The Valley Hayriders "Headed For Bluegrass" (Lark Records, 1982) (LP)
A nice set by a scrappy little country-and-bluegrass variety band from Warm Springs, Virginia, The Valley Hayriders spotlighted various soloists, notably banjo and guitar picker Richard Blankenship, squaredance caller Tommy Carpenter, gal singers Peggy Ralston and Lisa Roberts, as well as bandleader Jay Hiner, whose indiebilly anthem, "Everybody Wants To Go To Nashville But Me," is an album highlight. The Hayriders followed the same formula as many regional "opry" bands, though there's no info on this album about whether they were attached to any particular venues. Later, in the 1990s, Blankenship and friends helped found a regional community radio station, WCHG, part of the Allegheny Mountain Radio network.

Conny Van Dyke "Conny Van Dyke Sings For You" (ABC Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Foglesong & Larry Coates)
An innocuous vanity project from B-actress Conny Van Dyke, who co-starred with Burt Reynolds in the flop film, "W.W. And The Dixie Dancekings," where these songs come from. Mostly countrypolitanized covers of early rock and rock-era vocal tunes, songs like the old Everly Brothers hit, "Walk Right Back," and "Jim Dandy," as well as a country tune or two, like "Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On." On the whole, she was not a notably good singer, and on several songs she sounds just terrible. Nashville stalwarts Harold Bradley and Bill Walker got roped into doing some of the arrangements, but I don't think anyone put too much effort into this one...

Sally Van Meter "All In Good Time" (Sugar Hill Records, 1991)
Fine picking from dobro virtuoso Sally Van Meter, and a passle of pals who include Todd Phillips, Scott Nygard, Tony Furtado and other newgrass usual suspects. Van Meter plays it both ways on here -- there are a couple of good hoedown-y truegrass tunes, and a few nice vocal numbers, but a hefty chunk of this disc is taken up by softer, somewhat easy listening-ish instrumentals. Still, she has such a great tone and expressive, soulful delivery that most fans probably won't mind. Nice performances throughout, and only a few tunes that are simply too syrupy. It'd be great to hear Van Meter sing more often: she has a really lovely voice.

The Vanwinkle Family "Sings Country Gospel" (Central Recording Studio, 198-?) (LP)
(Produced by Delbert Barker)
The presence of old-school, 1950s hillbilly twangster Delbert Barker is what caught my eye on this one -- apparently he settled down in Ohio and started his own recording studio at some point. The clients for this project were Mr. Arnold Van Winkle, his wife Rosella Van Winkle (1945-2019) and their brood, a flock of sons including Frank (playing lead guitar), Greg and Vance. They were residents of Greensfork, Indiana and initially only cut a 45 single at Barker's studio back in 1980, but were so pleased with the results they returned and recorded a whole album. About half the songs are originals written by Mrs. Van Winkle, with the lads playing all sorts of stringed instruments, getting a little help from Barker's in-house studio crew, drummer Roy Cook, Steve Lake on bass, and Dave Zornes on pedal steel. The family name is apparently misspelled on the album, and was Van Winkle on their earlier single, as well as in Mrs. Van Winkle's obituary; no mention of music or this album was given, so they probably weren't an active band and just made this record for fun.

Darlene Vance & J. D. Smith "Just The Two Of Us" (Transworld Records, 19--?) (LP)
Although this record label was from Bristol, Virginia, I believe James D. Smith and Darlene Smith Vance were a brother-sister duo originally from Pike County, Kentucky. By the time Mrs. Vance passed away in 2001, she and the rest of her family, including JD and her other siblings, had moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Not sure when this album came out, but it has an early/mid-'80s look. Although it's mostly cover songs ("One Day At A Time," "Rocky Top," "You Gave Me A Mountain"), there are a couple of originals written by James Smith, "She Took My Heart," and "That's How Love Hurts."

Rose Vegas "Wild Flowers In The Sun" (Golden Rose Records, 1972) (LP)
Not a ton of info about this country gal of yesteryear, a husky-voiced singer who was in the thick of the country music industry, although her own career never really took off. I suspect she may have done some time as a backup singer, possibly even working with Elvis Presley's TCB band. She was kinda-sorta signed to MGM Records around the time this album came out, releasing a 1972 single on a custom imprint owned by the label, though perhaps her deep-toned, Wynonna-ish vocals were a poor match for the more girly-girl vibe of the countrypolitan era. Rose "Vegas" Waters (d. 2020-?) may not have had much success as a solo artist, but she seems to have had a head for business: for several years she served as the secretary of the Academy Of Country Music, and in the 1990s she became Merle Haggard's manager, helping pull him out of a deep financial abyss, and squaring his accounts with the IRS. A few years later, around 2004 she went into business with another country old-timer, helping Ray Price set up a record label, though I'm not sure much came of that venture. Ms. Waters may have passed away around 2020, though I haven't been able to track down an official obituary to confirm her passing.

April Verch "Springtime Fiddle" (Self-released, 1992)

April Verch "Fiddle Talk" (Self-released, 1995)

April Verch "Fiddelicious" (1998)

April Verch "Verchuousity" (Rounder Records, 2001)

April Verch "From Where I Stand" (Rounder Records, 2003)

April Verch "Take Me Back" (Rounder Records, 2006)
An extraordinarily pleasant, appealing record -- one of my favorite folk/country/Americana albums of '06 -- and one that, for some reason, I just can't seem to get out of my CD player. Canadian fiddler April Verch moves masterfully from style to style, including sizzling breakdowns, funky Celtic reels and slip jigs, a bit of slinky, bluesy jazz ("Monarch") and several achingly beautiful vocal numbers, including the title track (which was written by Buddy and Julie Miller), the poppy "All In A Night," the abject yet incandescent "I Still Cry," and Verch's own unusual portrait of a gal who takes up a nun's habit, "Bride Of Jesus." From start to finish, this is a bright, compelling record, one that should open more than a few ears to this up-and-coming young player. Highly recommended!

April Verch "Steal The Blue" (Slab Town Records, 2008)

Joyce Vetter "Walkin' On The Sunnyside" (Wild Rose Records, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Joyce Vetter)
Although her Wild Rose label gave an address in Winnemucca, Nevada, it would be hard to pin Ms. Vetter down to one locale... In addition to her music career, she worked as a wilderness guide in Idaho, Nevada and Northern California, as well as an author, aviator, and video director. Vetter made other records, though as far as I can tell, this one was the rootsiest, with versions of "Bump Bounce Boogie" and "Dolly's Dive." I guess, on balance, I'd peg her as a California gal, since she wound up working on yachts in Sausalito, CA, across the Bay from SF. A rambler and rounder, to be sure!

Wanda Vick "Bluegrass Girl" (Spring Hill Records, 2007)
Mandolinist Wanda Vick plays host to several vocalists on this syrupy though roots-oriented set... Includes are Dale Ann Bradley, Sonya Isaacs, Cheryl White and Kourtney Wilson.

Victims Of Chance "Goin' Home Blue" (No Label, 1971)
(Produced by Johnny Kitchen)
A challenging, kooky, oddball hippie-era album that mashes up roots music, rock and avant-psych... Musically far-flung and starry-eyed, this band featured both female and male lead vocals... I dunno much about this band, though I gather it's legendary on the acid-folk circuit, and was produced by a guy from LA called Johnny Kitchen, who put out a bunch of weird private-press records around the same time. This album was digitally reissued by Essential Media Group in 2011, so it's not as impossible to find as it once was...

The Villagers "On Such A Night" (Friar Tuck's Productions, 1976-?) (LP)
A jaunty though amateurish folk quartet, three guys and one gal singing a variety of material at a club called Friar Tuck's, located in Maumee, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo. This was primarily a string-swing kinda thing, with some material from the country, bluegrass and roots genres. The country songs include renditions of "Coal Tattoo," "Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms" as well as several less twangy options such as a 1940s medley and an acoustic cover of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit." The musicians aren't identified on the album, though signed copies give their first names as Joe, John, Patty and Steve -- turns out Patty and Joe were the Morans, who opened Friar Tuck's as a folk-oriented cabaret in 1973 and operated the venue through most of the 1980s. Not the smoothest or slickest or twangiest-sounding group, though their admittedly awkward cover of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" might be of interest.

The Villagers "Homemade" (Friar Tuck's Productions, 19--?) (LP)
Not sure which of these albums came first, though this one is definitely more firmly in the folk camp. Also, a different lineup: this edition of the Villagers included Patty and Larry Hays, Joe Moran, Mike Robarge, and Steve Scharren, with some other Toledo locals credited in the liner notes for their contributions.

Gina Villalobos "Beg From Me" (Kick Music, 2002)

Gina Villalobos "Rock'n'Roll Pony" (Kick Music, 2004)

Gina Villalobos "Miles Away" (Face West Records, 2007)
(Produced by Gina Villalobos & Erik Colvin)
A raw, rollicking country-rock effort full of attitude and drive... There's the teeniest hint of Lucinda Williams in the mix, but in her more rockin' moments, Villalobos comes closer to the Tom Petty/Sheryl Crow school of roots-rock tunesmithing. The stylistic hallmarks of the Americana/outlaw movement are present -- fiddle, pedal steel and banjo -- but Villalobos' L.A. rocker roots are never far from the surface. She distinguishes herself with her powerful, fully captivating melodic hooks -- the sign of a noteworthy artist in any genre. If you're looking for some twang that really rocks, check this gal out!

Gina Villalobos "Days On Their Side" (Face West Records, 2009)
(Produced by Gina Villalobos & Erik Colvin)
Stepping back from the punchy twang of her previous release, Villalobos goes for more of a contemplative, rock-folk/adult-alt sound for this brooding, rather downcast record. To be honest, it's a bit dreary musically, with little differentiation between one glum, slow, mopey, semi-suicidal song and the next... She gives little growling, drawling, recriminative murmurs over each lush, languid instrumental surge, and the music has a relentless, narcotic effect that underscores the tone of complaint, weariness and discontent. I imagine this album had a lot of personal significance for Villalobos, and perhaps was more meaningful to her than her earlier, bouncier 'billy sound... But it's kind of an emotional downer for listeners. True-blue gloom junkies might love this one, though!

Rhonda Vincent - see artist discography

The Vogt Family "Footprints Of Jesus/All Aboard" (Praise Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Vogt Family "Back Home" (Praise Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Irene Carter)
A family band from Pomeroy, Washington with Bud and Ruth Vogt joined by their three children, Bill, Jan and Jon. Jon plays piano and several non-family locals backing them, including lead guitar by George Palmer, some steel guitar from Lee Knight, and Ken Fuller playing the Hammond Organ. The Vogts were not professional musicians -- from the looks of the cartoony cover art, they were an actual farming family -- but they did play some infrequent shows around Spokane and Seattle, playing mainly gospel music.

Vicki Rae Von "Not Tonight, I've Got A Heartache" (Atlantic Records, 1987) (LP)
The lone album by Vicki Rae Von, aka Vicki Brower, who sang backup for Mickey Gilley on a bunch of his albums...

Patricia Vonne "Patricia Vonne" (Bandolera Records, 2003)

Patricia Vonne "Guitars And Castanets" (Bandolera Records, 2005)
Normally, I try to avoid reflexively comparing female artists to other female artists... But in the case of Austin-based songwriter/actress Patricia Vonne, her stylistic and vocal similarity to Lone Justice-era Maria McKee is so noticable, I feel I'd be somewhat negligent if I didn't point it out. It's the early '80s cow-rock sound all over again -- hints of Carlene Carter and Rosanne Cash are in there as well, and maybe even a wisp of Chrissie Hynde in the snarlier moments. Vonne adds a bilingual Tex-Mex twist that sets her apart, but the basic sound is much the same... It's a little too hard-edged and roots-rocky for me, but for fans of the impassioned, sometimes torturously wordy McKee ouvre, this disc may be a godsend. By the way, Vonne's also related to director Robert Rodriguez, and can be seen (and heard) in some of his films... This is her second album.

Patricia Vonne "Firebird" (Bandolera Records, 2007)

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

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