Banjo Express "Country Music - Old-Time - Bluegrass" (Disques Pierre Verany, 1980)
Ooh, lala! Despite the flashy stars & stripes cover art, this disque comes to us from our friends in France, and is a pretty straight-up set of bluegrass and old-timey instrumentals. The banjo(ist) in question is Yannick Huet, joined by Christian Bon and Philippe Bon on guitar(s), mandolin picker Luis-Jose Landa, and bassist Pascal Maucourant. Not sure what the trajectory of this band's career was, though they do seem to have put out a record or two other than this one. Some stylistic variety here -- they could pick pretty energetically and really fast, but also switched the tempo up and had a few creative arrangements, as on their stop-and-start version of Bill Monroe's "Cheyenne" and elsewhere. Definitely worth a spin.

The Bluegrass Specials "The Train I Ride" (Roots Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Evelyn Parth & Hans Peter Strobl)
The debut album by a bluegrass band from Vienna, Austria, featuring Ferry Leitner (banjo), Wolfgang Entmayr (mandolin), Raymond Bamboschek (dobro and guitar), Eddy Mayrl (fiddle) and Willy Nefzger (bass). The repertoire is all traditionals and standards, with one original tune, "Russian Ride," credited to the band. Mostly cover tunes -- "Orange Blossom Special," "Soldier's Joy," et. al., though there is one track, the Slavic-inflected "Russian Ride," that seems to be an original.

The Blom Brothers "...With The Bluegrass Swedes" (Old Homestead Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Borderline Country Band "Purveyors Of A Fine Blend Of Good Time Country Music" (Border Records, 1984) (LP)

Jiri Brabaec & His Country Beat "The Best Of Country Beat" (Supraphone, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Slava Kunst)

Jiri Brabaec & The Country Beat "12 Golden Country Hits" (Supraphone-Artia, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Jan Spalney, Jan Hrabek & Mojmir Balling)

Nipso Brantner & The Swinging Cowboys "Die Grosse Westernschau" (Fass Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Freddy Monaco)
Austrian-born violinist Joseph "Nipso" Brantner (1935-2003) was best known as a jazz/swing player, but he recorded at least two LPs with the country-friendly Swinging Cowboys, including this one from the late 'Sixties. The repertoire is mostly traditional material ("Golden Slippers," "Home On The Range," "Oh Suzannah," etc.) though two songs, "Same Old Town" and "The Slivery Tomahawk," are credited to guitarist Chuck Herrmann, while steel player Frankie Baum composed one called "Frankie's Waltz." Not sure where this fits into Brantner's musical arc -- he had been making singles and such at least as early as the mid-1960s, and got heavily into more modern jazz int he '70s... but I think the cowboy thing was a sidetrack on an otherwise jazz and pop oriented career.

Nipso Brantner & The Swinging Cowboys "German Saloon" (Deutsche Grammophon, 19--?) (LP)

Canyon "Canyon" (Nature Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Gerhard Kampfe)
A German band with fluid boundaries between country and rock, though with a definite country direction... The trio included Manfred Wetterich (guitar), Wolfgang Ronsch (guitar, mandolin) and Achim Dresch (keyboards and harmonica) with additional backing by a slew of musicians, ranging from trumpets to pedal steel. Songs include "Brother Hobo," "Cowboy Song," "Don't Join A Rock'N'Roll Band" and a cover of the Beatles' "I've Just Seen A Face." An earlier iteration of this band cut an album under the name Itcheyfoot, as a more modest, bluegrass-y trio.

Gilbert Caranhac & The Bluegrass Connection "Le Dobro" (Le Chant Du Monde, 1974)

Long Chris & Les Daltons "1: Qui Te Le Dira" (Philips, 1962-?) (7") (EP)

Long Chris & Les Daltons "2: Je Reviendrai" (Philips, 1962-?) (7") (EP)

Long Chris & Les Daltons "3: Ma Guitare Et Mes Bottes" (Philips, 1962-?) (7") (EP)
One of several EPs recorded by French-language singer Long Chris, who appears to have been from France... at least that's where these 45s were manufactured.

Country Fours "Basta" (Amigo Records, 196--?) (LP)
More of a folkie thing, despite the band's name... This Swedish folk-pop band covered 'Sixties folkies such as Tom Paxton and Malvina Reynolds, albeit translated into Swedish. Although I assume this was a '60s release, it's possible it came out as late as the early 1970s. No info about the band members, though this was a quartet made up of three guys and one gal... any additional info is welcome!

The Country Snakes "Ring Of Fire" (Tonep Records, 1982) (LP)

Joe Dassin "Blue Country" (CBS Records, 1979)

J. G. Duke "Better Than Ca$h" (J. G. Duke Productions, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Rene J. Zingg)

J. G. Duke "Lonely But Free" (Montana Country, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Rene J. Zingg)

J. G. Duke "Prime Cuts" (Montana Country, 1989) (LP)
(Produced by Rene J. Zingg)

Emsland Hillbillies "Endlich" (Metronome Records, 1977) (LP)

Emsland Hillbillies "Bauer Barnes Muhle" (Ahorn Records, 1979) (LP)

Emsland Hillbillies/Clay Blaker "The Texas Country Road Show Back In Town" (Ja Records, 1981) (LP)
A semi-split LP featuring alles von Emsland und alzo Texas cowboy Clay Blaker and his group, The Texas Honky Tonk Band. This may have been Blaker's first album!

Est "Sundgauer Country Boy" (Studio Omega, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Michel Schmitt & Andre Muller)
We're going really far afield on this one, all the way to Strasbourg, France, where in the late '70s a group of longhaired European twangfans recorded this odd album -- intended, they said, as an homage to the American country-rock band Poco. There's a strong undercurrent of prog-psych underneath many of these cosmic cowboy tunes, but you can hear the hippiebilly influences loud and clear, and there's some particularly good pedal steel work and lively banjo picking as well. The copy of this album I found has the added charm of a long inscription written by bandmember Pierre Speckler (presumably written to a DJ or music critic?) in which he explains that Est was about the only country-rock band in France at the time, and that the album was "recorded in not too good conditions" (although it sounds great to me!) The Alsatian band seems to be mainly made up of guys of German-Swiss ancestry, which perhaps helps explain their affinity for American country music... They sing in French, English and Alsatian, and really the only weak part of the album is when they sing in English, which inhibits their phrasing and fluidity, even though it is charming as well. All in all, a very interesting album from a band that charted a unique course amid a contemporary musical landscape dominated by '70s rock, prog and jazz.

Les Farwesters "A La Vallee Des Peaux-Rouges" (EP) (Disques Pegase, 196--?) (7")
A four-song EP with covers of generic "western" tunes, with some song titles delightfully mangled by the lackadaisical French printers (i.e., "Polly Wo Oly Doodle" and "That Menphis Train") Alas, no information about the guys playing in the band, or an exact date for when this came out.

Larry Finnigan "My Kind Of Country" (Svensk American, 1966) (LP)
American-born John Lawrence Finneran (1939-1973) was a teenpop/rockabilly singer from New York whose big hit, "Dear One," came out back in 1961, during the Kennedy administration. "Dear One" almost cracked the Top Ten, but subsequent singles flopped, so though he started out on American labels, Finneran found his biggest fans in Europe, and soon signed to Sonet Records in Denmark. He cut numerous singles for Sonet before moving to Sweden and starting his own label, Svensk American, which was based in Stockholm, and also had some kind of licensing deal in the UK. The title of this LP is entirely accurate: all the songs were Finneran originals, part of his new career as a songwriter, with his biggest successes from pitching material to European artists. Though he released a slew of singles under the Larry Finnegan stage name, this seems to have been his only full album of English-language material; a posthumous double album was released several years after his death in 1973.

Larry Finnigan "Larry Finnegans Bästa" (Svensk American, 1968) (LP)
Mr. Finneran recorded a fair amount of Swedish-language material as well, with numerous songs written by or with Swedish collaborators such as Olle Bergman, Ingvar Hellberg and Rune Walleborn, who were all pop musicians with careers of their own. Not sure how much of a country vibe is in any of these tracks, though. (Note: this was re-released in the 1970s under the title Larry Finnegan På Svenska.)

Larry Finnigan "In Memoriam" (Sonet Records, 1979) (LP)
After living in Sweden for much of the 'Sixties, Finneran returned to the United States in 1970, retiring to South Bend, Indiana and passing away in 1973 as the result of a brain tumor. This posthumously-released, two-disc retrospective includes many (if not all) of his singles on Sonet and Svensk American, as well as earlier stuff like "Dear One" and his other American recordings; the last ten tracks were the entire My Kind Of Country album.

Flying Norwegians "New Day" (Sonet Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Hallvard Kvale)

Flying Norwegians "Wounded Bird" (Sonet Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Nils Bjarne Kvam & Bjorn Lillehagen)

Flying Norwegians "Live" (Sonet Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Hallvard Kvale, Nils Bjarne Kvam & Tore Skille)

Flying Norwegians "This Time Around" (Sonet Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Rune Walle & Rolf Kjernet)

Flying Norwegians "Du Star I Veien" (Sonet Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Rolf Kjernet)
Although they often recorded in English, for this album, the band sang all the songs in Norwegian...

Flying Norwegians "Still Riding" (Sonet Records, 1996) (LP)
(Produced by Kal Andersen, Andrew Hardin & Dan Kincaid)
A reunion album featuring Cato Sanden, Rune Walle, Jarle Zimmerman and others... In the intervening years, Cato Sanden successfully established himself as a solo artist; the group split up again after this album came out, then re-formed in 2005, although Sanden passed away from a heart attack while the group was on tour.

Emile Ford "My Kind Of Country Music" (Transdisc, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Simon Sullivan)
Dutch pop star Emile Ford was not primarily a country singer, though he gave it a go on this folk-and-country set... Normally Ford stuck to pop and soul tunes, and gave off a vaguely Jackie Washington-esque vibe, but here he tackled classics like "Blue Side Of Lonesome," "Green, Green Grass Of Home," and "Sunday Morning Coming Down," though pop and folk material was also in the mix, as heard on his covers of "South Of The Border," "Red, Red Wine" and Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing On My Mind." No information about the backing musicians, other than a back-cover mention that UK steel player B. J. Cole helped anchor the band. Sadly, the songs are all still in English, much as many of us would have enjoyed hearing them sung in Dutch.

Karel Gott "Country Album" (Supraphon Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Pavel Eiselt & Frantisek Rebicek)
Generally considered the most famous and most successful pop singer from Czechoslovakia, Karel Gott (1939-2019) started his professional career in 1960 and began to record a few years later on the state-owned Supraphon label, swiftly becoming a nationally-revered star performer. A prolific recording artist, Gott made roughly one hundred albums(!) and performed in a variety of styles. He only dabbled in country music (as heard on this album) and was best known for his pop recordings aimed at the German-language markets in Austria and Germany. Although almost half the material on this record seems to have been original Czech-language twang, most tracks are translated versions of American country hits, including tunes such as Larry Gatlin's "All The Gold In California," Hoyt Axton's "Della And The Dealer," "City Of New Orleans," Kris Kristofferson's "Why Me Lord," and even a bit of Buck Owens. Dunno if he made any other country records, though it does seem likely.

Martine Habib "Martine Habib" (Epic Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Norbert Putnam & Glen Spreen)
A solo set from French songwriter Martine Habib, who is best known for her participation in France's version of the 'Sixties "hootenanny" folk scene, particularly for her duet recordings with Gilles Marchal, a French pop/folk singer who sometimes flirted with country music motifs. This is an album of all-original compositions by Ms. Habib, and though it was more in a pop-folk/singer-songwriter thing, it's notable here since it was recorded in Nashville, with backing from the top ranks of Music City studio musicians particularly the "Area Code 615" crew centered around Charlie McCoy and producer Norbert Putnam. Habib had further (kinda) country cred as she also sang on several of John Denver's best-known albums. She seems to have emigrated to the United States, and may have settled down in California

Bruno Haland "To My Friends" (Klub Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Bruno Glenmark)

Bjoro Haland "Norwegian Nashville" (Skandisk, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Bjorn Lillehagen)

Hasse & Kvinnaboske Band "Annat Var Det Forr" (Sonet Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bjorn Lillehagen)

Hank Henry "Rainy Nights" (Tall Dog, 1984)
(Produced by Simon Shrimpton-Smith & H. Hank Henry)
Well-meaning but ultimately underwhelming honky-tonk retro from Belgian country singer going by the name of H. Hank Henry. All the songs are Henry originals, with a couple co-written by others, including a tinkly ballad sung with Jeanne Henry, a vaguely Emmylou-esque singer who I assume is his wife(?)... He gets the American rural accent mostly right (reminds me of Terry Allen at times) but the band's a little sluggish and they never get loose enough to really draw you in. Technically accomplished, but the gritty feel and hillbilly swagger isn't really there. Worth checking out if you're into Euro-twang, but don't get your hopes too high.

Hallbjorn Hjartarson "Syngur Eigin Log" (SG-Hljomplotur, 1975) (CD)
Icelandic honkytonker Hallbjorn Hjartarson (1935-2022) started his career in the 1970s and recorded quite a few "kantry" records over the years. Hljomplotur seems to have been his own label, one of his many entrepreneurial outings. Hjartarson also opened a country-themed restaurant and nightclub called Kantryaer ("Country Town") where he also set up a radio studio for his privately-owned radio station, broadcasting country music around the clock. For a while he also organized an Icelandic country music festival, and also had a modest side-career as a movie actor. Downside: later in life, Mr. Hjartarson was convicted of pedophilia, which presumably explains the abrupt end to his recording career.

Hallbjorn Hjartarson "Kantry Log (Kantry 1)" (HJH-Hljomplotur, 1981) (LP)

Hallbjorn Hjartarson "Kantry 2" (HJH-Hljomplotur, 1983) (LP)

Hallbjorn Hjartarson "Kureki A Suourleio" (HJH-Hljomplotur, 1985) (LP)

Hallbjorn Hjartarson "Kantry 5: Meo Kveoju Til Þin" (HJH-Hljomplotur, 1989) (LP)

Hallbjorn Hjartarson "Kantry 6: Nashville" (HJH-Hljomplotur, 1990) (LP)

Hallbjorn Hjartarson "Kantry 9: Kotturinn Bulli" (HJH-Hljomplotur, 2003) (LP)

Hootenanny Singers "Hootenanny Singers" (Polar Records, 1964) (LP)
Take a chance on me! This was the first album by the Hootenanny Singers, a Swedish folk-pop group perhaps best known as the starting place in the professional career of singer-songwriter Bjorn Ulvaeus (later one of the Bs in ABBA). Formed in 1961, Hootenanny Singers made their national television debut in 1964, the same year this album came out. Not coincidentally, the band was managed by Stig Anderson, who later steered the global success of ABBA... Although Hootenanny Singers had a significant commercial impact of its own, it's easy to see it all as prelude to ABBA's massive popularity... In the mid-1960s Ulvaeus and Hootenanny Singers frequently bumped into another popular group, Hep Stars, which was led by keyboardist Benny Andersson, with Andersson and Ulvaeus eventually forming the songwriting partnership that formed the nucleus of Sweden's greatest band. I think Bjorn Ulvaeus had left the Singers by the end of the 'Sixties, though the group soldiered on well into the early 'Eighties. I only own one of the many Hootenanny Singers albums (see below) but it is actually fairly good, and plausibly within the scope of global twang, albeit in a New Christy Minstrels/Back Porch Majority kinda way... hardly honkytonk or even countrypolitan, but certainly worth a spin.

Hootenanny Singers "Hootenanny Singers" (Polar Records, 1964) (LP)
This was their second album, released the same year as their first and on the same label, though it is indeed a completely different album. This includes one of their biggest hits, "Gabrielle," with a melody that was largely plagiarized from some unfortunate Russian songwriter who was unable to sue them because of the Cold War copyright laws. Talk about Western capitalist aggression!

Hootenanny Singers "Hootenanny Singers Sjunger Evert Taube" (Polar Records, 1965) (LP)

Hootenanny Singers "International" (Polar Records, 1965) (LP)

Hootenanny Singers "Manga Ansikten - Many Faces" (Polar Records, 1966) (LP)

Hootenanny Singers "Civila" (Polar Records, 1967) (LP)

Hootenanny Singers "Bellman Pa Vart Satt - Ur Fredmans Epistlar & Sanger" (Polar Records, 1968) (LP)

The Hootenanny Singers "Five Ar" (Polar Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Bengt Bernhag, Rune Persson & Michael B. Tretow)

Hootenanny Singers "Pa Tre Man Hand" (Polar Records, 1969) (LP)

Hootenanny Singers "Skillingtryck" (Polar Records, 1970) (LP)

Hootenanny Singers "Vara Vackraste Visor" (Polar Records, 1971) (LP)

Hootenanny Singers "Vara Vackraste Visor 2" (Polar Records, 1972) (LP)

Hootenanny Singers "Dan Andersson Pa Vart Satt" (Polar Records, 1973) (LP)

Hootenanny Singers "Evert Taube Pa Vart Satt" (Polar Records, 1974) (LP)

Hootenanny Singers "Nya Vindar" (Polar Records, 1979) (LP)

Hootenanny Singers "For Karleks Skull" (Polar Records, 1982) (LP)

Itcheyfoot "Life/Contemporary Folk And Bluegrass" (Main Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Hans Richard Danner)
A German trio made up of Achim Dresch (banjo and fiddle), Wolfgang Ronsch (guitar and mandolin) and Manfred Wetterich (guitar), with a set of oddball originals and far-out 'Seventies covers such as "Feeling Groovy," "Fox On The Run," and "Teach Your Children." They subsequently changed their name to Canyon, and recorded at least one album under that name in 1978, filling out a much larger sound with several additional musicians pitching in. A hefty chunk of this album was made up of original songs credited to Herr Wetterich: "Coming Home," "Good Night, Angelina," "Poem For K," "Night Of A Broken Band," "Paranoia Brain" and "What I Am."

Red Jenkins/ & The Midnight Cowboys "Kenneth Swanstrom Jamboree" (Cisco Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Lillies Ohlsson)
Not to be confused with the bandleader from northern Kentucky of the same name, this fella "Red Jenkins" was really a guy named Bjorn Raita (1947-2021) from Sweden who recorded a bunch of albums over a very long career. Before settling on the infinitely more enjoyable band name, "The Rednecks," Jenkins led a combo called The Midnight Cowboys, which at the time this album was made included Red Jenkins on vocals, Staffan Elfstrom (bass and guitar), Mats Haglund (banjo and steel guitar), Thomas Haglund (fiddle and guitar), Urban Haglund (bass and guitar), Gudmund Hammar (drums) and Kenneth Swanstrom on piano. Swanstrom also leads his own "jamboree" band on one song, the Jamboree actually being a quartet that also included guitarist Thomas Haglund, along with a couple of other guys, drummer Lasse Fredricksson and Mike Grimwade playing bass. A ton of cover songs, including a lot of fairly hip selections, including songs from Dolly Parton, Billy Mize, Tommy Duncan, a Kris Kristofferson deep cut (of sorts) -- "Jody And The Kid" -- and a version of "Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone," which is one of those songs like "Aime": you can never hear too many versions. This looks like a pretty barebones productions, real DIY indie twang.

Red Jenkins "Neon Playboy" (Great Music Production, 1974) (LP)

Red Jenkins "A Texas Honky Tonk" (Great Music Production, 1975) (LP)

Red Jenkins "King Of The Honky Tonks: Red Jenkins Sings Frank Dycus" (Strictly Country Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Thomas Haglund & Stig Wiklund)
An homage to American-born outlaw honkytonker Frank Dycus (1939-2012) who recorded a few albums of his own, including a couple released in Sweden. His 1980 debut was mostly recorded in Stockholm, with a band put together by Red Jenkins and Thomas Haglund... why, right about the time this album was made!

Red Jenkins "Highway Cowboy" (Shannon Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Thomas Haglund & Stig Wiklund)

Red Jenkins "In A Rock'N'Roll Bar" (Shannon Records, 1982) (LP)

Red Jenkins "In Nashville" (Sonet Records, 1983) (LP)

Red Jenkins/Various Artists "The Bartender (It's All On The Jukebox)" (Red Hot Songs, 2006)

Red Jenkins/Various Artists "Neon Bible: The Texas Honky Tonk Testament" (Red Hot Songs, 2006)

Red Jenkins/Various Artists "Trucker's Paradise" (Strictly Country Records, 2008)

Red Jenkins "Hank And Jack" (Strictly Country Records, 2010)

Red Jenkins/Various Artists "Cheatin' Heart Motel" (Strictly Country Records, 2012)
(Produced by Bill Green)

Red Jenkins/Various Artists "Stone Country" (Strictly Country Records, 2015)
(Produced by Bill Green)

Jerrycan "Stony Man Mountain" (Strictly Country Records, 1983)

Jack Jersey "Honky Tonk Man" (Capitol-EMI Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Frank Jones)
A country/countrypolitan set by Dutch pop singer Willem de Nijs, who sang English-language material under the stage name Jack Jersey. Backed by the Jordanaires and an all-Nashville studio crew, Jersey shows a clear affinity for old-style rockabilly-pop, ala Elvis Presley, or early Conway Twitty. Not bad! His accent's pretty good, too (although I would prefer hearing him sing in Dutch.)

Kenth Larsson "Midnight Sun Express" (RCA Victor, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Frank Jones)
A steel guitar session with Swedish picker/producer Kenth Larsson, accompanied by singer/guitarist Ann Persson and many others, including a core group of musicians in a covers band called Country Road, which later backed rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson on several roots-revival albums recorded in Europe during the early 'Eighties.

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.

Volker Lechtenbrink "Der Macher: Volker Lechtenbrink Sangt Kris Kristofferson" (Polydor Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Knut Kiesewetter)

Volker Lechtenbrink "No. 2" (Polydor Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Gerd Henjes & Knut Kiesewetter)

Volker Lechtenbrink "Alltagsgeschichten" (Polydor Records, 1977) (LP)

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. This first album has a more straightforward bluegrass/stringband feel than the one below, which gets into more hippie-folkie terrain. Sounds nice, though!

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.

Mareld "Mareld" (Opus 3 Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Bo Hansson)

Eddy Mitchell "Rocking In Nashville" (Barclay Records, 1974) (LP)
French pop star (and former rock'n'roller) Eddy Mitchell made a pilgrimage to Nashville to cut an album of American country standards...

Patsy Montana "A Dutch Treat, American Country Style" (Munich Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Wil Hensen, Koos Hoepel & Job Zomer)
While on tour in Europe in 1978, cowgal legend Patsy Montana recorded this set in the Netherlands with a few of the locals, including Freek Dicke on mandolin (great name, by the way), fiddler Frans Poptie, Hans Rombouts on bass, and vocal assist by the Dutch duo of AG & Kate. It's all lassic western material... and it's Patsy Montana, who we all love and adore.

Moonshine "Bootleg" (EMI-Svenska Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bjorn Bostrom & David Whiteley)
Country-rockers from Sweden, this not-too-shaggy band included songwriter-guitarists Totte Bergstrom and Stefan Lagstrom, along with drummer Hans Akerman, bassist Curt Berglund, Hasse Breitholtz on keyboards, and numerous and sundry others. Almost all their songs are originals, though they also cover a Dylan tune and couple of songs by John Stewart, which may give a sense of where their sensibilities lay. The group was around for at least a few years -- in addition to this English-language album, they recorded at least one other in Swedish.

Moonshine "Fullmane" (EMI-Svenska Records, 1979) (LP)
Mostly the same band, with Berglund, Breitholtz and Lagstrom forming the core, and a shift towards singing in their native tongue, which I'm always in favor of...

Nashville Train "...Presents ABBA Our Way" (RCA Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Hazze Ostlund & Nashville Train)
A Swedish country band, covering ABBA classics? Oh, god yes. Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I could give you more information about this one... But for now, just let me bask in the glory.

Teddy Nelson "Diggy Liggy" (Triola Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Jarle Zimmerman & Hallvard Kvale)
Norwegian-language country music from Terje Nielsen (aka Teddy Nelson) a singer from Bergen who had been cutting singles since 1970, though this was the first full album. The album is packed with new translations of well-known American country hits from Merle Haggard, Rusty Kershaw, Buck Owens, Willie Nelson and others, along with some originals by composers such as Fredrik Friis and folk singer Johannes Kleppevik. Nelson is backed on some tracks by the country-rock band, Flyvende Nordmenn (The Flying Norwegians) as well as by a Bergen-based folk group called the Løvstakken String Band.

Teddy Nelson "Jippi Tai Ooh..." (Triola Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Cato Sanden)

Teddy Nelson & The Flying Norwegians "Point Of Departure" (Sonet Records, 1978) (LP)

Teddy Nelson "Teddy Nelson" (Triola Records, 1979) (LP)

Teddy Nelson "Weaver Of Dreams" (Sonet Records, 1980) (LP)

Teddy Nelson "Nashville In My Heart" (Sonet Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Dollar)

Teddy Nelson "I Lusekoft Og Sixpence" (Buffalo Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Fredrik Friis, Teddy Nelson & John Quist)

Teddy Nelson "Lookin' For The Good Times" (Mercury Records, 1983) (LP)

Teddy Nelson "Honky Tonk Man" (Mountain Records, 1985) (LP)

Teddy Nelson "10 Teddy" (Arco Records, 1986)

Teddy Nelson "Millions Of Miles" (Light Sound Records, 1989)

Teddy Nelson "American Dreamer" (Light Sound Records, 1989)
(Produced by Dutte Berg, Nick Borgen & Ronny Light)

Teddy Nelson & Skeeter Davis "You Were Made For Me" (Elli Records, 1991)
(Produced by Ronny Light & Bill Anderson Jr.)
A collaboration with Nashville legend Skeeter Davis....

The Nightriders "Country And Western" (Disques Festival, 1966-?) (LP)
This 2-LP set seems to be the French version of an American album on Pickwick or Crown, with an anonymous band playing knockoff versions of western-themed tunes. The first disc has song titles in French, the second (for authenticity's sake?) has them in English. A lot of film music -- including several Ennio Morricone instrumentals -- as well as numerous generic "cowboy" and old-time folk songs such "Little Brown Jug," "Pecos Bill" and "My Darling Clementine." Absolutely zero indication of who the actual musicians were.

Old-Timey String Band/Tennessee Travellers "Kountry Korral Is Proud To Present..." (Blue Horizon International, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Urban Huglund & Kjell Soderlund)
A split LP featuring two Swedish old-timey/bluegrass bands. The first side features The Old-Timey String Band, from Stockholm (with guitar picker Christoffer Halgren, fiddler Clacs Palmqvist, and Arnulf Ranung on guitar) while Side Two showcases a group from Borlange called The Tennessee Travelers (featuring Mats Haglung on banjo, fiddler Thomas Haglung, Urban Haglund playing guitar, and Ingmar Lind on bass.)

Eilert Pilarm "Greatest Hits" (Green Pig Records, 1996)

Eilert Pilarm "Eilert Is Back!" (Green Pig Records, 1998)

Eilert Pilarm & Partybandet "Live In Stockholm" (Nostradamus Records, 2000)

Eilert Pilarm "Eilert Jul" (Bjork Records, 2001)

Eilert Pilarm "Eilert Forever" (Bjork Records, 2003)

Eilert Pilarm "Best Of Elvis" (Mariann Records, 2006)

Poutnici "Wayfaring Strangers" (Supraphon Records, 198--) (LP)
(Produced by Kvetoslav Rohleder, Jan Svatos & Vit Popp)
A Czechoslovakian bluegrass band, led by singer Robert Krestan. American superpicker Tony Trischka appears as a guest performer, playing banjo on one track called "Prucha."

Carlos Quintas "LRJ Records Presents... Carlos Quintas" (Little Richie Johnson Records, 19--?)
(Produced by Little Richie Johnson)
A bilingual English-Spanish country 'n' pop set by crooner Carlos Quintas, who apparently was Portuguese actor-singer Carlos Miguel Quintas Martins, who started singing pop music as a side gig in the late 'Seventies. He released several albums in Europe before making a pilgrimage to Arizona to cut this partly-country record under the auspices of indie producer Little Richie Johnson. To be totally candid, this is a really terrible album, at least from a twangfan's perspective... Johnson put together a solid crew of (unidentified) musicians, and though the album opens with a solid western swing-flavored version of "Release Me," the arrangements shift into more florid, over-the-top pop orchestrations, and Quintas's vocals are just, well, wrong for most of the record. His accent is a tough sell to begin with, but his often-bizarre phrasing is really what tanks this disc. I'm not big on mocking "bad" records, but honestly the only reason I can think of to keep this album on my shelves is to make fun of it -- especially the two closing tracks, which may possibly be the worst versions of "Me And Bobby McGee" and "Green, Green Grass Of Home" ever recorded. Or at least right up there... It's all pretty painful.

Rank Strangers "Country Our Way" (Polydor-Sweden, 19--?) (LP)

Rank Strangers "...Featuring Mats Radberg" (Polydor-Sweden, 19--?) (LP)

Rankarna & Mats Radberg "Wellknown Strangers" (Polydor-Sweden, 197-?) (LP)

Rankarna & Mats Radberg "Back From Nashville" (Polydor-Sweden, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Mats Radberg, Lennart Karlsmyr & Ake Grahn)
This one's a little odd. Yes, Swedish country band Raknarna went to Nashville, saw a show at the Opry and visited several recording studios, but they didn't actually make this album there. Instead, they came back to Stockholm and cut this disc at the KMH Studios, with engineer Lennart Karlsmyr tried his hand at the studio techniques he gleaned from puppydogging around in Music City, asking the guys there as many questions as he could about how they created the so-called "Nashville Sound." Is there anything cuter than Swedish country fans? Danes, maybe.

Rankarna & Mats Radberg "I'm A City Cowboy" (Polydor-Sweden, 197-?) (LP)

Rankarna & Mats Radberg "We Weren't Born In Tennessee" (Polydor-Sweden, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Lennart Karlsmyr)

Tina Rainford "Silver Bird" (Epic Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Sonny Limbo, Marty Buckins & Drafi Deutscher)
Only marginally country (or marginally successful...) German songwriter Tina Rainford scored a Top 30 hit with the title track, and then dropped out of sight, at least as a recording artist. Several of her songs were recorded by other artists in the 1970s, but her solo career never really took off. You can kind of see why -- this album sounds more like Olivia Newton-John than Tammy Wynette or Loretta Lynn, and the production is vaguely disco-y and 'Seventies-style scary. Then again, once you realize she wasn't a native English speaker, her American accent is pretty impressive. You can skip this album, though.

Rudi & Trudi "...And The Continental Wranglers" (Avenue Of America Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Randall Wood)

Rhett Sanborn "Miss America I'm Calling You" (Polyvox Records, 1976) (LP)

Rhett Sanborn "At High Chaparral" (High Chaparral Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Goran Sandquist)
I'm not 100% sure if Rhett Sanborn was European or American, but this set was recorded at a studio in Elstad, Sweden...

Cato Sanden "Cato Sanden" (Plateselskapet A/S, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Saetre, Cato Sanden & Roger Valstad)
After his country-rock band Flyvende Nordmenn (The Flying Norwegians) broke up, multi-instrumentalist Cato Sanden set out on a highly successful solo career, recording a string of well-liked country albums. The Flying Norwegians, who had also backed '70s singer Teddy Nelson, reunited in 1996, with Sanden in the lineup, and again for one last tour in 2005. This was his first solo album, an award-winnng country record which was soon followed by the chart-busting followup, Living Today, which was the most popular Norwegian album of 1986.

Cato Sanden "Living Today" (Plateselskapet A/S, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Age Aleksandersen, Cato Sanden & Roger Valstad)

Cato Sanden "Once A Hero" (Plateselskapet A/S, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Eirik Hundvin, Rune Nordal, & Cato Sanden)

Cato Sanden "Skal For Dette Landet" (Plateselskapet A/S, 1989) (LP)
(Produced by Cato Sanden)

Cato Sanden "My Country" (Plateselskapet A/S, 1991) (LP)
(Produced by Eirik Hundvin, Cato Sanden & Bil VornDick)

Cato Sanden "New Steps" (Casa Music, 1993) (LP)
(Produced by David Aasheim, Eirik Hundvin & Cato Sanden)

Cato Sanden "Crossroads Of My Life" (Dialog Foss Records, 1999) (LP)
(Produced by Cato Sanden)

Cato Sanden "Cross My Heart" (Showtime Records, 2001) (LP)
(Produced by Cato Sanden)

Ben Steneker & The Lowland Singers "Country And Western" (CNR Records, 1970) (LP)
Born way back in 1935, Dutch honkytonker Ben Steneker began his recording career in the early 1960s, but apparently this was his first full album -- he only put out singles and EPs for the better part of a decade.

Ben Steneker "Songs Of The Road" (CNR Records, 1980) (LP)

Ben Steneker "Hello Again" (Killroy Special Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Limpens)

Ben Steneker "Take A Ride In The Country With Me" (Killroy Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Conny Peters)

Ben Steneker "Loving You" (Sky Records, 1985)

Ben Steneker "Sweet Memories" (Sky Records, 1986)

Ben Steneker "Heart To Heart" (Telstar Records, 1989)
(Produced by Fred Limpens & John van de Ven)

Ben Steneker "Ben Steneker" (CNR Records, 1989)
(Produced by John Paay)

Ben Steneker "Part Of Me" (Sky Records, 1991)

Ben Steneker "Route 65" (Sky Records, 2000)

Ben Steneker "Songs About Love" (Sky Records, 2002)

Ben Steneker & Carmen Steneker "Like Father, Like Daughter" (Rood Hit Blauw Records, 2005)

Carmen Steneker "Country Fever" (Dutch Flower Collection Records, 2001) (LP)
The daughter of Dutch country star Ben Steneker, Carmen Steneker had launched her own solo career a few years before forming a duo act with her father. This seems to have been her first album, recorded with a small, compact band; the set includes a duet with her father, "The Last One To Break My Heart," which was certainly a hint of things to come.

Carmen Steneker "Slow(e)motions" (Dutch Flower Collection Records, 2003) (LP)

Carl Swanson "Mandolino - Texas Country" (Texas Country Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Juliana Guernsey & Mickey Moody)
Norwegian-born mandolin whiz Carl Swanson emigrated to the United States while he was pretty young -- he played in Bradley Kincaid's band back in 1935 and was working in a duo act when World War Two broke out and he joined the Air Force. After the war he and his wife formed an act, Jane and Carl, aka "Mr. & Mrs. Sunshine." They cut a string of singles for MGM; also during the early 'Fifties Mr. Swanson was working as a popular radio deejay. Fast forward a couple of decades, and Mr. Swanson seems to have been living in Texas when he finally cut this album -- his first -- taped at a studio in Houston, when he was all of 69 years old. The set list is heavy on real-deal oldies, tunes like "No Letter Today," "In A Little Spanish Town," "Nobody's Darling But Mine," and Rex Griffin's "The Last Letter," as well as one original by Mr. Swanson, "Mellow Music," and closes with one by Hilsen Fra Oss, who I'm just guessing was somebody from the Old Country. The lineup was Carl Swanson on mandolin, with Jerry Holloway (piano), Donnie King (bass), Dahryl Norris (drums), and steel player Bob Tuttle. Swanson also put out a single on Texas Country a couple years later, with two of his own songs, "Overworked And Underpaid" and "Dancing Mandolins," which was apparently used in a regional TV ad. a couple of singes were also broken off of this LP, with all the songs from the album.

Kenneth Swanstrom & His Jamboree "Rockin' Tiger" (Kountry Korall Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Per Ake Blohm)
Inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis, Swedish piano player Kenneth Swanstrom started out in the 1950s as a straight-up rocker, switching to piano in the 'Sixties, and "went country" later on, forming his band The Jamboree in 1971 to pursue a more conventionally twangy sound. On this album he's backed by a compact band with Lasse Fredrikssonon drums, bassist Mick Grimwade and Ronnie Jillebo on guitar. Wild but true: Swanstrom actually died on stage, playing at a rock'n'roll revival show in 2003.

Tame & Maffay "Tame & Maffay" (Telefunken, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Hans Menzel, Peter Maffay & Johnny Tame)
English-language country-rock from the West German duo of Peter Maffay and Johnny Tame... Born in Romania, Peter Maffey was the old-timer of the two, with a solo career that dated back at least as far as 1970, while this seems to have been Johnny Tame's debut; he recorded a solo album a few years later in 1980, after the duo broke up.

Tame & Maffay "2" (Telefunken, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Peter Wagner, Peter Maffay & Johnny Tame)
A pretty dreadful set of slickly-produced roots rock/country-rock from the West German duo of Peter Maffay and Johnny Tame. Mostly it's pretty thumpy, clumsy would-be anthemic, over-easy pop-rock stuff, in keeping with the contemporary 'Seventies Los Angeles-based country-rock scene, which was kind of running on fumes at the time. I mean, if you dig discs by folks like America, Richie Furay or Rick Cunha, or even John Mellencamp in his lesser moments, you might want to check this out... But if you're looking for some kind of German Joe Ely or Delbert McClinton, this ain't it. Presumably there was a volume one?

Texas Lone Star "Desperados Waiting For The Train" (Bear Family, 1977/1992)
(Produced by Detlef Wiedecke)
A trans-Atlantic collaboration between Texas hippiebillies Rich Helt and Bryan Seegers and several German country enthusiasts known as the Emsland Hillbillies, which included singer Ulli Mohring, drummer Heini Surken, and singer/steel guitarist Herman Lammers-Meyer, who went on to a long solo career as a honky tonk traditionalist. This album is largely an indiebilly jam session, with covers of country-rock and outlaw classics such as "Good Hearted Woman," "Me And My Uncle," "Wild Horses," "Friend Of The Devil," and "Luckenbach, Texas." There's also one original, "Here I Am Again," by Rich Helt, and an intriguing cover of "In My Own Way," by the Marshall Tucker Band's Toy Cardwell. I guess this came out on vinyl back in Germany, and was later reissued on CD. The Emsland Hillbillies, it should be noted, also recorded several albums and singles, with the first two LPs reissued as a twofer CD on Bear Family.

Texas Lone Star "In The Desert" (JA Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Ali Alterbaum)
Apparently Rich Helt made an annual tradition of his trips from Houston to West Germany, and recorded a second album with Ulli Mohring and a new lineup of Texas Lone Star that brought in songwriter-guitarist Steve Reynolds, who at the time was deeply ensconced in the Austin indie scene. It's an odd album. There's an uneasy mix of '70s-style soft-rock and old-school alterna-twang... Four of the songs are by Reynolds, and they have a more overt rock feel, reflecting his blues/electric rock background, while Helt contributes the breezy, anthemic "Arizona" and "Never Find My Way Back Home," while the twangiest tunes come from the kraut contingent: Ulli Mohring adds two songs that embrace hillbilly iconography, including the shambling, unruly "Stumbling Out Of The Stumble Inn," a song paying homage to Tempe, Arizona's legendary cowboy bar, and even namechecks Chuck Wagon & The Wheels. (His second song, "In The Desert," is a gooey country-rock number reminiscent of America or Firefall, complete with soprano sax... ewwww.) Also, Herman Lammers-Meyer pitches in again with some nice steel guitar licks on three of the tracks. I wouldn't call this a twangcore classic, but soft-rock enthusiasts might get a kick out of it, and the Stumble Inn tribute is worth keeping on the radar.

Truck Stop "Truck Stop" (Nature Records/Horzu Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Menke, Volker Heintzen & Truck Stop)
A pleasantly twangy set of German-language honky-tonk country from this Hamburg-based band... The most obvious influence is Waylon Jennings, but they dip into a variety of styles. Nice, robust arrangements with pretty decent pickin'... I can't understand what most of the songs are about, but sure I dig that this isn't sung in English! They have a ton of albums, though I think this might have been their first.

Truck Stop "Die Cowboys" (Nature Records, 1981) (LP)

Tumbleweeds "Sweet Memories" (BASF Records, 1976) (LP)

Tumbleweeds "New Trail" (Polydor Records, 1977) (LP)

Tumbleweeds "Homework" (Polydor Records, 1979) (LP)

Francois Vola "Francois Vola" (Francois Vola, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Francois Vola)
A flat-picker from France, guitarist Francois Vola emigrated to the US around 1974 and made his way into the North Carolina bluegrass scene. Bill Keith contributes liner notes (as well as Dan Crary) and among the musicians backing him are fiddler Byron Berline and John Hickman on banjo... so he musta been doing something right! Not sure how many records he's made or played on... he also self-released a CD in 1995 or thereabouts...

Bill West & His Wild Riders "Country And Western" (Carmen Records, 1970-?) (LP)
How do you say "cheesecake" in Dutch? Or even just, "hubba, hubba"? I rather doubt that the athletic-looking meisje pictured on the cover was actually in the band, but I do admire the way she wears that holster. Nice boots, too. Yet another anonymous European band pretending to be wild-west Americans... go figure! I guess these guys were from the Netherlands... Apparently this same set came out in the UK as well, with the band going by the name of "Rudi And Trudi And The Continental Wranglers," and an entirely different gal on the cover, this time decked out in an "Indian" buckskin jacket, with plenty of fringes. Honestly, I did try to track this one down, but like most of these Euro-cheapo releases, it's pretty much impossible to find out who was actually performing on this album. The repertoire is a little goofy, too... Like, why pair up "We Shall Not Be Moved" with "Down In The Valley" and "He'll Have To Go." Some of these songs may have actually been originals ("Come And Go With Me," "I Long To Hear You," "I'll Take A Chance On Loving You," "The Prettiest Girl," and "She Left Me") but I couldn't say for sure. The Dutch version seems to have been sold in the Vroom & Dreesmann department store chain.

Nancy Wood "Imagine That" (Lovelight Music, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Byron Hill & Nancy Wood)
This double LP set collects work by Bremen, Germany's Renate Hildebrandt (aka Renate Kern) a European pop singer who "went country" in the early '80s in an effort to bump-start her flagging career. This was her second album working with Nashville songwriter-producer Byron Hill, and she sings a lot of his material as well as songs by fairly obscure writers such as Red Lane and Ava Aldridge, along with a couple by Marc Molen, who was affiliated with the Lovelight label, and I suspect was a German country artist as well. Although these tracks seldom really catch fire, it's a pretty solid set overall, with backing by a ton of Nashville studio pros: Sonny Garrish, Doyle Grisham, Fred Newell, Buddy Spicher, Chip Young and the like. Wood sings with a convincingly American accent, though she often seems a bit too controlled -- I imagine she sounded looser when singing auf Deutsch. Anyway, this is okay stuff, a little slick, but twangy enough for a spin or two. She also recorded an album under her German stage name -- Renate Kern -- in 1981, also with Byron Hill on board as producer.

Various Artists "COUNTRY FEST 6" (1980) (LP)
A country set from Sweden, featuring Lillian Askeland, Ottar Johansen, Arnulf Holthe, The Country Team, and others...

Various Artists "COWBOY-LIEDER" (Elite Records, 196--?) (LP)
A very odd, but delightfully kitschy, collection from various German-speaking Swiss "country" musicians. The perky orchestrations and bouncy, singalong chorus vocals have more in common with squaresville pop artists like Mitch Miller and Frankie Laine than with Bob Wills or Hank Williams. But these goofy "cowboy" songs -- all sung auf Deutsche -- are still kind of a hoot. There are some recognizable American oldies -- Stephen Foster-y standards and tunes like "Down By The Riverside" as well as various less-familiar western-themed material which may have been written as part of whatever faux-Americana fad this record might have represented. There are numerous singers on here -- with colorful names like Western Jimmy and Leila Negra, as well as Ferry Graf, Lutz Landers, The Kay Twins and Gina Morelli -- backed by a few different ensembles: Die Texas Band, Das Orchester Lutz Albrecht, Das Orchester Konstantin Truxa and Das Orchester Ralph Dokin. This looks and sounds very 1950s, though I suppose that with the trans-oceanic cross-cultural delay, this could have been from the '60s as well. If I find out more, I'll let you know!

Various Artists "THE NEW OUTLAWS" (Big Hand Records, 1984) (LP)

Hick Music Index