L.A. Getaway "L.A. Getaway" (Atco Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Rothchild)
Really more of a hippie blues-rock thing, but worth mentioning here since an erstwhile Flying Burrito bro, Chris Ethridge, was the bass player, along with guitarist Joel Scott Hill, and drummer John Barbata. As far as I know, this was the group's only album, one of the countless see-what-sticks projects emanating out of Los Angeles at the time.

Sleepy LaBeef - see artist discography

The Lady And The Outlaw "The Lady And The Outlaw" (Ken Cormier Productions, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Ken Cormier & Barbara Cormier)
Some folks earn the "outlaw" name the hard way: star-crossed singer Ken Cormier was convicted of armed robbery in 1972 and spent nine years in Florida State Prison, teaching himself guitar as his forty-year sentence unfolded. Upon his parole, Cormier went into audio-video production and cut this album at his own studio, which he opened in Dothan, Alabama. Guitarist Mark Swindell provides most of the musical ooomph, multi-tracked on rhythm, lead and bass, with Chuck Ledford chiming in on keyboards, sax and flute, the latter hinting at the goopier side of this album... Overall, this disc wasn't gonna set the world on fire -- Cormier had a pleasant voice with a plainspoken, Merle Haggard-ish vibe, but the mid-tempo arrangements are pretty sleepy and sound pretty similar from track to track. Still, there's a lot of sincerity in these performances, particularly on prison-oriented songs like "The Lady And The Outlaw" and "Hidie And My Last Day," a death row ballad about a little girl visiting her daddy on the day of his execution. Cormier's other big project in 1981 was filming and marketing live videos of an up-and-coming local band called Wild Country -- which changed its name to Alabama -- then being served a cease-and-desist order by their new record label, RCA, which said it had exclusive rights to the band's image. A lawsuit ensued, and I'm sure the legal tussle with a major-label media giant didn't help the struggling entrepreneur. Anyway, as far as I know this was Cormier's only album, although a couple of years later the studio was still open, and he was working on a feature film called "From Prison To Nashville," based on his life story, with Willie Nelson's daughter Susie to be cast as his wife, Barbara. Dunno if the movie deal panned out, but this album isn't a bad legacy, at least for fans of local DIY twang.

Leonard LaFerney "Just Call Me Lonesome" (Cowpatty Records, 1972-?) (LP)
(Produced by L. D. Ready & Joe Avants, Jr.)
East Texas local Leonard Franklin LaFerney (1940-2019) spent six years in prison as a result of "a few wild and reckless years," and he used his time in the Texas correctional system working on this batch of music. The album includes "A Free Man Tomorrow," a song reflecting on his release from prison which was also released as a single. This was recorded in Slidell, Louisiana -- perhaps without his parole officer's knowledge? -- and features backing by some guys whose names seem familiar: guitar picker Jerry Webb, organist Wayne Youngblood, Chuck Pollard on piano and guitar, and others. Mr. Laferney passed away in Gilmer, Texas and his obituary didn't mention anything about prison or music, just that "Mr. Laferney served in the U. S. Navy," and that's about it. This was apparently his only recording, though he and Jerry Webb formed a group called the Fat Man's Band that played some local gigs listed in the late 1970s.

The Lainie Sisters "Emmy And Norma" (Repeat Records, 1968-?) (LP)
(Produced by Noel Boggs)
This was the first -- and I suspect only -- album by the Lainie Sisters, who were apparently proteges of legendary pedal steel player Noel Boggs, who produced and played on this album. The record is notable for its wealth of original material, including six songs written by the Lainies. These include "Just Keep On Hurting Me," "Fool Around," and the provocatively titled "It's No Fun To Love Alone." Along with Boggs, other musicians include Junior Nichols on drums, Red Wooten on bass and Paul Haitt on the (ulp!) "Dulcitron," a short-lived electronic claviola that was used here in place of keyboards or piano. There's no date on this album, but late '60s seems like a good bet, though, possibly as late as 1970-71. Boggs had also recorded at least one other LP for this label, which was based in Long Beach, California.

The Laird Trio "Country Western Favorites" (MarJon Records, 1969-?) (LP)
A delightfully amateurish album by a family band from Sharon, Pennsylvania. The Laird Trio was made up of sisters Kathy Laird (age fourteen) and Sharyn Laird Canon (nineteen) and their eighteen-year old brother Rodger Laird, who harmonize roughly though with great enthusiasm on a set peppered with covers of old honkytonk and hillbilly hits. Before cutting this album, the Lairds had performed on local radio station WFAR, as well as some smaller venues in nearby Ohio, though I doubt they had that big of a professional profile. Sharyn is clearly cast as the would-be star of the group, belting 'em out in very teenage-sounding though not quite mousy voice, apparently with Wanda Jackson as her model... She also composed two of the songs, "He's Wonderful" and "Puppet On A String," while a third track, "My Sweetheart's Gone," is credited to Ray Laird (who was not in the band). Meanwhile, Rodger Laird was credited as the rhythm guitarist in the backing band, The Silver Spurs, a local band led by Rege Easler, Jr that later cut some records of their own for the MarJon label, though with a completely different lineup -- here, the band is credited as Rege Easler, Jr (lead guitar), Rodger Laird (rhythm guitar), Sandy Sanderson (bass), and David Spatilson (drums). Along with the other guys, Mr. Laird seems to have dropped out of Easler's band at some point, though he continued to play locally for many years to come, including a stint in a band called The Chaparrals, along with local steel guitar whiz Bob Shearer (1926-2017).

Steve Lake "...And The Swingmasters" (Jewel Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Lake & Rusty York)
This was a later edition of a journeyman band from Franklin, Ohio, led by bass player Steve Lake. Originally formed in the early 'Sixties, The Swingmasters were apparently Connie Smith's road band for a several years in the '70s, and backed her on a performance on the last night the Opry played at the Ryman Auditorium. The Swingmasters were also regulars on the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree, and frequently backed touring stars who passed through the area. Steve Lake seems to have spent considerable effort looking for another female star to recapture Connie Smith's magic: teenager Lana Davis sings (a little flat) on this album, while the group also backed a gal named Donna Jean Mackie on a Jayln single that came out in 1971. This late 'Seventies lineup seems to have been a little tenuous, with Mr. Lake backed by several kids, including Ms. Davis, as well as fourteen year old pianist Jeff Smith and Lake's five-year-old son, Stevie, who plays drums on one track. Also in the band were drummer Cline Hall, guitar picker Charlie Rolph and studio steel player Chubby Howard, who also contributes liner notes. The set list is all covers, stuff like "Burning Memories," "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy," "San Antonio Rose" and "Slide Off Your Satin Sheets," as well as the world's 102,334th version of "Rocky Top," with Lana Davis singing lead. An earlier, more classic lineup of the band featuring guitarist Jim Parsons backed hillbilly star Charlie Gore on an album in 1967, though this later offering may have been the Swingmasters only "solo" set as a band. The band performed regionally for many, many years, well into the 1990s and early 2000s.

The Laketown Buskers "Rolling Along" (Vetco Records, 1981) (LP)
More on the bluegrassy/old-time side of things, the Laketown Buskers were kindred spirits to the eclectic stringband/folkie revival bands of the Twin Cities such as The Sorry Muthas and the whole Prairie Home Companion crew. A long-lived ensemble which was together for much of the '70s and early '80s. Also: groovy cover art by "underground" comix artist Jay Lynch.

Lakota "Lakota" (JSR Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by George Elliott & Tom Elliott)
Nice one! A compelling mix of country-rock, post-psychedelic jam-band guitar, southern-rock and softer acoustic material that's a bit reminiscent of John Denver. Apparently these guys were from Long Branch, New Jersey and backed fellow Jerseyan Barry Pagliaroli (aka "Barry Zell") on his 1980 album Modern Day Cowboy, which came out on the JSR label the following year. This is a really nice record -- well-written, confidently performed, definitely a cut or two above similar uber-indie country-rock records of the same era. All the songs were written by lead singer W.J. Grimm and other than the expansive rock jams, they're pretty darn good. Apparently only a few hundred copies were pressed, but as far as lost gems of the 'Seventies go, this one is definitely a strong contender for reissue. I'd buy it!

Don LaMaster "...Sings Your Requests" (Psalms Records, 196--?) (LP)
(Produced by Stan Anderson)
According to the liner notes, back in the early 1960s, California country singer Don LaMaster was hanging out with the kings of West Coast country -- Bakersfield stars like Buck Owens and Wynn Stewart were telling him he really ought to cut a record sometime. But that all changed at the beginning of 1964 when LaMaster got religion and devoted himself to his evangelical calling. A few years later, Rev. LaMaster did make an album, backed by some of the best pickers in the San Joaquin Valley, guys like guitarists Densel Alvey and Alvis Barnett, bassist Doyle Curtsinger, Glen Davis on piano, Jerry Houston on pedal steel and Jerry Short on lead guitar. A bunch of these musicians were in the band(s) The Countrymen and the Christian Troubadours, which were centered around Stockton, but they did studio work for private press albums made at the Trac Studios in Fresno, where this set was recorded. Rev. LaMaster pursued a path as an itinerant musical preacher, performing all over the United States and abroad -- it's possible he recorded elsewhere, though I'm pretty sure this was his first album. No song credits, alas, but it seems likely that many of these are original songs, composed either by LaMaster or even by some of the studio musicians.

Darwin Lamb "I Have A Dream" (Flying L Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Jay Chevalier & Shelly Ford)
A spunky vanity album recorded by rancher, rodeo rider and businessman Darwin Lamb, who came from a prominent Las Vegas family, a tight-knit clan that was frequently likened to the Kennedys, in that they were so politically connected and intertwined... Among his many pursuits, Darwin Lamb was a well-connected state politician, alongside his brothers, Clark Country Sheriff Ralph Lamb and state senator Floyd Lamb, who was a crony of Governor Paul Laxalt. Darwin Lamb also acted in a handful of late '60s/early '70s films -- westerns and action movies -- and he recorded this croony country record with backing by Charlie Moore and the Western Union Band when he was 46 years old. This is a perky but amateurish album -- I wouldn't say Mr. Lamb was a great stylist, but he was definitely having fun when he cut this disc, and the band was pretty tight. Mainly, this is an interesting footnote to the history of a family that helped shape modern-day Vegas. It's okay as twang, too, though -- fans of Jim Reeves or Tennessee Ernie Ford might dig it.

Burt Lambert & The Northern Express "Just Arriving" (Canyon Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Todd Stillwell)
First nations/Native American country music by a band from Belcourt, North Dakota. These guys were members of the Turtle Mountain band of the Chippewa nation; while they recorded this album in Kalispell, Montana, the Canyon record label was located in Phoenix, Arizona. The Northern Express band was founded in 1974, although Burt Lambert also recorded more rock-oriented material under the name Hamana.

Tom Lammon & Evie Lammon "Our Kind Of Country" (Black Gold, 1971--?) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Martinson, Tom Lammon & Evie Lammon)
An immensely charming album by a husband-wife duo from Aberdeen, South Dakota who were proteges of regional country legend Sherwin Linton. Linton was their manager and writes the liner notes as well, in a style that reflects the bare-bones, low rent, DIY feel of the whole project. Tom Lammon was a rocker in the early 1960s, leading a band in Minnesota called Tom Lammon & The Mystics; by the time he'd met Linton, Lammon had turned to country and taught himself to master the Merle Travis picking style, which is the bedrock of this album. The sound is quite stripped down: it's just him on guitar, her on a thumping electric bass and modest, unobtrusive drumming by Marty Mortenson... Judging from the album cover, the Lammons hoped for a Loretta Lynn/Conway Twitty kind of vibe, although his vocals generally overshadow hers, though not by much. There's nothing flashy or super-glamorous about these recordings, but nothing embarrassing either... It's just a very simple, honest, effective portrait of a real-locals DIY country duo, with plenty of fun covers of songs by The Everly Brothers, Doug Kershaw, Charlie Rich, Jerry Reed and Marty Robbins, with a couple of originals written by Tom Lammon: "Train Of Thought" and "Sleepless Nights." Well done!

Lynda K. Lance "A Woman's Side Of Love" (Buddah/Royal American Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Dick Heard, Roy Chockley & Al Pachucki)
A country gal from Smithfield, Pennsylvania, Lynda K. Lance strived for years at the edges of the country mainstream, moving up from local "opry" shows where she recorded a handful of late 'Sixties singles before moving up to a fairly dynamic Nashville indie, Royal American, which devoted considerable resources to boosting her career. This was her only album, pairing earlier singles such as "The World I Used To Know" and "That's All I Want From You" with newer recordings, including several which were broken out as singles over the next couple of years. Lance was never able to crack into the Top Forty, though, and went from the comparative promotional strength of Royal American through a series of 'Seventies labels, starting out at Warner Brothers then sliding down the scale of not-quite-majors over the course of the decade. This album has a lot of interesting material on it, notably a couple of early Eddie Rabbitt songs, Martha Sharp's "Born A Woman" (recorded four years before Sharp's own album came out, "Weakness Of A Woman" (credited to label owner Dick Heard) and one of Lance's own compositions, "The Loving Kind." Alas, the backing musicians aren't identified, though most of the sessions were led by steel player Lloyd Green, presumably with his usual stable of Music city pros. Not a household name, but certainly worth checking out.

Lance Romance "Lance Romance" (Boot Heel Records, 1980)
(Produced by Lance Romance & Tom Martin)
Founded in 1971, this country/rockabilly group from Enumclaw, Washington was a stalwart of the pre-grunge Pacific Northwest indie scene, sort of Spokane's answer to the Commander Cody Band... The lineup on this album includes Dave Harmonson (lead guitar), Ron Kincaid (rhythm guitar), Keith Parmenter (drums), Larry Pigott (bass), J. C. Rieck (piano) and Gary Thorsen on steel guitar. They toured regionally, making it down to California a time or two, and stayed together until the early '80s, with a string of reunions thereafter. This album includes a bunch of cover songs and possibly(?) a few originals: "Love Letters And Long Distance Calls," "Standing In The Rain," as well as the beautifully-named "You Didn't Walk Out on Me (You Just Beat Me To The Door)."

The Land Rovers "Truck Drivin' Son Of A Gun" (Diplomat Records, 19--?)
A trucker-themed cheapo album from an anonymous studio band, which apparently recorded only this one album. No info on the cover about the band, where or when this was made, or if any of the songs were originals. Your guess is as good as mine!

Merv Landon "The Great Sounds Of Merv Landon" (Blake Records, 197-?)
(Produced by John Cook)
A pleasantly low-rent indie album from Merv Landon, an auto mechanic (and muffler shop owner) from Elmira, New York with a private passion for crooning old-school country. He wasn't a dazzling singer, though his vocals plausibly fall in the range of milquetoasty crooners like Hank Locklin or Hank Snow... Landon traveled down to Nashville to record this album -- sadly, the studio musicians aren't listed, but you can tell they were a talented group, even if their performances lapse into indifference from time to time. The album opens on a slightly Jimmy Buffett-ish note with the song "Caribbean," moving into better-known hits such as "For The Good Times," "Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger," "Me And Bobby McGee" and Marty Robbins' "Devil Woman," and even a few mega-oldies like "Ghost Riders In The Sky" and "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy." Nothing earthshaking, just a nice, sincere amateur album from an average guy with a love of plain, old country twang. I dig it. So did Landon's labelmate Con Brewer, who adds complementary liner notes.

Jerry Landrey "Hangin On To Memories" (Renee Records, 1984)
(Produced by Bud Comte)
An album of all-original material by Jerry Landrey, a native of Buffalo, Wyoming who recorded this disc at a studio in Nebraska. The liner notes mention Landrey winning some regional music awards in 1984, so maybe this came out in '84-'85... More info is always welcome!

Andy Lane "Andy Lane Country" (Staff Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Andy Lane, Jerry D. Rivas & Laddie Oleson)
An electronics engineer who grew up in Villa Park, Illinois, guitar picker Andy Lane apparently worked in radio while also making appearances on a local country music TV show. This guitar album features covers of '70s hits and country standards such as "Delta Dawn," "Satin Sheets," "Green, Green Grass Of Home," "Help Me Make It Through The Night," et. al.

Connie Lane "One Nation Under God" (Ripcord Records, 1976) (LP)
Another mystery album from the folks at Ripcord, this time with an American Bicentennial spin. This seems to have been more of a folk/gospel/Southern gospel album, with several songs written by Connie Lane, including the title track, which was also released as a single. Ms. Lane appears to have been from Saint Helena, Oregon, but other than that remains a pretty elusive figure. Although the backing musicians aren't identified, the back cover liner notes inform us that background vocals are provided by by Jim Hamar and Deana Rickert. Does anyone have more info about this album? Was she the same Connie Lane who recorded a few singles for the Dynamic Sound label? Inquiring minds want to know...

Dixie Lane "This Is Dixie" (Country Artists International, 1969-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Foster)
Born and raised in Sanford, Florida, Lorraine M. Gillyard (aka Dixie Lane, 1928-2016) was married to steel guitar player Smokey Gillyard, a local musician who co-founded their band, the Kountry Kut-Ups, which Dixie Lane headlined until Smokey passed away in 1989. They released several singles and at least one LP, which came out around 1969 on the Country Artists International label, in collaboration with "Trooper" Jim Foster, who seems to have been the label's owner. The Gillyards traveled widely, performing in most of the continental United States, as well as several foreign countries; following Mr. Gillyard's passing, Dixie Lane devoted herself to performing gospel music, with a new group dubbed Country Gospel 4U. As far as I know, this was her only full album.

Holly Lane "A Tribute To Grand Ole Opry Star Patsy Cline" (Crown Records, 1963) (LP)
One of many Patsy Cline tributes, this cheapo-label album was recorded and released in the immediate aftermath of the 1963 plane crash that ended Cline's life. Country singer Holly Lane is a difficult figure to track down and not much biographical information is available. At first blush, this lone LP looks like her entire legacy, but it turns out she'd been working with her husband, Joe Reagan, for about a decade or so before recording these sessions, and had released a few singles in the 1950s on the Blue Ribbon, Four Star and Flair labels, on occasion backed by Reagan's band The Buckskins. She may have performed live with the band as well; the Buckskins had a national profile and hosted their own TV show up in Washington state for a while. Reagan and Lane seem to have gotten typecast during their association with the budget-line Coronet label; he is probably best remembered for recording a string of tribute discs, notably albums dedicated to Cowboy Copas and Jim Reeves -- Copas died in the same plane crash as Cline, while Reeves passed away the following year. A second Patsy Cline tribute disc (below) was attributed to Holly Lane, but that seems to have been a typo caused by the label's slapdash production standards.

Holly Lane(?) "Hits Made Famous By Patsy Cline" (Coronet Records, 19--?) (LP)
Amazingly, these are two entirely separate records, though perhaps not by the same person. The back cover liner notes mention Holly Lane, though they are exact duplicates of Lane's earlier album from 1963, and the inner label credits a gal named Barbara Brown: were they the same person, or did Coronet just recycle the text without checking for typos? I guess I go for the typos explanation, since Ms. Brown is also mentioned on the front. At any rate, a totally different set of songs. Also, no indication of who the backing musicians were.

Jerry Max Lane -- see artist discography

Judi Lane "...Sings Hits Made Famous By The Country Queens" (Alshire Records, 1970) (LP)
Dunno the whole story behind this one... Alshire was a real label, based in Southern California, but amid all the thousands of 101 Strings albums, they also bankrolled a bunch of soundalike albums, including this one, which covers some contemporary hits along with a handful of originals published by the Chesdel Music company, which was connected to the label. This fairly sleepy set made nary a dent in the charts -- I don't think it was meant to -- but there are some amusing moments when the anonymous LA-scene hippie pickers and idle studio musicians backing her cut loose and get a little funky. The opening track is a chaotic run-through of Jeannie C. Riley's "The Back Side Of Dallas," with overpowering electric guitar riffs that echo the song's gogo-delic origins... This formula is repeated on the album's bluesy closing track, "I'm His Woman," one of two originals credited to Judi Lane. The other tracks are generally much more sedate, matching Lane's own, fairly lackluster performance. Of greater interest, perhaps, are the Chesdel tunes, which provide what spark there is on this album. In addition to Lane's other track, the woeful "What Can I Do To Stop Loving You," there's a tune called "Borrowed Time" which was written by Chris Stevenson, who had previously penned both sides of Lane's previous release, a single from 1968 on a tiny Southern California label. Also under the Chesdel banner is "I'll Hate Myself Tomorrow (For Loving You Tonight)" by Walt Rayburn. Another album highlight is Lane's version of the Sharon Higgins song, "Woman Of The World," which had been a hit for Loretta Lynn in '69. Overall, I suppose this is an okay album, though not great -- there are other cheapo LPs of the same era that are more fun.

Margie Lane & Sundown Pete "Treasures Beneath The Shifting Sands Of Time, Volume One" (Driftwood Records, 19--?)
(Produced by Peter Kobal & Robert T. Speiden)
Good old-fashioned western revival music from cowgal Margie Lane (1932-2007) and her husband, "Sundown Pete" Kobal, whose careers dated back to the 1950s. Originally from New Jersey, the Kobals headed out west when they were young and seemed to have been in Mineral Wells, Texas when they cut this disc -- they also did their time in California and Nashville, and eventually retired in New Mexico. I'm not sure then this LP was produced; it looks like it might have been a later pressing that used some archival photos for the cover. The Kobals also released a string of albums in the 1990s and early 2000s, including some sets showcasing her love of pop-vocal standards.

Margie Lane & Sundown Pete "In El Paso" (Driftwood Records, 1997-?)
A Marty Robbins tribute album, with accompaniment by the Arriba Juarez Mariachi and the Midnight Strings...

Margie Lane & Sundown Pete "Margie And My D-45" (Driftwood Records, 1998-?)

Margie Lane & Sundown Pete "The Only Star" (2003) (LP)

Merrill Lane "Blues On A Rainy Day" (Suntone Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Chuck Seitz)
Apparently this was the lone album by songwriter Merrill Lynn Lane (1947-2006) a lad from Searcy, Arkansas who also recorded numerous singles on regional labels such as BeJay Records an Coyotee Records, as well as several Nashville indies. Although he had moved to Texas, he made serious inroads plugging his songs in Nashville, landing tracks with Moe Bandy, Stoney Edwards and other neotrad artists. He started his career in a family gospel trio called The Lanes and eventually headed down to Corpus Christi, where he later contributed songs to a fellow Searcy expat, singer Jada Vaughan. This album was made up of his original compositions and recorded at RCA Studios in Nashville, with a slew of Music City pros, folks like Harold Bradley, Lloyd Green, Tommy Jackson, Hargus Robbins and the like... The multiple guitarists, fiddlers, bass players and whatnot suggest that this LP was put together in several sessions over a long period of time, though few of the songs seem to have come out as singles. According to one online profile, on Reverbnation, Merrill Lane composed over three thousand songs(!)

Red Lane "The World Needs A Melody" (RCA, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Ronny Light)
An interesting -- and unusual -- item from the countrypolitan/sunshine country days. I think this was the only full album from Hall Of Fame songwriter Red Lane (ne Hollis Rudolph DeLaughter (1939-2015) who was born in Zona, Louisiana, a small hamlet that was eventually swallowed up by nearby Bogalusa. Lane moved to Nashville in the early 'Sixties, and penned songs recorded by Dottie West, Eddy Arnold and others. He was best known for penning Merle Haggard's hit, "My Own Kind Of Hat" and "Miss Emily's Picture" for John Conlee. Those hits were a long way off from this early album, though: he had more modest success in the late '60s with folks like Waylon Jennings and Dottie West. This disc is kind fun, though, and has a distinctive sound, with an almost folk-scene acoustic feel that probably sounded pretty close to the demos he cut for his own songs (although the tracks have various levels of arrangements and added instruments). Lane's delivery sounds like a mix of early Merle Haggard and old Jerry Reed, not too robust or too gimmicky in either direction, but you can hear the similarities. All the songs are Lane's original work, including a collaboration with Wayne Kemp and two songs co-written with Hank Cochran. It's all pretty good, and surprisingly low-key and un-flowery for the era; the only bum note comes on the novelty song, "The Courtroom," which is a creepy, sexist song about a woman who falsely accuses a preacher of raping her, but the case gets thrown out when it is disclosed that the good Reverend "got so shot up back during the war/that he couldn't even take him a wife," and the naughty girl is duly reprimanded. But I guess that's just a product of its time... Not a song to remember, but not one to worry much about, either. Overall, this is a nice record, and a good document of an artist not well-remembered these days. One footnote: Lane toured and recorded with Haggard in the early '80s, and continued to write hits well into the decade.

Sara Lane "Texas Songbird" (Clark Country Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Little Richie Johnson)
"A personable blonde country singer" from Whitney, Texas, Sara Lane's main claim to fame was appearing on the "Cowboy Weaver" TV show, based in Las Vegas, and touring with some variety shows. She'd made one single before this album, which was largely a showcase for several songwriters signed to Richie Johnson's publishing house. There are three songs credited to Albert Young Eagle, one to Lori Wild and one by Ray Sanders, as well as "Leaving Would Be So Easy," written by Sara Lane herself. The studio crew are all Nashville pros: Johnny Gimble, Lloyd Green, Dave Kirby, Charlie McCoy... that calibre of player.

Tom Lane "Outhouse Daze" (Cabin Trail Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Rich Lang)
A whole album of potty humor... Twangy tunes about poop and farts and boogers and whatnot, with gems such as "Booger Time Blues," "Dirty Old Man" and "Here's To The Fart." Golly. How could I resist? Well, I guess if you're a fan of Chinga Chavin or Montezuma's Revenge, this might be fun, too.

Lang & Ackroyd Band "Lang & Ackroyd Band" (LAB Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Robert B. Gilgan)
The Canadian duo of Marcy Ackroyd and Jim Lang with an outlawish set that includes Rodney Crowell's "Ain't Livin' Long Like This" and a song that namedrops Waylon & Willie...

The Lang Brothers "Wagons Ho!" (Wagon Wheel Productions, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Virtue)
Brothers Derrell, Gary and Ken Lang grew up on a farm in Quinter, Kansas (right near WaKeeny), later moving to Denver, Colorado where they played together as a family band. The title track was written by the father Bernard Lang, and is an epic number detailing the covered wagon migration that settled the Kansas prairies. It takes up all of Side One of this album, while Side Two showcases western standards such as "Cool Water," "Empty Saddles" and "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds," as well as yet another version of Mickey Newberry's patriotic patchwork medley, "American Trilogy." Notable among the musicians backing them on this set is blues-folkie Ray Bonneville, blowing harmonica, along with a bunch of folks who seem to have been Denver locals.

Mark Lang "Texas John Boscoe" (Symposium Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by George Hanson & Paul Martinson)

The Langner Sisters "It's The Country Life For Me" (Studio 5 Records, 1969) (LP)
The yodel-delic Langner Sisters --Jeanette, Diane, and Sandy -- were an all-gal vocal group from Minneapolis, Minnesota who were active in the late-1960s/early '70 polka scene, recording several albums including several with bandleader Eddie Blazonczyk... On this record they concentrated on country stuff, with covers of hits such as "Games People Play," "Tippy Toeing," and "Try a Little Kindness," along with a few yodeling tunes... Plus, on this cover they had on some badass, super-cool matching go-go boot outfits... Now, that's country, 'Sixties style!

The Langner Sisters "On The Air" (Studio 5 Records, 19--?)
A mix of pop, polkas, country and yodeling tunes... On the country side of things are versions of "Tennessee Yodel" and "My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You," though this isn't strictly a country record, by any means. The cover art shows them at the TV studios of KSTP, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, which regularly featured polka music throughout the 1960s and '70s.

Sandy Lankford "Sandy's Country" (Total Eclipse Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Callelo)
Wow, this is such a weird record. I mean, musically it's pretty pedestrian -- just how "country" it is, is pretty questionable. It's more like early '70s soft-pop/pop vocals lounge singing, more Vikki Carr than Anne Murray. Lots of cover tunes of mellow Top 40 hits like "Oh Happy Day," "For All We Know" and "Look What They've Done To My Song," delivered in perky yet low-key style, backed by a band that has a teeny bit of twang and a tiny dash of disco, very Vegas-y overall. What's most interesting, though, is the story behind it, and the weird vanity label that it's on, apparently a one-off imprint of RCA Records, which adds its Dynaflex logo and general art design, but not their corporate logo to the project. Hmmm. Then there are the liner notes, which describe Ms. Lankford's background as a Texas pageant winner and her being "discovered" singing at a Ford car dealers convention where they were launching a "Miss Ford Country" sales campaign, which she got hired to be the public face of... (Hey, there's even an old press kit for sale on eBay!) Anywayyyy... Well, I'd say as a country record this ain't no great shakes, but as a cultural artifact, it's rather intriguing. Along with all the pop covers there are a couple of original songs, the perky "A Texas Country Girl," and the very-'70s and semi-disco "You Don't Turn Me On Anymore." For some reason, I keep expecting to see Don Draper listed as an executive producer....

Truman Lankford "True Man" (Louisiana Hayride Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by David Cherry, Jim Cotton & Pat Holt)
One of those guys who kicked around the country backroads for years, Truman McCoy Lankford (1929-1987) had one big success as a songwriter, when his 1965 trucker tune, "Freightliner Fever" caught the attention of Nashville, and was covered over the years by stars such as Dave Dudley, Red Sovine, and Boxcar Willie. Lankford's own musical career never quite broke out of the regional scene; he was apparently a cast member of the late 'Seventies edition of the Louisiana Hayride and even dabbled in acting, appearing as the character "Truman" in a 1977 feature film called Cody. I think was his only full LP, and while most of the tracks are classic country covers, the song "Closing Time" was a Lankford original, also released as a single alongside Jerry McBee and Fred Lehner's "Watch That First Step Lady," which is also on the album. Mr. Lankford passed away in Cale, Arkansas, though I'm not sure if that was his original home state.

Laramie "Laramie" (Mercury Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Barry Seidel & Chuck Irwin)
This resolutely un-commercial country-rock outing featured piano work by genre-busting '70s auteur Thomas Jefferson Kaye, as well as three songs written by bluegrasser Doyle Lawson: "West Nebraska Woman," "Cryin' After You" and "Amarillo Goodbye." While Doyle Lawson himself wasn't in the band, his brother Dave plays fiddle and guitar, along with Don Mason on mandolin, John Warnock (bass), Bob Smith (banjo and steel guitar) and drummer Luther Rix. This is a weird and wonderful record, both echoing and anticipating the gleeful post-jugband mayhem of the Holy Modal Rounders/Clamtones contingent, warping hippie-rock bang and unruly rural twang into a hyperactive, anarchic, artsy-fartsy musical tapestry. The most accessible (and durable) tracks may be the novelty-oriented covers of hits such as the Shondells' "Crimson And Clover" and the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday," which kicks off with a particularly grating old-timey fiddle riffs -- throughout the record, Dave Lawson refuses to soften or sweeten his tone -- it's the ghost of the craggiest Appalachian elders that spurs him on, adding a wild streak that makes this a rather unique "major label" country-rock record. The other original songs, which include Bob Smith's "Wells Fargo Man" and Bob Shotola's "New Evangelical" take this weirdness a few steps further, beyond the obvious novelty-song satires into more genuine explorations of the musical space being forged by the band. It's too bad the group's mastermind, Kaye, didn't do more with the country-rock genre, but for twangcore archeologists, this disc's a doozy.

Larry & Loretta "Larry And Loretta" (19--?) (LP)
This is one of those uber-private custom albums where the information is so sparse and the names so generic that it's practically impossible to find out anything about the artists. One would assume that Larry and Loretta, whoever they were, were married. Apparently they were from somewhere in Minnesota, and called their band(?) "Country Cargo." Other than that, a complete cipher.

Larry & Roy "The Beginning Of Larry And Roy" (Popa Records, 196-?) (LP)
(Produced by Robert Gardiner & Skip Frazee)
Roy Dickerson and Larry Whitt seem to have been Lone Star boys -- their label was from Garland, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. They may have played a few live gigs -- the liner notes were by a guy named Bob Johnson, who's identified as owner of the Club Del Basque, where presumably they performed. Like Larry & Roy, though, Johnson left a pretty light footprint, which is to say there's pretty much no record of any of these guys online. Anyway, they sang country stuff, covers of "Folsom Prison," "Gentle On My Mind," "I Got A Tiger By The Tail," and "Together Again," as well as pop standards such as "Danny Boy" and "Impossible Dream" and "Liberty Valance" and maybe even a few originals(?) "With Pen In Hand," "Smellin' Like A Rose," "My Promise."

Larry & Terry "Sandlewood" (Summit Studios, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Drury & Preston Smith)
An exemplary "private press" album, recorded by two longhaired Colorado dudes, Larry Allen and Terry Craig, who are basically just strumming along and singing some of their favorite songs of the time, along with a couple of originals written by Larry Allen. It's easy to imagine their wives and friends listening to them playing in front of the fireplace and saying, "yeah, you should really make a record! why not?" They're not like rock stars or Nick Drake-y dreamers, just a couple of guys who got good enough to sing "Fire And Rain," "Mrs. Robinson" and "You've Got A Friend" and make their buddies smile while the bottle of wine gets lower and lower. This one's maybe more folk-oriented than most of the stuff here, but it's a nice snapshot of what amateur regular-folk singers sounded like back in the 'Seventies. It's the real deal. Besides, they cover "Mr. Bojangles" and "Country Roads," so it's close enough. They're helped out on a few tunes by banjo picker Tom Drury, who I believe did local/regional bluegrass later on... Anyway, this is kind of a sweet album, especially the Allen originals, like "Love One Another," which is an uber-gooey hippie-dippy greeting card of a folk song, and their ultra-earnest version of "We Believe In Music" (the Mac Davis hit, made plural) in which they give shout-outs to all the folks who helped them make the record. Adorable. (Note: about a decade later, Larry Allen and Terry Craig were performing in Southern California as the Shit Howdy Boys, and recorded a "blue" album live, circa 1980, as well as a 7" single on their own SHB label.)

Andy Larson "The Man With The Crooked Hands" (1986) (LP)
(Produced by Andy Larson & Richard H. Kuschel)
A local fella from Butte, Montana pursuing rural and regional themes, albeit with some pretty modern methods. Songs include "He's A Cowboy," "Cowboy Made Of Steel," and "Big Montana Sky," while the instruments include saxophone and synthesizers. There's a pop and retro-'Fifties rock vibe, but also some twang in there as well. The title track was a working-man ballad, dedicated to Larson's father, who is pictured in an illustration on the cover wearing what looks like miner's gear. All the songs are Larson's own, except for one called "Whiskey Makes Me Happy." Mr. Larson apparently played in local bars for many years before cutting this album, and was backed by a band called Rocky Mountain Saturday, which included Jim Ellis on drums, John Jose (keyboards), Scott Wheeler (bass, saxophone and synthesizer) and several other locals chiming in on the recording sessions, including Becky Campbell, Leon Gulbro, Dave Stang, and perhaps most notably Kip McFaul, who was another Butte-area musician with diverse tastes who worked in a duo with a guy named Bo Keck for many years, starting in the late 'Seventies. (Side note: Mr. McFaul was also the father of American political scientist and diplomat Michael McFaul, a conservative scholar who was appointed US ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration's "reset" policy, then ran afoul of the Putin regime when he began to seriously press for anti-corruption measures in the former Soviet Union. Now you know.)

Mickey Larson "The Mickey Larson Band" (Deezul Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Steph Playter, Mike Richson & John Struthers)
Though sometimes incorrectly identified as from Minnesota, this blues-twang bar-band was actually from Eau Claire, Wisconsin (the record label was in Minnesota, but the band were 100% pure cheeseheads...) The record features liner notes from another local musician Will Jennings, also from Eau Claire, who praises Larson as having the new best band in town. Piano player Mickey Larson (1947-2004) was a prolific and prodigious musician, playing in numerous rock, blues and country bands, leading his own group and supporting national acts on tour through the Midwest. As a teen he co-founded the Great Lakes rock band Tongue, which morphed into the Mother Truckers, and gradually became known primarily as a blues musician. An avid motorcyclist, Larson moved to California not long after recording this album, where he worked for Harley-Davidson for several years before returning to Wisconsin. As far as I know, this was his only album recorded under his own name.

Norbie Larson "I'd Rather Be In Colorado" (Aanco Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Jay Angello & Tom Gregor)
A native Coloradan, Norbie Larson was a rancher and erstwhile rodeo rider who tried his luck in Hollywood, but just got a few bit parts in films such as Cat Ballou before heading back home. Larson had cut a few singles by the mid-1960s, and dove deeper into music over the following decade. In 1966 Larson was the focus of an extensive, two-page profile in the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, and for a while in the '70s he was a cast member at the Mountain Music Opry House, near Pike's Peak in the eastern end of the state. (Larson appeared on at least one souvenir album, along with the "opry" owner, Al Kelley, and other local musicians.) This early 'Eighties album is packed with regional pride songs, and may have been Larson's only full LP... but don't quote me on that.

June LaSalvia & The Lean Jeans Band "How The Waist Was Won" (Plantation Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Sidney Singleton, Brenda Damron & Dave Roys)
A "fit as a fiddle" neotrad Top Forty country music aerobics album from the waning days of Shelby Singleton's Plantation label... mixing leotards, calfskin cowgirl boots and big old hats, complete with a little subliminal body shaming and a pretty solid pun in the album title. What's not to love?? Although this comes off as a novelty number (take that, Irlene Mandrell!) there is some interesting backstory... Dancer June LaSalvia was apparently one of the first yoga instructors to work in Nashville, dating back to the late 1960s, and is credited by many younger Tennessee yoginis as an influential teacher whose work helped form the city's yoga scene. Her daughter, K-Lea Gifford, also became a yoga instructor after training with her mom, starting around 1983. No musician credits, alas, though one assumes the band was made up of guys working at the Plantation studios... Anyway, if you've ever dreamt of doing a workout to instrumental covers of "9 To 5" or "Elvira," track this one down. I imagine the opening track, "Get Up Off Your Good Intentions" is a real hoot, too.

Nick Laseter & Southern Edge "We Can Stick Together" (1972-?) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Bryant, Bill Crowell & Terry Pace)
Definitely a rarity from this Louisiana-based country-rocker, with very little info about this album online. Though cited as a Southern Rock nugget, a lot of this album has a softer, more meandering vibe probably as much in line with the countrypolitan style of the early 'Seventies as with the talent level of the band. Although Laseter became a proficient guitar player, much of this album has a rudimentary feel, at least as far as the picking is concerned. What stands out are his vocals, which have an underlying powerfulness you might not expect in such a young singer, as well as a gruffness that probably was a tribute to the southern blues musicians who were Laseter's early idols. There are also some uptempo tracks with sort of a swampy, Elvis-meets-Jerry Reed vibe, though not quite the hard-edged, balls-to-the-wall Lynyrd Skynyrd sound you might expect. There may also be some discrepancies about just when this was made -- Nick Laseter posted comments on the music blog Skydog's Elysium stating that this came out in 1972, but I'm not so sure. There are several reasons: First, he was born in 1955 and his photo on the back cover does not look like a seventeen-year old. Similarly the pictures of the band members do not look like they are from the early 'Seventies, but rather the second half of the decade, which might match up with the disc's catalog number (DRP-7751) which leads me to believe this really came out in 1977. There's no date on the disc, though, so I could be totally wrong. Backing him was the Southern Edge band, with Laseter on lead guitar and vocals, Larry Davis on drums, Juanita Laseter singing backup, Nathan Roberts (bass), Ralph Snyder (piano) and Randy Tomlinson on rhythm guitar.

Last Fair Deal "Whole New Ride" (Ordeal Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Howard, Doug Kupper & Phil Zimmerman)
A string-swing/retro band from Connecticut... The album's repertoire all original material, except for one track...

The Last Mile Ramblers "While They Last!" (Blue Canyon Records, 1974) (LP)
Based in Albuquerque, NM, the Last Mile Ramblers were stalwarts of the Southwestern roots-revival scene; founded in 1970, they recorded two albums in the '70s and stayed together in various formations over the next three decades. Like a lot of these regional roadhouse bands, the Ramblers were both local legends and a way station for talented musicians: the band's founder Steve Keith eventually got a gig with "Classical Gas" guitarist Mason Williams, and went on to work with a number of country and roots artists... At one point alt-country guitar star Junior Brown was in the band (and is said to be on this album...) This was their first album, and one of the earliest self-released records in the 1970s hippie/desert country scene.

The Last Mile Ramblers "LMR" (Windswept Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Baird Banner & George Bullfrog)
A nice, simple swing/western-swing revival set, with a bit of straight country twang and blues as well. Lead singer George Bourque was probably teasing himself with his stage name of "George Bullfrog," but despite his modest vocal talents, he projects calm self-assurance and an affection for the material that give this album a pleasant warmth. Some nice steel playing as well, by a guy named Jon Potrykus... Also notable is the credit for "Lisa Gilkyson" listed as singing harmony vocals on a couple of tracks... Doubtless this was future Americana-folkie star Eliza Gilkyson, who was a desert denizen at the time. (Anyone know for sure?) Anyway, this is a nice, unassuming album, maybe with more dents and wrinkles than modern-day listeners are used to hearing, but a fine example of disco-era indie-country DIY.

The Last Roundup "The Last Roundup" (Blue Saguaro Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Milton Spalding)
This was quite possibly the literal last-gasp of the 1970s Southwestern country-rock sound, and in all honesty was kind of a terrible record... This band from Tucson, Arizona wore a variety of cowboy hats, bandanas and leather vests, but despite the country iconography, they tilted in a soft-rock direction a bit more than towards twang. Some of the songs are interesting, but their vocals are often iffy and the arrangements are a little cheesy. I dunno. It just didn't do much for me, although they were obviously adorable, earnest locals... The best moments come (briefly) when they let multi-instrumentalist Tim O'Connor off the leash to dash off some fiddle and banjo licks -- he's also one of the band's better lead singers, in contrast to frontmen Earl Jackson and Dennis Theobald, who both have the same odd, plainspoken "gawrsh, heck" Arizona accent as other, earlier bands like Chuck Wagon & The Wheels, but the material here just isn't as strong. Alas.

Last Straw String Band "Last Straw String Band" (Jack Rabbit Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jeff Calloway)
Old-timey music by a nice, twangy longhair trio from Moorpark, California, a suburb located just north of Los Angeles, in the nearby Simi Valley. The Last Straw String Band was formed in 1973 and went through a series of lineups before this particular threesome headed into the studio. Banjo plunker Andy Denes joins multi-instrumentalists Randy Rich and Charlie Seeman on a relaxed, good-natured set of tunes, played in a fairly round-toned style that may or may not be pleasing to old-timey uber-traditionalists... I liked it, though, and found it easily accessible and fun. Dunno if any of these guys went on to work in other old-timey or bluegrass bands, but either way, this album is certainly a nice legacy.

Ken Lauber "Contemplation (View)" (Polydor Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Elliot Mazer & Wayne Moss)
I have seen this album described as "the first countrypolitan album," or "the first countrypolitan concept album," or some such grandiose claim, but considering that it came out as late as 1970, I think we can take that with a grain of salt. Certainly, though, there's a lot of legit twang on here, including a wealth of talent from the "Nashville Cats" Music City A-team, including superpickers such as Kenny Buttrey, Mac Gayden, Charlie McCoy, Wayne Moss, Weldon Myrick and Pete Wade, as well as Ken Lauber on piano and vocals. He might have been born n New York City, but Mr. Lauber -- who later did some soundtrack work -- did have an affinity for rural-sounding roots music. All the songs on here are his own tunes, except for one track, "Mama, It's Such A Long Ride Home," which was written by Happy Traum.

Ken Lauber "Ken Lauber" (Decca Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Val Garay, Dave Hassinger & Rick Heenan)
On this sometimes-funky set, Lauber digs deeper into rural roots, backed by a motley cast of characters on the periphery of the country-rock scene. There are some Wrecking Crew-adjacent LA studio hotshots such as Larry Carlton and bassist Max Bennett, as well as Joe Osborn (who was in Michael Nesmith's country-rock band at the time) and guitarist Mike Deasy, who was pursuing country-ish threads in his own solo work and as part of the band Gator Creek. Understandably resurrected in several international reissues, this album is certainly emblematic of the eclectic wandering of early 'Seventies scene, with a number of tracks that bring to mind the syncretic vibe of The Band, as well as iconoclasts like Larry Jon Wilson and Leon Redbone, et.al. Lauber frequently goes overboard, for sure, and the lyrics lapse into the poetic incoherencies of the time, but overall it's a pretty cool record, especially for fans of hippie-era roots music. Impressive, really.

Don Laughlin "Ballads Of Deadwood South Dakota: Deadwood In 1876" (Kajac Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Harold L. Luick)
A concept album of sorts, packed with songs sung in honor of South Dakota -- maybe more of a folkie thing, but still kinda twangy. Singer Don Laughlin was originally from Iowa though when he made it out to South Dakota, he kinda fell in love with the place. Laughlin became a tour guide and had a full-time residence in Lead, SD, though he went back to Carlisle, Iowa to record this album at the Kajac studios. The songs are all originals, with backing by some folks from the Iowa bluegrass/folk scene -- singer Cathy Bishop, guitarist Lenny Hudson, Bill Ober playing mandolin, Jim Phinney on dobro and bass, and drummer Rich Richmond.

Kenny Laursen "Kenny Laursen" (KayJay Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Kenny Laursen & Earle Weatherwax)
Singer-comedian Kenny Laursen may have originally been from Southern California, where he is said to have played on Cliffie Stone's Home Town Jamboree show, and at various SoCal venues in the 1960s. He spent the '70s working steady gigs in Reno and Las Vegas, as well as in Texas and California, before eventually settling in Vegas in the early '90s to run his own audio-visual production studio. I think this was his first record: on later albums, Laursen subsumed himself to a sort of goofy, county fair/lounge lizard persona, but this early outing was his bid as an early '70s singer-songwriter/sunshine pop auteur. He does a couple of cover tunes -- of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles" and Jerry Reed's "When You're Hot, You're Hot" -- but the rest of the record is original material, including seven songs written by Laursen, one by Marcia Barnum (a backup singer in his band) and a version of Gene Rockwell Gant's comedic number, "I Got The Funny Feelin' That You Really Wouldn't Care If I Went Home," which is an album highlight. This album wobbles between wannabee '70s pop anthems ("Sunshine") and comedic material reminiscent of the '60s commercial scene, with Laursen seeming aiming at being kind of a low-rent version of Dick Feller. This is less country-oriented than some of his other albums, but shows again the diversity of influences in his act. Underwhelming, perhaps, but still an honest portrait of a way-under-the-radar working musician.

Kenny Laursen "The Wildest Show In Dallas" (KayJay, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Sandell)
A funky, low-rent live set from singer Kenny Laursen, a true veteran performer who cut his teeth singing on late '50s shows like "Home Town Jamboree" and backing Cliffie Stone on the radio... Laursen also carved out a niche as a regional entertainer, as documented on this and other, similar self-released records. These are real, authentic documents of average-sounding locals entertainers -- he does oldies, corny jokes, a big Buddy Holly medley, covers of crap hits like "The Gambler," and hints at more rugged stuff, like Ed Bruce's "Texas When I Die." It's not great, but it's real... Not the kind of record I'd really want to listen to more than once, but if you want to hear what county fair country singers really sounded like in the late '70s, this guy's that guy.

Kenny Laursen "Songs That Were Popular When I Was In High School" (KayJay Records, 19--?) (LP)

Kenny Laursen "One Of America's Greatest Entertainers" (KayJay Records, 19--?) (LP)
Recorded live at the Reuben E. Lee in Newport Beach California... (The Reuben E. Lee was a faux riverboat restaurant/music venue, built in dock and decommissioned in 2007 after four decades of various businesses coming and going... Guess they had room for Texas country boys at one point, too...)

Kenny Laursen "Live!!!" (KayJay Records, 19--?) (LP)

Lavada "Lavada" (ATV-Pye Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Peter K. Siegel)
This is a weird record, one of those "only in the Seventies" kinda things, and definitely not for everyone... Lavada June Roberts was an Okie from Avoka, Oklahoma who headed out West and created her own oddball cabaret act, which she performed first in Hollywood, and later in New York City, where she was working when she cut this album. It's sometimes tagged as a "country" record, and while she carries some of her native twang with her in her voice, and has Nashville studio pro Weldon Myrick playing pedal steel on a few tracks, mostly this is a wild, fairly torturous set, with Lavada swooping and screeching atop her own equally unruly piano playing, singing rambling, half-spoken stream-of-consciousness song-poems, more akin to performance art than country-rock. Some of the more overtly twangy tunes -- "Grin And Bear It," "Neighbors," "Dream On Little Country Girl" -- share some of the same hick-oriented artsy-fartsy feel as Terry Allen and Jo Harvey Allen's work, and may merit recognition from twangfans. (Although to her credit, Lavada staked the territory out first...) Honestly? It's hard to imagine many people who would want to listen to this album for fun, country fans in particular, but as an artifact of nutty 'Seventies experimentalism, it's a doozy.

Doug LaValley & Jean Marie "Wheeling Jamboree" (ARC Music, 1963-?) (LP)
Popular in Canada, honkytonker Doug LaValley (1934-1999) was born in Boston, Massachusetts, though like many New Englanders, his career crisscrossed the border, as evidenced on this LP on the Arc label. A talented multi-instrumentalist and robust vocalist in the Johnny Bush style, LaValley's career dated back to the early 1950s, when he worked in Montana Slim's band before forming his own group and recording as a solo artist. LaValley and his wife, Jean Marie Varno, joined the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree and were in the show's cast for several years; they also did some time in Nashville, where Mr. LaValley did session work and cut a string of singles on various labels. As far as I know this was their only full album.

Lavender Country "Lavender Country" (Gay Community Social Services Of Seattle, 1973)
A groundbreaking album on the conceptual level, this may be less satisfying to many country music fans... Four years after the Stonewall riots, Seattle's gay liberationist Patrick Haggerty (1944-2022) dreamt up the satirical contours of the world's first openly queer country record and made it a reality, singing tunes like "Back In The Closet Again" to a simplistic roots-music backing -- plinky piano, rough-sawed fiddle, a dash of pedal steel. The instrumental virtuosity isn't there, but the passion and political conviction comes through loud and clear -- a gay lib landmark, and another piece of the '70s countercultural mosaic. The album found a new audience decades later in the 2010s, with a digital-era reissue and acclaim for Mr. Haggerty's groundbreaking work coming from younger LGBTQ fans, including national tours and new recordings... Mr. Haggerty passed away about a month after suffering a stroke while flying home from a show in Oakland, California, which is certainly a bittersweet coda to a remarkable musical career. [Check out his New Your Times obituary for more...]

Lavender Country "Blackberry Rose" (Don Giovanna Records, 2022) (LP)
Well, it took nearly five decades, but Patrick Haggerty finally got that second album out!

Gene LaVerne "Country Music -- Past And Present" (Natural Sound Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Lou Casella)
A Minnesota native, singer Gene LaVerne (1924-2004) was a vaudeville performer in the late 1930s, working with a partner named Harry Burke with whom he toured throughout the South and Midwest. LaVerne started a radio career in New England, but wound up serving in the military when WWII broke out -- he returned to New England after the war, working in radio again and as part of a country music revue show at the Lone Star Ranch, located in Reeds Ferry, New Hampshire, where he worked for several decades. This early '70s album has a mailing address in Maynard, Mass and is mostly an oldies set -- country and old-timey standards, along with two songs credited to Gene LaVerne, "Love Me," and the title track, "Country Music -- Past And Present." Features lead guitar by Dusty Burnell, who also played on LaVerne's next album.

Gene LaVerne "...Sings Something Old, Something New" (Natural Sound Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Lou Casella)
This disc features a ton of public domain oldies, along with a cover of "Green, Green Grass Of Home," and a tune by Ronnie Cormier, "Shine On Sunshine," which seems to have been original to this album. Among the many testimonials on the back cover -- by George Jones, Mel Tillis, et. al. -- is one by George Chatfield of radio station WFGL/WFMP-FM, in Fitchburg, MA, indicating that Gene LaVerne was working there as on-air talent at the time. He's backed by New England locals, including Dusty Burnell on dobro, Cathy Cass (piano), Al Eyles (steel guitar), Curly King (fiddle), Charlie Patterson (rhythm guitar) and Sal Perry on bass; several of these musicians were also regulars at the Lone Star Ranch venue, in New Hampshire.

George Law "George Law" (Bongwater Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Nist)
This album actually sounds like what you imagine the 'Seventies to stereotypically sound like. It's frequently tagged as a southern rock disc, but other than one track that explicitly calls out to the genre -- "Southern Fried Rock 'N' Roll" -- it's really more of a spaced-out, cosmic-stoner folk-rock thing. It definitely has a country core, but along with the slide and pedal steel, there are flutes, flugelhorns, clavinet and electronic organ, some flowery AOR sounds along with the twang. Songwriter George Law was originally from Montgomery, Alabama, and for much of the 'Seventies he aggressively pursued a music career, including a stint doing some session work at the New London Studio, in Birmingham, where he cut his first single in 1976, soon followed by this album. He's backed by the core lineup of local jazz-prog band Backwater, which included Robby Catlin, Trippe Thomason, Scott Pettersen, and producer Tom Nist, who also plays several instruments on the album. The arrangements are a cut above many private-press albums, and though Mr. Law didn't have the greatest voice, he was fully committed to his music, and to his songs, as goofy and drugged-out as they may be. And they are doozies. Some of this album is relatively down-to-earth, but as you get deeper into it, he really drifts into outer space, rambling on about the secrets of the universe and all manner of oblique metaphysical insights. And when the pedal steel kicks in, it's just that much sweeter. (Thanks to the Alabama Journal for their 1990 profile article by Mike Land, which helped fill in some blanks.)

Lisa Lawalin "New Moon Rising" (Monument Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Foster)
Posted mostly as a warning. A super-slick 'Seventies set produced by Fred Foster, with a bunch of Nashville and Memphis studio heavyweights, but the repertoire is pretty strictly rock and pop material, with songs from Carole King, The Bee Gees, Beach Boys, some soul oldies from Motown and Atlantic. A couple of tunes from Linda Darrell and Frank Dycus perhaps qualify this as country, but just barely. Ms. Lawalin was a former Miss Georgia (1972) but this album seems to have been the extent of her forays into show biz.

Rusty Lawrence "Salute To San Antonio" (Walk On Water Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Rusty Lawrence & Brian Carr)
Let's rope ourselves another stray from Texas... I'm not sure what most of these songs have to do with San Antonio -- "San Antonio Rose," sure... but "For The Good Times"? "Green Green Grass Of Home"? "He'll Have To Go"? Well, whatever. Looks like he was having fun. It's an all-local band, with one dude, Paul McLaughlin, filling in on keyboards, guitar, bass and drums, and a couple of other guys playing on a tune or two. Rusty Lawrence apparently had a gig at a place called Carlos Kelly's, a now-defunct steakhouse that was a San Antonio landmark, and he contributes one original song, "No Daddy Lads."

The Lawmen "Live At Taylor's" (Cartay Records, 1971--?) (LP)
The Lawmen were actual police officers from Denver, Colorado who initially did the singing thing as a side gig in the late 1960s, and eventually were successful enough that they quit their days jobs and starting patrolling the nightclub and country fair circuits instead. Their steadiest work was at a place in Denver called Taylor's Supper Club; they also recorded several singles and LPs for Cartay Records, a label that was run by Taylor's owner, Sammy O'Toole. Years later, one of the band's original members, Bo Cottrell, was honored as one of President Bush's "thousand point of light," for his many years of charitable work. This album was recorded live at Taylor's (hence the title) and features a hefty dose of Cottrell's comedic patter, which includes a gag about telling a (supposed) cop-hater in the audience, "That's alright... next time you need help, call a hippie!" Plenty of exuberance, corny humor, and galloping renditions of pop, folk and country classics. A fun, rough-hewn set that gives a strong sense of what their live act was like... Also worth noting, the album doesn't include track separations, so each side is just one long track...at the start of Side One, Cotrell mentions that they were recording the concert on videotape, so I suppose it's possible video of this performance also exists... anyone know for sure?

The Lawmen "Special Delivery" (Turnkey Records, 1975-?) (LP)

The Lawmen "Live At Leavenworth" (Viking Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Kennerley & Wade R. Williams)

The Lawmen "Cops And A Cajun" (Cartay Records, 19--?) (LP)

Rusty Lawrence "Salute To San Antonio" (Walk On Water Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Rusty Lawrence & Brian Carr)
Let's rope ourselves another stray from Texas... I'm not sure what most of these songs have to do with San Antonio -- "San Antonio Rose," sure... but "For The Good Times"? "Green Green Grass Of Home"? "He'll Have To Go"? Well, whatever. Looks like he was having fun. It's an all-local band, with one dude, Paul McLaughlin, filling in on keyboards, guitar, bass and drums, and a couple of other guys playing on a tune or two. Rusty Lawrence apparently had a gig at a place called Carlos Kelly's, a now-defunct steakhouse that was a San Antonio landmark, and he contributes one original song, "No Daddy Lads."

Tony Lawson "Tony Lawson Band" (Page One Studios, 1981) (LP)

George Lawton "On The Whole I'd Rather Be In Muscoy" (Muscoy Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by George Lawton & George Williams)

George Lawton "Just Plain Folk" (Muscoy Records, 19--?) (LP)

George Lawton "Long Into The Night" (Muscoy Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by George Lawton & Terry Dwyer)
All original material from a folkie songwriter from San Bernadino, California, including "I Like Cowboy Boots" and "Mary Ann's Muscoy Inn," an homage to the bar where Lawton played live. The tiny town of Muscoy -- just north of San Berdoo -- was a hotbed of folkie musicmaking, the same scene that nurtured Jim Ringer and Mary McCaslin... Lawton also worked with country longhair Robb Strandlund, another SoCal favorite.

Jimmy Lawton "I'm Country" (Killroy Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Bobbejaan Schoepen & Jimmy Lawton)
Multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Lawton (aka Jimmy Degraw, 1936-2017) was born in Oklahoma and raised in West Texas, moving out to Santa Monica, California in the early 1960s, where he found work playing local clubs as well as gigs up in the Las Vegas hotels. This album came out of an invitation by Belgian impresario Bobbejaan Schoepen (1925-2010) who booked Lawton to play at his Bobbejaanland amusement park in 1973. The set list has several originals, notably three tunes co-written by Lawton and Schoepen, two by Lawton, and Schoepen's "Banjo Man," as well as some classic country covers. Lawton is backed by several European country pickers, including gal singer-fiddler Jacqueline Rabitsky and Claude Rabitski on a number of unlikely instruments (trumpet, saxophone, flugelhorn and trombone...) Apparently, the arrangement worked pretty well, as Jimmy Lawton stayed in Europe for years, remaining country-picker-in-residence at Bobbejaanland through the remainder of the 'Seventies and 'Eighties.

Dale Lay "I'm Proud To Be Part Of Country Music" (19--?) (LP)
Super-twangy stuff from Okie honkytonker Loyd Dale Lay (1937-2011) who grew up in eastern Oklahoma and was active on the regional Texahoma scene throughout the 1960s. In the late 'Fifties Mr. Lay did a stint in the Army, where (according to his obituary) he met and befriended future country star Bobby Bare. After completing his service, Lay got married and settled down in Kingston, Oklahoma, right by the state line about fifty miles due north of Dallas. Over the years he made several forays down to Tyler, Texas where he recorded a string of singles at Curtis Kirk's studio, including many songs where he shared composer credits with Mr. Kirk and others, including a guy named Bill Callahan, who might have been part of the Bakersfield scene. I'm not sure but I think most if not all of the tracks on this album may have originally come out as singles on the "GM" label sometime in the 'Sixties; a much larger pool of tracks were included in a digital-era CD collection, although the provenance of those tracks is less clear. At any rate, this is about at earthy and authentic a set of Texas-style twang as you're likely to find... A proud part of country music, indeed!

Jim Lay "Long Walk To Arkansas" (Quest International, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Hammett)
The back cover tells us that Jim Lay was a 37 year-old from Heber Springs, Arkansas, though there was zero info about this guy online... It does look like this album is packed with original material, though. Anyone know more about Mr. Lay?

Rodney Lay & The Wild West "Desert Rock" (Sun Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Shelby Singleton, Jr.)

Rodney Lay & The Wild West "Rockabilly Nuggets" (Sun Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by David Roys & Shelby Singleton, Jr.)

Rodney Lay "Silent Partners" (Sun Records, 1981) (LP)
A modest success as a solo artist, singer Rodney Lay was a teenager rocker in the late '50s and early '60s, going out on the road on package tours with rockabilly stars such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Wanda Jackson, before returning to the Midwest to work as a radio DJ in his hometown of Coffeyville, Kansas. As with many first-generation rockers, Lay drifted towards country music and scored a few hits as a songwriter, composing tunes that were recorded by the likes of Waylon Jennings, Bob Luman and Hank Thompson in the late-1960s... He was also a protege of Roy Clark, becoming the bandleader for Clark's touring group (which doubled as Lay's own band, the Wild West, and backed Clark on several albums...) Lay also worked as a cast member of the '80s edition of Hee Haw TV show, again, under Roy Clark's wings.

Rodney Lay "Heartbreak" (MCA/Churchill Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Nereco & Joe Bob Barnhill)
This album includes several songs that grazed the Top 100, such as "Happy Country Birthday Darling," "You Could Have Heard A Heart Break" and his highest-charting single, "I Wish I Had A Job To Shove," which peaked at #45, a plaintive answer to Johnny Paycheck's old '78 hit. Lay was an okay singer, with some performances better than others... Musically, this was a bit of a throwback, a relatively rootsy, honkytonk-ish set of good old weepers and novelty songs that sounded a bit like early Moe Bandy, even as the synthy side of '80s country was beginning to pick up steam. The record includes a duet with Roy Clark on "I'm A Hog For You." Not a great album, but it's certainly worth a spin.

David Lazerson "Take Me Home" (Mark Custom Records, 1982-?) (LP)
Not your usual country record, for sure. Hailing from Buffalo, New York, singer David Lazerson combines Jewish religious themes with solid rural picking... This album includes banjo, mandolin and pedal steel, though the lyrics exalt Nature (with a capital "N") and hint at an ecstatic, if not overtly messianic spiritual vision. Lazerson worked extensively with his local Boy Scout troop, an also served as a music and activities director for a regional Jewish summer camp, earning him the nickname "Reb Nature." He was serious about his musical endeavors, and performed in the East Coast folk scene, sharing the stage with Theodore Bikel, Jan Peerce, and others.

The Lazy B Wranglers "Sing Songs Of The Old West" (Lazy B Ranch, 19--?) (LP)
Not to be confused with the Flying W Wranglers, this (other) Colorado dude-ranch band was from the Lazy B layout, in Estes Park. They issued several souvenir albums of their own, including this fine disc, which appears to be a mid-1960s release. Well produced and with a clear and unapologetic debt to the Sons Of The Pioneers, this disc is chock full of chestnuts such as "Boil Them Cabbage Down," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and "When Payday Rolls Around," though there are a few tunes on the more obscure side, and maybe a few originals -- unfortunately there are no song credits, but can assume that "Lazy B Stomp" was cooked up by the band. A couple of nice regional pride songs about Montana, as well. The musicians aren't identified either, though the copy I picked up was signed by Lazy B co-owner Babe Humphrey, as well as by singer Tom Justin, who later proved to be the heart and soul of the Wranglers, appearing on the albums below even though the rest of the band completely changed several times over the years.

The Lazy B Wranglers "...Sing Show Songs" (Lazy B Ranch Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Don Tittle & Dick McGrew)
A swell mid-'70s offering, which is a pretty solid set of classic Western tunes in the Sons Of The Pioneers style. This edition of the band includes Lynn and Steve Campbell, Jeff Chandler, Jim Dunham, Tom Justin and Everett Stiger. There are a few tracks where they get campy or comedic -- all part of the show -- though on the straight-up performances, they nail it. Not terribly original or innovative, but if you like cowboy music, these guys were good.

The Lazy B Wranglers "Colorado" (Lazy B Ranch Records, 1978) (LP)
Heartfelt latter-day cowboy vocals... Maybe these guys weren't the greatest group ever, but they were awfully sincere and authentic! This album includes at least two originals, "(I Loved It) When The Cowboys All Would Sing," written and sung by bandmember Jeff Chandler, and "Buckskin And Blanket Days," written by Lynn Campbell.

The Lazy B Wranglers "They All Rode Up The Draw" (Lazy B Ranch Records, 1980) (LP)

The Lazy B Wranglers "Cool Water And Eleven Others" (Lazy B Ranch Records, 1981) (LP)
I love the artwork on this one! No hand-painted western-themed oil painting here -- instead, we get a great glimpse at what their auditorium looked like, with raw-timbered, open-air wooden beam rafters and unfinished barn-style walls. Very rootsy. This edition of the band included Tom Justin (vocals), Tim McKnezie (banjo and guitar) and Monte Gaylord and fiddle... At least those are the guys listed on the back cover: if I was the bass player pictured alongside them on stage, I might feel a little miffed.

The Lazy B Wranglers "Dusty Skies" (Lazy B Ranch Records, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Ed Kaufman)
This edition of the band was still anchored by old-timer Tom Justin, along with three youngsters, Rick Martinez, Larry Morgan and Joe Stephenson on fiddle and mandolin. The material's pretty much what you'd expect -- Sons Of The Pioneers-y western classics, although Rick Martinez adds a couple of originals, "I'm Gonna Ride" and "Underneath The Western Skies," as well as some parody lyrics on "Low Riders (In The Sky)."

Curtis Leach "Indescribable" (Longhorn Records, 1964) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Gray)
It really looked like things were going Curtis Leach's way in the early 'Sixties... True, Mr. Leach (1928-65) wasn't the strongest singer -- he had one of those plaintive, plainspoken voices that were more common in the hillbilly era -- but as a songwriter he was making considerable traction with stars like Bill Anderson covering his material, and the folks at Longhorn Records backed him for a full-length LP. Sadly, the Oklahoma songwriter was stabbed in the leg during a home invasion the following year, and died while still in his thirties. This proved to be his only album, but it's a fine example of unreconstructed red dirt twang.

Shanna Learn "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" (Southern Heritage Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Walters)
Country gospel from a pre-teen singer from Ulster, Pennsylvania. Shanna Learn was six years old when this album came out, and had been recording in Nashville since she was four, and apparently she regularly performed on TV as well. Although she started out making singles, I believe this was her first LP, recorded with producer Wayne Walters, of the Christian Troubadours gospel band. Born in 1973, Shanna was spurred on by her parents, Robert and Shirley Learn, who apparently drove her to Nashville every year to make a record, and also booked her on local TV and concert performances. She had a lot of gigs when she was little, including appearing onstage with Merle Haggard at a show in Harrisburg when she was four. On at least one occasion she was paired up with another local pre-teen country singer, Debbie Lynn Davidson, who grew up about ten miles away from her, in Columbia Crossroads. Shanna was also affiliated with the Penn-York Country Music Club (PYCMC) a group of local amateur musicians led by a guy named Gary Strope, from nearby Towanda, PA. Shanna Learn kept recording at least until she was ten, but doesn't seem to have pursued it professionally, instead following a career in health care.

Shanna Learn "Jesus Loves You And So Do I" (Smokehouse Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Donald D. Morris & Kevin McManus)
Side One is secular, with covers of "Delta Dawn," "The Gambler," "Good Hearted Woman," "Proud Mary" and "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," while the second side is gospel material, including a couple of Hank Williams songs.

Shanna Learn "Country Sunshine" (Smokehouse Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Donald D. Morris)
This album is mostly a set a gospel standards, chestnuts such as "Amazing Grace," "Great Speckled Bird," "He Touched Me" and "I'll Fly Away." Although this was a Nashville session, the backing band isn't an A-list crew: Reggie Allen, Bill Hook, Jack Gates, Don Morris, Bruce Osborn, and John Rees, none of whom I recognize.

Shanna Learn "God Bless America" (Smokehouse Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Donald D. Morris & Kevin McManus)
Following their earlier formula, this album includes secular material on Side One ("Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain," "There Goes My Everything," etc,) and gospel on Side Two. The album closes with "Battle Hymn Of The Republic," but isn't a patriotic record, per se.

Shanna Learn "I'm A Little Country Girl" (Smokehouse Records, 1983) (LP)
They really flipped the script on this one, putting the gospel material on Side One, and the secular stuff on Side Two. Covers include "Heartaches By The Numbers," "Silver Threads And Golden Needles" and "You Win Again." Im not sure if the title track, "I'm A Little Country Girl," is a cover song, or an original.

Leather Thongs "Super Hits" (Music Trends Records, 1973) (LP)
One of several anonymous "bands" on the super-ultra dodgy, el-cheapo Music Trends label, which specialized in knockoff cover versions of popular hits. To their credit, the folks at Music Trends inform us up-front that these are imitations of various country stars, and don't try to fool buyers into thinking these are the original versions (as many labels did...) There's no info about the musicians involved, the album's producers, or if "Leather Thongs" existed anywhere outside of the studio. Kinky name, though, right?

Jody Leavins "Alligator Man" (Ho-Daddy Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Julian Tharpe & Roland Thompson)
Maybe more of a swamp-pop thing, this was an LP recorded by Alex "Jody" Leavins (1927-2000) a nightclub owner from Panama City, Florida with connections to the regional rock and soul scene. The title track, "Alligator Man," is a callback to a single Leavins recorded in 1967 that included a version of the song (originally written by country star Jimmy C. Newman) with a B-side, "Why Have I No Daddy," that is also reprised on this album. Apparently Julian Tharpe's pedal steel work on this album is phenomenal; also backing Mr. Leavins is guitarist John Rainey Atkins, who worked with Roy Orbison, and played the hook line on his hit, "Pretty Woman." In the early 1970s, Mr. Leavins owned a Panama City nightclub called the Playhouse, though he seems to have had ongoing legal troubles throughout the decade, including a tax evasion case that earned him a prison sentence in '72. His son, Jimmy Leavins (1946-2016) was a successful professional musician who played drums for Aretha Franklin, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Paycheck, Hank Williams, Jr., and others, before starting his own group, the Lower Alabama Band, retiring after a heart attack at a show where they opened for Willie Nelson.

Don LeBeaux "A Part Of Me" (Comstock Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Patty Parker, John Williamson & Tom Laney)
This one's a little bit of a mystery disc: the Comstock label (and presumably Mr. LeBeaux?) was from Shawnee, Kansas, on the outskirts of Kansas City. However, he went to Nashville to record this album, with studio pros like Tony Migliore on piano, and both Hal Rugg and Sonny Garrish playing steel guitar. But other than that, the guy is a complete mystery. Anyone out there have any clues?

Lenny LeBlanc "Hound Dog Man" (Atlantic/Big Tree Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Carr)
A soft-rock album with deep Muscle Shoals roots... Songwriter Lenny LeBlanc was in a highschool band with guitarist Pete Carr, who later recruited him to join the Alabama roots-soul scene, where he sang backup for a number of star artists before breaking out as a solo performer with this debut disc. The album opens with "Desert Cowboy," a nice, breezy country-rock song in the Firefall/Michael Martin Murphey style. From there, though, he dives straight into the '70s soft-rock sound, with only traces of twang here and there. Fans of '70s AOR will find this a rewarding record -- twangfans maybe a little less so -- with a rich mix of largely original material. Notable is LeBlanc's version of "Sharing The Night Together," which became a Top Ten hit for Dr. Hook two years later... I've seen soul singer Arthur Alexander credited as the first person to record this song (also in '76...) but I wonder if LeBlanc didn't actually record it first: "Sharing The Night" composer Eddie Struzick co-wrote a couple of other songs with LeBlanc on this album, and sings harmony throughout. Anyway, this is an earlier version than the one you know, and has a nice mellow feel. The title track was an homage to Elvis-era oldies rock; oddly enough, Atlantic changed the album name to Lenny LeBlanc, presumably to downplay the rural-sounding original title, and sell LeBlanc as more of a pop artist. Which makes sense: there's some twang on here, but not a lot.

LeBlanc & Carr "Midnight Light" (Atlantic/Big Tree Records, 1978) (LP)
Bigger pop success was found with this duo album, where the song "Falling" cracked into the Top 15, a significant soft-pop single of the disco era that stands up there with harmony-laden hits from folks like the Little River Band, et. al. Can you say "guilty pleasure"? Sure you can. Anyway, after surviving the '70s, LeBlanc got religion and started a new career as a contemporary Christian artist, though he'd had decent success on the Pop charts before that change...

The Billy Ledbetter Show "Just Us" (1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Richard Pond)
This was a Vegas lounge band, though they definitely had a lot of country in their act. Their repertoire included oldies like "Choo Choo Ch-Boogie," "Heartaches By The Number" and the Mills Brothers chestnut, "Till Then," as well as newer tunes from the '70s, like Dr. Hook's "Couldn't You Try" and the Statler Brothers' "I'll Go To My Grave Loving You." The latest songs on the album are the Oak Ridge Boys hit, "Come On In" and "New Orleans Lady" by Le Roux, which both came out in 1978, most likely dating this album to around 1979... though that's really just an educated guess. Oh, plus the hair.

Chris LeDoux - see artist profile

Lee & Larry "Thinking About You" (CSR Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Piekos & Steve Schwartz)
A fairly slick-looking set of country-lounge material, an all-originals set with all songs written by the husband-wife duo of Larry Piekos and Lee-Ann Piekos, backed by steel guitarist Pete Adams, along with Jon Graboll (guitar), Richard Mullins Jr. (keyboards), Mark Papas (drums), Larry Piekos (guitar), Fran Tokarz (bass) as well as credits for some folks playing drum machine and wind chimes, both of which which we'll ignore... The group was from Lee, Massachusetts, in the western end of the state near Albany, and apparently did local gigs during the late 1970s and early '80s. Not a lot of info about them, though they were still doing local shows in '85, and may have recorded an earlier, Bicentennial-themed record back in '76.

Lee & Larry "Ten Years!" (Piekos Records, 19--?)
This album was possibly a cassette-only release... At least that's the only version I've see so far...

Albert Lee - see artist discography

Barbara Lee "Trying To Believe" (Jester Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Hale)
A country covers set from a gal up in Montana, with a repertoire heavy on oldies from folks like Eddy Arnold, Hank Williams and Elvis Presley, but also dipping into more modern stuff like the Kendalls' "Heaven's Just A Sin Away" and "Till I Can Make It On My Own," a Kenny Rogers-Dottie West single from 1979. Hard to track down info about Ms. Lee, though it looks like this was purely a for-fun recording by a non-professional singer. Recorded at Jester studios, in Billings, Montana, this includes backing by Jim Curtis on bass, Jim Bob Garrett (steel guitar), John Garrett (lead guitar), Randy Landers (guitar), Homer Simon (fiddle and piano), and drummer Danny Tryan.

Betty Lee & The Country Squires "Moods Of The Country Squires And Betty Lee" (Moon Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Richison)
There sure have been a lot of bands called the Country Squires... These one was from Minneapolis, Minnesota, although they recorded in Nashville with session player Al Udeen on steel guitar. Bandleader Bob Richison wrote and arranged all their material, also playing keyboards and cordovox, while lead singer Betty Lee provided a little oomph in the front line... This was a curious group, something of a throwback to the eclectic world of 1940s radio and club acts -- Ms. Lee's vocals had a smooth, sultry ballads style reminiscent of old-school pop vocalists like Peggy Lee, while the guys generally handled more comedic material, such as the topical "Panty Hose," in which drummer Pudge Likes laments the popularity of newfangled pantyhose -- he prefers to ogle women wearing nylons or socks -- or "Burnett County Fair," where they make fun of their own "fame" and the kind of gigs that local bands headline, and "Put It Where The Sun Don't Shine." which is kind of self-explanatory. There are also a couple of gospel songs, including "Friendship" and "Brotherhood," which has an uber-sincere vibe that tilts it into the unintentionally hilarious. All in all, a fun country record, and unlike most that you'll hear.

Birdie Lee & Al 'Porky' Witherow "Duo Dynamite" (Artic Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Loryn Atwell)
Originally from West Virginia, "Miss Birdie Lee" was living in upstate New York when she joined singer Al Witherow's group, the Country Mystery, learning to play bass in order to fill an open slot in the band. On this album they mostly sang duets in a kind of old-school style reminiscent of country duos like Carl Butler & Pearl or the Mosbys, and less like the slicker-sounding stars of the day, such as Conway and Loretta. The band included Lee's husband Dallas Eugene on drums, bassist Roger Ray, fiddler June Eikard ("Canada's Lady Of The Fiddle"!), pianist Wayne Sexton, Dee Woodmore on lead guitar and Buddy Gregory playing pedal steel. The musical backing is also a little rough around the edges, in a way that I find appealing -- there was genuine twang in here, as well as a degree of amateurism that's kind of cool, particularly given the direction country was headed in at the time... Definitely worth a spin!

Birdie Lee "Comin' Atcha" (Artic Records, 1974) (LP)
On her first solo album, Ms. Lee mostly sang cover songs, but she had a nice rural sound, a little rough around the edges in a way that was refreshing for the countrypolitan era... She's got kind of an early-Loretta/Brenda Lee vibe and, despite obvious debts to numerous bigger stars, she has her own distinctive sound. As on the other album recorded around the same time, there's a nice twangy feel to these tracks... If you'd like to hear alternate versions of big hits by '70s stars such as Barbara Mandrell, Tammy Wynette and Barbara Fairchild, you might get a kick out of this disc.

Bobbie Lee & Nashville South "Live At Country Music, USA" (LaMancha Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Norm Titcomb)
Gosh, I didn't know Fort Lauderdale was considered "Nashville South..." And... isn't Nashville in the South to begin with? I'm confused here. Anyway, lovable locals from Florida... and another mystery band for us to track down info on!

Miss Bobbie Lee & The Rhythm Boys "Countrie Gold" (Carlson International, 1962) (LP)
I have absolutely no idea why they insisted on spelling it "countrie," but this obscuro private pressing LP certainly has its charms. Wendy Maye Hummel (aka Bobbie Lee) was a middle-aged gal from rural New York state who was born in West Stockton, and recorded this album in Kingston, NY. According to the liner notes, she was apparently encouraged to record this album by her husband and daughter and "the many thousands of fans" who made up her "sellout audiences." Lee sings like Kitty Wells -- with the same rural snap, although actually not as grating as Wells -- and though both she and the modest backing band have a fairly low energy level, it's real country music, and nice to hear a true amateur singing her heart out. The songs are probably all cover tunes, leaning heavily on hits by Kitty Wells, Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell, although the last track, "I'm Walking In," might have been an original. There are no credits on the album for composers, backing musicians, or even the release date... I'm guessing the early 1960s, though a 1976 newspaper article (that repeats some the liner notes verbatim) says it was "brand new" in '76, but also mentions a promo record from 1962. I'm betting it really came out in '62 but was being passed off as new a decade later. Anyway, let's hear it for New York... Ms. Lee, who in the 'Seventies ran a nursing home for severely disabled adults, clearly wasn't really a player in the industry, but she did record a charming souvenir album, and probably got a lot of joy out of singing.

Bobby Lee (Altendorf) - see artist profile

Bobby Lee (Duncan) "Bobby Lee In Clewiston" (Century Records, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Chiodo & Michelle Scott)
Not a ton of info out there about this country twangster from Florida... Bobby Lee Duncan is sometimes tagged as a rockabilly artist, with one of his bouncier tracks, 1969's "I Got Some News For You," anthologized on one of them thar Buffalo Bop compilations. This early 'Seventies album includes several covers of contemporary late 'Sixties/early 'Seventies hits, biggies like "Easy Lovin'," "Help Me Make It Through The Night," "So Afraid Of Losin' You," and Merle Haggard's "Working Man Blues," putting this disc at maybe 1972-73 or thereabouts. About half the songs are Duncan's originals, including a couple, "Cry" and "Clewiston," that also came out as a single. Also included is his "I Got Some News For You," which may be the same version as his old single, in which case this might be a kinda-sorta best-of set drawing on Duncan's handful of singles. He also recorded at least one single in 1974 for the Gold Coast International label, run by Buck Killette, and seems to have toured with Killette's daughter, Karen, though that seems to be the end of the trail for his recorded output. Backing him on this album are Karen Ann on drums, Dennis Atkinson (bass), producer Michelle Scott on tambourine, and her (future?) husband, "Papa" Dave Chiodo (1941-2016) playing guitar, in their South Florida-based SRS International studios. Mr. Chiodo was an accomplished jazz musician who also recorded albums under his own name...

Carol Lee & Jimmy Snow "Visions Of Glory" (Heart Warming Records, 1962) (LP)
A country-gospel power couple of sorts... This was one of several albums recorded by Jimmy Snow, the son of country star Hank Snow and his wife, Carol Lee Cooper, the daughter of hillbilly old-timers Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper... As "Carol Lee," she led her own group of studio vocalists, the Carol Lee Singers, which did a lot of studio work in Nashville, much like groups such as the Anita Kerr Singers or the Jordanaires.

Carol Lee & Jimmy Snow "Sweethearts Of Sacred Song" (Heart Warming Records, 1964)

Carol Lee & Jimmy Snow "Carry On Family Traditions" (Heart Warming Records, 1966)

Chubby Lee "Chubby Lee" (Two Rainbows Productions, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Chubby Lee & David Kealey)
Houston local Donald C. Brorsen took on the outlaw country persona of "Chubby Lee" in the 1970s, playing gigs at roughneck bars and the like. I'm not sure if this album was ever really released, although a test pressing was made in (I think) 1974, when Lee was working with a group called the Western Electrik Band. Side One was recorded in the studio at Soundmasters in Houston, while Side Two is a live set recorded at a restaurant nightclub called Steak & Ale, in San Jacinto, Texas. Among the pickers was session pro Randy Cornor, as well as co-producer David Kealey, who both play lead guitar and/or rhythm on various tracks. The steel player was Robbie Springfield, while Lee plays bass. The set includes some covers, stuff like Ed Bruce's "When I Die," David Allan Coe's "Would You Be My Lady," and Buddy Holly's "Oh Boy." A couple of songs are credited to J. D. Meister, while Brorsen contributes his own "Friends Before Lovers" which is part of the studio set. As the liner notes make plain, he led a pretty wild life back in the day, and eventually married a barmaid named Lois who was pretty wild herself. In classic Texas style, they crashed and burned, with Chubby Lee eventually confronting his substance abuse problems, and in 1984 they got religion and turned away from the party life, towards gospel music and service to others. The Brorsens joined the Family Church of Houston and led services there, though back when this album was made they were still burning those candles at both ends.

Chubby Lee "...And Wild Country" (Wild Country Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Chubby Lee)

Connie Lee "I Miss You Minnesota" (Joy-Bean Records, 1980-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Bean & Carmol Taylor)
Back in 1978, a young Minnesota singer named Connie Lee Stich and her sister Detsie drove several hours to Duluth, where a country music package tour sponsored by the Grand Ole Opry was in town, and they went looking for some showbiz folks to make her famous. She was "discovered" by producer Bob Bean, who had managed the Stoneman Family, and he booked her a session in Nashville with songwriters Gary Lumpkin and Carmol Taylor, who worked together in a group called The County Line Band. This album is probably most notable for Lumpkin and Lee's duet on his song, "Size Seven Round (Made Of Gold)," which was also released as a single and later recorded by George Jones and Lacy J. Dalton as part of Jones's Ladies Choice album in 1984. Connie Lee went on to self-release a number of albums, and worked with Gary Lumpkin on several projects, including her own solo albums as well as one of the County Line Band LPs. Settling down in Minnesota, Connie Lee moved into Christian music, and formed a family band that recorded quite a bit of gospel twang.

Don Lee see artist profile

Dottie Lee & The Nite Lites "...Present Roy Country" (Stacka Records, 1972-?) (LP)
A live show recorded at Roy Rodeo Hall, in Roy, Washington, featuring singer Dottie Lee and her band, which included her husband, steel guitar player Larry DeRocher, and their son Dennis DeRocher, who played bass. It's an honest portrait of a working country band -- they weren't awesome or super-original, but they were honest and sincere. She had kind of a homespun, old-school Kitty Wells-ish sound, while the pedal steel work is actually quite nice, particularly on his version of Lloyd Green's showcase instrumental, "Greenblue." No year was given in the liner notes, but judging from the cover songs -- stuff like "Joy To The World," "Kiss An Angel Good Morning" and "Help Me Make It Through The Night" -- it was clearly an early '70s outing, probably from 1972 or '73 at the latest. The DeRochers also performed together as the NorWesterners, recording at least one album under that name, on the Ripcord label.

Eddie Lee & Country Friends "Making Friends" (Hillside Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Eddie Balaam)
Country covers by an English band from Ipswich, Suffolk... The group included Tony Baker on rhythm guitar, bass player Trevor Branton, Brian Percy on drums, George Schung lead guitar, and Eddie Lee singing lead and playing harmonica. The set list includes older standards (Carter Family, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams) as well as newer tunes such as "Help Me Make It Through The Night" and "Is Anybody Going To San Antone."

Ernie Lee "Ernie Lee's Big Thirteen" (Century Custom Recording Service, 1965-?) (LP)
(Produced by Charles Fuller)
A veteran of the 1940s and post-war 1950's hillbilly scene, Kentucky-born Ernie Lee (1916-1991) recorded prolifically for major labels such as Mercury, RCA Victor and MGM singing jaunty, uptempo country tunes in the style of early Red Foley. He performed on or hosted a variety of live venues and radio shows, and at the time of this album was star of The Good Day Show on Tampa, Florida TV station WTVT, a program he started in 1958. Although he cut a bunch of singles over the years, this was apparently his only full LP. Lee is joined by Good Day cast members Herb and Kay Adams and guitar pickers J.D. Renney and Dewey Tew. (The Adamses were a country duo from Ohio who worked with Ernie Lee in several different gigs, and Mrs. Adams was a different gal from the Bakersfield honkytonk gal/ of the same name.) Lee had moved to Tampa for the climate, and stayed there for nearly four decades, hosting the The Good Day Show right up until he passed away in 1991. (Thanks to www.big13.com for providing a wealth of biographical info on Lee and his career.)

Ernie Lee "The Kentucky Balladeer" (Binge Disc/Bronco Buster, 2000)
Classic uptempo postwar twang, solidly in the Tennessee Ernie Ford/Red Foley tradition of bouncy, jovial bullfrog vocals. These archival recording capture Ernie Lee at his peak, fun stuff skimmed from the Mercury and MGM catalogs -- well worth checking out!

Frankie Lee "Heaven Far Away" (Music City Workshop Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Figlio)
Twangy but gentle countrypolitan crooning by songwriter Frankie Lee Morton, who I think was originally from North Carolina, though this was recorded at Mike Figlio's studio in Nashville. It's not clear if Frankie Lee brought his own band or (more likely) he used the in-house band at LSI Studios. Morton is

Frankie Lee "For The Glory Of Music" (Music City Workshop Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Figlio)
The studio crew is, however listed on this second album, and though a few names are unfamiliar, several were definitely Nashville pros, including steel players Jim Baker and Sonny Garrish. Baker's wife, vocalist Sudie Callaway, is also part of the studio's in-house vocal group, The Back-Ahp Singers, along with Rita Figlio and keyboardist Alan Moore.

Garry Lee "Motel Cowboy" (Rhubarb Recordings, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Rick Erickson, Garry McDonall & Brian Sklar)
An earlier album from Albertan bad-boy Garry Lee who later recorded "The Rodeo Song," an oh-so-naughty early 'Eighties cult classic drunkenly sung on both sides of the Canadian border. Mr. Lee seems to have had a bad-boy back in the 'Seventies, too, maybe sorta along the lines of Bobby Bare or Moe Bandy. His band here included Barry Campanelli on piano, Ron Jeffery (bass), Tim Jeffery (guitar), Maurice Marshall (lead guitar), Lorne Pavelick (drums), Bruce Rohn (guitar) and both Garry Lee and Brian Sklar playing fiddle.

Garry Lee & Showdown "Wanted: Loaded, Loose And Rowdy" (Damon Records, 1981) (LP)
I haven't heard this version, but you can also hear the original on the first Showdown album, Welcome To The Rodeo.

Garry Lee & Showdown "Wanted: Loaded, Loose And Rowdy" (Damon Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Garry McDonall & Garry Lee)
Originally a covers band from Canada, Showdown scored a big hit with "The Rodeo Song," a cuss-filled novelty song that was banned from airplay, but made plenty of waves and was recorded several times, by Showdown and numerous other artists... Gaye Delorme's hilariously profane novelty number is written from the perspective of a very pissed off, road-ragey rural driver, and is sort of an obscene take-off on the Hank Snow style of country rapping. When "The Rodeo Song" became an underground classic, the runaway success of the single apparently allowed the dudes in Showdown to go back into the studio and beef up their sound, taking on a more electrified (and mildly disco-y) tone... They also billed singer Garry Lee as the group's star performer. Although they sound more professional and musically accomplished than on their first album, they also sound less rootsy and a lot less fun. They also decided to make crudeness their "thing," giving this album full of songs about one-night stands, girls losing their virginity and saying "no" when they really mean yes, along with plenty of thinly-veiled sexual metaphors, and an unfortunate Alvin And The Chipmunks-style remake of "The Rodeo Song" that features the squeaky-voiced "Canadian Beavers" singing a version that's way less fun that the original. Oh, well. I suppose this was funny at the time, but it doesn't hold up very well. Worth noting: some of the electric guitar twang-banging is courtesy of Redd Volkaert, who had recently moved to Alberta from British Columbia, and would join Merle Haggard's band nearly two decades later. As far as I can tell, this must have been one of his first recorded sessions, in case anyone out there is keeping track...

Garry Lee & Showdown "The Rodeo Song: The Original Hit" (Damon Records, 1982)
Having hit a goldmine with "The Rodeo Song," Showdown doubled down, re-recorded the single and a bunch of others, including the equally bleepable "Awwwwww," and few other rough and risque country novelty numbers. Personally, I find the remakes a little too slick, but maybe subtlety isn't really the point here. Anyhoo, if you want to raise a few eyebrows, here are a bunch of twangtunes with lots of naughty words in them.

Georgie Lee "Georgie Lee Sings" (Canasee Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Wood & Bernie Vaughn)
A businessman from the Washington, DC area, Georgie Lee went to Nashville to cut this album of pop oldies and country covers with a studio band that included Sonny Garrish on steel guitar and Dave Mathes on rhythm guitar. A few tunes might have been originals, such as "Tomorrow Night" or "All Night Worker," but mostly it's standards such as "Memphis," "Crazy" and "My Elusive Dreams." The album art is the same recycled "stage lights" graphics as on numerous LPs on the Cathay label, though the liner notes credit this as being on a Nashville label.

Jackie Lee Four "The Death Of Tanker 585" (Vintage Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Art Snider) (?)
This is an odd album, at least in terms of its provenance, more than its content.... Originally released in Canada, this "custom" album may have been part of a tax scam, particularly since it was re-released in the US a couple of years later under a different name (by "The Dave Burns Four") on a different label. The original version includes two tracks that weren't included on the reissue, "Wipeout" and "The Ice Man," though the real fire is on novelty numbers such as "Put All Your Faith In The Pill" and "Canadian Alcoholic," as well as the title track, "The Death Of Tanker 585," which is a trucking song from Canada. Not a lot of info out there about this one, though: anybody have insights about these sessions and who was really on them?

James Lee "Country Goes To Town" (Mid-Columbia Records, 1976) (LP)
Twenty-three year old Salem, Oregon country picker James Lee worked lounges in Canada and the Pacific Northwest although he'd only been playing professionally for a couple of years when he cut this album at the Ripcord Studios in Vancouver, WA. It's about half cover songs, ranging from a Hank Williams oldie to pop-soul standards such as "Spanish Harlem." Lee is credited with writing one song, "Lovin' Life And Livin' Free," while there are also three originals by Andre Martel, who was signed to the J. J. Gold publishing company. (Not sure if that's the same J. J. Gold as the California country singer who recorded his own album a few years later...) The liner notes thank Daisv Cooper, Jess Ruggles and Randy Rush, who presumably backed Lee on the album, though who played what isn't explicitly noted.

Jeanette Lee "I Can't See You Through My Tears" (Wild Rose Recorders, 1977--?) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Myers, Laurence Pugh & Robert R. Ward)
I could not for the life of me track down any info on when this album was made or about Jeanette Lee's career... Alas! A rootsy singer well-versed in country tradition, Ms. Lee was a very appealing neo-trad artist, years ahead of her time... She sounds a bit like Iris Dement, or various modern-day twang-gals, with an imperfect voice but plenty of heart... She has a very modern vibe, and it's easy to imagine her flourishing during the Americana boom of the 1990s, decades after this disc came out. Recording her album in Bonnyville, Alberta Canada, Lee covers some first-rate material from Nashville, including two Dolly Parton songs ("Coat Of Many Colors," "Jolene") as well as Bill Anderson's "Tiny Blue Transistor Radio" and "I'll Get Over You," which was a mega-hit for Crystal Gayle in 1976. She also covers "Testing 1-2-3," an early '70s chart-topper for fellow Canadian Joyce Seamone. Better still, the 20-year old Lee adds four songs of her own to the country canon, "I Don't Believe My Heart Could Stand Another You," "I'll Say Goodbye To You Today," "This Time," and the title track, "I Can't See You Through My Tears." Nice stuff... pleasantly twangy, with sparse arrangements but plenty of country soul.

Joni Lee "Joni Lee" (MCA Records, 1976) (LP)
The lone solo album from Conway Twitty's daughter, Joni... I think she had a some singles come out as well, but this is pretty much it for her solo career... It includes a version of the song, "Don't Cry Joni," a duet with her father that hit #4 on the charts in 1975, and was recorded when Joni was still in high school.

Katie Lee "Ten Thousand Goddam Cattle" (Katydid Records, 1977) (LP)
Perhaps the most country-oriented album by folksinger Katie Lee (1919-2017), whose recording career stretched back to her topical and comedic folk albums of the late 1950s. This double-length set was based on a book she wrote of the same title, which was a comprehensive analysis of American cowboy culture. Backing her are folkie elder and fellow Arizonan, Travis Edmonson, as well as newcomer David Holt on banjo; this may have been Holt's first recording, launching a career that made him a stalwart of the mainstream 1980s folk scene.

Laura Lee & The River Road Boys "Everything Changes But Laura Lee" (Footprint Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Billy A. Carter & Deacon Anderson)

Laura Lee "Stroll Over Heaven With Daddy" (19--?) (LP)

Laura Lee & The Western Playboys "Queen Of Western Swing" (Delta Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Laura Lee & Leon McAuliffe)

The Melvin Lee Band "A Cowboy's Dream" (Melvin Lee Band Productions, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Melvin Lee, Albert Lyon & Mark Lyon)
Also known as Melvin Lee East, this guy grew up in LA, but settled down in Humboldt County, kicking around Arcata and Eureka for many years. In addition to this album, he also contributed a track to the compilation album HUMBOLDT COUNTY COUNTRY, which was sponsored by the local United Way. Other than that I'm not sure if he has other records. (It seems likely he was in some 'Sixties SoCal garage bands, as folks he went to high school with remember his bands playing gigs in '65 and thereabouts...) This album was recorded down in Huntington Beach, and is full of original material, including a song called "Humboldt County Woman." The musicians include Northern California's Greg Liesz on pedal steel, as well as Dale Roberts on some tunes. Anyone with info about this band? I'm all ears!

Millie Lee & The Leeways "The Bottle And The Microphone" (Applause Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Jeff Galey)
An album by a middle-aged, regular-folks gal from central Illinois... Millie Lee started her career as a child performer, singing on the Cumberland Country Barn Dance, though she'd put music on the back burner a few times to take care of family matters. Her son, Loren Lindsay, plays drums and co-wrote the title track with his brother Ted. Millie Lee wrote one song as well, "Burning Teardrops," which starts Side Two, while the other songs are mostly covers. I'm guessing at the label -- the back cover says this was recorded at the Applause studios in Mattoon, IL, but there's not much other info. She also seems to have recorded a few singles in the 1960s (or '70s?) for various indie labels. Also in the band are lead guitar Gus Pedido, steel player Jim Curry, Loren Lindsay (drums), and Don Pierce on bass.

Overton Lee "Self Portrait" (Overton Lee Records, 1979--?) (LP)
An odd offering from indiebilly auteur Overton Lee... I'm not sure if this record actually came out as an official release -- the copy I have is marked as a test pressing, and other than the eBay listing where I picked it up, I haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere. Born in Boggy Depot, Oklahoma sometime back in the 1930s, Overton Lee Usrey made his way out to California when he was a teenager, and worked odd jobs for a while before starting his own paint stripping company down around Anaheim. At the urging of family and friends, he self-released a single in 1980 called "Beautiful Lady," which he hand-delivered to dozens of radio stations and finding that he kind of liked the whole music thing, he went on to record several more singles and a couple of LPs. His self-owned indie label, OL/Overton Lee Records, put out maybe a couple of dozen singles by various artists, with particular attention paid to a gal named Marcy Carr, whose singles and LP Lee promoted heavily in the early '80s, getting some plugs in Billboard and elsewhere. Lee's own music is pretty idiosyncratic, though his strong Okie drawl comes through loud and clear... In later years he seems to have retired near Tucson, Arizona, and patented a few inventions, most notably the "barbecue buddy," which is a miniature rotisserie which will turn your chops and dogs for you. Seems like quite a character!

Overton Lee "I'll Always Remember Your Name" (Overton Lee Records, 1982--?) (LP)
A mega-indie album by a guy from Southern California... I couldn't find the exact date this album came out on, but Overton Lee is mentioned in a couple of issues of Billboard in 1982, as having started the "Boggy Mountain Depot" and/or "OL Records" labels in Santa Fe Springs, CA. He produced and released an album by Gene Davis at that time, and I'm guessing this one came out in '82 as well.

Randy Lee "Soakin' With Tears" (Elektra Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Drake, Linda Hargrove & Stan Kesler)
The lone album from mystery-shrouded Randy Lee, a former 'Fifties rocker whose biography is surprisingly hard to track down online. His real name (fairly for sure) was Thomas Leland Ashby, Jr., though Randy Lee may have been only one of several stage names he used over the years. He released a short string of pop/rockabilly singles as Randy Lee way back in 1959-63, then faded from view... at least under that name. Several sources ID him as a Florida lad who was born in 1931, although I haven't been able to independently confirm these assertions -- one sticking point would be his vocal tone on those older, Kennedy-era singles, which sure sounds more like an adenoidal kid than a guy in his thirties. So, perhaps we just have to let the music speak for itself. Randy Lee made this kinda-country comeback album with a lot of high-powered help: producer Pete Drake assembled a bunch of Nashville pros including Earl Ball (piano), Jimmy Colvard (lead guitar), Hargus Robbins (piano), Billy Sanford (guitar), Larry Sasser (steel guitar), and others, with vocal backing by the Gary Paxton Singers and the Lea Jane Singers, while 'Seventies roots music gal Linda Hargrove pitched in on the technical side. All the songs are Randy Lee originals, with one track co-written with Judy Ashby (presumably his wife?) and though there's a bunch of Nashville talent involved, this is actually one of those weirdo-eclectic early 'Seventies album, with a swampy soul-rock vibe, notably on the funky title tune, which showcases some truly unruly, Dr. John-ish vocals. If you're looking for something off the beaten track, you might wanna give this one a spin.

Rebel Lee "Love Games" (Deucalion Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Glenn Rieuf & Chip Young)

Robert Lee "Escapade" (Home Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Ben Keith & Robert Lee)
Dunno what the story was on this country-rocker from Georgia, but he sure had some high-powered friends... Roots music superpicker Ben Keith produced the album and co-wrote some of the songs, backed by a roster of studio musicians that included Jody Payne and Mickey Raphael from Willie Nelson's band, Muscle Shoals keyboardist Spooner Oldham, Flying Burrito brother Chris Ethridge on bass, Mylon LeFevre, and even bluesman Paul Butterfield (credited on "telephone"), to name a few. Lee mixes rock'n'twang with a folkie sensibility, placing Woody Guthrie's "Deportee" alongside his own "Burrows And Burlap Sacks" (an homage to Latin American drug smugglers... I think he meant "burros") This album was partly recorded in Georgia, and partly at the Bearsville studios in upstate New York, but certainly wherever he was hanging his hat, this guy seems to have been at the center of roots-music Americana, circa '79.

Robin Lee "Sings... The Way Country And Western Music Should Be Sung" (Strand Records, 1964-?) (LP)
(Produced by Buck Ram)
A fairly delightful album featuring a seemingly endless string of vaguely country-ish pop vocals ballads by a thin-voiced vocalist who was under the wing of fabled pop producer Ruck Ram. The album features a wealth of original material, ten songs from four publishing companies -- Argo, Gleam, Symbol and Wildwood Music -- which I presume were all Buck Ram subsidiaries. The opening tracks are all solidly imitative of Marty Robbins, and Lee does a pretty good job of approximating Robbins' vocal tone, though things fall apart when he wanders into his upper register and tries to become more emotive, ala Roy Orbison. Several tracks were clearly meant to have been released in the teen-pop market, notably the uptempo "Lorna," which has a Brill Building feel. My guess is Robin Lee was originally aiming to break into the Kennedy-era teen market alongside singers such as James Darren and Paul Petersen, but got slammed by the British Invasion, then Buck Ram tried to pivot to calling him a country singer. Obviously, chart success proved elusive, but this album has some rewarding moment, both as kitsch and as genuinely satisfying pop and proto-countrypolitan. Not great, but kind of groovy.

Robin Lee "Robin Lee" (Dot Records, 1965) (LP)
(Produced by Judd Barnard & Stanley Glasser)
I haven't heard this one, but I am quite curious. Apparently, unable to split the difference between rock and country, Robin Lee made a play for the booming mid-'Sixties folk scene, recording tunes with titles like "Don't Want No War," "Talking Non Serviam Blues," "Talking Paranoia Blues," and "Honeybabe I'm Bound For To Leave You." I'm sure this one's a real hoot... if you'll forgive the pun!

Sammie Lee & Showdown "Nothing But Blue Skies From Now On" (Venture Records, 1974) (LP)
A construction worker from Pella, Iowa, Sammie Lee Schmidt (1937-2012) performed locally around Oskaloosa and Des Moines for several years, recording numerous singles and LPs. This was apparently one of five (!) albums he recorded, the fruit of several trips to Nashville taken with his wife, Rose Mary... He sang gospel material, as well as secular country.

Sandy Lee "...And The Country Velvets" (IGL Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Denny Kintzi)
Delightfully amateurish, and I mean that in the nicest, most earnest way. This Southern Minnesota band started around 1972 when the Mock Brothers, of Mankato, met gal singer Sandy Lee from nearby Sleepy Eye, Minnesota and her husband, bassist Leon "Red" Zarn, and invited them to form a band. The group was made of Ted Halter (drums and piano), Sandy Lee (vocals), Duane Mock (lead guitar), Howard Mock (rhythm guitar), and Leon Zarn on bass. They played contemporary hits like "Rose Garden," "Let Me Be There," and the Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" as well as some pop songs ("The Morning After" and the Carpenter's "Yesterday Once More") along with a few country and pop evergreens such as "Bowling Green" and "Rocky Top" -- all played either with a plodding, struggling-to-keep-up feel, or at an awkward, galloping pace, which seems to have been set by an overly-eager drummer. Sandy Lee had a fairly folkie feel, and if I had to guess, she probably had a lot of Joan Baez and Judy Collins albums rotating through her record collection... But this is one of those cases where a band's limitations wound up being their savings grace: it's hard not to root for these kids. They sound just so gosh-darn sincere! The Velvets played regionally and on a few out-of-state tours for about ten years, breaking up in the early '80s.

Sandra Lee & The Velvets "Live!!!" (Studio 80, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Scott Rivard)
They tweaked their name(s) a little bit, but the basic concept remained the same... This is the same band, with Ms. Lee taking more of a backseat role, singing lead on about half the tracks, while lead guitarist Duane Mock, his brother Howard, and a couple other members of the band stepped up to the mic on the other songs. Although they got local pedal steel whiz Cal Hand to sit in with they, they kinda toned down the country vibe, adding a Beatles song, a girl-group tune ("Mister Postman," which the Beatles also covered), Chuck Berry's "Promised Land" and a sprawling rock-oldies medley towards the end of the album. They still dug true twang, though, digging into Dave Dudley's "Six Days On The Road" and the George Jones oldie, "She Thinks I Still Care," gender-flipped to accommodate a gal singer in an enduringly hetero-normative decade... According to the all-too-honest liner notes, "portions of" this album were recorded live at the Kato Ballroom, in Mankato, on April 11, 1975... Search me if anyone knows where the rest of the record comes from!

Sandra Lee & The Velvets "Piece Of Cake" (198-?) (LP)
Apparently, this album was recorded in honor of the band's tenth anniversary... Not totally sure when it came out, but it was at least early 'Eighties, since they cover Hank DeVito's "Queen Of Hearts," which was a hit for Juice Newton in 1981... Anyone have more info on this one?

Scooter Lee "A Louisiana Lady" (1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Porter Wagoner)
Born in New Orleans, Scooter Lee (nee Nancy Lee Gilhaus) was originally a teenage child star, singing twangy R&B for producer Allan Toussaint until she shifted towards straight country and country-pop. After decades plugging away on the road -- including hundreds of county fair shows, where she was sponsored by Reynolds Tobacco -- Lee landed a contract with Sony Records. She became a steady figure in the early 1990's line-dance scene and continued to perform well into the 2010's, also filming numerous instructional line-dancing videos. This was apparently her first album, recorded with an all-star, usual-suspects Nashville crew, folks like Weldon Myrick and Hargus Robbins. Notably, it includes original material such as Lee's own "10,000 Miles" a song about her older brother who was stationed in Vietnam when she was a kid... Apparently her father also died there, in 1970. And, already, there's a strong dancey streak in her work, with a few tracks that had a disco feel, presaging her career as a line-dance popularizer and dancing instructor.

Smokey Lee & The Prison Band "Made Parole, Will Travel!" (I & E Records, 1979) (LP)
According to the liner notes, Smokey Lee was a Korean War veteran who had trouble adjusting to civilian life, and ran afoul of the law so many times that he eventually wound up in McAlester, Oklahoma's "Big Mac" state penitentiary from 1968-1979. While at Big Mac, he led the Outlaws band, and even recorded an album with them while behind bars. After he made parole, he released another album, though apparently he recorded it with some other ex-cons -- the repertoire covers a lot of prison-related country and folk standards -- "I Fought The Law," "I Got Stripes," "Folsom Prison Blues," etc. Not sure how things went for Lee after this...

Terri Lee "Promises, Promises" (Tepco Records, 1969-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Riley)
A teenage gal singer from somewhere in New England... The vague, laudatory liner notes don't give much solid information, such as where she was from, or who was backing her, but the album was recorded in Boston, and seems to be of late 'Sixties vintage, probably late 1968 or '69, judging from the set list, which included covers of Tammy Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and Lynn Anderson's "Promises, Promises." There are some other "girl" songs on here, like "Truck Drivin' Woman" and the inevitable Patsy Cline cover ("I Fall To Pieces") though it's worth noting that Ms. Lee also covered some "non-girl" classics as well, and even took on the tongue-twisting "Auctioneer" at the end of the album. Mostly, though, this is a mystery disc, and one assumes that Terri Lee was a stage name, making that much more difficult to track down info about her career. Any info is welcome!

Terry Lee "I Love You So Much It Hurts" (Crown Records, 1966-?) (LP)
According to the folks at Wikipedia, this was actually hotshot guitarist Don Lee recording under an assumed name. I dunno f that's true or not, but this is a pretty fun record, one of those odd cheapo-label sets that's packed with kooky "filler" songs, many of which are kinda groovy, even if they were probably banged out during an all-nighter. Definitely worth a spin!

Terry Lee "See The Country Through My Eyes" (Goldust Records, 1983) (LP)
An uber-indie set by Terry Lee Denson, who worked at a steakhouse in Lovington, New Mexico called the Hi-Lonesome Depot, a well-known Southwestern country music venue that hosted local and regional artists as well as national acts such as George Strait and Moe Bandy. The Depot burned down on New Years Day, 1984, so this album from '83 is probably one of its last souvenirs... Terry Lee was apparently blind and is pictured on the cover with one of those super-sweet seeing-eye dogs, so I'd guess the album title is a pun relating to his disability. Backing Mr. Denson on this disc is a band from El Paso, Texas, Joey Carmon & Crossbow, who also recorded a couple of albums around this time... presumably they played at the Depot a time or two before it burned down. The liner notes inform us that this was Terry Lee's first album, so he doesn't seem to be the same person who recorded for Crown in the 1960s.

Tommy Lee "...Sings The Country Greats" (Starr Records, 1969) (LP)
Born in Missouri back in 1938, guitarist Tommy Lee moved around a lot as a kid, living throughout the South as his parents moved from town to town. As soon as he graduated high school, Lee set out on the road, touring with various bands, although he eventually settled down in New Jersey in 1962, finding work for various musical gear and guitar manufacturers, while playing gigs regionally. On this album, he covers a bunch of '60s-era country hits, stuff like "Break My Mind," "Detroit City," "Memphis," "Under Your Spell Again," and a few croonier tunes from the likes of Jack Greene and Jim Reeves. The jacket has a return address in Cedar Grove, NJ, and Tommy Lee gets a shout-out from local deejay Lee Arnold, the music director for country station WJRZ, 970-AM in Newark, who contributed the liner notes.

Toni Lee "A Little Bit O' Country" (Corey Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Dallas Corey)
This was the first (and possibly only?) LP released on the short-lived label started by Nashville music publisher/songwriter Dallas Corey, who was best known for his patriotic album, The History Of The American Revolution, which he recorded for Chart Records before deciding to set out on his own entrepreneurial career. I think it's safe to assume this record was primarily meant to function as a songwriter's demo album, and not a chartbuster. Toni Lee, who came from Phoenix, Arizona, was a syrupy, tempo-challenged singer who seems to have had a hard time locating a backbeat -- she's okay if you're into the slow, old-school "Nashville Sound" ballad style, but this was definitely pretty out of place in the perky early '70s country scene. The unidentified backup musicians are mostly just going through the motions, which is fine, since I think the emphasis is really on the songs, and trying to get them recorded by an established artist. Dallas Corey wrote two of the tunes -- "The Day That Our Love Came Back Home Again" and "Dry The Tears From Mommy's Eyes" (a divorce ballad written from the point of view of mother asking her kid to comfort her, probably the album highlight...) There's one song by Bill Irwin, "The Top Of The World, along with material from Billy C. Cole, James Joiner, Jayce McDuffey and Dub Walker. None of it's very electrifying, though. Dub Walker's "Wasting Your Time" is also a standout track, although the performance is a bit sluggish.

Kathy Leech & E. Zane Wood "Dance To Your Favorite Bullshit And Country Dysko Songs" (Magic Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Kathy Leech & J. Mattazano)
An ultra-obscuro set from Southern California... Although the album title was pretty tongue-in-cheek, the song selection is solid, with country-rockin' covers of J. J. Cale's "Living On Tulsa Time," "Lookin' For Love," and a couple of tunes from the Emmylou Harris catalog, Chuck Berry's "C'est La Vie" and Rodney Crowell's "Ain't Livin' Long Like This." They also trot their way through oldies like "Cotton Eyed Joe," "Rocky Top" and "Under The Double Eagle." Not a lot of info about this duo, though Wood apparently released at least one single under his own name, back in the early '70s, a thing for MGM that may have been more rock-oriented material.

Melveen Leed "Melveen's Hawaiian Country" (Lehua Records, 1975) (LP)
Born on Molokai, singer Melveen Leed made her way through Honolulu's entertainment scene to become one of Hawaii's best-known performers. She recorded numerous albums, including several with a country flair, and toured extensively on the mainland, even appearing on the Grand Ole Opry.

Melveen Leed "My Hawaiian Country" (Lehua Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Charles Bud Dant & Herb Ono)
Backed by an A-list Nashville crew, Leed combines island themes and country moods, with Hawaiian-ized versions of "Before The Next Teardrop Falls," "Crazy" and "Secret Love," as well as a slew of Hawaiian songs. Producer Bud Dant contributes some original material, such as "Country Girl" and the title track, "My Hawaiian Country," as well as English-language translations of classics by Eddie Kamae and Helen Desha Beamer. The session players include Harold Bradley, Ray Edenton, Grady Martin, Hargus Robbins and Bobby Thompson, as well as steel guitar super-picker Jerry Byrd, who was known for his mastery of both styles.

Melveen Leed "Hawaiian Country Girl" (Lehua Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Charles Bud Dant & Herb Ono)

Melveen Leed "Grand Old Hawaiian Music, Nashville Style" (Lehua Records, 1983) (LP)

Melveen Leed "Melveen's Hawaiian Country Hits" (Lehua Records, 1996) (CD)

Armand Lefebvre "Take Another Chance On Me" (Saint George International, 1973) (LP)
A decorated World War Two veteran from Holyoke, Massachusetts, Armand Lefebvre (1916-2008) returned to the States and was working in a local paper mill when he was blinded by a work-related explosion, back in 1958. He went on to devote himself to disabled advocacy and later joined the musical ministry of Reverend Ralph Di Orio as well as a group called Gleason's Townhouse Singers. Though primarily a religious singer, he recorded a bunch of secular stuff on this album, mostly country, but with a few pop tunes in there as well. It's mostly standard fare, with country evergreens such as "For The Good Times," "Green, Green Grass Of Home," "Help Me Make It Through The Night," "Make The World Go Away," "Statue Of A Fool" and "Welcome To My World," though the title track, interestingly enough, is a cover of a Dick Feller song. As far as I know, this was Mr. Lefebvre's only album, though I suppose it's possible he also recorded with his gospel groups.

The LeGarde Twins - see artist discography

Legend "Legend" (Akustik Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Rod Slane)
A longhaired but not too shaggy southern rock band from Tulsa, Oklahoma, these guys paid allegiance to Skynyrd and Marshall Tucker -- hard rock with a solid country core. The group included songwriters R. J. Rice on bass and Billy Joe Strange playing guitar, along with Joe Manago (lead guitar), Dean Page (keyboards), Mike Worth (lead guitar), and a guy named Randy on drums... Dunno much else about these guys, though I imagine they did some local shows, and were probably a pretty decent live band. This album has seven songs, all originals, including several longer tracks where they stretch out a bit and flirt with jam-band territory. Overall, the album seems a bit cluttered and frenetic, probably most due to poor production which pushes the drums way up into the front, though the musicians also exude a lot of earnest enthusiasm... Anyone digging deep into independent local rural rock will definitely want to check this one out.

Slim Lehart "Wheeling Cat" (B-W Records, 1971-?)
(Produced by Jim Sutton)
Richard Edmund Hartley (b. 1935) was better known by his stage name, Slim Lehart. He was a longtime cast member of West Virginia's "Jamboree USA" country music revue (previously known as the "WVVA Jamboree") and performed there until the venue closed in 2005. Lehart grew up on a farm near Viola, WV and played in a family band until his teens, when he moved to Wheeling, joined the army and went to Korea. Back home, he pursued a music career, and auditioned for the Jamboree gig for years, finally getting on stage in the 'Sixties, and landing a permanent spot in 1970, after the show reorganized and changed its name. He earned the nickname "the Wheeling Cat" for his uninhibited stage presence, and wrote a song of the same name, which is the title track of this album. He's backed by some other Jamboree artists, notably Roger Hoard on guitar, Buddy Griffin on fiddle, and Jerry Taylor playing pedal steel. In later years, Lehart led his own "Wheeling Feeling" variety show, performing as recently as 2017, although he had officially retired back in 2015. Love that cover photo of him singing to a bunch of folks at a tailgate party!

Glenn Lehman "Reminiscing With Glenn Lehman: Country Songs Of A Bygone Era" (Vetco Custom Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Ken Hamann)
Originally from Pennsylvania, brothers George and Glenn Lehman formed a duo act in the 1940s, with Glenn on guitar and George on fiddle. They performed throughout the Ohio Valley for several decades, eventually settling down in Hiram, Ohio, near Akron. They are joined by other local musicians on a sprightly set of sentimental old-timey tunes, stuff like "Little Rosewood Casket," "Sweet Kitty Wells," and "Give Me Flowers While I Live," as well as an instrumental or two...

Barbara E. Leigh "...And The Everlovin's" (Everlov'in Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Hargus Robbins)
This one's kind of all over the map, combining disco, gospel, Christmas music and Nashville-y twang, with musicians including Lloyd Green on pedal steel, Pete Wade and Harold Bradley on guitar, Charlie McCoy playing trumpet(!) and the Four Guys vocal group singing backup. The super-earnest liner notes detail Leigh's childhood in Carroll, County, Tennessee, her efforts singing at county fairs throughout the South and the Midwest and even her enrollment at a beauty college in Memphis. There are several original songs, including some written by George Wells, one called "My Love Likes Simple Things" by Billy Gibbs (in both "disco" and "ballad" versions) and two songs credited to Ms. Leigh: "I'll Never Get Over Lovin' You" and the scandalously-titled "I Want To Touch You (And Feel You Touching Me)." I couldn't find out when this album came out, but I'm guessing early 1980s, possibly late '70s.

Doc Leigh "On Call" (Buzzard, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Bernie Vaughn)
A Louisiana local who made the trek to Nashville, songwriter Leigh Dillard (aka Doc Leigh) brought ten original tunes to the Koala Records studios and recorded this album, a fine example of an indiebilly artist with commercial dreams... The main vibe is straight-up melodic honkytonk, sort of in a Moe Bandy-ish mode -- generally, these are strong, uptempo drinkin'-cheatin'-cryin' songs, although there are dips into less effective material. Leigh's vocals are pretty good, although sometimes he sounds a bit tentative (which may have been due to nerves?) The Nashville studio crew, led by steel player Sonny Garrish and lead guitarist Fred Newell, provide strong, solid accompaniment, framing Leigh in a traditionally-oriented but still contemporary country sound. Some of the songs were plausibly commercially viable for the times, although on Side Two he goes a little far afield, slowing down to a crawl on the ambitious, folk-tinged "Lonely Room," a maudlin weeper about a divorced dad trying to figure out how to explain sticky grown-up troubles to his three-year old kid. But barroom stompers like "Don't Play The Last Song" and "North Louisiana Man" give this a nice, simple twangy vibe. Definitely worth a spin.

J. V. Leigh "A Touch Of Blue" (Omni Records, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Royce G. Clark & Leroy Donegan)
Really quite good. This (undated) mid- 'Seventies(?) album showcases solid, sincere, neo-trad honkytonk, very much in the style of and resonating with the same kind of back-to-basics drinkin' man's country that Moe Bandy championed around the same time. Good pickin' too -- straightforward, unfussy twang that doesn't get in the way of Leigh's matter-of-fact, hangdog vocals. There's almost zero useful information on the album itself -- nothing about the band backing him, or where he was from, who wrote the songs, what year this came out. However, this LP seems to have followed up on a single, "Box 1000, Segoville"/"Lady In Disguise," which came out in 1973 or '74 on the same label, with songwriting credits going to producer Royce G. Clark, and Finlay Duncan, so in part it seems to have been a kind of songwriter's demo set. Mr. Leigh seems to have been from the Kansas City region, since his band was called the Show Me Boys (after the Missouri state motto) and he also recorded "Lady In Disguise" for the Big K label, which was based in KCMO. The flipside of that single, "Making The Wheels," was composed by Leigh, and is included on this LP, possibly along with other songs he'd penned. At any rate, even though the disc is shrouded in mystery, the music is pretty solid. It's don't look like much, but it's a gem.

Lindy Leigh "The Singing Side Of Lindy Leigh" (Everyday Music/Avenue South Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Barbara Lindsay)
Songwriter Barbara J. Lindsay (aka singer Lindy Leigh) had a long though marginal run in Nashville, cutting singles as far back as the early 1960s, and on into the early '80s. I'm not sure where she was from, or what became of her after she released these two LPs, but she sure did plug away for a long time -- long enough that by the late 'Seventies she'd given up the pretense of a stage name, and cheerfully explains on the back cover that producer Barbara Lindsay and singer Lindy Leigh are one and the same person. She's also pictured with an all-gal band called the Livin' Angels, who sadly are not identified by name, and who may or may not have backed Ms. Leigh on this album. (I'm intensely curious about who was in that band, though!) Also worth noting: although Avenue South did issue records by several other artists, the Lindy Leigh albums look like vanity releases in part because Ms. Leigh was also a company Vice President... perhaps she moved into the business side of things?

Lindy Leigh "Reflections Of Love" (Avenue South Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Barbara Lindsay)

The Leightons "We Got Love" (Cutlass Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Carr)
The husband-wife duo of John and Sharon Leighton started out singing folk music in the early '60s, but gradually moved towards country and formed a band called the Country Sounds. They worked for a while in Hawaii, toured abroad and came back to the mainland in the mid-'60s. In the early '70s John Leighton was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease and the couple traveled to Nashville to record this album as a testament to the duo's brief career. There's only one track on here written by the Leightons, "When It's Over," which kicks the album off and I believe all the rest are cover songs. But among those covers are a few eye-catchers, stuff like the old Webb Pierce hit, "There Stands The Glass" and Hank Penny's "Blood Shot Eyes," old-fashioned drinking songs that point to a robustly retro streak that was pleasantly out of step with the countrypolitan vibe of early '70s Nashville. After John Leighton passed away in 1974, Sharon Leighton formed a new band called Country Sunshine, and cut a solo album in 1975. Later in the decade she got religion and thereafter devoted herself exclusively to gospel music. She has recorded and released several religiously-themed records over the years, but for the most part retired from the music business.

Sharon Leighton "With Love" (Jan Mar Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Gordon Calcote)
When this solo set was recorded, Sharon Leighton was living in Santa Fe Springs, California and was part of the local Southern California country scene -- old-timer Cliffie Stone contributes liner notes, while country deejay/sometimes singer Gordon Calcote produced the sessions.

The Leland Four "Live At John Ascuaga's Nugget" (Frisbe Records 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Roy Ward)
A Reno, Nevada lounge act with some country stuff in the mix ("American Trilogy," "Let Me Be There") sandwiched between a bunch of definitely not-country material ("Puka Shells," "Sweet Caroline," etc.) The band originally included four guys from the West Coast -- Lee Hendricksen (on accordion, trumpet and guitar), Spud Ivens (drums), Jet "Pineapple" Kanahi (bass, ukulele), and Rick Stock on guitar -- who seem to have been from Southern California, though Reno became their home base. Various members peeled off over the years, though Lee Hendricksen kept the group going as The Lelands for over two decades. This LP was a souvenir of a gig at John Ascuaga's Nugget casino; as far as I know, this was their only album.

Gary LeMaster "LeMaster '83" (Cary Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Gary LeMaster & Michael Hufford)
An earnest live album from a (then) fairly obscure musician... Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Gary LeMaster (1942-2012) apparently was in some rock bands as a kid, but moved into country when he got older. In the early '80s he had a steady gig at a joint in Las Vegas called Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, which is pictured on the cover, and he's had a gloriously Vegas-y look to match the venue. Not long after this, though, LeMaster shifted into a more down-home mode, joining a late edition of the fabled western band, The Sons Of The Pioneers, replacing Roy Lanham as the group's guitar player. He was in the group for over two decades, from roughly 1986 up until his health failed in 2012; LeMaster's father-in-law, multi-instrumentalist Sunny Spencer, was a member of the Sons for much of the same period, from 1984-2005. Spencer's daughter Valerie married Gary LeMaster and was in his band at the time of the Vegas gig and sings on this album. The rest of the musicians include steel guitar player Michael Huffman, Jeffrey Popp (bass and keyboards), David Poe (saxophone) and Doug Twyman on drums. The songs look like originals, including the closing number, "Ballad Of Sam Boyd," written in homage to the guy that owned the bar. Although he toured with the Sons Of The Pioneers, starting in 1986, LeMaster made his home in Branson, Missouri, and passed away there in 2012.

Jim & Bobbi LeMay "Sing Country Music" (1973) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Bob Barnhill)
The husband-wife duo of Jim and Bobbi LeMay were amateurs from Colorado Springs, Colorado who took part in a 1972 talent search sponsored by radio station KPIK. They didn't win, but they did catch the ear of producer Joe Bob Barnhill, who was one of the contest judges. Barnhill took the couple under his wing and cut this session with them in Los Angeles, adding two of his own songs to what is otherwise an all-original set, showcasing nine songs written by the LeMays. (And as far as I can tell, Barnhill himself never recorded either of the songs, "Gentle Ben" and "Pretty Please," so they may be unique to this album...) No info on the backing band, though, alas.

Johnny Len "For You" (KL Recording Service, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Klein & Johnny Len)
A lifetime resident of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, country singer Leonard Brouchoud (aka Johnny Len) led an intensely hyperlocal band, featuring steel guitar licks from Lee Chizek (1937-2015), Howard Fischer on piano, Mike Heier (drums), Ron Remiker (lead guitar), Jean Stahl (backing vocals) and of course Johnny Len on lead vocals and guitar. His brother, Leroy E. Brouchoud (1945-2017) was a veteran musician, playing in local blues and rock bands back in the 'Sixties, and plays bass on this disc. The album also includes several of his songs ("Brittle," "I Forgot How To Smile," "In Memory," and "Wanting, Needing, Still Loving You") comprising almost half the album. This was apparently recorded at the Club Bil-Mar, a tiny dive that still exists in Manitowoc, with recording assist by Ron Klein, a record producer from around Milwaukee who specialized in polka and religious records.

Johnny Len "A Portrait Of Johnny Len" (El Dorado Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Brothers & Jim Lopas)

Doug Lenard & Private Stock "Hey Ladie!" (Lenco Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Doug Lenard & Dan Guerrie)
Indiebilly twang from Grand Junction, Colorado... In 1983, Doug Lenard formed his band Private Stock, which featured Doug Lenard on guitar and pedal steel, along with Mario Asti (saxophone), Andy Noble (banjo, bass and mandolin), Chris Rosson (drums), and Joe Webber on piano. Later that year Lenard's tune "Hey Ladie" won a local songwriting contest sponsored by Kentucky Fried Chicken and radio station KQIL, a success that led to this album and numerous bookings through the region. All of the songs on this album were written or co-written by Lenard, and while he wasn't able to break through in Nashville, he continued to play locally and sit in on other artist's albums, even after getting a civil service job with the state. He also had a song called "Long Legged," included a local compilation album, HILLTOP COUNTRY 99, which came out in 1984.

Doug Lenard "Tales Of A Modern Day Mountain Man" (?) (CD)
I'm not sure when this one came out, but I'm pretty sure it's a CD-era release, possibly 21st Century.

Bill Lendrum "Try A Little Kindness" (Crown Records, 1969) (LP)
Assuming it's all the same guy, Bill Lendrum seems to have moved around a lot during his career... Known as "Pineapple Bill" Lendrum, he lived in Hawaii and sang hapa haole-style island-themed novelty songs, as well as country stuff. I'm not sure where he was living when he cut this album, but in the early '70s he was considered a "local legend" in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he recorded for the Goldust label, and had some of his music recorded by other local artists. In 1975 he recorded a second album for the Oklahoma City-based Homa label and later, in the late 1980s, Lendrum was living in Griffin, Indiana but still playing music, and even won a national talent contest sponsored by the True Value hardware company. This album seems to have been packed with original material.

Bill Lendrum "The Hapahaule Cowboy" (Homa Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Mickey Sherman & David Powell)
According to the liner notes, Mr. Lendrum was originally from Honolulu, and spent a couple of years playing in the Hawaiian pop band, The Leewards (though I'm not sure if he ever recorded with them. I think he was living in Indiana when he cut this album, although it was released on the Oklahoma City-based Homa label, with fiddler Benny Kubiak chiming in... The hapa haole reference hearkens back to his days on the Islands, as does the mixed country/Hawaiian repertoire... The album includes eight songs by Lendrum, along with covers of "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Tiny Bubbles."

James Leroy & Denim "James Leroy & Denim" (GRT/Janus Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Adam Mitchell & Dave Green)
Canadian singer James Leroy (1947-1979) grew up in Ottawa and tried his luck in the coffeehouse folk scene before moving into pop-rock songwriting. He formed the James Leroy Band (later Denim) in the early 1970s, with help from several people associated with the recently defunct rock band Canada Goose, particularly steel player Gary Comeau and singer Valerie Tuck, who helped form the core of Denim. The group enjoyed modest success and made some traction in the United States, though Leroy's momentum stalled out early on, and -- sadly -- he committed suicide while trying to release a second album in 1979. A digital-era reissue included several bonus tracks not on the original album.

Les & Sandy "A Time For Us" (Glacier Records 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Dave Dixon)
Les and Sandy Pollard appear to have been a husband-wife duo from the Pacific Northwest, although where exactly it's hard to say... They recorded at the Ripcord Studios in Vancouver, Washington, but the album's liner notes are by a Portland-based talent agent named Phil Downing, so they may have been from Oregon. Those liner notes are also interesting because they include an actual date on the letterhead -- December 3, 1976 -- which helps pin this release down a little bit, and also because Mr. Downing loudly sings the praise of the Pollard's "band," a group called Shiloh, which in this instance was the house band from Ripcord: producer Gene Breeden on guitar, his son Dan Breeden on drums, Geno Keyes (piano), Ellis Miller (bass), and Don Turner (rhythm guitar). (Breeden used the name Shilo/Shiloh on several projects, including after his move to Nashville...) At any rate, Les and Sandy seem to have made this album mostly for fun, and probably didn't have much of a public career themselves. The songs are all covers, with oldies and hits such as "Greenback Dollar," "I Can See Clearly Now" and "Mountain Of Love," and Kris Kristofferson seems to have been a particular favorite, with the Pollards covering three of his songs, including (of course) a version of "Me And Bobby McGee." As far as I know, this was the duo's only record.

Vic Leslie "My Kind Of Country" (Music City Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Linneman)
Dunno what the story is on this one... This was on a Christian music label, but seems to have been a secular album. Not a ton of info on Vic Leslie online, though he wrote some songs recorded by (or with) other artists, notably a single with a guy named Bob Lilly ("Country Lovin'," "I Wonder What She'll Tell The Kids"). Mr. Leslie may have also recorded some gospel stuff, though I haven't tracked that down yet.

John D. LeVan "John D. LeVan" (Hummingbird Records, 1971) (LP)
A first-generation rockabilly guitarist from Oklahoma, John D. LeVan is credited as one of the originators of "the Tulsa Sound," the laid-back, earthy style championed by J. J. Cale, Leon Russell and others. Mr. LeVan's contributions date back to the 1950s when, as a child, he was showcased on Red Foley's Ozark Jubilee show, and more particularly when he backed rockabilly singer Clyde Stacy (1936-2013) on a rowdy version of "Hoy, Hoy," a single that burst into the American Top 100 back in 1957. LeVan later joined Gene Crose's rock band, and moved through a series of bands, gigs and tours, always coming back to Tulsa, where his reputation steadily grew over the years. Though his string of singles dates back to '57, this was LeVan's first full album, recorded with pianist Rocky Frisco and The Frisco Railroad Band, which was formed in 1970. It appears to be an exceptionally elusive disc: the only place I've seen it mentioned is on LeVan's own website --which, by the way, gives a different timeline for the band than Rocky Frisco's own bio... At any rate, this is one to look for!

John D. LeVan "Southwest" (DeJaVu Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by John D. LeVan, Bob Milsap & Tommy Overstreet)
At some point John LeVan became tight with country star Tommy Overstreet, who helped produce this second album, which was recorded in Nashville, but released on a label from Branson, Missouri. Alas, the backing musicians are not identified... Working with his band The Thunderboltz and others, John D. LeVan went on to record several other albums in the digital era.

The Levee Singers "Take Me Home" (Levee Records, 1966-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Sullivan)
Originally known as "The Banjo Band From The Levee," this group featured Dallas, Texas old-timer Smokey Montgomery and, for much of the 1960s, rockabilly firebrand Ronnie Dawson, who gave the songs quite a kick. The band started out playing banjos-and-brass dixieland jazz, with Ed Bernet as the leader... In the early '60s Bernet decided it would be easier to run his own bar than to keep hustling for bookings, and opened the Levee nightclub in 1961. Smokey Montgomery, who was also in the fabled western swing band, the Light Crust Doughboys, joined early on, as did Dawson and the group quickly evolved into a volatile foursome, creating a cheerful mashup of dixieland, folk revival and good old Texas twang. They appeared on numerous national TV shows and held down a regular gig at the Levee, recording three albums with Dawson in the lineup. The band's lineup changed over the years, with Ed Bernet giving up the club in the early '70s, but keeping one version or another of the Levee Singers going throughout the decades. (Note: a similar lineup recorded at least one album under the name The Wagon Wheelers.)

The Levee Singers "Live At The Levee" (Levee Records, 1977-?) (LP)
Another fun live set giving a good idea of what their good-natured rockabilly hootenanny vibe was like... This is still the classic lineup featuring Smokey Montgomery and Ronnie Dawson, mixing country anthems such as "Sixpack To Go" with folk chestnuts and trad-jazz oldies... Dawson manages to impishly assert a hint of his wilder rock roots, building a fascinating combination of styles... (By the way, the first three Levee Singers albums were reissued digitally on a single CD called The Levee Singers -- The Early Years, which is available through Ed Bernet's website.)

The Levee Singers "The Levee Singers" (Levee Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bobby Dennis)
This post-Ronnie Dawson lineup includes Ed Bernet, Bob Christopher, Smokey Montgomery and Ralph Sanford... The material tilts further away from country twang and more towards dixieland and singalong hootenanny folk, though there is a "Texas Medley" and a "Lightcrust Doughboys Medley," alongside their versions of "Old Man River" and "Rock Island Line."

The (New) Levee Singers "Down At The Levee" (Levee Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Leverett Brothers "Lonesome Mandolin" (Birch Records, 1974-?) (LP)
Old-timey tunes from brothers Homer S. Leverett (1919-1982) and Wilbur Leverett (1916-2010), originally of Galena, Missouri. The brothers formed a professional musical duo around 1930, and toured widely throughout the Depression era, also recording a few 78-era singles in the 1930s and '40s, billing themselves as "The Original Ozark Hillbillies." The brothers performed together for several decades, including performances at the original Branson theater, and even an appearance on the Hee Haw TV show, in 1970. Wilbur Leverett was also immortalized in a 1931 portrait by painter Thomas Hart Benton, called "The Missouri Musicians," a famous painting which captures a fourteen- or fifteen- year-old kid playing the guitar in a trio of friends. The brothers gave up touring in 1970 due to Homer Leverett's declining health, recording this album around that time, up in Chicago. It's possible this may include older recordings of "Lonesome Mandolin" and "Diamonds In The Rough," though probably these are re-recordings. The music is mostly gospel material, as the Leveretts became a primarily evangelical act in 1934, although they still included a couple of secular tunes in their act.

Mark LeVine "Pilgrim's Progress" (Hogfat Records, 1968)
(Produced by Michael Deasy)
Another ultra-obscuro "folk freak" offering from the hills of Hollywood, made during the acid-laced tail end of the 'Sixties. Songwriter Mark Levine was hanging out with some cool cats at the time, including a bunch of West Coast show biz heavyweights. Studio pros Mike Deasy, Larry Knechtel and Joe Osborn -- all members of the fabled, A-list "Wrecking Crew" -- anchor these loose-limbed psychefolkedlic sessions, along with drummer Toxey French and (drumroll please...) roots music superpicker Ry Cooder, who was just finding his legs in the LA music scene, and a couple of years away from busting out as a solo artist. The liner notes are a textbook case for spaced-out druggie rambling, and the music also reflects the, ahem, freewheeling vibe of the times... This album has been reissued on CD, but remains pretty obscure. (Quick footnote: around the same time this album was made, French and Osborn also backed The Dillards on their pioneering country-rock album, Wheatstraw Suite.)

Levitt & McClure "Living In The Country" (Warner Brothers, 1969)
(Produced by Ron Elliott)
Dan Levitt and Marc McClure were a bluegrassy duo from Encino, California who got on the radar of producer Ron Elliott, who was in the thick of the LA music scene. This album, which was recorded in August, 1969, is mostly original material, including a few songs written or co-written by producer Ron Elliott, as well as some covers of folkie stuff from Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger. Marc McClure also recorded a solo album for Capitol a few years later.

Penny Lew "Country With A Flair" (Penny Lew Records, 1982) (LP)
A country singer from Washington state... She mostly sings covers of Hank and Lefty classics, along with several originals: "Have A Ball," "Washington Is Home Sweet Home To Me" and "Harry (Of Mount St. Helens)." She's accompanied by Ron Stevens on guitar and pedal steel.

Bob Lewellyn & Crystal River "Big Train" (Iron Horse Records, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Shuler)
This (undated) early '80s album was recorded in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee... I'm not sure if Bob Lewellyn was connected to any of the "opry"-style shows based in that area, although he did work as a country radio DJ in nearby Knoxville. The Crystal River trio featured singers Monie Urban, Marvin Goddard and Bob Lewellyn singing in three-part harmony, with a number of lesser-known backing musicians, including producer Bob Shuler, who plays banjo, fiddle and steel guitar. The title track is a John Fogarty song, though the album is packed with originals by Bob Lewellyn, as well as several that have an inspirational edge. Old-timer Archie Campbell seems to have been a patron, contributing liner notes and pictured on the back cover with the band.

Lewis And Clark "Mellow Memories" (North Wind Records, 1975-?) (LP)
This early 'Seventies Oregon album features singers Dean Lewis and Steve Clark taking turns singing country and lounge standards ranging from "Misty" and "Country Bumpkin" to oldies like Conway Twitty's early hit, "Only Make Believe." I'm not sure if these guys really had a proper duo -- they trade off on lead vocals and the backing musicians aren't listed and may well have been studio players rounded up by the label, which was located in Gold Beach, Oregon, way down the coast south of Eugene. No date on the disc, but it was probably about 1975 or so, judging by the songs they covered.

Lewis And Clark "Cross Country" (Ambassador Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Rivers, Rue Barclay & Jerry Wood)
That would be singers Joy Lewis and Dick Clark, who hailed from New Orleans and Denver, respectively, and made their way out west to play shows in LA and Las Vegas... Clark plays piano on these sessions, with backing by Jack Rivers on guitar, Rue Barclay on bass and Clyde Hays on steel... Half the songs are originals written by either Clark or Lewis, along with country classics from folks like Wynn Stewart, Merle Travis and Hank Williams.

Bob Lewis "Yodelin' Bob Lewis Answers Your Request" (Interlude Records, 1963-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Lewis)
Robert Lewis Schreckengost (1919-1970) aka "Yodelin' Bob Lewis" was a deputy sheriff in San Bernadino County, California who was recruited by broadcaster Ken Davis to work on radio and TV. He's backed here by organist Jack Haines on a set that's mostly cowboy oldies, stuff like "Cool Water," "Strawberry Roan," "Ghost Riders In The Sky," etc. The album was released on Lewis's private label from San Bernadino; apparently Lewis hosted campfire singalongs at dude ranches in Death Valley for aa number of years, and performed regionally throughout the 1950s and '60s.

Cal Lewis "...Sings In Memory Of Jim Reeves" (Diplomat Records, 1968-?) (LP)
A tribute to the late country crooner, Jim Reeves, released on the cheapo Diplomat label. I couldn't find any info about this guy, though for a while I wondered if he was related to the Lewis Family, a Southern Gospel dynasty that did have a couple of family members named Cal... No evidence of that, either. At least not yet...

Clay Lewis "Tall Shadows" (American Heritage Music Corporation, 19--?) (LP)
Mr. Lewis was a California native, living in Montana. His wife, Margie, plays piano on the album, and wrote the liner notes... They play mainly cover songs, mostly western/cowboy songs and oldies and old-timey music. Very mom-and-pop... literally!

Cubby Lewis & The Homesteaders "Garden Of Love" (Our Country Records, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Edward A. Boucher)
An outstanding set of independent, original honkytonk twang from New England... A twang auteur from New England, Cubby Lewis penned all but two of the songs on this album, with originals that include "Those Beautiful Lies," "Wrong Side Of The Door," and one called "Nudist Colony (Or The Job I Lost My Shirt On)" (a somewhat forced-sounding novelty number about a band that gets accidentally booked to play a gig at a nudist colony... and have to do it in the buff!). These are augmented by covers of "Me And Bobby McGee" and "Okie From Muskogee," which though overplayed do help date the record to the early 'Seventies. At any rate, this is a remarkably strong album for the private-press country field -- Lewis wasn't a perfect vocalist, but he sings with conviction and authority, and the band delivers a pretty solid set, delivering a rich mix of Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard influenced hippie-era twang. The sessions were recorded at the EAB studio in Lewiston, Maine, though sadly the Homesteaders bandmembers aren't individually identified. Not sure where Lewis lived or what his real name was, or if recorded anything else, although there were couple of local show notices from 1976, a few years later, so he seems to have kept at it for a while. Anyway, this one is definitely worth tracking down.

Don Lewis "New Straitsville Man" (Kale Records, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ned Kazee)
Country songwriter Don Lewis (1935-2013) was born in New Straitsville, Ohio, a microscopic village not far from Columbus, and was living in nearby Newark when this album was made. The set list is all original material, written by either Don Lewis or producer Ned Kazee (1930-2017), who apparently owned the Kale label, and appeared on other artist's records as well. (Originally from Kentucky, Mr. Kazee was related to old-timey banjo legend Buell Kazee; Ned's son, Jeff Kazee, became a highly successful rock keyboardist, playing in the original lineup of Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, and later backing numerous stars out on the road. Quite a family.) Don Lewis's biography is a little harder to track down, though judging from the publishing credits, he seems to have knocked around Nashville a little: a couple of his songs were copyrighted through Starday Records, and through Lonzo & Oscar's publishing company. Lewis had a goofy, early-era George Jones-ish vibe, uptempo and novelty oriented. Between 1965-73 he recorded a string of singles --for Starday, Kale and other labels, with many of the songs collected here, probably in their original versions. Lewis led a band called The Moonshiners that played locally in the early 'Seventies; their name comes from Newark's annual "moonshine festival," which sounds like a real hoot. I'm not sure if he's the same local lad Don Lewis who studied aeronautics and was an intern at NASA when they first landed on the Moon, but if so, that would explain the song "First Country Singer (On The Moon)" which is included on this album.

The Lewis Family - see artist discography

George Lewis "Ode To Silver City" (LSI Sound Studios, 19--?) (LP)
A folkie concept album, sung in praise of Silver City, New Mexico... With backing by the so-called Silver City Symphony and the Silver City Saloon Singers. I think the "saloon" part of that phrase is the key.

Henry Lewis "Inside Of Your Love" (Burgundy Records, 19--?) (LP)
Apparently a Texan, songwriter Henry Lewis recorded this one in Nashville, where he'd been plugging away for over seven years before cutting this album. The lineup features a full compliment of Music City pros, with Mr. Lewis on piano and rhythm guitar, backed by Stu Basore (steel guitar), Kenny Malone (drums), William Nelson (organ), Jerry Shook (guitar), Don Smith (bass), along with The Jordanaires and a modest string section directed by Bill Justis. All the songs were written by Lewis, with one cowritten along with Julian Jones. Not sure when this came out, but it looks like a mid-to-late 'Seventies release... As seen in the album below, Lewis had moved back to Texas sometime in the 'Eighties.

Henry Lewis "Almost Not In Love With You" (Burgundy Records, 1985) (LP)
An indie album on a label from Midland, Texas... Features the song, "Jalapeno Lips" and arrangements by Bill Justis...

Joe Lewis "After Party Favorites" (J-Bar-L Records, 1960-?) (LP)
A truly oddball offering from the wild world of square dancing... Dallas, Texas accordionist Joe Lewis delivers a jaunty set of popular song parodies, each given comedic new verses, all with a square dance slant. So if you want to learn some of the do's-and-don'ts of barn dance etiquette back in the Eisenhower era, Lewis's lyrics to tunes like "Wish That Fella Would Say What He Means" or his rendition of Bob Merrill's "Rusty Old Halo" might be quite instructive. I'm not really much of a square dance kinda guy, but I have to admit, Mr. Lewis has a charming presence. He's backed by the unfortunately-anonymous "J-Bar-L Band," which at first I thought was some dude ranch band, though after writing it down a couple of times, I finally realized was a reference to Joe Lewis's own initials. Regardless, there's enough of a country flavor that we can include this one here... The album was plugged in print in the August, 1960 issue of Sets In Order magazine, and was still being advertised as late as January, 1964, in the American Squares newsletter. Like many callers, Lewis also made a bunch of calling singles, but this is the only album I've seen so far.

Roy Lewis "Gospel Banjo" (Canaan Records, 1972) (LP)
The first solo album by "Little" Roy Lewis, of the fabled Lewis Family gospel group... Mighty fine picking, for sure, though I prefer the vocal numbers with the full band.

Ron Libby "Sings Live At The Baltimore Festival" (Whirl-A-Way Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Edward A. Boucher)
A well-known New England square dance caller from Falmouth, Maine, Ron Libby sings some country on this disc, including some surprising outlaw material such as "Boogie Grass Band" and "Luckenback, Texas." Libby played in USO shows while in the Navy, then worked on the road as a big band saxophonist before moving back to Maine and turning his attentions towards square dance calling. Libby converted an old barn on his family farm into a dance hall, and staged dances there, while also traveling extensively to perform in other states.

Ron Libby "Shine On" (Whirl-A-Way Records, 198-?) (LP)

Liberty "Liberty" (Windsong Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Kyle O'Connor, John Denver & Milt Okun)
This eclectic group from Aspen, Colorado was championed by soft-pop superstar John Denver, who co-produced this album and released it on his Windsong label, a short-lived imprint of RCA Records that later launched the chart-topping debut of Denver's pals, The Starland Vocal Band. Liberty's lead singers Jan Camp Garrett and Dan Wheetman both played several different instruments and wrote original tunes; they were joined by arranger John Sommers, pianist Jerry Fletcher, bassist Vic Garrett, Larry Gottlieb on dobro and pedal steel, as well as lead guitar Kent Lewis, who also added a few fiddle licks. Self-described hippies, most of these folks had worked as the backup band for John Denver's 1973 album, Farewell Andromeda, which was at least partly an ode to the EST movement. Similarly, Jan Garrett pursues aquarian spiritual themes on this disc, with her song, "Always Be With Him (Song For Maharaj Ji)," in honor of Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba, whose Bhakti yoga philosophy was widely popular in the early 1970s counterculture. Dan Wheetman contributes two tunes, "Honey Be There" and "Sweet Jesus Take Me Home," perhaps indicating a different spiritual path. The rest of the record draws on diverse sources, ranging from old pop standards by Johnny Mercer to Fats Waller, to more country-based material from the likes of Jimmie Rodgers and Cindy Walker, as well as a cover of Paul Siebel's "She Made Me Lose My Blues." I'm not sure what became of these folks after this, though they continued to play locally in the Rockies at least as late as 1977. Jan Garrett toured with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for a while, and had one of her songs, "Tenderly Calling," recorded by John Denver. John Sommers had already been in John Denver's band for a few years before the Liberty album came out, and wrote several songs for Denver, perhaps most famously the smash hit, "Thank God I'm A Country Boy." Dan Wheetman -- who years earlier had been in the Cheap Suit Serenaders and later co-founded the acoustic folk/bluegrass group Marley's Ghost -- also joined Denver's band for a few years starting in 1979, and much later went into theater work, earning a Tony nomination for the revue It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues.

Liberty & Friends "Black, Gold & Crude" (JW Productions, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Collins)
Not to be confused with the band above, this female-led Oklahoma band played all-original material written by songwriters Garneta Johnston and Ann Wilson, with Chuck Johnson rounding things out. All three seemed to work in the oil industry, and recorded this album in Texas as a sort of Panhandle regional pride manifesto. I'm sympathetic, and think some of the songs are well-written, but I do have to warn you, on a strictly musical level, this ain't that good of a record. Maybe it's the bland production or by-the-numbers musicianship, but the vocals are also a bit flat. Oh, well. It's charming as a "real people" record, even if you probably wouldn't want to listen to it recreationally... Of note, though is the band's origin story: Garneta Johnston was the daughter of hillbilly songwriter Eddie Miller, while Ann Wilson (nicknamed "Liberty" because she was born on the Fourth of July) was her childhood friend. Not sure if any of them went on to record anything else, though some of these songs might be worth mining by other country folks sometime in the future... "I Wish I'd Been Somebody" is a pretty good, 'Seventies-style country novelty number.

The Liberty Five "Here Come The Liberty Five, Singing Tears And Laughter" (Liberty 5, 196--?)
I'm mostly a country guy and not normally interested in documenting folk albums, but I was drawn in by the obscurity of this folk quintet assembled by lead singer Toby Liberty, a US Navy serviceman stationed in Guam during the early 1960s. Initially a trio made up of Toby Liberty and two fellow sailors, Phil Shepard and Bob Weidler, the group expanded into the Liberty Five when they were joined by Nancy Hahn and Jean Williams, daughters of Navy officers. They pledged their devotion to folk stars such as The Limelighters and Peter, Paul & Mary, and accordingly this album is pretty standard hootenanny fare, singalong standards like "Green, Green," "Hi Holly" and "The MTA Song," as well as deep cuts such as Peter, Paul & Mary's "The Cruel War," which was an interesting selection for the time. There's no information about the production of this album, how it was recorded or where it was pressed -- indeed, I can't find any mention of it online, and I imagine most of the other copies didn't fare too well on whatever patrol boats or battleships they wound up on. Not really that distinctive musically, but a rarity for sure.

The Liberty Five "On Tour" (Liberty 5, 196--?) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Mager)
According to the liner notes, the Liberty Five successfully toured throughout the Pacific theater, or the "Far East," as they called it, inspiring them to record a second album, as well as a couple of seven-inch singles. The lineup changed a bit, with Toby Liberty, Nancy Hahn and Phil Shepard now joined by Becky Bragg and Denny Rowe. The cover photo shows the quintet performing on the Pilita Corales TV show, in Manila, where they performed a version of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind" during a tour of the Philippines. The sound is pretty much the same as before, stridently earnest, upbeat hootenanny folk, poorly recorded but perky and sincere. They had an admittedly interesting song selection, with a few standards such as "500 Miles" and Elizabeth Cotton's "Freight Train," and some more esoteric choices, such as "Gallant Argosy," "Island In The Sun" and the Austronesian-themed "Banua," acquired by way of the Kingston Trio. Bandleader and lead singer Toby Liberty contributes one original, "I'm A Wanderer," which he says he wrote in 1960 while stationed in the South China Sea, and the liner notes promise future recordings of nine other songs he's composed, though I don't know if these plans came to fruition. I'm quite curious about any news of what became of Toby Liberty, as well as the 7" single mentioned on this album's back cover, "Songs Of The Island/Tropical Of Guam," which apparently came out under his name.

Malinda Liberty "Malinda Liberty" (River Records, 1987) (LP)
Yeah, I never heard of her either... This indie album out of Maine looks like it's pretty Nashville-hopeful, in a more modern, '80s kind of way... But if I get a chance to check it out, I'll let you know!

The Lick Creek Boys "...With The Countryside Band" (1982-?) (LP)
(Produced by Joel Kipp & The Lick Creek Boys)
This band from Birmingham, Iowa (near Ottumwa) was formed in 1977, and frequently played at venues such as the Iowa State Fair and various local threshing bees. They had an affinity for vocal harmony music, as heard on this album, which is packed with material by the Oak Ridge Boys and the Statler Brothers. The group included Stan Davidson (1944-2006), John Huff, Kevin Moon, Bill Turner, and Gary Yarnell (1935-1983) who was also Birmingham's mayor. In addition to the singers who formed the core of the band, several local musicians ("The Countryside Band") perform on this album, including Dale Kerr, who plays lead guitar and steel. The group was going strong in 1982-83 (around when I'd guess this album came out) though I'm not sure if they continued after Mr. Yarnell passed away at the end of '83. This LP was recorded in nearby Burlington, IA, although they apparently also recorded a couple of times in Nashville, so there may be other records out there...

Marty Licklider "...And The Original Missouri Fox Hunters" (Rand Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Norm Snow)
A bunch of real-deal old-timey music, including fiddle tunes and a song or two you might recognize from modern revivalists. Not sure why these guys from Ohio called themselves the Missouri Fox Hunters, but go figure. Show business. The band started in 1938 as a quartet featuring brothers Buell and Marty Licklider on mandolin and guitar, fiddler/banjo plunker Otis Sumpter and bass player/comedian Laddie Koala... They performed on air at Ashtabula radio station WICA, and gave live concerts onstage up through the early television era. Keeping up with the times, the Lickliders both became radio deejays, while Koala found a niche on TV, performing his routines on a local polka program... not country, maybe, but close enough! Perhaps their best known song was "Cold Hands, Warm Heart," an old single that's been anthologized a time or two. This reunion concert was recorded live in October, 1978, with all four of the duffers in fine form.

The Light Crust Doughboys - see artist discography

J. J. Light "Heya!" (Liberty Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Markley)
Kooky, excessive, spacey hippie rock with discernible country influences... Originally from New Mexico, J. J. Light (aka Jim Stallings) headed west in the late 1950s out to LA to try and make it in the music business... Stallings struggled for years, as many do, and released a couple of singles before landing in the orbit of trust-fund baby Bob Markley, who had led the notoriously faux-psychedelic exploito-ensemble known as The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. Markley produced this album with much the same cavalier, slapdash approach as heard on the WCPAEB albums, slathering various tracks with fuzzed-out hippie-rock lead guitar riffs and goofy, marginally coherent lyrics, anchored by a slamming downbeat courtesy of drummers Jim Gordon and Earl Palmer. The sessions also featured Larry Knechtel on organ and keyboards, as well as bassist Joe Osborn and electric guitarist Gary Rowles, an A-list studio crew from the SoCal scene of '69... Mostly, I'd have to say this is probably mostly of interest to rock fans, though there are rootsy touches woven throughout the record. Stallings/Light actually had an international hit the title track of this album (which was especially big in Brazil, for some reason...) and while some may bristle at the seemingly phony Native American sound of the chorus chant, Stallings actually was Native American himself, a member of the Navajo nation. So, there's some wiggle room there. Anyway, country-rock fans may also recognize Stallings for his on-again/off-again contributions to the Sir Douglas Quintet albums of the same era, where he was one of the band's in-studio bass players. Although "Heya" was a hit single, apparently Stallings got kind of freaked out by it, and while he continued to record under his J.J. Light pseudonym, he mostly faded from the spotlight.

Ken Lightner "Welcome To Ken Lightner's Big Country" (Rite Records, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ken Alexander)
Nicknamed "the old coffee hound," after one of his songs, Kenneth L. Lightner (1935-2012) was a country music plugger who spent most of his life and career around the orbit of Harrisburg, though he made some forays to the bright lights of Nashville, and pursued musical gigs in several different states. An accountant by trade, Mr. Lightner started his musical career in the 1950s when he performed several times at a venue called the Home Folks Jamboree, in Elliottsburg, Pennsylvania. He apparently moved with the show to Nashville, where he and his band the Hayriders had a regular gig for a while. Like a lot of country performers of the era, he moved around a lot, going from gig to gig, playing at venues and on radio in several different states. This album was recorded at Alexander's Studio, in Dry Run, PA, just about twenty miles from where he started his journey. The band on this album included Mr. Lightner on bass, backed by steel player Al Foltin, Jim Stump on drums, and Curly Swisher playing lead guitar... As far as I know this was Ken Lightner's only album, though Al Foltin's country career also dated back to the 1950s, when he was in a band called the Foltin Brothers Driftin' Ployboys, with his brothers Frank and Gene, who cut at least one single back in the late 'Fifties.

Denny Lile "Denny Lile" (Bridges Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Veach & Turley Richards)
A solid set of hippie twang from a Louisville, Kentucky country-rock auteur whose inborn talent could have taken him nationwide, but whose path led elsewhere. This is a remarkable though little-known album, an actual indie-twang "gem" which deftly reveals a remarkably well-formed young talent, with an arresting, evocative sound, right on the opening track, "Hear The Bang." Lile's spooky vocals and striking arrangements merge into a singular presence, one of those oddly charismatic, somewhat eerie musical moments, like when you first heard Nick Drake, or one of those other "touched by grace" hippie-era eclectics. Not that I'm saying Lile is in that same mystic-folkie mode -- indeed, he quickly jumps into a more conventional acid-country mode, bringing to mind early Jonathan Edwards, or even the Youngbloods or Byrds. Lots of stoned-guy romantic musings, interlaced with oblique philosophizing, with often kooky, half-kitsch countrybilly accompaniment. On a few tunes (not all!) there's that kind of manic acoustic bounciness, the same untamed, clunky-but-charming, outsiders-looking-in, longhairs-going-country sound you'd hear on Dead albums and elsewhere: amorphous sheets of drifting pedal steel tones; cheerful, note-happy dobro accompaniment; a distinct lack of finesse in the phrasing, perhaps, but kind of a hoot anyway. There's also a bit of oddly textured, melancholy folk-a-delic meanderings, bringing to mind Tom Rush or Tim Hardin... A lot to chew on here; it's a very interesting record. And if you want to get the lowdown on Denny Lile's career (whatever happened to that guy??) the CD reissue listed below also includes a video disc with a brief documentary on it... I don't need to recount the story here, do I? Oh, all right... The short version is that Denny Lile spent his rock'n'roll teens wailing away in a few fabled Louisville-area garage-psych bands, then moved into rural visionary mode with surprising power and vision. This amazing album was his shot at the big time, but for whatever reasons, it tanked or got buried, and while he made a few inroads into Nashville, Lile never really made it in the music business: Waylon Jennings had a top-ten, late '80s hit with one of his songs, "Fallin' Out," some bluegrassers covered his stuff, but really, that was about it. Not the least of his troubles was a severe drinking problem which led to him blowing a lot of business contacts -- he wound up on the down and outs, dying broke at a very young forty-four, a tragedy made all the more painful when you're struck the immediacy and power of these haunting, plangent tunes. Denny Lile really had something going when he was in his early twenties... For a while he caught lightning in jar, kept it and looked at it a little, then let it go... But he also had the tapedecks rolling when he popped the lid. Lucky us!

Denny Lile "Hear The Bang: The Life And Music Of Denny Lile" (Big Legal Mess Records, 2015)
Hey, it includes a buncha bonus tracks -- and a documentary DVD, too!

Lilimai & The Southern Gospel Singers "The Church In The Valley" (Harp Records, 1965-?) (LP)
Rugged bluegrass gospel from Ohio... Lilimai Whitaker (vocals, guitar) was accompanied by bassist Curnie Collins, fiddler Aaron Hicks and her husband Charlie Whitaker on banjo and vocals. Ms. Whitaker wrote two of the songs, "Lord Show Me How" and "You Gotta Go To Judgement," which fit in nicely with a repertoire that includes a couple of Reno & Smiley covers, as well as other songs listed as traditional material. The Whitakers have recordings dating back at least as far as the early 1960s, and appear to have been part of the whole Dayton/Columbus/Cincinnati country gospel scene, also recording with J. D. Jarvis.

Lilimai & The Gospelaires "Jesus Has Called Me" (Rural Rhythm Records, 1971) (LP)

Lilimai & The Dixie Gospelaires "Hymn Time" (Rome Records, 197--?) (LP)

Linda Lilly "This Is..." (Now Sound Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Deaton & Jim Cox)
Billed in the liner notes as "the greatest discovery from West Virginia since coal," Linda Lilly had early success as a child performer, including a television debut on a local TV show called the "Straw Hat Hoedown" and an appearance on the nationally syndicated talent show, "Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour." She eventually settled into a career in nursing, but continued to perform locally and to write her own material. There are a dozen originals included on this album, songs such as "(I Want A) Plain Old Country Boy," "Flatfootin', USA," "High On Love" and "Start At The Bottom." Ms. Lilly was backed by a studio band led by pianist/arranger Dan Vernon, along with Gene Davidson (guitar, fiddle and steel guitar), John Bohanon (drums), Mike St. Clair (bass) and Stuart Light on banjo.

The Limited Edition "...Presents The Limited Edition" (1975) (LP)
This progressive bluegrass trio from Florida split things down the middle, with a bunch of bluegrass oldies and traditional tunes on Side One of this album, and more country-oriented, hippie-flavored material on Side Two. They covered songs like "Midnight Flyer" by the Eagles, "Glendale Train" and "Aime," by the Pure Prairie League. The trio consisted of Bill Middleton, Bob Shuler and Dave Stype: the group was influential on the Florida bluegrass scene and members went on (as all good bluegrassers do) to play in a variety of other groups. Love this first band name, though!

Betty Lin "Country Violin" (Lincoln Jamboree Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Sexton & Joel Ray Sprowls)
A square dance and bluegrass fiddler from Kirklin, Indiana, Betty Lin played on radio in her teens, and made infrequent appearances on various regional variety shows and hometown venues. She was probably about fifty when this album was made, and had a gig doing a monthly performance at the Lincoln Jamboree country variety show, based in Hodgenville, Kentucky. Lin recorded this album live onstage, with backing from a Jamboree band that included Ronnie Bennington (piano), Lou Bingham (lead guitar), Charles Durham (drums), Jack Lewis (bass) and Carlton Noel on steel guitar, billed here as "The Fabulous Five." The set list includes barn dance favorites such as "Soldier's Joy," "Orange Blossom Special," "Golden Slippers" and "Bile Them Cabbage Down"; many of the performances are pretty brief, little more than a minute or so, one assumes because of limited time for her set. Mrs. Lin first played the Renfro Valley Barn Dance in 1971, and in 1979 helped anchor Renfro Valley's revived edition of the New Coon Creek Girls, an all-gal band that later launched the career of bluegrass star Dale Ann Bradley. She was still doing local concerts as late as 1988-89, playing with groups such as The Country Sunshine Band... quite a career!

Sid Linard "Juke Box Angel" (Ovation Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Henry Strzelecki)
This is a cool, twangy honkytonk-edged country set, with plenty of cheatin' songs, boozing tunes, and their natural compliment, divorce songs. Like Moe Bandy around the same time, Birmingham's Sid Linard was kind of an unexpected throwback to a grittier sound than what was generally in the air in the mid-'70s and he threw himself into hard country tune like "Juke Box Angel" and the anti-alimony anthem, "I'm Not Gonna Let You Sock It To Me (Lying Down)," as well as the good-timing "The Undertaker's Gonna Have A Hard Time (Wiping The Smile Off Of My Face)," which Jerry Lee Lewis would have had a field day with as well. All the songs are originals by Linard, with one song about hardcore alcoholism, "A Lord Calvert's Kind Of Day," resurfacing on the 2012 sitcom, "Parenthood." This album failed to make even a tiny dent in the country charts, and Linard faded from sight, although he did pen a 1979 political novelty song, Roger Hallmark's 1979 single, "A Message To Khomeini," wile recording another album and a few more singles in years to come. Other than that, I wasn't able to track down much info about this guy. He did make one great record, though, and I'm listening to it right now. If you like Jerry Reed or Moe & Joe, you might want to check this guy out.

Sid Linard "I've Had Mine" (Brylen Records, 1982) (LP)
Apparently his swan-song, this album includes seven songs by Sid Linard, including remakes of two that appeared on his first album, "I'm Gonna Do My Thing" and "A Lord Calvert's Kind Of Day," though in this version Jack Daniels is the booze of choice: I guess Lord Calvert's was a little too fancy-pants for the country crowd in the early '80s. Also included are a couple of songs by Henry Strzelecki, who'd been working with Linard for many years.

Don Lincoln/Various Artists "Don Lincoln And Friends At Sandyland Park" (Sandyland Records, 1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Sandy Salyers & Dean Bredwell)
This album was a souvenir of a mom'n'pop country music venue called Sandyland Park, located in Nashville, Michigan (between Lansing and Kalamazoo.) Sandyland Park was the brainchild of George "Sandy" Salyers, a colorful figure who worked as a radio deejay in the early 1960s, before changing careers to become a barber. Salyers opened Sandyland in the fall of '78 and ran the park up through 1985, hosting numerous national stars on tour, as well as a house band starring singer Don Lincoln, who is said to have opened every show at the venue. On this album Lincoln is joined by Don Darnell (drums), Larry Doerr (rhythm guitar) and Linda Doerr, Bill Fuller (lead guitar), and Julane McNatt, a featured vocalist who was apparently in her teens at the time. As far as I can tell, the songs are all cover tunes, including chestnuts like "Proud Mary," "Silver Wings" and "You Gave Me A Mountain," as well as more contemporary stuff such The Eagles' "Lyin' Eyes" and the Kendalls hit, "Heaven's Just A Sin Away." Not sure of the date, but 1978-79-ish seems about right.

Johnny Lincoln "Sings Old Favorites" (Admiral Records, 197--?) (LP)
An album of classic country covers, sung by a guy from Rochester, Minnesota, south of Minneapolis... As advertised, this is all old stuff: "Born To Lose," "Oh Lonesome Me," "Today I Started Loving You Again," "Together Again," and of course, a version of "Rocky Top." Despite his slightly shaggy, bearded, Moe Bandy-ish demeanor, Lincoln shows an affinity for older, squarer ballads, tunes such as "Welcome To My World" and "I Can't Stop Loving You," from the peak of the Nashville Sound era. The material's mostly from the '50s and '60s, but definitely recorded sometime in the shaggy 'Seventies, or possibly the early '80s.

Bob Lind "Since There Were Circles" (Capitol Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Doug Weston)
One of the best-known stars of the 1960s folk revival, Colorado songwriter Bob Lind scored an improbable hit with his breezy 1966 folk-pop single, "Elusive Butterfly," which peaked at #5 on the national pop charts. Riding high, he recorded three albums that year, and was naturally among the legions of young artists hailed as "the next Dylan," which doubtless contributed to his immediate flame-out, substance abuse problems, and precipitous disappearance from the spotlight. Like many 'Sixties truthseekers, Bob Lind dropped out and wrestled with his psyche, reemerging in the early 'Seventies with this expansive, exuberant set of brainiac twang. Backing him was a real who's-who of the early country-rock scene, including top flight pickers such as Gene Clark of the Byrds, Doug Dillard, and Bernie Leadon, as well as bassist David Jackson (who backed Clark and Dillard on a string of influential early '70s LPs) and John Buck Wilkins, a showbiz kid who had also "gone country" on his own solo albums around this time. To be sure, this is hardly a straight-up country record, but you can't deny the impressive roster of talent, or its place in the early country-rock mosaic. Fans of spacey post-folkies such as Jeff Buckley, et.al., might dig this one.

Dennis Linde "Trapped In The Suburbs" (Elektra Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Chip Young)
I guess this one is added, unfortunately, mostly as a warning: although there is some country stuff on here, this is mostly a rock record, very much in keeping with the eclectic, genre-busting vibe of the time. Dennis Linde was a popular songwriter deeply entrenched in the Nashville studio scene, often working with his erstwhile bandmate, Rob Galbraith, notably in the country-rock-ish band, Jubal, but also in a free-floating, amorphous studio crew that catered more to younger artists in the pop/rock side of the tracks. (Galbraith plays a minor role on only two tracks, including on the title track, where he's credited as "rhythmic consultant," and another where he plays the clavinet... The point of this album seems to have been to assert Linde as his own man, a solo artist, in the wake of Jubal's demise.) Anyway, this is kind of a glorious mess, with a several explosions of really outlandish, over-the-top rock'n'roll experimentalism -- this album would probably turn most casual listeners off, but 'Seventies rock scholars might dig it, particularly anyone who was into Todd Rundgren, or Scott Boyer and Tommy Talton's band Cowboy. For twangfans, two songs stand out, "Country Steel Man" and "Peaceful," which both unexpectedly push steel player Lloyd Green into expansive, cosmic-cowboy territory, and are both worth plucking off this album and anthologizing somewhere. A couple of the pop tunes bookending this album are also notable for rock fans: "My Guitar," which starts out in a punkish hard-rock mode, and transforms into an almost T-Rex-ish glam tune, and "Just To Think," which is one of the softer, more pleasing of the Rundgren-style songs. If you're in a hurry, just skip to Side Two, but be sure to flip it back over for the one great country song on Side One.

Candy Lindell "Coast Of California" (London Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Marty Weitzler)
A later recording by veteran hillbilly singer Candy Lindell, the wife of Kansas native Ernie Lindell, a guitar picker who made his name as the bandleader of the WGY-AM Radio Ranch Gang in upstate New York, during the early 1950s. The Lindells met and married around 1950, and were well-known members of the East Coast/New England country scene for many years to come, hosting various radio and TV programs. This album includes both secular and gospel material, with backing musicians such as Pete Drake, and vocals by the Nashville Sound (ex-Anita Kerr Singers) and the Harden Trio.

Pete Lindemann "It's Music Time Recorded Live - Very Live" (Rocky Mountain Recording, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Art Nicklaus)
An old-timey set, recorded live at the Frontier Motor Hotel, during Frontier Days celebration in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Not a lot of info about this guy, but assuming he was the same guy who cut some 'Sixties singles on the Bee-Kay and Blue Moon" labels, Lindemann seems to have been from Minnesota. He plays a lot of polkas and waltzes (what they call "old time music" up around the Great Lakes) but also some real country tunes, stuff like "Down Yonder," "Out Behind The Barn," "Red Roses For A Blue Lady" and "Silver Bells."

The Linder-Lawson Band "The Linder Lawson Band" (Greatheart Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Art Nicklaus)
This country-rock trio from Shelton, Washington featured Roger Lawson on piano and vocals, Peggy Linder on drums, and Randy Linder playing guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin and harmonica... (Sounds like Randy was really busy!) All the songs are Linder-Lawson originals, with a strong sense of twang and good, earthy vocals... The group had its roots in a high school/college band called Lynx, which was formed in 1971 when members of the Lawson family merged with three of the Linders (including various older brothers who later dropped out...) An article in the local paper, The Shelton-Mason County Journal, noted that the Linder's grandfather, Hayes Davis, was a well-regarded regional musician who played musical saw and piano in the Skokomish Valley back in the early 1900s, so these folks had some legit rural roots. The band seems to have played mostly locally, with a lot of shows in '78, but less of a footprint after that... (Note: producer Art Nicklaus was a middle-aged guy who also recorded an album of his own on the Greatheart label, the previous year... not a lot of info about him, though.)

Lloyd Lindroth "Welcome To My World" (Dial Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Buddy Killen & Ernie Winfrey & John Dixon)
Country music on a grand harp? Sure... why not? Harpist Lloyd Lindroth seems to have been holding down a gig at the Opryland Hotel when he cut this album, and he's backed by a bunch of Nashville heavyweights, including pianists Bob Emmons, Ron Owens, Hargus Robbins and Bobby Wood; Jerry Shook on guitar, Sonny Garrish playing steel, and many others. Full disclosure: I wasn't brave enough to check this one out.

George Lindsey "Goober Sings!" (Capitol Records, 1968-?) (LP)
The first album by TV actor George Lindsey (1928-2012), best known for his role as "Goober Pyle," one of the down-to-earth locals on The Andy Griffith Show and on its successor, Mayberry RFD. Like his TV "cousin," Jim Nabors, Lindsey was an Alabama native with a knack for portraying slack-jawed yokels, and he extended that hick persona to his personality-album comedy records, and later in a long stint with on Hee-Haw. This album tilts towards comedy, with songs like "I Ain't Good Looking (But I'm Mighty Sweet)" and "I'll Live Here Till I Die," as well as "Write Me R.F.D.," which was probably tied to the new TV show.

George Lindsey "96 Miles To Bakersfield" (Capitol Records, 1969-?) (LP)
(Produced by Kelso Herston)
As the title implies, this album has a little more of a hard-country feel, although it's not quite the West Coast twangfest you might imagine... The title track was written by Sonny Curtis, and is followed up with a cover of the Wynn Stewart hit, "It's Such A Pretty World Today," which Lindsey plays fairly straight. The rest of the record is more overtly comedic, with some hits and some misses... A couple of tracks, like "Everything Else Is Just Toothpaste" and "If I Only Had A Brain" are played pretty broadly and are a little painful to listen to, though others are surprisingly solid, such as his versions of "Plastic Saddle" and Red Lane's "It'll Be Me." Lindsey doesn't always put on the Goober voice, and the tracks where he uses his natural intonation are decent if not earthshaking country material, with a hint of Roger Miller in his delivery... The liner notes don't identify the studio musicians, although one would assume they're all Capitol country A-listers... Producer Kelso Herston penned a couple of the songs, and several are co-written by Ron Chancey. The liner notes make reference to the Mayberry RFD show, which was in full swing at the time. Nothing mind-blowing here, though it's probably better than you imagine.

George "Goober" Lindsey "...Goes To Town" (MCA Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Glasser & Brian Vessa)

Leabert Lindsey & His Hapalaka Band "Hapalaka" (Hapalaka Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ken Chikasuya)
"The Hapalaka Band blend Hawaiian country soul with calypso, honky tonk, and rock, reflective of the many cultures of these islands and the musical compassion of her people." Their words not mine. And who am I to argue? This eclectic album was recorded at Rain Recording studio in Mountain View, Hawaii, on eastern edge of the big island, and the title track was composed by Mr. Lindsey while he was working on a paniolo cattle ranch owned by the Medieros family in Kona. Most fo the song titles are in Hawaiian and are credited to Leabert Lindsey, with the exceptions of a public domain tune, "Makala Pua," and one called "Don't Be Blind," by Alan Tejada. The main band was made of of lead singer Leabert Lindsey, along with bassist Roy Buck, Scott Nelson (keyboards) and Matt Phillips (drums), with additional mahalo shout-outs to conga player Shawn Darling, Elmer Lim (slack key guitar), Burt Phillips (lead guitar), John Phillips (saxophone), Jim Strengel (lead guitar and steel). As far as I know, this was the group's only album.

Leabert Lindsey & His Hapalaka Band "HPRA Champion" (Leahi Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Shimabukuro)
This album was released in conjunction with the Hawaiian Professional Rodeo Association, or HPRA... I'm not sure if Leabert Lindsey was actually a member -- or indeed an HPRA champion, as implied in the album's title. The liner notes rather vaguely compare the stick-to-it-iveness required to keep a country band up and running to the fortitude required to rope and ride, but that makes it sound less like Lindsey was a rodeo rider himself. As on his other albums, this features a mix of Hawaiian-language, island-themed material and more overtly country stuff, with lead vocals by Leabert Lindsey, backed by much the same band as before: bassist Roy Buck, Scott Nelson (keyboards), Matt Phillips (drums) and Scott Soots (lead guitar) along with various and sundry others, notably album producer Gary Shimabukuro on keyboards, and slack ket legend Ledward Kaapana playing on a couple of tracks: "Ka Lae O Ka Ena" and "Kupa Landing." Also in the mix are Lindsey's brothers, Bruce and Stemo, singing with him on a few tracks: "Country Song," "Feeling Hawaii Country" and "Lean On Me," with the trio billed as The Lindsay Brothers.

Leabert Lindsey "Leabert Lindsey" (Jus' Press Records, 1996) (LP)
(Produced by Ledward Kaapana, Leabert Lindsey & Charles Recaldo)

Leabert Lindsey & His Hapalaka Band "Live: Requests!" (Jus' Press Records, 1999-?) (cassette)

Leabert Lindsey & His Hapalaka Band "Live: Originals And Slack Key" (Jus' Press Records, 2000) (cassette)

Leabert Lindsey "Only In Our Hawaii" (Jus' Press Records, 2008) (CD)
(Produced by Noe Kimi-Buchanan)

Gary Link "Classic Country" (Great Southern Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Walls)
Originally from Indiana, singer Gary Link moved to Southwest Florida in the '70s and set up shop as a would-be novelty artist, though he later devolved into a real oddball. This album (his first?) is definitely one of the cheesier records you might ever encounter. I mean, admittedly it's a fairly straightforward set, with Mr. Link in relatively fine voice, but the ballad material is still super-schmaltzy, and not really the kind of country I dig, replete with the most overplayed hits from Eddy Arnold, 'Seventies-era Ray Price, Kris Kristofferson and the like... Mostly pretty anodyne and bland, but things really veer sideways on his version of Glen Campbell's "Turn Around, Look At Me," which is one of the most on-the-nose, genuinely scary stalker songs ever made, particularly Link's rendition, where he finally cuts loose and gets way, way more emotive than he should. It's a creepy classic, kind of. Anyway, I can't say I'd really recommend this disc, though it is one of Link's better albums. He sings and plays keyboards, with backing by studio pro John Rich on steel guitar and bass, lead guitarist Dave Haslip, Carl Chambers playing rhythm guitar, and Rodney Price on drums. No date, but definitely a 'Seventies set.

Gary Link "Shell Factory Billboard Blues" (Great Southern Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Carl Chambers & Len Walls)
This album's title track was a minor regional hit, a reasonably twangy novelty number that name-drops a bunch of local references (which inexplicably are punctuated by canned laughter from some theoretical live audience...) There are other enjoyable country-oriented tunes on here, some with a slight Jimmy Buffett vibe about them, although others remind me quite a bit of songwriter Dick Feller... Interestingly, most of the songs are from other songwriters, with only two credited to Gary Link, with one by producer Carl Chambers, as well as tunes George Bowers and Hank Scholz, and one by Kent Robbins, "After Sweet Memories," which is an album highlight. The band included Gary Link on keyboards and vocals, backed by Duke Burr (harmonica), Carl Chambers (guitar), Jesse Chambers (bass), Jon Corneal (percussion), Rodney Price (drums), Joe Spann (banjo) and some sweet steel guitar by John Rich. The production values aren't always great, but generally speaking the songs are fun, and the album as a whole is a cut or two above most of Link's other releases... Definitely worth a spin, and one of Mr. Link's more solidly country efforts. Worth a spin. [Oh! And this also has one of those "busted by the man" album covers, showing Gary Link getting "arrested" by the Lee County Sheriff's Department... an odd theme that pops up on a lot of country albums.]

Gary Link "Live At The Hut" (Hut Records, 1981) (LP)

Gary Link "Easy Lovin' " (Great Southern Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Link & Len Walls)
A pretty straight set of country crooning, with Gary Link covering classics such as Freddy Hart's "Easy Lovin'," "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain" and "Georgia On My Mind," as well as favorite hits with more robust numbers such as "Elvira," Jim Croce's "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again." The Florida-based backing band was quite competent and professional, while Link holds it together better than on some of his other albums, while still cheerfully lapsing into some pretty cheesy emoting. Gary Link plays keyboards, album with Jimmy Byrd on guitars and bass, drummer Jon Corneal, and string arrangements by Donnie Sumner -- there's also a good steel player in the mix, but they aren't identified on the album. All is all, this is a credible, if uncompelling, effort by a guy who made some other records that were kinda sketchy. Also a little odd is the cover photo, which features a cameo portrait of Mr. Link along with an unidentified gal who I had assumed was his duet partner, though it turns out this is not a duets album.

Gary Link "In Nashville" (Great Southern Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Burgess)

Gary Link "As Requested" (Mariner Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Bryce Roberson)
Wow. Just... wow. I mean, look, I'm not one of those irony-addicted would-be hipsters who gets my ya-yas by making fun of old records I think are "bad," but sometimes you just gotta be honest about it. There's not a lot of wiggle room here: it's hard to imagine anyone appreciating this album as anything else but a so-bad-it's-good trainwreck of an album, one of those self-delusional artistic oddities that are the kind of thing you imagine most custom pressings would sound like. Link's vocal style brings Dick Feller to mind, while his oddball lyrics have a Jack Blanchard/Misty Morgan feel, just without the cohesion or discipline of either of those examples. The songs are weird, the lyrics can be vaguely disturbing, the arrangements are precarious and the performances are just plain nutty. All the songs are originals, most of them written by Gary Link, with a few by G. Bowers and one co-written with someone named G. Lesh. That track, "Chasm Of Time," is a real standout amid a battalion of justifiably mockable songs -- for one thing, it's drum-machine, disco-synth arrangement sounds different from the country-ish tunes that surround it, but also, omigod it's just an amazingly bad song, one of several soul-searching philosophical meanderings that populate this disc. Indeed, this album is backed with jaw-droppers, tunes that malevolent, puerile college radio deejays could cackle about for decades to come. Again, I'm not trying to be mean, but I do feel some obligation to let you all know that this record is... special. Apparently, Gary Link died in a 1986 auto accident, so this may have been his last album... I'm not proud of myself for mocking him here, but it really couldn't be helped. You were warned.

Gordon Linn "Wild Oats" (Audio Design Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Harms & Dave Stein)
This one's a bit odd, what with the cover art that shows Gordon Linn out standing in his field and all that, even though the music is hardly as rural-sounding as you might imagine. Mr. Linn was from Waverly, Iowa though maybe he had big city dreams -- this is a pop-oriented album though in an eclectic, 'Seventies, singer-songwriter kinda way. It does include some pedal steel from Harlan Cornelius, who also wrote the liner notes, and I guess there's an element of twang in here, though not really enough to hold my attention. Fans of '70s soft-pop might wanna check this one out, though.

Sherwin Linton -- see artist discography

Kenny Lintz "Ain't Necessarily The Best, But The Only Of Kenny Lintz" (Lou-Ray Productions, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Grady O'Neal)
San Jose, California's Kenny Lintz was a construction worker whose devoted wife encouraged him to record an album, doubtless after many years of hearing him sing in the shower... The quirky liner notes to this odd little album reveal his own ambivalence about the project, hastening to say that a second album is probably not forthcoming. Lintz is a likeable but uneven performer -- sometimes he belts lyrics out quite effectively, though for a lot of this album he kinda hams it up and gets all croony and seems almost self-satirizing, even though I think his heart was really in it. Musically, it's mostly a lounge-y set, though there are country touches -- his own gritty vocal tone and some pedal steel, courtesy of Bobbie Black, an erstwhile member of the Commander Cody band. Other local talent included a couple of guys who were tied to the Santa Cruz pop band Harper's Bizarre, while guitarist Larry Serrano provides solid (though jazzy) accompaniment as well as the arrangements. Although he does include a few Nashville hits, this probably isn't really for twangfans... But it is a completely honest snapshot of an avowedly amateur musician cutting an album really just for the hell of it.

Joe Lisi "It's The UAW All The Way" (Lem Productions, 1966-?) (LP)
Not to be confused with the cop-show character actor or the sports writer of the same name, union activist Joe Lisi styled himself as "the UAW Troubadour," and started performing publicly in 1951 as part of a union training event after having joined the UAW up in Detroit. He was good at it, and dedicated himself to singing at union functions and numerous political rallies, lending his talents to the campaigns of Adlai Stevenson, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and countless others further down the ticket... Lisi appears to have been from Michigan originally, joining the UAW in 1950 and later moving around the country to Connecticut, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas as a union "summer school" organizer, finally settling in New Jersey, which is where he was living when he cut this disc. I'm not sure which of his albums came first, but if you're looking for Lisi's more political side, here it is. In addition to labor anthems such as "Solidarity Forever," etc., this has other topical songs such as "Crusade For Safety" and "We've Got To Fight Pollution Now" as well as the title track, "UAW All The Way." The probable release date for this album comes courtesy of the bibliography from Utah Phillips' "Big Red Songbook."

Joe Lisi "Sings Country And Western" (Lem Productions, 197--?) (LP)
No doubt when he started out, he sang a lot of Pete Seeger/Weavers-type folkie material, but on this early '70s album he stuck pretty closely to non-political country stuff, including some Depression era oldies and gospel material, as well as hits such as Hank Williams' "Jambalaya," "Release Me" and "Rose Of San Antone." There's no date on the album, although the liner notes mention events in 1970, so I imagine this was recorded not long after that, perhaps 1971-72, though it looks a bit older than that. Guess there wasn't enough money in the union pension fund for new artwork, though: they recycled the same photo of Lisi from the UAW album. Thrifty!

David Liska "Startin' All Over Again" (Pharoah Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Doug Clark)
An eclectic set bridging folk and country, but definitely plenty of twang. Songwriter-multi-instrumentalist David John Liska hailed from Glastonbury, Connecticut, and had a musical career that spanned back to the early 1960s when he was playing more rock-oriented material with a band called Davy Jones & The Dolphins, and formed a bluegrass band called Kentucky Wind that put out a couple of albums after this disc came out. In later years he worked under the stage name David John & The Comstock Cowboys. Among others backing him here are his brother Richard Liska on dobro, and East Coast steel player Terry Sutton, banjo plunker Don Urbanic, and Liska picking mandolin and guitar. (Thanks to the PragueFrank website for their work unravelling this long musical thread.)

Dave Liska & Kentucky Wind "Indian Summer" (Aztec Records, 1977) (LP)

Dave Liska & Kentucky Wind "Stranger Lost In Time" (Laughing Cat Records, 1979) (LP)

Big Bill Lister "Sho' Nuff Country Stuff" (The Salt Lick Foundation, 1983)
(Produced by Lee Thomas & Michael Price)
A hardcore honkytonker with a soft spot for great novelty songs, Texan Big Bill Lister recorded a lot of great music in the early 1950s, music that's been given the Bear Family/Cattle Records reissue treatment a time or two... He dropped out of the professional music scene and became kind of an elder statesman of the Texas country scene, and in the early '80s recorded this freewheeling, lighthearted album with the help of his nephew Harris Kirby, who co-produced the album and played bass and mandolin. Also on board were Slim Richey (fiddle, banjo, mandolin), Buddy Hale (guitar, backing vocals), Ron Green (bass), Greg Jackson (dobro), Koichi Sakai (bass), Lee Thomas (banjo), and Michael H. Price on piano. The repertoire includes covers of Wayne Raney's "Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me," Jimmie Rodgers' "Women Make A Fool Out Of Me," along with a bunch of tunes credited to Lister as well, including "What The Heck Is Going On." An obscure private album, this one's seen the light of day in the digital era as a CD-R... though for you vinyl fans, there's still the thrill of the hunt!

Little Butch "Coming On Strong" (1967-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Nagle & Bud Coss)
This set was recorded live at the Frontier Saloon, in Grand Forks, North Dakota by a gal who was married to an Air Force sergeant who was presumably stationed in the air force base nearby... Her real name isn't given on the album, and there appear to be no original songs on here, although her backing band is identified as Kenny Hart & The Blazers. (Note: The Some Local Loser blog tagged this one a few years back, but also couldn't pierce the veil. Anyone have more info on these folks?

Little Enis "I Kept The Wine And Threw Away The Roses" (Lemco Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Little Enis & Cecil Jones)
A native Kentuckian, Glenn Carlos Toadvine (aka Little Enis, 1935-1976) was a left-handed guitar picker and first-generation 1950s rockabilly artist who was famously profiled in an extensive Playboy article which dubbed him "The Greatest Left-Handed Upside Down Guitar Player." Toadvine grew up in Parksville, Kentucky and became a fixture on the Lexington club scene, although he and his band the Table Toppers also toured nationally for a while, opening for Jerry Lee Lewis. He was also known as a dynamic Elvis Presley imitator, back in the days when Elvis was still alive. The liner notes to this LP grimly note that Little Enis's struggle with alcoholism had almost killed him a few years earlier, though tragically he died of a heart attack less than two years after this came out. A pity, really, since this is a great, truly twangy record, with a fab mid-'Seventies neo-trad sound and a solid country feel. He had kind of a squeaky little voice, but the kid of real-hick squeaky little voice that I really dig. Recommended!

Little Feat -- see artist profile

Little Jo "Sonny Orr Productions Introduces..." (Marjon Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Rege Easler & Johnny Krizancic)
A native of Washington state, Ms. Little Jo (whose last name remains a mystery) started her musical career performing on US military bases in West Germany... She came back to the States, settled in Pennsylvania and worked for a profusion of little-known bands which are painstakingly detailed in the liner notes of this album: John Scingledecker's Country Look-Outs, George Keith & The Country Heirs, The Country Travelers, The Ranglers and others. Here she sings with guitarist Rege Easler and his band, The Silver Spurs, in an early '70s set of country covers, stuff like "Mommy For A Day," "I Don't Wanna Play House," "I Fall To Pieces," "I Don't Wanna Play House" and "D-I-V-O-R-C-E," as well as more generic old-school country, tunes such as "It Don't Hurt Anymore" and "Right Or Wrong."

Ken Little & The Spoon River Band "Leanin' On The Bar" (Dharma Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Perry Johnson & Ken Little)
If you admire artists who show real musical breadth, you gotta give some props to Ken Little from Libertyville, Illinois, outside of Chicago... In 1973 he released a pretty solid hard rock album called Solo that had strong proggy influences and edged into territory mapped out by groups such as Emerson Lake & Palmer, Mountain, Rush and about a bazillion other hippie-era rock bands I've let drift out of my mind... There was a big blues influence as well, with instrumental cameos by bluesmen Sugarcane Harris and Hubert Sumlin. Fast-forward a couple of years and here he is fronting an album of straight-up longhair country, and the transition is pretty convincing, if nearly unbelievable. He really switched gears on this one! This Spoon River Band is not the same as the guys from Pennsylvania, in case you were wondering.

The Little Nashville Express "...Presents Showtime" (Little Nashville Enterprises, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Don D. Sheets, Roger Smith & Kurt Ericson)
Wow... a real Rosetta stone for the Indiana country scene here! This was a souvenir album from the Little Nashville Opry, a venue that hosted local and national talent for about twenty-five years before a fire destroyed the auditorium. This disc showcases the opry's house band, circa 1983, and features several musicians such as electric guitar picker James Allen, steel player Garry Pugh and drummer Karl Lutz, who backed local performers (notably songwriter Larry Rollins) on earlier albums. Perhaps of wider interest are a couple of younger locals pictured on the back who went on to much bigger things: bluegrass fiddler and Nashville session player Glen Duncan (originally from Columbus, Indiana) and "Juli Maners" (aka Lisa Germano, from Mishawaka). Not long after this record was made, Germano went on tour with fellow Hoosier John Mellencamp, then catapulted into international fame as an alt-rock star in the 1990s. The album opens with a bang, on a flamboyant instrumental version of "Down Yonder," demonstrating the real power of this dynamic, highly professional band. Germano takes over on the next tune, singing "Gone At Last," and later belting it out on songs such as "Break It To Me Gently" and "Stand By Your Man." Now, although these guys were clearly very talented, and probably better than most Midwestern "opry" bands, this album does suffer from their apparent boredom with some of the material they covered, particularly the more current pop'n'country hits. The unidentified male vocalist who ironically lounge-lizards his way through Ronnie Milsap's hit "I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World" sounds smarmy and insincere -- sure he's hitting all the notes, and sure it was a terrible song to begin with, but why sing something you don't like? Ditto on their cover of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," which again sounds like its being played for laughs, and isn't much fun to listen to as a result. Other than the instrumentals, the only real thrill for twang fans here is a tune called "Put It Back Together Again," which has a Jerry Jeff Walker/Lost Gonzo feel that's kinda neat. Lisa Germano was the clear "star" of this show, and not just in hindsight: although she also sounds kind of bored with the gig, she stands out as a powerful performer, straining to break free. And she did!

Ray Little "The Ray Little Gang" (Arc Records, 196--?) (LP)
Bandleader Ray Little was originally from New Hampshire, although he and his wife Ann (a Massachusetts gal) emigrated up to Canada in 1946, where they led country bands in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. At the time of this album (sorry, no date) they'd been hosting a TV show in Regina for over three years. Unfortunately as is often the case with these old Arc LPs, there's no info about who the backing musicians were on this set.

Sam Little "Fruit Tramp" (Road Runner Records, 19--?) (LP)
An early album by folkie-twangster "Singing" Sam Little, a professional truck driver who worked in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska... On later albums he honed his image as a country trucker and most of his later records are trucker-themed. This one includes a wider range of material, including songs such as "Auction Barn," "Big Country Show," "The Gospel Singer's Reward" and "Big Country Show."

Sam Little "Kamakazi Trail" (Comet Records, 1976) (LP)
A lot of trucker tunes here, though also some topical stuff, songs such as "Evel Knievil" and "George Wallace," which I ain't heard yet, though I sure do wonder if it was pro, or con. Also pretty curious about the one called "Drifting Construction Workers..."

Garn Littledyke "Wichita Lineman" (Crown Records, 1968) (LP)
This was -- apparently -- the lone album by singer Garn Littledyke, one of those little-known nobodies who got their "break" recording fly-by-night sessions for cheapie labels such as LA's Crown Records, which tried to lure in unsophisticated LP buyers by covering big hits of the day, in hopes that their customers didn't know the names of the original artists. The draw for this album was a cover of Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman," although a lot of the other songs on here seem to be originals such as "I'm Tied Down" and "Shadows Of My Mind," which sadly have no songwriter credits attached to them. Littledyke was a remarkably primitive singer, croaking his way through a very enjoyable though undeniably campy set of twangtunes... As is often the case with these albums, there's a lot of ridiculously unrestrained picking by the anonymous backing musicians (who were probably hippie rockers doing a pickup session) all of which adds to the album's unique charm. It's possible there was more than one singer on these sessions: a highlight track is the Roger Miller-ish "Don't Let the Door Slap Your Backside Goin' Out," which has a more solid, hillbilly rock sound, as well as much stronger vocals. But who knows? Anyway, for fans of this subgenre, this album's a hoot.

Bubba Littrell "Sings Tulsa County... And Ten More New And Old Favorites" (Joey Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Joey Lopez)
Jon K. "Bubba" Littrell (1936-2011) was a local country stalwart from San Antonio, Texas... He backed Leon Payne from time to time and led his own band, the Melody Mustangs for several decades, doing dance hall gigs all around Texas and the Panhandle... Anyone have more info about this guy?

Bubba Littrell "Bubba Littrell" (Joey Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Joey Lopez)

Bubba Littrell "Album Number 3: Something Very Special" (Joey Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Bubba Perron)
Although he projects an outlaw-ish vibe, Littrell's music is an interesting, mellow mix of traditional Texas shuffles and more sedate ballads, with strong callbacks to country crooners like Hank Locklin and Don Williams, lovingly draped with plenty of Texas-style fiddle and steel guitar. Almost all the songs on here are originals written by Mr. Littrell... Good stuff!

Live Wire Choir "Live Wire Choir" (Helios Records, 1978) (LP)
A remarkably eclectic crossover band from Missoula, Montana, mixing folk and country with bluegrass and western swing. The group included Oakley Cassaboom on banjo and pedal steel, Frank Chiaverini (guitar and mandolin), Richie Reinholdt (banjo and guitar), David Swayne (fiddle and mandolin), Don Townley (drums) and Rick Waldorf on bass. They were perhaps best known for their participation in the Aber Day Keggers, a rolling series of 1970s mini-Woodstocks held up in big sky country, although the group also toured widely across the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the West Coast during its brief late-'Seventies glory days.

Live Wire Choir "Topsy" (Matchbox Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Pallone & Mark Kaltman)
The title track is a Benny Goodman tune, while they also play a little Gershwin, a Tin Pan Alley oldie by Dave Franklin, and a swell version of "Panhandle Rag." Most of the songs on here, though, are originals by various band members, including three tracks credited to Oakley Cassaboom, and several by some of the other guys. This was their final album, recorded before the band broke up in 1980. Several members moved on to other bands, notably Richie Reinholdt, who delved deep into the regional bluegrass scene, Cassaboom who kept doing local gigs, and Chiaverini who seems to have opened a music store in Troy, MT. Live Wire Choir reunited in 1997 and staged annual reunion tours for several years, though I don't think they made any other records.

Living Proof "First Time Around" (Jomar Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Francis Tibor & Gerard Tibor)
Country covers by a trio from Hebron, North Dakota, a tiny satellite of the slightly larger capital city, Bismarck. I couldn't see a date on here, but the the album art makes me think this probably came out around 1984-86... something like that. The Living Proof trio of Cary, Cory and Cy seem to be brothers -- they thank their parents on the album cover, but unfortunately don't give their own last name. They are joined by a couple of the Tibor brothers -- Harvey (banjo and steel guitar) and Gerard Tibor (synthesizers) -- on a set that seems to include some original material, as well as covers of classics such as "Folsom Prison Blues" and "If You Could Touch Her At All."

Don Livingston "Just Easin' " (Asco Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by John LaSalle)
Texas twangster Don Livingston grew up in Lubbock, Texas alongside iconic musicians such as Joe Ely and Gary P. Nunn. He played in bands and managed music venues, eventually making his way to Austin, where he became a mainstay of the 'Seventies outlaw scene, hanging out with Jerry Jeff Walker and playing bass for Michael Martin Murphey. He also became heavily involved in Texas's musical folklore and historical preservation, helping direct the Texas Music Museum and pitching in with the Kerrville Folk Festival. Although not quite the same sort of household name as many of his Lone Star compatriot's Livingston recorded several LP at the height of the outlaw scene, and continued to record and perform well into the digital era.

Don Livingston "Livingston's Gone To Texas" (Asco Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Allen Breneman)
This album was recorded in Hollywood, California, with a cover photo showing Livingston hitchhiking outside of Poway, CA, near San Diego. The musicians include Don Livingston on guitar, Robert Livingston on bass, Judd Sandison (pedal steel), Allen Breneman (percussion) and the group Don Diamond & The Demons back him on the album's closing number, a cover of the rock'n'roll oldie, "Teenager In Love." Most of the songs are Livingston originals, though he also covers stuff by George Jones, Gary P. Nunn, John Stewart's "July You're A Woman," and the title track, "Livingston's Gone To Texas," was one of Jimmy Buffett's early tunes.

Don Livingston "Solo" (Asco Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Don Livingston & Gregg Eschench)
A live set, recorded at Reuben's Plankhouse, in San Diego. The set includes a mix of blues, folk, western oldies by the Sons Of The Pioneers, and several Livingston originals.

Neil Livingston "Pedal Steel Guitar Excellence" (Excel Music, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Harvey Gilkerson & Bob Waits)
A pedal steel player from Spokane, Washington, Neil Livingston was an acolyte of steel legend Noel Boggs, and formed his own band back in the early 1950s, playing shows in the Pacific Northwest before landing a gig in 1956 playing on The Louisiana Hayride, way down in Shreveport. He headed home after a few years and according to the liner notes, helped come up with the steel riffs on Charlie Ryan's original version of "Hot Rod Lincoln." This album has a more conventional slant, mixing pop covers and country tunes, with some of the more contemporary material including "Green Onions," "Ode To Billy Joe," and "September Song." It seems to have been a promotional album for "Excel" steel guitars, which may have been Livingston's own brand(?) since an address is given in Cheney, Washington for both the album and the guitars. The backing band includes Vince Tayon on lead guitar, Paul Valsvig (bass), Bill Watson (drums) and David Winslow playing piano. Livingston also did a fair amount of session work, notoriously backing rockabilly pioneer Frank Starr on his acid-rock-tinged gospel album, recorded with the Wilson-McKinley Jesus Rock Band in 1972. (They misspelled his first name "Niel," an error which has been perpetuated on multiple platforms...) I'm not sure if he cut other albums under his own name, though this disc's a doozy.

Floyd Lloyd "Wilf Carter Song Book" (Arc Music, 19--?) (LP)
Not to be confused with the reggae/ska artists who was part of Laurel Aitken's posse, Canadian country singer Floyd W. Lloyd (1927-1992) recorded several albums for the Arc Music label, specializing in tribute albums such as this one, which I believe was his first... Born in Kaladar Township, Ontario, worked in the rust belt auto industry while also pursuing his musical career, performing on radio station CKDO, as well as touring throughout the Great Lakes region, in both Canada and the US. He certainly had a distinctly Canadian sound: fans of early, pre-Nashville Hank Snow will recognize a similarly plainspoken vocal style here, with stripped-down, minimalist arrangements that mimic those of his idol, Wilf Carter. Perhaps a bit inaccessible to modern country fans, but those of us who dig the older approach might get a kick out of it. (Thanks to the Land O' Lakes website for their info on Lloyd's career!)

Floyd Lloyd "...Sings Ernest Tubb" (Arc Music, 19--?) (LP)

Floyd Lloyd "...Sings More Wilf Carter Song Hits" (Arc Music, 19--?) (LP)
On this second Wilf Carter tribute album, the musicians include Tommy St. James, another Canadian local who recorded some stuff on his own as well...

Jimmy Lloyd "Snowbird" (Crown Records, 1970/71-?) (LP)
A later recording by Kentucky-born hillbilly/rockabilly legend Jimmie Logsdon (1922-2001) recording under the alias he used for his rock recordings, back in the 1950s. This is an instrumental set built around Logsdon's considerable skills as a guitar picker, with backing by an anonymous studio band cobbled together by the Crown label. Mostly it's a lot cheesier than you'd expect compared to his fiery early work, but there's a nice variety of material, some of it kinda surfy or Jimmy Bryant-esque, some of it Chet Atkins-y, and some of it straight up muzak; one track, "Everybody For Himself," has a Muscle Shoals feel. If you're into twangy guitar instrumental albums, this disc's a doozy. Apparently Mr. Logsdon retired from show business in the early 'Seventies, not long after this came out.

Jimmy Lloyd "Fireball Mail" (Crown Records, 1971) (LP)

Ron Lloyd "New Moons 'N' Old Leather" (Deschutes Station Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Lanny Williamson & Priscilla Stanley)
An intriguing mix of old-fashioned western (cowboy) music, and a hazier sort of nature-and-the-frontier worship... Which I kind of mean literally. Ron Lloyd's earlier album from 1975 was an aquarian Christian outing, and he laces his 'Seventies-style cosmic wonder and awe into this album as well. Sandwiched in with covers of old Sons Of The Pioneers classics are Lloyd originals such as "Desert Pete," "Garden Of The Gods" and "Prairie Dreamer." Lloyd was from Eugene, Oregon and is backed here by some guys, including bassist Alan Reinoehl and drummer Bob Smith, who had been playing with Lloyd for years and had also recorded with him in his more overtly religious phase...Also on board are bluegrasser Larry McNeely on banjo, Rick Littlefield on guitar and mandolin, and others. In addition to Lloyd's originals, there's one called "Old Leather" that was written by Alan Reinoehl.

Ron Lloyd "Live With The Whole Fam Damily" (Earon, Inc., 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Peter Lorinez & Archie Witheral)
A live album, recorded at Ahab's Whale, a bar in Spokane, Washington that later was renamed the Viking. The concert features Lloyd and his old cohort -- John Powell on guitar, bassist Alan Reinoehl, along with drummer Bob Smith, playing with kind of a weird cosmic, hippie jam-band vibe. After the Ron Lloyd band folded in the mid-'Eighties, Powell and Reinoehl formed an oldies cover band called the Valley Boys.

Paula Lockheart "The Incomplete Paula Lockheart" (Flying Fish Records, 1979)
NYC-based blues/swing pianist Paula Lockheart evoked the classic work of 1940's slick clicks such as Lil Green and Julia Lee, with sly, lusty romps through a lively mix of cover songs and original material. Mostly on the jump blues and swing-jazz tip, but with a healthy bit of old-school twang in there as well, particularly in the rollicking "Boogie Woogie Country Girl," a tune I heard a bazillion times on KFAT radio, back in the olden days. Fans of Marcia Ball, Asleep At The Wheel and the artists they admired will probably find this disc to be lots of fun as well. This is a pretty sweet collection of her work - fun, rambunctious blues boogies that'll get your toes a-tappin' every time. (PS - Here's an interesting aside: apparently Ms. Lockheart went on to found LockMusic, the company that started the Music Together arts program for pre-K toddlers... I will dedicate my next scarf dance in her honor!)

The Locust Fork Band "Playin' Possum" (LFB Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Travis Rivers)
A longhair boogie band from Montgomery, Alabama who probably had pretty big dreams. There's definitely some twang in here, mostly on a couple of tongue-in-cheek country songs, though these folks were more of a boogie-rock and Southern rock/jam band outfit, also balancing things out with a few really goddawful would-be Top Forty '70s pop songs. Several different bandmembers sing lead on various songs, some are good and some... well, less so. Musically, these guys had some chops and probably were pretty popular live, although they probably needed to either tighten things up and trim the fat on a few songs, or else just go for it and become a crazy jam band. Either way, this album wound up being a groovy time capsule of Deep South semi-alterna-rock, giving a taste of what folks just outside the orbit of the whole Muscle Shoals/Memphis scene could sound like. I do like the country stuff, too, especially the cheatin' song, "Overnite Success," written by Bill Marshall... His tune "Tuscaloosa" is another album highlight. Also worth noting are a few of the guest performers, including Charlie Daniels and Tracy Nelson, who sings backup on four of the songs. I wouldn't say I love this album, but if you get a chance, check it out.

Lodestar "Lodestar" (Flat Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Dixon, Paul Lemoine & Ellis Miller)
Hippie-folkie acoustic-electric twangalizing by an Oregon ensemble made up of Rolf Borchorevink (bass and guitar), Paul Lemoine (guitar), Jamie Luck (guitar), Gary Nolde (drums) and Don Williams (no, not that one) (guitar and piano). The presence of studio producer Ellis Miller made me wonder if this was another Ripcord Records-related pressing, and sure enough, it was recorded at the Ripcord studios (credited on the jacket as Portland Records; Miller's longtime collaborator Gene Breeden also sits in on pedal steel guitar for a track or two... This looks super-'Seventies, but probably came out around the same time as their other album. [Oddly, a much more clean-cut edition of the band put out a single in 1982, although the lineup had completely changed, as in, not a single musician overlapped with the original group. Paul Lemoine was still attached, though, so I guess Flat Records was his private label...]

Lodestar "This Oregon Country" (Flat Records, 1981-?) (LP)

Bobby Wayne Loftis "Style" (Charta Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Fields)
A country back-bencher who made it further than most, Bobby Wayne Loftis scored a handful of back-forty hits, with his highest charting single, a cover of Johnny Rivers's "Poor Side Of Town," which pegged out at #54 on Billboard. Loftis (1940-1990) was born in Kentucky and lived in Battle Creek, Michigan for most of his life... He was a military veteran who was paralyzed by a back injury; although the liner notes on his second album called Loftis "a victim of the Vietnam era," in his obituary says he served from 1958-61, and was injured in an auto accident while stationed in France. A former rocker who owned a club called the Green Top Inn for a while in the late '60s, Loftis "went country" in the early '70s and headed for Nashville to cut the material for two albums. Loftis worked steadily on Michigan's country scene, playing regionally around Kalamazoo and Detroit, notably at Green's Tavern and Yancy's bar. This album includes some of his most successful material, including a cover of Charlie Louvin's "See The Big Man Cry," which was released as a single and cracked into the national charts. This led to a string of modestly successful singles on the Charta label, some of which were recycled on the Phonorama album below. The studio crew is packed with usual-suspect Nashville pickers -- Jimmy Capps, Jack Eubanks, Sonny Garrish, et.al. Loftis also released a couple of indie-label singles before signing to Charta in '76.

Bobby Wayne Loftis "I'll Remember" (Phonorama Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Fields)

Logan Creek Vocal Band "First Time Around" (1982) (LP)
(Produced by Don Thomson)
Original material by a fairly clean-cut band from Rolla, Missouri...

Josh Logan "That's How Angels Lose Their Wings" (Multi-Tempo-Country/MTC Records, 1986-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Prater & Junior Bennett)
Latter-day honkytonk by a neotrad lad from Cartersville, Kentucky who dug the good stuff: Merle Haggard, George Jones, guys like that... This indie outing was his first album, recorded in Nashville and packed with original material, though Logan actually had been at it for years before this, cutting a few indie singles at the start of the decade. The late '80s were when he really hit his stride, signing to Curb Records and scoring a few chart entries that peaked somewhere in the Back Forty, touring and opening for bigger stars while writing material for guys like Tracy Lawrence and Aaron Tippin who would rule the charts in the 'Nineties. This "lost album" is pretty groovy, though unfortunately the backing musicians aren't identified, but one assumes they were Music City pros. After his major label stint, Logan returned to the indie scene, releasing at least one album in the CD era, and apparently gained a following in Europe, as have many twangsters before him.

Logsdon Generation "Closer To Home" (Rite Records, 197--?) (LP)
A gloriously uninhibited, crudely recorded country gospel set recorded by a family band from Salem, Indiana (and surrounding towns). Three brothers -- Fred, George and Sherman Logsdon -- were all in their thirties when they cut this album, while the rest of the band were basically teenagers, some being their kids, and others possibly younger siblings. They really wail away on this one, full of the holy spirit though not worried enough about perfectionism to go for any second takes. I like it. Not sure when this record was released, but Sherman L. Logsdon copyrighted several of these songs late in 1974, so 1975-76 is a pretty good bet. Fred Lovell ("Brother Love") Logsdon (1937-2018) was born in Kentucky, lived in Tennessee for a while, and raised his family in Indiana -- his 17-year old daughter Doris is featured on this album, and wrote the title track, "Closer To Home."

Laurie Loman "Sings Country Weepers" (Dobre Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Wallace Beinfeld & Stan Ross)
Texas-born Laurie Loman was an amiable also-ran in the proto- girl-group pop-vocals scene of the late 1950s, cutting a few tracks for the mega-budget Tops label, as well as a couple of singles for ABC, working with pop producer Don Costa. Her best-known disc was released in 1960, when she recorded an early version of "Johnny Angel," two years ahead of the 1962 hit by Shelley Fabares. Loman quit the music business to have kids and raise a family, but decided to go back to the studio to cut this set of country(ish) material, which includes cover songs as well as some originals penned by pianist Stan Ecton, who backs her on these echo-heavy sessions. This is pretty campy and schmaltzy, but possibly not so exciting for most twangfans.

Lew London "Swingtime In Springtime" (Philo Records, 1976)
(Produced by Lew London)
A perky, jazz-tinged folk set from banjo and guitar picker Lewis London, who had previously been in an East Coast stringband called Bottle Hill (which recorded at least two albums) and also spend a big chunk of the 'Seventies touring and collaborating with singer-songwriter Steve Goodman. This set is mostly original material, and features backing by folk scene luminaries such as Mary McCaslin and Jay Ungar. Fans of Dan Hicks -- or of, well, Steve Goodman -- might really dig this one. Very good-natured, cheerful and upbeat. Plus, the guy really could play!

Bobby Lonero "Sings New Country: A Diamond, A Ruby, A Pearl" (Pleasure Records, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Anthony Carrano, Eugene Foster & Bobby Lonero)
Country stuff from a New Orleans native... Club singer Robert Joseph Lonero (1943-2013) played gigs with a bunch of pop, blues and oldies artists, tried his luck in New York, and did stints in Reno and Vegas. Here he focusses mainly on country stuff -- albeit with a poppy ("new country") filter. The set is mostly original material he co-wrote with John Allan, peppered with a few oldies like "Rockin' Robin" and "It's All In The Game." Backing Mr. Lonero are a bunch of Nola locals - Eugene Foster (synthesizer), Gene Houston (drums), Tommy Moran Jr. (lead guitar and steel guitar), Tommy Moran Sr. (fiddle), Bill Samuel (saxophone), Larry Turner (organ and piano), Eric Watkins (bass), also a few more horn players... A Louisiana stalwart, Bobby Lonero previously worked in a duo called Douglas & Lonero, with bassist Ronny Douglas, and they made a lounge album together back in 1973; Bobby Lonero also released an unknown number of singles, though this might have been his only solo album.

Lonesome Coyotes "Lonesome Coyotes" (Vasari Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Hector Qirko & Jay Barron)
This much-beloved Tennessee band was founded in the 1970s by singer Maggie Longmire, and headlined gigs in Knoxville's Cumberland Avenue club scene. They mixed country hits and outlaw tunes with pop standards including tunes by the Beatles, Duke Ellington and Carole King. The country songs include Lefty Frizzell's "My Baby's Just Like Money," Gram Parsons' "Return Of The Grievous Angel," and Gary Stewart's "Sweet Tater And Cisco," which places them somewhere on the more obscuro end of the spectrum. The group included Jay Barron (pedal steel), Steve Horton (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), Doug Kline (drums), Maggie Longmire (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), Hector Qirko (lead guitar) and Stan Turner on bass. Although most of them found non-music day jobs, several bandmembers stuck with it for a while: Jay Barron moved to Nashville to do session work, while guitarist Hector Qirko went on to collaborate with alterna-poet R. B. Morris, as well as recording a handful of blues/rock albums under his own name, eventually moving to South Carolina to pursue a career in academia.

The Lonesome Highway Band "Travelin' Light" (Texas Re-Cord Company, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Augie Meyers & Joey Lopez)
An easygoing, longhaired hippie outlaw stringband from Montana, these guys trucked on down to Texas where they met Augie Meyers of the Sir Douglas Quintet, and recorded this album for Meyers' label. The group was formed in 1974, with Bob Dobbins on bass, Phil Hamilton (harmonica), Chojo Jacques (fiddle), Lewie Norton (drums), Michael Purington (guitar), and Phil Quenin on banjo and dobro. They hung out in Austin for a while, where Chojo Jacques recorded on a few other albums, though eventually they packed up their gear and headed back to big sky country. LHB played regionally until 1985, when they dissolved the band. This debut disc is remarkably coherent and clear in its purpose, mixing bluegrass and country rock with a wispy, mellow feel that would appeal to fans of Jonathan Edwards. Good musicianship all around,

The Lonesome Highway Band "Play Something We Can Dance To" (Ball Of Wax Records, 1979) (LP)

The Lonesome Highway Band "Live" (2010) (LP)
A live album documenting the band's 1985 farewell concert, these recording sat in the can for a couple of decades... After the LHB broke up, several members went on to other projects, perhaps most notably Chojo Jacques, who seems to have moved into session work for various Americana artists over the years. (Thanks to Aaron Parrett for some of the background info in his book, Montana Americana Music, which profiles several 'Seventies-era Montana twangbands.)

The Lonesome Valley Singers "Hello Vietnam: Country And Western War Songs" (Diplomat Records, 1965) (LP)
One of the many anonymous bands booked by the cheapie labels to record knockoff albums, The Lonesome Valley Singers actually featured several hotshot pickers, and they knew how to play. The group frequently recorded concept albums, including a number of patriotic albums that can be considered part of the right-wing folk movement. This early album is a vigorous, robust defense of the war in Viet Nam, with a healthy bit of twang in the mix. This record kicks off with a cover of Tom T. Hall's "Hello Vietnam" and includes even blunter songs with titles such as "Jungle War," "It's Got To Be Done," "What We're Fighting For" and "Don't Worry Just Pray." The tide would turn in public opinion, but back in '65 when this came out, the war was still up for grabs, and this is an unusually political record for a country band of the era. Worth checking out, though maybe most if you're a history buff.

The Lonesome Valley Singers "Houston: Country And Western Cities" (Diplomat Records, 19--?) (LP)
A bunch of geographically-themed cover songs, most of them from country music origins... You got "Cheyenne," "Tulsa," "Saginaw, Michigan," "Streets Of Laredo," and a few that may be originals... Hard to tell without any composer credits!

The Lonesome Valley Singers "Country Serenade" (Diplomat Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Lonesome Valley Singers "Men In The Green Berets" (Diplomat Records, 1966) (LP)
Piggybacking on the popularity of Sgt. Barry Sadler's Ballad Of The Green Berets, this is another, perhaps less nuanced pro-Vietnam album, with songs of macho might and derring-do... This record was once a pretty common sight, and was probably a good seller for the folks at Diplomat.

The Lonesome Valley Singers "Folsom Prison Blues" (Diplomat Records, 1968-?) (LP)
Another concept album, this time a set of prison songs, ala Johnny Cash, who topped the charts in 1968 with his live version of "Folsom Prison Blues," recorded as part of his first famous prison concert album. What caught my eye on this album was the fact they added composer credits -- a rarity on this kind of record -- and that, other than the title track, all the other songs are originals, all published by the Kasen Music Company, which was owned by the Diplomat label's founder Daniel Kasen. Among their stable of writers was Ramsey Kearney, who later became the king of Nashville's "song-poem" producers, though he was apparently still paying his dues in the trenches when this record came out. The album dutifully opens with a soundalike version of "Folsom Prison Blues (complete with canned crowd noise) then swiftly moves onto the knockoff material. There are two tracks credited to Kearney ("A Day At A Time" and "The Legend Of Me") with others credited to H. F. Huffstettler, the songwriting team of Ed Lay and Juanita Miller, one by Dave Mathes, and a a pair of odd ones by Jim Maxwell, "Nine Pound Hammer On Cold, Cold Steel" (a prison-oriented twist on "Nine Pound Hammer") and "Another Prison Dream," where the composer closely parallels the popular "Green, Green Grass Of Home," but doesn't just come right out and cover the original. Anyway, I thought this was a pretty enjoyable record, and unusually informative for one of these cheapie-label offerings.

The Lonesome Valley Singers "Skip A Rope/Here Comes Heaven" (Diplomat Records, 1968) (LP)

The Lonesome Valley Singers "Wichita Lineman/Little Arrows" (Diplomat Records, 1968-?) (LP)
One of the lesser albums in this series. The title tracks, "Wichita Lineman" and "Little Arrows," are of course covers of two country hits from 1968, the other tracks are originals, (mostly) country tossoff tunes written by the staff musicians hired by Diplomat Records. Unfortunately, there are no composer credits, so their actual provenance is a bit obscure. (I had hoped to be able to track down some of the copyright info online, but nothing came up -- looks like the folks at Diplomat didn't even bother to register these particular songs with the Library of Congress.) Anyway, the general vibe is pretty low-key -- lackadaisical, even -- perhaps in keeping with the folkish feel of Glen Campbell's soft-pop countrypolitan hits. Most of the vocals seem to be from the same guy -- possibly Ramsey Kearney(?) -- although oddly there is also a song called "Why" which is more of a pop vocals number, randomly sung by some unidentified female singer, likely one of the gals singing backup on a couple of other tracks. Though I often find the original material on these knockoff albums to be pretty rewarding, I have to admit this one was a bit of a dud... Feels like they weren't trying very hard. A couple of songs are okay, notably "Who Can Mend A Broken Heart" and "Green Satin Gown," which had some okay steel guitar. Mostly, though, this is fairly dull.

The Lonesome Valley Singers "The Chair/Great Stone Chapel" (Diplomat Records, 19--?) (LP)
A whole album of songs about prisons, and cells, and wardens, and the death penalty. Cheerful fellas, ain't they...?

The Lonesome Valley Singers "God Bless The Working Man" (Diplomat, 1971-?) (LP)
This later album is still pro-Vietnam War, but tackles a wider range of themes and presents a richer picture of the American cultural landscape, albeit from the point of view of what what had been dubbed "The Silent Majority" by President Nixon, the un-hippie, blue-collar "squares" who supposedly supported the war. Songs include "God Bless The Boys In Uniform," "The Politician And The War," "P.O.W.," "War Time Taxes" and slightly more forlorn, resigned-yet-hopeful songs such as "Oh Victory" and "Will We Ever See Peace Again." The times they were a-changing, though and while this early '70s album still has a conservative tilt, it nonetheless offers a more nuanced, less propagandistic snapshot of post-Woodstock, pre-Watergate America.

Lonesome Valley Singers "Songs Of The Dragsters" (Diplomat Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Lonesome Valley Singers "Songs Of The Trail" (Diplomat Records, 19--?) (LP)
Not terribly original, but a very satisfying album. These are blithe, easygoing performances of a bunch of well-known western and campfire classics, tunes like "Black Jack David," "Blood On The Saddle," "Jack Of Diamonds," et. al., played confidently, with solid, unobtrusive picking, and a reasonable amount of sincerity. There seem to have been a couple of different singers on here, one of them a young guy affecting a quavering, raspy "old man" voice, the other doing a pretty darn good Marty Robbins imitation. If you dig western albums, this cheapo album is surprisingly good.

Bill Long "Mountain Fiddlin' Music From Montana" (AHMC/American Heritage Music Corporation, 19--?) (LP)
Championship fiddler Bill Long was born in Texas in 1929 but moved up to Montana when he was fifteen and soon carved out a name for himself playing at square dances and local hoedowns, as well as winning three state championships in 1966, '67 and '68. He played his fair share of music contests and festivals, as well as recording several sets of fiddlin' tunes for the American Heritage label, including this one, which may have been his first album. Mr. Long is backed by Dave Frisbee on guitar, Alice Krahn (drums), Red Thompson (bass), and Cheryl Wanzer on piano...

Bill Long "Listen To The Mocking Bird" (AHMC/American Heritage Music Corporation, 19--?) (LP)
Gettin' kinda fancy this time around, Bill Long toyed around with multi-tracking his sessions, dubbing in multiple fiddle parts, as well as playing guitar and bass. He still has some local collaborators, though, with Kenny Boom on banjo, Kelly Rubrecht (guitar), Johnny Sherpe (bass) and the album's producer-engineer Chuck Nolley also pickin' guitar on a couple of tracks.

Bill Long "Orange Blossom Special" (AHMC/American Heritage Music Corporation, 19--?) (LP)
Expanding his sound a bit, Bill Long retained the same trio of Boom, Rubrecht and Sherpe, while adding a second banjo picker, Jake Hoffman, mandolinist Fred Buckley and perhaps most notably pedal steel player Harley Brendal (1939-2000) a country player who went on the road in the early 1970s but eventually headed back to Billings, Montana to play the local bars and occasionally do some session work. Brendal was also featured on Long's subsequent album, Texas Fiddle Favorites, below.

Bill Long "Texas Fiddle Favorites -- Montana Style" (AHMC/American Heritage Music Corporation, 19--?) (LP)

The Long Brothers "Laughin' At Satan" (Horne Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Roger L. Horne)
I'm not sure where the Long Brothers -- Donnie, Eddie and Steve -- were from, but their influences are pretty clear... This country-gospel album was recorded at an indie studio in Nashville, and is drenched in pedal steel and chicken-pickin' guitar, with robust vocals lifted from the Oak Ridge Boys/Bellamy Brothers playbook. About half the songs are originals, including the title track, a gospel novelty number worthy of the Louvin Brothers. There are only a couple of tracks with unctuous "churchy" arrangements -- mostly, though, this is pretty packed with twang, albeit colored by the late '70s pop-country sound. Unfortunately the liner notes don't include any info on the backing musicians... I'm guessing a bunch of "usual suspects" studio pros, but who exactly it was remains a mystery. It's good to have a few mysteries in life!

Dewey Long & The Longsmen "Meet The Longsmen" (Vanco Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Jay Andy Thompson)
This Pacific Northwest family band was made up of Okie transplant Dewey Long and his sons, John Long (on lead guitar) and Rick Long (bass), along with drummer Chris Ellenberger, who also sings harmony on this album, and sang lead on a couple of cuts on the following LP. Dewey Long had genuine-sounding rural vibe, with vocals shift from Bill Anderson-ish crooning to more rugged twang, and a tremendous amount of self-confidence that radiates throughout this album. He had recorded a few singles before this, notably for the Washington-based Big Sound label, around 1968-69 and either recycled or re-recorded several of those songs on this album. Anyway, this is a great record. The set is straight-up honkytonk for the most part, including covers of "White Lightning" and Dallas Frazier's "I'm So Afraid Of Losing You Again," as well as several originals published by Dewey's own Long Autumn Music: "I Must Be Going Out Of My Mind," "No More You," "One More Time" and "You Gotta Live It Right." There's also an unidentified piano player, probably a guy from producer Gene Breeden's house band, who lets loose with some jazzy tangents -- similarly the lead guitar by John Long goes off in some surprising directions, most notably on the break in "Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line," where he crafts an inventive solo that is, literally, like nothing I've heard in any genre of music; he also delivers some surfy riffs which suggest having played in a garage band or two before joining the Longsmen. No date on this album, but the jocular liner notes by local radio deejay Frank Kennedy mention an appearance at a Fan Fair-like event in Nashville in 1969, and Kennedy passed away in '71, so if we split the difference, 1970 seems like a reasonable guess. The Longs seem to have lived somewhere in the rural areas outside of Spokane, possibly around Omak, Washington, where their second album was recorded.

Dewey Long & The Longsmen "I've Still Got My Baby On My Mind" (General Records, 1975) (LP)
Though his first album had a wealth of original material, this one is heavy on cover songs, including contemporary hits and crowd-pleasers such as "Amos Moses," "City Of New Orleans," Bobby Bare's "Marie Leveaux," "Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," as well as rock chestnuts like "Blueberry Hill" and CCR's "Proud Mary." There are no composer credits, but the title track, "I've Still Got My Baby On My Mind," seems to be an original, and the album kicks off with a track called "Dedication To C.D. Townsend," in honor of a fellow Pacific Northwest country singer who also recorded on the Big Sound label back in the late 'Sixties. Pretty much the same band, too, with Mr. Long sharing the spotlight with the other guys singing lead on a track or two. They had an unfortunate penchant for novelty songs (Mr. Long's version of "Marie Laveaux" is a bit painful, for example) and some aesthetic choices are questionable as well: he loved to croon, which all very well and fine, though maybe not on a song like "Whiskey River"(?) Good snapshot of a scrappy local band, staying true to their dreams.

Dolly Long - see artist profile

Helen Long & Longshot Country "The Ponderosa Hotel Presents: Longshot Country" (Longshot Records, 1979) (LP)
A nice document of a hotel lounge band from Reno, Nevada featuring singer Helen Long and her musical partner, steel guitarist Lynda Buzard, who also gets a credit as the band's arranger. There's no date on the album, but the liner notes say that the band was formed in 1969, and had been together for ten years before cutting this disc. The music is all cover tunes, with some interesting choices, generally on the softer side to the spectrum -- stuff like Harlan Howard's "Another Bridge To Burn," "The Green, Green Grass Of Home," "Old Dogs, Children And Watermelon Wine," along with a few more uptempo numbers, such as "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Let Me Be There." Long was not the world's greatest singer, and the band backing her often rushes the tempo, but still, this is a good snapshot of a working band, chugging away on music they love. Plus, it's kind of cool to see one of these bands being led by two women, rather than having them in the role of "backup" musicians.

Johnny Long "Going Somewhere" (Starlight Records, 1985-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Millsap)
A teenage singer from the Starlite Theatre, in Branson, Missouri. The repertoire crosses over into pop and oldies ("Why Do Fools Fall In Love," the Eagles' "Heartache Tonight") but also includes some country stuff, such as Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The USA" and the 1984 Dan Seals hit, "God Must Be A Cowboy." The backing band seems to have been all Branson locals, going by the name The Starlighters: Greg Bailey on fiddle and guitar, Jonathan Beckett (saxophone), David Evans (piano), Mitch Keirsey (lead guitar), David Milligan (bass), Dennis Parsons (trombone), Kenny Walker (trumpet) and Craig White on drums.

Shorty Long - see artist profile

Longbranch Pennywhistle "Longbranch Pennywhistle" (Amos Records, 1969) (LP)
A pre-Eagles Glenn Frey and songwriter John David Souther formed this late-'60s duo, playing gigs in the nascent SoCal country-rock scene... I haven't heard this one, but I'm sure curious about it...

Longbranch Trio Plus One "Live" (Tab Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Lloyd Johnson & Charles Palmer)
This is one of those rural-looking albums I keep circling back to, thinking that it looks country, though several times I've determined that it is not. The house band at Kitty's Longbranch saloon, a frontiers-y style tourist destination in old-town Virginia City, Nevada, the trio was a brass-based trad-jazz act, with horn players Clyde Amsler (saxophone), Don Forbes (sax), Jerry Lane (trumpet) joined by front man Bobby Watson, and the repertoire on this album was pretty strictly jazz standards, show tunes and pop oldies such as "Sentimental Journey," "Satin Doll," and "You Made Me Love You," with a sorta-rock number like "Yakety Sax" thrown in to goose things up a bit at the end. The wood-plank artwork which years ago frequently denoted a country record, in this case was instead a nod to the Wild West's Gold Rush-era roots. I add this review more as a warning to my fellow twangfans, and also just to get it out of the way.

Lonnie & Lottie "Baby Bye Bye" (Marathon Records, 1973) (LP)
A brother-sister duo from Maniwaki, Quebec, Lonnie and Lottie O'Reilly started out as child performers and worked steadily in local radio and TV, including a gig on Gary Buck's show... I think this was their first album and is mostly cover songs, with one original song credited to each of the siblings: Lonnie wrote "There's Only One You," while Lottie penned "Your Favourite Pastime" (with British-style spelling!) They also cover "Country Roads," "Okie From Muskogee," "Teddy Bear Song" and other early '70s and late '60s hits. It's possible that Lottie sounded better as a child performer, though she's kinda wobbly here... On some songs where she sticks to harmony she sounds kind of like Skeeter Davis. Brother Lonnie's got kind of a Charlie Louvin-esque vocal tone that's not bad and sounds decently country... Fairly rootsy arrangements as well, though again, not necessarily top-flight stuff.

Glenn Lonsdale "Glenn Lonsdale And Morning Reign" (Lariam Associates, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Glenn Lonsdale & Tom Tucker)
A highly-regarded Midwestern songwriter, Glenn Lonsdale (1946-2017) was longhaired, lanky and living in Hazelwood, Missouri when he cut this folk-rock disc, though later he moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he performed at numerous local venues over the years. All the songs on here were his own original compositions, recorded with his band Morning Reign (which is not to be confused with the late-'Sixties Oregon rock band of the same name...) The group included Don Hackman on drums, Marty Lonsdale playing synthesizer, and Rey Poston on bass and electric guitar, with Glenn Lonsdale on lead vocals and guitar. They played near and around Saint Louis, where their "charmingly new and different sounds" were touted in the local press. Not sure how long this band was together, or when Lonsdale moved up north to Iowa.

Lucky Look "Lucky Look Remembers" (Interstate Records, 19--? ) (LP)
Orville "Lucky" Look (1933-2019) was born in rural Eastern Maine and was pals with New England country legend Dick Curless, co-starring with him at a bar called Sleepy's Silver Dollar in Bangor, Maine, way back in the 1950s. Look eventually moved to Connecticut, where he opened his own nightclub in Bolton Lake -- the Lucky Look Lounge, no less -- and recorded several LPs and a number of singles. I'm not sure which of his many undated albums came first, but this is certainly one of the earlier ones...

Lucky Look "Last Call" (Music City Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Terry Sutton, Wayne Estabrooks & Ronnie Scalise)

Lucky Look "These Tears I Cry" (Robb Records, 19--? ) (LP)
(Produced by Terry Sutton)
Recorded at EAB Studios in Lewiston, Maine, this set features Terry Sutton on steel guitar, with Sam Buckner on lead guitar and bass, Sally Perry doubling on bass and banjo, and Mona Perry on rhythm guitar, also a couple of fiddlers (ID'd as on "violin") and a few drummers as well... A slew of original material, too, with all the songs on Side One credited as Orville Luck originals...

Lucky Look "By Request" (Mission Records, 19--? ) (LP)

The Looper Trio - see artist profile

Loose Boots "Loose Boots" (Criminal Records, 1978) (LP)
Jangly, bouncy, brightly twangy country-rock from the late '70s Tucson, Arizona scene. This band featured songwriters Scott Sechman, along with Billy Odom, formerly of the Straight Shot band. It's nice stuff, roughly in the same vein as hippiebilly bands such as the late-edition Flying Burrito Brothers or New Riders Of The Purple Sage.

Loose Change Band/The Bowery Crew "The Bowery Presents Loose Change" (Image Brothers Records, 1984) (LP) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Harbin)
A split LP featuring two southern rock/roadhouse bands from Charleston, South Carolina. The album is a souvenir of the Bowery honkytonk, a Myrtle Beach landmark founded back in 1944 as a country music venue, and best known as the place where the group Alabama cut their teeth as the house band back in the mid-1970s. As near as I can figure "The Bowery Crew," which performs on Side One was an informal agglomeration of the bar's employees (and possibly some patrons?) while the group on the flipside, Loose Change, aspired to more official stature as a working band. Loose Chage was a showcase for gal vocalist Kerry Smith, backed by guitarist George Davis, Richard Rosenblum (drums) Mike Stephens (bass), and Jerry Vann on keyboards and lead vocals. It's worth noting that the Bowery finally ditched their Confederate flag logo (seen on this album's cover) though only in the late 2010s -- and even then they still incorporated the stars-'n'-bars into a new logo featuring a bald eagle with one wing sporting the American flag and the other the Confederate design. I guess that's South Carolina for you... As far as I know this was Loose Change's only record, although all the guys in the band also backed North Carolina folk singer Sally Spring on an album in 1983, and Jerry Vann had some limited success as a country songwriter in the late 'Seventies, with one of his songs, "Reachin' High For Rainbows," making it onto one of Mel McDaniel's early albums.

Lore & The Legends "One Step Ahead Of The Law" (Colt Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Russ Miller & Lore Coyote Orion)
A later album by songwriter/graphic artist Lawrence Shoberg, aka Lore Orion (1949-2013), who led the country-rock group Bandera in the early '80s, and later formed his own band, Lore And The Legends, along with his longtime collaborator, Bobby E. Boyd (aka Bandera Bob). The next step would be their "heavy leather" hard-twang band, KATTL, which continues on today, on the edges of the red-dirt and bro-country scenes. The backing band includes Danny Barnes on lead guitar and steel, bass player Lance Gray, Russell Clayton Hill (drums) and Buff Oyos on rhythm guitar... And, yes, that does seem to be the same Danny Barnes from the '80s/'90s Americana group, The Bad Livers -- he toured with the Legends for a couple of years before forming his own band.

Lorraine & The Country Gentlemen "Brandin' Iron Presents..." (Brandin' Iron Records, 19--?) (LP)
Mostly country covers by a youthful quartet from the Seattle-Tacoma, Washington area... Lead singer-bassist Lorraine Van Sickle had a regular gig at an old Seattle bar called the Branding Iron and also performed on a local TV station (Channel 13) backing a guy named Grover Jackson in the early 1970s. Her band included her husband, Skip Van Sickle, steel player Joe Brignone and drummer Terry Hildreth. Many years later, Ms. Van Sickle resurfaced as Lorraine Hoyle, owner of the Lady Luck's Cowgirl Up, a steakhouse with a country music vibe, up in Spanaway, WA.

Lorraine & The Country Gentlemen "By Request" (Charter Records, 1973) (LP)
This album is mostly cover songs, with a tilt towards popular hits of the early '70s such as "Teddy Bear Song," "Polk Salad Annie," "Tie A Yellow Ribbon," "I Believe In Music" and -- of course -- "Me And Bobby McGee." The album also includes one song by another local artist, Carol Cuff, who was friends with the band and who recorded an album of her own several years later.

Lorraine & The Country Gentlemen "Just Drivin' " (Peace Arch Recording, 1981-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Duckworth)
This album's from much later, in the early 1980s, with covers of two John Conlee songs, 1978's "Rose Colored Glasses," and 1980's "Friday Night Blues," as well as Johnny Lee's hit, "Lookin' For Love," which was also from 1980. She had changed up her band as well as her name, now going by Lorraine Redding, with Chet Richardson on lead guitar and Mike Shannon playing drums. The repertoire is pretty much all covers. though the title track, "Just Drivin'," may have been an original, though there were no composer credits on the album. Tacoma old-timer Ray "Shotgun Red" Hildreth contributed liner notes, giving a nod of his hat towards the old days when they worked various gigs together, and when his son Terry was in her band.

Myrna Lorrie - see artist discography

The Lost City Cats "The Lost City Cats!!" (King Records-Japan, 1971) (LP)
A Japanese bluegrass band that visited the US in 1973, with fiddler Noboru Morishige joining the Stoneman family band on the road for most of 1973-74. This may have been their only album... Alas, the musician's names are only given in Japanese and the liner notes are written in Japanese on the back cover, although the song titles are translated into English, as well as on the label. Includes standards such as "Banks Of The Ohio," "Turkey In The Straw," and "How The Mountain Girls Can Love." Anyone know more about these folks?

The Lost Gonzo Band "Dead Armadillos" (Edsel Records, 1996)
This was Jerry Jeff Walker's old backup band, which, steeped in the mystique of their association with Jerry Jeff, managed to wrangle a couple of LPs out of their record label before getting shuffled quietly under the rug. This disc collects material from their first two LPs, the highlight track is, of course, the classic "London Homesick Blues," with the chorus: "I wanna go home with the armadilla/with country music from Amarilla to Abeline/the friendliest people and the purtiest women you ever seen..." It was the only time on record that Lost Gonzo songwriter Gary P. Nunn outshone Jerry Jeff as a performer... at least until he pursued a solo career on his own label. Nunn's solo records throughout the '80s and early '90s have been uniformly high-quality.

The Lost Gonzo Band "Rendezvous" (Amazing Records, 1991)

The Lost Gonzo Band "Hands Of Time" (Vireo Records, 1995)

The Lost Highway Band "Travelin' Light" (Texas Re-Cord Company, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Augie Meyers & Joey Lopez)
An easygoing, longhaired hippie outlaw stringband from Montana, these guys trucked on down to Texas where they met Augie Meyers of the Sir Douglas Quintet, and recorded this album for Meyers' label. The group was formed in 1974, with Bob Dobbins on bass, Phil Hamilton (harmonica), Chojo Jacques (fiddle), Lewie Norton (drums), Michael Purington (guitar), and Phil Quenin on banjo and dobro. They hung out in Austin for a while, where Chojo Jacques recorded on a few other albums, though eventually they packed up their gear and headed back to big sky country. LHB played regionally until 1985, when they dissolved the band. This debut disc is remarkably coherent and clear in its purpose, mixing bluegrass and country rock with a wispy, mellow feel that would appeal to fans of Jonathan Edwards. Good musicianship all around.

The Lost Highway Band "Play Something We Can Dance To" (Ball Of Wax Records, 1979) (LP)

The Lost Highway Band "Live" (2010) (LP)
A live album documenting the band's 1985 farewell concert, these recording sat in the can for a couple of decades... After the LHB broke up, several members went on to other projects, perhaps most notably Chojo Jacques, who seems to have moved into session work for various Americana artists over the years. (Thanks to Aaron Parrett for some of the background info in his book, Montana Americana Music, which profiles several 'Seventies-era Montana twangbands.)

The Lost Marble Band "In The Pines" (1980) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Werner)
Milwaukee bluegrassers with eclectic leanings, including a few dips into the country pond. Along with all the "Little Maggie" and "Cripple Creek stuff, notable covers include a version of John Prine's "Paradise" the infamous male chauvinist anthem, "Put Another Log On The Fire." They seem to have only made a couple of albums, though they for sure recorded several singles, including a version of "I'm My Own Grandpa" and one called "Brewers Have It All," which was an homage to the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team, when they made it into the World Series back in '82.

The Lost Marble Band "Winter Harvest" (1982) (LP)
(Produced by Dennis Meilicke, Dale Palecek & Dave Siebauer)
This one includes their regional pride hit, "Brewers Have It All," though, alas, not their version of "I'm My Own Grandpaw."

Lost Nation String Band "Lost Nation String Band" (Dodo Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Victor Marsh)
Obscure and rural, though not all that country. This quartet from Bayfield, Wisconsin mixed bluegrass twang with a hefty dose of "Puff The Magic Dragon"-ish folk... A little too folkie for me, but I did like their label name ("The Label Of Extinction") It's mostly cover tunes, including stuff by John Lennon and Tom Paxton, as well as a version of John Hartford's "Tall Buildings," as well as some Celtic-influenced traditional bluegrass stuff. There is some country-ish, stuff, though: guitarist/banjo picker Warren Nelson contributed some original material, including the lively "Rosie Where Are You Tonight" and his own new lyrics to "Whiskey Before Breakfast." Bandmembers Bruce Burnside and Don Pavel added one song each, including Pavel's "Sittin' Around Pickin'," which is an album highlight. Mostly this isn't the kind of stuff I'm looking for, but it is some obscure old Midwestern DIY, and might be of interest to folks who are into the whole Twin Cities acoustic music scene...

Lothar "Just For You" (Ripcord Records, 1979-?) (LP)
Well, one thing you can say about this guy, Lothar Schuler: he sure liked to move around a lot. Born in Germany, he emigrated first to Canada, then to California, and eventually back north to Oregon, and was living in The Dalles when he cut this album at Ripcord Studios. The song selection is pretty strong, with tunes by Merle Haggard, Harlan Howard, Kris Kristofferson, Marty Robbins and others. About half the songs are ones he wrote himself, including "I'll Be Gone," "Love's Gonna Make It Alright," "My Reason For Living," and "Painful Love." Alas, no info on the backing band, but I we can imagine Gene Breeden and his pals were in the mix. According to the liner notes, Schuler did perform at locals rodeos and at some bars, but it's not clear how much of a full-time musician he may have been.

Skip Lotten "Nashville Won't You Be My Home" (NW Enterprises, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Nitzsche)
I couldn't track down the date on this one (anyone out there know?) nor much info about Mr. Lotten, whose full name was Ollin O. Lotten, Jr., a native of Indiana, who looks like he was in his twenties when he cut this album. Like a lot of country folks, he may have wanted to make Nashville his home, but found Music City a tough nut to crack -- eventually he seems to have gravitated towards Branson, Missouri, and released at least one other record, a New Age-y/meditative album for kids... Other than that, the guy's a cipher. This album's title track was one of four originals, but many of the other songs are covers, such as "Friend Of The Devil," "Fox On The Run" and "Hickory Wind." Any other info is, of course, welcome.

Louie And The Lovers "Rise" (Epic Records, 1970)
(Produced by Doug Sahm)

Louie And The Lovers "The Complete Recordings" (Bear Family Records, 2009)
(Produced by Doug Sahm)

Stormin' Norman Louis "...And The Cyclones" (Muir Drive Music, 1989) (LP)
(Produced by Tiran Porter & Ken Kraft)
Bar-band twang from a terribly sincere Northern California dude who didn't have the greatest voice, but did put his all into making this album. He's sort of in the same mode as folks like Norton Buffalo or Cornell Hurd, just not at the same level musically... There is some nice pedal steel (by "Slippery" John Weston) and session picker Frank Reckerd sits in on one track, "California Cowboy," but otherwise most of the musicians are (to me) unknowns. Nothing here really wowed me, but it's definitely another example of real-folk, country-indie DIY... He seems to have made at least a couple of albums, though there also seems to have been some rivalry with the Stormin' Norman (Zamcheck) who cut some tunes in the '70s, and later started billing himself as "The Real Stormin' Norman." Plus, what about General Schwarzkopf? This could get ugly!

Marie Louise "Something Special" (Mar-Ker Records, 1984-?) (LP)
(Produced by James Johnson & Marie Louise Grundberg)
A set of country covers, by Marie Louise Grundberg, of Stanchfield, Minnesota. She's backed by a local band, featuring Jerry Hermes on lead guitar, Scott Malchow (bass), Russ Pahl (steel guitar), Curt Werner (percussion), Henry Wiens (keyboards) and the Kathy Morgan Singers (backup vocals). The set is heavy on contemporary Top Forty hits, stuff like Anne Murray's "Could I Have This Dance," Juice Newton's "Queen Of Hearts" and "He's A Heartache Looking For A Place To Happen," which was a hit for Janie Fricke in 1983. (There's no date on this one, but I'm guessing '84, based on the material.) The liner notes tell of Ms. Grundberg singing in a duet with her sister, just informally at social events, it sounds like... then forming a solo act after she got married, singing "with different country bands in a variety of nightclubs." As far as I know this was her first album.

Ola Louise "Most Requested Songs By Ola Louise" (MCR Records, 1974)
(Produced by Charles Thompson & Jim Spence)
This was the lone album by California singer Ola Louise, a former rodeo pageant queen from Arizona who moved to the Golden State in the 'Fifties and married Paul Westmoreland, a Sacramento-area deejay and country music songwriter best known for the hit song, "Detour." She sings that one here, along with several other Westmoreland tunes and hits of the era such as "Behind Closed Doors," "Me And Bobbie McGee," and Leroy Van Dyke's "The Auctioneer." It's an enjoyable record, even though Ola Louise is sometimes a difficult vocalist -- she doesn't always stay in tune, though I think a lot of this has to do with the problems of low-budget, self-released, DIY recordmaking - no time for re-dos, so some flubs just got left in. But at her best she evokes gal singers such as Loretta Lynn and, more particularly, Liz Anderson, with a rootsy take on the (then)contemporary countrypolitan sound. The backing musicians were pretty good and provided an adequate and reasonably twangy backing -- good examples of the regional pickers working in the Central Valley at the time, though unfortunately they're not listed in the liner notes. Ola Louise also briefly recorded for the Kapp label in the late '60s, although I think she only recorded a couple of singles, neither of which charted. So, here's the recorded legacy of a little-known hillbilly filly who seems to have been in the thick of the California country scene... Anyone have more info about her?

Charlie Love "Meet Charlie Love" (Agency Recording Studio, 1974) (LP)
A one-sided 10" EP with four songs -- "Country Style," "Faded Rose," "Sunshine Lady" and "Walk On Me" -- penned by pop-country hopeful Charlie Love, who seems to have been an African-American artist born in Goldsboro, North Carolina. This was basically a PR demo, '70s style, and it seems to have been relatively successful as a songwriter's calling card. Two of these tracks, "Country Style" and "Sunshine Lady," were also released as a single under Charlie Love's name, on an Ohio-based label with Vic Clay credited as producer, although I'm not sure it they were the same versions heard on this disc. The song "Faded Rose" was recorded at least a couple of different times by fairly obscure singers (Dana Deckard and Virginia Kirby) though perhaps most significantly, the songs "Country Style" and "Faded Love" were recorded as a single by an eleven-year old kid named Rachel Sweet, as her first single, back in 1974... And yes, it's that Rachel Sweet. Assuming it was the same guy, Charlie Love scored some major country cred when cult-fave honkytonker Wayne Kemp recorded his song, "Kentucky Sunshine" in 1974. Nonetheless, Charlie Love seems to have dropped off the radar before the decade's end, one of countless mystery musicians from a very eclectic decade.

Elaine Love "The Story Of Love" (Music City Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Clarence Selman & Chuck Haines)
Although this looks like a pretty low-rent custom-indie LP, ya gotta admit Elaine Love had potential. A husky-voiced singer with a blues-mama undercurrent that anticipated the early-'80s successes of gals such as Gus Hardin, K. T. Oslin and the Judds, Elaine was a powerful, emotive vocalist, though her talent seemed a bit raw and underdeveloped... You get the sense that with a stronger, more seasoned producer shaping her performances, she might of really had a shot. Backed here by a Nashville-adjacent studio crew she belts her way through five self-penned originals on Side One, including the salty though rather rambling "Working In A Honky Tonk Bar," a semi-feminist, slice-of-life, working class manifesto which one presumes is autobiographical. Side Two includes a bunch of cover tunes, ranging from the disco hit, "I Will Survive" and obscure numbers by Arlo Guthrie and Rupert Holmes to a twanged-up rendition of the vocal standard oldie, "Glory Of Love." She had a lounge gig at the Best Western motel in Americus, Georgia at the time she cut this disc, and the liner notes inform us that Tom T. Hall saw her there and took interest in her career; you can sense what a powerful live performer she may have been, especially on a good night when she was feeling comfortable and relaxed. Her foray into studio recording could have been better -- although the cover songs go well, she seems a little nervous around her own songs and her phrasing wobbles and occasionally falls flat, although the band -- which included pro pickers Leo Jackson and Fred Newell on guitar, and drummer Jerry Kroon -- really seem lively and engaged. With more time in the studio and a little editorial help, this charming set could have been a doozy.

The Mary Love Singers "Barn-Full Of Country And Western Hits" (Power Records, 19--?) (LP)
I'm not sure what the deal was with the Mary Love Singers... They appear to have been some kind of cheapo-label knockoff of easy listening/pop-country outfits such as the Anita Kerr Singers or the groups that Sudie Callaway took part in. But really, it's a mystery. The Power label gave an address in Newark, New Jersey, for what that's worth.

The Mary Love Singers "Chuck-Full Of Country And Western Favorites" (Power Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Mary Love Singers "Country And Western Favorites" (Power Records, 19--?) (LP)
Perhaps worth noting: this album also came out in an alternate version using "The Truly Love Singers" as the artist name.

Jim Lovell "Teardrops In My Heart" (Circle B Recordings, 19--?) (LP)
A plainspoken solo set of western (cowboy) songs by one of the Circle B Cowboys from Rapid City, South Dakota's Circle B Ranch... This album looks more modern than the old Circle B Cowboys records of the '60s and '70s... Possibly it's from as late as the early '80s(?) though apparently it came out on 8-track tape as well, so it couldn't have been much later than that. Lovell is a deep-voiced singer with limited range but plenty of heart. Not a standout for the genre, but satisfying and sincere. Lovell apparently also worked with Buddy Meredith (below) a local Rapid City deejay who also had some success outside the state with some singles he cut for Starday Records.

Spec Lovell "A Tribute To Webb Pierce" (4 Star Records, 1982) (LP)
Wait: there's a Webb Pierce tribute album? Why wasn't I told about this?? Oh... you're telling me now? Well, okay then. A Tennessee banker by trade, but a fanboy at heart, Knoxville's Spec Lovell pays homage to honkytonk hero Webb Pierce with covers of ten classic hits from the '50s and '60s, including winners like "There Stands The Glass," "Back Street Affair," "I Ain't Never," "I'm Walking The Dog" and "Slowly." Sounds good to me! Unfortunately, there's no info on who produced or played on this album... alas!

Ebb, Lorna & Serrena (Lovely) "Maine-ly Lovely" (Beechwood Country Records, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Ebb Lovely & Norm Pooler)
An auto mechanic and WWII veteran, Elbridge Lovely (1924-2011) was also a well-known regional country musician, leading his own band and hosting his own local TV show in the late 1950s, as well as touring both in New England and into parts of Canada. He recorded two albums (wish I knew the name of the other one!) including this set, which also features his two daughters, Lorna Lovely (1952-2008) and Serrena Lovely. To be sure, there is a rough quality to some of their vocals, but Mr. Lovely also has a delightful willingness to throw himself into full corny mode, and really dig into schmaltziest aspects of some of these songs (particularly on his erotically-charged version of George Morgan's middle-aged horniness ballad, "You Turn Me On.") The Lovelys are greatly helped by the high calibre of the backing musicians, who provide rich, lively accompaniment, reminiscent of Asleep At The Wheel. The band included drummer Ed Beoudoin, steel player Perley Curtis, fiddler Timmy Farrell, Dotty Farrell on bass, and guitarist Buddy Phieffer, who seem to have been some of the hotter players on New England's late '80s indie country scene. This might be too corny for modern country fans, but I kinda dug it. Also worth noting: Ebb Lovely was inducted into the Maine Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1993.

Bobby Lowe "I'm Movin' On... And Other Country And Western Favorites" (Crown Records, 1968-?) (LP)
One of the countless unheralded country artists who semi-anonymously recorded an album for the uber-cheapo Crown label... and one of the more talented! I have no info about Bobby Lowe, beyond song titles, there are no liner notes on this album, so it's all a mystery to me. What's comes through quite clearly, though, is Lowe's solidly old-school approach, particularly his rough, blunt, unique-sounding semi-hillbilly vocals. Not surprisingly, he sounds most like Hank Snow, but there are also hints of Ernest Tubb and other notoriously odd-voiced old-timers. Pretty solid backing bands, too, though again, the musicians aren't listed. A lot of cover tunes, although it's possible that several songs -- "The Seven C's Of Tears," "Anniversary Of Goodbye," "The Best Part Of Me," and "My Hopes Are Getting Dim" -- were originals... They certainly are some of the most enjoyable tracks on the album!

Jerry Lowe & The Imperials "Don't Look Like Baby's Comin' Home" (Imperial International, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Chuck Heifner & Jerry Lowe)
Country covers from an uber-indie Indiana band... These guys were all locals, with lead singer Jerry Lowe born and raised in the Hoosier homeland, moving from New Castle to Straughn, Indiana, by the time this album was made. The set is mostly (if not all?) covers -- late-'60s/early '70s stuff like "Me And Bobby McGee," "Kay," "Satin Sheets," "Proud Mary" and "I Washed My Hands In The Muddy Waters." Dunno if any of the guys from the Imperials played with any other bands... For what it's worth, the group included Pat Johnson on pedal steel and Ray Reynolds on bass, with a couple of different guys playing piano. No date on the album, but I'm guessing '74, based on the repertoire.

The Lowe Sisters "Good Ole Country" (Ozark Mountain Country Productions, 1981-?) (LP)
This album spotlights the sibling trio of Kathy, Sandy and Teresa Lowe, who were part of a Branson, Missouri mini-opry called Lowe's Ozark Mountain Country Music Show. The album suffers from a couple of unfortunate circumstances, one being the murky sound production, the other being the vocals, which I found a little stuffy and stilted. Still, like most mini-opry souvenir albums, it's a nice snapshot of working musicians in the Ozarks milieu, and there's some good good pickin' and an amiable atmosphere that can draw you in. Not all the tracks showcase the gals, either: the boys come to the fore on a cover of "Elvira" and one of the guys (unidentified) sings lead on a perky version of "San Antonio Rose." Though I didn't really enjoy the sisters as vocalists, Sandy Lowe was a darn good banjo and dobro picker, and Teresa Lowe Tolley shows her chops as a pianist on a nice rendition of Floyd Cramer's "Last Date." The rest of the cast included Brad Counts (lead guitar), Steve Hunter (drums), Ken Lowe (vocals), Mark Pearman (fiddle and steel guitaar), and Richard Rankin on bass. No date on the disc, but given the covers of "Elvira" and "Nine To Five," I'd guess somewhere around 1981, maybe '82.

Frankie Lowery & The Allstars "The Peppermint Lounge Presents..." (Peppermint Lounge, 196-?) (LP)
Despite the groovy, British Invasion-style artwork, this was definitely a country-oriented album, with cover songs such as "Crazy," "Blue Eyes" "Steel Guitar Rag" and "Walking Piece Of Heaven," and also seems to have come out quite a bit later that the 'Sixties-ish artwork would suggest. Singer-pianist Paul Franklin Lowery and his brother, sax player Willie Lowery, were longtime fixtures on the Alabama music scene, although the details of their careers are scant. They grew up in Mobile and headlined at Jerrell Stevens's Peppermint Lounge nightclub in Hunstsville, Alabama for much of the 1970s. Before that, Frankie Lowery had been a pop and R&B artist playing gigs in Lake Charles, Louisiana, back around 1960 or so, when he also cut a few singles for local labels such as Khoury Records and Dart, backed by a combo called The Golden Rockets. The Lowery Brothers were joined on this album by an "allstar" band which included Jesse James Davis (bass), Marvin Lamar Johnson (drums), Paul Rosenstiel (piano and organ), and Granville Valentine (lead guitar). According to a 2005 profile of Willie Lowery, his brother got religion in later years and worked as a security guard while playing gospel music in a local Salvation Army band; the Lowerys recorded some religious material together shortly before Frankie Lowery passed away in 2002, some of which came out on a "solo" CD a few years later.

James Lowery "His Way" (Tribute Records, 1977) (LP)
A super-sketchy looking, low-rent album issued on one of the better-known "tax scam" labels of the 1970s, which was apparently based in Los Angeles... Sadly, there are no musician credits, no producer credit, and no biographical info about Mr. Lowery, though we are told he is into "country love." Looks like this was Lowery's only album, too, though if anyone out there has more information about this guy, or this record, I'm all ears.

Ken Lowery & Country Fever Band "Seagram's Double 7 Winner" (Plantation Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Cal Scott)
In 1982, this band from Lakeview, Florida was the winner of a talent contest sponsored by the Seagram's 7 booze company, looking for the best "young country" band in the US... They won $5000.00 and a recording contract with the Plantation label, the fruits of which are seen here. Looks like this album includes a bunch of original material as well...FYI, second place went to a band called Baked Apple, from Groton, CT.

Sonny Lowery "King Of Kings" (Temple Music Company, 196--?) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Benson)
Country gospel by a former 'Fifties rocker. A native of Pryor, Oklahoma, singer Sonny Lowery grew up working on oil pipelines with his dad, but left home in the late 1950s to start a music career in Los Angeles, and cut a couple of singles for the Specialty label, including "Goodbye Baby Goodbye," which became a regional hit. As Lowery relates in the liner notes, he embarked on an extensive tour riding on the strength of these records, but couldn't quite grab the brass ring at the national level. After returning home, he "remembered having been raised in a Christian home" and applied his talent to non-secular music, though the guys backing him on this album were versatile players who worked both sides of the street. Producer Larry Benson assembled several of his best musicians for this session, including bassist Stu Bonham, Bobby Cotton on drums, Jimmy Jay picking guitar, pianist Rex Stafford and Johnny Vaughn on steel. No release date, alas, but it looks late 'Sixties, early 'Seventies at the latest.

James Lowry "His Way" (Tribute Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Benson)
Your guess is as good as mine. This album came out on Morton Plonchak's World Sound/Tribute Records, one of the more notorious "tax scam" labels, where investors with a little too much extra cash laundered their money by sponsoring musicians whose records had no hope of making a profit... Which isn't to say that the music was necessarily bad, just that the whole enterprise was a bit sketchy. Typical of most World Sound albums, the liner notes give practically no useful information, other than the song titles, though we are told that Mr. Lowry and his wife Lorrain are presenting listeners with "country love," their style. There may be a religious undercurrent here, particularly if the album's producer is the same Larry Benson who ran a prolific gospel label in Oklahoma. But again, information is pretty sparse.

Ron Lowry "Marry Me" (Republic Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Adams)
Another country music also-ran... Ron Lowry (1944-2007) was originally from Oklahoma and grew up in New Mexico, but after a stint in the Army he settled down in Phoenix, Arizona. Lowry got signed to Gene Autry's label and made a few waves in the press at the time. The title track cracked into the Top Forty (barely), though the follow-up single, "Oh How I Waited," pretty much tanked, and I think that was all she wrote for Mr. Lowry's solo career... This was a mildly twangy version of a song recorded by Engelbert Humperdinck in '69, and while this version is a bit perkier, it retains a lot of the same bouncy late-'Sixties orchestral pop sensibility.

The Lucas-Harmon Brothers Show "Lucas-Harmon Brothers Show" (L & H Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry K. Black)
Possibly one of the most confusing band names ever, though they cleaned it up on their subsequent album. You would be forgiven for thinking that this was an album by a guy named Lucas Harmon... Not so. It's actually a collaboration between two different sets of brothers, from the Harmon and Lucas families, joined together in a straight-up bluegrass band that apparently played quite a bit regionally for several years in the late 'Sixties and early 'Seventies... The lineup included bass player Buddy Harmon, Dick Harmon (guitar), Jim Harmon (guitar), Bryant Lucas (dobro), Claude Lucas Jr. (1930-2018) on fiddle, and a banjo player named Bud Lovette to round things out. A swell mix of cheerful, uptempo bluegrass and old-school, pre-honkytonk Depression-era rural twang. Recommended!

The Lucas And Harmon Brothers Show "People, Trains, And Things In Bluegrass" (L & H Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Art Ridley)
Almost a cohesive concept album, but not quite. Side One is all songs about trains, each penned by the band's manager, a Lutheran pastor from Savannah, Georgia, named Marvin Earl Eargle who also contributed a gospel song called "The Living Word," which rounds off Side Two. There are a couple of songs by a fella named Fred Archer, also a pastor, and one tune each by brother David Harmon and James Harmon. The lineup is basically the same as on their first album, with the substitution of David Ayers on banjo. This was apparently the band's last album, though fiddler Claude Lucas Jr. (1930-2018) led his own band for several years after the Brothers Show broke up.

Tommy Lucas "Marie" (Lucas & Clark Music Company, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Merle Baker & Royce Clark)
Genuine grassroots Texas outlaw stuff... According to the liner notes from his brother John, Tommy Lucas was born in Clute, Texas, 1944 and started out playing rock music in the late 'Fifties, including a long stint with a band called The Kounts. He "went country" in 1967 and worked in a series of bands, including a year with a country-rock group called Cheyenne and formed his own band, The Desperados, around 1975. The band's lineup on this album included Lee Halcolm on drums, bassist Howard Higgins, and guitar picker Ronnie Salmon (who previously toured with Jeannie C. Riley). They are augmented by several Dallas-area musicians working at the Crystal Clear Studio, in Dallas, most notably steel player Maurice Anderson. Tommy Lucas released a number of other albums later in life, including a CD called Raisin' Texas, which takes its name from one of the tracks on this record.

Denny Luce "Southern Class" (Skyline Records, 1988-?) (LP)
A super-obscure one here, by a guy from Revenna, Michigan, a tiny a village near Grand Rapids... At least that's where he was living around 2015, when he made another record with the help of fellow Michigander Randy Barlow; I couldn't find much information about Mr. Luce, his career, or this record, though I did try. Also not sure if he's the same Denny Luce who later worked on a podcast reviewing craft beers... but heck, why not? Sounds about right!

The Lucky Numbers "Mr. Lucky's" (MARS Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Les Liedel)
A souvenir album featuring a couple of guys who had worked as sidemen for various bands: bass player Clyde McCoy and guitar picker Roy Young. The liner notes say they played with country stars Little Jimmy Dickens, Judy Lynn, Leon McAulliffe and Marty Robbins, though this is one of those albums where the liners are suspiciously vague, so I don't know how intensive any of those engagements actually were... Anyway, they were doing a gig at the Golden Nugget casino in Las Vegas around the time they cut this album, and the set list certainly reflects the kind of diversity lounge acts required back then, with pop stuff like "Walk Right Back" and Otis Redding's "Dock Of A Bay" alongside "Sweet Dreams Baby" and John Hartford's "Gentle On My Mind," as well as a cover of Bobby Goldsboro's dreadful "Honey." No date on the album, but based on the material, I'd guess it's from around 1968 or '69, though it could be a few years later...

Lucy Ann "Livin' It Country" (Rite Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Duhart)
Recorded live at Red's Mill Lounge, in Durham, Connecticut, this set features several country standards and more contemporary hits, including Crystal Gayle's "I'll Get Over You" and Tanya Tucker's "Cowboy's Lovin' Night," alongside oldies like "Good Hearted Woman" and "Statue Of A Fool," and sappy gal-centric stuff like Barbara Fairchild's "Teddy Bear." Alas, no info on the musicians backing her, although the liner notes tell us she'd been singing locally in New England clubs for several years.

Ludlow "Ludlow" (BOC Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Brad Edwards)
A lively local band from Ludlow, Missouri, a postage-stamp sized village near Chillicothe, about fifty miles northwest of Kansas City. Billed by promoter Jerry Woody as "the big band from the little town," Ludlow included singer Jim Anderson, Rich Anderson (guitar), Bob Berk (steel guitar), Mike Carey (guitar), Johnny Damerell (keyboards), Dearld Patterson (steel guitar), Rick Phillips (percussion) and lead vocals and guitar by Brenda Verjan. They were locals all, as far as I can tell, and while this seems to have been the only band most of the musicians ever recorded with, Johnny Damerell was also in a group called the Country Sunshine Band, while Rick Phillips appears to have played on and album by the obscuro-oddball folk duo Blegen & Sayer, several years earlier. Not sure when this one came out, but it sure looks early '80s.

Dale Luedke "Telling Tales With Loose Ends" (End Of The Trail Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Nick Kuzulka & Dale Luedke)
Singer-guitarist Dale Luedke hailed from Waupun, Wisconsin, or thereabouts. Anyway, this one's really more of a coffeehouse singer-songwriter folkie kinda thing, although he is joined on a couple of tunes by fiddle and pedal steel, notably on a thumping cover of Lefty Frizzell's "If You've Got The Money, Honey," showcasing Wally Messner's steel playing. Most of the other tracks are Luedke originals, and they're generally pretty shambolic efforts -- wordy, strained lyrics with high aspirations tempered by his somewhat iffy vocals, as well as his preoccupations with success and the stumbling blocks in life. Several songs spotlight Luedke's apparent resentments about his own lack of financial success and creative recognition, although he tries to mask his feelings with an affectation of wry detachment and philosophical wit. Luedke wasn't quite the Greg Brown-ian storyteller he aspired to be, though if you're into obscure, off-the-radar, proto-Americana folksingers, this disc might be of interest... A little twang included, but it's not really a "country" set.

Luis & Art "Now That I'm Old" (Kira Records, 19--?) (LP)
Two kids from Clayton, New Mexico, Art Grine and Luis Grine were southwestern teen rockers when they cut their first single way back in 1962 at the fabled Norman Petty Studios, while playing local gigs as The Rockin' Crickets, and later as The Eternals, or so the liner notes tell us. They eventually moved to the big city, making a go of it in Albuquerque in '67, playing "their rhythmic sounds which range from the lonely western ballad to the spicy Latin beat or the locally popular rancheras." On this album Los Hermanos Grine multi-tracked their performances, so Art Grine plays lead guitar and drums, while Luis plays bass and rhythm guitar. They get some additional assists by Larry Montoya (harmony vocals) and E. Cordova (in an unspecified capacity). About as home-grown as you can get!

Clifford Lopez Lukesh "Clifford Lopez Lukesh" (19--?) (LP)
A bilingual country album from an influential New Mexico singer, with Spanish-language songs alongside English-language honkytonk standards... I wasn't able to track down a label name or recording/release date for this one (or any of his other albums, and there are a few) but I'd welcome any info that readers can provide...

Luke Warmwater "Harmony Grits" (Munich Records, 1974) (LP)
This European-based group appears to have been made up mainly of American expatriates living in Holland... Guitarist Steve Harding wrote a lot of their music, with backing by Alice Brown on fiddle and mandolin, and Willie Murphy plunking banjo, with various European collaborators. Brown later worked with a guy named Buddhix, who (in 1976) covered one of the Luke Warmwater songs, Steve Harding's "Saskatchewan Dan," while Harding himself relocated to California's central coast, where he went on to compose a variety of musical productions and albums.

Luke Warmwater "Where Were You Before" (Stoof Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Job Zomer & Dick van Schuppen)
Fiddle, banjo and guitar blend in an easygoing, fluid, post-bluegrass folkie miasma... These songs are mostly loose-knit, stream-of-consciousness affairs, pleasant on the ears though a little hard to focus on thematically. Hmmm. Well, yes, I suppose it's conceivable that these longhairs were getting a little stoned while living in Holland in the 1970s. Anything's possible, right? Anyway, less of a country thing, but nice for listeners who are into the whole folk-freak thing.

Lundy Country "Lundy Country" (Windmill Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by J. W. Daniel, Don Caldwell & Lloyd Maines)
Singer Fred Lundy was a country radio DJ and emcee on KTKO, San Angelo, Texas... He's backed on this album by the Maines Brothers band, with Lloyd Maines taking a lead role as co-engineer and guitarist. The album has plenty of originals, including songs by Lundy and producer J.W. Daniel, as well as some other guys sharing the same Hinges Publishing company rooftop. Previously, in '79, Lundy released a single with two songs heard on this album, J. W. Daniel's "All The Hurt He Left Behind" and Lundy's "All The Way To Texas." I'm not sure if they're the same versions, but it sure sounds like it -- although the single was credited to a band called the The Chapparal, like this album is was also recorded at Don Caldwell Studios, in Lubbock. Along with the Maines Brothers, this disc includes fiddling by Richard Bowden (of Pinkard & Bowden fame), steel guitar by D. J. Brown, and piano plunkin' by Bill Gammill and Monte Williams.

Cathy Lunsford "You Men At The Bar" (One Shot With A Bullet Records, 1975)

Cathy Lunsford "Cowgirl In The Wind" (Ricochet Records, 1981)
(Produced by Cal Scott)
An ambitious self-released set from an Oregon cowgirl who wrote all but two of the songs on here -- the exceptions being a version of "Stay All Night" and Paul Davis's "Ride 'Em Cowboy." This is a spunky album, the kind of record by the kind of artist you want to root for, although to be honest, it does have its flaws. She booked a big band, with full country instrumentation -- fiddle, pedal steel, the works -- but the mix is a bit thin. More importantly, Lunsford herself was maybe not the greatest singer ever, though she might grow on you: if you're a fan of rootsy '70s/'80s second-stringers like Gail Davies and Linda Hargrove, you might want to check this out as well. Apparently her song, "Longnecks And Chili," was chosen as the official song for a big Portland, Oregon chili cook-off sometime back in the 1980s. (Personally I'm more interested in the "longnecks" part of that equation...) By the way, the Jim Mills listed as banjo player is not the same heavy-hitting bluegrass picker who was in the Ricky Skaggs band for a bazillion years. There were two banjo pickers with the same name... go figure!

Mike Lunsford "Honey Hungry" (Power Pak Records, 1994)
A late-70s minor leaguer, Oklahoman Mike Lunsford had a couple of mid-level hits with "Honey Hungry" and "Stealin' Feelin'," on the then-fading Starday label. He's a pleasant enough country crooner, with a nice voice and a penchant for slower, midtempo ballads. The arrangements aren't that striking, nor his delivery, which is hampered by a lack of rhythmic oompf, but he's still nice to listen to... Nothing earthshaking, but worth checking out, if you're into the whole 'Seventies countrypolitan crooning scene.

Mike Lunsford "Mike Lunsford" (Starday/Gusto Records, 1975) (LP)

Mike Lunsford "Stealin', Feelin' And Others" (Starday/Gusto Records, 1976) (LP)

Ray Lunsford & Nell Lunsford "Memories Gone By" (1985-?) (LP)
(Produced by Marshall Craven)
Super-duper old-time music, played by some fairly old-time musicians. This was a Lunsford family affair, led by Nellie Ray Lunsford (1908-1993) on autoharp, and Ray Lee Lunsford (1908-1989) picking banjo. They were both natives of Iredell County, North Carolina, and are joined by several family members on this intimate recording, including their son Clay Lunsford (banjo, guitar and mandolin), Dwayne Lunsford (rhythm guitar), along with Rhyne Dowell and Kim Felts playing bass, and fiddler David Johnson. The album is a mix of gospel songs and sentimental oldies, from "White Dove" and "Old Country Church" to "The Weeks Are So Long," "Old Folks At Home" and "Wildwood Flower." The Depression-era repertoire doubtless reflects the music of their youth, and those of who dig the real-deal old stuff might get a kick out of this album.

Ron E. Lyght "I Come From Da Range" (Bros II Records, 1983-?) (LP)
"...Dedicated with thanks to the real people of Northern Minnesota," this disc mixes country covers and several originals credited to Ron E. Lyght. His compositions include the title track, "I Come From The Range," as well as "I'd Rather Be The One You're Cheating With," "I Made My Mind Up" and "Going On Welfare Blues." Ronald Everett Lyght (1943-2015) was a middle-aged African-American who grew up in the so-called Iron Range of northeast Minnesota (the same area Bob Dylan was from...) Lyght memorializes the area in the bouncy, uptempo "I Come From The Range," a goofy novelty number with a Hank Williams Jr./Jerry Reed feel to it -- over the years the song, which namechecks several small towns in the taconite mining region, has been adopted as a regional anthem. Although this seems to have been his only record, Mr. Lyght played local shows throughout the 1970s, at least as far back as '72, including at a venue called the Blue Ox Lounge. His country roots are clear in covers of classics such as the rockabilly oldie "Blue Suede Shoes," along with "This Time You Gave Me A Mountain," and Don Gibson's "Legend In My Time," and though those tunes are all of an older vintage, from the sound of it, this disc seems to have been recorded in the early '80s.

Jimmy Lynch "Meet Little Jimmy Lynch" (1970-?) (LP)
Not to be confused with the African-American comedy artist nicknamed "the funky tramp," country singer Little Jimmy Lynch was apparently a dwarf, or, if you prefer, a little person, who hailed from West Virginia. According to the liner notes on his second album, Lynch performed frequently on WVVA's "Wheeling Jamboree," as well as other local radio and TV venues. He recorded at least two LPs of straightforward, old-school country music, including this album of (all) cover tunes, classics such as "Act Naturally," "Golden Rocket," and "Green, Green Grass Of Home," as well as more contemporary material like Waylon Jennings' "Come On Home And Sing The Blues To Daddy." Alas, Lynch remains a bit of a cipher with no historical record online that I can find thus far. Anyone out there know about this guy?

Jimmy Lynch "The Sounds Of Country" (Lam Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Shockley)
Lynch traveled to Nashville to record this album at Tom T. Hall's studio, and cut this second(?) album with an unidentified studio crew... Some of the songs are covers, stuff like "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Four Walls," but others are originals, including "Change The Dirt" (credited to Roy M. Shockley) and "Love Knows No Distance" (written by Bill Quinn, Anthony Prince and Chuck Doze) which were probably provided by producer Mike Shockley for these sessions.

Liz Lyndell & Del Reeves "Let's Go To Heaven Tonight" (Koala Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Bernie Vaughn, Dan Hoffman & Liz Lyndell)
Countrypolitan cowgirl Liz Lindell started cutting records in the late 'Seventies made her first big splash as a duet partner for Nashville's Del Reeves. She signed to the Koala label and enjoyed modest success with a few of her singles -- Lyndell had a bright, girlish voice reminiscent perhaps of Donna Fargo or Brenda Lee, and she fit in nicely with the slick, bouncy production style of the time.

Liz Lyndell "Urban Cowgirl" (Koala Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Bernie Vaughn & Liz Lyndell)
On this album, Lyndell really went all-in on the urban cowboy fad -- almost every song has the word "cowboy" in the title, including "I Like Cowboys Best Of All," "Cowboys Are My Kind Of Guys," "You Can Love Me Till My Cowboy Comes Back," and even a cover of "Mama's Don't Let Your Baby's Grow Up To Be Cowboys." Possibly the best-known track is the novelty number, "I'm Gonna Ride Gilley's Bull," which was also released as a single.

Liz Lyndell "I Never Once Stopped Loving You" (Koala Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Bernie Vaughn, Dan Hoffman & Liz Lyndell)
The glossy album art shows her looking all slick and posh, in an early '80s Barbara Mandrell/Lynn Anderson mode... She cut a few more singles after this, and seems to have moved into Christian country later on, notably with her cover of the Conway Twitty/Loretta Lynn duet "God Bless America Again," which was a hit on the gospel charts.

Shana Lynette & Midwest Express "On The Right Track" (1985) (LP)
Hailing from Pittsburg, Kansas, Shana Lynette seems to have started out as a teenager performer, cutting an earlier, holiday-themed EP, with the oh-so-promising "Mr. Russian, Please Don't Shoot Down Santa's Sleigh" and "Getting Ready For Christmas." Here, despite the late date (mid-1980s) and the young country look, she covers a lot of oldies, stuff like "Hey Good Lookin'," "I Fall To Pieces," "Statue Of A Fool," and (yet another) version of Mickey Newberry's "American Trilogy." She throws in a few new tunes, as well, such as "Smoky Old Barroom" and "Whole Lotta Country In Me." The band includes Joey Adams, Scott Avery, Bill Boren, Doug Hudson and Mick Johnson, with help from Nashvillers Willie Rainsford and the Cates Sisters providing backing vocals.

Lynn & Lynn "Down Home" (Brian's Recording Studio, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Lynn Anselmo & Reggie King)
A husband-wife team -- and yes, they were both named Lynn Anselmo -- backed by Lloyd Daigle on bass, and acoustic guitarist Jeffrey C. Sharpe; producer Reggie King sings lead on a version of the Carter Family oldie, "Will The Circle Be Unbroken." The repertoire is rich in originals, as well as several interesting cover songs, including country-rock classics "Some Of Shelley's Blues" and "Glendale Train." Lynn Anselmo (the husband) came from a family of restauranteurs and bar owners and he owned or managed a string of venues over the course of several decades, often using his perch to help promote struggling musicians through open mic nights and the like... He himself was a fabled singer-songwriter, and is best known as a Baton Rouge artist, though he worked in a lot of different towns. Starting in the late 'Sixties, Lynn & Lynn had residencies in Atlanta, Pensacola and elsewhere, but they settled down in Baton Rouge not long after this album came out -- Mr. Anselmo took over a place called Tony's Tavern, and ran it through the end of the '80s. (A profile in Crossroads Magazine fills in even more of the blanks.)

Dody Lynn & Bob Flower "Bob Flower And His Star Dusters" (Do-Re-Me Records, 1965) (LP)
Country bandleader Bob Flower had a day job as police chief of Cuba, New York, but he kept busy at nights, taking his band on the road to play gigs and even made the trek to Nashville a few times to cut singles, as well as this LP, which was his only full-length album. Flower described himself as "the poor man's Ernie Ford," and is firmly anchored in mainstream, old-school country. This album is almost all cover tunes, standards like "Cold, Cold Heart," "Four Walls," "Lonesome 7-7203" and the like. Flower sings half the songs solo, as well as a couple of duets with "girl" singer Dody Lynn who was a Cuba, NY native... Ms. Lynn also sings lead on a couple of tracks, including a version of "It Wasn't God Who made Honky Tonk Angels." Apparently Flower retired from the police force in 1966, and moved to Florida in the early '70s to retire -- Dody Lynn established herself as a solo performer, playing gigs around Cuba with a band called the Guitarmen.

Dody Lynn "You Make My Day" (B-W Records, 1973) (LP)
As far as I know, this was Dody Lynn's only solo album, released in the early '70s when she was playing local gigs with her band, the Guitarmen.

Janet Lynn "Promise Me Anything" (Nu-Country, 1976-?) (LP)
This solo album by Texas gal Janet Lynn showcases her rural vocals, placing her stylistically in with the likes of Donna Fargo and Loretta Lynn, truly twangy, although not as confident or forceful as those star-power Nashville gals. Still, it's a completely charming album, and definitely worth a spin if you get a chance. Lynn was inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame in the year 1999 -- listen to this a few times and you'll understand why! (See below for her earlier work with musical partner Johnny Lyon.)

Rebecca Lynn "Hold Me Tight" (Elka Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Borchetta, Eddie Martinez & Warren Roche)
Singer Rebecca Lynn was an also-ran country singer from Texas who recorded a few singles on the Ranwood label before releasing her first album, which was made up of a lot of the same material... She went on to release one other LP before going back to to singles-only releases, and eventually retired from the spotlight. There are plenty of A-list musicians backing her up, including guitarist James Burton, bassist Emory Gordy as well as Richard Bennett and J. D. Maness on pedal steel, though I think the songs were recorded over a period of several years and the lineup changes a lot from track to track. Who played on which songs isn't really clear. Anyway, it took me a while to warm up to this album since Lynn's vocals seem fairly flat (especially on the first side of the album) and her high-pitched tones seem better suited to "girl group" pop than to country. But a few songs stuck out on Side Two, such as "He's Too Busy Working To Cheat On Me" and "Cold Carolina Morning," and I was able to see her as working in the style of singers such as Skeeter Davis or Donna Fargo. What's most notable about this album is that it's the first country album produced by Mike Borchetta, who was married to Rebecca Lynn at the time, and his experiences working to promote Lynn led him to switch his career path from working with rock artists in LA to becoming one of the big names in Nashville. (Borchetta helped start Curb Records' Nashville office, and signed Tim McGraw while working there, and he later started several successful indie labels... and it all started here!) Not a great record, but it have a certain '70s sunshine-y charm.

Rebecca Lynn "Something Pretty Bad" (Calliope Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Borchetta, Eddie Martinez, Warren Roche, Joe Saraceno & Fred Vance)
Worst. Album title. Ever. I tried to warn them, but nobody ever listens to me... Oh, well.

Sharie Lynn & Her Show-Fers "Keepin' It Country" (Alpha Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Bobbie Thomas)
This one is popular with folks online who like to make fun of "bad" album art... I'm not sure where or when this was recorded -- some folks say Ms. Lynn was from around Chicago -- but I love the band name. Ms. Lynn had kind of a Dolly Parton thing going on with her wardrobe, and the matching lightning-bolt outfits of the boys in the band are a sight to behold as well. She sang about half the songs on the album, letting each of the band members -- John Beke, Wayne Douglas, Joe Nelson and Leon Wilson -- all sing lead on one song as well. Lynn sings in kind of a milky, Lynn Anderson-esque countrypolitan style -- from the looks of things I'd guess this came out in the early '80s, possibly the late, late '70s, but I'm not totally sure either way. Anyone out there have more info about this album? [Note: Several bandmembers later reformed as the southern rock-ish group Crossfyre, which made an album in 1985...]

Tiny Lynn "Tiny Lynn" (Tinymite Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Don Caldwell)

Tiny Lynn "Little Lehman's Half-Fast Songs" (Half-Fast Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Don Caldwell)
It's perhaps not too surprising that this record -- which features several intentionally comedic photos of the massive Mr. Lehman posed as a hairy, bulky, diaper-clad man-baby -- has earned a spot of more than a few "worst album cover ever" websites. I personally despise that genre of humor, especially when applied to records that are humorous to begin with... talk about missing the point! Anyway, it's also worth noting that this album has no shortage of true twang talent: it was recorded at Don Caldwell's recording studio in Lubbock, Texas and features Caldwell cohort Lloyd Maines on guitar and pedal steel, along with several pickers in the Maines Brothers orbit, such as bass player Dave Bentley, drummer Nicky Smith, Larry Welborn on dobro and guitar, and Jay Adams playing lead guitar. (Jay Boy Adams, perhaps?) I'm not 100% sure which of his albums came out first, but I think this one was the second LP.

Toni Lynn "Toni Lynn" (Tanglewood Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Woolman)
Omigosh! She was so darned adorable! Like, early-'Seventies Kristy McNicols-level adorable! Ms. Lynn (later Toni Lynn Starr) was the daughter of Buddy Craft, a local cop and race track owner in Hopkinsville, Florida who also opened a nightclub and let his daughter sing there and make her professional debut at age nine. This custom-pressing album was recorded in Nashville, backed by a studio crew with Bruce Watkins playing piano and guitar, Bill Johnson on steel, Noel Walters on bass, rhythm guitar by Wayne Walters -- also, backup vocals by Rita Figlio and others. The songs are about half originals, with Toni Lynn penning "All That's Left Is Saying Goodbye," "Has Anybody Seen My Cowboy," "How Could I Lose Something I Never Had" and "I Must Be Out Of My Mind," which was co-written with her dad; Mr. Craft also contributes a couple of songs as sole composer, "How Do You Measure A Friend" and "In Many Ways," using the same publishing companies (Lufaye and Golden Spool) that Lynn uses on her songs. Straight out of high school, Ms. Lynn moved to Nashville to work as a secretary at Acuff-Rose, and she kept performing onstage throughout her adult life, later shifting her focus from country music towards NASCAR fandom. Thanks to Ms. Starr for her lively website, which fills in a lot of information about her early career, and her dad's equally colorful stories.

Johnny Lyon & Janet Lynn "Makin' Country" (Nu-Country, 1976) (LP)
A consummate Texas country singer, Major Johnny Lyon (1937-2010) was a career military man who spent two decades in the Air Force, serving a tour of duty in Vietnam before being re-stationed in the Lone Star State, where he was able to pursue a parallel career as a country music bandleader. In 1970, Lyon partnered up with singer Janet Lynn -- creatively, not romantically -- and started the Nu-Country band, label and publishing company, leading their band across the state throughout the decade, and were stalwart members of the Austin music scene of the late 1970s. Lyon and Lynn made several records, and after Lyons left the Air Force in 1980, he opened the Texas Hall Of Fame, a popular music venue between Austin and Houston. (The Hall of Fame closed after Lyon passed away in 2010; the following year it was demolished to make way for a Walmart store...) I believe this was their first album on the Nu-Country label, although they may have cut some singles before this.

Johnny Lyon "Lyon Country" (Nu-Country, 1977)
(Produced by Frenchie Burke)
This album's mostly cover tunes, with a studio crew that included Randy Cornor on guitar and Frenchie Burke on fiddle...

Johnny Lyon & The Country Nu-Notes "The Austin Sessions" (www.johnnylyon.com, 1977)

Heidi Lyons "Come On Home" (Sounding Post Records, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Heidi Lyons & Gene Breeden)
An indie album from the Seattle-Tacoma area, though Ms. Lyons recorded at Gene Breeden's Nashville studio, with Breeden on lead guitar, Terry Crisp on steel, Don Thompson playing rhythm guitar and banjo, and the Callaways singing backup. This seems to be an early '80s album: the liner notes are by a DJ from KMPS ("Kountry Music Puget Sound") AM-FM, which "went country" in 1978, and the set list includes a Vern Gosdin song, "What You Think Is Fair," which he recorded in 1982. The rest of the record is mainly cover songs, stuff like "My Baby Thinks He's A Train," "Walk Right Back," a couple of Patsy Cline covers --"Walking After Midnight" and "I Fall To Pieces." Two songs which were Lyons originals were also released as a single: "Come On Home" and "Country Touch."

Jodie Lyons "Talkin' Smokey" (Smokey Enterprises, Inc., 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Jodie Lyons & Fred Carter, Jr.)
A great record, but an odd release. A Nashville studio crew helmed by guitarist Fred Carter plays some great music behind a surprisingly strong, humor-filled set of trucker tunes, cashing in on the CB radio "craze" of the mid-1970s. What's weird is how singer-songwriter Jodie Lyons is kind of buried in the album art background -- if you read the liner notes it's not impossible to figure out he's the star of the show, but the record itself seems on-purpose pitched as a generic knockoff album -- I guess maybe they figured the middle-aged Lyons couldn't pull off a solo star act, ala C.W. McCall, so they packaged this is a Ronco-esque style? At any rate, it's a good record, with lots fo fun novelty numbers and really great picking from folks like Johnny Gimble, Weldon Myrick, Dale Sellars, Bobby Thompson, Charlie McCoy and the like.

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