by Sons of the Never Wrong made together — apart during the pandemic. Original songs about love & loss, land & sea, saints & martyrs. Hopeful songs for troubled times by an iconic, prolific trio. As they celebrate their 30th year, Sons is still taking sonic risks & making an indelible mark on the acoustic music scene. A fresh sound from a seasoned band. This is brave music, plain & simple.

Order CDs now at the link below!  Look for the album on iTunes, Apple Music and other streaming platforms. 

Song of Sons

  1. Pull Me Through
  2. Map of Regrets
  3. Standin’ at the Hand
  4. Like a Sailor
  5. Pirouettes
  6. I Got You
  7. Castro’s Head
  8. A Thousand Years
  9. Build a Little Nest
  10. Sing I Love You
  11. Wholes
  12. Song of Sons

Song of Sons – NewCity said “The folk trio Sons of the Never Wrong has managed, in the most winsome manner imaginable, to become both a cult band and a Chicago institution”. This tenth album by the singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalists celebrates their twenty-fifth anniversary. 

Released in 2017 (Waterbug Records), the recording is chock full of the kind of original songs with swirling harmonies and timeless lyrics that Sons fans love. The band teams up with the remarkable Chamber Blues quartet for many tunes and creates a new ‘sons-scape’ for your listening pleasure. Don’t miss this album.

King Fisher King

  1. Arkansas
  2. Eve
  3. Over There
  4. Window
  5. The Great Unknown
  6. Sword & Pen
  7. I’d Marry You
  8. Face on Mars
  9. When Friends Are Gone
  10. Tornado
  11. Compromise Is
  12. Ring
  13. Tic Tac Toe
  14. Best Intentions
King Fisher King is the band’s 8th studio recording (Waterbug Records, 2012) as well as the crowning achievement of their 20th anniversary year. This album features fan favorite Over There, as well as the gorgeous song Eve, which WXRT’s Richard Milne loved and made note of on his radio show. It’s another lush album that has horns taking a star turn.
In celebration of their 20th, Sons also released a collaborative side project called Church of the Never Wrong, featuring a gaggle of some of Chicago’s best musicians (find it below in Side Projects).

On A Good Day

  1. I Am
  2. I Saw Sorrow
  3. Intrada
  4. Say Goodbye
  5. Pass It On
  6. All in a Song
  7. Head Over Heels
  8. Twiggy Little Bird
  9. Leona
  10. On a Good Day
  11. Prodigal Son
  12. Interlude
  13. Order in My House
  14. Other Things
  15. Pablo Neruda
  16. Intermezzo
  17. Painting the Boat
  18. &intheend

On A Good Day… I Am  (Waterbug Records, 2009) is Sons at their best; experimental, poetic and harmonic. It is home to a surprisingly lush sound with the very talented Kairos Quartet on most songs, making this album a magical listening experience.

Songs like Bruce’s Prodigal Son will have you thinking of home, Sue’s Twiggy Little Bird will make you wanna fly and Deborah’s Pass It On will move you to sing along and take action.

This 6th release (they made a Christmas album just before – see below in Side Projects) delivers their distinctive 3-part harmonies driven by traditional folk instruments and a beautiful string quartet arranged by Cathy Kuna. Songwriting icon Michael Smith says this is Sons’ best CD to date. They think you’ll agree.

Nuthatch Suite

  1. Too Many
  2. Good For Her
  3. Wind/Tree
  4. Tea Tale
  5. Here Go Go Babe 1-2-3
  6. “Stylish Sue”
  7.  Standin’ in the Dust
  8. Crazy Dog
  9. Beside You
  10. Stylish Man
  11. Weed
  12. “Stylish Bruce”
  13. If I Knew Then
  14. When I Was Little
  15. Talk to Me Darlin’
  16. “Stylish Deb”
  17. Little Brown Puppy
Nuthatch Suite (Gadfly Records, 2005) is the band’s fifth album, and has the feel of a live show. Most of the musicians played and recorded together live with few parts added later.

Songs like Good For Her, featuring Michael Miles’ fretless nylon string banjo, have a very back porch feel while Deb’s acoustic Tea Tale and Sue’s blazing Wind/Tree both have a presence that makes you feel like you’re in the room.

The closing track Little Brown Puppy features jazz and boogie greats Erwin Helfer on piano, Ron Dewar on clarinet, and Art Davis on trumpet, and has all the feels of a New Orleans street parade. 

Though very, very few and far, far between, it is discs like Nuthatch Suite that quickly exhaust a pundits descriptive dictionary while giving hope to the musically starved… you owe it to yourself to hear this…” Mike Jurkovic, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

4 Ever On

  1. Way to Go
  2. Witness
  3. Looks Like Illinois
  4. Mobile
  5. Everybody’s Gotta
  6. Queen of Today
  7. If You Come to Take Me
  8. Toast
  9. Italy
  10. Frankie
  11. Pocket
  12. Sister
  13. Variations
  14. Forever On

4 Ever On (Gadfly Records, 2002) is, well, the obvious 4th album in the Sons catalogue. One day, the band all woke up and realized they were no longer only singing about love gone wrong, but also about lots of other things that’ll ruin a good day!

Plenty of fun songs about dying and death, always with a wink and a smile… you’ll be tapping your toes and watching the clock. Hilarity ensues with songs like Everybody’s Gotta and Toast, and gorgeousness takes over with Witness, Queen of Today, and Pocket.

Sue and Deb step up and offer more songs than ever before, Bruce throws in one or two about love gone wrong anyway and Steve Jerrett of Sunday Morning Coffeehouse, KOPN, 89.5 FM – Columbia, MO has raved, “This CD, in my opinion is pure genius!”

SORRY, THIS CD IS NOW OUT OF PRINT!

One If by Hand

  1. Madame Butterfly
  2. Comet
  3. Jonah
  4. My Last Boyfriend
  5. One Simple Question
  6. Hallelujah for the Getaway
  7. No 1-4 Me
  8. Getting Better
  9. Secrets
  10. Magnetic Poetry
  11. Teva
  12. Home Hymn
  13. Sleeping Bag

In One if by Hand (Gadfly Records, 2000), the band’s 3rd release, Sons tries to find middle ground between the acoustic sensibility of their first album and the production value of their second.

This recording introduces new band member Deborah Lader, joining Sons with her multi-instrumental abilities, her well-placed vocals and yet another odd take on song writing (My Last BoyfriendMagnetic Poetry…). Sue’s galaxy-expanding Comet is absolutely stunning, while the hilarious Teva and the “sonsification” of a Beatles tune (Getting Better) will have you out of your seats bouncing for joy.

The AP Wire Service called Bruce’s Madame Butterfly …“a near perfect song!”

Consequence of Speech

  1. Demi-Overture
  2. Maybe Just Maybe
  3. #253 In the Red Book/Bridge Over Troubled Water
  4. Reprise
  5. Small Bird
  6. I I I Love You
  7. Consequence of Speech
  8. Modern Dating
  9. Sun Song
  10. In Your Dreams
  11. Reprise
  12. Girl Shanty
  13. Waiting
  14. All That I’ve Known
  15. Over?Sure!

Consequence of Speech (Waterbug Records, 1997) is CD number 2, and finds the band deep in thought and production. The emphasis is on the vocal trio, up-tempo and ever changing, and varied in style and content.

Many still think this is Sons’ best, with danceable tunes like Maybe Just Maybe and Small Bird, change ups like #253 In The Red Book/Bridge Over Troubled Water, Nancy Walker’s beautiful Modern Dating, and the forever popular, Sue-penned Girl Shanty, which has been sung everywhere from track meets to christenings, and included in high school plays and pom-pom routines. The song has inspired people to adopt, and a guy in Alaska had some dental work done with no other anesthetics… a cult classic to be sure!

Three Good Reasons

  1. 3 Good Reasons
  2. Dead
  3. Alone in the Wake (Songbird)
  4. Guitar Song
  5. Set All God’s Children Free
  6. Tiny Blue Flowers
  7. Tattoo
  8. Place
  9. Doin’ What I Like to Do
  10. Falling
  11. Lovin’ Ground
  12. Door of Love
  13. Carpenter Song
  14. With or With


Three Good Reasons
… This started it all for Sons, released by Waterbug Records in 1995. Sons burst on the scene with this CD, called “Best Folk Album Of The Year” by Front Porch Music. An odd mix of three people (original members Nancy Walker, Sue Demel and Bruce Roper) came together to create something a bit off kilter and a bit down home.

Songs like Doin’ What I Like To Do was reprinted in Sing Out Magazine, and Dead On The Highway was in heavy rotation on “Folk On Two” on the BBC in England. Nancy’s Place and Sue’s Lovin’ Ground were instant favorites.

The title song set the tone and Bruce’s Carpenter Song foretold what we would all come to find in song, in life and in love…none of it easy but we’d do it all again.

And, to this day, the band still closes almost all of its shows with “Set All God’s Children Free”, now 30-some years on…

Other Merch

Posters

Sons new logo poster, designed and hand screen printed by Chicago gig poster icon Jay Ryan @ The Bird Machine! This one’s a cute mini, only 10 x 8 inches, 5 colors, and comes mailed in an envelope. $30 includes shipping! See our blog post for more info on where to search out more of Jay’s delightful work. Signed and Numbered!

Song of Sons Poster, in celebration of the band’s 25th anniversary and 10th studio album, designed and screen printed at the Chicago Printmakers by our very own Deb. 5 colors, 24 x 18 inches. Comes mailed in a tube for $40 including shipping.

3 Sons Birdies, Poster design and screenprint by our friend Dan Grzeca @ Groundup Press. 6 colors.
Comes mailed in a tube for $40 including shipping!

King Fisher King poster by Deb, in celebration of our album of the same name. Drawn and hand screenprinted by Deb at her studio. 2 colors. Only a few left so act fast! Comes mailed in a tube for $50 including shipping.

Another masterpiece by Jay Ryan at The Bird Machine! This one was hand printed at his studio with Sue’s assistance, and he claims it’s one of his faves. A friend told us it was hanging in the Amsterdam Airport, so say hi if you happen upon it on your travels. In honor of Sons’ 15th year on this earth. What better way to celebrate than with bathtubs… Maybe it’s because we’re so CLEAN (washed up?). In any case, you have to admit that this would look GREAT in your bathroom. 6 colors. Comes mailed in a tube for $40 including shipping. Very collectable, signed and numbered!

Photos

Coming soon…

Books

Coming soon…

Tees

Coming soon…

Sons’ Side Stuff

Church Of The Never Wrong

  1. Five Angels
  2. Rings on Your Fingers
  3. God’s Children
  4. What a Friend We Have in Jesus
  5. Holiness Adorns Your House
  6. Standin’ on the Mountain
  7. Communion
  8. People Look East
  9. Circle of Gold
  10. Amen
  11. Glory Bound
  12. Come to This Table
  13. La Meditacion
  14. Just to Take Water
  15. Talk About Sufferin’
  16. Meditation
  17. Jesus on the Mainline
  18. In the Shadow of the Mountain
  19. Hog Heaven
  20. Triangular Bound

Church of the Never Wrong is one of two albums Sons released to celebrate their 20th year as a band (see King Fisher King, above). The seed for this project had been sown awhile back, because calling an album Church of the Never Wrong was just too good to pass up!

The Sons invited a bunch of their great Chicago musician friends to each come into the studio with a song that the band could then “Sonsify” (which means rearranging, adding gobs of vocals, harmonies, other instrumentation, and other quirky flourishes). The very broad underlying theme was that each musician bring something “sacred” or “churchy” or “divine” to the table. The result pretty much runs the gamut!

Along with the Nuns of the Never Wrong Chapel Band, which consists of many local musicians, the CD has songs by Michael Smith, Corky Siegel, Andrew & Casey Calhoun, Steve Dawson, Mark Dvorak, Al Day, Don Stiernberg, Ed Holstein, Bob Long, Megon McDonough, Jenny Bienemann, Robin Bienemann, Pat Roper, Charlie Madigan, Nancy Walker, and Michael Miles!

A great collection of music from the Chicago folk scene circa 2012!

Please Note: this CD is not available for download via streaming platforms. You can only get it here!

SORRY, THIS CD IS NOW OUT OF PRINT!

We Three Sons

  1. Merry Little Christmas/Skating
    2. I’m Gonna Lasso Santa Claus
    3. Count Your Blessings
    4. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
    5. Joy to the World
    6. Huron Carol
    7. ‘Twas the Night…
    8. In the Bleak Midwinter
    9. Go Tell it on the Mountain
    10. In the Inn
    11. Jingle Bells
    12. Please Daddy Don’t Get Drunk this Christmas
    13. Once in Royal David’s City
    14. Silent Night
    15. Christmas Song
    16. White Christmas

Always just in time for Christmas… the We Three Sons Christmas CD!

In a similar vein as our much loved Church of the Never Wrong CD, We Three Sons is a collection of traditional and not so traditional Christmas songs sung by many of those in our Chicago musical family, including Jon Langford, Robbie Fulks, Corky Siegel, Typhanie Monique, John Erickson, Emily Hurd, Dennis Cahill, Jonas Friddle & the Majority, John Abbey, Gerald Dowd, and Elaine Moore & Jim Dewan.

Rounding out the album are original and traditional songs by Sons and plenty of Sons vocals and production on everything else! It’s never too early to stuff your stockings with this perfect holiday accompaniment.

Accidental English

  1. Midlife
  2. Does Love Ever Know
  3. Miss You In Time
  4. Boy Makes Girl Laugh
  5. Viewpoint
  6. If I Gave
  7. Cowboy
  8. Man Has No Heart
  9. To Hell With Aubergine
  10. Salon
  11. Only You & Me
  12. Organ Grinder Blue
  13. Carpenter Song
  14. Singing Man

Accidental English… The first CD released by one of the Sons as a solo effort! After all these years, Bruce had a bunch of songs that Sons would probably never record, so he recorded them by himself with many great Chicago musicians. You won’t find any girl voices on the whole CD! Kind of a mid-life meditation on the broken heart, about which the reviewer for Sing Out Magazine described as…”brilliant and moving…”

Sons has created and been part of many musical projects. 
Let us know if you want more information about these, or would like to work with Sons on something new!

  • Lullaby Loops – Bruce Roper – Song sounds for sleepy babies & their folks
  • Still Life with Drummer – Bruce Roper – a dance play
  • Leaving Iowa – Sons – Soundtrack for play by Tim Clue
  • CPC Album project – Deborah Lader – Album/print collection
  • Old Town School of Folk Music #4 – 50th Anniversary Sons guest
  • Cross Currents – Come Sunday – Gospel Jazz Septet w/Sue
  • Snow Queen – Musical by Michael Smith – Sue guest artist
  • Corky Siegel & Chamber Blues – Sons guest artist

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