Sammie K "No Promises" (SDF Record Corporation, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Eric Lemmons)
Fairly basic countrypolitan vocals by a gal from Oklahoma City. The set list is pretty unthreatening, a string of cover tunes, mostly of pretty recent vintage, stuff like "Delta Dawn," "Help Me Make It Through The Night," "Me And Bobby McGee" and the Eagles hit, "Take It Easy." One assumes the "K" stands for a middle initial or a last name, but the abbreviation makes it practically impossible to find out who she really was... I did find one old show notice in the Daily Oklahoman for a 1974 gig she had playing for the Hilton Inn West hotel chain, but that's about it. The musicians on this album include Larry Hansen on drums, Steve Hardin (keyboards and dobro), Eric Lemmons (bass), Billy Walker (guitar) and Gary West on guitar... I'm not sure if any of these guys also backed her live, though they did work together on the Tulsa club circuit, notably Hardin and West. Keyboardist Steve Hardin (1946-2015) fronted his own band in the early '70s and later landed a gig with the southern rockers Point Blank; he also became a successful country songwriter and sideman, notably working for Glen Campbell as well as marrying country singer Gus Hardin. Guitarist Gary West (1952-2011) was a popular local picker, as well as the son of legendary steel player Speedy West. So, whoever Sammie K was, she had about the best backup you could get in Oklahoma at the time... I'm mildly suspicious that she might have actually been Gus Hardin, but I have no evidence to back up that hunch.

Kathy Kallick & Laurie Lewis "Together" (Rounder Records, 1991)
A nice, simple, traditionalist bluegrass lovefest, with plenty of bouncy melodies and some very fine harmonies by Kallick and Lewis, who were formerly bandmates in the well-beloved Bay Area band, the Good Ol' Persons. The best thing here is their voices, which compliment each other perfectly. Lewis typically sings a bit on the thin side, but she provides the ideal underpinning for Kallick's growly purr. The material is all pretty straightforward, with crisp, heartfelt acoustic picking. It gets a little shaky on the slower, sappier material, but there really isn't much of that style heard on here, and on the whole this is an excellent album, well worth checking out!

Kathy Kallick "Matters Of The Heart" (Sugar Hill Records, 1993)
More of a crossover album, with some, well, sorta dorky reggae rhythms, blues riffs, sappy folkgrass lovesongs and even a bit of rock'n'roll. A few songs on here worked for me, but mostly this is more aimed at progressive-minded old folkies, and not towards stringband traditionalists. As crossover efforts go, though, this is perfectly fine... Anything with Kallick's voice on it gets extra points from me!

Kathy Kallick "Use A Napkin (NOT Your Mom!)" (Sugar Hill Records, 1995)
A bouncy set of bluegrassy children's music, with a few old faves ("Did You See Jackie Robinson," "Liza Jane," etc.) and a bunch of new tunes from Kallick and her crew.

Kathy Kallick "Call Me A Taxi" (Sugar Hill Records, 1996)
Another solid, traditional-sounding album with a slew of nice originals written by Kallick, and a Bill Monroe & Carter Family song thrown in for good measure. Plain, unfussy backup by Todd Phillips, John Reischman, Stuart Duncan and Sally Van Meter make for a perfect little package of bluegrass bounce.

Kathy Kallick "Walkin' In My Shoes" (Live Oak Records, 1998)
A pretty low-key, self-produced indie album, that doesn't have the full oompf of her Sugar Hill and Rounder releases, but still plenty of Kallick's unique, down-to-earth charm. Plenty of original tunes and some well-chosen cover tunes.

Kathy Kallick "My Mother's Voice" (Copper Creek Records, 2001)

Kathy Kallick "Reason & Rhyme" (Copper Creek Records, 2004)

Kathy Kallick "A Warmer Kind Of Blue" (Copper Creek Records, 2005)

Kathy Kallick "Between The Hollow And The Highrise" (Live Oak Records, 2010)
(Produced by Kathy & Tom Size)
Another nice set of traditionally-oriented bluegrass from one of the SF Bay Area's finest singers. I've been a longtime fan of Kallick's voice, which sounds as sonorous and velvety as ever; her songwriting is also on display here, with more than half the tracks being Kallick originals, complimented by oldies from Josh Graves, the Stanley Brothers and the Louvin Brothers. (The band has some sweet gospel harmonies on the Louvin's "There's A Higher Power," one of the album highlights...) There are also a couple of nice new instrumentals, one composed by mandolin picker Tom Bekeny, the other by dobro/banjo man Greg Booth, which give the band a chance to stretch out. All in all, a lovely set of back-porch bluegrass made (in my case) by the folks down the street... If you're an old fan, this album will be sure to bring a smile.

Kathy Kallick "Time" (Live Oak Records, 2013)
A superlative, picture-perfect West Coast bluegrass album. I've always been a fan of Kallick's warm, pleasantly burred vocals, as well as her flawless sense of melody. When she sticks to a traditional sound -- as she does on this excellent album -- she's plain old solid gold for a true twang fan. Backing her are a crew of low-key locals, regular folks from the SF Bay Area all playing their hearts out with sweet, melodic performances that get it right on song after song. Fiddler Annie Staninec is a particular standout, as is dobroist/banjo player Greg Booth, but honestly, every note on this album is a shiny gem. Kallick is a gracious host, and shares the spotlight with her fellow musicians, giving the lead vocals on several songs over to bassist Dan Booth while generously doling out plenty of room for everyone's solos. There's a sense of warmth and camaraderie on here that's delightful, with an underlying humanity that's sometimes missing on the the slick 'grass albums of today. Among many fine tracks are several sweet and penetratingly soulful gospel songs, notably a high-harmony version of "Lord Protect My Soul" and a brush-arbor "Precious Memories," with a sincere spirituality that's echoed in the reflective yet more secular originals such as the propulsive album opener, "Time" and Kallick's "Fare Thee Well." Other highlights include a cover of Terry Fell's "Old Black Choo Choo" (best known from the '50s hit by Rose Maddox) and a trio of zippy instrumentals. This is one of the most listenable and most satisfying truegrass albums in recent memory... Highly recommended!

Kathy & Carol "Holt" (Co-Field Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Olszewski & Terry Jamison)
An uber-amateur duo from Metamora, Illinois, Kathy Grindstaff and Carol Languisch sang with a girl-groupish vocal harmony, paired with perky country twang, a combination that was strongly reminiscent of Nashville star Skeeter Davis. This album was packed with original material and the musicians were, as far as I can tell, all locals, including Billy Mason playing piano, Jan Zilm on steel guitar, and Ron Carroll playing something called "freeman strings." A real obscuro offering here... nice and twangy!

Kay & Garth "If It Wasn't Love" (Bodacious Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Cliffie Stone)
This disco-era disc hardly looks like a country record, but apparently is... Originally from Alaska, Garth Phillipsen and his wife Kay Phillipsen migrated to Los Angeles and fell into the orbit of Southern California producer Cliffie Stone where they probably worked as session musicians on some of his stuff. They penned most of the material on this album, although the cover tunes include the Buck Owens classic "Together Again" along with a version of Alicia Bridges' disco hit, "I Love The Night Life." Kudos to Kay Phillipsen for her fashion-forward image, sporting a sharp-looking, close-cropped platinum blonde hairdo with a sort of proto-Annie Lennox look. The photo on the back cover is pure, scary 'Seventies, though -- a naked, cuddling couples portrait that would make viewers cringe no matter what era they were in.. The backing band, the Phillips Express, included John Hobbs (piano), Jay Dee Maness (pedal steel), Garth Phillipsen (guitar and banjo), Gregg Phillips (bass) and Ray Thomasson (drums). Not sure what the story would up being with these two... They divorced at some point, and he remarried to a California gal named Deborah Malena (who also worked for Cliffie Stone) and they formed a country-gospel duo that also branched out into children's music. Kay also remarried after moving back to Alaska, settling down in Wasilla, just north of Anchorage. As far as I know this was their only album.

Jeanie Kay & Johnny "Boots" (Great River Records, 1968-?) (LP)
(Produced by Meo Stely)
This appears to be a souvenir of a blue nightclub act from Quincy, Illinois, or thereabouts. Singers Jeanie Kay & Johnny Rice cover several contemporary late-1960s pop and country hits, including a version of "These Boots Are Made For Walking." Side Two of this disc includes an x-rated parody of "Harper Valley PTA." There's no date on the disc, but it looks like 1968 or so, based on the song list. I wasn't able to track down much info about these two, even though on their subsequent album we find out Mr. Rice's last name.

Jeanie (Kay) & Johnny Rice "The Mighty X-Odus" (Great River Records, 1969-?) (LP)
(Produced by Mel Elzea, Frank Laughlin & Mark Matthew)
Although this has more of a pop slant than the previous album, there's still a little country stuff in the mix, mainly just a version of John Hartford's "Gentle On My Mind" amid tunes like "Ebb Tide" and "MacArthur Park." The "x" in the title refers to the X-66 Hammond organ, Ms. Kay's instrument of choice, while Mr. Rice provided some rhythm on drums. Twangfans can probably skip this one.

Lisa Kay "This New World Of Mine" (Ace Of Diamonds Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Terry L. Miller & Gene Breeden)
A bit of a mystery disc here... The singer's real name was apparently Lisa Vancise, with a couple of of songs on the album credited to her under that name, "Rendezvous" and "I'll Keep Loving You." There are some cover tunes as well, such as Hank Riddle's "Until I Met You" (which had just been released as an album track on a 1980 Loretta Lynn LP) and one by Dallas Frazier, though mostly this seems like a Nashville songwriter's demo set, with a couple of tunes that are just credited to a publishing house, without an actual composer's credit. The album was recorded in Nashville, with Gene Breeden helming the sessions and Paul Franklin on pedal steel; the label address however is in Hammondsport, NewYork, which is where I assume Ms. Vancise was from, although there's some indication she may have lived in Seattle as well, or perhaps moved there later in life. Vancise's online profile is pretty thin, with no indication that she sang professionally, under either of her names. Anyone know more about her or this disc?

Lynda Kay & The Lickety Splits "Cowgirl!" (Firelight Records, 2004)

Lynda Kay "Singing Stomping And Strumming" (2005)

Lynda Kay "Dream My Darling" (Dreamphonic Records, 2009)

Nancy Kay "Sings For You" (Rosewood Records, 1985-?) (LP)
(Produced by Nancy Kay)
The first and quite possibly only album by Midwesterner Nancy Kay, who covers a couple of Loretta Lynn songs, along with some other standards and more obscure songs. No indication of where this was made, or where she was from, although Minnesota seems to be the answer... The album includes liner notes and two songs by John Volinkaty, a Minneapolis local who wrote Jeanne Pruett's mega-hit "Satin Sheets," but never quite grabbed the bras ring again. Here, he contributes "Whatcha Gonna Do" and a topical tune, "Now I've Got Women's Lib." Kay sings and plays bass, with backing by several Twin Cities professionals: Steve Shoquist on steel guitar and dobro, piano by Bruce McCabe, and Tom Ginkel on guitar, all of whom were well-regarded regional musicians. If anyone has more info about this one, I'm all ears!

Nina Kay "Nina Kay" (MEC Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Buzzy Smith, A. V. Mittelstedt & Jim Johnson)
Country singer Nina Kay was a Lone Star gal, singing at Mack Hayes's Galveston nightclub, the Atrium, in the 1970s near Galveston, Texas, and working with Houston producer A. V. Mittelstedt when she cut this solo album several years later. This seems to be from the early or mid-'Eighties, including covers of "Blue Bayou," Billy Joe Shaver's "Old Chunk Of Coal," as well as a KT Oslin song called "Round The Clock Lovin'," which was the last Top Ten hit for Gail Davies, in 1982 (and was also recorded by Oslin, on her second album in 1988.) The backing band includes Lone Star locals such as Tom Bath on steel guitar, guitarist Randy Cornor, and pianist Buzzy Smith. In the Facebook era, Ms. Kay was in an Austin-area duo called Sassy Sister, with Susan Chase, still recording on MEC, which I'm guessing is her own label.

Pamela Kay "Thank God I'm A Country Girl" (1975) (LP)
A stereotypical perky '70s blonde, banjo-plunking Pamela Kay was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and worked in Las Vegas at the Frontier Hotel's Horseshoe Lounge, originally performing under her maiden name, Pamela Petfarken, in an act led by trumpet player Billy Kay, who she eventually married. By the time this album was recorded, Ms. Kay adopted a country music image, covering fairly rushed, clunky covers of "Country Roads" and "Two Doors Down," in addition to pop oldies such as "Mr. Sandman" and Dixielandish material like "Alabamy Bound," and of course an uninhibited version of the John Denver hit in the album's title. By the way, this isn't exactly a women's lib album: Pamela Kay is pictured on the back cover in short-short cutoffs and a particularly revealing, denim halter top, with the liner notes more focussed on her physical beauty than on her musical talent. "She is beautiful, dynamic, soft, energetic, with a supple, lithe body to enhance her other attributes. Let's just sum it with -- WOW!" Wow, indeed. Yeesh!

Paula Kay "Sleeping In Your Arms Tonight" (Seann Records, 1976) (LP)

Ruby Kay "I Have Returned: Ruby Kay Sings Country Gospel" (Custom KNOF Records, 19--?) (LP)
Hardcore country gospel from a tiny label out of Saint Paul, Minnesota... KNOF was a Christian-oriented religious radio station founded in 1960 by Reverend Fred Adam and Grace Adam; apparently they also commissioned several records by local performers, including this LP and one by a group called The Vagabonds. Singer Ruby Kay is backed by a pretty twangy band, including Mangus Hansen on steel guitar, Faron Hanes (drums), Dick Thompson (bass) and Will Watson (rhythm guitar) and additional backing vocals by Julie Hanes and Marie Mader. Some of these musicians may have worked on other religious records; bass player Dick Thompson seems to have done other studio work, though I'm not sure about the others.

Joni Kaye "Can I Depend On You?" (Jeree Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Elmer Willett & Jerry Reed)
Originally from Eastmont, Pennsylvania -- way up in the rural northeastern end of the state -- Joni Kaye (nee Joanne Diulus) was an aspiring actress who started doing community theater in Pittsburg during the early 1960s, and released a few local pop singles during the Kennedy era. She moved into children's theater but kept an interest in music, and at some point caught the attention of producer/nightclub owner Elmer Willett, who was best known for having discovered and promoted the chart-topping 'Sixties pop band The Vogues. This album includes several songs credited to Mr. Willett, including a version of Ms. Kaye's old single, "Can I Depend On You," a country ballad that she first recorded in 1963. There are also a couple of tunes composed by singer Jerri Kelly, who recorded a string of singles in the 1970s. Alas, this album and Joni Kaye's career are both shrouded in mystery -- the back cover tells us that "Piere" performs with her, but there's no elaboration about who or what Piere was or did. Joni Kaye later moved to Ocala, Florida, then retired in South Carolina, where she passed away in 2018. As far as I know this was her only full album. (Note: engineer Jerry Reed is not the hotshot Nashville picker/recording artist of the same name, but rather Pennsylvania-based label owner Jerry Reed, whose Jeree Records label put out dozens of local singles as well as a few odd albums, including some country stuff. )

Lois Kaye "Country Girl" (Ovation Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Brien Fisher)
Singer Lois Kaye grew up in Beecher, Illinois and started working in lounges around Chicago and recording singles while still in her teens. In 1971 she joined Don Barnett's band, the NuJays, appearing with them for several years of their long residency at the Lake-N-Park Inn, where she was spotted by Merle Haggard, who invited her to go on tour with his band The Strangers. She came back to Illinois around 1975 to work as a solo artist, eventually scoring a contract with the then-hot Ovation label. The resulting album includes songs by the songwriting team of John Richard Greenbaum and Thomas Gmeiner, who wrote hits for Mel Tillis, Tammy Wynette and other country stars; there are also covers of hits by 'Seventies songwriters Jim Croce and Kenny Loggins, and backing by Nashville stalwarts such as Fred Carter Jr., Sonny Garrish, Dave Kirby and The Cates Sisters. Ms. Kaye was overshadowed by the runaway success of her labelmates, The Kendalls, who got a huge promotional push, apparently at the expense of Kaye's career. She continued perform locally and regionally, though this appears to have been her only full album. (Thanks to Marlene Cook and the Harvey, Illinois Star Tribune for their highly informative 1983 profile piece, which filled in several blanks on Lois Kaye's career.)

Melvena Kaye "Tennessee Cowgirl" (Cowgirl Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Greg Humphrey)
This Tennessee cowgal made it out to LA to record this album... It's all original material, with backing by Thumbs Carlisle on guitar and Doug Atwell on fiddle... Kaye had kind of a thin voice, but she was real country: songs include "Pour Me A Stiff One," "Hillbilly Blues" and "You're Not My First Man."

Sandra Kaye & The New Breed "On The Road" (1977-?) (LP)

Sandra Kaye & The New Breed "Queen Of The Silver Dollar" (1977-?) (LP)

Kortney Kayle "Unbroken By You" (Lyric Street Records, 2001)

Ethel Kean "It's Lovin' Time With Ethel Kean" (Guinn Records, 1981) (LP)
A charming album from an unlikely source... Middle-aged pianist Ethel Austin Kean (1928-2013) was a Kansas City native who taught music, played church organ and performed in several local orchestras and the Independence, Missouri symphony. She apparently like country music, too, as heard on this uber-indie album packed with her own original compositions... There are stylistic and vocal echoes of Patsy Cline, Kitty Wells and Jan Howard, with Ms. Kean's not-quite-great vocals getting modest, low-key backing by an anonymous studio band with a slightly bluesy edge. In all honesty, it's not musically that strong, but it's a great outsider-art album, and some of her songs are pretty good for the genre (while others are kind of all over the map...) Apparently one of her songs, "Where Did All The Loving Go," was recorded by the Kansas City-area duo of Connie & Ed (Shaw) although sadly Ms. Kean didn't record a version of her own for this album, which I'm guessing was her only record.

Keith & Donna "Keith & Donna" (Round Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Keith Godchaux & Donna Godchaux)
An album that will test the loyalty of even the most devoted Deadhead. This "solo" set by Keith and Donna Godchaux -- Keith being the Grateful Dead's keyboard player for most of the 1970s -- has kind of a Delaney & Bonnie blues-soul feel, with a big chunk of the extended Dead family pitching in, notably Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders and John Kahn. Unfortunately, the results are less than stellar. Despite Donna Godchaux's vocal similarity to outlaw country queen Jessi Colter, her phrasing is stiff and clunky and the band seems like they're each playing with one hand tied behind their back, trying to slow down enough to not upstage her. The songs aren't that memorable, either, though there's some of the improv-y noodling that Dead fans love so much. Mostly, though, this album seems to try too hard to be what it simply cannot be -- a solid, funky boogie-rock/soul set. Check it out if you're curious, but this is pretty hard to get into. Unless, I guess, if you're really, really, really high, in which case it might unlock the secrets of the universe.

Barbara Keith "Barbara Keith" (Verve Forecast, 1971)
(Produced by Peter Asher)
Songwriter Barbara Keith went from her band Kangaroo into a stint as a solo artist, crafting roots-oriented rock that over the years has drawn comparisons to contemporaries such as Bonnie Raitt and Tracy Nelson. On this solo debut, she was backed by several of the musicians who were in Ian & Sylvia's short-lived Great Speckled Bird band, including guitarist Jim Colegrove and pianist Jeff Gutcheon, along with Bill Keith on banjo and pedal steel... It's not quite as country-oriented as other albums here, but definitely worth having on the radar.

Barbara Keith "Barbara Keith" (Reprise Records, 1972)
Legend has it that after Keith went to Los Angeles and recorded this album, she decided she didn't like how the label made it sound, and -- feeling she couldn't stand beside her own album -- she returned the advance money that Reprise had given her and more or less dropped out of the music business. Well, maybe album was "too LA," but she sure had a lot of cool people playing with her, including Lowell George of Little Feat, Emory Gordy Jr., pedal steel whiz Sneaky Pete Kleinow, as well as more mainstream rock musicians such as Peter Asher and his whole crew. The songs are all originals, except for one Bob Dylan cover, and Keith seems pretty solid throughout, sometimes even sounding a little Jessi Colter-ish... One of the most notable songs on here is her original recording of "Bramble And The Rose," which I know from the version by Mary McCaslin... I'm not sure what Keith did in the intervening years, but in the 1990s she started a band called the Stone Coyotes, and has released several albums with them... For many, though, this remains her best-known record, obscure at the time of its release but becoming, of course, a cult favorite in later years.

Joanie Keller "Sparks Are Gonna Fly" (Broken Bow Records, 2000)

Irene Kelley "Simple Path" (Restless Records, 2001)
Songwriter Irene Kelley struck gold when her song, "A Little Bluer Than That," was recorded by Top 40 hard-country hero Alan Jackson, on his album Drive. That song, which opens this album as well, is a welcome throwback to the heartfelt simplicity of 'Fifties-style country heartsongs -- a good lyrical premise, a strong, simple, irresistible melody and nice, clean pickin' to back it up. She has some roots set down in the bluegrass scene as well; picker such as Aubrie Haynie and Viktor Krauss pitch in, and there are also a couple of songs co-written with Claire Lynch, one of the best trad-grassers around. Kelley's voice and her musical choices bring to mind alt.country female icons such as Iris DeMent, Nanci Griffith and Kelly Willis, although I'd hazard to guess that Kelley sees herself working more in a commercial, Top 40 vein, more as a composer than as a headliner act. Other songs on this album are more self-consciously and ostentatiously crafted, more in line with the overdoing-things style that's all the rage in Nashville; the other standout track is "Pilgrim In The Rain," a bouncy, anthemic upbeat number co-written with Kim Richey. I wouldn't say that the whole album bowled me over the same way "Bluer Than That" does, but she's certainly a strong performer and a songsmith to be reckoned with... Keep your eyes on this gal!

Irene Kelley "Thunderbird" (Irk Records, 2006)

Jerri Kelly "Everybody's Baby... Nobody's Girl" (Intercord Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Mick Lloyd, Fred Cameron & Travis Turk)
Slick, poppy stuff, but nice. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, singer Jerri Kelly carved out a solid niche in Nashville, recording a string of singles throughout the 1970s, including duets with Price Mitchell and even a showcase number on one of Ed Bruce's albums. She seems to have had a penchant for convoluted song titles, including this album's "Guess I'd Better Be Strong (And Move Along)" and I'm As Much Of A Woman (As You Care To Make Me)." (Alas, though, songs such as "Diggin' And Grindin' For His Love" which was recorded by Sheila Andrews are not included here...) Along with her business (and musical) partner Mick Lloyd, Ms. Kelly also established herself as a songwriter and music publisher, providing material for stars such as Bill Anderson, Loretta Lynn, Dave & Sugar and many others throughout the 'Seventies and early 'Eighties, and seem to have had connections to various labels in Europe, as seen on this album, which was recorded in Nashville, but released on a German label. I'm not entirely sure it's the same person, but I think Ms. Kelly passed away in Nashville back in 2017.

The Kendalls/Jeannie Kendall - see artist discography

Mary Ann Kennedy "The Trail Less Traveled " (Tonka Records, 2000)
Solo work from a songwriter who was formerly half of the Kennedy Rose duo...

Mary Ann Kennedy "Hoofbeats, Heartbeats And Wings" (Tonka Records, 2005)

Mary Ann Kennedy "The Rhythm Of The Ride" (Tonka Records, 2008)

Mary Ann Kennedy "Who Saved Who" (Tonka Records, 2009)

Kennedy Rose "Hai Ku" (Capitol Records, 1990)
Songwriters Mary Ann Kennedy and Pam Rose, after a few years in the band Calamity Jane, split off to form this duo... Although they didn't do much on the charts, they became favorite composers for several big-name Nashville recording artists...

Kennedy Rose "Walk The Line" (Capitol Records, 1994)

Jenny Kerr "Itch" (2001)

Jenny Kerr "New And Improved - Extra Strength" (Okey Doke Records, 2003)

Jenny Kerr "Wood And Steel" (Okey Doke Records, 2009)

Jenny Kerr "Head Of Fire" (Okey Doke Records, 2013)

Kelly Kessler & The Wichita Shut-Ins "Life Of Regret (EP)" (Melungeon Records, 2002)
Another nice infusion of thoughtful, thought-provoking alt.country from Chicago... Kessler used to be in a band called the Texas Rubies -- here, she is the brains behind a more restrained, soulful set of tunes, sometimes sung by co-vocalist Lawrence Peters, who has a rich, smooth delivery, soulful and entirely free of urban-hick affectations. This 4-song EP is pretty darn good -- each song is solid and well-written, and catchy, in a subtle kinda way. Keep an eye on these folks!

Kelly Kessler "The Salt Of Your Skin" (Melungeon Records, 2002)
Weirder and more complicated than their earlier EP, this is an eclectic, untraditional, and ultimately challenging update of old-fashioned hick music, much in the style of Jim & Jennie or Freakwater. The ballads are more tuneful than the upbeat numbers, but it all points to an interesting future for this band. Worth checking out!

Arlene Kesterson "...Sings" (Mark Five Studios, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Otis Forrest)
A set of bluegrass, ballads and old-timey tunes sung by Arlene Kesterson, co-director of the Mountain Folkways Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina. I'm not sure how long the Center was around, but among other things it was the place where songwriter Jim Lauderdale took banjo lessons as a teen. Backing Kesterson on several tracks are fiddler Bill Phillips, Ralph Lewis on mandolin, and banjo picker Marc Pruett, who was a member of Ricky Skaggs' band at the time.

Karen Killette "Boy Watcher" (Gold Coast International Records, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Arthur Smith & North State Music)
Florida teen Karen Killette had perhaps the ultimate "stage mother" in the form of her dad, a small-time music promoter and record label owner named Ronald B. Killette (aka Buck Trail) whose big claim to fame was releasing (and co-writing) the pop hit "Girl Watcher," a perky little single by the white soul band, The Okaysions. "Girl Watcher" cruised to the Top Five back in 1968, and thanks largely to Buck Killette's relentless promotion it's been recorded several times by other soul and pop artists, including a 1989 rap-reggae version by Def Jam artist Poppa Ron Love. Mr. Killette's fifteen-year old daughter Karen recorded her gender-flipped rendition in the early 'Seventies when dad was trying to launch her career as a country singer with help from hillbilly old-timer Arthur Smith. Smith knew the Killettes from the days when they lived in North Carolina, and featured the teen on his syndicated TV show which beamed out of Charlotte, North Carolina, although the Killettes had moved to Okeechobee, Florida by the time she started her career. This album draws on a string of singles she cut for GCI, an odd little label that seems to have been owned by Mr. Killette. (Another performer on the label, Bobby Lee Duncan, seems to have briefly toured with the teenage Ms. Killette and wrote at least one of the songs she recorded. I discovered her stuff while trying to track down the threads of his equally elusive career...) After cutting a handful of singles for GCI, she was later paired up with her younger brother, Ron Killette III in a duo called "Ron & Karen," recorded a couple of singles in the early 'Eighties, including yet another version of "Watcher," which was apparently used in the soundtrack of a terrible teensploitation movie called Ocean Drive Weekend, centered around the Florida beach scene. This album is a real unicorn: the only place I've seen it is an Amazon listing that disappeared right after I looked at it(!) No info about any of the musicians who played on it, or the singles it was based on, alas.

Karen Killette & Ron III "Different As Can Be" (19--?) (LP)
Piggybacking on the string of singles Karen Killette cut in the early 'Seventies, this album seems to have focussed the spotlight on her younger brother, Ron Killette III, though several tracks are either reissues of her solo work, or re-recorded versions of the same songs. Almost every track credits their dad, Buck Killette, as composer, with the exception of Jerry Marcum's "So Close," and the title track, "Different As Can Be," which was penned by Mark Gibbons and Jerry Winn. And of course there's yet another version of "Girl Watcher," probably the same one used in the low-budget 1985 feature film, Ocean Drive Weekend. I'm not sure what happened to either of the Killette siblings, though this seems to have been their last attempt to break into the music industry. (Footnote: Wayne Pittman, lead singer of the Okaysions, eventually sued the Killettes in the early 1990s over the licensing of "Girl Watcher" without using his co-credit; by that time Buck Killette had farmed the song out several times, including the ill-fated movie deal...)

The Kimberlys & Waylon Jennings "Country Folk" (RCA Victor, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Chet Atkins & Danny Davis)
A folk-country outing made by a restless Waylon Jennings in his proto-outlaw days. The story goes that Waylon was unhappy working with pop-oriented producer Danny Davis and sought to assert some creative control by bringing in the unknown Oklahoma family band The Kimberlys to give this album a little zing. The Kimberlys were two brothers -- Carl and Harold Kimberly -- who married two sisters and formed a vocal quartet. They had done some work regionally, but this was their big breakout on the national stage, and they did score a Top Thirty hit with a fairly outlandish cover of the pop hit, "MacArthur Park," which hit #23 on the Country charts and earned the Kimberlys a Grammy. Two albums followed, sans Waylon, but commercial success was not in the cards. An interesting footnote is that their children formed a band of their own in the '80s and eked out a couple of charting singles in 1984, under the name Kimberly Springs.

The Kimberlys "Road To Entertainment" (1969-?) (LP)
This appears to be a private-press souvenir album from a stint on the road working clubs in Nevada (many of which are listed on the back cover. There's no date on the album, but the liner notes by Joe Montgomery say he'd been with the band for three years and the set list is packed with covers of late 'Sixties stuff like "As Tears Go By," "Norwegian Wood," "Yesterday" "Kentucky Woman," "Those Were The Days" which suggest a 1969-ish release date. Some songs, including their version of Bob Lind's "Elusive Butterfly," were also included on the group's self-titled album from 1970 (listed below) though I can't say whether hey were recycled or re-recorded.

The Kimberlys "The Kimberlys" (Happy Tiger Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Stan Ross & Ray Ruff)

The Kimberlys "New Horizon" (Happy Tiger Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Kenny O'Dell, Stan Ross & Ray Ruff)

Beverly King "A Dobro Dozen" (House Of Guitars, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Sid Kleiner)
The first album of dobro instrumentals by a gal from Revere, Pennsylvania who heard resophonic elder Bashful Brother Oswald play at the Opry when she was a little kid and got hit hard by dobro fever. Ms. King went on to record a half dozen albums, including two with her childhood idol(!) and has played onstage and in the studio with a slew of top country talent. She and her family also moved around a lot, with stints in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Iowa and Arkansas, where she eventually settled down and started her own business, the Country Heritage music store which opened in Clarksville, Arkansas in 1998, moving into a larger building in 2006, where she hosts concerts and competitions in addition to selling all kinds of instruments.

Beverly King "Drifting Along With The Dobro" (House Of Guitars, 1972) (LP)

Beverly King "Leave A Lot Of Happy Tracks" (1974) (LP)

Jill King "Jillbilly" (Blue Diamond Records, 2003)
Rootsy, uptempo country with uneven vocals but plenty of spirit. The lead track, "98.6 Degrees And Falling" is a magnificent collaboration between songwriters Harlan Howard and Matraca Berg, a heavy Texas shuffle with a catchy chorus, with King nailing the tune from start to finish. This blast of true-country talent sets the bar pretty high, and the rest of the album seldom rises to the same heights. Still, the wordy stabs at contemplative commercial country aside, this is a solid, substantive debut, and one which should put King on the map in the alt-country/Americana camp, and might even land her a berth in Nashville as well. Other highlights include the rowdy drinkin'-at-the-bar anthem, "Down & Out," and the folkier feeling "Down The Fields To Hay" and "Three Months, Two Weeks, One Day." King has a real ear for good, old-fashioned material, stuff along the lines of Buck Owens backing Tanya Tucker... and where I come from, that's pretty high praise. Definitely worth checking out!

Jill King "Somebody New" (Blue Diamond Records, 2008)

Jill King "Rain On Fire" (Foundher Records, 2010)
(Produced by Michael Flanders)
Setting aside the indiebilly persona of her previous records, Jill King delves deep into the more pop-oriented sounds of "adult-alternative" music and the modern-day Nashville scene, with a set of songs that might be suited for Patti Griffin or some of the more introspective chart-topping divas such as Martina McBride, Sara Evans et. al. If you cherished the twang-tunes of her debut album, Jillbilly, the resolutely pop sound of this record may come as a little bit of a shock. But Ms. King has been plugging away in the underbelly of Nashville for a while now, and it seems she's ready to identify more opening with the Top 40 scene. I prefer the twang, myself, but certainly wish this gal all the luck in the world with the poppy stuff, too... She's plenty talented and deserves a break as much as anybody working in Music City these days. If you like the more elegaic, lovelorn pop-ballad side of Nashville, you might wanna check this out.

Joy King & Eddie Nash "Live At Ghost Town, Maggie Valley NC" (Hill Country Records, 19--?) (LP)
This record was an early 1970s souvenir of Ghost Mountain Park, in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Eddie Nash played several instruments and also did country music impersonations; his father, "Panhandle Pete" was also a performer at the park. The repertoire was a mix of old-timey standards and contemporary country-pop hits like "Snowbird," "Never Ending Love" and Lynn Anderson's "Ride Ride Ride."

Joy King & Eddie Nash "By Request" (Galaxie III Studios, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Harry Deal)
According to the liner notes, this was their second album... It's a split LP, with Joy King showcased on Side One, Eddie King on Side Two. On several tracks he does his "one man band" bit, and focusses on specific instruments on others. The lineup is the same as on her previous album: Ms. King playing fiddle and 12-string guitar, with a backing band that included Jim Deal on bass, David Johnson (steel guitar), Danny McCoy (piano) and Gerald Taylor on drums.

Joy King "...Sings Country" (Galaxie III Studios, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Harry Deal)
In addition to her gigs with Eddie Nash, Joy King also seems to have worked with Archie Campbell -- he contributed liner notes to this disc, praising her talent and mentioning they'd performed together for several years. There are two different bands backing her on this album: Side One features Smokey White on fiddle, David Don Berg on bass, while Eddie Nash plays on Side Two, with Denny McCoy on piano, and Jim Deal on bass. with David Johnson playing steel guitar on both sessions. King also recorded several singles on a couple of different indie labels.

Judie King & The Carl Austin Band "By Request" (Tommy Towne Records, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Manny Alvarez, Brad Gong & Judie King)
This set of oldies and sunshine country covers is decidedly an amateur-hour affair, despite the album's glowing liner notes... I'm not trying to be mean, but this is definitely a vanity album, with Central California singer Judie King and bandleader Carl Austin both sounding a bit wobbly and barely holding things together, musically speaking. Although quite sincere, they're still literally playing at about the level of a local talent show, with audio production and arrangements that are equally thin. I guess if you go for that kind of thing, this album could be a real hoot. I'm not one-hundred percent sure where they were from, though it's definitely from the central San Joaquin Valley -- the record label address is given as Visalia, California (just south of Fresno) and the only mention I could find of them playing live was a show notice in the Bakersfield Californian, from February 22, 1974, with matches up with some of the early-'70s cover songs on this album. I don't think either Austin or King pursued music professionally and I doubt they made any other recordings. Years later, they both seem to have moved to the Sierra foothills up around Sacramento. (By the way, this disc was pressed by the United Sound custom label, a well-known vanity service that issued several dozen LPs during the 'Seventies, in all different genres.)

Shawn King "In My Own Backyard" (Lofton Creek Records, 2005)
(Produced by Keith Folesse, Carl Jackson, & Steve Tyrell)
Hey, the words "trophy wife" never left my lips, I swear... But, yeah, this is Larry King's wife, and she is awfully well-sculpted and blonde enough to blind a Swede. But, she can also sing, and has been doing so professionally for most of her life -- as a child, as a teen and as an adult -- albeit mostly in anonymous studio efforts. So, here's her bid to make it as a solo artist, a slick bit of modern Nashville pop, with lots of tinkly piano and confessional/topical lyrics, with songs from several modern songwriters such as Leslie Satcher, Jamie O'Neal and Rebecca Lynn Howard, as well as a few from co-producer Carl Jackson, who also plays guitar throughout. Vocally, there's a hint of Rosanne Cash in her voice and a heavy stylistic debt to Wynonna Judd, Trisha Yearwood and any number of 'Nineties Nashville divas. It's not my cup of tea musically, but King does it pretty well, particularly on the title track, which is one of the album's stronger tunes. There's not a lot of variety here, though -- King seems to love slow songs where she can linger on the lyrics and let her voice crack with emotion -- a few more uptempo tunes might've helped break things up a bit. But if you like the slow, sappy stuff, this disc'll do it for ya!

Sherri King "Almost Persuaded" (United Artists, 1976)
(Produced by Steven A. Davis)
The lone album by pianist/singer Sherri King, a Knoxville native who was backed here by a ton of top talent, including studio pros such as Tommy Allsup, Pete Drake, Buddy Emmons, Johnny Gimble, Hargus Robbins, Pete Wade and a couple of stray Gatlins on backup vocals. King is a decent but flawed vocalist with kind of a '70s Olivia Newton John/Karen Carpenter AOR undertone, along with a sincere country feel, maybe in sort of a Linda Ronstadt/Lynn Anderson kind of way. She's best on slower passages, and has rough patches on big key changes and big, emphatic moments. But overall this album has a nice feel, with a few mild standout tracks, particularly "I'm Alright 'Til I See You (Then I Fall Apart)". She also has a couple of notable good-girl tunes worthy of Tammy Wynette, "A Good Woman Waits For Her Man" and "I Don't Know What's Wrong (But I Know What's Right)" which show the virtues of suffering in silence. Clearly meant to be a commercial record, this one tanked: the title track grazed the Top 100 (at #95) though I suspect Ms. King must have done some studio work as a backup musician on a record or two. Anyone know more about her?

The Kinleys "Just Between You And Me" (Epic Records, 1997)
(Produced by Tony Haselden)
Super-blonde, identical twin sisters hailing from Philadelphia who have sort of a Judds-like close harmony, and a penchant for fairly generic pop-crossover production and wordy, folk-ish relationship songs. The Kinley sisters wrote more than half of the material on this album, but none of the songs really made much of an impression on me; producer Tony Haselden also contributed several songs, one of which, "Please," wound up as a Top Ten hit. Honestly, though, I had a hard time telling most of these songs apart from one another.

The Kinleys "II" (Epic Records, 2000)
(Produced by Tony Haselden & Radney Foster)
Bringing Radney Foster on board as a co-producer helped add a little ooompf to their sound, but overall they're still pretty bland and undistinctive. At least it doesnÕt do much for me.

The Kinleys "All In The Family" (Identical Records, 2004)

Kirsty "Mackinaw Music Show Presents: Kirsty" (19--?) (LP)
This young gal was a featured singer in the country-oriented Michigan-based variety program, the Gary Davis Mackinaw Music Show, which was a five-piece band that toured throughout the Midwest during the late 1970s. (Davis also sponsored a band called the Diplomats who put out an album as well.) Not sure when this one came out, but she does sing a cover of the song, "Why Have You Left The One You Left Me For," which was a hit for Crystal Gayle in 1978, so I'm guessing 1979, 1980 on this one...

Jo Kiser "To Get To You" (Rome Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Casey & Marvin Jones)
There's not a lot of info to be found about Jo Kiser, a country singer from Columbus, Ohio who apparently put out two albums in the 1970s. This first one has what I think are remakes of several singles -- "What's The Difference" first came out in 1967 on Jack O' Diamond's label, and in 1971 she cut Harlan Howard's "He's A Good Old Boy" as a single on for MGM. I'm not sure, but she might have also released some teen pop/rock earlier in the '60s, but it's hard to tell. Only so far back I can dig. Anyway, I haven't heard this album, but it's cover art is pretty, well, striking... Ms. Kiser fills the image, with her big, beehived hair, but mostly it's her gams you'll notice as she's sitting sideways with a brisk midi pulled up tight, revealing quite a bit of thigh. I guess that's one way to sell a record. This includes a lot of covers of country standards, as well as the remade singles mentioned above. If I give in and buy this, I'll give you an update. But after listening to album #2 (reviewed below) I'm not sure how big a hurry I'm going to be in...

Jo Kiser "With Love" (Concorde, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Walker)
I was all excited to find a "new," obscure female country singer and had high hopes for this Ohio local. But, jeez, this is a not-great record. Kiser's voice irritates me for some reason, and the arrangements on this album are flowery and pop-oriented, with a small string section that included cello and viola... Kiser may have been "more country" on her earlier work, but here she's trying too hard to sound classy, and the listener is constantly aware of the effortfulness of her performance. I actually couldn't listen to the whole thing -- it's not quite on a par with Mrs. Miller or the Shaggs, but headed in that direction.

The Kistners "Meet The Kistners" (Little Devil Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by The Kistners)
A family band from Sunnyvale, CA doing a bunch of folk and country covers, sometime probably in the early 1970s, probably around '72 or '73. The album includes "Rocky Top," "Me And Bobby McGee," "Last Thing On My Mind," "Snowbird," "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues," "Milwaukee Here I Come," "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" and the like... In the liner notes Jane Smith, owner of Sunnyvale's Jamaica Inn tells of Kistnermania... And here's where it all began!

Kit & The Branded Men "Kit & The Branded Men" (2011)

Arnie Klick "Half Country And Half Oldtime" (Cuca Records, 1967-?) (LP)
Up around the Great Lakes, "old time" is what they used to call polka music, and like many polka bandleaders, accordionist Arnie Klick mixed a healthy dose of country twang into his repertoire. Klick and his wife June led a band around Beloit, Wisconsin throughout the 1960s and early '70s. She's spotlighted on Side One, which is all country songs, while polka tunes dominate Side Two. Their band was made up of locals from Beloit, Janesville and nearby Rockport, Illinois, with a couple of the guys Klick's co-workers at radio station WGEZ, including steel player Leslie Hollis. The country songs split between older stuff from the 'Fifties and newer "girl singer" material like a couple of Connie Smith covers and a cover of Connie Francis's pop hit, "Jealous Heart." Not sure how long this lineup was together -- it was a whole new band when they made their second album a few years later.

Arnie Klick "Half Country And Half Oldtime #2" (Blue Eagle Records, 19--?) (LP)
The Klicks were still clackin' away in the early 'Seventies, although with an all-new band and a hipper repertoire, reflecting the era of Kris Kristofferson and the incoming outlaws. As on the previous album, one side showcases vocal numbers with Mrs. Klick singing lead, while the other side is mostly polka instrumentals, including a country cover or two. The backing band includes William Bailey (banjo), Ronald D. Baney (drums), Chuck Blake (lead guitar), Ralph Jump (lap steel), Paul Zastrow on bass, and of course Arnie Klick playing accordion and both him and his wife singing throughout. Most of the guys were from small south Wisconsin towns such as Chippewa Falls, Colfax and Lannon, while a couple lived in nearby Rockford, Illinois, on the other side of the state line, which I suspect is where the band most frequently performed.

Vicki Knight "Let's Have A Party" (American Sound, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Cliff Ayers & Dale Mason)
Hailing from Iowa, singer Vicki Knight covered some rock'n'roll classics such as the Wanda Jackson oldie, "Let's Have A Party" and "House Of The Rising Sun." She also offered a wealth of original material, including several songs co-written with album producer Dale Mason. One song, "To Elvis In Heaven," was also released as a single... She did a lot of traveling to record this album, with sessions in Hollywood, Miami and Nashville, doubtless over a long period of time. Unfortunately, the various session musicians weren't listed on the album, so who played what remains a mystery... for now.

The Krawl Family "Krawl Family Album" (Callfaye Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Ellis Miller)
At first blush, this seems to be another uber-indie mystery disc featuring an unknown family band from the Pacific Northwest, as there are no liner notes to speak of, and no indication where they were from. The group included Roscoe M. Krawl (1916-1993) and Grace E. Krawl (1923-1999), along with their daughter and son, Karen Kenyon and Randy Krawl. The elder Krawls appear to have had a long history playing country music over the years... archival photos on the back cover show family members in full western regalia performing way back in the 1930s or '40s, including one picture of Mr. Krawl at the mic of radio station WMRO, an old AM station in Aurora, Illinois. Hmmmmm... Well, as it turns out, a little diligent poking around reveals that the Krawls were in fact the post-WWII country stars Idaho Call and Boots Faye, who toured with Ted Daffan's road show and recorded prolifically as a duo between 1945-52, then somewhat sporadically thereafter. Mrs. Krawl (nee Grace Eloise Tarch) was originally from Springfield, Missouri, and earned her stage name as part of a hillbilly act called the Faye Sisters, which she formed with another local girl in the late 1930s. She met "Idaho" after the duo broke up, and they soon became popular recording artists, notably on Capitol Records. This disc was recorded at the fabled Ripcord Studios in Vancouver, Washington, and may have included a few of the studio's in-house musicians. Although they lived in many parts of the country, the Krawls ultimately settled in Boise, Idaho, which is where I'd guess they were when they made this album.

Alison Krauss -- see artist discography

Shirley Kreutzjans "From Me To You" (CVS Records, 1980) (LP)
Ms. Kreutzjans hailed from Columbus, Indiana and seems to have been in the orbit of the Little Nashville "opry" venue. She covers hits by Lynn Anderson, Johnny Cash, Jessi Colter, Crystal Gayle, Linda Hargrove... A pretty straight-up '70s country-pop lovefest, and I mean that in a good way... Her band included Don Davis on banjo and steel guitar, Joe Edwards (fiddle), Rick Ferguson (bass), Roger Fish (piano) and Dave Rugenstein on percussion, with arrangements by local producer Marti Mae.

Josie Kreuzer "Hot Rod Girl" (She-Devil Records, 1997)

Josie Kreuzer "As Is" (She-Devil Records, 1999)

Josie Kreuzer "Beggin' Me Back" (She-Devil Records, 2002)

Dayna Kurtz & Mamie Minch "For The Love Of Hazel: Songs For Hazel Dickens" (Kismet Records, 2010)
A 7" set from a Brooylyn-based acoustic duo, recorded in honor of folk-bluegrass legend Hazel Dickens. It's a curious tribute: these songs weren't all recorded by Dickens (although a couple of her own compositions are included) and the bluesy vibe seems to have more in common with Tracy Nelson or Odetta than with Hazel & Alice... But, hey, maybe I'm just being nitpicky... Kurtz and Minch seem to be having fun, and namechecking Ms. Dickens is pretty cool, whichever way you slice it. (For more info check out www.myspace.com/kismetrecords)

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Hick Music Index
Sisters Who Swung: Women In Jazz & Blues

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