The "twangcore" and "Americana" boom of today owes a large debt to the shaggy twangers and no-hit wonders of yesteryear -- this section looks at the hippiebilly and stoner bands and a few odd, random artists from the 1960s, '70s and early '80s, back before there was anything called "alt-country." This page covers the letter "N."
Willie Nelson -- see artist profile
New Riders Of The Purple Sage "New Riders Of The Purple Sage" (CBS, 1971)
Originally formed as a spinoff of the Grateful Dead (so that Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh would have an outlet to play "straight" country music...) the New Riders took on a life of its own, with the dudes from the Dead eventually bowing out and leaving the band to songwriter John Dawson... I promise: when I have more time I will get around to reviewing their albums -- they were certainly one of the best and best-known hippiebilly bands of the '70s... And still fun to groove out on, lo, these decades later. This debut LP featured the pothead ballad "Henry," as well as their fine version of "Glendale Train..."
New Riders Of The Purple Sage "Powerglide" (CBS, 1972)
New Riders Of The Purple Sage "Gypsy Cowboy" (CBS, 1972)
New Riders Of The Purple Sage "The Adventures Of Panama Red" (CBS, 1973)
New Riders Of The Purple Sage "Home, Home On The Road" (CBS, 1974)
New Riders Of The Purple Sage "Brujo" (CBS, 1974)
New Riders Of The Purple Sage "Oh, What A Mighty Time" (CBS, 1975)
New Riders Of The Purple Sage "The Best Of..." (CBS, 1976)
New Riders Of The Purple Sage "New Riders" (MCA, 1976)
New Riders Of The Purple Sage "Who Are These Guys?" (MCA, 1977)
New Riders Of The Purple Sage "Marin County Line" (MCA, 1977)
New Riders Of The Purple Sage "Feelin' All Right" (A&M, 1980)
The New Riders Of The Purple Sage "The Best Of..." (Columbia-Legacy, 1976/2006)
A much-welcome reissue of a classic best-of from one of the '70s most iconic (and accomplished) of the hippie-stoner country-rock bands. Originally, the New Riders were formed as an outlet for Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh (of the Dreadful Grate) to explore their love of country music outside of the more far-out confines of their acid-test jam-band scene. They couldn't stick with it full-time, though, and eventually handed the California-based band over to songwriter John Dawson, who sculpted it into one of the best stoner novelty acts of the decade. This best-of includes classics such as "Glendale Train" and pothead anthems like "Panama Red" and "Henry," as well as boogie-band covers of old R&B and teenpop tunes... This new CD version also tosses in some live tracks, including one ("Linda") that was previously unreleased. It all holds up surprisingly well... If you remember these songs from the old days of freeform FM radio, they'll still make you smile -- if you're a whippersnapper who's never heard 'em before, then here's a nice chance to check out some tunes from the primordial roots of the alt-country scene.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band/Various Artists "May The Circle Be Unbroken" (United Artists, 1972)
John McEuen and pals host the ultimate bluegrass/country revival album of the early '70s. With guest such as Merle Travis, Roy Acuff, Maybelle Carter and Jimmy Martin, there's no way this album could fail. And it doesn't. A beautiful 3-LP set which hasn't lost any of its charm over the years. Recommended!
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band/Various Artists "Will The Circle Be Unbroken, v.2" (MCA, 1989)
The 'Eighties update was another roots music lovefest, with guests this time around including Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, John Hiatt, John Prine, Chet Atkins, and a slew of bluegrassers from the last couple of decades -- Jimmy Martin returns, along with the New Grass Revival, fiddle whiz Mark O'Connor, dobro king Jerry Douglas, etc. Some folks find this album a bit too slick and studio-y, but with a talent pool like this, it's are certainly worth checking out.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band/Various Artists "Will The Circle Be Unbroken, v. 3" (United Artists, 2002)
Third time's a charm (although the last two weren't so bad either... The post-millennial, 30th-anniversary entry into this series includes rootsy young'uns such as Iris DeMent, Alison Krauss and Dwight Yoakum, alongside a slew of new- and truegrassers (Del McCoury, Sam Bush, various Dillardses and Scruggses, and others) as well as some of the Nashville and roots country elite, many making repeat appearances from previous volumes: Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson and Matraca Berg.
Gary P. Nunn "Home With The Armadillo: Live At Austin City Limits" (Campfire, 1984)
Gary P. Nunn "Borderstates" (Campfire, 1987)
Gary P. Nunn "For Old Time's Sake" (Campfire, 1989)
Gary P. Nunn "Live At Poor David's Pub" (Poor David's Recordings, 1992)
Gary P. Nunn "Totally Guacamole" (Campfire, 1993)
Gary P. Nunn "Road Trip" (Campfire, 1994)
Gary P. Nunn "Under My Hat" (Campfire, 1996)
Gary P. Nunn "That's What I Like About Texas: Greatest Hits" (Campfire, 1998)
Gary P. Nunn "Nobody But Me" (Campfire, 1999)
Gary P. Nunn "It's A Texas Thing" (Campfire, 2000)
Gary P. Nunn "Greatest Hits, v.2" (Campfire, 2001)
Gary P. Nunn "Something For The Trail" (Smith Music Group, 2004)
