Harmonica player Charlie McCoy was one of those ubiquitous Nashville session players whose name seems to pop up on practically every country album recorded in the 1970s... McCoy also had a fruitful solo career, particularly during the countrypolitan era when he scored a #1 hit single and chart-topping album that briefly put him at the top of the Nashville food chain. Here's a quick look at his work...
Charlie McCoy "The World Of Charlie McCoy" (Monument Records, 1967) (LP)
Charlie McCoy "The Real McCoy" (Monument Records, 1972) (LP)
Charlie McCoy "Charlie McCoy" (Monument Records, 1972) (LP)
Charlie McCoy "Good Time Charlie" (Monument Records, 1973) (LP)
This was McCoy's commercial peak, a chart-topping country album, which, bizarrely enough, remained out of print decades after its release...
Charlie McCoy "The Fastest Harp In The South" (Monument Records, 1973) (LP)
Charlie McCoy "The Nashville Hit Man" (Monument Records, 1974) (LP)
Charlie McCoy "Christmas With Charlie" (Monument Records, 1974) (LP)
Charlie McCoy "Charlie My Boy" (Monument Records, 1975) (LP)
Charlie McCoy "Harpin' The Blues" (Monument Records, 1975)
Charlie McCoy "Play It Again Charlie" (Monument Records, 1976) (LP)
Charlie McCoy "Country Cookin' " (Monument Records, 1977) (LP)
Charlie McCoy "Stone Fox Chase" (Monument Records, 1977) (LP)
Charlie McCoy "Appalachian Fever" (Monument Records, 1979) (LP)
The Charlie McCoy Band "One For The Road" (1986) (LP)
This was a souvenir album of McCoy's mid-'Eighties road band, made up of Si Edwards on drums, steel guitarist Russ Hicks, his brother David Hicks on bass, singer Laney Hicks and Vip Vipperman on guitar. These folks had been playing together for years in a variety of settings, including as the house bands for Hee Haw, several other TV shows in Nashville, as a Music City studio unit, and on vinyl as members of the group Barefoot Jerry. This album throws special focus on vocalist Laney Hicks, an Alabama gal who joined McCoy's band back in 1977, when she first tried making it as a solo artist, recording a string of singles with backing by McCoy and his crew; it was while working with McCoy that she met and eventually married Russ Hicks. In addition to some solo spotlights, she also sings a couple of duets with Charlie McCoy. Around the time this album came out, Vipperman had also established himself as an up-and-coming songwriter, penning Randy Travis hit, "1982," and a few other tunes that made it into the charts.
Charlie McCoy "13th" (Step One Records, 1988)
Charlie McCoy "Beam Me Up Charlie" (Step One Records, 1989)
Charlie McCoy "Appalachian Fever" (Step One Records, 1992)
Charlie McCoy "American Roots" (Koch Music, 1995)
Charlie McCoy/Various Artists "Precious Memories" (Revival Records, 1998)
Charlie McCoy/Various Artists "Lonesome Whistle: A Hank Williams Tribute" (Catbone Music, 2011)
A Hank Williams tribute album, with Hank's daughter, Jett Williams, Roy Clark and Ricky Skaggs appearing as guest stars...
Charlie McCoy "Greatest Hits" (Monument Records, 1978) (LP)
