Lace "Lace" (Warner Brothers, 2000)
Bland, prefab, Top 40 stuff. The three-part harmonies (from the trio of Corby Dyann, Giselle, and Beverly Mahood) have their moments, but both their vocals and the studio backing lack feeling or finesse -- the melodies are clumsy and blunt, the songs are unmemorable and overly poppy. Given the era this came out, many would be tempted to compare these gals to the Dixie Chicks -- y'know, three wimmin in a country band -- but they're nowhere near that challenging or dynamic; Olivia Newton-John or Maureen McGovern with a backbeat would be more like it. I'll pass.

Bobbi Lace "Holding My Own" (GBS Records, 1986) (LP)

LaCosta (Tucker) - see artist discography

Lady Antebellum "Lady Antebellum" (Capitol Nashville, 2008)
Tragically bad, prefab pop-country, with alternating male/female vocals. Like their predecessors, Sugarland, they seem at least as equally rooted in rock and pop as they are in country (or what passes for country these days...) There are also some tepid nods towards some watered-down version of old-school R&B... I can't help thinking of Hall & Oates or John Mellencamp... But that's really giving these guys way too much credit. This is not worth listening to. Although the band is coed, gal singer Hillary Scott is generally overshadowed by the dude, Charles Kelley, and his vibe doesn't do much for me. They were wildly popular, of course, scoring several #1 hits and winning all kinds of industry awards. For a twangfan, though, this music is simply dreadful.

Lady Antebellum "Need You Now" (Capitol Nashville, 2010)
Tragically worse than before, the band delves deeper into what seems to be a frightfully sincere love of really, really bad pop music. Hillary Scott forcefully comes into center stage, and with her increased exposure reveals herself to have even worse taste in pop music than what we'd heard before -- the worst, most vapid fake-soul melodrama, etc., etc. It's really horrifying -- while their first album wasn't one you'd want to waste time on, this one is sheer torture. Blech. I'll pass.

Lady Antebellum "Own The Night" (Capitol Records, 2011)

Lady Antebellum "On This Winter's Night" (Capitol Records, 2012)
(Produced by Paul Worley)
Christmas standards from the Lady Antebellum trio. They take a pretty strictly pop approach, with just a tiny trace of twang. Not much, though... I doubt it will matter to fans, though, particularly those in a holiday kind of mood. This sounds kinda like a lost Michael McDonald/Stevie Nicks album from the early '80s; make of that what you will.

Lady Antebellum "Golden" (Capitol Records, 2013)

The Lainie Sisters "Emmy And Norma" (Repeat Records, 19--?) (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.

Barbara Lamb "Fiddle Fatale" (Sugar Hill Records, 1993)
A swingin' set of fiddle tunes, mostly instrumental (but not all!), with high-powered pickers like Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Tim O'Brien, Tony Trischka, et al pitching in (along with a bunch of other folks you may or may not have heard of...) Barbara Lamb, from the all-gal band Ranch Romance, has a nice, hoedown-based style that can slip and slide between swing and bluegrass styles... This disc is a little on the safe side, but it's still quite nice. Worth checking out!

Barbara Lamb & Vivian Williams "Twin Sisters" (Voyager Recordings, 1994)

Barbara Lamb "Tonight I Feel Like Texas" (Sugar Hill Records, 1996)

Barbara Lamb "Blue On Dakota" (Lots Of Coffee Records, 2000)
Yikes. Fiddler Lamb decided to go out and record a "funk" album... And while it's not nearly as scary as it could have been -- the level of musicianship is very high, and sometimes quite soulful -- you ought not go to this album expecting to hear some bluegrass. Nary a twang to be heard.

Barbara Lamb "Fiddle Piggy" (Lots Of Coffee Records, 2003)

Barbara Lamb "Bootsy Met A Bank Robber" (Lots Of Coffee Records, 2003)

Barbara Lamb & David Lamb "Swedish Design" (Lots Of Coffee Records, 2007)

Barbara Lamb "Twisty Girl" (Lots Of Coffee Records, 2009)

Miranda Lambert - see artist discography

Tom & 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.

Cristy Lane - see artist discography

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. Anyone have more info about this album? Maybe where Ms. Lane was from? 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.

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 "Margie And My D-45" (Driftwood Records, 1998-?)

Margie Lane & Sundown Pete "In El Paso" (Driftwood Records)

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

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.

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...

k. d. lang - see artist discography

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....

Dee Lannon "Honkytonk Nighttime Gal" (Iloki Records, 1994) (LP)
An irresistibly adorable countrybilly filly with a major Rose Maddox/Wanda Jackson jones... Working at an ultra-indie level, Dee Lannon's choice of material -- especially her originals -- is always first-rate. Cool beans. (For more info, check out Dee's website.)

Dee Lannon "Town Casino" (Blue Puffer Records, 1996)

Dee Lannon "Dance And Sing With Dee Lannon & The Daredevil Dillies" (Tail Records, 2002)

Dee Lannon "Vinylly On CD" (Norge Texas Records, 2004)

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.

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.

Melissa Lawson "Constant" (2010)
Christian pop and Christian country from a finalist on the 2005 season of the Nashville Star TV talent contest. Decent material, if you like the style; veers a bit further into rock-oriented "contemporary Christian" territory than her EP made with Texas indie icon Ray Benson (above).

Melissa Lawson "United We Stand" (EP) (Bismeaux Records, 2010)
(Produced by Ray Benson)

Zora Layman/Frank Luther "Pioneers Of Country Music" (Binge Disc/Cattle Records)

Shanna Learn "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" (Southern Heritage Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Walters)
Country gospel from a preteen 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.

Beth Lee & The Breakups "One More Time Again" (Self-Released, 2013)
(Produced by Ron Flynt)
A nice uber-indie twang-tune set from a Texas gal from Houston and currently living in Austin (of course!) She's got a strong set of original tunes here, exploring country-coated themes of love, loss and regret, sung with feeling in a raggedy DIY style. Her band, the marvelously-named Breakups, have the distinct feel of indie rockers-doing-honkytonk-twang, but in a good way. They're true to the music, but also embrace their rock'n'roll roots, and their unfussy, unmannered performances feel authentic and sincere. More than anything, it's the repertoire that stands out: Beth Lee writes good songs, and when you give yourself over to the indie vibe, tunes like "Thirteen Roses" and "One More Time Again" will resonate and win you over. Fans of folks like Dee Lannon, Lil' Mo And The Monicats or Rosie Flores might want to check this out.

Betty Lee & The Country Squires "Moods Of The Country Squires And Betty Lee" (Moon Records) (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.

Brenda Lee - see artist discography

Cari Lee & The Saddle-Ites "Red Barn Baby" (El Toro Records, 2002)

Cari Lee & The Saddle-Ites "The Road Less Traveled" (El Toro Records, 2003)
Decent nouveau-retrobilly swing, along the lines of Ray Condo or Dave & Deke. Cari Lee Merritt makes all the right hiccupping nods towards Wanda Jackson and Charline Arthur, as the band plunks and pounds away. Her vocals are a little flat at times, but the band is solid and overall this is a spunky little record that reveals a diverse stylistic range, and that should get the rockabilly crowd all worked up.

Carol Lee & Jimmy Snow "Visions Of Glory" (Heart Warming Records, 1962)
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)

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.

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.

Ellie Lee "Settled" (Redouble Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Karen Kane)
More of a folkie thing... but how could I resist? Bostonian multi-instrumentalist Ellie Lee plays banjo, bass and guitar, accompanied by a shifting lineup of local Massachusetts musicians as she muses about various topics, predominantly vexing and complex romantic entanglements with problematic lovers. Dig that cover art!

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.

Julie Lee "Stillhouse Road" (Compadre Records, 2004)
One of the most striking Americana albums of the decade... A lovely debut by newcomer Julie Lee, with some nice backup from folks like Rob Ickes, Alison Krauss, Tammy Rodgers and Vince Gill. The all-star cast doesn't overshadow Lee's own strengths, as she delivers a lighthearted, hook-laden, 'grass-tinged Americana set which will be sure to delight a wide variety of folks and draw in more than a new fan or two. She has a great ear for a melody, and an even better one for a catchy chorus... Some of her songs seem pretty slight thematically, but they are uniformly pretty-sounding, and her voice is very appealing, sort of a softer version of Iris Dement's rural trill, very distinctive, but also very friendly. I think you'll like this one; it's really grown on me. Highly recommended!

Laura Lee & The River Road Boys "Everything Changes But Laura Lee" (Footprint Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Billy A. Carter & Deacon Anderson)
Western swing singer/bandleader Laura Lee (aka Laura Lee Owens McBride, 1920-1989) was originally from Oklahoma, but became a major player on the Texas country scene, particularly in the Houston area. Her father, Tex Owens, was a Depression-era bandleader who recorded the first version of the Eddy Arnold hit, "Cattle Call," and was also the older brother of singer Texas Ruby (Ruby Agnes Owens). Tex Owens spotlighted Laura and her sister Jane in his 1930's radio shows, and Laura Lee led her own band for a few years before Bob Wills hired her to become the first female lead singer of The Texas Playboys, way back in 1943. She left the group in '45, but remained an on-again, off-again member throughout the years, while also working with her husband, bandleader Dickie McBride, as well as in various bands, including nearly a decade with Ernest Tubb and The Texas Troubadours. This late-vintage solo album features backing from several Texas old-timers -- Guy Barkdahl on piano, Billy A. Carter (guitar), Buck Henson (bass), Tommy Howser (drums), Herb Remington (steel guitar), and three Lone Star fiddlers: Clyde Brewer, Bob White, and Robert Shivers. The set features a slew of of western swing and old country standards, including a version of her signature song, "Betcha My Heart That I Love You." It's fun stuff... her older recordings are also highly recommended, including both radio transcriptions and studio tracks.

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)
A real suer-duper, all-star Texas session here, with Laura Lee and Leon Rausch on vocals, along with Smokey Dacus (drums), Joe Frank Ferguson (bass), Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar), Leon Rausch (bass and vocals), Eldon Shamblin (guitar), and Al Stricklin plunkin' piano, as well as some twin fiddles from Bob Boatright and Gene Gasaway. Quite a lineup!

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, and Don Pierce on bass.

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

Robin Lee "Sings Country And Western" (Strand Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Buck Ram)

Robin Lee "Robin Lee" (Evergreen, 1986)

Robin Lee "This Old Flame" (Atlantic Records, 1988)

Robin Lee "Black Velvet" (Atlantic Records, 1990)

Robin Lee "Heart On A Chain" (Atlantic Records, 1991)

Robin Lee "The Best Of Robin Lee" (Atlantic Records, 2000)

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" (1980-?) (LP)
Velvet cake, presumably? 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 Pat Benatar's 1980 "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," as well as Hank DeVito's "Queen Of Hearts," which was a hit for Juice Newton in 1981 (though Dave Edmunds recorded it a couple of years earlier...) The lineup seems to be mostly the same original group -- with rhythm guitarist Howard Mock replaced by a fella named Mike Totman -- and some additional studio help from Twin City locals such as steel player Cal Hand and newgrass luminary Peter Ostroushko... No label name, alas, nor info about the producer.

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.

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.

Wanda Lee & John "Lonely Tombs: Poplar Mountain Bluegrass" (Perfection Sound, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by T. M. Crisp)

Wilma Lee - see: Wilma Lee Cooper

Kathy Leech & E. Zane Wood "Dance To Your Favorite Bulls**t 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.

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.

Brennen Leigh "Lonesome, Wild And Blue" (Barking Dog Records, 2002)

Brennen Leigh "The Gospel According To Austin" (2003)

Brennen Leigh "Too Thin To Plow" (Down Time Records, 2004)

Brennen Leigh "The Devil's On My Tail" (2005)

Brennen Leigh & Jesse Dayton "Holdin' Our Own & Other Golden Country Duets" (Stag Records, 2007)
A fun, funky set of hard-country duets, done up right by twangster Jesse Dayton and Austinite hillbilly filly Brennen Leigh, a husky voiced cow-gal with an obvious love of old-school country. (In an interview, Ms. Leigh pays allegiance to Melba Montgomery, which gets her plenty of brownie points in my book...!) A couple of the songs come from the George Jones canon, including Leon Payne's "Take Me" and Bobby Braddock's "Something To Brag About," along with a slew of groovy originals co-written by Brennen and Dayton. Highlights include "Let's Run Away," "Everything Looks Good On The Outside" and "Two-Step Program," a punny country novelty song in the classic tradition. Originally a brash, twangy guitar hero, Dayton has come on a little strong on previous albums -- here, he plays with a restraint and thoughtful soulfulness that should make old-schoolers sit up and take notice. This is a nice, classy record, well worth checking out!

Danni Leigh "29 Nights" (MCA-Decca Records, 1998)
A couple of real slam-bang, hard country novelty tunes open this striking debut... On "Beating My Head Against The Wall" and "If The Jukebox Took Teardrops," Leigh evokes the rollicking, upbeat, take-no-prisoners attitude of West Coast honkytonkers like Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam, with a perky, propulsive instrumental attack similar to Trick Pony. For the most part, the rest of this album lives up to the promise of this opening salvo -- midway through, there are a couple of songs that falter, the band sounds uninspired and like they weren't taking the work seriously, and Leigh also sounds like she's just walking through the material. But then the pace picks up again, and the album closes with some strong, fun songs. Her cover of the steamy, sexy ballad, "Touch Me," isn't as shocking as the George Jones version (hard act to follow), but just by picking that song to cover as one of the album's few slow numbers shows you that Leigh knows her stuff when it comes to real, old-school country stuff. This disc didn't make a very big dent in the charts, but it sure did gather a few devoted fans into her orbit... Worth checking out!

Danni Leigh "A Shot Of Whiskey And A Prayer" (Sony Records, 2001)
(Produced by Richard Bennett & Emory Gordy, Jr.)
This disc opens strong, with a set of twangalicious, hot-blooded honkytonk tunes worthy of Dwight Yoakam at his best... Then she kind of tilts sideways and gets into more soul'n'rock oriented material, sort of in a Sheryl Crowe-like mode. She kind of loses me on that stuff, but the country material is cool... Kind of like Tanya Tucker, with sharp, sweet guitars. A mixed bag, but definitely worth picking up.

Danni Leigh "Divide And Conquer" (Audium Records, 2001)
There's a little something for everyone here... Teamed up with Dwight Yoakam's main man, Pete Anderson, Leigh kicks this disc of with some alt-y, hard country material reminiscent of Rosie Flores -- charmingly un-slick and a little bit raw. Moving into slower material, she gets kinda poetic and ballad-y, then indulges in a bit of Dixie Chicks-type Top 40, and finally settles back into rawer material, sounding for all the world like a latter-day Carlene Carter. Who knows? Mainstream airplay seems possible; I'm sure the indie crowd will embrace her as well. Certainly worth keeping an eye on this gal.

Danni Leigh "Masquerade Of A Fool" (AGR/Universal Records, 2007)

Danni Leigh "Walkin' On A Wire" (BFD Records, 2022)

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, and country deejay/sometimes singer Gordon Calcote produced the sessions.

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.

Kim Lenz "Kim Lenz And Her Jaguars" (Hightone Records, 1998)
Modern-day retro-twang from this grrrroovy rockabilly filly... Lenz has a real knack for writing new tunes that sound like oldies from the obscuro vaults, all sung with an appropriate dose of snarly, throaty gusto, with numerous original tunes that have an authentic mid-'Fifties feel. This was her first full solo album, following an EP that came out a couple of years earlier. Some 'billy fans are fairly critical of Lenz's vocals, but if you're into the whole sideburns'n'gingham scene, you'll still probably want to check her out. Though she's also lived and worked in Phoenix and Dallas, Lenz's main home base seems to be in LA, so we Californians can claim her as one of ours!

Kim Lenz "The One And Only" (Hightone Records, 1999)

Kim Lenz "Up To My Old Tricks Again" (Hightone Records, 2005)
If you missed Ms. Lenz the first time around, here's a best-of set that gathers the hottest tracks from her two albums on the Hightone label, as well as a couple of newer cover tunes on here (notably her version of "Cool Love," borrowed from Bloodshot's recent Wanda Jackson tribute album). A good summation of her career to date.

Kim Lenz & The Jaguars "It's All True!" (Riley Records, 2009)
(Produced by Kim Lenz)
A nice, solid indie set from rockabilly revivalist Kim Lenz, who sings her little heart out on a dozen new tunes, all but four of which were written my Lenz herself. It's a fine retrobilly party, with guests that include SoCal icon Big Sandy, who sings a nice duet on the Sun Records-y "He's All Mine." There are some cheerful, funny novelty numbers, particularly the Lenz original, "Zombie For Your Love," and the album closes on a sizzling note, when guitarist Nick Curran cuts loose with some super-wicked riffs on "Burning Rubber." Nice to see her still doing her thing and keeping it really 'billy.

Kim Lenz & The Jaguars "Follow Me" (Riley Records, 2014)

Kim Lenz "Slowly Speeding" (Blue Star Record Company, 2019)

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.

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.

Laurie Lewis -- see artist discography

Linda Gail Lewis "Boogie Woogie Country Gal" (Castle Records, 2004)
Back in the 1960s, Jerry Lee's little sister used to be just another beehived backup singer, but somewhere along the line she got the bug to start plunking the piano keys, just like her older sibling, and over the years she's carved out a nice niche for herself as a rockin' roots-blues pianist. She draws favorable comparisons to other gals such as Marcia Ball, Angela Strehli and Katie Webster -- while her voice isn't a dazzler, she has plenty of enthusiasm, and it can be contagious. In addition to a dozen fine songs recorded under her own name -- including a nice set of bluesy gospel tunes -- this disc includes several tracks by the "Lewis 3," a bluegrass combo that includes her daughters, Mary Jean and Anne Marie. It's be nice to hear some of her older stuff, back when she was on Sun, but it's still nice to hear her thumping away in the modern day as well.

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.

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!

Lil' Mo And The Monicats "Hearts In My Dream" (Passin' Fancy Records, 1999)
For a hard country traditionalist like me, an album like this is pure heaven. Well, heck, just take the title track -- a picture perfect version of one of the best early George Jones heart songs -- and you'll know why I'm hooked. New York songstress Monica Passin (aka Lil' Mo) proves herself not just an apt pupil of old-style country, but a master of the craft as well: originals such as "It Just Doesn't Add Up" could easily have entered the hallowed ranks of first-class songwriting in the Nashville of years gone by. Along with tasteful novelty songs like that one, Lil' Mo also chirps out a few hiccupy rockabilly tunes and caps it all off with a pair of stunningly beautiful ballads in the Carter Family style ("Still Cryin'" and "I Will Give My Love"). Her band knocks out some of the best hard country riffs you're likely to hear outside of a Bear Family reissue, with classic Hank Williams-derived pedal steel and an occasional fiddle breakdown... This is the kind of record that makes the whole alt-country revival worth it: there isn't a false note on the entire album, and Passin pours her heart into every song.

Lil' Mo And The Monicats "Lil' Mo And The Monicats" (Passin' Fancy Records, 2003)

Lil' Mo And The Monicats "On The Moon" (Cow Island Records, 2009)
(Produced by Lil' Mo & Hank Bones)
A more diverse selection, with country twang augmented by rockabilly, blues and even a bit of girl group pop and Sam & Dave style R&B... It's a super-ambitious set, particularly since Monica Passin wrote all of the songs in all of the various styles... Her vocals might not do it for everyone, but this is still an impressive album... Definitely worth a spin.

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 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.

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!

Lindalee & Jimmy Wakely "The Gentle Touch" (Shasta Records, 1975)
A father-daughter duo featuring latter-day western star Jimmy Wakely and his daughter, Lindalee Wakely (1940-2008) who performed under a variety of names, including the mononymic Lindalee of this album. She first started recording in the 1950s as "Linda Lee," later adding the family name and then reverting to Lindalee, possibly after her marriage, when she became Linda Lee Wakely Olsen. Though not an arresting vocalist, she does provide a nice, calm counterpoint to her folksier-sounding dad, running through a series of his old classics, as well as some more contemporary numbers such as "Sunshine On My Shoulder," and even old pop standards such as "Mood Indigo." A quaint, heartfelt album.

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.

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.)

LaWanda Lindsey - see artist discography

Little Big Town "Little Big Town" (Sony Records, 2002)

Little Big Town "The Road To Here" (Capitol Nashville, 2005)
(Produced by Little Big Town & Wayne Kirkpatrick)
Here's a band that's got a bright future, even if they've been out of the spotlight for a few years since their '02 debut. This new disc has already got 'em into the Top Twenty charts, with the single "Boondocks," and followup hits seem likely. Personally, I find a lot of their songs a bit cluttered -- those melodic hooks and swoopy key changes are proven winners, though maybe they could streamline a tune or two -- but in Nashville formula is king, and these guys've got hooks up the wazoo. They also sound a lot like Fleetwood Mac, with female solo vocals that get pretty Sheryl Crow-ish... Again, these are reference points that modern country fans are gonna respond well to... Although I wasn't totally ga-ga over LBT, I also didn't find anything overtly yucky about their sound -- I could listen to this disc without wincing the way I do while checking out, oh, say, Sugarland, who are way more over the top and phony-sounding... In contrast, there's an underlying sincere, real musical root to Little Big Town's sound that comes through despite the dense production, something that tells me they love a little twang on top of the pop. Anyway, they certainly are a band to keep your eye on, with a male-female harmony mix that helps 'em stand out, and the potential to become one of the decade's big hitmakers. They just need to S-I-M-P-L-F-Y things a little and they could rule the world.

Little Big Town "A Place To Land" (Capitol Nashville, 2008)

Little Big Town "The Reason Why" (Capitol Nashville, 2010)

Little Big Town "Tornado" (Capitol Records, 2012)
(Produced by Jay Joyce)
These guys are so totally a country Fleetwood Mac. Hence the popularity. And the Stevie Nicks-ish slow songs. And the purty harmonies. Hey, it worked in '76... why not now?

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 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."

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!

Peggy Little "A Little Bit Of Peggy Little" (Dot Records, 1969) (LP)

Peggy Little "More Than A Little" (Dot Records, 1970) (LP)

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!)

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.

Lone Justice - see artist discography

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 Sisters "The Lonesome Sisters" (Tin Halo Records, 2004)

The Lonesome Sisters & Riley Baugus "Going Home Shoes" (Tin Halo Records, 2004)
A quiet, stripped-down set of old-timey spiritual songs and bluegrass ballads, sung with in an understated style that skirts both the folkie and indie-pop scenes. The Lonesome Sisters are a female duet -- Sarah Hawker and Debra Clifford -- accompanied by fiddler-banjoist Riley Baugus, with vocals that sound a lot like Rosanne Cash in a contemplative, quiet, acoustic mood. Their approach is very low-key, and very effective as a result... Some of the songs are standards and oldies, though most are originals. Both Hawker and Clifford have serious old-timey pedigrees -- Hawker is the niece of old-timey singer Ginny Hawker (who is also the wife of New Lost City Rambler Tracy Schwartz); Clifford has played in several old-timey bands, and as an accompanist for Hawker and Schwartz. Here they show that the younger generation has definitely taken up the torch, and they are gonna run with it for a long, long time. Recommended.

The Lonesome Sisters & Rayna Gellert "Follow Me Down" (Tin Halo Records, 2006)

Dolly Long (aka Dotty Dimple/Cindy Owens) - 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 get 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.

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.

Brenda Looper/The Looper Trio - see artist profile

Lorie Ann "Lorie Ann" (Sing Me Records, 1989)

Lorie Ann "It's Time" (2002)

Lorraine & The Country Gentlemen "Brandin' Iron Presents..." (Brandin' Iron Records, 19--?) (LP)

Lorraine & The Country Gentlemen "By Request" (Charter Records, 1973) (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. The repertoire on 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. 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 "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

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 framer 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 (though unfortunately they're not listed in the liner notes) and provided an adequate and reasonably twangy backing -- good examples of the regional pickers working in the Central Valley at the time. Apparently she also briefly recorded for the Kapp label in the late '60s, though 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?

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.

Sally Love & Gary Ferguson "Our Old Home" (Eureka Records, 2002)
Maybe more of a folkie-Americana outing than a straight-up bluegrass disc, nonetheless this has some nice picking on it, particularly the banjo and dobro work... At times the vocals get a little Mighty Wind, but there are some noteworthy songs -- their rattlesome cover of Nick Lowe's "Ride Me Down Easy," and the environmentally suspect "Take It Out Back," which paints a charmingly informal picture of rural life... Not earthshaking, but kinda likeable.

Lydia Loveless "The Only Man" (Peloton Records, 2010)

Lydia Loveless "Indestructible Machine" (Bloodshot Records, 2011)

Patty Loveless - see artist discography

Robyn Ludwick "For So Long" (Late Show Records, 2005)
A solo album by Texas singer Robyn Ludwick, sister of alt-country standard-bearers Bruce Robison and Charlie Robison... An admirably rough-edged, hard-hitting, robust set that might appeal to fans of Mary Gauthier and Eliza Gilkyson, with fine backing by some of alt-country's finest.

Robyn Ludwick "Too Much Desire" (Late Show Records, 2008)
(Produced by John Ludwick & Mike Hardwick)

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!

Claire Lynch -- see artist discography

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.

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.

Gayle Lynn & The Hired Hands "Just Came Around" (JG Productions, 2008)

Gerrie Lynn "Presenting Gerrie Lynn" (Columbia Records, 1968)
(Produced by Don Law & Frank Jones)
I don't think her career went very far, but, hey -- she got Don Law to let her record a whole album of cover tunes! Ms. Lynn hailed from Chicago, so students of Windy City Americana might wanna track this one down... If the liner notes are to be trusted, Lynn's husband talked her into cutting a demo and sending it to Nashville... And so, here's her record, filled with versions of country hits sung by "girl" singers such as Jody Miller, Patsy Cline and Connie Smith... It ain't bad, although it would have been more interesting if she'd recorded more original material.

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.)

Janet Lynn & Johnny Lyon "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.

Judy Lynn - see artist discography

Lera Lynn "Have You Met Lera Lynn?" (Slow Records, 2011)
(Produced by Robby Handley)
A mix of slower-tempo twangcore and eclectic, contemplative singer-songwriter pop ala Aimee Mann, with a hint of gothic, Nick Cave-ish mope-core. Solid songwriting, but a bit glum. Includes a nice cover of Leonard Cohen's scathing, doomed-romance golden oldie, "I Tried To Leave You."

Loretta Lynn - see artist discography

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 "Somethin' Pretty Bad" (Calliope Records, 1977) (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. Like her first album, this one failed to chart nationally; oddly enough she did have a string of (low) charting singles that came out later on a different label. The highest of these was "Music, Music, Music," which grazed the Top 40 in the summer of '78, but after that everything was strictly in the back forty... Also, what an awful title for an album by a struggling artist.

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... but that's their problem, not mine. I'm not sure where or when this was recorded -- some folks say Ms. Lynn was from around Chicago -- and I did find some info about gigs she played in the area. She 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. Great band name, too. Lynn sang about half the songs on the album, while also letting each of the band members -- John Beke, Wayne Douglas, Joe Nelson and Leon Wilson -- 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?

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.

Shelby Lynne - see artist discography

The Lynns "The Lynns" (Reprise Records, 1998)
(Produced by Don Cook)
Loretta's daughters, twin sisters Patsy and Peggy Lynn, don't exactly have Mom's arresting, charismatic presence, but they do sound nice enough and have a traditional bent that's pleasant to hear, although it does tend to get obscured in some fairly generic, Foster & Lloyd-ish pop-country arrangements. Their family harmony sound brings to mind the Judds (although the Lynns sound more legitimately bluesy...) but also leaves one of the sisters (not sure which one) overshadowed by the other. Not stellar, but I bet with the right producer, these gals could sound super-cool.

Elizabeth Lyons "Elizabeth Lyons (EP)" (Roar Records, 2012)
(Produced by Matt Nolen)
Independently produced would-be Top 40 country, the kind of stuff that crosses so far over into mainstream pop that you have to listen kind of hard to hear the twang. Although the music is pretty generic, it's worth noting that Lyons wrote all the songs, and may have as much promise as a composer as she shows as a singer. A lot of this sounds like stuff you've heard before, though one of her uptempo numbers caught my attention, the catchy, energetic "Fighting Over Me," a girlish, poppy song about a gal who enjoys the boys making a fuss over her. So did the similarly-themed "Boys In Every Zip Code," although the second song's lyrics felt shallow rather than frisky and fun. I dunno; I guess it's possible she could make it in Nashville... Only time will tell!

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."

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