AMPEX Records: One Too Many Mornings

Singer-songwriter John Hartford recorded one song and only one song for AMPEX Records – not even enough to fill both sides of the single it carried. Written by Bob Dylan, “One Too Many Mornings” was the lead cut on the soundtrack for the motion picture “Jud.”

The movie was about Jud Carney, a Vietnam vet, who returned home at Christmas and did not get the welcome he expected. Needless to say, it was a box office flop. AMPEX Records released the soundtrack to coincide with the movie’s release.

The single featuring Hartford didn’t even list an artist for its flip of “Solitary Sanctuary,” which was actually performed by Alan Brackett, John Merrill, and Barbara Robinson. Another version of the same song was the last cut on the LP and was performed by the American Breed.

Hartford, who was under contract at the time to RCA, recorded this tune as a one-off for the soundtrack. I think it was one of his better early recordings. Unfortunately, like the movie, the song never took off. Too bad.