Allan Wachs "Mountain Roads And City Streets" (True Vine Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Allan Wachs & Robert Grogan)

Jerry Waddel "...And The Right Lane" (Christy Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Gailey)
This indie album from Albuquerque, New Mexico features mostly cover tunes, stuff like "Country Roads," "Okie From Muskogee," "Green Green Grass Of Home," and a few rock oldies like "Rip It Up" and "Johnny B. Goode." There's also one original, "Mama," which he wrote for his mom. Waddel's band included Dean Smith (bass), Larry Grubbs (organ), Rodney Ross (drums) with pedal steel by Wayne Gailey, who helped produce the album as well. Not sure when this one came out, though back in 1970 there were newspaper notices for Waddel and the Right Lane playing shows at venues in Colorado Springs and in Missoula, Montana, so he was definitely hustling around back then. Though Waddel later seems to have zeroed in on a pathway as an electric blues musician, this is definitely a country record, with covers of "Country Roads," "Okie From Muskogee," "Green Green Grass Of Home" and "You Gave Me A Mountain," as well as some rock'n'roll oldies

Elvis Wade "Introducing Elvis Wade" (Sahara Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Allan Cartee & Don Cartee)
In general, I'm not that into the Elvis impersonator genre, and see only a tangential connection to locals-only country, although I have been keeping track of the records as I come across 'em. This one was recorded in Nashville and does have some aspects that make it of particular interest. The singer was actually a fella named Wade Cummins, who also recorded in the early 'Seventies as rock artist/band Duffy, but later in the decade decided taking on the persona of an Elvis clone might be a good use of his time. The most notable draw for twangfans is the presence of rootsy Memphis songwriter Ava Aldridge, who sings backup and also wrote or co-wrote about half of the songs; the album also includes several originals credited to Elvis Wade, and others written by album producer Allan Cartee. Indeed, the album seems to have been all-original material and maybe was meant as kind of a "what if Elvis had lived?" kind of concept album. Though it looks like it hews to Presley's old pop-rock wheelhouse, there are a bunch of Music City pros involved, such as Chips Moman, Jerry Wallace and Neil Wilburn; the Sahara label however was headquartered in Los Angeles...

Elvis Wade "It's Been Ten Years" (Elvis Wade Productions, 1987-?) (LP)
Ten tears since what...? Oh! I see... This is Tennessee-born Elvis impersonator Wade Cummins marking the tenth anniversary of the King's passing away with a tribute set that includes covers of songs such as "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "My Way" and a closing number called "The King Is Gone." Although he had a past in non-Presley pop music, Mr. Cummings kept at the Elvis thing for years and years, eventually touring with an edition of the Jordanaires and ultimately scripting a fully-funded, nationally distributed 2014 feature film called The Identical -- about an crypto-Elvis fictional pop star and his long-lost twin brother -- which despite having cast real stars such as Ashley Judd and Ray Liotta (and country singer Waylon Payne) is considered one of the worst movies ever made. (Gotta put that one on my watch list...)

Harry Wade "Swinging Things" (Arlue Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Rayburn Anthony, Glenn Ray & Harry Wade)
Latter-day western swing revivalism, in the same basic style as Red Steagall or Asleep At The Wheel. Dunno much about Harry Wade -- he was an older, middle-aged guy (in his late 'fifties maybe?) who had a decent voice, though a pretty laid-back approach. This was recorded at an independent studio in Jackson, Tennessee, though Clarence Selman's slightly chaotic liner notes mention Mr. Wade having "picked apples in Virginia with Patsy Cline," so either he knew Patsy 'way back in the '40s or '50s, or that's some really, really obscure saying I'm not familiar with. Anyway, this is a nice, super-sincere and genuinely rootsy offering from a reconstructed country purist, a bunch of cover songs and maybe not the most electrifying record ever, but pretty soulful overall. Unfortunately, the back band wasn't identified, but they seemed pretty solid, whoever they were.

June Wade - see artist discography

Norman Wade - see artist discography

Randy Wade "The Only Known Recordings Of Randy Wade" (Busch Country, 1979) (LP)
An almost entirely original set of indiebilly twang from Tampa, Florida... Six songs are credited to bandleader Randy Wade, with two more by R. Dezler, one by R. Bethencourt, and a final song by some guy named Hank Williams. Many of these songs first came out as singles, dating back to 1975, including tunes like Wade's anthemic "The Country's Going Country," "Bluegrass Blues," "That's Why They Call It Love," and "You Stepped On My Heart."

Randy Wade "Tell The Mirror" (NPW Entertainment, 1999)
I'm not 100% sure, but I think is the same guy, just twenty years later... A pretty commercial-sounding, Top Forty-ish good-ole-boy album, along the lines of Travis Tritt, or folks like that...

Willis Wade "Introducing Mr. Versatile -- The Fabulous Willis Wade" (Ruby Jean Records, 1969) (LP)
Multi-instrumentalist Willis Wade led this Nashville-based band throughout the 1960s, notably doing several rounds on the USO tour circuit in Europe and Asia. Originally from Blackville, South Carolina, Wade was living in Nashville when he led this group... This late-'Sixties edition of the band included bassist Jackie Lynn (also on vocals), Bob Cox (piano), Ray Salter (drums, bass, guitar and fiddle) and Eddie Weil (bass and drums). Also worth mention is singer Linda Vaughn, who the liner notes identify as "vocalist and dancer" and "short, but cute as she can be." Aw, shucks, that old-fashioned Southern sexism was so darn adorable! This album includes a few originals, including two by Willis Wade, "Cheater Walked Out" and "Wade's Running Banjo"

Stan Wagganer "Heartbreak Mountain" (Grass Fire Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Greg Calloway, Delbert McKinnon, John Daugherty & Myron Smith)
Multi-instrumentalist Stan Wagganer was a child prodigy who started playing real gigs when he was just seven, moving through a succession of regional bands and local "opry" venues, including Lee Mace's Ozark Opry, where he had was working when this album was made. The material is mostly standards, bluegrass fiddle tunes and the like, although co-producer Myron Smith plays pedal steel on the sessions.

Stan Wagganer "...And The Bluegrass Phantoms" (19--?) (LP)

Stan Wagganer "Rewriting The Book Of Bluegrass" (Grass-Fire Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Myron Smith)
The liner notes for this ambitious album inform us that Stan Wagganer was twenty-one years old when he cut this album, backed by his band, The Bluegrass Phantoms. The lineup included Bob Davidson on drums, Tom Henderson (vocals), Bill Scroggins (bass, guitar and vocals), Myron Smith (steel guitar), and fiddler Bob Wagganer. The repertoire was mostly cover tunes and medleys, though there were also some originals by Stan Wagganer and Richard Stratmann, who was apparently not in the band, but may have been in the orbit of Denny Hilton's mini-opry. Stan Wagganer seems to have been part of Hilton's jamboree at the time, as this album is mentioned in some of Hilton's promotional materials around the same time.

Stan Wagganer "Highlights Of The Stan Wagganer Show" (Pioneer Productions, 1983-?) (LP)
(Produced by Denny Kreps, John Reed & Bill Schulenberg)
This edition of the Stan Wagganer troupe included Jerry Annis on drums, Tom Henderson (vocals), Paul Nixon (bass), Bill Scroggins (guitar and vocals), and Bob Wagganer playing fiddle. The set was recorded in Saint Louis, though there are photos of them performing at the Six Flags amusement park in the nearby suburb of Eureka, Missouri. Helpfully, the liner notes list all of the major gigs Stan Wagganer had between 1963-83, giving a nice snapshot of his career. (Worth noting: bass player Paul Nixon was apparently the son of East Missouri honkytonker Nick Nixon, who had a mid-'Seventies fling as Top Forty artist with a national profile. Paul Nixon also toured with his dad's band.)

The Waggoners "The Waggoners" (Lemco Records, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Cecil Jones)
Originally from Bloomington, Indiana, guitarist Charlie Waggoner started out in country music back in 1952, playing on radio and backing various stars... By 1969, he'd started his own band along with singer-guitarist Roxanne Waggoner, working at Holiday Inns and clubs, as well as opening for bigger artists. They were hosting their own TV show out of Knoxville at the time this LP came out; backing them are bassist Tony Wayne and drummer Larry Clifton. The Waggoners moved around a lot -- during the "Urban Cowboy" years they were working a steady gig in Daytona Beach, Florida, though they eventually moved back to Indiana. Years later, in the 1990s, the Waggoners co-founded a sing-out religious service they called the Country-Gospel Music Church, which was held at various venues in Nashville, often with older stars of the Opry dropping in to sing a hymn or two. Towards the decade's end, they relocated the "Church" to a venue near Gnaw Bone, Indiana, where they continued the tradition.

Bodie Wagner "Hobo" (Philo Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Bodie Wagner & Michael Couture)
Folk troubadour Bodie Wagner hailed from Ohio but he traveled across the country, performing with likeminded artists such as his brother, Pop Wagner, or with hobo poet Utah Phillips, who contributed the liner notes for this album. Wagner's latter-day rail-riding, Woodie Guthrie-esque , world-wise rambling-man folkie persona can feel a little precious -- particularly on songs such as "I'd Like To Say I'm Proud" (written from the point of view of a noble, working-class trucker) -- but this album's gentle spirit will win you over, especially with the exquisite pedal steel and dobro accompaniment by Martin Grosswendt and Wagner's own delicate fingerpicking guitar work. His brother Pop sings on one track, the uptempo "Chugga Tramp," while Jim Ringer chimes in on the chorus of "I've Been On The Road," one of several excellent songs in this strong set of all-original material. There are a couple of children's songs, numerous nods to the working class, while on the topically-themed "America," Wagner marks the end of the Vietnam War with a declamatory song which both passes judgment on the war's planners but also affirms the growing apolitical spirit of the post-Watergate era, declaring that foreign wars and other global crises are "so far from me, so far from in my heart" that he can't worry about them anymore. It's probably the most interesting song on the album (though hardly the most enjoyable) and while one can understand the fatigue people felt after the big struggles of the 'Sixties were finally over, the message is a little muddled. Overall, a nice record, though you have to be willing to get into the coffeehouse folk-singer thing to appreciate its musical side.

Rick Wagner "Where'd The Whistle Go?" (Vetco Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Rick Wagner & Dave Gordon)
One of the Vetco bluegrass label's rare forays into non-bluegrass, folkie/novelty territory... This one's a little too folk-scene for me, though it is a nice record, with contributions from labelmates Dave & Kay Gordon, who had success with their comedic Vetco "hits," recorded around the same time. There's some nice old-timey banjo plunking and flowery arrangements with cello and viola, novelty tunes such as "Nothing Rhymes With Chimes," and the John Prine-ish "A Good Fire" that don't quite stick, but are okay. The instrumentals kind of remind me of Jay Ungar, so not quite hippiebilly twang, but hardly strictly bluegrass, either.

The Wagon Wheel "Introduction To Wagon Wheel" (Wagon Wheel Recordings, 196--?) (LP)
(Produced by Don Franklin)
This album was an interesting combination of country twang and the more static confines of the square dance sound. The Wagon Wheel label was started by caller Don Franklin, a well-known figure in the Denver, Colorado square dance scene... This album may be of interest to country fans because the core of the band was drawn from the Texas-based dixieland/twang band known as the Levee Singers, with music director Smokey Montgomery and hotshot guitarist Ronnie Dawson, a pioneering rockabilly star who settled into a mellower mode during the late '60s. Also on board are Fort Worth, TX bass player Ken Cobb and guitar picker Bill Hudson, backing Franklin and two other callers... There are some actual songs on here, though many tracks were more made for dancing. Franklin owned the label up until 1981, when he sold it to one of his engineers, who took the label into a broader direction, getting more overt country material into the mix.

The Wagon Wheelers "Wagon Wheelers" (Moon Records, 198--?) (LP)
An entirely charming, heartfelt set of country oldies from this utterly guileless, all-covers, amateur-hour band out of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. The group included several family members -- Arnie Wannebo (rhythm guitar), his brother Jim Wannebo (drums) and wife Ruth Bjorklund Wannebo (bass), with assistance from fourteen-year old fiddler Bruce Hoffman and steel player Bob Jensen. Honestly, this is exactly the kind of "real people" private press country album I hope to find -- folks who aren't maybe the slickest singers or the hottest pickers, but real fans of the genre who sing their little hearts out. Also, I dig their taste in songs: this set is a mix of 1940/'50s-era standards such as "Ashes Of Love," "Faded Love," "Release Me" and "She Taught Me How To Yodel," as well as (slightly) more modern material such as Doug Kershaw's "Diggy Liggy Lo" and Willie Nelson's "Funny How Time Slips Away," and even a smidge of western swing in there as well. (I'm not entirely sure when this came out, though it looks late '70s/early '80s -- they cover "Old Flames (Can't Hold A Candle To You)", which was a hit for Joe Sun in '78 and an even bigger hit for Dolly Parton in 1980...) Arnie and Ruth Wannebo both moved to Arizona and divorced at some point; he later played in a band with his sister, polka accordionist Shirley Moe, and her husband Arne. The Wagon Wheelers were a longtime presence in the northern suburbs and outskirts of Minneapolis; the most recent show notice I could find was from 2008, shortly before Arnie Wannebo passed away in 2010. The album also features liner notes from Rog Suneson, a fabled Minneapolis music store owner who had been playing country music himself for about forty years by the time this album came out.

The Wagon Wheels "On Stage" (Wagon Wheel Records, 1978-?) (LP)
An amiable set of country and bluegrass covers, competently delivered on this souvenir album from the "Wagon Wheel Opry," a mom-and-pop mini-opry which was staged at the local 4-H Club hall in Macomb, Illinois. The group included Warren Davis (banjo and steel guitar), Randy Grove (drums), Danny Perez (lead guitar), Bill Robinson (fiddle and piano), Duane Sorrells (bass and rhythm guitar), and Dean Wilson on bass and saxophone. The repertoire is a fairly standard mix of contemporary hits and country classics, including faves such as "Bed Of Roses" from the Statler Brothers, "The Key Is In The Mailbox" and "Daydreams About Night Things," which was a hit for Ronnie Milsap in 1975. They also cruise through a bunch of instrumentals, including a Bob Wills medley, "Yackety Sax," and the inevitable cover of "Orange Blossom Special." This isn't an electrifying or groundbreaking album, but this was a solid, confident band, playing real country stuff with just a hint of jazz underneath the surface. Not bad!

The Wagon Wheel(s) "Wagon Wheel Opry: Old And New #2" (Wagon Wheel Records, 1980-?) (LP)
(Produced by Robert Angellio)
The Wagon Wheel Opry seemed to have weathered a few winters out in the old 4-H barn, and produced at least one more album, with the original lineup largely intact, albeit with a few new members. This time the group included Warren Davis (banjo, dobro, and steel guitar), Danny Perez (lead guitar), Bill Robinson (fiddle and piano), Duane Sorrells (rhythm guitar), and a few new guys: Otis Henry on bass, vocalist Bob Trippey and Jerry Prunty on banjo, piano and drums. (Prunty's presence is intriguing, as he led his own mini-opry, called Jerry Prunty's Country Jubilee Show, headquartered in Osage Beach, Missouri. He may have had roots in Illinois, though, having worked as a teen in something called the Lamoine Valley Opry Show, which may well have been based in Macomb as well.) The repertoire this time around was heavy on classic country with a dash of western swing, as well as a few new tunes such as Kenny Dale's "Bluest Heartache " and Moe & Joe's "Good Ole Boys," as well as (groan) the umpteenth-millionth cover version of the super-sappy Marty Robbins weeper, "You Gave Me A Mountain."

Dale Wagoner "Kentucky Style Steel" (Mid-Land Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by DeWitt Scott & Rusty Thornhill)
Steel player Dale Wagoner started out in bluegrass and western swing, playing first with Pee Wee King, then Jim & Jesse McReynolds, before getting into the orbit of Nashville, touring with or doing session wirk for stars such as Susan Raye and Connie Smith. Then he headed back home to the greater Cinncinnati area, where he played mostly local shows... At the time this album was made, Wagoner was holding down a gig at the Boulevard nightclub in Springdale, Ohio. The backing band on this album all seems to be locals, including Clyde Marcum on lead guitar, Ernie Vaughn playing bass, Jim Geyer on piano, Bill Tirey on drums and Bobby Mackey adding rhythm guitar. Not sure how "Kentucky style" sounds different from any other kind of steel guitar, but hey, a little branding never hurt anyone...

J. C. Wagoner "Picking And Singing With Down Home Country Music" (Three Star Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Marshall Craven & J. C. Wagoner)
A really nice record, at least for fans of unpretentious, real-deal rural twang. Possessed of an unusual, thin-sounding voice, North Carolina's J. C. Wagoner was less known as a singer than as a dancer -- a world-champion clogger, to be precise. Nonetheless, he recorded a single or two, as well as this album, which is packed with great fiddling, rock-solid pedal steel, and plenty of sincerity and soul. Wagoner was a fixture on the Winston-Salem bluegrass and old-timey scene, where he would dance during or between band performances, and also held local clogging workshops. (He even wrote a book about it...!) This album features a bunch of original material, written by either Mr. Wagoner or Herb Shively and Ralph Shiveley, along with some well-chosen covers, such as their version of Jimmie Rodgers' "Waiting For A Train." It's possible he was also the same J. C. Wagoner who played drums for a well-known local bluegrass band, The Lincoln County Partners, on their country-friendly 1974 LP, It's Just The Chance You've Waited For, but I'm not 100% super-sure about that. Wagoner plays bass and drums on this album, backed by Desmond Finney on piano and multi-instrumentalist David Johnson on banjo, fiddle, rhythm guitar and pedal steel(!) Really nice stuff.

The Wagonmasters "Campfire Favorites" (Omega Records, 1960-?) (LP)
Originally from North Texas near Amarillo, fiddler Billy Beeman (1927-2011) and guitarist Bobby Beeman (1929-1994) started out in a family band with their sister Shirley. While they were just kids, they made their way to Southern California in the late 1930s where they performed several times at the newly-expanded Knott's Berry Farm amusement park. In 1954, the brothers were hired full-time to form the core of the Wagonmasters, the house band for the park's Ghost Town hoedowns. The band's long residency lasted through most of the 'Sixties, when they are said to have played over nine thousand shows total. They also produced a series of dude ranch souvenir records full of cowboy/western ballads, folk tunes and country covers. On this first album, the group consisted of the Beeman brothers and Bill's wife Rachel Beeman, as well as bassist Eldon Eklund and Harvey Walker on banjo. I'm not sure when this album came out, though I'm guessing 1960-61, since it includes a cover of Marty Robbins' big hit, "El Paso," along with a slew of cowboy songs and a few bluegrass-ish tunes as well. There's also a playful dash of zippy acoustic swing on "Boysenberry Boogie," an instrumental number that underscores the Beemans' admiration for the brother duo of Hugh and Karl Farr. After the Wagonmasters broke up in 1968, the Beemans started a new group called the Lobo Rangers and hosted an annual event called the Beeman Bash, at Billy Beeman's spread in Placentia, California. The brothers were also central figures in the foundation of the Western Music Association, which celebrates cowboy music and poetry. In addition to these old LPs, Billy Beeman wrote a self-published autobiography, Chronicles Of An Old Fiddler and recorded an album with the Lobo Rangers in 1991...

The Wagonmasters "The Last Frontier" (Omega Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Wagonmasters "Folk Favorites" (Omega Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Wagonmasters "More Folk Favorites" (Omega Records, 1964-?) (LP)
They really go full-bore folk revival on this one, singing in a Weavers-meet-Kingston Trio hootenanny mode... This is mostly straight-up bland, middle-class singalong folk (as you might expect from a mom'n'pop venue like Knott's Berry Farm...) There are a few traces of twang -- a version of Marty Robbins' "Devil Woman," a quick little bluegrass breakdown -- though for the most part this is less "western" oriented than some of their other albums, with their cover of Burl Ives's "Little Bitty Tear" more accurately capturing the vibe... Not bad, per se, but though all that country.

The Wagonmasters "Wagoncamp Favorites" (Omega Records, 19--?) (LP)

Wahoo Revue "Band Xing" (Avanti Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Rod Abernathy & Don Dixon)
This North Carolina bluegrass band formed around 1973 with core members Louis Allen (mandolin), Gary Bailey (bass), Stan Brown (banjo and mandolin) and Bill Willis on guitar, along with "guest" performers pianist-producer Rod Abernathy and Gene Wooten. Most members were students at North Carolina State University and after steadily playing campus shows they landed a plum gig at the Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, which became their full-time job over the summer. They cut two LPs, each with a diverse "progressive" repertoire -- this album includes covers of "Friend Of The Devil" as well as Cat Stevens' "Father And Son," earning them mention in the annals of the late 'Seventies "country-rock" indiebilly scene. Wahoo Review broke up around 1979, with some band members pursuing music afterwards, notably Gene Wooten who moved to Nashville in 1977 and became an elite session player, and Gary Mitchell who played in numerous local bands and founded his own Ocrafolk record label. The group notably had connections to future top forty songwriter and Americana auteur Jim Lauderdale who met them at Busch Gardens and moved to Nashville with Gene Wooten; Brown and Wooten helped Lauderdale record one of his earliest demo tapes and offered him a slot in the band, which he declined, as fate pulled him elsewhere.

Wahoo Revue "Campus Bluegrass" (Leather Records, 1978-?) (LP)

Loudon Wainwright III - see artist discography

Garry Waite "Garry Waite's Country Time: A Dance Album" (Gorilla Music Production, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Denny Crockett, Ike Egan & Garry Waite)
Caught up in the line-dancing craze of the era, singer Garry Waite (1947-1998) put together this album of would-be future fads, packed with original songs variously described as two-steps, side-by-sides, stomps, freezes, and one called a "flying ape." And if none of this sounds familiar to the non-mobile couch potatoes among us, Waite helpfully enclosed a couple of posters with the LP, which describe some of the groovy new moves for you to learn. Mr. Waite is pictured on front cover outside of Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Bar, a Las Vegas casino that opened in 1979 and -- as seen on the 1983 marquee -- once included the Coca-Cola Museum(!) One presumes that Mr. Waite performed there, or hosted dance nights... This album seems to include a number of local Nevada musicians, although some of it was also recorded in Los Angeles, with help from Cliffie Stone and some old West Coast pros such as steel player J. D. Maness. To be honest, I wasn't wowed by this one -- it's not bad, it's just super-generic early '80s pop-country. But then again, Dr. Waite wasn't a professional musician, he was a local dentist and country music fan, just a guy putting his heart into something he enjoyed. His daughter, Gabrielle, sang on and helped write one track, "The Telephone Song," which was a two-step, in case you're wondering. [Note: still looking for a song that would stick, in 1985, Dr. Waite released a single called "Pickin' On Willie," which fits nicely in my list of Willie Nelson tribute songs.]

Tom Waits "Closing Time" (Asylum Records, 1973)
(Produced by Jerry Yester)
Although I suppose most folks would place alt-balladeer Tom Waits more in the "jazz" world, he certainly had an affinity with and connections to the early '70s country-rock scene. A SoCal native, Waits moved to LA in his early 20s, landing a regular gig at the Troubadour nightclub while living in the same neighborhood as many of the singer-songwriters who shaped the pop sound of the 'Seventies. His debut album has a strong acoustic feel, anchored by Waits' piano, with light, sparse, intimate backing that includes cello, trumpet, a modest rhythm section and acoustic guitars. Notable among the backing musicians is Arizona oddball Shep Cooke, who had toured with Linda Ronstadt and was still trying to make it in LA, and adds a nice country shading to many of these songs. This record's a real classic, bridging the worlds of country-rock and erudite jazz while showing the tremendous stylistic breadth and power of the early '70s music world, and setting the stage for Wait's future career. There aren't many completely perfect albums in the world -- this is one of them.

Tom Waits "The Heart Of Saturday Night" (Asylum Records, 1974)
(Produced by Bones Howe)
Another early classic. Although those of us with "greatest hits" ears mainly concentrate on this album's title track, all of these songs are rich and resonant, fine examples of Wait's uncanny ability to recraft jazz and blues, and great opportunities to hear him crooning in his youth. Great band behind him, too, obviously having a lot of fun.

Tom Waits "Nighthawks At The Diner" (Asylum Records, 1975)
(Produced by Bones Howe)
Another classic. Although not really a live concert album (it was recorded in the studio with a small live audience) this certainly reflects what Wait's live shows were like at the time, and the amazing finesse he had has an entertainer. A hefty chunk of the album is taken up with his wry, rambling, personable introductions, and he sets a cozy tone that shows just how charming and charismatic he was as a young man. The album opens with some classics, the comedic "Emotional Weather Report" and the bleary-eyed "Eggs And Sausage," working steadily through a repertoire of Bukowskian boho ballads... For country fans (and kitsch-heads alike) the highlight may be his majestic cover of the old Red Sovine hit, "Phantom 309," a corny yet eternally satisfying recitation song about a haunted semi-truck... Waits, the prematurely world-weary poet of desolation, invests a tremendous amount of emotion and sincerity into his version of this cornball novelty song, and it's fair to say that this is the definitive, ultimate version of this song (with apologies to Red Sovine fans...) This album is a great document of Waits' early career, but it's also just a darn fine record.

Tom Waits "Small Change" (Asylum Records, 1976)
(Produced by Bones Howe)
One of his best and best-known albums, this disc delves deep into the Bukowskian mythos of strip clubs, petty crime, heavy drinking, and skating by on the edge of society. Another classic album, with memorable songs such as "Step Right Up," "Invitation To The Blues," "I Can't Wait To Get Off Work (And See My Baby)," and the grim title song, "Small Change (Got Rained on with His Own .38)." The bleary-eyed romanticism of his earlier work is replaced by a finely-crafted cynicism and painfully pure disillusionment... Although an undercurrent of self-consciousness and faux-boho posturing, these songs are so good it's easy to let go of your nagging doubts about Wait's whole boho-lowlife schtick. (Don't get me wrong: I'm a Tom Waits fan, at least up to a certain point, but it's also possible to peek behind the curtain and glimpse the Mighty Oz...) Anyway, this one's another highly rewarding, must-have record. A classic.

Tom Waits "The Early Years, v.1" (Bizarre Records, 1991)
(Produced by Robert Duffey)
If you're into the country-tinged, folkie feel of Waits' first album, these archival albums of his earliest recordings will come as a real treat. Sweet, stripped-down demos of classic Waits compositions and other works-in-progress, recorded before he hooked up with the Asylum label. Even with the flood of Waits-ian material available in the world, this stuff stands out.

Tom Waits "The Early Years, v.2" (Bizarre Records, 1993)
(Produced by Robert Duffey)

Carl Walden "Tiara Lady" (Shazam Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Morgan Cavett & Carl Walden)
Though this LP is a perennial favorite among mean-spirited "worst album cover" bloggers (an internet phenomenon I despise) it's worth noting that multi-instrumentalist Carl Walden and his Southern California cohort included a bunch of folks who were notably active in LA's country-rock, pop and rockabilly scenes. Multi-instrumentalist Carl Walden was a transplant from Jacksonville, Florida, a Beatles-era rocker who made his way out West and became a lesser-known SoCal stalwart. This album was his magnum opus, with Walden playing dobro, fiddle, lead guitar, steel guitar and keyboards (hopefully not all at once!) backed by Loren Newkirk on piano, Jerry Peterson (saxophone and flute), Ray Pohlman (bass), Don Preston (lead guitar) and Denny Seiwell on drums... Probably of most note here to twangfans was piano plunker Loren Newkirk, who played on several Chris Darrow and John Stewart albums, and did session work for folks like Hoyt Axton and Rick Cunha, along with a little bit of private-label twang over the years. The music is a mix of country and old-school rock/R&B, balancing a bunch of originals with a few oldies such as "Love Me Tender" and "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby," as well as the inescapable "Orange Blossom Special," which closes the album out. Walden wrote or co-wrote seven songs, about half the album, with other tunes coming from guitarist Don Preston ("I'll Never Give Up On You"), a couple from LA old-school twangster Sammy Masters, and two from producer Morgan Cavett, including one, "Grains Of Sand," which featured vocals from his daughter Christine. As far as Carl Walden's career goes, he also recorded some rock singles 'way back in the 'Sixties (recording as Carl Walden & The Humans) then settled into the Southern California country scene, making his mark mainly as a steel player, working in various house bands, reportedly including a stint in Johnny Paycheck's band, The Cashiers. He did some session work and had mild success as a songwriter, notably when his old pal Paycheck covered one of his songs ("I've Got Wine On My Mind") back in the early 'Seventies. Apparently he also copyrighted a song back in 1973 called "Love Jesus Like A Woman," but if anyone recorded it, I haven't tracked that on down. (Sure would like to, though!)

The Waldharts "Closer To You With A Song" (The American Music Corporation, 1975-?) (LP)
Gary Waldhart and Lorna Waldhart were a brother-sister duo from Sauk City, Wisconsin who had a delightfully un-professional, unpolished sound -- it might not be that strong musically, but it's awfully charming. There's a guileless sincerity about them, with poorly mixed vocal performances that sound almost completely unrehearsed, trotting through a mix of pop and country tunes punctuated by rattling snare drums and roller-rinky keyboards. Though they cover pop/show-tunes material such as "Cabaret" and "Mack The Knife," there's also a distinct tilt towards country, with covers of "Most Beautiful Girl," "Mountain Music," "Paper Roses," "Rose Garden," and some stuff on the edge, like "Tie A Yellow Ribbon." The talent show vibe leaves them open to the mockery of hipster types, but I think it's actually kinda of cute. Dunno if either of them kept at it and pursued a musical career... but they did make a record, and that's more than most of us can say!

Les Waldroop "Follow Me To Tennessee: The 1982 World's Fair" (Appalachian Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Les Waldroop)
It seems like hillbilly auteur Les Waldroop (1930-1989) was a real character... He recorded and self-released singles as far back 1955, when he recorded "Centennial Boogie" to commemorate the founding of his hometown, Franklin, North Carolina. In the early 1960s he put out a couple of singles, followed by a string of releases in the 'Seventies, with many of those songs included on this album. The song "Loafer's Glory" was first recorded in 1966, while "Chunky Gal" and "Moonlight's A-Wasting" date back to 1974, and "Appalachian Trail" came out as a single in 1978, with Bobby Harden billed as his backup. Waldroop also specialized in topical novelty songs such as "Diesel Fuel," "Watergate Bugs" and "Peanut Farmer" (about Jimmy Carter's 1976 presidential campaign) although apparently those didn't age well, and were left off this album. The disc is made up of all original material, including "Knoxville '82 And The World's Fair," which was purported to be the fair's official song. There are no musician or producer credits, probably because the songs came out over the course of more than a decade, involving several different sessions. Mostly goofy tunes with an exaggerated hick vibe, reminiscent of Roger Miller... Waldroop was probably a better musician than he let on, though I guess that's half the fun.

Jesse Wales "Songs From The Heart" (Jabbo Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Gibson & Ronnie Light)
A clean-cut, virile-looking fella from Summerville, South Carolina looking very '80s and a little too George Michael for this country boy's taste, but still, this was an outsider country album, and worthy of our attention here. Songwriter and would-be man-hunk Jesse Wales played gigs around the Charleston area, backed by the imaginatively named Charleston Express, which included Jim Byram Jr. on steel guitar, John Rucker (keyboards), Scott Rush (drums), Wayne Salvo (rhythm guitar), and and lead guitar Charles Wiggins. Though this was recorded in Nashville, Wales seems to have had his actual band backing him, as opposed to a for-hire studio crew... The album is packed with original material, mostly written by either Jesse Wales or a guy named Jimmy Fuller (who doesn't seem to have been part of the band... I'll have to dig around a little more to see what I can find out about these fellas

Caryl Walker "Backstage" (Caryl Walker, 19--?) (LP)
A super-nondescript, ultra-DIY private press album, with no album art (other than the title on the front jacket) and nothing but the song titles (with partial credits) on the inner sleeves... No date, no address, no info about the producer or the band. A bit of poking around on the interwebs, however, leads me to believe this that Mr. Walker was a country singer from around Saint Joseph, Missouri, with bandmembers drawn from tiny nearby communities such as Fillmore and Savannah, as well as one guy who was from across the river in Wathena, Kansas. I'm not sure when this album came out, though among several cover tunes are numbers like Kenny Rogers' 1978 hit, "She Believes In Me" and a version of "Good Ole Boys," which point to an early '80s release. The album also includes at least two original songs, "Hey Girl" and "Rain, Rain Go Away" which are both credited to C. Walker and C. David; no info as yet on the identity of this mysterious co-composer. Earlier, in 1976, Caryl Walker led a local group called Pepper Junction, with singer Judy Patrick -- the band played a few shows regionally and got their picture in the Chillicothe Constitution Tribune newspaper, though they don't seem to have made any records. Assuming it's the same guy, Walker was writing music while in his teens, copyrighting a song called "You Never Cared" way back in 1969... And he kept playing for decades to come, playing local gigs at venues such as the Fillmore Opry (circa 2007) and as part of The Walker Brothers Band in August of 2021. Talk about sticktoitiveness! Anyway, if anyone has more info about these folks, feel free to share!

Elva Hare Walker "Piano Lady: The Queen Of The D-104" (Ross Sound Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Woodring M. Fryer & Elva Hare Walker)
Country and country gospel, played on the piano and the Hammond D-104 organ... Elva Hare Walker (1933-2011) was from Henderson, Kentucky, where she played in her local church, and where she recorded this album. She was backed by the Ross family -- Jack Ross (bass) Dave Ross (rhythm guitar) and Clyde Ross on vocals -- along with Steve Cobb on lead guitar and Danny Miles on drums. About half the tracks are gospel songs, including Dottie Rambo's "Build My Mansion Next Door To Jesus," Ed Burnett's "The Night I Talked To The Lord On My CB Radio," and the old-time classic, "Turn Your Radio On." She also plays secular stuff, like "I Can't Stop Loving You," "Release Me" and "Your Cheating Heart."

Fred Walker "Rural Route Three" (Superior Sound Studio, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Walker, Wayne Hilton & Fred Shelton)
A gospel album, recorded in Nashville with a studio crew that included Terry McMillan, Tony Brown (piano) Fred Newell (guitar) with plenty of original material... Mr. Walker was apparently from South Bend, Indiana; as far as I know this was his only album.

Glenn Walker & The Nashville Country Singers "Country Hits Of '70s, Volume Two" (Mountain Dew Records, 19--?) (LP)
A cheapo-label set of country covers. The (normally) anonymous prefab studio band, Nashville Country Singers, produced dozens of similar exploito-discs, though this one is unusual for putting an individual singer in the spotlight. A follow-up album that came out at basically the same time indicates there may have been high hopes for actually launching Glenn Walker's career as a solo artist.

Glenn Walker & The Nashville Country Singers "Okie From Muskogee: The Hits Of Merle Haggard" (Mountain Dew Records, 19--?) (LP)
A Merle Haggard tribute album, with Glenn Walker singing lead vocals. The rest of the group aren't identified, though they are pictured on the back cover... And though they do explicitly say this is a cover album, the liner notes go on and on about Merle's life story, sorta kinda implying he had something to do with this disc. Pretty sure he didn't, though... Heck, I'm not even sure if Glenn Walker was a real guy, or just a pseudonym!

J. C. "Tex" Walker "Cowboy Country" (Cowboy Country Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Chet Himes, John Ingle & Wink Tyler)
Way back in the early 1940s, Lone Star troubadour Thurman Walker (1910-1998) found himself at a crossroads familiar to many young artists: keep pickin' guitar and living fancy free, or go find a steady day job. He'd been playing professionally since the early 'Thirties and enjoyed regional success, but eventually he hung up his frets and went into the lumber industry around Huntsville, where he worked until retirement. Through it all he kept his affection for the old blue yodels of Jimmie Rodgers and western material by groups such as the Sons Of The Pioneers, so much so that decades later he decided to cut an album of some of his favorite tunes. They're mostly country chestnuts, stuff like "Cool Water," "Red River Valley" "Streets Of Laredo" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," with Mr. Walker backed by a house band that included Thomas Byrd on rhythm guitar, Randy Cade (drums), Bill Ginn (piano), Bert Rivers (steel guitar), Hugh Sparks (bass) and producer Wink Tyler on lead guitar. There are also several originals written by Walker, including a few that he wrote back in 1931: "My Juanita," "Little Cowboy Lullaby," "Old Sandman Of The Prairie" and "Song Of The Lariat,"as well as one other original, "Taking It Easy" by Sandra Fitzgerald, which was featured on one of at least two singles released in 1977 off this album.

Jerry Jeff Walker - see artist discography

Jimmy Walker "Swamp Country" (Swamper Records, 1966) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Grammer, Guy McColsky and Bill Brock)
Hailing from Waycross, Georgia, Jimmy Walker penned eight out of twelve songs on this album, which is rounded out with other songs by Billy Grammer, Harlan Howard, and Sheb Wooley, who wrote the title track. Walker also released several singles, and did work on some films shot at the Okefenokee Swamp Park, including the lead track on this album, a song called "Swamp Country" from a 1966 movie of the same name. Other fen-tastic tunes include "Ballad Of Okefenokee," "Down In The Okefenokee," and "The Legend Of Skull Lake," as well as some plain, old mopey country love songs.

John Walker "An Okie Boy And Other Tunes" (Century Sound Recordings, 1975) (LP)
A picker and songwriter from Lincoln, Nebraska playing acoustic folk and folk-blues, with a blend of original tunes and stuff from folks like Brownie McGhee. The band is heavy of local talent, with pickers such as Pete Blakeslee on dobro and Steve Hanson on guitar... This set was recorded at Century Sound Recordings, a studio in Lincoln, Nebraska run by Dick Spence.

John Walker "The Dr's Smooth Country Blues" (Prairie Dog Music, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Dick Spence)
More blues, mostly, though again with plenty of "country" instruments. Walker leads a band that includes bassist Larry Boehmer, Pete Blakeslee (dobro and pedal steel), Fuzzy Blazek (dobro), Bill Childs (drums), Jim Cidlic (piano), Bill Dye (electric guitar), Dave Fowler (fiddle), Gary Howe (mandolin), and Dave Morris on bass. They cover some straight-up classic blues tunes by BB King, Leadbelly, Big Bill Broonzy, as well as some newer and original material

Landon Walker "Can I Be Man Enough" (Programme Audio/Hauss Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Ralph Cook, Tom Padrick & Landon Walker)
An all-original set of folk-country material penned by singer-songwriter Landon Walker, including one tune called "Tom T. Hall." Walker sings and plays guitar, backed by a group called Larry McKinley & The Country Boys, made up of Skip Archey (lead guitar), Ralph Cook (bass), Delbert Dickey (pedal steel), Jim Hamilton (drums), Jim Taylor (bass), with Larry McKinley confining himself to backing vocals. Although the liner notes don't mention where Mr. Landon was from, he appears to have been Landon E. Walker (1956-2003) of Richmond, Indiana, a local businessman who also ran a bluegrass-and-country music venue called the Old Milton School; the album was recorded locally at the Programme Audio studios, a bluegrass-oriented custom label in nearby Greenfield, Indiana.

Leslie Walker "Official Miss Rodeo Texas, 1980" (Americana Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Pat Martin)
A souvenir of a statewide beauty pageant -- "Miss Rodeo Texas "-- a contest won by Ms. Walker over a field of twenty other gals (who were all pictured on the back cover). Apparently part of the prize was getting to make a record, in this case a country album with backing by Texas honkytonker Bubba Litrell and his band the Melody Mustangs -- Jesse Fritz (drums), Denny Mathis (steel guitar), Junior Mitchan (bass), Tony Pickens (fiddle), Don Reineke (lead guitar), and Bobby Trevino on piano. Litrell wrote one of the songs on this album, "Miss Rodeo Texas," while guitarist Don Reineke contributed another, "Bullrider's Waltz," alongside other rodeo-themed songs such as "All Around Cowboy Of 1964," "Bad Brahma Bull," "Bandy The Rodeo Clown," "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" and because it was Texas in 1980, a version of "Cotton Eyed Joe." I'm not sure if all the guys on this album regularly backed Littrell, though Tony Pickens anchored his band from 1973 until 1988, when he took a job with Johnny Bush's Bandoleros, and Junior Mitchan used to play for Bob Wills. Anyway, congratulations Ms. Walker... and good luck in those national finals over in Oklahoma!

Lou Walker "Swing Western Style" (Sims Records, 1964) (LP)
An Oklahoman who once upon a time played in the Bob Wills band for much of the late 1950s, Lou Walker formed his own band, the Western Playboys, which often gave a tip of the old Stetson towards the more modern rock'n'roll sound. Indeed, discographers have him tagged as the same guy who cut a few rockabilly singles for Starday Records, notably 1957's "Rock And Roll (Tennessee Style)" which has a very Bill Haley-esque feel. The musicians on this LP include Lou Walker (guitar and vocal), along with Earl Ham (drums), Shorty Messer (steel guitar), Dean Phillips (bass), and Jimmy Young on fiddle. (Note: though this album and the one from 1969 (below) have very similar album titles, they are completely different albums.)

Lou Walker "...Brings You Swing Western Style" (Studio 7 Records, 1969-?) (LP)
(Produced by Tink Walker)
Lou Walker reassembled a lineup of the Western Playboys for this set which mostly follows along in the path laid down by Bob Wills and his brothers back in the 1940s and '50s. The songs are mostly western swing and old-school honkytonk classics -- "Big Balls In Cow Town," "Milk Cow Blues," "Hang Your Head In Shame," "San Antonio Rose" -- though one marker of the modern era is his cover of Bill Mack's "Drinking Champagne," which helps date this disc. The liner notes tell us the song had been recently recorded by Cal Smith, referring to his 1968 hit version, leading me to guesstimate a 1969 or 1970 release date for this LP. Unfortunately none of the musicians are listed on this disc, though they may have included some of the guys he recorded with a few years earlier on the album above.

Mary Ann Walker "Sweet And Wild And Country Style" (The Walker Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Joel E. Johnson)
Not a ton of information about this record, or about this gal from Columbia, South Carolina... The album seems to have been masterminded by her father, Myran Walker, who released a handful of singles on his own "Walker Records" imprint, using the NSD custom label service in Nashville, Tennessee... Though it kinda seems questionably "country" -- the liner notes talk about how this album is "both country and city" -- there are covers of classics such as "I'll Hold You In My Heart," "Mansion On A Hill," and "Rocky Top," and a banjo player in the lineup, so there is some twang in there. The album also includes a couple of original songs written by Myran Walker: "The Bug (That Made History)" and "A New Road Of Love," which were released released together as an NSD single in 1977. Mr. Walker copyrighted a couple of other songs later that same year, and released two different versions of his own song, "Christmas Time Is Jesus Time," recorded by a guy named Kenny Speer, and the next year by John Gardner. Mr. Walker and his business partner Earl Hickman seem to have specialized in recording locals from their hometown of Columbia, and Hickman released several others on his own La Raine label. This seems to have been the record that started it all, with Myran Walker's daughter Mary Ann singing in front of a local studio crew that included David Fuller (drums), Gary Heuer (piano), Randy Lucas (banjo), Warren Moise (synthesizer), Frank Smoak (guitar) and Tommy Toglio (bass) and backup vocals by The Strickland Sisters -- several of these guys played together in a string of local southern rock and country bands, most notably in the Rob Crosby Band, as well as on the Eddie Brown album Sweet Thing.

Sammy Walker "Song For Patty" (Folkways Records, 1975)
'70s singer-songwriter Sammy Walker was originally from Georgia but moved up North and became a NYC folkie and protege of folk legend Phil Ochs. This was his first album, and shows him perhaps a little to much under Och's philosophical sway, penning the strident title track about Patty Hearst and her violent sojourn with the radical-Left SLA; political material defines much of the rest of this album -- along with the inflammatory album art -- but nothing else stands out quite as starkly as that, with the closest runner-up being "A Simple Hour Operation," a quiet weeper about reproductive health issues. The benign ghosts of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan cast long shadows on this earnest-folkie debut, with Ochs himself singing harmony on a couple of tunes and producing the record. Like Ochs, Walker branched out stylistically, and his next two records on the Warner label were much lusher and more expansive... though this stark acoustic set has some surprises as well.

Sammy Walker "Sammy Walker" (Warner Brothers, 1976)

Sammy Walker "Blue Ridge Mountain Skyline" (Warner Brothers, 1977) (LP)

Sammy Walker "Songs From Woody's Pen" (Folkways Records, 1979)

Sammy Walker "Misfit Scarecrow" (Ramseur Records, 2008)

Bobbie Joe Walls "Just A Little Caring" (Hurshey Records, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Hurshel Wiginton)
Fairly dreadful, decidedly obscure early '70s countrypolitan from a Nashville local... Ms. Walls played Music City lounge shows for many years, crooning and playing piano at venues such as the Embers nightclub and the Piccadilly Room in the late '60s and similar gigs throughout the '70s. I suppose this album was her shot at the bigtime, with a studio crew that included elite studio pros such as Harold Bradley, Grady Martin, Pete Wade, Buddy Harman, David Briggs and the Nashville Edition providing backing vocals. The big-budget production added up to a syrupy stew of pop-vocals excess, with some modest "country" touches, but overall a schmaltzy, bombastic sound more reminiscent of Diahann Carroll or Edie Gorme than Lynn Anderson or Loretta Lynn. It wasn't out of synch with the styles of the times, but in this case the music didn't age well. Alas. There's some original stuff -- songwriter's demos, no doubt -- as well as covers of hits like "Country Roads," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and "Help Me Make It Through The Night" (on the country side) and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Candy Man" (from the pop charts). This slick-looking, professionally produced record was released on the uber-indie Hurshey label, which was founded by session singer and Hee-Haw regular Hurshel Wigniton of the Nashville Edition (who even copied the Hershey chocolate label for its logo, doubtless raising a few eyebrows in the legal profession...) I think it was was the only album released by this Music City insider.

David Walsh "On A Roll" (Charta Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Fields, John Eberle & Jim Tarbutton)
An odd album which opens on a strong note, with Florida's David Walsh sounding like a robust, masculine country singer who might legitimately have a shot at mainstream radio airplay, maybe in sort of a Johnny Duncan mode, or perhaps more like softer vocalists such as Kenny Rogers or Don Williams. The arrangements are pretty strong as well, though as the album progresses, it starts sounding more scattershot and even a bit wobbly. The record is packed with original material -- half the songs were written by Walsh, including one co-composed with producer Charlie Fields. Other songwriters include Charles Cash and Larry York, who shared the Jay Dee Music publisher with Fields and Walsh, and a couple of other writers, such as Buddy Cannon and Bobby Springfield -- kind of a Nashville songwriter's demo set, which was not uncommon in the '70s and '80s. The liner notes say this was Walsh's first album and though there's no release date, my copy sports an autograph by Mr. Walsh which he dated December, 1984, so it probably came out earlier that year. Overall, this ain't bad. Not mind-blowing, but good enough that Walsh enters the pantheon of coulda-woulda-shoulda, almost-a-star country singers. I haven't dug too deep in his career, but I imagine he had his own band in the Gainesville area... Any info is welcome!

David Walsh "Alice, Rita And Donna" (Charta Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Fields & Jim Tarbutton)

David Walsh "Somewhere In Canada" (Charta Records, 1989-?) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Fields)

Walt Junior & The Country Division "No Place Like Texas" (Capatone Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Field)
That would be Walt Schulze, Jr. (1942-2018), a Houston native who formed his band The Country Division back in 1969, and plugged away for years, notably headlining the Golden Stallion dancehall in San Antonio frequently during the 'Seventies. He recorded this LP at Mickey Gilley's studio during the height of the "urban cowboy" craze; he also released several singles, including some of the same songs as on this album. This edition of the band included Schulze playing lead guitar, along with Travis Cherry on drums, Chuck Friday (vocals), Richard Moreland (piano) and bassist Larry Rasberry (who's not be confused with Larry Raspberry, of the Gentrys...) They kick things off with Ed Bruce's "Texas When I Die," also slipping in a Cindy Walker song, a classic outlaw anthem by Waylon Jennings ("Bob Wills Is Still The King") and a couple of tunes from Justin Tubb which maybe makes me think they were pals of his. About half the album is original material, with Richard Moreland looking like the driving force on this album: he contributes four songs -- "All Out Of Trying," "Raining In Dallas," "Sweet Creation" and "Yesterday Still On My Mind" -- while Walt Jr. rounds things out with a tune of his own, "No More Bright Lights."

David Walz "Country Old, Country New" (DaJu Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Judy Wyllie)
A very private, very indie, DIY country set from a deep baritone singer out of Plymouth, Michigan. The record is packed with original material, along with a couple of Kris Kristofferson covers and some oldies like "Thunder Road" and "Ghost Riders In The Sky." Walz was, in some ways, an imperfect singer, but he's also plausibly in the Dave Dudley/Ernie Ford style of deep-toned country crooners. Although he's usually a little too schmaltzy for my tastes, this album does have one real gem on it, the novelty number "Half An Hour Later," a jaunty, genuinely lustful little song about a guy who really likes having, um, special snuggle time with his loyal, loving wife, who gets him up early before the kids have breakfast and is waiting for him when he gets back home from work. Great novelty song, with an uptempo bounce that suits Walz's voice.

Travis Wammack "Travis Wammack" (Fame Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Rick Hall)
Born in Walnut, Mississippi 'way back in 1946, guitarist Travis Wammack was primed and ready for the 1950's rock'n'roll explosion, cutting his first single at age eleven(!) and he quickly emerged as a hotshot electric guitarist roughly in the same mold as dudes like Link Wray or Lonnie Mack. He cut a few hit singles in his teens, and soon found work as an in-demand studio musician for Fame Studios, Hi Records and other southern sound houses. He also played on the rockabilly circuit, most notably in a decade-long gig as the band leader for Little Richard's touring group. Maybe he's a little more in the southern/hard rock camp, but there's definitely some overlap with the twang sounds we know and love. This album is, unsurprisingly, packed full of Muscle Shoals and LA studio hotshots, notably guys like Clayton Ivey, George Soule and -- for country fans -- steel player Leo LeBlanc. Tons of curiously-selected rock and pop cover tunes here, and a few more contemporary tunes from folks like Dennis Linde. It ain't really country, but you still might want to check it out.

Travis Wammack "Not For Sale" (Capricorn Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Rick Hall)
Funky, swampy southern rock with driving power chords and tight, soul-ish arrangements melded to a few metal-ish runs that have a vaguely Led Zep feel... But this is also definitely very rootsy, very southern material, and a fine example of the groovy, rootsy style popularized by the folks at Capricorn Records. As on his previous album, Wammack picks some quirky songs to cover -- pop tunes like "I Forgot To Remember To Forget," "A Lover's Question," and a surprisingly intense version of the twee UK oldie, "You've Got Your Troubles," from the Fortunes. This set is a little heavy-sounding for me, but 'Seventies rock, rockabilly and southern rock fans should dig it.

Travis Wammack "A Man... And A Guitar" (Phonorama Records, 1982) (LP)

Jay Wamsley "Smokey Mountain Memories" (Baldwin Sound, 1979) (LP)
Country covers by a fella from Pennsylvania who had modest vocal talents but a lot of enthusiasm... Though Mr. Wamsley's biography proved elusive, he and his band all seem to have been from around Harrisonburg, PA, and recorded this set at Baldwin Sound studios, in nearby Mechanicsburg. The lineup included Jay Wamsley on lead vocals, backed by Ric Dworswk (keyboards), Bob Enck (drums), Don Hall (bass), George Rowe (steel guitar), and Steve York on lead guitar. I'm not sure how many of these guys were in an actual band with Jay Wamsley, or if they were provided by the studio, though mostly them seem to be fairly unknown outside of this album. The exception is steel player George Rowe (1937-2022) who was a prolific local picker from Harrisburg who started his musical career in the 1950s, playing with Andy Reynolds & The 101 Ranch Boys. It's the odd combination of Jay Wamsley's muted delivery and the band's occasional flights into chaos that make this record strangely delightful... I wouldn't exactly call Wamsley low-wattage, but he does seem perhaps a little reticent despite his musical ambitions, so there's some disconnect between his reserved delivery and the material, particularly on brash southern rock-styled numbers like "Long Haired Country Boy." Meanwhile the band behind him sometimes gets a little note happy and eager to improvise in the background, which can sound a little loopy. The album's highlight, if you ask me, is possibly the greatest, most appropriately over-the-top version I've yet heard of the Marty Robbins classic, "You Made Me A Mountain," a dreadful song that nonetheless was quite popular throughout the 'Sixties and 'Seventies. If I ever amassed a "Louie, Louie"-style compilation of "Mountain" cover versions, Mr. Wamsley's rendition would have place of honor, both for the arrangement and for his delivery. Though the historical record is scant, Jay Wamsley seems to have led local bands for many years, including groups such as the Key Largo Band and the Lost River Band. He released at least one single, something on Ida Rose Records in 1988, and apparently also released a Merle Haggard tribute CD, Songs From The Hag, though like this old LP those releases are unusually obscure. Any info about Mr. Wamsley and his career is certainly welcome!

Loyd Wanzer "Folk Fiddlin', Left Handed Style" (American Heritage Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Judy Wyllie)
One of many souvenir albums recorded by championship fiddler Loyd Wanzer, an Idaho stalwart who had won a national old-time fiddling championship before recording this sweet, simple set. It's about what you'd expect: a bunch of standards like "Sadie Hawkins," "Fisher's Hornpipe," "Up Jumped The Devil" and "Turkey In The Straw," along with a lot of pleasantly obscure tunes. By and large, Mr. Wanzer stays away from breakneck, drag-race musicianship, favoring instead a sweetness of tone and tonal clarity, making this set less piercing and perhaps more enjoyable than other fiddle records. He is accompanied, simply and ably, by his daughter Cheryl, on a muted electric bass. This album came out on two different labels with two different covers, though apparently both versions had blank, white back covers, with no release date given on either edition. Mr. Wanzer recorded about a dozen albums, including several that were cassette-only releases.

Dale Ward "Cryin' For Laura" (Doo-Bop Records, 2003) (CD)
Oklahoma rocker Howard Dale Ward (1938-2013) was one of those voice-in-the-wilderness regional artists who rode out the British Invasion hewing to an older Kennedy-era rock-and-pop template, all the while clinging to his rural vocal roots. I'm reminded of Johnny Rivers in a way, and even his recordings for the independent, Oklahoma-based Boyd label dipped into teenybopper rock, while retaining a distinctively rockabilly edge. Ward also recorded for national labels like Dot, Monument and Paramount, but nothing really clicked, and he remained a local legend. The 30-song disc is a collector label compilation from France, probably a bootleg, and appears to include pretty much everything Ward released during his younger days. He also seems to have collaborated with other Okie artists over the years, notably writing several tracks for an album Billy Eustis put out in the late 1970s.

Jerry Glenn Ward "Focus" (Mega Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Rogers)
This lazy, dreamy set of cosmic Southern swamp-folk seems like an odd match for the usually commercially-oriented Mega label, but it sure is a nice dose of noodly '70s introspective songwriting, a cross between Tom Rush and Tony Joe White, perhaps? My eye was caught by liner notes that include country pickers such as Tommy Allsup, Lloyd Green, Buddy Spicher and Bobby Thompson, and backup singer Ginger Holladay, but despite the wealth of talent on these sessions, it's possible that this album was never actually released for sale, since all the copies out there seem to be promos. Maybe Ward was given a recording "deal" as part of a songwriting contract, or maybe Mega pressed a few copies but buried the album once they realized it had no real hit potential? Regardless, it's the kind of moody, unusual album that folk-freak fans can really get into, although there is a strong rural vibe as well, with the Arkansas-born Ward in sort of the same mode as the more experimental Southern rockers on the Capricorn label, just with more languid, stripped-down acoustic arrangements. Some interesting lyrics, as well, including the slightly sad seediness of "Whatever Your Name Is," about picking up one-night stands while out on the road. There's speculation that this might be the same Jerry Ward who played bass in Jerry Jaye's band, and that seems likely since they were both from Alabama, and Ward plays both bass and guitar on this album, and also because Jerry Jaye was signed with Mega Records in the early '70s. Anyone know more about this album?

Kenny Ward "My Favorites" (United Audio, 196--?) (LP)
A native of Selving, Ohio, Kenny Ward covers country standards by Hank Williams, Hank Thompson, Ernest Tubb, Faron Young and Johnny Cash. Includes a version of "Folsom Prison Blues." From somewhere in the early- to mid-1960s.

Pudge Warfield "Pudge's Wild And Wonderful Flat-Top" (Alear Records, 19--?) (LP)
This one's more in the bluegrass camp, but I'm a sucker for a goofy nickname... and c'mon... Pudge Warfield? And his manager, Big John Hougk? Can't help myself. Musically, this is pretty standard stuff, with pretty solid picking... Warfield is joined by Scott Brannon on rhythm guitar, banjoist Roger Dayley, Sam Glynn on mandolin, and Warren Reeder picking some mighty fancy dobro. A talented flatpicker, Mr. Warfield was from Martinsburg, West Virginia, and performed regionally, including numerous gigs in Maryland and environs.

The Warhorse Band "Live In Lubbock" (Caballo De Guerra Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Wally Meyers & Don Wise)

The Floyd Warren Ramblers "Western Swing" (Lodestar Records, 1962-?) (LP)
A western swing (and polka) band from Waterloo, Iowa, albeit one with a far less rural sound than the cornpone artwork and Mr. Warren's groovy cowboy outfit would suggest. Bandleader Floyd Warren and his wife Mary led a group that performed regionally and also hosted a weekly show on KWWL-TV. Their band first formed in the 1940s, although I'm not sure when this album came out -- looks late 1950s, or possibly early '60s. (One source says 1962.) They are joined on some tracks by singers Dave Kennedy and Earl Minard, with steel guitar by Jimmie Snodgrass, who takes an instrumental solo on "Steel Guitar Rag." For country fans, Snodgrass's steel licks will be the highlight on what is otherwise a pretty thumpy, dance-oriented set that definitely sounds a lot like a Midwestern polka band gingerly working their way through some old-school twang tunes. The jazzy side of western swing is subsumed by something closer to 'Fifties-era big band, with all the musical moves telegraphed from miles away. It's easy to write this one off as a bit snoozy or square, but it's also a fascinating glimpse into how different musical styles melded together and were given distinct regional flavors, back in the olden days. It's not bad, but maybe not quite what you'd expect.

Jerry Warren "Country Blue Boy" (Canadian Talent Library, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Art Snider & Glen Clarke)
A former rockabilly firebrand from Ontario, Canada, Jerry Warren was a wicked guitar player who "went country" in the late 1960s and released his first LP in '73, starting a hot streak that propelled him to the top of the Canadian charts and established him both as a songwriter and performer. This disc includes several originals by Warren, along with tunes from other Canadian songwriters, including a version of Gordon Lightfoot's "Ten Degrees And Gettin' Colder." He also tips his Strat towards Nashville, covering hits by George Jones, Jerry Reed and Cindy Walker. Augmenting his own career, Warren worked prolifically as a session guitarist and even dabbled in producing other Canadian artists. He died young in 1991 from a heart attack at age fifty-four, but left a bunch of cool music as his legacy.

Jerry Warren "From The Falls To The Coast" (United Artists Records, 1974) (LP)
Warren's rise was truly meteoric, though brief, with his second album producing a #1 hit in Canada, "Big Red Jimmy," part of a flock of original songs in this set. All but two of the songs were Warren originals, including gems such as "I'll Never Write Another Happy Song" and a reprise of one of his old Capitol singles, "Meanest Man." He also covers Marty Robbins ("Don't Worry") and Kris Kristofferson ("Why Me, Lord") but for the most part this is a triumph of northern twang. For whatever reasons, Warren retreated into the background after this: he penned several singles for other Canadian up-and-comers, and produced an album for his brother Lee Warren, but I'm not sure if he released another full LP of his own... There were a few singles in 1990-91, which sadly came out around the time Warren passed away. Love to see a comprehensive collection of his work come out, though!

Kelly Warren "Little Richie Records Presents..." (Little Richie Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Little Richie Johnson)
Singer Kelly Warren grew up in Lamesa, Texas and was a contestant in statewide beauty pageants, going back to when she was eight years old, when she won the "Little Miss Lamesa" competition. She first went into the studio to record country music in 1976, recording a single with an all-star Nashville crew, and returned the following year to cut this album with backing by pros such as Lloyd Green, Charlie McCoy, Hargus Robbins, Buddy Spicher, Kelso Herston, et. al. It's a pretty rootsy, twangy record, notably packed with original material -- although there's nothing written by Warren herself, there is one track penned by producer/label owner Little Richie Johnson, along with several songs by composers signed to his publishing house. A few singles were released off the album but things never really clicked for Warren on the charts. She got a nibble from the folks at RCA in 1978, but after recording a couple of major-label singles, she shifted back into the indie scene and later moved into gospel music.

Lee Warren "Money, Marbles & Chalk" (Grand Slam Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Warren & Ken Friesen)
The brother of rockabilly rebel-turned-country chart-topper Jerry Warren, Canada's Lee Warren kicked off his career with a boost from his successful sibling, who produced this disc and added a couple of his songs to the mix. Four of the tracks are originals by Lee Warren, however, leavened with classy covers of stuff from the States, by artists such as Wayne Kemp, Willie Nelson and Marty Robbins, as well as another rendition of Kris Kristofferson's "Me And Bobby McGee." Jerry Warren plays guitar on this album, along with backing by Mel Aucoin, Johnny Burke, Roddy Lee, Bobby Lucier, and backing vocals by the Laurie Bowen Singers. Warren later self-released some stuff during the CD era, though I don't have the retails on those discs.

Roy Warren "Roy Warren The Singing Hobo And His Hobos" (Hobo Recordings, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Roy Warren)
I couldn't find any info about this guy, other than that he was from Jonesboro, Arkansas, and that he made at least a couple of singles in the early 'Seventies. All the songs on this album are Roy Warren originals, including titles such as "1980 Drought," "Ford-A-Matic 8" and "Climbin' The Mountain For Mercy." Mr. Warren looks to have been a middle-aged fella when he cut this disc, though the backing band is of much younger men, who are unfortunately not identified by name... There's no date on the record, but presumably it's from after 1980, what with that drought song and all.

Sandy Warren "...Sings Dawn Marie" (Squan Records, 1982-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Andrews & Harry Evans)
Country bandleader Lyken "Sandy" Warren Jr. (1924-2008) was born in Watertown, Florida and lived most of his life in Daytona, where he worked as a housing contractor. He and lead guitarist Bobby Hopkins started their band the Chaparrals back in 1965 and performed as an amateur musician for several decades. As far as I know, this was Warren's only album, although he also released several singles around the same time, including a few with topical themes, such as 1983's "Reaganomics" and "Debilitatin' Aggravatin' Unemployment Blues," from 1992. The title track of this album, "Dawn Marie," is a song written for his granddaughter.

Smokey Warren/Various Artists "...And His Country Music Revue" (Yale Records, 196-?) (LP)
Though originally from Phoenix, Arizona, bandleader Smokey Warren headed to the East Coast after putting in his time out West, trying to make it as a country star. Starting in the early 1930s, he and his brother Shorty Warren found a niche in New York state, and established themselves as popular twangsters, working radio and concert gigs all over the eastern seaboard, with Shorty Warren eventually opening his own nightclub, which he ran for over a decade before retiring in California. The Warren brothers are reunited on this album (Shorty had apparently settled down in Hollywood) along with a compact group that included Canadian singer-picker Jerry Hatton on bass and guitar, steel guitarist Harvey Reynolds, and a gal singer named Dottie Mae who hailed from Dupont, Pennsylvania. They each have spotlight tracks, with Dottie Mae singing on two songs, "Cowboy Jack" and "A Good Man Is Hard To Find," and Hatton soloing on "Sittin' And Thinkin'," and Reynolds providing a little oomph on some instrumentals. Smokey and Shorty get top billing n the rest of the songs, about half the album... At the time this was made, Smokey Warren seems to have set up shop in the Garden State, with the Yale label located in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Also of note, Jerry Hatton had a very successful career of his own, recording about a dozen albums as a solo artist...

Smokey Warren & Dottie Mae "Yea, Smokey!" (Yale Records, 196-?) (LP)

Smokey Warren & Dottie Mae "The Best Of Smokey Warren And Dottie Mae" (Polka Town USA/Real Associates Records, 1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ralph Capell & Don Smith)
Late-vintage recordings from the Warrens... Both Smokey and Dottie sound pretty long in the tooth here, but they were apparently keeping the faith playing old-fashioned classic country from their perch in New Jersey. I'm not sure what "Polka Town, USA" was all about, but it may have been an attempt to rebrand their venue and draw in the polka crowd, which may have outlasted the hillbillies in their neck of the woods. I dunno. The album features liner notes from Smokey's brother, Shorty Warren, who informs us that he's retired out in California, though he'd still head back East to do a few shows with Smokey and Dottie Mae, every once in a while. The set list for this album is mostly oldies, presumably including songs they had played 'way back when, though there are also a few newer tunes, such as "The Key Is In The Mailbox" and "Texas When I Die." To be honest, though, these are less than electrifying performances -- Dottie Mae in particular seems to be struggling on these sessions. The backing band, The Black Diamond Stringers, was pretty solid, though... seemingly all East Coast locals: Joey Andrick (drums), Bobby Bank (lead guitar), Ed Goldberg (piano), Steve Petrella (bass), Blackie Summers (fiddle) with special mention going out to steel player Tony Richards, who gets in some really sweet licks, albeit only briefly.

Smokey Warren "The Eastern King Of Western Swing" (Cattle Records, 1983) (LP)

Red Warwick "Dancing With Red At The 60 Club" (Longhorn Records, 19--?) (LP)
Them square dance records sure can fool you sometime... I mean, they're kinda country, right? But not quite what we're looking for. Anyway, Red Warwick was a caller from Kilgore, Texas, backed by a group called Eva Nichols & Her Lone Star Ramblers. It was Ms. Nichols who got my attention -- apparently she and Warwick were a popular duo on the early 'Sixties Texas square dance scene, as seen in a number of show notices in local papers around 1960-61. Nichols and her band provided musical backing and she also cut several singles on the Longhorn label under her own name -- these were instrumentals, although in the newspapers she was also credited as a singer. It turns out her career stretched back much further than this -- she was born in Richland, Missouri around 1920, and after working her way up through regional radio gigs while still in her teens, by the early '40s Eva Nichols was a cast member of the WSM's Grand Ole Opry, performing under the stage name "San Antonio Rose." She worked with several big stars, including Eddy Arnold and Pee Wee King, and toured with King's band, the Golden West Cowboys, as part of the Camel Caravan package tour in 1941. For a while she was known as Eva Nichols McCall, being married to an Army Sergeant named James McCall -- presumably he served overseas, though I don't know where that story went... Also not sure if Red Warwick was the same guy who retired to Grant's Pass and was active in the Oregon Old Time Fiddlers Association and ran a popular fiddling camp for many years. Seems possible.

The Watermelon Mountain Jug Band "Cowboy Kazoo" (Cowboy Kazoo Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by The Watermelon Mountain Jug Band)
This amiable, plangent, novelty-oriented stringband from Albuquerque, NM was sort of a cross between Jim Kweskin, Tom Lehrer and Doug Sahm -- and they plow through a fun set of uptempo tunes, including a remake of the classic, "Drop Kick Me, Jesus" (which was a cult hit for Bobby Bare in 1976.) It's credited here to lead singer Jeff Burrows, but everyone else in the world says it was written by Paul Craft, though Burrows can claim credit for refashioning it as a high-school sports chant, like Country Joe's "Fixin' To Die Rag." They also pay homage to the Texas outlaw's big Fourth of July bash, on "Willie Nelson's Picnic," so if you're keeping a list of songs that namecheck Willie (and who isn't?) then here's a good one to keep in mind. All in all, this is a nice record, though less overtly country than a lot of the other albums listed here.

The Watermelon Mountain Jug Band "Tickle Tunes" (Cowboy Kazoo Records, 1978) (LP)

The Watermelon Mountain Jug Band "Kids Like Us" (Cowboy Kazoo Records, 19--?) (LP)

J. R. Waters "King Of Country Jazz" (Well-Waters Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Andy Waterman)
An intriguing mix of jazz and twang influences, though distinct from the stylistic crossovers of western swing a few decades earlier. An African-American country artist, J. R. Waters recorded this album in Valparaiso, Indiana with "the Country Jazz Trombones," as well as more conventional country pickers. Lots of original material penned by Mr. Waters. He seems to have been a lifetime resident of Valparaiso, working lounge gigs at least as far back as the mid-1960s, and may also have worked as a chef at a place called The Court, where he doubled as the entertainment, playing piano for the dinnertime crowd. Alas, information about this fellow is scarce... I'll keep digging!

Joe Waters "Harvest Moon" (New Colony Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Waters, Dave Egan, Jim McKell & Billy Sherrill)
Born and raised in Chillicothe, Ohio, songwriter William Joseph Waters (1947-2008) opened a small local recording studio in his dad's general store in Massieville, way back in 1971, and soon established himself as a regional producer. The Appalachia Sound studio expanded over the years to include DIY recording classes, morphing into a project called The Recording Workshop, a business still in operation today. Preceded by a string of singles (including one track that cracked into the Billboard Country charts) this was Joe Water's only album -- and though a regional release, it also yielded several Back Forty chart entries. Taped in several Nashville studios, as well as at The Recording Workshop and another place in Ohio, this features Waters backed by a mix of Midwestern locals and top-flight Nashville A-listers, an ambitious outing that mixed secular and spiritual themes to powerful effect.

Ozie Waters "Central City Favorites" (Columbine Records, 19--?) (LP)
Like a lot of musicians from the pre-WWII era, cowboy singer Vernon Scott Waters (1903-1978) moved around a lot, migrating to wherever he could find a paying gig. He was born in rural Calloway County, Missouri and wanted to see the world. While still only fourteen years old, Waters fibbed about his age and joined the Navy, and wound up stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. After his discharge, he was offered work singing on KGU-AM, the state's first commercial radio station, which began broadcasting in 1922. Later he returned to Missouri and landed a slot on radio station KMBC, Kansas City, where for six years he was a cast member of "The Happy Hollow Show," alongside hillbilly star Curt Massey. Now nicknamed the Ozark Rambler, Waters moved on to work in Texas border radio (XER), as well as "The Ford Ranger Show" on Denver, Colorado's KOA. Perhaps most impressive was his long stint in Hollywood where he acted in at least sixteen westerns, including most of the 1940s Durango Kid movies, alongside Charles Starrett, as well as with William Boyd (aka Hopalong Cassidy). In the 1950s, Waters settled down in Colorado, hosting a western themed TV show and later performing at the Silver Slipper Saloon in Central City, outside of Denver. These albums are souvenirs of that long-running gig, with Waters singing cowboy tunes and sentimental oldies, backed by fiddler Harvey Gosman and Gill Blagg on bass. Over a couple of decades Captain Ozie Waters became a cultural touchstone for many Coloradans; The Denver Post ran a long profile piece on March 20, 1977, which is reprinted in a highly informative post on a geneology website, which provided most of the biographical information here.

Ozie Waters "Central City Favorites, Album Number Two" (Columbine Records, 197--?) (LP)
Recorded at the same time as the blue-covered album above, this red-jacketed disc features the same trio of musicians and identical liner notes, with another fine selection of old-school country songs. No date on either album, though the 1977 Denver Post article mentions that Waters was selling them from his home for $8.50 apiece, postage paid.

Ozie Waters "Sings Great Western Songs From The 1940s" (Castle Records, 1981) (LP)
Mr. Waters also recorded a number of 78 singles for Decca Records and smaller labels such as Coast and Rodeo, fourteen of which are compiled on this European import. His Decca/Coral tracks are not included (presumably because of copyright issues) but most of his Coast recordings are, notably his version of "Cool Water," which was apparently selected for preservation by the Library Of Congress. In the digital era the British Academy Of Country Music issued two discs worth of radio transcriptions made during this same era.

Sneezy Waters & The Excellent Band "You've Got Sawdust On The Floor Of Your Heart" (Sneezy Waters Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Sneezy Waters & Ted Gerow)
Canadian singer-songwriter Peter Hodgson took on the stage name of Sneezy Waters in the early 1970s, after playing in rock bands for several years and busking on the streets of Ottawa... He's best known for his role in the stage play "Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave," where he portrayed Hank Sr. giving the fabled New Year's Eve show that never happened... Here, on his first solo album, Waters delivers a truly odd and unruly selection of hippie-era indie twang, with a strong folkie tendency, some honky-tonk parodies and a smidgen of soft, fusion-y jazz. His voice isn't particularly appealing -- whether because of his own limitation, or because he was parodying the genre, I'm not sure -- but some of the songs are curiously resonant, particularly on the album's second side. The title track, a hard-country novelty song, is kind of fun... Not sure I'd really recommend this one, but if you're digging deep into '70s alt-country, you might want to check it out.

Sneezy Waters "Sings Hank Williams" (Borealis Records, 1981) (LP)
Hey, I've never heard of him, either, but this is kind of a fun amateur-hour countrifying... Sneezy doesn't have the world's most amazing voice, but he has a friendly tone, and seems to be enjoying himself on these relaxed, rollicking renditions of a dozen old Hank, Sr. tunes, with a fine band backing him up. Originally released in 1981. Enjoyable!

Vic Waters "Living This Kind Of Life" (Silver Jingle Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Michael & Vic Waters)

Chuck Watkins "Chuck Watkins Ozark Jubilee: Country Music Family Style" (Audio Loft Studios, 1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Brad Edwards & Chuck Watkins)
I think this was the first album recorded by Chuck Watkins and his homegrown "opry," a fairly modest operation which took over an old theater in Osage Beach, Missouri previously operated by cowboy singer Bob Nolan, of the Sons of the Pioneers. First opened in 1968, Nolan's Country Music Hall featured a revolving stage, a feature that Watkins kept running, as mentioned in the liner notes for this album. Although the Ozark Jubilee had a home base near the Lake Of The Ozarks, they also toured regionally through the South and the upper Midwest, as seen in show notices in various local newspapers. This early lineup was anchored by drummer Joe Hargrave (1954-2017) along with Gina Glidewell (rhythm guitar), Helen Russell (banjo and keyboards), Rick Newman (fiddle), Lonnie Patterson (lead guitar), and Steve Tillman on bass. I'm not sure if Chuck Watkins played much of the music as well, or if he was primarily the emcee, but he got top billing either way. This album has some of the standard stuff from this kind of band -- chestnuts such as "Rocky Top" and "Bile Them Cabbage Down," a few well-loved country oldies, a gospel medley, and some newer tunes, which help date the disc. In this case the more contemporary music included Merle Haggard's "Ramblin' Fever," "Boogie Grass Band" (a hit for Conway Twitty in 1978) and "She Believes In Me," which was a chart-topper Kenny ("Sauron") Rogers in '79.

Chuck Watkins "Ozark Jamboree Celebrates The 50th Anniversary Of The Lake" (BOC Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Brad Edwards & Chuck Watkins)
The lake in question is of course Lake Of The Ozarks, a large artificial waterway created by Bagwell Dam, a massive, privately-owned hydroelectric project first opened back in 1931. Over the decades the area became a huge tourism draw, including a proliferation of mom'n'pop musical oprys, including Chuck Watkins and his crew, recording their second LP. The lineup remained mostly the same, with Gina Glidewell on vocals, Joe Hargrave (drums), Andy Johnson (lead guitar), Helen Russell (banjo and keyboards), Steve Tillman (bass), and Chuck Watkins singing and hosting the shows.

Chuck Watkins "Ozark Jamboree Country Music Show" (BOC Records, 1983-?) (LP)
(Produced by Brad Edwards, Myron Smith & Chuck Watkins)
The liner notes inform us that this was their third album, and using their version of "Islands In The Stream" as a compass point, we can guess at a 1983 release date, possibly '84. Worth noting is an all-new lineup of musicians: Terry Crissup on fiddle, Perry Edenburn (lead guitar), Vickie Faulstich (vocals), Dale Henson (keyboards), Donnie Sloan (drums) Myron Smith (steel guitar), and Janet Luttrell playing bass. There's the usual mix of country classics, a rock oldies medley, and even some pop-vocals showtunes like "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" and a version of "The Way We Were" which was an instrumental showcase for steel player Myron Smith. Vickie Faulstich belts out a cover of Rusty Wier's "Don't It Make You Wanna Dance," which gives a little tip of the Stetson to the outlaw scene. I'm not sure if the Ozark Jubilee made more albums, but they did continue to pack 'em in at their theater and go on tour for many years to come: the most recent mention I found was a show notice in 2009(!). At some point their original venue got sold and converted into some kind of church; hopefully the congregation kept the revolving stage because that would have been awesome. Chuck Watkins passed away in 2020, at the age of eighty.

Robbie Watkins "Collection #1" (Hobo Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning & Billy Sherrill)
A feller from Baltimore, Maryland who went down to Nashville to record this set at Jack Clement's studio with backing by some old pros...

Bob Watson "Easy Listening Country Style" (Empire Records, 1971-?) (LP)
If you're looking for oddball curios from the world of private-press records, this is a pretty swell example... I'm not saying that mockingly, mind you, since there's a delightful goofiness underneath the surface of this stripped-down, folk-country set, and an amateur quality some might find endearing. One track, "Man About Town," may be an original, though the rest of the songs are covers of classics, including some country stuff -- "Country Roads," Harlan Howard's "Green River" -- and a bunch more that come from the 'Sixties folk tradition, like Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain," Fred McNeil's "Everybody's Talkin'," "Four Strong Winds," and the like. Also a few pop songs, like Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" and CCR's "Lodi," all delivered in the same stentorian, middle aged crooner style. The arrangements are pretty basic, without a ton of stylistic diversity -- the four-piece band includes Paul McCrea on drums, Josh Noland (lead guitar), Johnny Parks (bass), and Bob Watson on vocals and guitar (a twelve-string, by the sound of it...) with acoustic strumming lightly overlaid by sort of nebulous electric leads, such as the weird, surfy riff (directly lifted from the James Bond theme) heard on Watson's cover of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny." Of note is Mr. Noland, who recorded an album or two himself on the Empire label with backing by Bob Watson and most of the other guys heard on this disc. Noland adds some Harlow Wilcox-ish wah-wah licks, which don't entirely gel with the rest of the stripped-down sound, but they made due with what they had. (Note: Although this disc was a QCA pressing from Cincinnati, Bob Watson was a local from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, an ex-rock'n'roller perhaps best known for penning the rockabilly oldie, "No Other Baby," which was covered by Paul McCartney on Paul's 1999 covers album, Run Devil Run.)

Bob Watson & His Western Gentlemen "Modern Country In Florida" (Empire Records, 1972-?) (LP)
A bunch of cover tunes and imitations of nationally known country stars, though Watson's most consistent and convincing soundalike schtick is his Johnny Cash persona... Overall, this is reasonably solid, reasonably twangy set, with a fair number of recent hits such as "Games People Play," "Green, Green Grass Of Home" and "Fightin' Side Of Me," as well as older country hits like "The Auctioneer," "Ghost Riders In The Sky" and "I've Been Everywhere." There's a slight change in lineup, with Watson backed here by drummer Paul McCrea, bassist Buford Moore and fancy picker Josh Noland, who take a lap together on a twangy rendition of "Guitar Boogie." There's an overwhelming sense of corniness at play, but that may be a selling point for some: on the whole, though, this is a fairly solid album. Worth a spin.

Brad Watson "Brad Watson" (197-?) (LP)
(Produced by John Mayfield)
In the mid-1970s, singer-picker Brad Watson really threw himself into the country-rock scene in Dallas, Texas, playing in and recording with several local bands... He sang lead for the group Kansas Rain, helped form Rosewood Junction with Jim Underwood, and may have done gigs with friends in the Dallas band called Young Country. These guys all played together up at Harold's Club, in Reno, Nevada, and intersected with each other for several years -- the husband-wife duo of guitarist Rick Sparks and singer Cheryl Sparks (of Young Country) helped anchor this album, along with bassist Jim Thiele. The set includes covers of country-rock and country-pop radio hits such as "Tequila Sunrise," "Old '55," "The Gambler" and "Me And My Uncle," along with some original material. In addition to this album and the bands mentioned above, Watson also apparently played with the Kansas City-area country-grass group, the O'Rourk Brothers, on one of their later albums.

Ival Watson "Sings Your Favorites" (Jewel Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Harry Urschel)
Singer-drummer Ival Watson's overall vibe seemed less like Phil Collins and more like a one-man band, although he's got a full band playing behind him. This isn't strictly a country album, though there are several big country hits among the crowd-pleaser covers: "Behind Closed Doors," "Rocky Top," "Proud Mary," and on the borderline, "Tie A Yellow Ribbon." After that, he tilts towards pop, and schmaltzy pop at that: "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Macarthur Park," "My Way," and of course, a 'Fifties rock medley thrown in for good measure. The musicians include Ival Watson on drums and vocals, backed by Rick Falconi (on organ and clavinet), Don Friedman (on something called a "symphonizer"), Barry Howell (guitar) and Bill Phelps on piano). Don Friedman's liner notes inform us that this was in fact a working band, with gigs in several states, and that Watson had performed on The Midwestern Hayride as well as the Vivian Della Chiesa Show (though it's not clear whether he appeared on the nationally-known opera singer's 1950s radio show, her later TV program, or as part of her supper-club lounge act...) Anyway, I guess it's country enough.

The Wattfour "With Country Feelings" (Gimp Records, 197--?) (LP)
Zero info about this band, alas. The ill-named Wattfour were a Vegas-y looking lounge band from Tampa, Florida, made up of Ray Riggs, Al Vandenberg, Dale Wilson and apparently led by singer Tommy Wilson. Steel guitar whiz and trumpet player Ray Riggs (d. 2018) played with various country stars and used to be in the "Bakersfield Brass" ensemble, which was featured on the Buck Owens TV show. I guess the Wattfour was some kind of side gig he had after retiring to Florida. No date on this disc, but it looks late '70s.

Carolyn Watts "Country On The Console" (CMI Records, 1969-?) (LP)
A housewife and church organist from Greenville, South Carolina, Carolyn Watts recorded at least three albums and called herself a "country and western organist," although this seems to have been her only explicitly country record. She played a Conn Deluxe Rhapsody 627 organ, churning out versions of hits like "Folsom Prison Blues," "Games People Play," "Gentle On My Mind," "Green, Green Grass Of Home" and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town." There's no date on this album, but looking at the repertoire, I'd guess somewhere around 1969-70. Apparently the album was popular enough that she made a second pressing, using a different label name; on one of her other albums, gospel artist Otis Forrest was listed as producer.

Les Watts "Driftin' With Les Watts" (Sounds Like Sounds Studio, 19--?) (LP)
Indie twang from the Australian city of Dubbo, New South Wales, with vocals and guitar by Les Watts, accompanied on all other instruments by Cass Gascoingne. The repertoire is a mix of cover songs and Aussie originals, with new tunes credited to Cass Gascoingne, Mike McClellan and John Snelling, and the cover songs including hits such as "Bed Of Roses," "Behind Closed Doors," "Good Hearted Woman" and a Buck Owens medley. The album's last track, "With The Ring," is a duet with Louise Zell. No date on the disc, but it kind of has an early 'Eighties vibe...

Les Watts "A Touch Of Country" (Hadley Records, 1985-?) (LP)
I'm not sure which of these albums came first, but am guessing this one was later, since here he's got a full band behind him...

Lloyd Watts "Leaving Caroline" (Adonda Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Don Fowler & Jack Logan)
A singer from Plainview, Texas, Lloyd Watts booked a session in Nashville, with A-list backing that included guys like Stu Basore on steel guitar, DJ Fontana (drums), Joe Edwards (banjo), Bunky Keels on piano and Dale Sellers playing lead guitar... This may have been a bit of a songwriter's session as well, with a couple songs each by Joe Bob Barnhill and a guy named Bobby Fischer, as well as several writers represented by the Central Songs publishing company. Watts doesn't seem to have written anything, though, unless it was under another name... Anyway, this is actually quite a find, if you like mid/late- ' Seventies countrypolitan, but already own all the Charlie Rich and Jim Ed Brown albums in the world, and are looking for more obscure records to fill the void. Actually, Lloyd Watts has one of those odd, adenoidal voices that used to be more common in the country scene -- I'm thinking more Bill Anderson, here -- and I have to confess the first time I listened to this record, I was almost kind of surprised Lloyd Watts hadn't actually made it as a top forty artist. I mean, sure, he's not a super-consistent singer, but a lot of these songs songs have great, super-'Seventies-ied-out arrangements (courtesy of Harrison Tyner) and Watts's thin vocals fit right in. I could easily image them having been hits, though they weren't. The title track, "Leaving Caroline," was released as a single, one of two Joe Bob Barnhill songs covered here. No date on the disc, but it sure looks late 1970s to me.

Roy Watts "The Farmer's Friend -- Singing Country Songs" (Nashville Cats Productions, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Vest)
Good-natured, novelty-oriented country songs, with a bit of a Moe Bandy feel, though maybe not the most solid vocals ever. I'm not sure where Roy Watts and his wife Evelyn were from originally, but they seem to have been kicking around Nashville for a while around the time this album came out. The liner notes from producer Jim Vest describe him jamming with Vest's informal Nashville Cats band at unspecified Printer's Alley gigs, as well as at clubs owned by George Jones and Jerry Reed. All the songs on this album are originals co-composed by the Watts duo (although Evelyn Watts does not seem to have performed on the album, or at least was not credited...) The backing musicians include drummer Jerry Kroon, Jack Leonard (bass), Cliff Parker (lead guitar), Willie Rainsford (piano), Ernie Reed (fiddle), Arliss Scott (rhythm guitar) and Jim Vest on steel guitar. Although the album itself doesn't have a release date, at least two singles came out in 1976 bearing the same logo and typography, with four songs off this album, "How Many Teardrops," "The Traveler" "You're My Ray Of Sunshine" and "You're My Greatest Treasure"; Roy Watts also released at least one single a few years later, also working with the Nashville Cats label.

The Wauhob Family "Country Style Revival" (Wauhob Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Renfro & Ted Wauhob)
An ultra-amateur family-band gospel album featuring drumming by Pastor Thomas Wauhob, who led a ministry at the World Of Gospel Temple, in Sioux City, Iowa. He's joined by family members, including his father, Robert Wauhob, Sr., on lead guitar, mother Grace Wauhob (vocals), and brother Ted Wauhob on banjo, along with a couple of other Iowa locals: Greg French on bass and steel player Denny Smith. This album was made the focus of a snarky blog post on one of those "world's worst records" websites (a category of so-called music criticism I find cowardly and often ill-informed...) I don't doubt the Wauhobs had their limitations, but the mean-spirited hit piece just made me want to track this disc down, just to see how off-base the meanies may have been. The repertoire is promising: several tunes from the Rambos, one from the Hemphills, Gene McClellan's "Put Your Hand In The Hand," some obscure old Pentecostal tunes... I haven't heard this one yet, but when I do, I'll let you know.

Waycross Express "Waycross Express" (MSG Records And Advertising, 1983) (LP)
Country covers by a bunch of guys living in or around Waycross, Georgia, a tiny rural town in the south end of the state, just above the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The idea seems to have been to cash in on the vocal harmony trend then popular in the Top Forty scene, but the Waycross Express vocal quartet -- Reggie Driggers (bass), Terry Pinder (lead), Ralph Walker (tenor) and Mike Walker (baritone) -- really don't gel, and a couple of the guys showboat in ways that their voices don't quite support. Alabama or the Oak Ridge Boys, they were not. Fairly solid picking, though, even if the arrangements are sometimes a bit cheesy... The driving force of the band was pedal steel player Wendell Dixon, along with Terry Pinder on rhythm guitar, Walt Pinder (bass), Tommy Ponsell (lead guitar) and Bill Tolbert III, on drums. I think this album is all cover songs, although they do seem to have tried recording some original stuff a few years later, releasing at least two singles on a couple of small indie labels. I'm not sure how long this group was together -- this seems to have been their only album, and as far as I can tell, aside than drummer Bill Tolbert, none of them played in any other bands, at least not on record.

Alvis Wayne "Swing Bop Boogie" (Pink'N'Black Records, 1994) (LP)
A reissue set of West Texas rockabilly, country, and hillbilly bop, originally issued on singles by an independent Kansas City-based label... Alvis Wayne Samford (1937-2013) was a Lone Star lad, but he landed a contract with Westport Records in the late 'Fifties, an arrangement that both allowed him to pursue a rough-rugged musical style, but also limited his potential to break through out of the regional markets in the South and Midwest. Wayne never scored a national hit, but he played gigs throughout the South well into the 1960s, and was rediscovered by rockabilly collectors in the reissue/revival era of the 1970s. Good thing, too, because this is some sizzling stuff! (For a more thorough profile of Mr. Wayne and his career, check out this article in Deep Roots Magazine.)

Wayne & Glenn "Wayne And Glenn" (Lemco Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Cecil Jones)
I couldn't find much info about these shaggy-lookin' fellas -- guitarist Wayne Davis and bass player Glenn Little -- though I believe they played in bar bands in and around Lexington, Kentucky for most of the 1970s... They looked like rockers, though they recorded on the bluegrass-y Lemco label, and there is a song called "It Don't Look Like A Honky Tonk In Here," as well as one called "Dixie," so there's definitely some twang in the mix as well. Anybody know much about these two?

Bobby Wayne "Big Guitar" (Jerden Records, 1964) (LP)
A pioneering rockabilly artist from the Pacific Northwest, Spokane, Washington's Bobby Wayne (aka Robert Wayne Snyder) recorded his first single back in 1955, and crossed freely between country and rock for a few years before settling on a country career. He was known both as a singer and as a guitarist, and in the post-rockabilly, surfy early 'Sixties, Wayne released a string of singles for the Jerden label, twangy instrumentals in the Duane Eddy style, many of which were collected on this mid-'60s LP. It's not totally sizzling or terribly innovative, but these are good, solid, workmanlike rock instrumentals, certainly worth a spin if you like the style.

Bobby Wayne "Sings Appaloosa, Volume One" (Appaloosa Records, 196--?) (LP)
Another mystery record, with no release date or recording info... A lot of instrumentals, many with country-sounding titles, and most of them credited to Bobby Wayne. The liner notes mention that the "title" track, "Appaloosa," was written by Wayne for a 1966 Disney film called "Run, Appaloosa, Run," which starred cowboy singer Rex Allen. He was obviously trying to capitalize on that gig, what with the label name and all, so maybe this album was from around '67 or '68(?)

Bobby Wayne "Outlaw" (Picadilly Records, 1981) (LP)
The tail end of Bobby Wayne's long run as a cheapo-label workhorse... Actually, this early '80s release seems to be a song-for-song reissue of a western-themed album that came out around 1966, called Ballad Of The Appaloosa, although during the Willie & Waylon era, tacking on an "outlaw" reference couldn't hurt.

Bobby Wayne (Edrington) "A Boy Named Sue And Other Country Favorites" (Crown Records, 1969-?) (LP)
Oh, dear. Apparently there was more than one country music Bobby Wayne running around making budget line albums in the 1960s, with this particular fella being Robert Wayne Edrington (1941-2009) an Oklahoma transplant who grew up in Southern California. He worked as a bass player in the house band at the Palomino Club and played in several Bakersfield groups, notably landing an early 'Seventies stint with Merle Haggard (...at least according to the folks at Discogs.) Like a lot of the guys in the Palomino's orbit, he had a side hustle cutting soundalike/cheapie albums for the folks at the Crown/Custom Records. Like many of the label's other releases, this features a prominently advertised cover version of a current hit (here, "A Boy Named Sue") along with a bunch of half-baked toss-off tunes added as filler... And also like other Crown LPs, there were unfortunately no songwriter credits, although most of the songs were originals... (Unusually, though, the provenance of a handful of these songs can be traced back to some earlier 7" singles Bobby Wayne cut for the Jan-Mar label, which did credit the composers. The most notable of these composers was Walt Rayburn, a super-twangy singer who cut several singles for Toppa Records, which was associated the Palomino Club's longtime bandleader Gene Davis. The four songs from this album that previously came out on Jan-Mar were "Just Can't Settle Down," "Turn And Walk Slowly Away," "What Happens To A Shadow," and the baseball-themed novelty song, "Tywoppty Tigers." I can't tell you if these are the same versions as on the singles, since I don't own any of those discs.) Anyway, as far as the musical quality goes, this album's most distinguishing feature is the singer's almost complete lack of commitment to the material -- Wayne didn't have a great voice, or if he did, he wasn't willing to invest the effort to put it on wax. Equally amusing is the manic, haphazard lead guitar plinking away behind him (possibly Bobby Wayne himself) all of which suggests an all-night recording session where the pickers were paid in booze or, more likely, uppers. Despite the album's slapdash feel, there is one legitimately good track, a clever novelty number called "Hate To Lose A Friend," where the narrator laments the loss of a fishing buddy who stole his gal... He's so bummed, as a matter of fact, he's even willing to take her back, if it would help mend the relationship! It's worth noting that Bobby Wayne (this Bobby Wayne, I think) wrote a couple of tunes that were recorded by his boss, Merle Haggard, including "Harold's Super Service," a goofy novelty number that became a standard of sorts, being recorded less famously by a number of other artists -- including Bobby Wayne, on his lone single for Capitol Records.

Bobby Wayne (Edrington) "Big In Vegas" (Crown Records, 1970) (LP)
Another set from the Palomino Club-affiliated Bobby Edrington, where once again his vocals seem a bit tremulous and uneven. It took me a while to place the comparison: he sounds a lot like Wynn Stewart, albeit with funkier, more low-rent musical backing. Perhaps this likeness isn't too surprising because he was said at some point to have been a member of Wynn Stewart's band. As with many of the Crown albums, this includes a lot of original material, made even more distinctive by Bobby Wayne's wobbly, slightly erratic singing. Two of the songs, "Go On And Cry" and "Leave While I'm Sleeping," were both written by Nila Christian, and released earlier on the Jan-Mar label, at some point in the late 'Sixties. This album's definitely worth a spin, though it's a little goofy overall. No info on the other musicians backing him here.

Bobby Wayne & The Country Gentlemen "Songs Made Famous By Johnny Cash" (Contessa Records, 197--?) (LP)
I'm not sure, but I think this was also by the California-based Bobby Wayne (aka Robert Wayne Edrington) which is ironic, since he wasn't a very good Johnny Cash imitator. No idea when this one came out, but from the looks of it, I'd guess the early 'Seventies, maybe around 1971 or so. It seems highly likely that it's also a reissue of earlier material.

Denny Wayne "...And Texas Fever" (Longhorn Records, 1981) (LP) (LP)
In the late '70s and early '80s, New Jersey-based pianist and singer Denny Wayne -- aka Dennis Wible -- led an East Coast honkytonk country band called Texas Fever which was regionally popular, particularly in the Lehigh Valley area, as well as at the Lone Star Cafe in NYC. This album is packed with cover songs, mostly outlaw-y, Waylon-esque type stuff. This edition of the band included Steve Anderson on lead guitar, Walt Lapp on bass and Terry Reiss on drums, as well as a gal simply called "Anita" adding some vocals. Wayne played piano, fiddle and guitar, and sang lead on about half the album, while letting Anita and Anderson sing lead on three tracks each. The Longhorn label was out of Humble, Texas, though I'm not sure if Wayne had relocated to the Lone Star State for a while, or just went there to cut this record. Wayne was known regionally for hosting countless live shows and for encouraging other local artists, while working a day job as a bus driver in his later years. He also recorded a couple of live albums, Denny Wayne And Texas Fever Live and Still Kickin', though I haven't been able to track any info about the where-and-when of those releases.

Nancy Wayne "Cheatin' Was The Last Thing On My Mind" (20th Century Fox, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Bruce Ablin, Eddie Martinez & Carl Yanchar)
A well-promoted would-be Top Forty singer who recorded two albums then faded from sight, Nancy Wayne (aka Nancy Humphries) was a demo singer who came to the attention of the bigwigs at United Artists Music, and got pegged as a country singer, though her debut album was very much a West Coast pop-scene industry-insiders kind of project. Oh, sure, they rounded up some top country talent, guys like guitarist Richard Bennett, fiddler Vassar Clements, a pre-Hot Band Emory Gordy Jr. on bass, and SoCal steel guitar stalwart Jay Dee Maness, but the rest of the studio crew was filled out by folks like keyboardist Alan Lindgren (who later worked with Neil Diamond) and David Paich, who co-founded the pop band Toto. More to the point, most of the songs were written by a cabal of hired-gun pop guys -- Glenn Ballantyne, Richard B. Burns and Murray Wecht -- journeymen composers who weren't exactly from the Opry or anything. Indeed, their songs were all published through something called the New York Times Music Corporation, a Times side project that initially dabbled in country stuff, but was better known for providing material for folks like Tony Orlando, Helen Reddy and John Travolta. Not surprisingly, the results sound a bit like a pop-country demo tape, with slick, slightly cluttered arrangements framing Ms. Wayne's milky-sweet vocals... Though nominally countrypolitan, she fit pretty squarely into the mid-'Seventies tradition of gooey, dewey female vocalists -- they might have done better selling her in the same laid-back, come-hither, soft-pop market as Anne Murray or Karen Carpenter. This is okay if you like the style, but honestly, it lacks spark. The uptempo closing track, "Gone," was the best thing on the album, and her only record to crack into the Top Forty, pegging out at #33, while the more languid "Back Door Of Heaven" only hit #55.

Nancy Wayne "I Wanna Kiss You" (20th Century Fox, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Eddie Martinez, Bruce Ablin, Gene Rice & Mark Tulbert)
A terrible mish-mash of phony-sounding country-pop and overwrought 'Seventies AOR... Very much like her first album, this seems to represent a sustained and cynical effort by the same group of pop songwriters -- Glenn Ballantyne, Richard B. Burns, Michael Humphries, and Murray Wecht -- to crack the country code and take Nashville by storm. It doesn't work. Although they momentarily generate some effective melodies, these guys took a very mechanical approach to the project, and it feels very paint-by-numbers and formulaic... Most of their songs drag on and on: the songwriting feels too overwrought and overly-effortful, and they just didn't know where to rein themselves in. This artificiality and awkwardness is often underscored by Nancy Wayne's own limitations and inherent pop bias. She's a little clunky at times, and seems much more comfortable with straight pop/soft-rock material, as on "I'm Losing You," a Carpenters-style AOR ballad, and one of two tracks on which she claims composer credit. I'm not sure Ms. Wayne can fairly be blamed for the results, though: a lot of these lyrics are just plain clumsy, and the arrangements meander, causing her to drone on, instead of ending on a high note. Despite the on-paper country affiliation, a lot of this sounds like they were demo-ing pop material for someone like Anne Murray or Olivia Newton-John to pick up, and though Wayne's vocal tone brings her in line with those gals (as well as Linda Ronstadt) there's only so much one gal can do to keep this ship afloat. One contrast to the last album is that this one was recorded in Nashville instead of LA, so they had a full contingent of top twang pickers at their disposal -- Fred Carter, Ray Edenton, Charlie McCoy, Weldon Myrick, et.al. -- but mostly this seems like a waste of their time and talent. I suppose fans of 'Seventies pop and countrypolitan kitsch would get a kick out of this, though: it was certainly over-the-top and pretty cheesy.

Neil Wayne & Jenni Blocker "Two For The Road" (Safari Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Charles Fields & Johnny Howard)
A trip to Nashville resulted in this album by South Dakotans Jenni Blocker and Neil Bagaus (aka Neil Wayne) who had previously been in an amateur band called the Suns Of The West, which played several county fair-type events and talent contests but never really cracked into the professional country scene. The Suns recorded an album in 1974, though as far as I know, these were the only two records they made...

Tony Wayne & The Corpus Christians "The Country Soul Of..." (Barre Records) (LP)
Well, shucks, I would have thought with an album title like this and a band name like that, this would be a pretty hip-sounding set of old-school gospel twang... Not so! Turns out this is solidly secular honkytonk record from a veteran Texas country picker whose full name was Tony Wayne Guion. The liner notes are informative, but perhaps not completely reliable... For example, Guion says that he had a band called the Cherokees that included an as-yet undiscovered Ray Price (Price started his Cherokee Cowboys in 1953, recruiting many members of Hank Williams' old band... possibly Tony Wayne was a member at some point?) More significant is his claim to have "made" several rockabilly singles which were actually recorded by a younger guy named Alvis Wayne... and this is where things get a little sticky. Alvis, whose full name was Alvis Wayne Samford, was no relation to Tony Wayne, although when he was a teenager he went on tour in Guion's band. He -- Alvis -- also cut several rockabilly sizzlers on Westport Records, a Kansas City-based label that Guion had previously recorded for... Tony Wayne set the deal up and wrote the songs and sent the tapes to the label, although he sort of fudged the details and told people it was his band playing on the songs, while Samford says it was a different group altogether. Anyway. That was all a long time ago, right? Somewhere along the way Tony Wayne got a day job as a Texas cop, working at various times as a deputy sheriff, a baliff, and (according to the liner notes) as a chief of police. Eventually he moved into doing construction work, which is what he was doing when he cut this album. Not a lot of details here about the record itself, unfortunately... The backing musicians aren't named except for steel player Gary Bickham, who gets a solo number showcasing his work... The album includes a few classics by Floyd Tillman and Bob Wills, but is mostly packed with original songs credited to Tony Wayne, such as "Hurtin' Deep Inside," "I Got Tight Last Night" and "Vacation In Texas."

WB & The Western Union "Thanks, Grand Ledge" (MPI Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Mark Miller & Steve Curran)
Honky-tonk twang by W. B. Vaughn, of Grand Ledge, Michigan, who recorded this album as a demo set... Not a lot of info about these folks, who definitely looked like rowdy, hard-livin' good old boys... The band included Rick Bellant (on guitar), Barb Morse (piano), and Mel Sharrah (drums), with Vaughn singing lead, writing the songs, and booking all the shows. This album -- which included original songs such as "Good Ole Boy From Grand Ledge MI," "Hard Gamblin' Man," Just A Thought Of You" and "Tribute To Christ Jesus" -- got some radio airplay, but it was strictly a local phenomenon. A couple of years later they were playing some gigs at a place called the Hayloft Saloon, on the other side of Lansing, and by 1988 the group had broken up, with Vaughn doing a few solo gigs over the years. Vaughn, who struggled for years with multiple sclerosis, passed away in 2011.

The We Don't Smoke Grass Band "On Heartbreak Mountain" (Larry's Audio, 1982-?) (LP)
(Produced by Larry L. Manarelli)
Okay, I admit it: these guys squeaked past the bluegrass barrier mostly because of their name -- how could I resist? -- but also because of the song selection, which includes some interesting country stuff along with more traditional 'grass tunes. Along with your "Orange Blossom Special" and "I'm Using My Bible As A Roadmap" there's also Merle Haggard's "Rambling Fever" and Johnny Russell's "Red Necks, White Socks And Blue Ribbon Beer," which is a hoot no matter what style it's performed in. This was a fairly informal group, formed by some guys who met while jamming at a local bluegrass festival around their hometown of Plumville, Pennsylvania -- the musicians included Ron Coleman (fiddle), Tom McPherson (bass), Rich Potts (guitar), Butch Rummel (guitar), Brian Rummel (banjo), and Jim Wadding (mandolin). Not sure when this came out, or if they recorded any other albums.

The Weary Brothers "The Best Of The Weary Brothers" (19--?) (LP)
A mystery band whose lone(?) album once freely floated around the quarter bins in my hometown Record Hut... The Weary Brothers were apparently named after a legendary criminal gang from Georgia, although the musical "brothers" on this album included John Cook, Lee Lykins, Bill McNabb, Ed McKay, John Wolfe... And while their supposed professions are listed (banker, educator, etc.), there's no info about who played what instruments. Meanwhile, the bare-bones album art provides no clues as to where or when this record was produced. Downright confounding is what it is, really. The playfully sarcastic liner notes describe them as having met at a "mid-summer outing in the Redwoods of California," and having played together for nearly thirty years before cutting this disc. It's possible that's partly true: there was a Lee Lykins who was part of the Horace Heidt big band orchestra, dating back to the 1920s, and he may have been based in Oakland, California... This album looks like something from the 1960s, so maybe it was some kind of joke-country thing from otherwise uptown musicians, though I couldn't link Lykins's name with the other guys... so who knows. Like I said, a mystery disc. [Note: some alt-country band started using the Weary Brothers name now around 2011, though I rather doubt there's any connection.]

Jim Weatherly "Sings His Own" (Ozark Music Company, 197-?) (LP)
This was not the same Jim Weatherly who wrote "Midnight Train To Georgia," just in case you're wondering, but rather a guy from Springfield, Missouri who had a gig in the early days of Branson. This album was a souvenir of Weatherly's show, recorded with his band, the Ozark Music Makers, which included Mike Bried, Arnie Arnold and Wendell Daniel, with harmony vocals by Sharon Stoddard. The repertoire includes original songs such as "Blonde Hair On My White Coat," "It's Not Fair To Say You Love Me," "Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind" and "A Fall From Here (Will Surely Hurt)," and it's all pretty good! Weatherly's music had a nice, rough, old-school hillbilly feel to it, reminding me of Bill Carlisle in a way, with a rambunctious, see-what-works approach that put some of the spontaneity and fun back into country music. Or, in his case, kept it alive. Real-deal old-fashioned twang that was totally out of synch with what was happening in Nashville, and pretty enjoyable as a result.

Bill Weaver & Debbie Weaver "Just A Singing" (A.C.M. Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Jimmy Edmonds)
I couldn't find any info on these two, but they seem to have been a family-band duo from Goldsboro, North Carolina, singing some covers as well as a few originals. I'm not real big on making fun of "bad" records, so I won't dwell on this album's shortcomings... Suffice it to say that both Bill and Debbie Weaver had their shortcomings as singers, and the early '80s backing is competent, though a bit lackadaisical. There's notable wobbling out of pitch on the vocals, though interestingly, they do better when they're harmonizing than when they sing solo, and I suspect that a more forceful hand in the production booth might have reaped improved results, particularly since the backing musicians included country gospel stars Jeff and Steve Easter, along with several of their North Carolina cohort, including Allen Conners (drums), Jimmy Edmonds (fiddle), Roger Fortner (rhythm guitar and pedal steel). But, clearly, this was a work-for-hire vanity album, and there probably wasn't much incentive to smooth the rough edges, so the record is what it is. On the plus side, the Weavers wrote some legitimately good material, particularly "Call It What You Want," which is an inarguably well-crafted honkytonk song, and one I could honestly hear someone covering someday. Their other two originals are "Can I Be The One" and "Your Turn To Be Lonely," which are both solid, though not quite as good as "Call It," which is a gem.

Cowboy Weaver/Various Artists "Volume One" (Freestate Records, 197--?) (LP)
Lloyd "Cowboy" Weaver was a long-running local television host on station KTVT-11, in Dallas/Fort Worth who comes off as a clunky but authentic vocalist, showing a heavy debt to fellow Texan Ernest Tubb -- in my book, you could certainly do worse. This delightfully low-rent "live" album is structured as a stitched-together faux concert, complete with super-fake canned applause and painfully abrupt editing. It features Lloyd Weaver's grown-up son(?) and business manager Tommy Weaver, along with a slew of side performers, many of whom I'd imagine were pay-to-play guests of the Weavers. Their Sunset Ranch show ran on local television from the 1960s through the early '90s and had some affiliation with country promoter Dewey Groom, who sponsored a regular segment on the program. Lloyd Weaver had deep roots in the Lone Star honkytonk scene, recording a handful of singles in the late 1940s and early '50s, though his roughly-assembled TV show seems to be remembered mostly as a kitschy local phenomenon, and this album may give give a glimpse into that history. Not all the vocals that great, though the picking by the Pals Of The Saddle house band are pretty solid and consistently twangy, particularly steel player Gary Hogue, who brings a lot of ooompf to the production. There's a mystery track by the Callahan Brothers, an old-timey vocal duo whose best work dated back to the 1930s and '40s; it's a vintage recording of "Maple On The Hill" with tape hiss that clearly dates it to an earlier era, probably something Dewey Groom had laying around in the can. There are also several novelty-tinged songs featuring off-key teen and pre-teen kiddie singers, which would seem just kind of negligible if it weren't for the grotesque coda of Mr. Weaver's career: he was arrested in 1997 on child molestation charges, following an investigation of allegations that Cowboy Weaver had promised some young boy that he'd make him a star someday and, well... you know the rest. Ew. Still, the music on this album ain't bad, even if the man behind it was.

Danny Weaver & Nina Weaver "Introducing Danny & Nina Weaver And The Country Cousins" (Belle Meade Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Stan Dacus & Tommy Strong)
It's hard to pin down perzackly where this duo was from, or when this album was recorded, but there are some tantalizing and slightly contradictory breadcrumbs we can follow... Danny Weaver was a multi-instrumentalist who played fiddle and pedal steel, while Nina Weaver was primarily a vocalist. In 1974, she recorded a solo single, marking her win as the "grand finale winner, Pzazz Dance Hall, Burlington, Iowa, July 7, 1974," although the seven-inch came out on idiosyncratic producer/bandleader Al Perry's Love Records label, which was based in Tyler Texas. It's possible, probable even, that Weaver was working as part of Perry's roadshow at the time, though I haven't seen her name on any of his souvenir albums. A few years later, both she and Danny Weaver were in the country gospel band Upbound, which was led by singer Butch Yelton, of Bardolph, Illinois, a microscopic village about thirty miles west of Peoria... and about an equal distance from her old stomping grounds of Burlington. So... Iowa, maybe? Anyway, on this album they are joined by bass layer Bozz Graham, John Graham (lead guitar and fiddle) and Gary Kruzan (drums), with a shout-out to songwriter Jerry Armstrong, who contributes three originals to this album: "Catfish Lullaby," "The Drummer Calls Her Darling" and "Love Songs (Don't Do Much For Me Lately," which augment a set packed with standards such as "Boil Them Cabbage Down," "Orange Blossom Special" and "Louisiana Man," as well as a few more obscure selections.

Dennis Weaver "Dennis Weaver" (Custom Fidelity/Im'Press Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Dumas & Joe Johnson)
Born in Joplin, Missouri, actor Dennis Weaver (1924-2006) was first known for his role as sidekick Chester Goode on Gunsmoke, and later as a laconic western detective on the '70s show McCloud. In the early 1970s, Weaver branched out into music, starting his own label and recording several albums, often with country and gospel themes. This LP is heavy on religious and inspirational material, as well as recitations, which were kind of Weaver's "thing." His wife, Gerry Weaver, performs on a few tracks as well, although I'm not sure what other musicians were on here. Weaver is credited with composing several tracks, including "Where Have The Wild Blackberries Gone" and "Work Through My Hands, Lord." Also of note are several songs by country-rock Larry Murray, who was previously in the psychedelic country band Hearts And Flowers.

Dennis Weaver "People Songs" (ABC Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Marty Cooper)
Going into a more explicitly musical -- and more country -- direction, as seen in his version of the Tex Williams hillbilly oldie, "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette)." Weaver booked some sessions with producer-songwriter Marty Cooper, who was kind of a hot property in the early 'Seventies; Cooper helmed the studio booth and contributes a couple of songs, "Calhoun" and "Cowboys And Daddies" (perhaps better known from the version by Bobby Bare.) There are also a couple of tunes cowritten by pop artist Artie Wayne, including "Hollywood Freeway" (co-credited to Weaver) and Larry Hubbard rounds things out with one called "Hubbardsville Store."

Dennis Weaver "One More Road" (Ovation Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Marty Cooper)
There's a near-total of overlap between the songs here and Weaver's previous album on ABC... I'm not sure if these were just relicensed, or re-recorded. One new song, "Prairie Dog Blues," is credited to Dennis Weaver.

J. C. Weaver "J. C. Weaver" (Wild Turkey Music, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Billy James)
Florida businessman and country auteur Josiah Cephas Weaver was born in the Blue Ridge Mountains, back in Virginia, but according to the story he told The Tampa Bay Times, he left home at age fifteen and walked all the way to Clearwater, Florida, where he learned himself a trade, and starting building up his fortune. The trade he took up was laying tile, a skill he soon parleyed into a regional business, which -- one assumes -- is what footed the bill for his self-released albums and numerous singles released during the 1970s and '80s. (Mr. Weaver also owned a local heliport, and eventually made a killing in real estate, picking up a beachfront property in the early 'Eighties that he soon developed, then sold for a bazillion dollars a couple of decades later.) Improbably, he was also fairly successful as an independent country singer, apparently placing about a dozen of his songs in the Cashbox charts during the '80s. This album is almost entirely his own original material, along with a couple of songs written by Jack and June Walker, who also play in his band. The lineup included Jack Brown on keyboards, Mike Laine (bass), Steve Marcus (drums), Jack Walker (lead guitar), and June Walker singing and playing rhythm guitar. In addition to these two analog-age LPs, Weaver also released a bunch of singles, including a few using just his first name, Josiah, and later self-released an undetermined number of CDs in the digital era.

J. C. Weaver "Volume One" (Wild Turkey Music, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Bob Barnhill, Jack Brown & Bobby Fisher)

Kay Weaver & John Muir "Country The Hannas Way" (Royal Master/Columbine Records, 1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Robert F. Gordon & Curt Wilson)
A so-called "song-poem" album, wherein B-list studio musicians cook up an arrangement for lyrics written by aspiring songwriters who pay to have their songs recorded. Singers Kay Weaver and John Muir were part of the regular stable at Royal Master, a Nashville-based outfit that was one of the best-known song-poem labels. Here, Muir and Weaver apply their skills to the work of only one pre-paid poet, an older fella named Dan W. Hannas. I wasn't able to find any biographical info about Mr. Hannas online although he did send in "contributions" to other Royal Master albums; this disc seems to have been his magnum opus. Ms. Weaver sings on two songs, Mr. Muir on all the others; the backing musicians are not identified. Be advised, the genre is not for the faint of heart... heck, even for the most devoted obscuro-nerd these albums may be a bit taxing. Weaver kind of goes for it, but Muir is definitely going through the motions.

Kenny Webb "The Reb" (Brylen Records, 1982) (LP)
An aspiring Top Forty songwriter, Kenny Webb penned most of the songs on here, also covering covers Gene Crysler's "I Didn't Jump The Fence," CCR's "Lodi," and an oldies medley... His five originals include "Let Her Rip," "Long Legged Mama," and the title track, "The Reb." The album's producer and backing musicians are unknown, as well as Mr. Webb's bio. He seems to have lived in Tennessee, though there's a good chance he's the same Kenny Webb who recorded a single on the Washington state-based Vanco label, so it's possible he was originally from the Pacific Northwest.

Paul Webb "...And Young Country" (Masa Recording Company, 1976-?) (LP)
This Detroit-area twangband featured brothers Paul and Danny Webb on drums and bass, along with steel player Jerry Nagle and lead guitar Hank Van Vleet. Paul Webb, who was a distant cousin of Loretta Lynn, led this band for many years, from at least 1974-91, according to local newspaper listings. He wrote three songs on this album, including one co-written with Van Vleet; they also cover Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings and Mel Street, to give you a sense of where they're coming from. Webb's son also became a musician, performing under the name Mike Shane, first working in his dad's band, and then as a solo performer in Nashville. They may have also run a nightclub at one point: in the early '90s, there were some shows at a place in Ypsilanti, called "Shane's."

Phil Webb & Roger Thomas "Sing It: Sweet Country For You" (Sandi Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Angel & Jack Gilmer)
A charmingly imperfect album, and perhaps an archetypal "private label" record... Although it's billed as a split LP, old-timer Phil Webb sings lead on all but two of the tracks, and even though he has kind of a wobbly voice, he really throws himself into it. His reedy tones are reminiscent, perhaps, of square-peg singers as Vernon Oxford or Dick Feller, where in an odd way the imperfections throw more light on the singer's passion, as opposed to his technical chops. Anyway, this seems to be some sort of songwriter's demo set, or maybe one of those supposed "tax write-off albums..." Mr. Webb was from Winchester, Kentucky, while the Sandi label has an address in Floria... Most of the songs were written by producer Bob Angel, with two others penned by Johnny Selph: "Memories Of The Past" and "Watch The Watchers." They went whole-hog booking studio time with an A-list Nashville crew, including Sonny Garrish on steel guitar and dobro; Greg Gailbraith on electric lead; Willie Rainsford playing piano, and Mark Casstevens on rhythm guitar and banjo, among others... Of course we've heard these guys play on a bazillion sessions, including plenty of indie records like this one, but they really seem to have been into it on this one, perhaps as inexplicably charmed by Mr. Webb as I was... The material is uneven though there are some tracks that might deserve a closer look from modern-day twangsters looking for older material. Not a "great" record, but charming in an odd way.

Susan Webb "Bye, Bye Pretty Baby" (ABC-Anchor, 1975) (LP)
Ms. Webb was apparently the sister of songwriter Jim Webb, and she gets the full-on LA studio sound treatment on this disc. With a ton of top rock and country-rock talent backing her -- folks like Gib Guilbeau, Herb Pedersen, and Albert Lee -- you'd assume she was gonna let loose with a little twang, but you would be wrong. Turns out this is about as generic and plastic-sounding an LA '70s rock-pop record as you can find. Didn't do anything for me, really, and it's definitely not of interest to twangfans. A footnote, maybe to the scene of the times, but it doesn't really lead anywhere.

Red Dog Weber "...And Custer's Last Band" (Big Horn Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Lee Burch & Rue Barclay)
A kooky little gift from Hollywood here... An economist by trade and a Buckeye by birth, Ohioan J. Allan Weber played his way through pretty much every bar or barn you could imagine between Cleveland and LA, and became best known for his shows at the World Champion Chili Cookoff in Terlingua, Texas... He also made his mark with numerous TV appearances, playing the "boombass," a rhythm instrument of his own design. Weber is joined on this album by veteran Nashville fiddler Harold Hensley, as well as guitarist Gene Ridgeway, an Oklahoma western swing bandleader who carved a niche in the Los Angeles entertainment industry, as well as Lee Burch (a Southern California music and movie producer who also did studio work as a guitarist) and western/cowboy music singer Hal Southern, who also worked in the TV industry. They play oldies and standards, along with 'Seventies hits such as "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" and "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," and few originals written by members of the band, including "Power Up Your Chili" and "Custer's Last Band."

Chase Webster "...Sings Country And Western" (Spar Records, 196-?) (LP)
(Produced by William Beasley & Tim Sparkman)
A novelty-oriented songwriter whose real name was Gary Daniel Bruce; recording as Chase Webster he cut a bunch of singles dating back to the Kennedy era, straddling pop and country but with a definite tilt towards twang. His 1961 song, "Moody River," was later recorded by several artists, notably Pat Boone, Johnny Rivers and Kitty Wells. Webster was one of many semi-anonymous artists recording in the pocket universe of the Nashville-based cheapo-label empire of Modern Sound/Spar Records, and may have also been part of Spar's in-house "band," The Nashville Country Jamboree, which released several albums which were peppered with original material, including several of his songs. As far as I know, though, this was Webster-Bruce's only full LP. He is also purported to have been a member of the Del Reeves Country Carnival road show, though other biographical details have proved elusive.

Tiny Weeks "Heavy Equipment Man" (25th Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Phil Nelson)
An actual, real-deal heavy equipment operator, North Carolina's Tiny Weeks is pictured on the front cover standing by the cab of his bulldozer surrounded by several babes in bikinis, because as we all know, nothing says "sexy" like a good open-pit construction site. Mr. Weeks seems to have taken up music as a sideline in the late 1970s and played local gigs in the Burlington/Greensboro area at least up through the early '80s. I'm not 100% sure, but I think he was Mr. James Weeks, whose great claim to fame was singing the national anthem at Starrcade '83, a pro wrestling smackdown staged in Greensboro back in 1983, an event which for some reason is the focus of multiple online reviews, with many bloggers uniformly characterizing Weeks's performance as a bit odd. One suspects this may be because he had a sense of humor, as heard on this disc, which includes tunes like "Sittin' Back Sippin' Suds" and "Don't Come Knockin' When The Camper's Rockin'," which were also issued together as a single, and "I Really Dig My Music" (get it? "dig" my music?) a novelty number recorded in both country and disco versions for this album. Assuming it's the same guy, Tiny Weeks seems to have passed away in 1996 (age unknown) and had been playing and recording gospel music in his later years.

Larry Weiss "Black And Blue Suite" (Twentieth Century Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Weiss, Don Sciorotta & Tony Sciorotta)
Well, I wouldn't say I can really "recommend" this record -- it's a self-indulgent, early 'Seventies mess, with songwriter Larry Weiss's sprawling, diffuse lyrics framed by the too-slick professionalism of a bunch of top-flight LA session players. However, it should be noted for y'all country fans that this album opens with the original version of "Rhinestone Cowboy" -- which was composed by Larry Weiss -- and that his version is actually pretty good. (The song was a minor hit in '74, and after Glen Campbell heard it on the radio, he decided to cut his own version, which of course became an international smash... Also worth noting, New Jersey-born Larry Weiss was a successful songwriter back in 'Sixties, perhaps best known for the psych-pop hit, "Bend Me, Shape Me," as well as a number of minor R&B singles...) The rest of the record is pretty dreadful, though, and has little to offer us twangfans. It's basically Weiss droning on and on, trying to sound hip and profound, dutifully accompanied by studio pros such as Jimmy Haskell, Jim Keltner, Hugh McCracken, Dean Parks, et. al., though in the aggregate it kind of sounds like home tapes Neil Diamond could have made while tripping on acid. The brooding, moody misogyny of "Evil Woman" has some kitsch appeal, as does the jaunty but odd "Sheldon," which is charming because he name-checks the year 1973 in the lyrics... Essentially, though, this album is one of those messy, annoying post-hippie LA pop disasters of the era -- less experimental than simply aimless. I did dig his version of "Rhinestone Cowboy," though, and it certainly merits inclusion on some compilation somewhere, even while acknowledging that Glen Campbell did give the song a little extra something in '75.

Eric Weissberg - see artist discography

C. L. Weldon "I'm Asking Forgiveness" (Crazy Cajun Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Huey P. Meaux)

Johnny Weldon "Tavern For The Lonely" (Raven Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Clayton, Jim Crisp & Jerry Wise)
A country crooner born and raised in Wetumpka, Alabama, just north of Montgomery, Johnny Wayne Weldon (1953-2007) plugged away for decades on the local music scene, starting back in his high school days. Over the years he led a few different groups, including one called Southern Freight, as well as the lineup on this album, which he called The Magnum Band. Along with Mr. Weldon on vocals, the group included Ray Goss (bass), David Jackson (guitar), Richard Knight (drums), Nancy Simmons (keyboards and vocals) and Tommy Wilson on keyboards. This album is packed with original material, including the anthemic "Nashville Didn't Want Me," which was co-written by producer Steve Clayton, and locally oriented tunes such as "Alabama Clay." Though this album has kind of a honkytonk flair, a couple of years later Weldon had settled into a mellower, ballad-oriented style, which suited the lounge work he was doing with Southern Freight (a band which had a completely different lineup). For a while he hung up his spurs and put his own career on hold, taking a gig as a driver and roadie for Top Forty star T. G. Sheppard, who was a longtime friend. At some point Weldon headed back home and was playing local shows as recently as the early 2000s, not long before he passed away. As far as I know this was his only album.

Rusty Wellington "Lonesome... In My Blue House" (Soundcraft Associates, 1963) (LP)
(Produced by Daniel N. Flickinger)
Although he was born in New Brunswick, Canada, singer Douglas "Rusty" Wellington (1925-1987) became known as a pioneering figure in New England's hillbilly country scene. His family moved to New Hampshire when he was ten, and the precociously talented lad had his own radio show as a teen, and even performed with several established bands. Wellington's career had an amazingly Zelig-like quality: he toured with stars such as Hank Snow, Hank Williams and Tex Williams and was closely associated with Bill Haley, who he wrote songs for and went on the road with following World War Two. After the war, Wellington settled in New Hampshire and established himself regionally, hosting a popular television show and writing regional pride songs such as "The Allagash" and "Packed In Maine," which helped earn him a spot in the Maine Country Music Hall Of Fame.

Rusty Wellington "Yes, It's Me Again" (Arzee Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Tony Schmidt & Lucky Steel)
A fine set, marked by Mr. Wellington's marvelously imperfect but deeply sincere vocals, as well as some fine, no-frills country backing. And when I say his vocals are pleasantly flawed, I'm not being cynical or snide: I really do find him to be an appealing and emotionally authentic performer... Hank Snow is the most obvious tonal comparison, but mousy-voiced crooners such as Hank Locklin also come to mind. The real treat here is the wealth of original material provided by label owner Rex Zario's publishing company, presumably all from New England composers... This includes several songs by Rusty and Dolly Wellington, along with Kay Snyder, Lucky Taylor, and others. Unfortunately, the liner notes don't tell us the names of any of the backing band, but they were pretty solid, and not terribly flashy; the old-fashioned lap steel guitar is kind of fun, and a real throwback to an earlier era of hillbilly twang. Also, where else are you going to find a country song like "Packed In Maine," which references the East Coast fisheries and lobsters? Now that's some regional music!

Rusty Wellington "Stepping Stone To A Higher Ground" (Arcade Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Howard)

Rusty Wellington "There's Something About The Arco Desert" (Sheepeater Records, 1975) (LP)

Tiny Wellman & The Raindrops "The Saturday Night Honky Tonk Sounds Of..." (King's Music City Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Pat Deer)
Buckeye balladeer Paul "Tiny" Wellman (1949-2000) grew up in Salem City, Ohio and led a series of Columbus-area bands throughout the 1970s, cutting his first single in 1969, a super-groovy, semi-psychedelic country rocker called "Motorcycle Queen." This is a live set recorded at G. G. Asher's Ohio Grand Old Opry Club, with his wife Rosalie Wellman and their band -- Leland Darst, Pat Deer, Bob Deer (bass), Ronnie Blevins (drums) and the Wellmans on lead vocals. It's a pretty solid set, with Wellman working his way through various vocal imitations, a good schtick, I guess, though his own natural voice was pretty good to begin with, tending towards a deep, Merle Haggard/John Anderson-ish range. Rosalie Wellman solos on Tanya Tucker's chart-topping hit, "San Antonio Stroll," and while she sounds a little mousy and Barbara Lee-ish here, on subsequent albums she definitely nailed the Tanya Tucker vibe. Towards the end of Side Two, Tiny Wellman delivers a mockingbird medley of country hits, imitating Bill Anderson, Elvis Presley, Charley Pride and Hank Snow; he had a pretty good range, but it does seem like it would have been more satisfying if he'd tried standing in the spotlight himself, rather than hiding in the other personas. A good record, though Wellman had enough talent to pull off something bigger and more original.

Tiny Wellman "Just T And The TWB" (Rome Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Casey & Steve Logan)
Wellman released at least two singles from this album, which featured backing by a local band that included steel players Sonny Curtis and Leland Darst, Jerry Deer (fiddle), Pat Deer (guitar), Steve Logan (bass), Ric Vitocolonna (drums), Danny White (keyboards), Tiny Wellman on vocals, and his wife, singer Rosalie Blevins Wellman. I've seen a few sites online that tag these tracks as being from around 1971, but I'm pretty sure that's wrong, an assumption that seems to be based on the BMI info for Don Wayne's song, "Hank," which was copyrighted in 1971. However, the production style sounds pretty late 'Seventies, and the bio for pianist Danny White says he joined Wellman's band sometime after taking a gig at the Wheeling Jamboree in 1977 and subsequently joining Faron Young's road band. Finally, the A-side song on this disc, "Giving Her The State Of West Virginia," was recorded a couple of times by different artists, including Nashville old-timer Bill Phillips and the far more obscure Lyndel East, both recording for NSD in 1979. Giving Wellman the benefit of the doubt and assuming that he recorded the song first, (especially since this single features two songs penned by Roy Leslie Lee) I'm guessing these tracks may have been cut around 1978, possibly '79. At any rate, it's swell stuff, with Wellman giving his vocals a Merle Haggard-ish feel.

Chuck Wells "The Complete Hillbilly Collection" (Cattle Records, 2006) (LP)
A 'Fifties honkytonker who was born in Alabama but made his name down in Texas. Chuck Wells (1922-1997) cut discs for Columbia and King Records as well as numerous smaller indies and recorded plenty of straight-up country weepers as well as a few over-the-top novelty numbers, like his early 'Sixties melodrama, "Down And Out," which has been featured on a compilation album or two...

David Wells "David Wells " (Tokar Records., 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Allan Waterous)
An ambitious though occasionally awkward set of would-be Top Forty country, mid-1980s style. Apparently hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, where this was recorded, David Wells projects kind of a smooth, low-key vibe, perhaps suggesting a Don Williams-y sound, or maybe late-vintage Johnny Duncan, but things start to go sideways when he tries his hand at Jimmy Buffett-ish party tunes ("One More Lousy Sunset In Paradise") and it gets worse on the mildly synthy swamp/novelty number, "Seedy Juanita's Rowdy Yahoo." This isn't outright terrible by any means, but it's a little too slick for my tastes. Still, it's definitely outside the boundaries of both plausible Top Forty success, or the nascent alt-country Americana movement, so it fits here. Not my cup of tea, but it's still authentic indie-twang. He's backed by steel player Paul Tross, Joe Weed on fiddle, and some other, unidentified, musicians. Producer Allan Waterous sings backup along with Jeanette Waterous; also worth noting is guest vocalist Marsha Graham, who sings lead on one track, "Hide Your Heart," which is an album highlight, as is the track that follows, the Merle Haggard-ish "Rainbow Rain," which is one of the best-produced, most commercial-sounding tracks on the album. The record actually ends on a few high notes, with the strongest material appearing on Side Two, which is much more solid and consistent than Side One... so, maybe start there if you wanna give this guy a fair shake.

Wells Fargo "Wells Fargo" (Brut Sound, Inc., 1974) (LP)
This was a progressive bluegrass band from Virginia which showcased a bunch of country and country-rock tunes in their repertoire... The band included Dan Lambert on guitar, Stafford Markham (banjo), Garland Alderman (mandolin), Bob Brown (bass), Smiley Hobbs (fiddle), and Speedy Price playing fiddle and drums. I'm not 100% certain, but I think Dan Lambert also recorded some "new acoustic" style guitar instrumental albums later in the decade. The repertoire on this album includes covers of hits such as "Good Time Charlie," "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight," "Bad Bad Leroy Brown," and "What's Your Mama's Name."

Wells Fargo Bluegrass Band "Wells Fargo Bluegrass Band" (Outlet Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Wells Fargo, David Matthews & Rod Shively)
Although this album came out on a Virginia-based label, these guys are a different outfit than the earlier-Seventies bluegrassers above. The main band was a quartet comprised of dobroist Kenneth Berrier, Mike Casstevens (mandolin), David Matthews (bass), and Mike Williams on guitar, with their sound rounded our by pedal steel player David Johnson and legendary fiddler Bobby Hicks, who may have been brought in by the producers at the North Carolina studio where this set was recorded. Mike Casstevens was apparently the son of banjo player Jerry Casstevens, who performed regionally in the North Carolina area, though apparently not to studio guitarist Mark Casstevens, who grew up in Texas.

John Wells "Moods" (Nashville International Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Coats & Reggie Churchwell)
Your guess is as good as mine... This is a very generic-looking private press set, though it was recorded in Nashville with a fairly accomplished crew of studio musicians: Jim Baker on lap steel, Paul Charron (drums), Tommy Floyd (bass), Russ Hicks (guitar), Benny Kennerson (piano), and Eddie Stuteville playing rhythm guitar, with Music City veteran Jerry Shook among the technical staff. Beyond that, though, this is a real mystery disc. It's possible this is the same John Wells from Colorado who recorded a string of gospel records earlier in the 'Seventies, but this album has no biographical info on the liner notes, and no address for the artist, so it's a little hard to pin down. This appears to be all original material in a secular romantic vein -- presumably it was written by Mr. Wells, but that's also not a sure bet., as there are no composer credits. Any info is welcome!

Joey Welz "American Made Country Roll" (Caprice Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Gerry Granahan & Joey Welz)
I suppose rockabilly veteran Joey Welz is what cartoonist Jeff MacNelly would have called "a plugger," one of those folks who just keeps plugging along, no matter what the rest of the world says... Born in Baltimore in 1940 as Jospeh W. Welzant, Welz was a piano prodigy who caught rock'n'roll fever in the 1950s, and formed his own band -- The Jay Rockers -- towards the end of the decade. Soon after, rock legend Bill Haley hired him as a member of an early 'Sixties edition of The Comets, and Welz went on to work with numerous rock pioneers, including guitarist Link Wray and blues legend Roy Buchanan. The thing is, though, Welz is a pretty idiosyncratic solo artist, and also kind of a terrible singer. If you approached his career just from the vantage point of his 1980s dive into country music (as I did) you might not realize right away that these odd, awkward albums were made by a guy with real show business credentials. Indeed, his "country roll" albums are kind of what more cynical music fans probably assume all private press country records sound like -- thinly produced, poorly sung, a weird repertoire, and basically a little kooky. This was the first album Welz released on his own Caprice label, and one of his first records to go all-in on a country sound (he cut about a half-dozen LPs before this, working in more of a rock/oldies style). The title track is one of two Welz originals on this album, along with "Down On The Farm," though all the songs that follow are covers of pretty mainstream, obvious country hits -- tunes like "Oh, Lonesome Me," "For The Good Times," "Green, Green Grass Of Home," "Rocky Top," "Take Me Home, Country Roads," and a few more up-to-date chart hits, like John Anderson's "Swingin'," and "On The Road Again," by Willie Nelson. In all honesty, it's kind of rough going, but you do have to admire his earnest sincerity and determination... though that might not be enough to hold your interest in his albums.

Joey Welz "Country Music Hall Of Fame" (Caprice Records, 1986-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gerry Granahan & Joey Welz)
I think as Welz moved through his country phase, he may have gotten a bit wobblier with each album... This is a straight set of country covers, each one billed as a "tribute" to whoever originally recorded it. The songs are all big, recognizable hits -- "Abilene," "Elvira," "Four Walls," "King Of The Road," "He'll Have To Go," "Ring Of Fire," etc, filtered through Welz's version of Jerry Lee Lewis-esque 'Fifties rock, what he fashioned as a new style called "country roll." The thing is, though, Welz is an awkward, frequently off-key singer, with clunky, half-spoken delivery. He might have been able to play up a storm tickling the ivories, but he sure doesn't sound that comfortable behind the mic. Not that that stopped him, obviously: he cranked out one album after another, and apparently played a lot of live gigs. He also moved to Nashville for a while, although by this time he'd really settled down in Lititz, Pennsylvania, a small borough near Lancaster, PA known for its mousetrap factory, as well as its nostalgic ties to old-school rock'n'roll. I feel bad harshing on Welz, because of his obvious enthusiasm and earnest appreciation of real-deal country, but for reals, this is the kind of record you'd feel a little embarrassed to have on the turntable at home when company came a-calling.

Joey Welz "My Kind Of Country Is Rock'N'Roll" (Caprice Records, 1989) (LP)

Joey Welz "Forever And A Day" (Caprice Records, 1990) (LP)
Bracing himself for a new decade and all the groovy changes to come, Welz makes an effort to modernize his sound and make it more in synch with the pop crossovers of contemporary Nashville. He also opines on life in general, opening the album with an original gospel song, "Forever And A Day," followed by a broken-hearted romantic weeper, "A Hard Cross To Bear," and eventually by a dismally bad rock song, "Headin' For The '90s," which features some truly unfortunate, '80s-style, tinny, blaring, anthemic guitar solos. His vocals on the slower, more emotive numbers veer wildly off-key, although you can still clearly see what he meant to do compositionally. Anyway, there's no point going on and on, or being mean about it, but this really isn't a record I could honestly recommend to anyone. A nice picture of one guy's sincere, perhaps obsessive, dedication to old-school rock and mostly-traditional country, but also an unmistakably flawed, idiosyncratic album that would require great fortitude and empathy to delve into. This also seems to mark the end of his mostly-country phase, with Welz returning to more rock-oriented material, though also always with some twang in the mix.

Michael Wendling & John Hanson "There's Something About The Arco Desert" (Sheepeater Records, 1975) (LP)

Michael Wendling "Who Could Eat At A Time Like This?" (Sheepeater Records, 1977) (LP)
Despite the blechhy album art, there's some nice music on here. (The cover features a garish softcore-porn painting of a nearly-naked woman standing in front of an old wood-burning stove, with her backside towards us, in a not-so-subtle pose, the Idaho mountains in the background... I'm sure the boys in the band thought this looked great at the time, but it sure makes it hard to have this record out around company or the kids...) Anyway, this guy seems to have been from the Pacific Northwest somewhere, or possibly Idaho, where the label was from, and he was a pretty good banjo picker and guitarist -- the record starts off with the bluegrassy "Hamilton County Breakdown," and moves into some spacy, cosmic folk-twang ballads and then a bunch of tracks with loop-de-looping, Leo Kottke-style guitar riffs, with subtle accompaniment on pedal steel. If you're into Kottke's hypnotic/repetitive style, this is an excelent example of his influence on other pickers, and a surprisingly well-produced indie album. Worth a spin!

Michael Wendling "31 Of Mike's Favorites On Two Discs (With Skips) From The Vinyl Era" (2013)
This appears to be a straight reissue of three albums by Wendling, including the two listed above... And I guess, based on the album title, it was mastered straight off the old LPs rather than master tapes. Now that's old school!

Wes (Parker) "All That Glitters Isn't Gold" (Boll Weevil Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Bernie Williams & J. R. Williams)
A songwriter from Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, Wesley Parker was in the orbit of bandleader J. R. Williams, who co-produced this album and also recorded on the Boll Weevil label. Parker and Williams had already produced another album together, under Parker's full name, but for some reason he tried going the mononymic "Cher" route on this disc, but that didn't last forever. As with the previous disc, this was recorded in Hendersonville, Tennessee and features a bunch of Music City pros... I'm not sure how much professional success Wes had, though all the tracks were originals written by Parker, and he continued to record well into the '80s. He later moved to Dallas, and may have joined the Christian music scene.

Wes & The Plainsmen "Live" (1981-?) (LP)
These guys hailed from Kenosha, Wisconsin and played regularly around Chicago for several years. Led by singer Wes Cox, the band was together at least as early as 1973, but this album seems to be from around 1980-81 or so, judging from the covers of Rodney Crowell's "Ain't Livin' Long Like This" and "Elvira," which were in vogue around then... The band included Bob Fenrich (drums), Drexel Hurley (bass), Vern Markee (electric guitar) and Pam Williams (vocals) -- bass player Drexel Hurley (1930-2012) worked for American Motors in Kenosha; he seems to have retired to Texas later in life.

Ken Wesley "Heartache Remover" (Gene Breeden Studios, 1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Chad Heasley)
The songs on this album were all written by honkytonker Ken Wesley, with backing by a studio band that included Gene Breeden on guitar, Terry Crisp on steel and Bruce Watkins on fiddle and bass. I couldn't find much info about Wesley online, other than that these songs were composed and copywrited between 1977-79, and that his full name was Franklin Kenneth Wesley. A few of his tunes were covered by other artists, notably "Oh Louisiana," which was apparently recorded by Jim & Jesse in the 1980s, and Oregon's Jerry Bradley (another singer in Gene Breeden's orbit) included a couple of Wesley's songs on his album Once More For The Good Times: "Whatever We Had" and "We Never Ran Out Of Love" (which are also on this album...) Another Ripcord-related artists, Ron Adams, included four of Wesley's songs on one of his albums, including a version of "Heartache Remover." If anyone out there knows more about Ken Wesley, I'm all ears!

West "West" (Columbia Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Johnston)
The debut album from this winsome, mercurial folk-rock band out of the San Francisco Bay Area... Like many band's of the era, West had a complicated history: the group included Mike Stewart (1945-2002), a former member of the commercially successful folk-pop group We Five (and also the brother of folkie singer-songwriter John Stewart) as well as guitar picker Ron Cornelius (1945-2021) and bassist Joe Davis, who had previously been in a local garage band from Richmond, CA, called Captain Zoom. The West band evolved out of an earlier group, The Crystal Set, which included Cornelius, Davis and Stewart, which came together after the dissolution of the We Five; in turn, Cornelius and Davis and continued to work together after West broke up.

West "Bridges" (Columbia Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Johnston)
This album kicks off with one of the more improbable folk-rock covers of all time, taking Darrell Banks's propulsive 1967 soul scorcher, "Somebody Somewhere Needs You," then transforming it into a melodic and only mildly rockin' white soul-pop ditty, something along the likes of a pop single by The Grassroots. By and large, this is a fairly lackluster album, with flat though not unpleasant arrangements behind pretty low-energy vocals. It's like they just couldn't decide whether to try out some mellow cosmic-folkie vibe, or something a little more vigorous. Notably, there are several covers of John Stewart songs -- "July You're A Woman" and others -- not too surprising since his brother, Mike Stewart, was a core member of the band. Along with Dylan and Dave Dudley songs, there are also some originals, mostly tunes from singer Lloyd Perata, and though these tend to be airy feeling, they are also some of the more endearing tracks. This lineup of the band included Bob Claire, Ron Cornelius, Joe Davis, Lloyd Perata, Jon Sagen, and Mike Stewart, though doubtless there was a whole raft of studio pros in there as well. Around this same time, Ron Cornelius was part of Bob Dylan's musical entourage, and later recorded a solo album called Tin Luck,

Barry West "The Lonesome Cowboy" (Hickory Flats Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Don Bryant & John Farley)

Dave West "The Shepherd Of The West" (Country Time/Rimrock Records, 19--?) (LP)
Guitar picker Dave West was originally from Missouri and (according to the liner notes) had worked with several big-name honkytonk stars, back in the day, including folks like Red Foley and Hank Williams. By the time he'd cut this solo set, Mr. West had settled down somewhere in Oregon. The set includes a lot of real-deal, obscuro oldies from folks like Jesse Ashlock, Bob Atcher, Al Clauser, Ted Daffan and Wylie Walker, as well as a couple penned by Dave West, "It Only Hurts When I Laugh" and "Things Have Got To Get Better." Alas, the backing musicians are not identified, though one imagines they were ringers brought in by the producers at Rimrock, or possibly he cut the sessions in the Pacific Northwest, in which case Lord only knows who was involved...

Don West & Rose Lee "14 Karat Gold" (Hilltop Production Company, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Linneman)
Great, gritty hard country from a husband-wife duo from New England. There's not a ton of info about these two, including exactly where they were from. Apparently in the 1970s they hosted a TV show in Bangor, Maine, but their careers date back to the early 1960s and several of their early singles are on small, private labels with an address in Farmington, New Hampshire. They seem to have performed (and recorded) regionally, including some records made in Massachusetts. Don West was a delightfully imperfect singer, country to the bone, and retained a similarly rough edge in his twangy guitar work. Perhaps more interesting is how Rose Lee fit into the mix: she had an old-fashioned, mildly grating, vocal sound harkening back to the 1940s or earlier, but the music was often more uptempo and modern -- it's like if Kitty Wells had been backed by Buck Owens. Both West and Lee also cut singles under their own name, including a few that were broken off their albums. I'm not 100% sure when this came out -- PragueFrank says '73 -- but it was at least after 1971, since they cover "Never Ending Song Of Love," as well as some Connie Smith hits from the 'Sixties and whatnot. Good stuff!

Don West/Rose Lee/Joe Creslo "Our Way" (Interstate Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Don West & Timothy Sprowl)
There's a lot going on here, much of it bewildering. All three of these performers from New Hampshire were pretty obscure, although producer/label owner Don West and his partner Rose Lee released several albums together, independent of Joe Creslo, who remains a stubbornly elusive character. Keeping things brief, this is a weird album. A lot of it swirls around Rose Lee's anachronistic, Kitty Wells-ish vocals, though her old-fashioned approach is at odds with the album's slightly chaotic arrangements, which include lots of odd, fitful Spanish guitar riffs -- noodly, slightly pretentious meanderings which may have been meant to approximate the lofty, artsy-fartsy pop crossovers of the contemporary countrypolitan scene. Whatever their aspirations, this isn't an easy album to listen to, with more of an outsider-art feel than your average self-released country set from the 'Seventies. This feeling is amplified by the side note that all of the songs were written or co-written by a guy named Carl Bragner (1927-1992) who had written some stuff back in the '60s, and composed seven of this album's songs with his younger brother Edwin Bragner. The Bragners seem to have been habitual amateur songwriters, copywriting numerous works over the course of a couple of decades, and this was most likely some kind of song-poem, pay-to-have-your-lyrics-put-to-music kind of deal. Given that Joe Creslo has zero online paper trail (other than one lone show notice for an American Legion gig in 1975), I halfway wondered if he was a pseudonym for Carl Bregner... but who would pick "Creslo" as their stage name? Anyway, this is a weird record. Devoted fans of obscuro twang can certainly appreciate it, but you do have to put in some effort.

Don West & Rose Lee "New England Country" (197-?) (LP)

Jim West & The Texans "If I'd Left It Up To You" (Gemini Records, 1971-?) (LP)
(Produced by Tony Palmer)
Billing themselves as an "East Anglian country band," this British combo featured lead vocals by the aptly-named Jim West, a relatively prolific composer who added several original tunes to the British country canon on each of his albums. This disc includes three originals by Jim West, "Man In The Shadows," "Quarter Past Blues Time" and "You're Mine Pretty Girl All Mine," while producer Tony Palmer contributes one called "The Light In The Sky." Palmer was a regionally-based based in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk who worked with a variety of local artist, including Mr. Vest, who recorded on his labels for several years, including an early single or two. This album features a different lineup than on the second album, with Jim West on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Terry Aspinall (bass), Philip Joiner (lead guitar), Philip Seargent (drums), and pedal steel player Gerry Thain... It's not clear if the gals pictured on the front cover were also in the band, although there were two women credited on the next album, and I would guess that it's the same singers on both records. [Note: Although this disc had a higher catalog number than the Wild Country LP below, it's listed on the back cover of that disc as being the band's first album.]

Jim West & The Texans "Wild Country" (Gemini Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by B. Anthony Palmer)
More English twang, with bandleader West again contributing a trio of original songs -- "Let Me Love Again," "There Are Times," and "The Thorns On The Vine Can Be Cruel" -- which are augmented by two from their group's lead guitarist, Jim Williams, "Tupelo, Mississippi" and "There Goes A Fool." The rest of the band included Mike Crowe (bass), Terry Packham (pedal steel) and Phil Sargeant (drums), with backing vocals by Norma Cathrow and Barbara Maezey, who may have also sang with other local bands in the late 'Sixties. Most of the repertoire was made up of crowd-pleasing American country hits -- stuff like "Break My Mind," "Sing Me Back Home," "Crystal Chandeliers," and the like, but the wealth of original material is certainly worth noting. The band had also released at least one earlier single for Tony Palmer's City Music label, though these may have been their only two full albums.

Jim West "Good Things Goin' Down" (Home Comfort Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Cliffie Stone)
A truly stunning set of hardcore honky tonk music, urgently in need of reissue. This all-original album by Oregon songwriter Jim West features several absolutely devastating cheating songs, real doozies like "Her Arms Were Always Warm" and "Another Night Of Cheatin'," as well as gems such as the album's forlorn closer, "Leavin' Kind." All the songs on here were written by West, with production by West Coast old-timer Cliffie Stone, and session help from rock-solid pickers like J. D. Maness, Gene Breeden and Billy Walker... West is a superior songwriter who sounds an awful lot like the young Merle Haggard... Fans of Dale Watson are gonna want to track this one down!

Joe West "Blue Cowboy" (Colonial Records, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Duncan, Jeff Park & Joe West)
This was the first country album cut by Major League baseball umpire Joseph Henry West, a North Carolina native best known for his salty persona and for holding the all-time record of games officiated, hitting a total of 5,376 games umpired before his final retirement in 2022. Known both on the field and off as "Cowboy Joe," West was an aspiring country songwriter, and managed to make a few celebrity guest appearances over the years -- including an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry -- as well as cutting this album in 1987. It's mostly cover songs, with three originals including the title track, "Blue Cowboy," "Take This Bike To Tommy" and "You Can't Run Withe The Big Dogs." He also sings stuff like "Mama's Don't Let Your babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" and Rusty Wier's "Don't It Make You Wanna Go Home," as well as (groan) "Take Me Out To The Ball Game." This album has been widely panned and ridiculed over the years, both in print and online.. But keep in mind a lot of folks don't really know that much about country music to begin with, which is perhaps especially true of those who pepper their flames with half-baked sports metaphors. Anyway, I'll give Mr. West the benefit of the doubt...

Cowboy Joe West "Diamond Dreams" (Colonial Records, 2008) (LP)
For his second album, West paired up with pianist Kent Goodson, an ivory tickler best known for a stint in the George Jones band... Perhaps not surprisingly, these baseball-themed tracks are dominated by tinkly keyboards and drum machine rhythms, often tacked on underneath West's corny recitations, which include him reminiscing about his career as well as giving a nod to the members America's armed forces, who often packed the stands at the games he umpired ("A Thank You To Our Military"). It's worth pointing out that, contrary to at least one somewhat lazy review, this is not an entire album of spoken word recitations: "Out At Home" is a decent, fiddle-filled country novelty number about a guy who gets caught checking out the girls at a baseball game, and is righteously chewed out by his wife, a woman who knows a few sports metaphors herself. It's not, like, the greatest country song ever, but it could have plausibly been a minor novelty hit if it came out two or three decades earlier. Too bad he packed the album with the spoken word stuff, but... oh, well.

Judy West "Judy Judy Judy" (K & M Records, 1970-?) (LP)
A pianist as well as singer, West played pop as well as country, covering material by Dallas Frazier and Bob Montgomery, as well as Dexter Shaffer's "Nashville Wives," which she released as a single on the Starday label. An aspiring songwriter, West composed two songs on this album, "Give Me Love" and "Just A Bend In The Road," and worked at various songmills in Nashville. On this album, she received testimonials from country crooners Eddy Arnold and Gene Autry, as well as from pop-Dixieland bandleader Pete Fountain, whose band she worked in during the late '60s. The material on this album was recorded over several years, with the tracks on Side Two tilting towards 'Sixties pop-vocals material, including international material from Tom Jobim and Charles Trenet. The later sessions date to early 1970, when she had shifted into more country material. Apparently she also had a regular gig at a place called the Nashville City Club, where she was playing around the time this album was released; Ms. West later opened a piano-bar/nightclub of her own where she performed and hosted other musicians.

The West Maryland Highballers "Original And Traditional Country Music" (Biograph Records, 19--?) (LP)
Rollicking jugband music by a quartet that included uber-collector 78rpm specialist Joe Bussard, along with Bob Coltman (banjo), Jerry Marcum, and Oscar Myers, who all recorded on Bussard's quixotic Fonotone label. The group recorded a string of singles in the early 1960s, using the name the Georgia Jokers -- several tracks on this album seem to be reissues of that material, while other recordings made as "Jolly Joe And His Jug Band" were released separately on another label; there were also numerous permutations and iterations of this group on various Fonotone discs. This album includes their 1964 recording of "The Death Of John Kennedy," an homage to the then-recently fallen American President.

Sam West IV "Country By..." (Little Richie Records, 19--?) (LP)

Speedy West, Jr. "Used Guitars" (Little Richie Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Speedy West, Jr.)
It's probably not too surprising that the son of legendary West Coast guitar slinger Speedy West would also be a hotshot picker himself. At some point the family moved back to Oklahoma, where Speedy Junior played in some local twangbands and may have done session work as well. As far as I know this was his only solo album... Most of the tracks are his own originals, though the covers include a version of Stevie Wonder's "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" and Giorgio Moroder's "Seduction." West plays a bunch of different instruments, with backing by Kent Blessing (synthesizer), Wes Holland (drums), Bill Hood (keyboards), and Jerry Wilson on bass.

Tommy West "Hometown Frolics" (Lifesong Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Terry Cashman & Tommy West)
I've long been skeptical about all those Cashman & West albums I see in the country bargain bins -- they don't look like country records to me! But for this disc, Tommy West was certainly going for a twangy vibe, and he nails it, albeit through a 'Seventies AOR filter. West gets help from bluegrasser Eric Weissberg and his band Deliverance, which in this edition included Weissberg (mainly playing pedal steel), fiddler Kenny Kosek, Paul Prespotino on dobro, and Charlie Brown on electric guitar. There's also an LA pop contingent at work, including folks like David Sanborn on sax, etc., and you wouldn't be wrong to notice a little similarity between some of these tracks and contemporary work by folks such as Harry Chapin or Paul Simon. Though he made his mark in the pop world, West had a lifelong affection for country music, naming this album after a regional "opry" show he heard on the radio as a kid. Speaking of kids, this album seems to be an extended reflection of West's reaching maturity, more specifically, on his becoming a father and learning what it feels like to grow up and settle down. Several songs directly address the listener, sung as a parent to their child, and a "cowboy" medley on Side Two culminates with a metaphor where West speaks to the "cowboy" inside him, the rowdy, reckless youth he once was, but had to set aside once his responsibilities took root. And yet, the singer opines, just one time before he dies, he'd like that crazy cowboy spirit to come visit again. Overall, a pretty solid set with some interesting lyrical turns.

Wayne West "Streets Of Laredo" (Sage Records, 1964-?) (LP)
Part of Hal Southern's clique of Hollywood cowboys, Wayne West was a character actor, radio deejay and dude ranch singer, performing mainly at Roy Rogers' Apple Valley Inn, out in the Mojave Desert, near San Bernardino, California. He made a couple of appearances on Gunsmoke possibly acted in a movie or two, did some live gigs in Vegas and Tahoe, and cut at least one single with Southern's band, the Frontiersmen. A publicity sheet that was enclosed with this album also pitches West as a songwriter, but outside of stuff he recorded himself, his most notable success was a tune called "Rusty Spurs," which Roy Rogers sang in a movie called Frontier Pony Express, way back in 1939. (The song is credited to W. Wood, which was probably West's real last name...) He's likely the same Wayne West who cut a 78 with a band called the Travelers called "We Are Going To Have A Cowboy Wedding," a song that was also included in a 1940 Roy Rogers oater called Young Bill Hickok. The Travelers band seems to have evolved into the Travelons, which was the name West used in 1966 when he accompanied Roy Rogers and Dale Evans on a USO tour in Vietnam. West was also one of the many erstwhile members of the Frontiersmen, working with artists such as Eddie Dean, et.al. although exact details of his career are a little scarce. As far as I know this was his only album, recorded some time around 1963-64, not long after he and the Frontiersmen appeared on The Joey Bishop Show.

Kent Westberry "Kent Westberry" (Crackerbox Records, 1977-?) (LP)
Originally from Miami, songwriter Kent Westberry was a rock-solid Nashviller when he recorded this album on his own independent Crackerbox label... Best known as the composer of Gene Watson's 1975 hit, "Love In The Hot Afternoon" (along with about five hundred other songs), Westberry was a former rockabilly teen who found his niche in Nashville, working with his pal Charlie McCoy in the early '60s, before McCoy had cracked into the Music City elite. Admittedly, Westberry wasn't the world's greatest singer, but he sounded okay -- kind of a cross between Bill Anderson and George Jones, if you can imagine that -- and he carries these songs well. Westberry wrote or co-wrote all the tunes on here, with some interesting songwriting partners, including Mel Tillis, ex-con Harlan Sanders, Hal Harbour on a couple of tunes, and some other guys as well. The backing is pretty good -- presumably by his band, The Memory Makers, playing in a solidly uptempo, mid-1970s Top Forty-ish style. One of the highlights is a topical song, sort of an anti-Austin anthem called "Don't Come To Texas," where he warns all the would-be outlaws of the era that they gotta have a fiddle in their band if they want to sound like Bob Wills, and generally gives the longhair crowd a good-natured ribbing. All in all, this is a strong set for an off-the-radar vanity pressing, and it's possible the cheerful-sounding Westberry just missed the wave for his brand of country by a year or two, like so many folks back then. A few years later he released a couple of singles on the Doorknob label, though nothing charted, and a couple of other albums are out there, though I haven't heard them. Anyway, this disc is definitely worth checking out, despite the goofy-looking, swingerdelic cover art.

Kent Westberry "Songwriter" (West Harbour Records, 19--?) (LP)
Man, that is one scary-looking album cover! Guess ol' Kent might have been burning the candle at both ends for a while there back in the day...

Kent Westberry "...And The Memory Makers" (Crackerbox Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by John Denny & Clarke Schleicher)
A set of all-original Kent Westberry compositions, including collaborations with Stonewall Jackson, Benny Joy, Charlie McCoy, Mel Tillis, and Marijohn Wilkin... This appears to be a souvenir album of Westberry's touring band, or at least the musicians backing him were the actual Memory Makers, rather than a gaggle of usual-suspect Nashville pros. The band included Barbara Allen on piano, Donna Atkinson (guitar), Charlie Jenkins (drums), Ronnie Lutrick (bass), Larry Nutter (guitar), and quadruple-threat Susan Thomsen on bass, guitar, organ and vocals.

Billy Western "...Comes To Nashville And Makes Some Records With Little Roy Wiggins" (Empire Sound Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Doyle Grisham, Debbie Morton & Billy Western)

Billy Western "...And His Old Time Religion" (Empire Sound Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Doyle Grisham & Wynk Tyler)
An all-gospel set, with Doyle Grisham once again at the helm, along with Shorty Grisham, John Trainer and Butch Westbrook, as well as gospel artist Les Beasley, who helped with the vocal arrangements and may be singing on the album as well. Not sure when this one came out, as the liner notes are pretty vague...

Billy Western "...From Milano Texas" (Empire Sound Records, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Western & Doyle Grisham)
A laid-back set, featuring backing from Doyle Grisham, Willie Rainford and Little Roy Wiggins... Plenty of forlorn, broken-hearted love songs, including "Any Old Time," "Born To Lose," "Jealous Heart," "I Love You So Much It Hurts," "I'm Sealing This Letter With Tears" and others.

Western Boogie Express "Western Boogie Express" (Tell International, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Merritt, Larry Merritt & Robin Beck)
It would be really difficult not to be totally charmed by this raw, amateurish, enthusiastic set of '60s/'70s cover tunes. I didn't even try. This four-piece band from Yakima, Washington was made up of two married couples: Shannon and Gary Robinson, and Mitzi and Donaldson, with a little additional piano plunking by producer Larry Merritt. They cover pop, country and Motown oldies, stuff like Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock'N'Roll," Bonnie Tyler's "It's A Heartache," "Take It Easy" by the Eagles, and Hank Strzelecki's oft-covered comedic ditty, "Long Tall Texan." The sessions were crudely produced and the musicianship is hardly what you'd call slick, but that's definitely a plus in this case... Some unexpectedly tough-toned, fuzzed-out electric guitar zings up a tune or two, almost placing this in the same category of naifish power-pop by '80s/'90s bands such as the Flatmates or the Fastbacks. The guys are the very epitome of "just plain folks" musicians, true amateurs singing songs that are just plain fun to sing, and giving it their all, in their own loveably un-commercial way. Dig it.

The Western Echoes "...At Bill Dugan's Country Music Inn" (Stone Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Dugan & Bill Haskins)
Nice live album showcasing a rock-solid Rust Belt country band... This was recorded at Bill Dugan's Country Music Inn, a country joint that opened back in 1973 in Northern Illinois -- in a little town called Half Day, near Chicago. Dugan's catered to twangfans who didn't want to drive all the way to the big city to get see a show... The Western Echoes was the house band, with musicians drawn from throughout the upper Great Lakes region, Tennessee and the upper Midwest... The featured singers were Jack Weber, who had apparently been in a few bands before this, along with Libby Sheperd and her husband, Tennessee steel player Jim Shepard, who is a superb accompanist... They were pretty darn good. Libby Sheperd was packaged as the star performer, but she actually only has two solo numbers, covers of a Billie Joe Spears tune, "Blanket On The Ground" and Marty Robbins' "Walking Piece Of Heaven," sung in a distinctly Loretta Lynn-ish tone. She also does a couple of duets, on "Jackson" and "Sweet Thang," while the guys in the band take turns the spotlight on the other songs. Drummer Rick Williams takes the lead on a couple of tunes, while bassist Ernie Green also has a couple of solo numbers, sounding quite a bit like Merle Haggard. There's no date on the disc, but they cover Joe Stampley's 1975 hit, "Roll On Big Mama," so between that and the groovy feathered hair on the kid in the back row, I'm guessing this came out in '76 or thereabouts. Definitely worth a spin!

The Western Echoes "From Us To You" (Safari Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Howard & Jim Cotton)

The Western Echos "Live At The Nashville Room: London, England" (Map Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Vaughan & Roy Mullins)
Strange but true: this British country-covers band is actually a completely different group from the Chicago-area ensemble listed above. Go figure. The repertoire is more oldies and hillbilly oriented, with chestnuts like "Kawliga" and "Bury Me Beneath The Willow," and a few more modern tunes such as "Together Again" and "Okie From Muskogee."

The Western Echos "Four In The Morning" (Avenue Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Gordon Smith)
I guess I'd file these country-lovin' Brits under "well meaning..." Although objectively the overall impact of this album is underwhelming, they clearly had a strong appreciation for authentic country music, both in their choice of repertoire (Louvin Brothers, Ray Price, Webb Pierce) and in their simple, back-to-basics approach, with spare arrangements centered around Ken Pierce's steel guitar and some sweet licks on bandleader Roy Mullins' mandolin. There are several contending influences at play -- straight-ahead old-school honkytonk, tempered by a bluegrass-ish flair, particularly on the Jim & Jesse-influenced mandolin riffs, and a western-folkie strand as well. Where they fall flat is both on the vocals and on the overall delivery -- you can really hear them trying to hit their marks, and it sounds very effortful, in that we-only-have-a-little-bit-of-studio-time way that sometimes impacts these indie albums. Okay, so they sounded a little stiff, but so what? I guess there's no way to know how much looser they were live (or even how frequently they played) but perhaps one can read between the lines on the damned-by-faint-praise liner notes from British country critic Bryan Chalker, who goes out of his way to underscore that he hasn't even listened to the record, and had only seen the band play once, noting their "rough edges," as well as their rugged spontaneity. Harsh. On three tracks, they bring in a ringer, vocalist Pete Sayers, who has a smooth, folkie tone, and closes the album with a version of "Hobo's Lullaby." On balance, though, I'd say this is worth checking out, at least if you're into the more obscure threads of where country music crept into the English musical landscape.

Western Edition "Live? Well...Almost" (Wested Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Mason & Western Edition)
A live set by a twangy trio from Boise, Idaho... The band included singer-guitarist Don Hughes, bassist Jerry Long and drummer Joe Miller, working through a set that included rock and pop material like "Kansas City," "Play Me" and "Rock Me Gently," as well as country tunes such as "Before The Next Teardrop Falls" and "Brown Eyed Handsome Man." There's also an original tune, "Grow Old With You," written by the album's engineer, Ron Mason. The show was recorded in July of 1975 at a place called the Hi Ho Club, in Boise.

The Western Gentlemen "The Western Gentlemen Of Reata Pass" (Rodeo Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Miller, Buck Coghlan & The Western Gentlemen)
Formed in 1966, this Arizona trio was made up of bassist Harold "Buck" Coghlan, fiddler Willard E. "Slim" Forbes, and singer-guitarist Jon E. Severson (aka Johnny Dakota) who was originally from the Dakotas. At the time they cut this album, they were apparently holding down a regular gig at the Reata Pass Steak House, near Scottsdale, specializing in western (cowboy) songs, along with a dash of Willie Nelson, Roger Miller and Dallas Frazier, and one song written by Severson, "Broken Dreams." All three bandmembers had long histories playing various gigs, including Johnny Dakota's stint on the Sun Valley Barn Dance show in Minneapolis, and Slim Forbes' days playing with Marty Robbins, before Robbins split for Nashville.

The Western Gospel Messengers "Western Gospel Messengers" (19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Miller, Buck Coghlan & The Western Gentlemen)
A country gospel group from Corvallis, Montana featuring Chuck Burrus, Jeanne Burrus and their thirteen-year-old daughter Sandy, along with songwriter Bill Ralston (1935-2020) on rhythm guitar and his sixteen-year-old son Steve Ralston playing lead, as well as championship fiddler Jimmy Widner. Not exactly sure when this one came out, but it looks like a 1970's outing. Bill Ralston's obituary notes that he also recorded a few CDs under his own name, though I haven't been able to track down any of their titles...

Johnny Western "Have Gun, Will Travel" (Columbia Records, 1962) (LP)
(Produced by Irving Townsend)
Michigan-born cowpoke Johnny Western (ne John Westerlund, b. 1934) was one of the many fellas swept up in Hollywood's western revival of the late 1950s and early '60s. He headed for California in the early 1950s and soon landed a job on Gene Autry's show, where he worked until 1957, when Autry downsized and closed down his film studio. Western also was an actor, finding bit roles in numerous TV cowboy shows, and was tapped to record this album at the height of the "historical" song fad of the Kennedy era. The opening track, "The Ballad Of Paladin," was the theme song from the popular TV show, Have Gun, Will Travel, and was later recorded by stars such as Duane Eddy and Faron Young; it was also used in a pivotal scene in Rob Reiner's 1986 drama, Stand By Me. Though Johnny Western co-composed "The Battle Of Paladin," most of the songs on this album were penned by Stan Jones, a fellow actor who had a profitable sideline as a cowboy singer for the kiddie-oriented Disneyland label. The back cover sports lengthy liner notes by Johnny Cash who apparently really was pals with Mr. Westerlund, having hired him in the late 'fifties as part of his roadshow, after Westerlund left Gene Autry's organization; Westerlund backed Cash on some of his early Columbia albums and years later Cash him cut an independently released country album, which is reviewed below.

Johnny Western "Johnny Western" (House Of Cash/JRC Productions, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Harold Bradley, Charlie Bragg & Johnny Cash)
Also issued under the title Arizona Morning, this late-career album by Michigan-born cowpoke Johnny Western was recorded at the Tennessee studios of his former boss and longtime buddy, Johnny Cash, who provided a real all-star lineup of top Nashville players for the sessions. In contrast to the western-themed albums that bracket it, this is a more of a mainstream country record, opening with a thumping, outlaw-flavored rendition of "The Last Time I Saw Phoenix," one of several tracks where Mr. Western does a pretty good job channelling a Waylon Jennings vibe. He also likes to croon, and this may or may not appeal to twangfans, though even some of these tracks can have their rewards, notably the Hank Cochran-Dave Kirby collaboration, "You Wouldn't Know Love," which has a nice lyrical twist. A fairly groovy change of pace for a guy mostly known for cowboy music... Definitely worth a spin!

Johnny Western "...Sings 20 Great Classics And Legends" (Americana Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Clement)
Mr. Westerlund returned to Nashville to cut a back-to-basics set of western/cowboy tunes, with help again from a bunch of top-flight session players. These tracks were later included on a 1989 Bear Family reissue, titled Gunfight At O.K. Corral. Also of interest: Johnny Western additionally worked in radio, and starting around the time this album was made, he was an on-air personality at Wichita, Kansas country powerhouse KFDI, which had an in-house band called the Wichita Linemen; dunno if he ever recorded anything with the Linemen... but it sure is a tantalizing possibility! He was even eventually inducted into the Kansas Cowboy Hall Of Fame.

The Western Swingers "Swingin' Live At The Western Swinger" (Kanwic Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Miller, Buck Coghlan & The Western Gentlemen)
The Western Swinger was a country music nightclub located in Wichita, Kansas (on 47th and South Broadway) during the late 1960s and early '70s. This band included the owners, Joan Schultze and Paul Schultze, along with lead singer DeWayne Bowman, bandleader and bassist Frank McMeans, Jimmy Powell (steel guitar), and Chet Vaughn on drums. Over the years, Dewayne Bowman was perhaps the most prolific performer, buying his own bar -- The Paint Stallion, in Joplin, Missouri -- and recording several singles as well as an album in the early 'Eighties, and playing on some a few records with other regional artists. Although the club's name suggests an affinity for Texas-style western swing, the repertoire was mostly straight-up country standards and contemporary hits, stuff like "Proud Mary" and "Statue Of A Fool." Among the many bands to pass through the Swinger were local legends, The Wichita Linemen, made up of various deejays at radio station KFDI; not sure how long the club was open or exactly when it opened.

The Western Swingers "Something Different" (Tang Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Alvin Frierson & Jim Plaunche)
The first, and likely only, album by this self-described "country rock" quartet from Ponchatoula, Louisiana. Not to be confused with the earlier band from Kansas (see above) this group including singer-guitarist Bobby LeBlanc (1933-2023) backed by Harry Bernard (bass), Mike Dehnel (lead guitar), and P. T. Maxwell on drums. The repertoire is mostly a mix of country classics ("Lost Highway," "Walking The Floor") and some contemporary, early 'Seventies crowd pleasers, including one song from Mike Curb and three by Kris Kristofferson. Although Bobby LeBlanc is described as the lead singer, Mike Dehnel sings on three songs, and also has a couple of spotlight instrumentals, a version of Floyd Cramer's "Last Date," and his own tune, "Walking The Six." Not a lot of information about these guys; apparently Mr. LeBlanc later performed on something called the South Louisiana Hayride, though I'm not sure if the other guys pursued music as well. The only other release on the hyper-local Tang label seems to have been a single by producer Alvin Frierson, who lived in nearby Pearl River, LA.

Western Union "Branding Iron" (1982) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Anderson, Charles Eichelberger & Steve Crunk)
The Branding Iron Saloon was a country bar opened in 1981 by veteran country/rockabilly star Roy Head down in Porter, Texas, on the northern edge of Houston. Western Union was the club's first house band, led by songwriter and lead guitar picker Steve Crunk, along with Steve Anderson on bass, David Farenthold (steel guitar), Gerald LeBeau (drums) and Charlie Moore on steel guitar. Although I'm sure they played plenty of oldies and standards, this disc is packed with original material, including eight songs written by Steve Crunk, with about half of these also crediting various bandmembers. There's only one cover song, "Are You Sincere," written by '50s honkytonk legend Wayne P. Walker, a selection that speaks well of these guy's taste in twang. Not sure if this band made any other records together although around the same time this album came out, Crunk and Anderson also backed a guy named Mark Grant, on a rock EP called For You My Love. Originally from Alabama, Mr. Crunk seems to have been kicking around for a long time, including a stint with the rock band The Chessmen, who recorded a couple of his songs in 1971 for the Muscle Shoals-based Paradox label, where he also produced a few singles. I think moved back to Alabama and may have passed away in 2006, at fifty-six years of age. [Note: this Western Union should not be confused with the German country group of the same name, which recorded quite a few records in the 1980s and '90s.]

The Western Union Band "A Message From..." (Zan Beck Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Hammett)
Not to be confused with the pop group from Singapore, or the Californians below, this band from Little Rock, Arkansas featured Jimmy Bishop on bass, Ricky Campbell (lead guitar), Randy Holland (drums), Rudy Osborne (pedal steel), Pete Richardson (piano), and Tony Terry (trombone). Some cover songs, as well as some original material...

The Western Union Band "Western Union Band" (Sue-Del Records, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Mark Leggett, Eddie King & Steve Cormier)
This traditionally-oriented Southern California country band was led by singer-bassist Mike Smart, son of the truly superb Bakersfield duo of Del and Sue Smart, and is dedicated to his father's memory, Del Smart having passed away in 1984. The group also included Lonnie Allen on drums, fiddler Doug Atwell, Joel Ferguson (pedal steel) and Jim Wright (guitar). Although they have a few cover tunes, the album is also packed with originals, written by Mike Smart and other guys in the band.

The Westerners/Various Artists "A Few Of The Wild Bunch" (Wild West Recordings, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Jack)
This one's a little hard to decipher, but I think the deal is that this is a collection of several artists all individually backed by a band called the Westerners. The singers are Larry Jack, Bill Kramer, Marv Lindner and Skip Stanley... The album was released on a label from Brea, California (near Anaheim) and I'm guessing the guys were working at a club in the area when they cut this disc. Marv Lindner may be familiar to squaredance fans -- he was a popular figure on the Southern California "calling" scene and cut some records back in the '70s. Skip Stanley is fondly remembered for the Sputnik-era joke-a-billy single, "Satellite Baby."

Wet Behind The Ears "Wet Behind The Ears" (American Investment Company, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Andy Waterman)
A fairly dreadful country/folk/rock crossover album by an ambitious band from La Crosse, Wisconsin. They covered some interesting tunes, stuff like Peter Rowan's "Midnight Moonlight" and Gram Parson's "Luxury Liner" alongside a few gooey originals that teeter between sort-of countryish and disastrously fusionistic. The main problem I have here is with the vocals by Karen Deutsch, who has too much of a Joan Baez/Judy Collins folkie hangover for my tastes, but also on a few songs they get into a florid fiddle-rock sound reminiscent of It's A Beautiful Day. Not my cup of tea, although I'm sure there are others out there who might dig it.

The Wetherly Brothers "Johnny And Vern Sing Country Favorites" (Coronet Records, 196--?) (LP)
Low budget, but high reward. This cheapo-label mystery disc comes from a New York City-based budget label notorious for reissuing (and repackaging) nondescript indie artists, and true to form "The Wetherly Brothers" turn out to be a complete biographical fiction, as this is just a repackaging of an early-'Sixties album by a duo called Johnny & Vern. (Or maybe the Johnny & Vern album was a reissue of this one... who knows?) Anyway, here's what I wrote about the other version: Johnny Dubas and Vernon R. Sandusky (1939-2020) were a pair of clean-cut lads from Scranton, Pennsylvania and Coffeyville, Kansas, respectively, who were both 23-years old when they cut this album. This is an early 'Sixties outing -- the liner notes tell us they'd been "performing together since 1959," though I don't know if that means they'd also made other records, or when this one came out. (I'm guessing around 1962-63.) There may have been some original material on here, though songwriter credits weren't included. By 1964 Sandusky and Dubas shifted gears and formed a Beatles-y rock band called the Chartbusters, which supposedly was the inspiration for the greatest movie of all time, the Tom Hanks-directed documentary, That Thing You Do. Vernon Sandusky later joined Rodney Lay's Wild West, which became the backing band for Hee Haw star Roy Clark, a gig that lasted over twenty years, including playing on the Hee Haw show. Sandusky also recorded an album of his own on the GBS label, sometime around 1980 or so.

Wheatridge "Down Home" (Atteiram/API Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Duron Davis & William Thrasher)
This rootsy group from Atlanta, Georgia was originally a trio, featuring John Curry on bass and guitar, Darrell Henderson playing guitar and dobro, and Don Stewart on banjo and guitar. As the liner notes inform us, they mixed folk, bluegrass, rock and country, with heavy nods towards Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, also covering material by Bob Dylan, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mike Nesmith, Rual Yarbourough, and the then-psychedelicized Dillards. No original material, alas, but that changed on their next album, below. Apparently they played live at a place called P.J. Kennys, though I'm not sure how big a swath they actually cut on the rock-oriented music scene of "Underground Atlanta." They stuck with it, though, and made at least one other record...

Wheatridge "Wheatridge" (Sweetwater Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Carter, Jr.)
Not sure when this disc came out, though I'd guess around 1977 or so... The band's lineup had changed, with John Curry dropping out and the group that traveled to Nashville including Darrell Henderson on guitar, Don Stewart (banjo, guitar and piano), Terry Ryan (banjo and mandolin), Gary Stone (drums), and Dennis Mitchell playing bass. (If they persuaded producer-engineer Fred Carter, Jr. to add a few guitar licks, they woulda been pretty psyched...) When the band made their first album in '72, it was all well-chosen cover songs, but this time around they concentrated on their own material, written by Henderson and Stewart, with the sole exception being a version of Steve Young's "Seven Bridges Road," presumably showing the influence of the Eagles and the Top 40 country-rock scene. The lead vocals are shared by various guys in the band, who switched around on various instruments as well.

Onie Wheeler "Something Old, Something New" (Brylen Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Fields)

The Whippoorwills "The Whippoorwills" (Canatal Records, 196-?) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Newberry & Art Snider)
An amiable country combo from Toronto, Canada. This album is mostly instrumental, though with some vocals -- the band included Max Dauphin on steel guitar, his brother Ray Dauphin (guitar), Ray Francis (rhythm guitar), Bill Taylor (drums) and John Tangelis on bass. I wouldn't exactly call them effete, though they do sound a little bit restrained, especially on the vocal tunes. Ray Dauphin seems to be the real star of the show, laying down some solid steel licks... Pretty swell stuff overall, with a bunch of originals penned by various band members.

Whiskers And Lace "Whiskers And Lace" (Rain Tree Studios, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Miller)
A string-swing trio from Alexandria, Pennsylvania, with a slew of "trad-arr" standards, and a smattering of country and bluegrass covers, including a pair of tunes from a pair of Rodneys -- Rodney Crowell's "Song For The Life" and Rodney Dillard's "By And By." The group consisted of Kevin Curry on fiddle, guitar and mandolin, Galla Higinbotham on bass and guitar, and George Higinbotham playing banjo and bass. The album also includes at least one original, "Old Back Roads," credited to George Higinbotham, but mostly seems to be a pop/jazz oldies set. I'm not sure if these three really played professionally; the album seems to be a memento of "Aunt Amy's wedding," produced after the fact and perhaps bankrolled by Aunt Amy herself.

Whiskey Creek Old Time String Band "On The Rocks" (Farmers Record Co., 1978) (LP)
Mostly stringband twang from this longhaired old-timey band from Fresno, California, although they do include one song called "Country Music Life." This is from the same label that the band The Music Farmers were on, with head Farmer Bill Hunter sitting in on banjo, along with Sue Hunnel (fiddle), Tom Hunnel (banjo), Bill Terry on guitar and Frenchie Watson on bass...

Whiskey Creek Old Time String Band "Hoedown Boogie!" (Grasshopper Productions, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Eric Seaburg)
Slight personnel change this time around, with the group pared down to a foursome: Bill Terry and the Hunnells are joined by bassist Zane Thomas Heifner, still playing the same mix of bluegrass and old-timey tunes. Pretty solid, fiddling and picking -- lively, propulsive and filled with joy. The album ends with a new tune, an original by Tom Hunnel which is one of those playing-for-tips-in-a-bar musician laments, in which the singer's nightly take is a meagre six dollars... (Though if memory serves me right, six bucks could go a long way in Fresno, back in the early 'Eighties...) Pretty groovy, high-octane hippie bluegrass from the center of California.

Whiskey Dreams "100% Proof Music" (GOS Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Grimm)

Whiskey Ridge "Liquid Luxury" (Chokecherry Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Lewis Marten Peterson)
A Canadian country-rock trio from Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Whiskey Ridge featured lead singer R. C. Hummel, Brian Wiebe on bass, and Marty Nelson on drums. The album includes songs by J. J. Cale ("Call Me The Breeze" and "Tulsa Time"), Bob Dylan, The Eagles ("Peaceful Easy Feeling"), Merle Haggard ("Silver Wings") and Waylon Jennings ("Rainy Day Woman") as well as a couple of songs that were probably originals by the band, though there are no songwriter credits...

Whiskey Ridge "Movin' Up" (Garnette Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Jody Everett Peterson, Sr.)
Amazingly this is an entirely different band than the group from Canada... These folks were a hardcore country covers band, self-proclaimed veterans of the "Nevada Circuit" who name-checked a number of hotels and casinos they'd played in across the state. With a mix of contemporary and golden oldies, and their agent's phone number on the back cover, this disc was very much meant as a calling card to get more work. The group included brothers Jim Harris (rhythm guitar) and Phil Harris (bass and vocals), along with Carl Bird (lead guitar), Linda Mowray (vocals), Tom Scott (drums) and Jimmy Youngblood on steel. They all took turns singing lead, with Phil Harris and Linda Mowray singing a duet on "Paradise Tonight." Overall, the band sounds charming though maybe a little frantic and kind of slickly produced. This was recorded at Sierra Nevada Recording, an independent studio in Reno, run by producer Jody Peterson, who'd recorded some cool stuff with artists such as Ernie Hagar and Merle Haggard, circa 1979-81. Phil Harris and Linda Mowray kept Whiskey Ridge together all through the '80s, and were still putting out singles as late as 1987, although the rest of the band's lineup was completely different by then. Phil Harris recorded at least one solo album, Here I Am, in 1989, with Linda Mowray chiming in on one of the tunes, and a couple of the songs written by his brother Jim. Ms. Mowray settled down around Reno, though I'm not sure what became of the Harris brothers.

Whiskey River "Volume One" (Nashville Remote Recording, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jimmy Clum, Vic Gabany & Kurt Storey)
One of several bands called "Whiskey River," this group hailed from Dennison, Ohio, a tiny hamlet just south of Akron. This particular Whiskey River was led by singer David Gentson, who previously had a band known as David Gentson & The Gents, which played gigs at a local pizza parlor called the Holmstead Lounge. The Gents put out a lone(?) single in 1975, featuring Genton's song "Take Away The Empties," co-written with a guy named Lewis C. Hunter -- it's a great uptempo honkytonk number which sadly is not included here. I'm not sure if there was any overlap between the two bands -- the lineup of The Gents is unknown, while Whiskey River included David Gentson on lead guitar and steel, Freddie Regula (piano), Kurt Storey (fiddle), Deryl Stutz (bass) and Jack Wood (drums). Anyway, this record was a pretty low-rent private-press affair, and I would have guessed it was the earlier release, except that it includes covers of Mickey Gilley's "The Girls Get Prettier At Closing Time" and the Ronnie Milsap hit, "It Was Almost Like A Song," which came out in 1976 and '77, respectively. There was also some groovy outlaw stuff on here -- "Whiskey River," of course, Waylon's "Did Hank Really Do It This Way," Pure Prairie League's "I'll Fix Your Flat Tire Merle," so these guys were pretty hip for a small-town covers band. David Gentson had a great voice, but I'm not sure if he did much after this... Apparently the surname Gentson was a pseudonym, which doesn't help narrow things down, though bassist Deryl Stutz (1941-2020) did join another local band called the Code West Band, which was doing shows in the early 1990s, and fiddler Kurt Storey seems to have done some session work (including on an early Amy Grant album) and later shifted into work as a recording engineer. So, not so bad for some small town fellas!

Whiskey River "Whiskey River" (Northland Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Dick Hedlund, Scott Rivard & Hamilton Wesley Watt)
First formed in 1973, the Moose Lake, Minnesota band Whiskey River was originally a quartet made up of brothers Dick and Larry Fadness, lead singer LJ Johnson Jr., and drummer Greg Snyder... By the time they cut this album, the lineup had changed considerably, with the biggest change being the addition of a new singer, Judd Erickson, and the band expanding to include steel player Dale Lings, fiddler Pete Macartney on fiddle, while rhythm guitarist Danny Naslund joined the group right after they recorded this album. Although they were regionally popular for several years, the band's greatest claim to fame was perhaps as a launching pad for the career of Top Forty country star Paulette Carlson, who headlined the young country powerhouse Highway 101. She's listed as a "guest vocalist" on this album, and I had assumed she was a relative of Whiskey River's manager Terry "Frenchy" Carlson (1955-2015) although she wasn't mentioned in his obituary, so perhaps it's just a coincidence. (A lot of Carlsons up there around the Great Lakes....) Anyway, these guys were quite good. The album opens with a string of amazingly well executed, high-level country-rock tunes; this band was operating at a level on par with the best longhaired twangbands in Los Angeles, and they knew it. Things go a little sideways on Side Two, when they try out some hard rock riffs, and bang out a couple of songs that might have been fun live, but don't hold up well on vinyl. Still, the good stuff is really pretty impressive. Along with a few groovy cover tunes (Waylon Jennings' "Rainy Day Woman," etc.) there's a slew of original material, with a couple of songs written by Danny Naslund, one by Judd Erickson, and three from Dick Fadness, including one called "Northwoods Woman," co-written by Frenchy Carlson. If you're looking for a private press '70s country set that's actually pretty good, you might want to track this one down.

Whiskey River "Whiskey River" (Lutie Street Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Randy Scruggs & Steve Scruggs)
This was the same Minnesota band as above... The lineup on their second album remained pretty much the same, with the Fadness brothers as lead vocalists, and Paulette Carlson still listed as a "guest" singer. The biggest change was that this album was recorded in Nashville under the auspices of Randy and Steve Scruggs (sons of bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs) and Randy Scruggs adds a few licks on banjo and mandolin, while studio pro Buddy Emmons sitting in on keyboards. Otherwise, it's basically the band themselves working through a set that mixes eclectic cover tunes with their own original material. Frenchy Carlson was still on board as the band's manager, though not long after this he moved into the rock world and took a long-term gig as the merchandise roadie for a little band called REM. This Whiskey River group broke up in the early 'Eighties, with Paulette Carlson moving to Nashville and co-founding Highway 101 a few years later; the band staged a 2014 reunion show celebrating an anniversary of one of the Moose Lake bars they used to play at, with Carlson dropping in as well.

Whiskey River "In Concert" (Whiskey River Productions, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bobby Humphrey & A. Svenson)
A rock-solid set by a honkytonk-&-western swing out of from Rapid City, North Dakota, which was not related to the Minnesota band above... This Whiskey River had their own radio show for a couple of years on station KIMM and play all cover tunes on this album, pretty standard stuff, but their delivery and attitude are surprisingly sharp. The album includes two medleys of music by Merle Haggard and Don Williams, both fine choices, and well performed The album is actually two album-side length recordings without individual track grooves, probably taken from their on-air broadcasts, although the liner notes don't make that entirely clear. The first track, "Band's Gonna Do It Again" is a curious reworking of the Charlie Daniels hit... I guess the band liked the original song, but not the neo-Confederate southern rock sentiment? Whiskey River (North Dakota) consisted of Mike Crawford, Bobby Humphrey, Don McLaughlin, Laurie Payseno and "Stringbean" Svenson. They may have had a couple of records before this, though if so, I haven't tracked them down yet. At any rate, this disc's a doozy. Definitely worth a spin.

The Whiskey River Band "Blended Whiskey" (Noteworthy Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Tim Hale & The Whiskey River Band)
Geez. Another one! With a slightly longer name to differentiate them, the Whiskey River Band was a group from Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin and included Al Blau (piano, guitar), Jim Peronto (bass), Mike Soffa (pedal steel, lead guitar) and Scott Strandell on drums. The album is made up of all original material, with most songs written by the band members, and though the picking is pretty solid -- particularly the pedal steel -- the vocals are almost universally pretty iffy. Some interesting lyrics, though, with one album highlight being the novelty number "The Temptress," in which the narrator tells of a middle-of-the-day motel rendezvous, where he's worried he'll get spotted, and is particularly worried that his boss will find out about it, since it's in the middle of his work day. (Turns out the temptress of the title was... his wife!!) Overall, I'd say this was an ambitious set of original material, though the execution was a bit clumsy... maybe they just needed more time in the studio(?) Guitarist Mike Soffa was also the owner of a popular local music store, Mike's Music and Sound, which he opened in 1974, and sold in 2002. The guys in this band seemed to have dispersed, with many moving to other states, though some version of the band recorded a digital-era album a couple of decades later... Not sure if that was a reunion gig, or if Al Blau kept the band together in between.

The Whiskey River Band "Live At The Holiday Inn" (2001) (CD)
A live recording by a latter-day edition of the Wisconsin band which included Al Blau, Brian Boehlen, Vince Boehlen, Brent Clauson, Bonnie Peronto, and Jim Peronto. This was most likely a tape of a reunion concert, but don't quote me on that. (It's also worth noting that there are numerous other Whiskey River bands, with many recording a single or two, in places as far flung as Australia and the UK. A group originally from Alaska that also called itself Whiskey River backed top forty second-stringer Mike Lunsford when he played up in Fairbanks, and moved down to the Lower 48 to become his tour band in the late 1970s.)

The Whiskey River Crusade "Introducing..." (Portland Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ellis Miller)
I was a little disappointed this wasn't a gospel record (with a name like that...) but it's always fun to find another album made in the orbit of Ripcord Records. The singers were Dave Dixon, Rod Ham and Don Spivey, taking turns singing lead vocals, with Ham being described in the liner notes as their leader. Dixon worked as a studio musicians and engineer for Ripcord Studios, and the rest of the guys on this album were Ripcord regulars -- guitarist/steel player Gene Breeden, Ellis Miller, pianist Gene Keyes, and Don Turner on lead guitar. The repertoire on this album is all cover songs, with country stuff by The Eagles, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings and various oldies augmented by rock tunes by The Beatles and Little Richard, with probably the most obscure song on here being Will Miller and Jimmy Snyder's "Take Her Flowers," which was originally demo-ed by Snyder around 1970. I'm not sure if the Crusade was a real band or not, though some version of this group backed a guy named Ray Yeager (who probably wasn't the same guy who played drums the Atlanta Rhythm Session) on an ultra-indie PNW single, and they may have done some locals gigs in the early 'Seventies. There's no release date, but their cover of "Tequila Sunrise" means this came out sometime around or after 1973. Nice and twangy.

Whisky Hollow "We Know Better" (Shotgun Music Corporation, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Beach)
Recorded and produced in Ontario, Canada, this album includes three songs written by lead singer Lew Wilde ("Barroom Devil," "Mason Dixon Line" and "Heart Of Dixie") along with one by lead guitar Guy Wilkes ("Keep On Tryin'") and a cover of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles." Also in the band are fiddler R. J. Nellzy, Pat Brousseau on bass, and Joe Allain on pedal steel.

Norman Whistler "Rural Rythm" (Repeat Records, 1964) (LP)
(Produced by L. M. Barcus)
A kooky looking album which has floated around for decades in the quarter bins of many a West Coast record store... The impression of kookiness comes mostly from the 19th Century-style carnival-barker artwork on the album's front cover, although the record itself is a pretty straightforward set of old-timey fiddle music. The liner notes (and his obituary) inform us that fiddler Norman Whistler (1933-2009) was a Kansas native who began playing in his teens and performed live in several regional bands in and around Independence, KS, near the Oklahoma border. At age seventeen he won a local talent show, which helped propel him out of the Sunflower State, traveling first to New York City, where he placed second in a contest hosted by The Arthur Godfey Show and then to Los Angeles, where he set down roots in 1958, and worked for several years as a professional musician. Whistler played in the house band at a country music club in Long Beach, and apparently worked cutting song demos, including some sessions with guitarist Glen Campbell. This album is one of a handful of LPs commissioned by Repeat Records, an odd local label that seems to have been established solely to help promote the "Barcus-Berry Direct Process" recording technology, which proudly proclaimed that no microphones were used, supposedly producing a superior sound quality. Repeat drew on an eclectic mix of Southern Californian country, jazz and pop musicians, including many session players who were employed by the film and television industries -- on this album, Whistler was backed by country pickers Dee Ford (a female guitar player who also worked with Merle Haggard) and bassist Carl Scroggins, as well as drummer Frank Flynn and horn player Ted Nash, who were both alumni of the Les Brown Orchestra. Norman Whistler and Carl Scroggins also played on another Repeat LP, a cowjazz set by western swing steel guitar legend Noel Boggs, which came out the following year, in 1965. Not long after this, in 1966, Norman Whistler moved back to the Midwest, opening a grocery store in Copan, Oklahoma, about twenty-five miles away from where he grew up. He continued playing music regionally, including a stint with an early edition of Rodney Lay's Wild West Band, and later as a house musician for a local mini-opry called the Nowata Country Jubilee, along with his wife Louise.

Jim Whitaker "Ode To The Farmer: America Is Depending On Him" (Boyd Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Bobby Boyd & Tommy Strong)
Years before Willie came up with Farm Aid, these Oklahoma locals paid tribute to the challenges and foreclosures facing American farmers. Veteran arranger Cliff Parman was on board for this agricultural odyssey, with songs composed by Jimmy J. Parman and friends: Kenneth Forsythe, Lyle McPheeters, Carol A. Pleasants, and Robin Roberts. Includes songs like the title track, as well as "Legends Never Die," "Farmer's Lament, "The Sale" and "The Biggest Hog Fry." Only in OK!

Lillimae Whitaker & The Dixie Gospelaires "Jesus Has Called Me" (Rural Rhythm Records, 19--?) (LP)

Lillimae Whitaker & The Dixie Gospelaires "There's A Big Wheel" (Rome Recordings/Gloryland Records, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Casey)
Straightforward bluegrass gospel, with several originals as well as covers of old standards, and a couple of contemporary tunes by John Duffy and J. D. Crowe. Lillimae Hardy Whitaker is joined by her husband, mandolin picker Charlie Whitaker, along with a pretty straightforward assortment of traditional instruments -- bass, banjo, fiddle and dobro. This was recorded at the Rome Studios, in Columbus, Ohio; Mrs. Whitaker (1939-2014) lived in Kenton, Ohio, a little to the north. The Whitakers founded the Dixie Gospelaires in 1959, along with banjo player Noah Hollon, who helped anchor the band for several decades. Charlier Whitaker took a hiatus in the early '80s to tour with Bill Monroe(!) and the Gospelaires disbanded for about a decade, reforming in 1995, with Whitaker's youngest son Jeff joining as the band's lead guitarist.

Bill White "Reaching Out" (Angelus Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Wesley Tuttle, Sr.)
Dunno much about this evangelical gospel singer, although my attention was drawn to country-rocker Red Rhodes playing pedal steel on the album, along with Wesley Tuttle Jr. playing piano, Jay Lacy on guitar and Don Whaley on bass. Lacy and Whaley seem to have done a lot of session work together: Whaley was in the '70s rock band Honk, and also played with Ray Sanders, Ian Matthews, Rusty Weir, Rodney Crowell, and others. Jay Lacy joined him in Matthews and Weir's band; he also played with Hoyt Axton, Michael Nesmith, and appeared on Red Rhodes' landmark album, "Velvet Hammer," as well as Garland Frady's "Pure Country" LP. No indication of where Mr. White was from, or where he pastored, but he sure had a high-powered crew backing him for this album.

Bill White "Wanted Man" (Bejay Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by David Matthews)
It seems likely that this is a totally different guy than the gospel singer listed above... but don't quote me on that. This set was recorded in Fort Smith, Alabama with Rex Bell (keyboards), Skip Marshall (bass), Bill Flash (lead guitar), Tom Ware (fiddle), and studio owner Ben Jack on dobro and steel guitar. There are several songs credited to T. Cerney, along with various collaborators (C. Craig, A. Roberts, B. Martin, et.al.)

Bob White "Steel Trek" (Longhorn/Mid Land Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Ben Jack)
A virtuosic (but kinda cheesy) pedal steel instrumentals album from veteran player Bob White, an Arkansas boy who got his first gig working with Bob Wills in 1952, then jumped ship over to Hank Thompson, touring and recording with the Brazos Valley Boys through the rest of the decade. White's a great musician, and like many steel players he shows a strong sense of humor in his solo work, notably in his song selection (covers of "Kangaroo Hop," the surfadelic "Steel Guitar Wipeout" and a goofy, hard-rockin' version of "Raunchy") along with some outright cornball pop covers, such as Paul McCartney's "My Love" and the Carpenters' "Top Of The World." The album kicks off with a pastiche/medley of classic western swing and country riffs, titled "Bits And Pieces," which also introduces us to the intermittent backup vocals by Tracy Friel and Bruce Ewen. This was recorded at Ben Jack's BeJay Studios in Van Buren, Arkansas, with plenty of top pickers backing him. Mostly this is a little too florid for my tastes, though I kinda dug the surf tune and his version of Kris Kristofferson's "Why Me Lord."

Buck White & The Whites -- see artist discography

Cece White "Country Music And A Man" (Appco Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Sandy Lamont & Ed Waldron)
A career military man and country deejay who worked in several different markets, Cece White laid down roots in Arizona, where for many years he led a fifteen-member band called The Arizona Playboys. In addition to this album, Mr. White also released a few singles on Appco Records, and at least one on Arbe Records, backed by the Playboys. At the time this album came out, Mr. White hosted a nightly radio show during the midnight to six graveyard shift, which aired on KJJJ 910-AM, in Phoenix. The concept behind this album was to showcase country songwriters from Arizona, and while it also includes a few oldies from Gene Autry, Jenny Lou Carson and Hank Williams, most of the songs are indeed Arizona originals. There are three songs by Ed Tomas, two by S. C. Maupin, and a couple more from the Sundial Publishing company, including one from Cece White and another by Dale Noe, an old-timer who was an alumnus of Texas Jim Roberts' band. There are no musicians credits on this album, but it's worth noting that this set was produced at Desert Sound Recording, a feisty independent studio based in Phoenix. Songwriter Ed Tomas also recorded there, cutting at least one single with his own originals (and not songs already included here) while "S. C. Maupin" remains a figure of mystery. Mr. White seems to have been with KJJJ up until its sale and format change in the mid-1980s, and also worked at another local country station, KHAT.

White Cloud "White Cloud" (Good Medicine Records, 1972) (LP)
Perhaps best known as a rock music songwriter and record producer, Thomas Jefferson Kaye worked with big-name acts such as the Kingsmen, the Shirelles and later with artists on the edge of the country-rock scene, such as Loudon Wainwright III and ex-Byrd Gene Clark. He also recorded as an artist himself, releasing a few albums under his own name, though White Cloud was his first band to make a record, with one of the more distinctly country-oriented albums. Fiddler Kenny Kosek and multi-instrumentalist Eric Weissberg were in the band, playing gigs with Kaye on the East Coast before cutting this lone album... The following year, he released a couple of more rock-oriented records under his own name.

Danny White "Country Boy" (Grand Prix Records, 1987) (LP)
Seriously: why should Terry Bradshaw have all the fun, when it comes to country-singing NFL pros? Danny White, late '70s punter and early '80s quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, tried his hand at singin' a few country tunes, including (yet another) version of Mickey Newbury's "American Trilogy," and a cover of "Let It Be Me." Ride, 'em, Cowboy!

Don White "Shades Of White" (Summit Records, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Kenny Hanks)
A set of country ballads and pop standards, done country(politan) style by a middle-aged Midwesterner... The Summit label was in Poplar Bluffs, Missouri, though I'm not sure if that's where Mr. White was from... One clue is a declaration on the front of the album: "Don Endorses Clyde's Chapparal Club, Home Of The Finest Food And Entertainment," a joint in Caruthersville, a tiny town about fifty miles away, way down in the southernmost tip of the state... So that seems more likely to have been his stomping grounds -- indeed, there was a Don White who was the country clerk for neighboring Stoddard County... so who knows? Anyway, he mostly played old ballads like "Stardust" and "Pennies In The Rain," though there were some genuine country numbers as well: Willie Nelson's "Night Life," Don Gibson's "Sweet Dreams," a Hank Williams oldie. The repertoire is pretty old, but I'd guess from the look of things that this was pressed in the mid- to late-'70s.

Harlan White "Harlan White" (Orchard Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Curt Allen)
Dunno much about this guy, though his comments about the song "Nashville Sunday" caught my eye: "Some of my favorite memories of Nashville are sitting around trading homemade songs at Guy and Susanna's..." And since Mr. Clark had only just put out his first couple of albums when this set from '76 came out, that's an impressive bit of name-dropping. All the songs are originals by Harlan White (1950-1992) a Louisiana native working in a solo acoustic, country-adjacent singer-songwriter mode. Townes Van Zandt comes to mind, as well as Greenwich Village veterans such as Keith Sykes, Mark Spoelstra, et. al. This appears to have been his only album, though he also cut some demos sessions that have circulated around the interwebs. There's surprisingly little information about this guy online although he was profiled in an obituary in Offbeat Magazine.

Herold White "I Remember Love" (Music City Records, 1974-?) (LP)
Though he was born in Kentucky, singer Herold White grew up in Florida and moved back there after a couple of decades spent performing in the Midwest, as well as a stint in Vegas. He released numerous singles on independent micro-labels, dating back to 1964, and recorded this album while living in the Midwest. White owned or operated a few nightclubs, first one in East Moline, Illinois (circa 1972), then one in Bettendorf, Iowa a few years later. He also started his own label, Maverick Productions, which released at least one album by another artist, a guy named Sonny Settles who seems to have been from Illinois. White moved back to Florida in the early '80s, first to work in Tampa and then back home to Live Oak, FL, where he was raised. This album was recorded in Nashville, with different musicians than he used at his own studio in Illinois: the group included Chuck Butler on bass, Jim Clark (piano), Jerry Guy (pedal steel) and John White on drums. It's not clear whether these were guys from Nashville, or his own band from the Midwest. White had a local band with an Facebook page that was active at least up through 2015. (Thanks to the Florida-based Radio Years website for their fine biography...)

Johnnie White "Party Time Again/Two Old Maids" (B&J Records, 1968-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Adams)
The liner notes inform us that singer Johnnie White (1925-2013) was born in Arkansas, grew up in Memphis, and worked all over the country, particularly in the upper Midwest... This album appears to have been made while he was headquartered in South Dakota and playing at his own clubs in Sioux Falls and Minneapolis. As with many self-released records, this was partly intended to advertise Mr. White's abilities as a performer (so that he could get more gigs) and frames him as a triple-threat artist. Side One is an extended comedy skit called "Two Old Maids," an example of the blue humor he shared in some of the rougher venues; Side Two showcases his musical talent, with three vocal tunes (oldies such as "Cattle Call" and "Born To Lose") along with three instrumental numbers, including "Sleepwalk" and "Caravan." He was working with several local musicians who don't seem to have recorded elsewhere: the band includes Johnnie White on bass and steel guitar, former garage rocker Doug Neste on lead guitar, Jo Anne Marie (piano and organ) and Cecil Sweet (banjo, drums and saxophone). There's no date on the record, but I'd guess late '60s, maybe even as late as 1970-72. Mr. White toured widely throughout the Midwest, also doing local radio and TV programs on a variety of stations; in the late '70s he moved out to California, and performed in LA up through the end of the 1980s. The "Two Old Maids" skit was also released as a double-7" "party record" sometime in the 'Sixties and again in the early 'Seventies.

Johnny White "Memories" (Alpine Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Adams)
Not to be confused with South Dakota's Johnnie White, this fella was from East Boston, Massachusetts, a songwriter and veteran performer of the New England hillbilly scene who was professionally billed as "the Yankee Yodeler." From a French-Canadian immigrant family, White's real name was Jean LeBlanc, and he started out in a duo with his brother -- The LeBlanc Brothers -- though by the time he began to record, White had adopted his Anglicized stage name. He was a practitioner of the ancient art of yodeling, tackling such classics as "Cannonball Yodel" as well as mainstream oldies as "Folsom Prison Blues." Alas, there are no song credits, although I think most of these tracks were Johnny White originals... Also no info on the album's producer, or the backing musicians, though 'Fifties country star Marvin Rainwater contributes liner notes.

White Lightnin' Express "With White Lightnin' " (Musi Motion Records, 1975-?) (LP)
A complete mystery band, with no info about where or when they recorded this set... alas. The group included Jay Booth on steel guitar, Guy Scaggs (vocals), Gary Smith (guitar and vocals), Junior Smith (bass), and Sonny Smith on drums... A few tracks centered on Booth's steel playing, with instrumental renditions of early 'Seventies fare such as "I Can See Clearly Now," and a version of "Wipe Out" which lets Sonny Smith cut loose on the drum kit. Among the vocal tracks, there's one original, "Remember The Good Times," which is credited to Junior Smith, alongside covers of oldies like "Dream Lover" and "Runaway," as well as versions of then-recent hits such as "Lyin' Eyes" by the Eagles and Billy Crash Craddock's "Rub It In." Anybody out there know where these fellas were from?

Mack White "Let Me Be Your Friend" (Commercial Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Mack White, Don Powell & Finley Duncan)
It took Georgia-born Floridian Mack White a long time to put this record out... Working for Nashville's Wesley Rose, he released a string of reasonably successful singles, with nine songs charting on Billboard between 1973-77, including three that cracked the Top 40. This album gathers those singles and a few other songs, including four Mack White originals as well as two by the writing team of DeWayne Orender & Don Powell, and several others represented by the Acuff-Rose publishing company... There's even a version of Fred Rose's "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain." No info on the studio musicians, but it's a good bet there were a lot of "usual suspect" Nashvillers there... Cliff Parman is listed as an arranger, and may have done a little picking as well. This is a weird record, though. White teeters between soft-spoken countrypolitan crooning ala Bill Anderson and multiple attempts to project an Elvis-ish, Tony Joe White swamp-soul vibe; in both modes he relies on wildly over-the-top, super-cheesy arrangements -- cheesy even for the genres. Mack White sustained his momentum for a while, but slowly slid into the Back Forty and then off the radar, with this record probably representing the peak of his career. .

Mack White "Lonely In The Crowd" (Commercial Records, 1982) (LP)

Mike White & The Sliter Brothers "Live At Jamboree, USA" (JAM-USA Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Jimmy Brightman & Ron Grayson)
A longhair band from upstate New York that had a pretty strong local following and played on the Jamboree USA TV show for much of the group's seven-year history... The band's teenage steel player, Buck Reid (who was not on this album), was later recruited by country star John Anderson in the early '80s to be part of his band, leading to a long career as a highly successful touring musician.

Mike White "Mike White" (MW Records, 1980-?) (LP)
Although this was billed as a solo album, he was still working with the Sliter Brothers -- four songs are credited to the Sliters, alongside several covers songs and (perhaps) another original or two...

Paul White "I'm Not The Man I Used To Be" (Spin Chek Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Carr)
According to the liner notes, songwriter Paul White was a veteran sideman of several Nashville bands, most notably the Wilburn Brothers and their TV show, and a native of Charlotte, North Carolina local who apparently headed back home after doing his time in Music City. He was also a nightclub owner, having opened a venue in Charlotte called The Nashville Scene five years before he cut this record. The album includes a lot of original material, including four songs by Mr. White -- "Heart Break Hangover," "Merry Christmas Elvis," "Midnight Girl," and "My Wanting You" -- and two songs each composed by Jimmy Helms and Larry G. Whitehead, who were both represented by the Sure Fire publishing company. These sessions were recorded in Nashville with an A-list studio band, including guitar picker Jimmy Capps, DJ Fontana (drums), Bunky Keels (piano), Billy Linneman (bass), Hal Rugg (steel guitar) and backing vocals by the Hardin Trio. There's no date on this disc, or on his Spin Chek singles, but it looks like late 1970s release, possibly '77 or '78, thereabouts. A couple of White's songs were co-composed with North Carolina singer Ruth Hartman, who released at least one single under her own name.

Rex White & Son/Father "The Ballad Of The Big O" (Dial Communications, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by John Sewell)
A super-confusing "band" name, but a cool record. Rex White, Jr. and his son, Rex White III, team up for this set of old-school acoustic twang, picking their way through chestnuts such as "Columbus Stockade Blues," "Methodist Pie" and Merle Travis' "Nine Pound Hammer," as well more blues-oriented material and some vaudeville-type oldies. There are also some comedic bits and original material, including the title track, which they say was written about a pal of theirs who worked at General Mills. The Whites appear to have been from around Detroit, though this album was recorded in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Robert White & The Candy Mountain Boys "Thousand Tons Of Coal" (Ranger R Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Forrest Green)
A prolific recording artist with singles bating back to the late 1950s, Michigan's Robert LaVaughn White (1925-2002) cut his first full LP in the late '60s, working with local producer Forrest Green. A festival favorite during the 'Sixties and 'Seventies, White had a particularly strong following in the Great Lakes area and upper Midwest.

Robert White & The Candy Mountain Boys "Poverty/A Eye For A Eye" (Ranger R Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Forrest Green)
This disc comes from the early 'Seventies, an era when it was in vogue to give country albums two titles -- usually of two songs they hoped would be hits. (I also love that the article "an" isn't used before "eye"... now THAT'S country...!) Recorded at the Forrest Green Studios in Clio, Michigan, though it was mastered and pressed by the Rimrock label, in Concord, Arkansas. As with his previous album, this is a lively mix of bluegrass, country, secular and gospel material, with a lot of original material.

Robert White & The Candy Mountain Boys "In The Savior's Hands" (Ranger R Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Forrest Green)
This was an all-gospel album, with a wealth of original material, as well as some off-the-beaten path material by evangelical country songwriters such as Bud Chambers. Along with heartfelt standards such as "Working On A Building" and "Heavenly Light Shining On Me," Mr. White had an ear for novelty material such as "Out Lord's Space Ship" and "God's Tax Free Plan." Alas no info on who the boys in the band were, though they included guys on banjo, mandolin and guitar. White continues recording and performing for several decades, releasing numerous singles and LPs for Atteiram, Old Homestead and other labels.

The White Sisters "Stepping On The Clouds" (Ripcord/Charter Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ellis Miller)
The White Sisters -- Barbara, Janice and Jayne -- were a gospel trio from Yuba City, California and were members of the Pastor First Baptist Church in nearby Biggs. They made the trek up to Washington state to record at Gene Breeden's Ripcord Studios, singing strictly gospel material, with a couple of songs written by Janice White, "Never Has A Man" and "Troubles Will Soon Be Over." Although I'm not sure how country this album is overall, they also included a version of Larry Gatlin's "It Must Have Rained In Heaven."

The White Sisters "Happy Meeting" (Ripcord/Charter Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Blaine Allen)
This album includes two songs, "Smile" and "Happy Meeting," both written by Janice White and published by Ripcord.

Terry White "This Is Terry White" (Country-Politan Records, 1969-?) (LP)
Not a lot of info about this fella... I assume he was from New Jersey, since he was on a label that previously put out a compilation showcasing several Jersey twangsters from the early 'Sixties, but I haven't confirmed any biographical info about him yet. This album looks like it's all cover tunes, with several of late '60s vintage, like "Misty Blue" (which Wilma Burgess recorded in '67), Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again" (1968) and "Gentle On My Mind," which was also a hit in '68... If I had to take a swing at it, I'd guess this album came out in 1969, or thereabouts. Anyone know more about this manly-looking country crooner?

Tony White "Good Ole Country Music" (RCA-Canada, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Kunkel)

Tony Joe White - see artist discography

White Water Junction "White Water Junction" (198-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Gilmer)
This commercially-oriented band from Calhoun, Georgia formed in 1978 and played together through the early '80s. Multi-instrumentalist Travis Stephens was their main songwriter, with additional material provided by steel guitarist Sammy Watkins, bassist Kenny Seabolt and Deborah Pearson. They played regional gigs at nightclubs in Chattanooga and Atlanta, opening for Nashville stars such as Charley Pride, and despite this album's funky, lo-tech artwork, they were aiming at a very glossy, contemporary, Top 40 pop-country sound. Not sure when this record came out, but I'm guessing around or after 1983, when apparently they were at their peak. It certainly has the airy, synthy sound of the times.

Jerry & Judie Whitener "Putting It All Together" (J & J Records, 197--?) (LP)
This husband-wife duo from from Rochelle, Illinois traveled widely as evangelical preachers, also recording a bunch of records -- unruly, surprisingly twangy stuff with a pronounced hillbilly feel, reminiscent of Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper, along with a little fancy, Chet Atkins-y guitar. This album looks to me like it was an early-1970s offering -- they refer in the liner notes to fans who liked their older records, and say they made this album as a way to recapture the feel of those earlier recordings, so I think this may have been the first of a string of LPs they self-released in the 'Seventies, with a couple of others listed below. They really harkened back to an earlier era, with an assertive rhythm section and steel guitar propelling them through jubilee and hymnal material -- definitely not a snoozy, organ-led church music set here! I'd love to have more information about them, if anyone out there can help...

Jerry & Judie Whitener "Life Is Worth Living" (J & J Records, 19--?) (LP)

Jerry & Judie Whitener "That Same Road" (J & J Records, 1975) (LP)

Whitehawk "Whitehawk" (19--?) (LP)

John Whitehawk "It Shows On Your Face" (Little Darlin' Records, 1969) (LP)

Whitewater "Springtime In The White Clouds" (American Heritage Music Corporation, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Don Cedarstrom)
A pretty zippy set of basically bluegrass acoustic picking, though with a definite experimental edge that goes beyond the usual "progressive" bluegrass vibe of the time. This hippie-looking Idaho group featured Michael Wendling on guitar, a fancy picker whose solo work fit more into the "new acoustic" style, as pioneered by Leo Kottke... Wendling is joined by fiddler Teddy Jones, Paul Smith on multiple instruments, and bassist Alan Yates. They stretched out in a few different directions, but they were all pretty hot musicians and could really blaze away on the strings. Worth a spin, probably mostly of interest to 'grass fans. Not to be confused with the Whitewater band from Minnesota, which cut an album of its own a decade later.

Whitewater "Old Man On The Mountain" (WSDS Records, 1984-?) (LP)
(Produced by Helen Schnickels, Michael Day & Jeff Stevenson)
Not a ton of info about these folks... They were an uptempo band with a southern rock flair and a decent amount of twang, led by singer-guitarists Tim and Tom Stevenson (who I assume were brothers) along with drummer Brent Bottomley, vocalist Lisa Kirk and bassist Dan Skrove. The album was recorded at Aleatoric studios in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and I think the band was from there as well, except for drummer Brent Bottomley (1955-2018) who was originally from Winnipeg, Ontario and had played in local rock bands such as Honey Throat and Sneakers Ultra Pop. The set list includes several originals by the Stevensons, and one by Dan Skrove, along with some cover songs like "The Rose," Don Gibson's "Oh, Lonesome Me," and Randy Owens' "Mountain Music,"which was a chart-topper for Alabama in 1982. That track, as well as their cover of Mel McDaniel's "Take Me To The Country," help date this disc, which was mis-identified on several file-sharing sites as being from the 'Seventies. 1983 or '84 seems more like it -- sounds like it musically, as well. A little rough around the edges, but a fun record.

Whitey "Whitey Sings / Camp Weed" (Fidelity Sound Custom Records, 1963) (LP)
I mean, just... wow. Okay, yes, I admit that despite all the many times I've disparaged hipsters who make fun of old album covers online (so lame) I am adding this record to my country guide mostly because the cover art is so fabulously hilarious. Where to begin? Well, to begin with the apparently mononymic "Whitey," was actually an Episcopal priest named Rev. Herald K. Haugan, who did a lot of youth outreach in the 'Sixties, and later did some work with the Billy Graham Crusades. That said, the lack of awareness regarding his own nickname -- particularly as the American civil rights movement was at its height -- is a wonderful, enduring gift to future generations. Plus... "Camp Weed"? Did anyone ever graduate? A lot of hikers lost in the woods? Etc. And of course, that really is great artwork. What a cover! The album was conceived as a fundraiser to rebuild a church in Maclenny, Florida that burned down in early 1963, though it has since become something of a record collector cult item. Now, about the music... Surprisingly, given the gigantic cross on the cover, this actually is not strictly a gospel album, but rather a painfully earnest, largely secular early 'Sixties folk album, albeit one that was sponsored by Florida's Episcopal Diocese and was recorded somewhere around Tallahassee. At the time, Whitey was presumably a youth pastor at the Diocese's summer camp, which was located a couple of miles outside of Live Oak, FL, a small inland town about halfway between Jacksonville and Tallahassee. He was a decent, if not dazzling, acoustic guitarist, and he energetically worked his way through an admirably diverse set of folk material, embracing old-school ballads such as "Rose Connelly," singalongs like "Kumbaya," a couple of Jewish songs (open minded!) and even a cover of Hank Williams's "Lovesick Blues." On the second side of the album he seems to remember who's footing the bill, and slides into a string of spiritual numbers -- "Jacob's Ladder," "Sinner Man," and "Spirit Of The Living God" -- but this record is surprisingly light on overt preachiness, given its vivid visual iconography. As it turns out, though, the "echo of bluegrass" mentioned in the liner notes is pretty much aspirational: this is just an earnest Episcopalian and his guitar, strumming along, although he does pick up the tempo on a tune or two. And, yeah, the artwork is hilarious.

Ricky Whitley "Sit Down Job" (Major Label Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Stan Dacus & Ricky Whitley)
A fun, raggedly album with a wealth of original material from this Atlanta, Georgia twang-auteur... There's a lot of stylistic variety on here, with Whitley hammering out a sizzling jump blues tune at the start, then sliding into some more relaxed acoustic twang as the album goes on. In an odd way, he kind of reminds me of much later artists such as Drive By Truckers and Ryan Bingham, kind of a post-modern redneck hipster vibe, with songs about drinking and hanging out, and a definite Southern feel. Except for one song about someone acting like a monkey (which while not actually racist, still has some uncomfortable undertones...) this is pretty strong material -- laid-back, but soulful and sincere, and definitely worth a spin. Of interest to fans of older, more traditional twang, in the liner notes Whitley dedicates the album to Thomas P. Darby, of the Depression-era bluegrass/old-timey duo Darby & Tarleton, who he says was his uncle(!) Now those are some real country music roots!

Joani Whitmore "The Gospel Side Of Joani/Joani Sings Country Love Songs" (Artists Records, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Vic Clay)
An adequate amateur, Joani Whitmore recorded this private press album at the Rubber City Sound Studios in Akron, Ohio, dividing the disc between gospel songs and secular stuff, presumably tunes that were her favorites at the time. There are a couple of current hits, such as Donna Fargo's "Funny Face" and "Loves' Gonna Live Here Again," from the Buck Owens catalog, while the gospel side has standards such as "He Touched Me" and "How Great Thou Art." Now, in all honesty, Mrs. Whitmore (whose husband wrote some brief, loving liner notes) wasn't the greatest vocalist, and teeters out of tune most of the time. But she's heartfelt and sincere, and that counts for something. More surprising is how upbeat and enthusiastic the musical backing is, particularly on the religious numbers, which actually get pretty funky. Producer Vic Clay seems to enjoy himself, and is very generous with his accompaniment; Clay also recorded an album or two himself, and though the other musicians aren't listed on this LP, I'd imagine they were guys he regularly worked with in his studio. An imperfect, but perfectly charming "real people" record.

Benny Whitten & Kathleen Tod "First Time Around" (Solid Sound, Inc., 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Benny Whitten, Jimmy Payne & Bill Holmes)
This indie album from a Kansas City duo was recorded in Nashville with Doyle Grisham playing steel guitar at the helm of an otherwise obscure pickup band. This is a solidly country-oriented record, featuring covers of early 'Seventies countrypolitan and country-pop hits such as "Country Roads," "Grandma's Feather Bed," "If You Love Me," "Let Me Be There," and "Tie A Yellow Ribbon." There are also four originals written by Benny Whitten: "I Could, But I Won't," "I Love You More Each Day," "My Road" and "Turn Away." The vocals aren't earthshaking, but they are committed and sincere, and the material is consistently engaging and enjoyable -- a pretty strong effort for folks at this level of the industry. Their second album, Whitten & Tod, was more of a disco/funk/AOR thing, with covers of Top Forty hits such as "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing," "Car Wash" and "You Don't Have To Be A Star." Benny Whitten and Kathleen Tod were a husband-wife duo, though they might not have been married at the time this first album was recorded.

Whole Wheat 100% "Whole Wheat 100%" (CNR Records, 1977) (LP)

Whole Wheat 100% "Ice, Fire & Desire" (AVI Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by James Pike)
This one's actually here more as a buzzkill alert: I've seen this band mentioned as a country-rock outfit, and maybe they were on their first album, but this one's definitely a slick soft-rock/disco-funk set, sort of like a cross between Atlanta Rhythm Section and Little River Band. Not much twang, though: well, there are a couple of songs with a teeny bit of CSN-ish vocal harmonies, and the very last track, "Heart Of The Mountain," is indeed a straight-ahead country-rock song... it sounds just like America's "Horse With No Name." But if you're looking for a lost country nugget, this disc isn't going to do the trick.

Bill Whyte "Making Music" (Calico Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Royce Kendall & Jeannie Kendall)
Well, first off, he had the Kendalls on board to produce his album, so that's a pretty good sign... Missouri native Bill Whyte started out playing in high school bands and made his way to Nashville to cut this album, which is packed with strong original material. It's mostly your basic hippiebilly '70s cosmic country, with witty lyrics and plenty of bouncy, loose-limbed twang... Fans of New Riders Of The Purple Sage and similar bands might have fun with this one as well. Whyte stuck around in Nashville and worked as a radio deejay at WSM, briefly relocating to Cincinnati, then moved back to settle permanently in Nashville where he held down a longterm gig at WSM. Later on he refashioned himself into a country comedy artist, and has recorded and performed extensively under that persona, and has also had considerable success as a songwriter, placing songs with Top Forty artists of a calibre such as Rebecca Lynn Howard, Craig Morgan and Joe Nichols. It all started here, though, and this is a pretty good record... worth tracking down!

Wichita "Wichita" (Hush Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Garrie Thompson & Don Baskin)
This was an excellent country-rock and outlaw covers band from Sunnyvale, California... Even though the the repertoire is all cover songs, the performances are quite vibrant and accomplished, and the joyful feeling the band put into this record is completely infectious. It's too bad these guys didn't write more original material -- they were clearly a top-flight twang band with lots of experience playing live. Anyone out there have more information about this group? I'd love to hear more of their story...

The Wichita Linemen - see artist discography

The Wichita Linemen (UK) "The Wichita Linemen" (Hillside Records, 1975) (LP)
This appears to be an English country band that had the same idea for a bandname as the guys who were actually from Wichita... A little confusing, sure, but the world's a crazy place!

The Wichita Linemen (UK) "Lightning Bar" (Hillside Records, 1977) (LP)
Again, this was by a British band, not the dudes who were actually from Kansas.

The Wichita Linemen (UK) "Boom Town" (Hillside Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by David Allison & Richard Allison)

Ginny Wicker "The Two Sides Of Ginny" (Back Roads Records, 1984) (LP)
Not much info on this one. Virginia W. Wicker (1922-2006) was from Kenly, North Carolina, not far from Raleigh-Durham, and recorded at least two full albums while in her sixties. This first(?) album apparently came in a plain white jacket, with no album art or liner notes. Her other album (below) was recorded in Nashville with several top-flight studio musicians, although I suppose on this one she might have been backed by local musicians. All the songs on here are Wicker originals, including novelty numbers like "Lifetime Guarantee," "Put A Splint On My Broken Heart" and "You May Call It Making Love (But I Call It Make Believe). Alas, her obituary didn't include any biographical information, and no mention of her musical pursuits, so for now she remains a mystery.

Ginny Wicker "Sings From Nashville, Tennessee" (Sky Bow Records, 1988-?) (LP)
(Produced by Louis F. Swift)
For her second(?) album, Ms. Wicker headed over the Music City, where she booked a session with several A-list Nashville studio pros. Backing her are drummer Dale Armstrong, Jim Baker (steel guitar), Larry Crews (bass), Doyle Grisham (guitar) and Willie Rainsfield on piano. Side One of the album is secular, while Side Two features gospel material, including a holiday offering, "Christmas In Heaven." As on her other album, all the songs are originals, penned by Ms. Wicker.

Lewie Wickham - see artist discography

Rusty Wier - see artist discography

Ray Wierson & The Occasional 6 "I've Gotta Be Me!" (Century Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Loren Eller)
So awesome. This is the very epitome of a goofy "private press" album, the kind of so-bad-its-great recording that hipsters have fever dreams about. Now, I'm not big on making fun of folks from the past who look goofy to us now, or who make "bad" records, but this disc from Des Moines is just too great to pass by. Ray Wierson was a clean-cut young man with a bunch of clean-cut young friends, possibly in college or even high school, from the looks of it. They tackle a bunch of contemporary hits, including some rock, some country and some show tunes. On the country side, there's "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," and "Proud Mary," with a few country-adjacent tunes such as "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and "Leaving On A Jet Plane." What makes this record great is how thoroughly not ready these kids were to go into the studio -- they gallumph through gloriously chaotic, clattersome renditions of "Day Tripper" and "Down On The Corner," and their "Proud Mary" is a one of my favorite covers of this standard. I don't doubt that if they'd been patient and practiced for another few months, they would have sounded more professional, but then the record just wouldn't have been as much fun. Ray Wierson spent his whole life in Iowa, working in local government and eventually became the county administrator for Scott County, retiring in 2008. Despite this shaky debut, Wierson stuck with music, leading an amateur jazz combo that performed locally for many years. This album was recorded in Des Moines, but it looks like Wierson and his pals were originally from Nevada, Iowa, a tiny town outside of Ames.

Ray Wilburn & Jerry Moore "Communication With Ray Wilburn And Jerry Moore" (KSS-Kennett Sound Studios, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Keene)
Nice Chet Atkins-y guitar instrumentals from a couple of Missouri locals, guitarist Ray Wilburn and bassist Jerry Moore, with modest backing by drummer Jamie Holmes. Wilburn and Holmes were from Saint Charles and Hazelwood, MO, in the suburbs of north Saint Louis, and although I doubt they played music professionally, they were both fine pickers. Side One of the album is secular, while Side Two spotlights gospel standards such as "I Am A Pilgrim," "Lonesome Valley," and "Just A Closer Walk With Thee." Classic country guitarists such as Chet Atkins and Merle Travis are echoed in the performances and repertoire... This isn't a groundbreaking record, and it doesn't have great dynamic range or varied textures. but it still sounds sweet.

Harlow Wilcox & The Oakies "Groovy Grubworm And Other Golden Guitar Greats" (Plantation Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Carl Warren)
A session picker from Norman, Oklahoma, guitarist Harlow Wilcox (1943-2002) scored an unlikely hit with his jaunty 1969 single, "Groovy Grubworm," an inoffensive throwback to the surf/instrumental sounds of the Kennedy era. Originally released regionally as an indie single in '68, "Grubworm" was optioned by Shelby Singleton's independent powerhouse, Plantation Records, and became a pop/country crossover success, cracking into the Pop Top 30, and spawning two albums of similar material. Wilcox had been cutting singles since the mid-'Sixties but this was his big moment in the sun, and he faded from sight, a classic one-hit wonder.

Harlow Wilcox & The Oakies "Cripple Cricket And Other Country Critters" (Plantation Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Bobby Warren & Carl Warren)
Like his first album, this was recorded locally at the C&B Studios, in Norman, Oklahoma, owned by producers Carl and Bobby Warren and presumably staffed with local Okie talent. Alas, the musicians are not identified, but one would hope they were all locals.

Wild Bill & The Buffalo Chips "Hit The Trail" (Bison Records, 1980) (LP)
A bluegrassy jugband from Charlotte, North Carolina, featuring singer Wild Bill Bradford, backed by a band that included Mr. Bradford on banjo and saxophone, Dave Earl (dobro, guitar and mandolin), Dave Freeman (guitar), Paul Herbert (harmonica and vocals), Hardin Minor (harmonica and kazoo), Tom Minor (washtub bass), Thomas Moore (saxophone), Dale Saville (guitar) and Tom Scott on banjo and guitar. The repertoire is a mix of mountain music standards, blues tunes, and rock'n'roll oldies. Hardin Minor is notable among this lively lineup -- a local performance artist and clown who had co-founded the OMIMEO Mime Theatre in 1978, he moved to New York right around the time this album came out, spending several years studying theater and dance with luminaries such as Jacques d'Amboise and Twyla Tharpe, returning to Charlotte in 1986 to take residency in the local arts scene as a college teacher and performer. His brother, Tommy Minor (1949-2017) played bass in the Buffalo Chips band for much of the 1980s, with other members of the group's pursuing various creative paths. As far as I know this was the band's only album.

Wild Country "Wild Country" (Mico Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Vic Ames & J. Centinario)
Fans of commercialized 'Seventies outlaws such as David Allan Coe, Charlie Daniels and Johnny Paycheck might really dig this one... there's a hefty dose of Merle Haggard in there as well, naturally. Brothers Jerry and Larry Sullivan were slightly long in the tooth by the time they made this album... They started their own band back in the early 1960s while living in Vincennes, Indiana, and years later, like so many other starry-eyed hopefuls they headed out for Nashville and, while plugging away in Music City, recorded this album. Somewhere along the line they hooked up with fiddler Jack Little, a longtime veteran of the Porter Wagoner show, as well as drummer Vic Thomas, who was also from their hometown, but had made his way to Nashville way back in '61, landing a gig with singer Nat Stuckey. This album features two Larry Sullivan originals, "Little Faces Have Big Ears" and "You're On Your Way Out," along with covers of contemporary tunes by Larry Gatlin ("Sweet Becky Walker"), David Allan Coe ("Just In Time To Watch Love Die") and early '70s staples such as "Proud Mary" and Mickey Newberry's dreadful patriotic medley, "American Trilogy." There's no date on this album, but judging from the set list and the way the guys look, I'd guess it came out around 1978-79. Overall a nice balance of ambitious, modernized roadhouse country and endearingly amateur presentation. Definitely worth a spin.

Wild Country "Boogie" (Bull Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Verne Leeper & Matt Frazier)
A shaggy country quartet from Columbus, Kansas, down in the Southeast corner of the state, near Joplin, Missouri. No date on the album, but I'd guess it's early '80s, like 1981-83, just from how Alabama-esque/Oak Ridge Boys-y they look in the photos. In technical terms, this is a pretty crudely made record, though mostly just regarding the production values. The band itself was surprisingly good, and songwriter Verne A. Leeper had an ambitious agenda -- a small-town kid, for sure, but he had a taste for country-rock and pop that was sophisticated and diverse. Some songs are pretty straightforward melodic twang, while others have more of a confessional, introverted quality. For example, "How Many Times" is a broken-hearted bummer song that has the definite feel of a spiral-bound notebook highschool poetry, but even so there's something compelling about the singer's abject, rueful misery as he wonders aloud, how many times did you spend the night over at my place... and where are you now? Another one of those odd, imperfect gems that float up out of the ocean of self-released records. Not a classic, but it has its charms. Decades later, Leeper was still living in Columbus, and performing occasionally as the leader of the Verne Leeper Band.

Wild Country "Our Grass Is Blue" (API/Atteiram Records, 1978) (LP)
Just for reference, let's also include this bluegrass outfit from around Franklin, North Carolina and Hazlewood, NC... The group was a mix of younger and more veteran pickers, including Earl Cowart on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Paul Crouch (fiddle), Boyd Dills (guitar and mandolin), J. B. Passmore (bass), G. W. Wiley (guitar) and Gary Wiley on banjo. Of interest here largely to keep all these "Wild Country" names straight.

Wild Country "Introducing Wild Country" (Vanco Records, 197-?) (LP)
Yet another Wild Country! This time from a little place called John Day, Oregon, a pastoral rural hamlet roughly halfway between Boise, Idaho and Bend, Oregon... The group was made up of Paul Cox on drums, Dan Jack (bass), Danny Houle (guitar) and Don Tuter on guitar and vocals. These guys were maybe more of a folk-rock band, though they did make the pilgrimage to record at the Ripcord Studios in Vancouver, Washington -- a real hub of regional twang -- and one of the songs they covered was "Honky Tonk Women" by the Rolling Stones, along with several of Tuter's originals. So, some twang in there. Don Tuter seems to have been the moving force behind this group -- he also recorded at least three other albums at Ripcord, Christian folk sets, released under his own name, including one made before the Wild Country LP, along with Danny Houle. Tuter later moved to Prineville, Oregon, about sixty miles to the East, on the way to Eugene, where he formed a group called The Average Jesus Band, which made a couple of albums.

Wild Oats "Country + Blue Grass" (Alshire Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Ron LeGrand)
Although this Southern California band had a relatively ignominious beginning playing day-job shows at the Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm amusement parks, their lone album features a wealth of original material, most of it written by lead singer Ron LeGrand. The music is solidly in the cosmic country style of the hippie-era Dillards and Byrds, with drifting, airy vocals and equally fluid arrangements, centered on the willowy pedal steel. It's worth noting that the steel player was a gal named Kathy Turner -- dunno if she did music else musically, but her spacey style compares favorably to other early-'Seventies hippie steel players who were reinventing the wheel at the time. The band probably just played generic bluegrass at their park gigs, as reflected in a trio of instrumentals, including a version of "Orange Blossom Special" where fiddler Bill Cunningham interpolates the melody with that of "Malaguena." Although clearly derivative of other early country-rock records, this album holds its own -- if you liked the Easy Rider soundtrack, you'll wanna check this one out.

Wild Oats/Homer And The Barnstormers "Flaming Banjos/Blue Grass Banjos" (Alshire Records, 19--?) (LP)
This cheapo twofer combines two separate albums by different bands on the Alshire label... It seems to include all the material from the Wild Oats LP, even though it misleadingly pitches it as a bluegrass-only album.

Wild Oats "Wild Oats" (TK Productions/Clouds Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Howard Smiley, Michael Laskow & Ray Martinez)
Meh. The first side of this album sounds pretty much like wimpy, mainstream country-rock/AOR, and reminded me of the band Firefall more than anything else (which turns out to be because Firefall members Larry Burnett and Rick Roberts are singing harmony...) It's all okay, unexciting but inoffensive. But then on Side Two everything goes sideways and most of the songs are actively irritating, worst of all is the first track, "Friendship," which just one big, gooey, poorly-written, self-indulgent train wreck of a '70s song. The main man in this band was a guy named Marc Levy, who had the kind of thin, gangly voice that's hard to take seriously at this level, but might have been endearing on a private-pressing indie album. I dunno. If you're really, really into '70s country-rock you might want to check this out, but I couldn't find any reason to hang onto this disc.

Wild West "Wild West" (Round-Up Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Wilson)
A straight-up uberindie honkytonk band from Bartonville, Illinois (near Peoria) with the core group of Larry Wilson (lead vocals and bass), Dan Tynan (guitar), Sharon Bryant (vocals), Dick Bush (guitar), and Jim Smith on drums. The sessions were filled out by various guest musicians, including Gary Nabors on piano and steel guitar player Larry Watson, both part of a backup crew provided by the Willow Wand studios, in Pekin, Illinois. The album is packed with original material, which is groovy, though I couldn't find any info about these folks online, largely due to their super-generic band name. Oh, well.

Wildcountry "Wildcountry" (LSI Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Wildcountry)
Behold, the band that would become known as Alabama. Cousins Jeff Cook, Teddy Gentry and Randy Owen all hailed from Fort Payne, Alabama, in the northern end of the state near Huntsville. They formed a band in the early '70s and plugged away for several years playing theme parks and local bars before rustling up the cash to self-produce this album. It's packed with original material, including four songs written by the band's first drummer, John Vartanian, and others by the guys who would go onto Top Forty fame. Here's where it all began...

Walt Wilder "Ode To Country Music" (Homa Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Randy Sherman)
A fun early album on the regional Oklahoma City-based Homa label, with a slew of original material written by Oklahoma native Earl Walter Rodden (aka Walt Wilder, 1936-2013) as well as by his collaborators, Rocky Craig and Gene Crysler. There's also one cover song, a version of Cowboy Copas' "Signed, Sealed And Delivered." The liner notes say that Rodden mostly worked doing construction and iron work, but that he also owned a club... Sadly, it doesn't say which club (or clubs) he owned, nor who the musicians are playing on this album... He was also a Vietnam veteran, later kicking around Nashville in the late '60s and hanging out with Gene Crysler, who was a fairly successful Music City songwriter. They worked on some tunes together, though Rodden was a pretty confident composer in his own right: he wrote some earlier songs including "Plastic Roses" and "Oklahoma City Okie" -- sadly, neither were reprised on this album -- and released a string of singles throughout his career. I dig his vibe: unapologetically hick, he digs deep into real country roots, and gives a few shout-outs to "Oklahoma style!" while growling out lyrics in a way that mirrors Merle Haggard's okie accent -- not imitating Merle, but rather sounding like some long-lost relative or high-school buddy. If you like real-deal country, as well as the indie spirit that persisted in the 'Seventies, you might wanna check this one out!

Walt Wilder & Randall Graham "Super Number Two" (CMM Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ralph Davis, Kevin McManus & Walt Wilder)
This would appear to be a Nashville songwriter's demo disc, with vocal contributions from three dudes who kinda knew one another, but not well enough to come up with a band name. Sherman Crysler was the son of songwriter/empresario Gene Crysler, and Mr. Crysler contributes brief liner notes briskly praising his son and his pals, as does outlaw star David Allan Coe. Walt Wilder (aka Earl Walter Rodden, 1936-2013) was an Oklahoma native and Vietnam veteran who had been kicking around Nashville since the 'Sixties, and was apparently a fixture at Tootsie's lounge, and a relatively successful songwriter. He worked with the elder Mr. Crysler for much of that time; they also collaborated on Wilder's 1974 solo album, Ode To Country Music. Several "usual suspect" studio musicians are also on here, including Willie Rainsfield, Leon Rhodes, and Jerry Shook.

Wilderness Road "Wilderness Road" (Columbia Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Richardson)
A satirical agit-pop band of the hippie era, Wilderness Road included alumni of Chicago's fabled Second City comedy troupe (which later fed into the early Saturday Night Live TV show...) and on their first album they devoted themselves almost entirely to lampooning country music as a way to rip on evangelical fundamentalism. The "revival" music here is a broad swipe at Christian tent preachers and the perceived gullibility of their flocks... It's a worthy target for parody, I suppose, but about as subtle as a twelve-foot, flaming red hammer with air-horns attached... Mostly, though, I just didn't like their mockery of county music, per se, since as you may have noticed, I kind of like country music and find many counterculture attacks on it (like this one) to be frequently facile and off-base. But, whatever. Musically, this was pretty accomplished, with some hot picking and a few dips into Arthur Brown-ish semi-prog that let listeners in on the joke. Fans of the Fugs, or of old National Lampoon records and Firesign Theater might get off on this as well. I found it a little too grating.

Wilderness Road "Sold For The Prevention Of Disease Only" (Reprise Records, 1973) (LP)
Judging from their Spinal Tap-ish glam-metal costumes, I'm guessing that the focus of this album was rock parody and not more hick mockery... But I could be wrong. Maybe one day I'll find, out and let you know...

Wildfire "In The Weave" (Prime Time Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Rod Shively)
There's a lot of original material here by this band from Rocky Mount, Virginia... The group featured banjo-and-guitar player Steve Shively, singer Barbara James, steel guitarists Joey Macray and Jerry Martin, fiddler Kathy Kuhn, pianist Fair Robey, and others... They cover country tunes by Toy Caldwell, David Allan Coe, and even Stephen Foster's "Hard Times," although about half the songs are credited to various bandmembers, all using the same Fairystone Publishing Company. These include Steve Shively's "Heaven Bound" and "Take A Break," "Kindred Spirit," by Barbara James, and a couple by singer-guitarist Charlie Robertson: "Mountain Willie" and "Katie Lou." They thoughtfully noted that this album was recorded over the winter, from November, 1979 to March, 1980.

Wildweeds "Wildweeds" (Vanguard Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Maynard Solomon)
An early band led by Connecticut yankee guitarist Al Anderson, who went on to join NRBQ in 1971 and later became a super-successful Nashville songwriter and session player. In 1967, The Wildweeds had scored a regional pop hit with their sleek single "No Good To Cry," though those garage rock days seem far behind on this rootsy set, which is packed with Anderson originals, stuff that will resonate with fans of early NRBQ. In a sense Anderson's country music career begins here, when he and his New England pals hoofed it down to Nashville to cut these sessions with backing from A-list studio cats such as David Briggs, Jim Colvard, Mac Gayden Charlie McCoy and Weldon Myrick. After joining NRBQ, Anderson recorded another excellent album for Vanguard, recording under his own name with a mix of musicians from both the Wildweeds and the 'Q. Nice stuff!

Wildwood Flour "Live At The Lamplighter Club" (Akashic Records, 1973-?) (LP)
The country-folk trio of Ken Blake, Cappy Lyons and Ronnie Routh played gigs in and around New Orleans for much of the early 1970s, including a stint at the Lamplighters Club, where they recorded this live album. The set was all cover songs, including contemporary hits such as "Country Road," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Snowbird," "For The Good Times" and "The Theme To MASH." They also sang oldies, like "Ghost Riders In The Sky" and "You Are My Sunshine," as well as some slightly more alternative songs, such as John Stewart's "July, You're A Woman." The liner notes say they were all three songwriters, though sadly none of their own original material made it onto this album. They are joined by John Carpenter on one track, singing "This Old Rig"; guitarist Cappy Lyons also worked with Jim Smoak in the late '70s.

Nancy Wiles "Nashville Jukebox" (Austin Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Troy, Frank Evans & Rob Rankin)
A slick but reasonably twangy collection of tunes, with a heavy debt to 'Seventies cowgals like Emmylou Harris and even moreso to Linda Ronstadt -- Wiles sounds quite a bit like Ronstadt and covers hits such as "I'm Leavin' It All Up To You" and "Tell It Like It Is," as well as Rodney Crowell's "Even Cowgirls Get The Blues" and Harlan Howard's "Heartaches By The Number." Ms. Wiles was from Maryland: she thanks local bandleaders Don Barnes and Debbie Williams for steering her towards producer Billy Troy, and may have been part of their stage show before cutting this disc. She led her own group through much of the '80s and early 1990s, and frequently performed at the same venues as Barnes and Williams. This seems to have been a Nashville songwriter's demo set, and unfortunately the backing band are a little too low-key to really propel her forward. Wiles really puts her all into "One Last Chance," a would-be pop-country hit penned by Billy Troy that might actually have worked for her, but falls just shy of radio playability in this version. A pity, really: she had a nice voice and would have benefited from stronger, punchier production.

Mike Wilhelm "Wilhelm" (United Artists/Zig Zag Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Richard Olsen & Phill Sawyer)
A true San Francisco insider, picker-growler Mike Wilhelm (1942-2019) was a California native, born in LA but very much a Bay Area musician... He was a co-founder of The Charlatans, the long-haired dapper dressers who are frequently cited as the first SF psych band, and much like his erstwhile bandmate Dan Hicks, Wilhelm had a deep affinity for roots music and twang, albeit with his own unique, quirky spin, as heard on this solo set. Though released in '76 this was actually recorded five years earlier by Wilhelm's post-Charlatans group, Loose Gravel, but sat in the can for so long the band had basically broken up by the time the tracks made it to wax. Not only was the band gone, but the era as well -- among the gems from these 1971-72 sessions is a track called "Going To Move To Canada," which alludes to the migration of many a young, draft-age American lad during the Vietnam War. The album also includes one of his signature songs, the John Phillips-penned desperado ballad, "Me And My Uncle," and other tracks of equally twangy calibre. Loose Gravel was eventually scattered along the side of the pop culture highway, with Wilhelm then joining a late 'Seventies edition of The Flamin' Groovies, touring with the group for six years and playing lead guitar on two of their albums, Now and Jumpin' In The Night. His bluesy side might overpower the twang at times, but country and country-rock fans can still find plenty to appreciate here, as well as on his later solo stuff.

Mike Wilhelm "Mean Ol' Frisco" (New Rose Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Wilhelm, Ricky Lee Lynd & Robin Yeager)

Mike Wilhelm "Wood And Wire" (New Rose Records, 1993) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Wilhelm, Robert Bobgeller & Sam Karnatz)

Mike Wilhelm "Mike Wilhelm" (Fan Club Records, ?) (CD)
A retrospective of sorts, this combines eleven tracks recorded live on freeform radio station KSAN back in 1971, along with an equal number of tracks from Wilhelm's 1985 studio album, Mean Ol' Frisco. The KSAN tracks mirror the material on his '76 solo album, though apparently these were not the same sessions.

Rodger Wilhoit "The Social World Of Rodger Wilhoit" (Parklane Records, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Carl French & Rodger Wilhoit)
Nice, earthy countrypolitan twang from the heartland... Parklane Records was an indie label based in Cleveland, Ohio and co-owned (I believe) by sing Rodger Wilhoit and songwriter-arranger Carl French, who also started a road show called the Carwin Country Show. The songs on this LP are mostly drawn from a series of singles Wilhoit cut on Parklane throughout the early 'Seventies; he also cut some tracks for CC International, which I'd guess was a permutation of "Carwin Country," and basically a revamped version of Parklane Records. Anyway, this is really good stuff, reminiscent of singers like Conway Twitty, Wynne Stewart, and George Jones. Wilhoit seems to have moved to Tennessee in later years; as far as I know he's not related to actress Kathleen Wilhoite.

John Buck Wilkin "In Search Of Food, Clothing, Shelter And Sex" (Liberty Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Don Tweedy)
Despite the extremely promising album title and the presence of a bunch of Muscle Shoals and Music City heavyweights (Larry Butler, Norbert Putman, Kenny Buttrey, John Lovell, et. al.) and country-sounding song titles like "The Nashville Sun" and "Boy Of The Country," this isn't quite as twangy as one might hope. Mostly it's a flowery, poetical pop-orchestral outing of the late-'60s variety, albeit a very good one. What makes this album noteworthy is that John Wilkin was the son of legendary country songwriter Marijohn Wilkin, and he pays tribute to her with a version of her song "Long Black Veil." He also sings a couple of Kris Kristofferson songs (Kris was one of his mom's many Nashville proteges) including one, "Apocalypse 1969," that he co-wrote along with Kristofferson... Overall, this is a very solemn (though not particularly gloomy) spiritually-inclined folk-psych outing... I think he really, really wanted to me taken seriously as an artist and all that... Anyway, if you're into fancy, experimental '60s pop, you might want to give this one a whirl.

John Buck Wilkin "Buck" (United Artists, 1970) (LP)
Oh, and the other interesting fact about this guy was that, as "Bucky" Wilkin, he was the lead singer and frontman for the mid-'60s surf-pop band Ronny And The Daytonas, who had a Top Ten hit... Apparently his mom had him performing on Opry-style country shows as a little kid in the '50s, so he'd been at this whole music business thing a while. Anyway, I guess these two albums were his only solo outings... I'm curious to hear this one as well, although it also looks like it's not very country.

The Wilkinson Brothers "Ozark Mountain Breakdown" (American Artists Records, 19--) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Wilkingson & Winnie Swaim)
Kind of an odd album... Led by the vocal trio of brothers Charlie, Gary and Larry Wilkinson, these guys were all veterans of the Branson-area Ozarks mini-opry scene, and were very accomplished players, as heard on this album's approximations of contemporary Top Forty country. They did a pretty good job easing into the same lane as vocal harmony groups like The Bellamy Brothers and the Gatlins, and this album really stands out for its professional-sounding production values, which were pretty close to Nashville standards, in contrast to many lower-budget regional souvenir albums. Though they were leading their own Branson show, the Wilkinsons seem to have been aiming for a national profile, and had dropped some of the affectations of other Branson acts -- this album eschewed the including of gospel oldies, cornpone comedy and fiddle tunes. What's odd, though, is what they replaced it with: a couple of tracks in, pianist Richard Vahldick bursts into a solo rendition of "Maple Leaf Rag," and though I'm personally a fan of Scott Joplin, the transition is a bit jarring. Similarly, they refashion "Ghost Riders In The Sky" as a slick, modern instrumental, centered around Vahldick's sepulchral, organ-like keyboards... Seems like it might have gone better if they'd just stuck to their guns and recorded a straight harmony-band Top Forty album; some original material wouldn't have hurt, either. Included in the band were Bransoneers Tim Cagle (on lead guitar), Ralph Lowe (bass and lead guitar), Gene Mulvaney (dobro and pedal steel), Gary Nix (rhythm guitar), Dewey Smallden (drums), Richard Vahldick (keyboards), and Gary Wilkinson on bass. They were all pretty young fellas, though they'd been pickin' in various Missouri opry-ettes for years: Tim Cagle had a long tenure with the Plummer Family show, playing the "Cousin Zeke" clown character (and also cut his own "solo" album with Zeke's Band); Gary Nix was with the Wilkinsons on several albums, and also played in the band Southbound Glory; Richard Vahldick also in The Ozark Hee-Haw, recording with that troupe in 1980. No date on this disc, but it looks early '80s, and based on their cover of "Elvira," it probably came out after the Oak Ridge Boys hit single in '81. I'd guess late '82 or '83(?)

The Wilkinson Brothers "Just Plain Gospel" (American Artists Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Wilkinson, David Dombrowski & Winnie Swaim)
An all-gospel album with a lot of modern material, including music by the Rambos and the Hemphills, Larry Gatlin's "Light At The End Of The Darkness" and Bob Ferguson's "Wings Of A Dove." I'm intrigued.

The Wilkinson Brothers "Take Two" (American Artists Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Wilkinson & David Dombrowski)
A solid set, with the Wilkinson band concentrating exclusively on delivering well-produced, well-performed covers of country classic by Merle Haggard, Red Simpson and Leon McAuliffe, along with more contemporary hits such as "The Rose" and 'Seventies stuff like "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" and the Eagles' "Take It To The Limit." Though still immersed in the Branson mini-opry scene, they bypassed the whole little-bit-of-this, little-bit-of-that format favored on Ozarks souvenir albums, dropping the obligatory bluegrass instrumentals, comedy bits and gospel numbers in favor of a slicker, more Nashville-compatible pop-country sound. This album features Larry, Gary and Charlie Wilkinson on vocals, with Gary playing bass, Ralph Loew on fiddle and banjo, Gene Mulvaney on pedal steel, Andy Corporon on drums, and Richard Rankin on guitar. Based on the strength of this album, you could easily imagine these guys making it in the Top Forty scene, though apparently that didn't happen. Oh, well.

Billie Jo Williams "Country Music Will Always Stay In My Heart" (Farview Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Tony Farr & Doyle Grisham)
A country gal from Dallas, Texas, songwriter Billie Jo Williams sure did dig true twang, although she had a slightly rocky relationship with staying in tune. This album is admittedly a bit challenging despite a wealth of great, original material -- all the songs were written by Williams, and they are generally quite good. To be clear: she had a strong understanding of the genre, a nice way with words, and a strong sense of phrasing and rhythm; it's just that she constantly sang a bit sharp, or flat. Six of one, half dozen of the other. It's also worth noting that the backing band was quite solid: the Farview label was a project of Tennessee steel player/producer Tony Farr, a prolific studio musician who gathered together a rock-solid ensemble to back Ms. Williams. The crew included Tony Farr on steel guitar, along with Greg Gilbraith (lead guitar), Hoot Hester (fiddle), Benny Kennerson (piano), Dwight Puckett (drums), Ernie Reed (fiddle), Mike St. Clair (fiddle), Charlie Vaughan (rhythm guitar), and Bruse Watkins (atypically) rounding out the fiddle trio. I'll admit, heard from end to end this album can feel a little taxing, but any musicians looking for unknown country material to revive might want to give it a whirl -- songs like "Daytime, Nighttime, All Day Long" have a classic feel, like something Connie Smith would have recorded in the late 'Sixties.

Billie Jo Williams "Love Has Come Back My Way" (Farview Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Tony Farr & David McKinley)
I haven't heard this second album, though it seems to be filled with more Williams originals... She also released a string of early-'Eighties singles with songs not included on either album.

Bob Williams & Lynda Standell "Just A Peak" (Topaz Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Kearney Barton)
The perky pop-folk lounge duo of Lynda Standell and Bob Williams were local celebrities up in Seattle, known for their television appearances, and in particular for a TV special they hosted in 1972. Bob Williams was previously in a late-'Sixties group called The New Century Singers, which recorded one of his songs, "Marble Statue," on a single back in '68, and a version of that song is included here as well. This album could charitably be called a mixed bag. I dig the whole ski lodge vibe of the front cover photo (taken at Idaho's Mount Baldi, near the Sun Valley resort) but I gotta confess there's little for a twangfan to celebrate on here... The album is roughly divided between '60s/'early '70s-style pop vocals on Side One, and country(ish) material on Side Two... Their hearts were clearly more into the pop vocals stuff, the sort of bland, overly anodyne yet mysteriously smarmy arrangements old folks like me might dimly remember from the TV variety-show specials of the era, which were invariably packed with B-list stars and super-square singers from the older side side of the Generation Gap. Perhaps the most obvious touchpoint would be Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, since this is nowhere near as hip as Sonny & Cher... but you see where I'm headed here, right? Side One is fairly dreadful, though it's worth noting that packed in with their covers of "MacArthur Park" and "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" is an original by Bob Williams, a suitably milky pop-orchestral ballad called "Marble Statue." The album's modest kitsch gems really come on the flipside, with one of the decade's weirder renditions of the oft-recorded Curly Putnam classic, "Green, Green Grass Of Home," as well as an immensely cringeworthy, ultra-whitebread version of "The Banana Boat Song," (aka "Daaaayyo!!) Pair that up with the Stan Freberg parody, and you're off to the races. Not sure when this album came out, but 1969 seems like a pretty good guess.

Bob Williams & Lynda Standell "Live In New Orleans" (IRC Records, 1971-?) (LP)
One of those souvenir albums where the word "live" appears in quotation marks on the cover... I'm not sure exactly where this set figures into their career path; there's no date on the disc, though it incudes several songs that were hits circa 1970-71, so I'd guess this set was recorded in late '71 or '72. (That, despite her fabulous white go-go boots, which scream out a few years earlier...) Anyway, the country stuff includes covers of "Country Roads," "For The Good Times," "Mister Bojangles" and Buck Owens' "Tiger By The Tail," as well as groovy tunes like "Son Of A Preacher Man" and "I Don't Know How To Love Him," from the Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack

Bob Williams & Lynda Standell "Happiness Is..." (Topaz Records, 1973-?) (LP)
The hard-rock and drug-drenched early 1970s had a booming subgenre of crypto-Christian hit singles, a fad that crossed over into several genres, including country, pop, rock, and soul. Williams and Standell do a bang-up job rounding up many of the trend's best examples on this crypto-religious theme album. These include schmaltzy hits such as "Morning Has Broken," "Everything Is Beautiful," "I Don't Know How To Love Him," "I Can See Clearly Now," "Oh Happy Day," and "My Sweet Lord," as well as the Johnny Cash classic, "Daddy Sang Bass." Pity they didn't wait another year to record this magnum opus: they also could had added Donna Fargo's "You Can't Be A Beacon (If Your Light Don't Shine)" from 1974. Oh, well.

Bobby Williams "From The Heart" (Jaryl-K Records, 1983-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ed Muchow & Phil Richardson)
Independent honkytonk from central Iowa... This is very much what you might imagine a "private press" country album should sound like: a hefty-voiced fella goin' all Hank Junior, with a bluesy outlaw sound and kinda clunky arrangements. He does okay on more blues-based material, but didn't really have the pipes for the lush countrypolitan stuff, like his cover of "Statue Of A Fool," which is pretty wrong. Still, Williams had a sympathetic underdog vibe, and this is notable, unpretentious local material... I couldn't find much information about Mr. Williams himself, although he sure hung out with an interesting crowd. He had ties to several noteworthy regional performers, including producer/guitarist Ed Muchow (1936-2018) a country deejay and bandleader from Ottumwa who led a band called the Rhythm Playboys, dating back to the 1960s. Muchow plays some lead guitar on this album, accompanied by Sue Archer (harmony vocals), B. David Bernstein (drums), Doug Ducey (lead guitar), Mike Lucas (steel guitar), Randy Pringle (piano) and Phil Richardson on bass. There are plenty of cover tunes on here, including Merle Haggard's "Hungry Eyes," and a couple by Johnny Paycheck. Perhaps of more interest are a couple of songs by Cedar Rapids songwriter Glenn Lonsdale and three by Johnny Credit (aka John McCollum) of Fort Madison, Iowa, and one called "Image Of You," by Jim Hamilton. This ain't great, but it's real.

Little Brad Williams "Elvira" (Perfection Sound Incorporated, 1982-?) (LP)
(Produced by Terry Crisp)
I'm not, generally speaking, a big fan of "kiddie" records, though I suppose it's pretty cool for the families to have these mementos of their kid's precocious talents. According to the liner notes, five-year old Little Brad Williams performed his first song, "Just A Little Talk With Jesus," when he was just twenty month old(!) and made his big debut in 1982, singing at Georgia's Mountain Fair Youth Variety Show, which led to several local bookings and even some touring. Although this album is mostly secular material -- "Elvira," "Old Flames," "Truck Driving Man" -- about half of it is made up of gospel classics and at some of his shows he was backed by the veteran southern gospel group The Sego Brothers & Naomi, so his family was probably plugged into the country gospel scene. His father, Ricky Williams, plays piano on this album, along with James Childers on banjo and guitar, Cid Manley (lead guitar), Garland Nash (steel guitar), Randy Scoggins (drums) and Wayne Smith on bass. The Williams family address is given in Alpharetta, Georgia, though many of the musicians may have been booked by the Perfection Sound studio in nearby Smyrna, where this set was recorded. Dunno if Brad Williams continued to perform music or to record later in life, but I gotta admit this is an impressive effort from such a little kid!

Bud Williams "...Sings Songs With A Message" (Misty Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gordon Calcote, Tony Sciarrotta & Al Johnston)
This album of uber-indie country gospel is, if you'll pardon the expression, a true godsend for the kitsch-oriented among us... Just at the outset, let me admit that Mr. Williams was not, objectively speaking, the world's greatest singer, with a half-mumbled baritone that suggests Dave Dudley with a really bad hangover. But it's not his musical limitations that make this such a ripe target for the schadenfreude patrol, but rather the music itself. Cecil Williams (1921[?]-1998) was a truck driver from Olivehurst, California, a suburb of Yuba City, just north of Sacramento, and lived in the area for over fifty years, working for a big chunk of that time at the Frank Close Lumber Company. Clearly a devoted Christian, Mr. Williams would loosely adapt hard-country hits by artists such as Johnny Cash, Dave Dudley and Merle Haggard, shamelessly transforming "Fighting Side Of Me, "Folsom Prison," and "Six Days On The Road" into heartfelt, if somewhat clunky gospel songs. That's kinda fun to begin with, but what will really wow modern listeners is his interest in current events and social commentary, with lyrics that sternly decry the hippie-era protesters and libertines, including melodramatic tirades about drug abuse that would have made Porter Wagoner proud. It's a real hoot. Also of interest -- and what made me rescue this disc from the fifty-cent bin -- was the presence of Gordon Calcote as producer. Calcote was a deejay from Southern California who recorded several records for the budget-line Crown Records label back in the Sixties, and who tried his hand at producing later on, apparently in the custom label side of the industry. Seems like a good chance Calcote plays on these sessions, although the liner notes don't explicitly tell us who the musicians were -- several people are identified as "background," including arranger Rick Foote, along with Terri Cox, Glenn Davis, Luki Davis and Bud's wife, Dorothy Williams. And don't get me wrong: I'm not making fun of this album, not by a longshot. It might be a low-rent kinda production, but the picking's pretty good, and the sentiments are one-hundred percent sincere. A nice set of unvarnished DIY Christian twang.

Buddy Williams "My Way" (DOC Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Nash & Bert Frilot)
Not to be confused with the Australian country legend of the same name, indie twangster Buddy Williams was in an early 1960's pop vocals band called the Epics, which had a couple of regional hits on the East Coast but basically fizzled out, despite being signed to a major label. While in college at the University of Texas, he found work as a backup singer at the ACA Records studio, and got into the orbit of Bill Nash, who produces and performs on this album, as well as contributing two songs, "Come Back To Me, Girl" and "Tender Love." Most of the other songs are covers of pop and country hits, stuff like "Country Roads Take Me Home," "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" and "Me And Bobby McGee." Williams apparently did a lot of lounge singing gigs around Houston as well as out of state.

Buddy Williams - see artist discography

Chickie Williams - see artist discography

David Williams "The Great Frontier" (1981) (LP)

David Williams "Cowboy Time" (Trapdoor Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by David Williams, Dennis Jones & Tom Tucker)
A rigorously western-themed set by a fella from DeKalb, Illinois... more of a folk thing, really though with a country-capable band that included David Williams playing guitar and mandolin, harmony vocals by Coleen Ahern, Dave Hanson (bass), David Moore (accordion), Al Murphy (fiddle and mandolin), Dale Thomas (pedal steel), Mike Watts on drums. This album was produced in part with a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, and is packed with original material by David Williams, a real polymath of a guy who worked as a short story writer, playwright, poet, essayist, college lecturer, television writer and cartoonist, and as a musician, who recorded over a half dozen albums. His records tend to have different themes -- an album of children's music, a set of environmental issues, one about the history and lore of Route 66. While this one has a western theme the previous album from a few years earlier explored Midwestern history, back when states such as Ohio and Illinois were the wild frontier...Williams later got into playing gypsy jazz, which he tied into a biographical stage play centered around guitarist Django Reinhardt... quite a career!

Dewey Williams & Faith "Heir To A Mansion" (197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Roger Horne & Kevin McManus)
A twangier-than-usual indie gospel album, recorded at Hilltop Studios in Nashville, with a top-flight band that included Allen Britt (bass), Sonny Garrish (steel guitar), Bunky Keels (piano), David Lawrence (drums) and Bruce Watkins on banjo and guitar. Most of the album is original material written by Mr. Williams, with additional songs from the Hopper Brothers and the Stamps Quartet, and a couple of public domain standards. Williams had a decidedly amateur vocal style -- a roughneck baritone, like an unpolished, unruly Ernie Ford, although to my way of thinking, this enhances the record, giving it an undeniably authentic, genuine feel. The backing is solid, and his vocal group, The Faith Quartet, has a solid harmony sound, reminiscent fo the early-'70s Oak Ridge Boys and their various imitators. Alas, the guys in the quartet are not identified by name on the liner notes.

Doc Williams - see artist discography

Frankie Williams & Jolene Sparks "Frankie Williams/Jolene Sparks" (1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Chuck Chapman)
Recorded at Chapman Studios, in Kansas City, this album is a memento of the duo's early '70s lounge gig at the Golden Spike Lounge, in Kirksville, Missouri, up by the Iowa border. Singer Jolene Sparks grew up in that neck of the woods, and was just about eighteen years old in 1972 when she joined forces with Frankie Williams, a veteran performer who had done some time in Nashville. They were both quite good. He was a solid, capable piano player with a very crisp sound, while she had a really impressive voice -- husky, bluesy, with a hint of Muscle Shoals soul, and definitely a notch or two above your average custom-label singer. Sparks and Williams played together for about four years; in the early '80s she worked with local guy named Gary Myers, and at some point went on tour with Boxcar Willie, traveling with his road show to England. Sparks really was quite talented and it seems like she would have had a decent shot at national fame, but for whatever reasons she never broke out into wider recognition and settled down in Kirksville, singing at weddings and funerals; decades later she and Williams did a reunion show at a local VFW hall. This album includes a lot of cover songs, such as "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," "San Antonio Stroll," "Silver Threads And Golden Needles" along with a version of Floyd Cramer's "Last Date," a showcase for Williams' piano plunking. Unfortunately, the backing musicians aren't identified, so I can't say if it was their own band, or a studio crew lined up in Kansas City. Either way, they were also quite good, particularly the steel player.

Gary Williams "10 Year Anniversary Album" (Gospel Times Records, 1974) (LP)
A stripped-down set from evangelical folk-country singer Gary Williams, a surprisingly prolific artist who kicked off his career in the late 1950s as a secular honkytonk singer but got religion sometime in the mid-'60s and stuck to Jesus ever since. He recorded this album to mark his tenth anniversary as a gospel musician (having been born again in 1965) as well as it being the tenth LP he released in his career. Mr. Williams keeps things super-simple: it's just him and his acoustic guitar, with a laid-back, no frills delivery that sort of reminds me of some of Red Foley's calmer moments. It's good. Sincere, authoritative, understated though emotionally resonant... an exemplary solo gospel set. (Plus, a cover photo taken with his dog, Mickey? Extra points.) I guess now I gotta track down the nine records that came before this one!

Gary Williams "Miracle Man" (Gospel Time Records, 1975) (LP)
Another minimalist, all-acoustic set with Gary Williams singing and playing solo on an all-original collection of his own plainspoken gospel material. This is about as heartfelt and direct an album as you're likely to find... Distinctive, too: his manly, robust Jim Ed Brown-ish vocals had an archaic feel, resolutely out of step with the posh, ornate sound of the early 'Seventies countrypolitan scene. From me, that's definitely a compliment. I particularly liked his song. "Poor Men Of The World," one of those very-welcome songs where a Christian singer takes time to remember the parts of the Gospel where we are bid to be kind and take care of our less-fortunate neighbors.

Gary Williams "The Gospel Singer" (Gospel Time Records, 1975) (LP)
Still more charmingly clunky, utterly sincere gospel music from Mr. Williams... I dig this album because of its combination of plainspoken, guileless, true-believer fundamentalism, which is perfectly complimented by his musical rough edges. Every song lyric is all, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus..." until he gets to "The Devil," where we go over to the Dark Side for a while. If you like your country gospel plain and simple, Gary Williams is your man!

Gene Williams/Various Artists "Stars Of The Gene Williams Country Junction Show" " (Cotton Town Jamboree, 1965-?) (LP)

Gene Williams/Various Artists "Gene Williams Country Junction Show" (Erwin Records, 1967) (LP)
Memphis bandleader Gene Williams was a veteran of the early 'Sixties Cotton Town Jamboree revue, with a cast of fellow musicians that also accompanied him while out on the road. Originally from Dyess, Arkansas, Williams kicked off his career when he took a job as a radio deejay in Memphis, a gig that got him emcee-ing local concerts and eventually led to Williams forming his own musical revue, which also involved a publishing company and independent record label. In 1963 he began hosting a television program, The Country Junction Show, beaming out of Jonesboro, Arkansas, and eventually syndicated and rebroadcast on about a dozen southern stations by the time this record was made. A lot of folks passed through Gene Williams's orbit -- including some who made their own records, others who didn't -- and this late 'Sixties album showcases one particular cast of the TV show, including the unidentified members of the house band, The Country Junction Boys, gal singer Lynne Burns, Johnny Duncan, Jim Roby and longtime Williams collaborator Alton Yancey. In general, there's an antiquated, old-man feel to many of these performances, which also brings with it a pleasant level of raw rural authenticity; Ms. Burns brings in some more youthful energy, and was a featured singer not just on the TV program, but also cut a string of singles for Gene Williams, recording well into the early 1970s. This is a nice snapshot of one of the many local and regional country music package tours that were still common at the time, a professional group, but well outside of the slick sounds of the Nashville music factory.

Gene Williams & The Country Junction Band "Memphis Country" (Cowboy Carl Records, 1980) (LP)
Although this actual disc came out over a decade later than the albums above, I think most if not all the music is from an earlier era. These tracks were all taken from old, early 'Sixties recordings made with by cast members of the Cotton Town Jamboree, including folks like Ken Burge, Ray Coble, The Country Junction Quartet, Johnny Duncan, Charlie Fritts, Marlin Grisham, Teresa Leggett, Kenny Owens, Slim Rhodes & Dusty Rhodes, Carole Williams, Sonny Williams and Alton Yancey. Many of the tracks on this album may come from singles recorded for Cotton Town Records, or previously unissued performances, although it should be mentioned that some of these artists had independent recording careers of their own, notably brothers Slim and Dusty Rhodes, as well as Arkansas rockabilly hick Kenny Owens and Ray Coble (who all cut full albums of their own). I'm not sure if the Johnny Duncan who appears on a couple of these Williams albums is the same Johnny Duncan from Texas who became a a chart-topping star in the 1970s; some online sources say he was, but I haven't been able to draw a clear connection yet... Anyway, this is a nice slice of ultra-indie twang from the early 'Sixties, a time when hick influences were still out there in the wild, despite big changes happening on the national pop and country scenes.

Hank Williams, Jr. - see artist discography

J. R. Williams & The Boll Weevils "Live In Atlanta, Georgia" (Boll Weevil Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Cary Cabe & Bill Farrar)
This live album was a souvenir of a club gig at the Nevada Lounge, in Atlanta, Georgia. Multi-instrumentalist Jimmy R. Williams was a seasoned backup player who worked in touring bands for stars such as Mel Tillis and Tex Ritter; the Boll Weevils appear to have been Ritter's road group, taking side bookings in Florida and Vegas during the off weeks. The band included Cary Cabe on lead guitar, Bill Farrar (bass), Roy Peterman (steel guitar), Timmy Snyder (drums), and J. R. Williams on banjo, fiddle, saxophone and guitar(!) Amid standard early 'Seventies lounge covers such as "Ruby" and "American Trilogy," there were a lot originals here, with most of the album written by Williams, including numbers like "Don't Fight The Feeling" and "My Side Of Hell," as well as one tune by Roy Peterman, "Lonely Sort Of Blue." Along with all the country twang, these guys also let their hair down and played a little southern R&B with Williams showing off his saxophone chops on the instrumental, "Funky," which was also released as a single. Boll Weevil seems to have been his own label, with some additional singles that aren't included on this album, and Williams producing a number of other artists over the years. Although the label was centered in Nashville, Williams may have been based in Florida, as he worked for Mel Tillis and the liner notes were by a deejay in Orlando.

Jim Williams "Country Classics" (Country Classics Records, 197-?) (LP)
As advertised, an all-covers set of classic country oldies, mainly crooning standards such as "Crazy," "Green, Green Grass Of Home," "Make The World Go Away" and "Welcome To My World." This is a super-generic custom-press album with a stock cover and no info about where Mr. Williams was from, or who was backing him, but he mentions his "engagements," so maybe he did some lounge gigs somewhere... or hoped to? Looks late 1970s, or possibly early '80s, mostly based on his fabulous hair. (Thank's to Mark Betcher's fab Motel Lounge blog for the tip on this one...)

Jimmy Williams "Originals" (Sound Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Dennis Sullivan)
A country old-timer from southeastern Michigan, Jimmy Williams was a "barn dance" singer which meant he did a little bit of everything -- singing, yodeling and square dance calling. Williams put his first band together in 1954, with his father and brother, Russell Williams and Russ Williams, Jr., along with fiddler Ralph Maybee. This album collects a dozen tracks written and recorded by Williams over the years, with various lineups of the band -- I'd imagine most of these tracks first came out as singles. The liner notes say he was also a country music deejay and had recently become the program director for WSMA, in Marine City, Michigan. Williams also had a gig leading the house band at a place called Dutches, in Port Huron, and assembled a new band called the Country Dukes, play on words based on the restaurant's name. The Sound Music label seems to have been his own imprint, as most of his songs were also copyrighted under Sound Music, with an address in New Haven, MI.

Lawton Williams "Between Truck Stops" (Mega Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Brad McEuen & Bill Vandevort)
A honkytonker with a career spanning back to the early 1950s, Lawton Williams (1922-2007) is perhaps best known as a songwriter, having penned classics such as Bobby Helm's #1 hit, "Fraulein" -- a song about a relationship between a local gal and an American serviceman abroad -- and the similarly-themed "Geisha Girl," which Hank Locklin took into the Top Five. Perhaps even groovier was "Blue Must Be The Color Of The Blues," one of the great George Jones songs of the late 'Sixties. Williams had a flair for novelty material, and wrote numerous less successful songs, including quite a few album cuts; his own career as a performer was only modestly successful, with a couple of charting singles and this lone LP. Lawton was originally from rural Tennessee, but he migrated to Texas where his brand of old-school twang remained popular despite the ongoing pop-ifcation of Nashville. This set of trucker tunes has its moments, with about half the tracks being Lawton Williams originals, including the album's opener, a morbid accident-ballad called "Cold, Cold Hands," which is mirrored by the heroic tall-tale, "The Ballad Of Jim Blynn," which has a "Big, Bad John" kinda vibe. This album is buoyed by a strong crew of studio pickers (sadly unidentified) who add some particular bounce to the uptempo novelty number, "Asphalt Cowboy," as well as the album's closer, "Big Wheel Cannonball," which is a semi-themed update of the country oldie, "Wabash Cannonball." Less compelling is the one-note, backlash-y joke of "Sybil Writes," about a trucker who likes getting letters from his roadside waitress girlfriend, with the joke being that he likes "knowing his Sybil writes." Get it? Do you get the joke?? Hah hah. Overall, though, this is a pretty nice record, with solid, low key delivery from a guy who sounds pretty confident of his craft -- maybe he wasn't going to blow the roof off the Country charts, but he knows how to write a good song.

Mentor Williams "Feelings" (MCA Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Troy Seals & Mentor Williams)
A rootsy recording session by 'Seventies songwriter and record producer Mentor Williams, who is perhaps best known for writing the song, "Drift Away," which was a pop hit for Dobie Gray in 1973 and also climbed the Country Top Ten that same year, as the title track of Narvel Felts' debut album. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Williams was the brother of AOR star Paul Williams; they grew up together in California, moving to LA sometime in the early 1950s. Mentor Williams worked in the music industry both as a songwriter, and as a producer; he later became the life partner of countrypolitan superstar Lynn Anderson. He's backed on this album by a Nashville studio crew that included David Briggs, Dave Kirby and Weldon Myrick, along with other "usual suspect" superpickers.

Merle Williams "The Music All Around Me" (Pork Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Phill Mehaffey & Jeffrey Thomas Tutt)
A surprising set from a twang auteur out of Dayton, Ohio. You would expect, looking at the album cover and given the guy's name that this would be an outlaw enthusiast, a Waylon Jennings-soundalike with a portmanteau monicker... But actually, this is the culmination of a very long musical career, a dense, challenging and oddly eclectic countrypolitan-meets-swamp pop set that might tilit your ears after a while. It's all original material more in line with the work of Tony Joe White or Larry Jon Wilson -- initially it seems mildly jarring, and potentially like a trainwreck in the making, but this could win you over. Some arrangements are a bit over the top, but in general he holds it together and produces some skillfully-woven, idiosyncratic pop-twang, not necessarily stuff that I'd put on for fun, but still fascinating and unlike most records you're likely to hear. A lifelong resident of Miamisburg, Ohio, Merle Williams started out playing in a regionally popular high school garage band called The Rock-Its, which cut a single back in 1959, and another in 1967, after they changed their name to The Decades. They played infrequent gigs around the Dayton era, notably at Friendship Hall, in Miamisburg. In 1977, Williams also released a Pork Records single with one song off this album appearing as the B-side (while the A-side, "Jimmy's Wife," is not included here) though this album might have been the capstone of his career. The Decades continued playing up until 1999, when Mr. Williams passed away. Although this is definitely one of those only-in-the-Seventies kind of albums, there's also a sense that Merle Williams was way ahead of his time; I could definitely see some modern-day indie/alt-rock twangsters revisiting this disc and even covering some of the songs. Worth a spin, y'all.

Mike Williams "The Radio Show" (B.F. Deal Production, 1975) (LP)
A live album from Colorado folkie Mike Williams, a shaggy super-hippie who is perhaps best remembered as the guy who put out the first Nanci Griffith album, on his own independent B.F. Deal Records. Williams also made his mark as an influential song stylist and entrepreneur: B.F. Deal proved to be a trendsetting DIY label that helped kickstart the Americana movement in Texas, after Williams moved to the Lone Star State in the late 'Seventies. This early album shows Williams in full professional folk mode, working his way through his set employing a whole trick bag of coffeehouse stage patter, projecting a very David Bromberg/John Prine-like vibe. He's backed, notably, by guitarist Dennis Coats, who was a stalwart of the Rocky Mountains scene, as well as Steve Hill on bass and rhythm guitar. Williams was one of those folk-scene troubadours who not-so-secretly maybe thought real-deal country music was a bit beneath them. He includes a few comedic country numbers, like the stoner-delic faux-honkytonk number "Smoke Out The Memory," a cute, funny hippie-era time capsule, but also with a mocking musical tone when it comes to the country stuff it so broadly lampoons. Many of the slower, more contemplative songs hint a bit at John Hartford's wry humor or, more often, at the super-serious sentimentalism of '70s superstar John Denver. This isn't too surprising, given that pitching songs for Denver to record was a real cottage industry at the time, nearly displacing silver and uranium mining as Colorado's top economic driver for much of the decade. What's surprising on several of these songs is how much he sounds like John Denver, emulating both his tone and timing... which may delight some listeners, or alienate other. But you can't blame a guy for trying!

Mike Williams "Free Man, Happy Man" (B.F. Deal Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Lars Lundahl & Chet Himes)

Mike Williams "Comin Atcha" (B.F. Deal Records, 1979) (LP)
Fans of Texas folk-twang goddess Nanci Griffith may be familiar with Mike Williams's uber-indie BF Deal label, as her first solo album came out on BFD in 1978... Mike Williams produced, played guitar and sang backup vocals on her folk-tinged debut, and Nanci returns the favor here, singing a few sweet notes on Comin' Atcha.

Otis Williams "Otis Williams And The Midnight Cowboys" (Stop Records, 1971-?) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Drake & Scotty Moore)
A Cincinnati soul singer with a career stretching back to the early 'Sixties, Otis Williams is likely to have heard at least a little of the ocean of country twang floating around in the Cincinnati-Dayton area, which was a major axis for the Appalachian diaspora... Especially since he recorded for the fabled blues-and-country label King Records himself, back in the day. I'm not sure what inspired Williams to cut a country record, but I'm sure glad he did, 'cause this disc's a doozy. He made his way down to Nashville and booked time at Pete Drake's studio where doubtless Drake and his usual Music City cohort were among the studio crew on this solid but subversive subversive of soulful southern twang. (The Midnight Cowboys are said to have actually been an R&B group called the Endeavors, led by Jerry Middleton; apparently Elvis Presley's old pals D. J. Fontana and Scotty Moore were also involved...) Anyway, this is one of those records you used to see floating around the dollar bins at Record Hut, with generations of vinyl junkies assuming that it was kinda cheesy or off-brand in some way. They were wrong. It's a pretty good record, though definitely has a unique vibe. Overall, I'd say Williams had a real, honest appreciation for country music, and a sense of where the genre's sentimental tropes overlapped with the raw emotionality of soul. So zip down to your local Record Hut while you can: this one's definitely worth a spin!

Pete Williams "Sings Old Country Favorites" (Pee Wee Records, 19--?) (LP)

Rex Williams "Good Time Friends" (Bear Creek Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Dick Weissman)
Well, John Denver certainly didn't have a lock on Colorado country, as this amiable, eclectic indie acoustic album demonstrates... Not sure what Williams' story was, but he had lots of high-powered friends, including former '60s folkie and banjo guru Dick Weissman as well as bluegrasser Tim O'Brien, who at the time was still in the Boulder-based Hot Rize band. The vibe on this album is pretty mellow, but also shows wide stylistic range, spanning soft, folkie country-rock, novelty twang such as "Hurry Back," wistful romantic material and a bit of soft-rock AOR in the style of David Gates, et. al. and a bit of pastoral, back-to-nature hippiebilly, as on the title track and "Just Fishin'," which the liner notes say was featured in a film called Ventana (which I can't find any additional information about...) Anyway, this isn't a great record, but it is a nice, simple set, and a fine example of laid-back, easygoing music-making among family and friends, and a nice window into the Colorado indie-twang scene of the time.

Sonny Williams "Sonny Williams" (Country Sound Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by John Carver & Les Ladd)
Not a ton of info about this guy, though researching his legacy is complicated as they seem to be multiple people using the same nickname. There was a singer from Memphis -- James Kirby "Sonny" Williams -- who played with Gene Williams and Eddie Bond, but he's a different guy. Other sources mention a fella named Clyde Harley Bowie (1933-2008) who went by the stage name Sonny Williams, although there may still be a mixup about Mr. Bowie's identity, and a lack of clarity about that of Sonny Williams. Here's what the record shows: there was a Sonny Williams (this artist) who released several singles in the late 1950s and early '60s including songs that were composed by some of the same songwriters credited here, notably Frank McNulty, whose song "Bye Bye Baby Goodbye" was a Sonny Williams single in 1958, and is featured (re-recorded) on this LP. Similarly, other songs from his back catalog are included here, including some by producer and longtime associate John Carver, as well as several credited to Sonny Williams and one(!) with C. Bowie listed as the songwriter. The liner notes tell us Williams was from Virginia, while the Clyde bio has Mr. Bowie born in Pisgah, Maryland. Was there an error in translation, or were they two different people who worked together over the years? I dunno. Another wrinkle is that apparently Mr. Williams spent much of his career in Wisconsin, and released this LP on a label from Milwaukee, though this set was recorded in Nashville with a crew of Music City super-pickers: steel player Pete Drake, guitarists Jimmy Capps, Jim Colvard and Jerry Shook, Ron Oaks (piano), Billy Linneman (bass) and Willie Ackerman on drums. At the time this album came out, Williams was riding high on having Tammy Wynette record a song he co-wrote with Merle Kilgore, "Fire In Your Heart," which was included on the Five Easy Pieces soundtrack; his own version is heard here, along with a slew of original tunes. Several tracks on this album mirror the sometimes overly amped-up manic pop grafts given to to countrypolitan hits of the era, though Williams soon reverts to an earthier tone, more in line with Merle Haggard or the more rugged country crooners of the era. Pretty good record overall, with some swell steel guitar. Definitely worth a spin!

Sunny Williams/Various Artists "Sonny James/Dave Dudley/Sunny Williams" (Diplomat Records, 196--?) (LP)
Oh man, they sure fooled me on this one! This cheapo-label offering includes a half-dozen trucker songs by "Sunny Williams" paired up with a couple of old, random singles by country stars Dave Dudley and Sonny James -- whose faces, of course, are emblazoned across the cover art, while Sunny Williams remains a bit obscure. So, there I was, standing at the Record Hut quarter bin with no cell reception and no way to figure out just how fake an album this really was. Only after I picked it up and brought it home did I think, waitaminit -- could all these tracker songs be from one of Diplomat's themed albums by the Lonesome Valley Singers? Sure enough, I was pretty close: the Williams tracks are all recycled from the album Truck Drivin' Son-Of-A-Gun, credited to a faux band called The Land Rovers. It's good stuff, though, in a hackneyed, twangy, soundalike-kinda way. It's possible that the Johnny Cash-ish Sunny Williams is the same guy as the Wisconsin honkytonker Sonny Williams, though equally likely that this was just some name the label's scam artists made up to justify the repackaging of old material. One never knows. So, yeah, I own the same stuff twice... though the Dudley and James tunes are also not bad. Besides, it was a quarter bin record, so no harm done.

Terry (T.W.) Williams "Magic Bottle Of Wine" (1976-?) (LP)
Southern rock-tinged indie country from an Arkansas auteur... This brightly-produced album has pretty solid musicianship, and ambitious, pop-inflected arrangements, as well as plenty of twang. Both Discogs and PragueFrank seem to think this is the same Terry Williams who was in The First Edition with Kenny (Sauron) Rogers, although I'm not entirely sure this is the case. There is a poetical edge to many of these songs that does make the First Edition connection seem plausible, as does the timeline of that band's disintegration -- that Terry Williams was a pretty solid guitarist, who left the band in 1975 -- though I haven't yet found evidence that (that) Williams retreated to Arkansas after the Edition days ended... Regardless, though, this is a noteworthy album, with plenty to capture the imagination of twangfans like us. Sadly, the liner notes provide no information about the musicians, the producer, or even any composer credits, just song titles and an address in Hot Springs. So, mystery abounds here. Despite the relatively slick, confident musical performance, there is still a charming level of imperfection, most notably how the singer has a tendency to slip out of meter and muff the phrasing of his lyrics -- which is a little odd since they all seem to be his own originals. Overall, though, definitely one to have on your radar.

Terry (T.W.) Williams "Visions And Realities" (Red Oak Song Productions, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Dian Williams, Wayne Hackett & Bill Hammett)
I am confident, however, that this is the same Terry Williams as in the album above: guy from Hot Springs, has a big old cowboy moustache, uses the same "T.W." nickname on both album covers... Though this time around he puts the credits on the outside of the album, so it's easier to figure out his deal. This record had a changing cast of characters, apparently all Arkansas locals, including Terry Williams on lead guitar, with Ron Castleberry (bass), Rickey Creech (drums), Andrew Frye (electric piano), John Huzinec (mandolin), Bill Lee (rhythm guitar and piano), Rudy Osbourne (steel guitar), Steve Roach (slide guitar and banjo), Collin Thompson (drums), with Dian Williams and Judy Klemmedson singing backup. (Dian Williams, I assume, was T.W.'s wife, and I think she may have made an album of her own at some point...) This was recorded at steel player Zane Beck's studio in Little Rock, although Beck didn't play on the album. Again, any help sorting out whether this guy had any connection to Kenny Rogers would be welcome. I personally doubt it.

Tex Williams -- see artist discography

Tommy Williams "Forever Fiddlin' " (Murray Records, 198-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden, Terry Crisp & Tommy Williams)
A solo set by Tommy Williams, a Floridian fiddler who did a lot of Nashville session work, but is best known as a cast member on the Hee Haw TV show... Williams is backed by an a-list studio crew, including pianist Hargus Robbins, Bobby Thompson on banjo and guitar, drummer Buddy Harmon, and Bud Ham on bass. The set list is all old-school, public domain fiddling standards, stuff like "Cotton Eyed Joe," "Bile Them Cabbage Down," although some of the tunes are relatively obscure, such as "Snow Flake Reel" and "Bitter Creek." No date on this one, but it looks early '80s, possibly late '70s.

Tuffy Williams "Tuffy" (Tuff Stuff Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Shockley & Tuffy Williams)
A truly disastrous set of countrypolitan and contemporary early 'Eighties country-pop by a singer-songwriter from Independence, Missouri. Tuffy Williams was the mastermind behind the KC Opry, a venue which released a few albums around the same time. This album features a lot of original material, along with some cover tunes, though by and large it's all pretty hard to listen to. At his best, Mr. Willams offers a robust, rumbling John Anderson-ish baritone, but unfortunately he's one of those guys who just doesn't know when rein himself in, whether plodding though a an interminably slow, super-cheesy ballad, or unleashing his band on over-the-top rock riffs, such as the tinny, frantic guitar solo on "Muddy Bottom River Man." Also, he's just an incurable cornball, and his emotive vocals wear thing pretty quick. I'm not one to go out of my way looking for records I can mock or make fun of, but in all honesty, this disc is pretty terrible. The backing band was drawn from the KC Opry cast, including steel player Bobbe Seymour, whose talent is subsumed by an avalanche of poor production choices and unfortunate arrangements.

Williams World "Flash-In-The-Pan" (Viking Recordings, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Wade R. Williams)
A family band from Denver, Colorado, led by mom and pop, Carol and Ralph Williams, but showcasing their thirteen-year old daughter Pam Williams, who played the banjo and wrote several of the songs on this album, including "World's A Battle Ground," which was co-written with her older sister Tammy. Mostly bluegrass standards, as well as covers of "Ghost Riders In The Sky" and Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Morning Coming Down."

Willie & The Sound Of The Ozarks "Please Set Him Free" (Ozark Records, 19--?) (LP)
Real old-fashioned rural twang, anchored in the pre-honkytonk Depression-era style of folks like Brother Oswald -- lots of dobro and plangent picking. It's also remarkably rough and clunky -- if Roy Acuff ever played with a splitting hangover, it mighta sounded like this. This looks like a souvenir album from one of the many mini-"oprys" that dotted the Ozarks Mountains, though no specific venue is named in the liner notes. This band from Northwest Arkansas was built around a pair of musicians who also called themselves Willie & Clyde, Willie being William M. Gibbs, who claimed composer credit on all the songs (even though many are re-workings of familiar traditional themes...) Clyde's last name is not, alas, provided, nor those of any of the other guys in the band. The back cover photo shows them all dressed up in outfits typical of mini-opry casts -- some guys in suspenders and overalls, others dressed in gingham drag -- though if they were part of a specific revue, I couldn't find out which one. Also no date on the disc, but it looks kinda mid-to-late-'Seventies. This rough-edged performance may be a little too taxing for casual twangfans, though I found it fascinating, party just because they sound so unapologetically disorganized and downright ornery.

Gary Willie & His Countrymen "Recorded 'Live' At Lakeside" (Countrymen Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Durham)
A local bandleader from Elkader, Iowa, on the eastern end of the state, near the Wisconsin state line, Gary Willie led his family band throughout the early 1970s and played local and regional venues such as the Lakeside Ballroom in nearby Guttenburg, where this album was recorded "live" (in quotation marks). It's a pretty straightforward set of plunky, no-frills traditional country and pumped-up bluegrass, with plainspoken covers of classics like "Crazy Arms," "Big River," "I Don't Believe I'll Fall In Love Today" and "Memphis" -- nothing dazzling, but rich in sincerity and simplicity. The Countrymen included Gary Willie on vocals, banjo and lead guitar, Art Willie (rhythm guitar), Lowell Willie (bass), Ronnie Willie (drums), and Martin White on fiddle. Lots of thumping backbeat here, giving the record a vaguely Johnny Cash-like feel, tempered by Gary Willie's pleasantly callow, young-fella vocals. I dig it.

Gary Willie & His Countrymen "Request Of '72" (Countrymen Records, 1972) (LP)
Not sure which of these records came first, or if there are others... Also not sure what became of Gary Willie and his siblings, though I think later in life Mr. Willie became heavily involved in organizing the Clayton County Fair... Any info is welcome.

Willis/Carlan/Quinn "Tin Roof" (Sun Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by John Hall)
This Florida band included the trio of Danny Willis, Karen Carlan and Mike Quinn... hence the name... Although this is sometimes described as a bluegrass album, I'd peg it more "country" or country-pop. And yeah, they do country-rock covers of bluegrass standards like "Uncle Pen" and "Rocky Top," but also some new stuff that reminds me of Jonathan Edwards, as well as a couple of truly dreadful soft-rock tunes. On balance, though, this is worth checking into if you're into '70s-style country rock. Not mindblowing, but solidly in that tradition. It's also been reissued on MP3 as part of the Shelby Singleton back-catalog.

Chuck Willis "...And Friends" (CWA Records, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Elgin)
Not to be confused with the turban-clad 1950s R&B singer/rock pioneer, this Chuck Willis was a Midwestern country bandleader. His bio on the back cover tells us Willis was born in Liberty, Indiana, but went on to radio and TV jobs in Ohio and Kansas, most notably hosting a TV show on KTVH, Wichita, called Chuck Willis And The Country Brothers Jamboree. I'm not sure where this album fits into his career; Willis shares the spotlight with several vocalists, including Jimmie Clark, Elsa Sommers and Sam McGuire, who were part of a road show he toured with in the early 1970s. Outside of this album, the only mention of these folks I've seen was a 1974 show notice for a gig in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where they were billed as "Nashville" artists... Willis and his band played a lot of gigs on military bases and NCO clubs in Leavenworth and elsewhere, and this appears to be a souvenir of that era.

Clay Willis & The Traveling Band "Recognition" (JED Records, 19--?) (LP)

Clover Willis "Recorded Live At The Country Jubilee" (Artists Recording Company, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Terry Bock, Rollin Bennett & Carrol Rawlings)
A fascinating, ambitious album by a gal out of Columbus, Ohio who got a little traction nationally, circa 1977-78, releasing at least one single that was mentioned in Cashbox though it doesn't seem to have charted anywhere. At the same time, she was playing gigs at a mom'n'pop opry/nightclub in Columbus, Ohio called The Country Jubilee, where this album was recorded, and even sang at the Ohio State Fair in 1978, when she opened for Johnny Paycheck. Here, Willis is backed by a band called Sagebrush Express: Ron Moore on steel guitar, Ric Greer (drums), Larry Rhodes (piano), Steve Madaffari (lead guitar), and Allan Demonbreun (bass) and a fella named Terry Bock acting as emcee. The first thing you notice on this album, sadly, is a low hum that I assumed was from the speakers at her show, though it persists in the "deadwax" at the end of the album, so it may have been a defect in the pressing. I'm sure it's the first thing Ms. Willis noticed as well, but don't let it stop you from tracking this disc down, 'cause it's a doozy, and you can't really hear the hum in the songs themselves. Clover Willis clearly had an affinity for the rugged, tough-chick sound popularized by Tanya Tucker, as well as a feel for the Muscle Shoals version of country twang, and in particular for the work of songwriter Ave Aldridge. She covers four of Aldridge's songs on this album, along with several more by other composers also signed to Aldridge's publishing company, Al Cartee Music. (I even started to suspect that Clover Willis might have been a pseudonym for Aldridge, who only recorded one album under her own name, although I doubt that theory holds water...) Anyway, this is a cool record. Willis and her band had a bold, expansive musical vision, veering off from the standard style of country music, blasting out a big, rock-friendly yet still deeply twangy sound, with a little hint of the southern soul scene in Alabama and Memphis that Willis alludes to onstage. You could start your country journey a few decades later with Shooter Jennings or Chris Stapleton, work your way backwards to this album, and be pretty pleased by the connections you find. Definitely worth a spin, possibly even a reissue.

Jeff Willis "Going Places..." (Brandwood Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Ansley Fleetwood, Al Gore, Gene Rice & Bill Vorndick)
An indie twang set with top forty aspirations, recorded by a fellow who was nicknamed "The Pavo Kid," after his hometown in Georgia. He headed over to Nashville to cut this album, which seems to have involved several sessions, packed with various heavy hitters and a few more obscure musicians... I couldn't find any songwriter credits, but I think this album is packed with original songs (admittedly with familiar themes) including tunes like "If I Could Make A Livin' Lovin' You," "The Saddest Happy Hour" and "George Jones, Jack Daniels, And Me" (another entry in my list of George Jones tribute songs...)

Jeff Willis "Let Me Be A Witness" (2005)
According to a local newspaper story, Jeff Willis had long since given up on his dreams of country music stardom when he started working on this gospel set. A long-since settled down family man running his own storage company, Willis still enjoyed singing and was encouraged by his friends to make another album. Unfortunately, the project coincided with a throat cancer diagnosis, and while his treatment was successful, the experience certainly strengthened his sense of purpose, making the idea of salvation feel much more immediate and personal. The repertoire is a mix of gospel oldies and more modern material, including songs such as "The Anchor Holds," "Only the Blood" and "That's All." No info on the sessions, alas.

Ray Willis/Leonard R. Willis -- see artist profile

The Vic Willis Trio "Stars Of The Grand Ole Opry" (First Generation Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Drake)
Well, you gotta give the old guy credit for trying to keep up with the times... John "Vic" Willis was a surviving member of the Willis Brothers, a second-string honkytonk/pop band whose heyday was in the 1950s and '60s, and who had been Opry members since the late '40s. After one brother died and another retired in the '70s, Vic Willis decided to go it alone and recruited Curtis Young and C. W. Mitchell to round out a vocal trio... They're backed here by Pete Drake's studio crew, including Hargus Robbins on piano, a bunch of usual suspect guitarists, Pete Drake and Jimmy Crawford on steel, and Vic Willis chugging away on accordion. The accordion is the sole reminder of his 1940s origins; the rest of the record has a contemporary late '70s/early '80s feel, with glossy arrangements and slick-sounding production, and songs by writers such as Rick Beresford and Hapgood Hardy. Includes a nice version of Dave Kirby's "Colorado," alongside covers of recent hits such as "Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle To You" and "If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body." Willis seems to have been aiming at a Bellamy Brothers-style harmony vocals sound, and on a few tunes the trio sounds pretty strong, although when the other guys drop into the background, you can hear the creakiness in his voice. No worries, though: it's not a mind-blowing record, but it is a pretty credible effort for an old-timer of his era.

Willow "Willow" (20th Century Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Don Black & Dennis King)
Seventies soft-rock with some country influences... I've seen mentions that this trio was originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, but haven't been able to completely confirm it yet.

Willow "Branching Out" (20th Century Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Don Black & Dennis King)
This one's definitely worth knowing about if you're a fan of 'Seventies soft-rock... The trio of Kevin Dolan, Barry Fitzgerald and William McSweeney took their cues from Crosby Stills & Nash, playing a far-flung, eclectic mix of country-rock, soft-psych sunshine pop and shiny AOR, sounding quite a bit like contemporary bands such as America and Poco. This album's kind of a mixed bag -- some tracks are really nice and hold up well over the years, although when the band aims for a more rugged rock-pop sound, the songs feel slightly brittle and the album begins to feel more scattershot. Still, the mellow tunes are nice and well-produced with lots of bright harmonies and sonic texture -- this disc could definitely be considered a lost gem of the era, though twangfans may have to work at it a little to hear the country influences.

Willow Creek "Willow Creek" (Arm Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Michael Fee & Richards Bruno)
Aw, phooey. You figure with a name like Willow Creek, these guys would at least pick a little bluegrass, but as it turns out they were basically an amateur, acoustic-oriented soft-rock band. I suppose there's a reasonable case to be made placing them into the '70s "country rock" sound, but only in the same way you might also include bands like America or Firefall. There are some pop-rock covers -- of the Beatles, Neil Diamond and the Isley Brothers -- as well as the "Sunshine Medley" which mashes up Jimmie Davis and Jonathan Edwards, and a little country stuff from the Jimmie Rodgers and Carter Family catalogs that closes out the album. There are also four original songs by singer Michael Fee, who was clearly the leading force in this band. This didn't really wow me, but it's yet another example of "just plain folks" making their own music, back in simpler times. Several tracks were recorded live at Burnham's Opera House, a bar in St. Louis, Missouri where Fee had previously led the house band, then called the Bushwackers.

Eddie Wills/Sonny James "Country Style!!!" (Crown Records, 1963-?) (LP)
This cheapo-label split LP is one of those deals where old recordings from an established artist are paired with filler tracks from a (possibly fictitious) unknown artist... In this case the big star was country-pop crooner Sonny James, whose brief 1959-63 separation from Capitol Records produced a small string of singles, including these teen-idol tunes cut for the Atlanta-based National Recording Corporation -- it's possible this album even came out before James re-signed with Capitol, and got his career back on track. The flipside features five tracks by the otherwise unknown Eddie Wills, thinly produced numbers which also pursue an teenpop sound, with a bit of a folkie-country vibe and some desultory though charming picking on on what may have been a dobro (by an unidentified musician, of course...) Nothing super-amazing, though the Eddie Wills tracks have their charms... I am curious who Wills was, and whether he recorded anything else for the Crown label.

Bill Wilson "Songs From The Catalog Of Sonobeat Music Company" (Sonobeat Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Josey Sr. & Rim Kelly)
Midwestern singer-songwriter Bill Wilson was a Vietnam veteran, still enlisted in the Air Force when he made his way to Austin, Texas and recorded this set for the Sonobeat micro-label, run by Bill Josey and his son, Rim Kelly. The album was a songwriter's demo, with only a hundred copies pressed, and most of these passed along to music business types. Eventually it paid off: Wilson did get signed to Columbia and cut the album Ever Changing Minstrel (reviewed below) although he eventually returned to his home in Indiana after a stint in Nashville, and settled into local-legend status. The Sonobeat record remains one of the more elusive items in the folk-freak pantheon, still in need of reissue nearly fifty years after its release... It's a solid set, just Wilson and his guitar, intoning with a very serious, brooding, thoughtful folkie urgency, recalling earlier acoustic pioneers such as Tim Hardin and Tom Rush. Before cutting his Columbia LP, Wilson worked on a few equally obscure Sonopress projects -- playing guitar on records by Herman Nelson and Mariani, as well as one album with his own group from Bloomington, the Pleasant Street Band.

Bill Wilson "Ever Changing Minstrel" (Columbia Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Johnston)
This is an Americana/folk-freak "lost gem" that really lives up to the hype... Bill Wilson, an Indiana unknown who recorded one lone album for Columbia Records in 1973, was a distinctive artist whose legacy was lost for four decades, since the distribution on the original album was so poor that it practically became a mirage. He's backed on this set of driving, hypnotic originals by a top studio crew under the direction of veteran producer Bob Johnston, a set punctuated by funky bass lines, soaring vocal choruses and slippery Southern rock guitars, but most of all by his own insistent acoustic guitar and half-chanted vocals. There's a definite "hippie" vibe to this album -- cosmic, spaced-out, prophetic lyrics and a searing, solipsistic urgency -- with a richly textured, eclectic early '70s sound. Perched halfway between Tony Joe White's swampy blues raps and the outlaw folk of Townes Van Zandt, Wilson had a knack for crafting sinuous, alluring refrains, choruslike verses which he would repeat over and over like liturgical chants. Indeed, several songs on here have religious themes, notably "Father Let Your Light Shine Down," a perky, soulful song that could have made it into the country gospel canon, had Wilson gotten a little more exposure. Other gems include the wind-blown folk tune "Rebecca," and "Black Cat Blues," a chain-gang ballad worthy of Robert Pete Williams. Wilson is an artist who's difficult to pin down stylistically, evoking Jerry Reed, Tom Rush and James Talley among others, and he definitely embodies the spirit of early '70s experimentation. If any of this piques your curiosity, by all means pick this up -- it's albums like this that reissue labels were made for.

Bill Wilson "Talking To Stars" (Bar-B-Q Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Mark Bingham & Mark Hood)
Following the flaming fizzle of his major-label debut, Williams settled back into Midwestern life, recording this equally odd album in Bloomington, with what I assume was a largely local band. (BBQ label owner Mark Bingham was another record industry refugee who came back to Indiana after a stint in LA and helped record a number of odd, obscure artists in the '70s and '80... The liner notes list a "Mac MacNally" singing backup on one track, who I assume is a teenage Mac McAnally, future Nashville songwriter; I was too lazy to look up all the other folks...) Anyway, this starts out on a similar note to his '73 album, a folkie-twang set with a spiritual undercurrent -- touches of disco, both mocking and sincere, lick around the edges of a few songs, and the lyrics seem more concerned with romance than before. On Side Two, he gets into a heavily cosmic folkie vibe, reminiscent of Tim Hardin, Fred Neil and Tim Buckley, and that's groovy if that's what you're looking for... A personal, searching album and an intriguing slice of '70s DIY Americana, but far less country twang overall.

Bill Wilson "Made In The USA" (Redbud Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Wilson & Michael Ebert)
There are still some groovy touches here -- odd, personal lyrics, unusual arrangements -- though now Wilson seems to be all but a solo performer, thrumming away on the guitar and filling the void with his impassioned vocals. He compensates by coming up with surprising sonic textures and processing his guitar sounds in a Leo Kottke-esque way. Wilson had definitely become a voice in the wilderness and had fully embraced that role -- of all his albums, this is probably the least accessible or immediately appealing, but if you work at it a little bit, it has its rewards.

Billy Wilson & The Country Boys "Live At The Georgia Mountain Fair" (API/Atteiram Records, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Abel & Carl Queen)
Manic, rugged live performances by a rowdy, ragged redneck band performing at the Georgia Mountain Fair in Hiawassee, GA, sometime around 1973... As an emcee, Billy Wilson has a slightly nervous, speedy vibe, but an appealing good-ole-boy authenticity when he sings... Likewise his band has a warts-and-all feel that makes this record kind of cool -- they're solid musicians but are definitely not too slick or polished, and almost sound on the edge of disaster. The musical star is lead guitarist Jackie Little, a youthful, rock-influenced hotshot picker who gets in some sizzling riffs and splits the lead vocals right down the middle with Billy Wilson; also noteworthy is steel player Billy Nickleson, who employs an unusually aggressive, almost violent approach which harkens back to the early years of western swing, and definitely went against the grain of the smooth production style of the countrypolitan era. While the whole record forms a nice snapshot of a working band, highlights include a couple of their wilder numbers, notably their versions of "Knock Three Times" and "Folsom Prison Blues," which combine their hard-country roots with a garage-rock explosiveness. A cool mix of styles which encompassed classic honkytonk twang as well as early 'Seventies hits such as Conway Twitty's "Hello Darling" and Merle Haggard's reactionary anthem, "Okie From Muskogee." Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Chuck Wilson "Country Songs And Dreams" (Killer Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Mickey Barnett & Reid Northrup)
An ambitious though obscure set of all-original material from a bar-band crooner out of Albany, New York... Local country deejay Reid Northrup hauled songwriter Chuck Wilson into a studio run by Mickey Barnett, originally just with the intention to demo Wilson's original material, but along the way they decided to put out an album. That back story might explain why some of these tracks don't really land that well -- the difference between playing to make a record and playing to get your ideas down can be pretty big, and the band often has a lackadaisical, low-energy feel, though they get more engaged as things move along. Likewise, Wilson's vocals can feel inconsistent from track to track -- I had to struggle past some of the slower ballads before I was able to appreciate his strengths, but if you skip the weaker tracks, this album definitely has some good stuff to offer. I'm not sure if the backing musicians were from his own backing band, Dallas, or if they were guys who worked for Mickey Barnett... the credits list Chuck Wilson on vocals and guitar, Bob Chiarella (steel guitar), Joe Donovan (drums), Drew Francis (piano, and -- yikes -- flute), and John Mancino (bass), with strings by Karen Houghuis, arranged by Drew Francis.

Dennis William Wilson "One Of Those People" (Elektra Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Jimmy Bowen & Sterling Whipple)
Not the same guy as the late Beach Boy (who died in 1983) songwriter Dennis William Wilson was also a session picker and backup singer who popped up on numerous albums throughout the '70s, on both independent country projects and mainstream, Top 40 blockbusters. Sadly, this solo set is rather dreary, an overwrought, pretentious hangover from the slick, stale soft-pop AOR of the disco-era. His resonant, rural-edged voice brings John Anderson to mind, but only if Anderson had started his career trying to sound like J. D. Souther... a bit too goopy for my tastes. All the songs were written by Wilson, and I suppose this was meant to be his magnum opus. Although this was recorded in Nashville with steel player Sonny Garrish gracing several tracks, there's not much of a country feel. Maybe more forgiving fans of 'Seventies country-rock could rally around a tune like "Just Another Yesterday," or the overly-anthemic "The Fire Behind His Eyes," though honestly, most folks can skip this one. I wasn't able to track down a biography of Mr. Wilson... anyone know where he was from?

Hulen Wilson & Ray Cadle "Komedy, Korn & Kountry" (Ohio Records, 1971-?) (LP)
Bluegrass and novelty numbers by an old-school duo who were in the orbit of Akron, Ohio radio host Jaybird Drennan, who contributes the liner notes and apparently produced this album. Let's not dwell on the triplicate misspellings of the album's title. and concentrate instead on the music: the album is split between straight bluegrass and and bluegrass gospel on Side One, and novelty material on Side Two. Like most country comedy, the "funny" stuff is pretty strained, though thankfully much of their novelty repertoire relied on the peculiar tone of an instrument Wilson designed called a "banjolena," which seems to have been a modified mandolin, with a longer neck -- banjo frets grafted onto the mandolin's body. Overall, this is a pretty solid bluegrass set with some nice picking wed to negligible nuttiness, perhaps with an eye towards landing a guest appearance on Hee Haw, or something like that. A more straightforward set than you might imagine, including some nice originals written by guitar picker Ray Cadle. Apparently Jaybird Drennan had these guys on a package tour with local country singer Ethel Delaney, though I'm not sure if they also backed her on the road.

Jerry Wilson "Going Home!" (ADA Records, 19--?) (LP)

Johnny Wilson "When Johnny Gets Blue" (Lemco Records, 1972) (LP)
Dunno if this early 'Seventies offering is from the same Johnny Wilson as below... If so, there's at least a decade or so between these albums. Early '70s Johnny did cover some country and country-adjacent material ("For The Good Times," "Help Me Make It Through The Night," "Proud Mary") but also some old-school non-rock pop/lounge tunes ("San Francisco," "Since I Fell For You," "Theme From Summer Of '42") with the scales being tipped a bit by his recording for the bluegrass-oriented Lemco label. Dunno where he was from either; his backing musicians include drummer Gene Adams and Rick Carroll on guitar...

Johnny Wilson "This Is Johnny Wilson" (Great Moments Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Clark & Joe Nelson)

Larry Jon Wilson "New Beginnings" (Monument Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Rob Galbraith & Bruce Dees)
An alluring debut from this Americana auteur, a growling, smoky Southern spiritualist with a funky, swampy feel similar to Tony Joe White, with an echo of Bill Withers' brand of wistful, meditative nostalgia. (He also has the same rich Georgia drawl as Jerry Reed; on a tune or two you could almost mistake the two for one another...) This idiosyncratic album didn't dent the charts, but it has a bunch of songs on it that became staples of '70s freeform radio: I remember hearing "The Truth Ain't In You" and "Broomstraw Philosophers And Scuppernong Wine" on KFAT, lo those many years ago. Most of the musicians seems to be from the Muscle Shoals side of the tracks, though country sessionman Lloyd Green plays steel on several tracks. This record's a real find and one of the decade's true classics; a one-of-a-kinder, for sure. (Reissued on CD along with his second album, reviewed below.)

Larry Jon Wilson "Let Me Sing My Songs" (Monument Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Rob Galbraith & Bruce Dees)
His second album has a much more disciplined, streamlined, more overtly pop-folk sound -- still bluesy but less Tony Joe White, more Fred Neil, if not quite Gordon Lightfoot. It's not quite as much fun, but it did yield Wilson's lone entry into the Country charts, the mellow "I Think I Feel A Hitchhike Comin' On," which didn't go very high, but did make it into the back end of the Top 100. The country element is even more in the background, though Weldon Myrick sits in as a session player, adding a few licks on the dobro. This isn't as striking a record as New Beginnings, but still worth a spin, particularly if you're drawn to Wilson as an auteur artist.

Larry Jon Wilson "Loose Change" (Monument Records, 1977) (LP)

Larry Jon Wilson "The Sojourner" (Monument Records, 1979) (LP)

Larry Jon Wilson "Larry Jon Wilson" (Sony Music/Drag City, 2008)

Larry Jon Wilson "New Beginnings/Let Me Sing My Songs" (Omni Records, 2011)
A swell twofer reissue, with Wilson's first two albums sandwiched together. I wonder if they'll reissue the other two Monument albums as well...(?)

Mura Wilson "From Here To Nashville" (Page One Records, 1969) (LP)
A real mystery disc here. I'm not sure where Mura Wilson was from; Ireland or somewhere in the UK seems likely, since the Page One label was based in England. Amazingly, though, I could find zero biographical information about Mura Wilson online, and very little about this album. Her vocals are a bit awkward, though they do grow on you... Rougher still is the musical backing, which was clearly not provided by a band conversant with country music... perhaps not surprising as Page One specialized in pop and rock records, and only dabbled in twang. The repertoire is notably old-school, with cowboy songs and country-ish oldies like "Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine," "Red River Valley," and "Tennessee Waltz," as well as the title track, "From Here To Nashville," which is pretty good, even though no one thought to mention where "here" is... Even more intriguing in the inclusion of a song called "Lennon And McCartney," which is funny since, even though they barely made it into the 1950s with their country repertoire, they endeavored to be up-to-date enough to make a nod to the world's greatest rock band. Go figure. Anyone out there know more about this gal? I'm all ears!

Page Wilson "Road Tired, Wired And Ready" (Signal Mountain Records, 1983) (LP)
A fixture of Richmond, Virginia's country scene, singer Page Wilson and his band Reckless Abandon released a couple of albums in the '80s, with Wilson later slipping into a long career as a local radio DJ. This debut album has some pretty solid, hard-country honkytonk on it, nice stuff about drinking and dreaming of lost loves and heartache... Ultimately, Wilson's story was pretty sad: he had a hard time making ends meet in his later years and when he started having health problems, things really fell apart because he didn't have health insurance and couldn't get the care he needed. In 2011, he was found dead in his home, after having suffered from various medical problems... a tragedy, really. But he left some good music behind!

Page Wilson "Best Of The Situation" (Signal Mountain Records, 1985) (LP)

Page Wilson "Bridge Of Love" (Plan 9 Records, 1999)
A live album...

Smokey Wilson "Country Music Boogieman" (Expression Studios. 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Dick Knight)
This late-'70s album was recorded in Las Vegas by Lone Star honkytonker Smokey Wilson (not to be confused with the West Coast bluesman of the same name) along with his band, Texas Highway, which toured the Southwest and the Rockies in their heyday. It's all original material, kind of a perky blend of twang and rock, with a hint of R&B in the mix. Wilson, who settled down in Cuero, Texas, has recorded several albums later in life -- during the CD era -- but I think this was his only album from his '70s outlaw days.

Clayton Winchester "Clayton Winchester" (Talon International, 1988) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Tubert & John Kelton)
A pop-country hopeful from Isleton, California (near Sacramento) singer Clayton Winchester wasn't bad, although some of these songs get a little florid, particularly on the more ballad-y end of the spectrum. Winchester kinda reminds me of Moe Bandy -- he's working in a slick but rootsy style, with a hard-country/honkytonk undercurrent that was a little at odds with the high-tech sound coming out of Nashville at the time. But a lot of these tunes may catch your ear, and it's an interesting song selection. Winchester only wrote one of the tracks, "Good As Any Man," which closes the album -- in addition there are a couple of songs provided by Linda Darell and several more credited to producer Bob Tubert. I suppose this may have been one of those songwriter showcase albums that they make in Nashville -- sort of a glorified demo tape -- but it's nice that this guy got a chance to put himself on wax. Perhaps the most notable feature is that an up-and-coming Shelby Lynne sings back-up on a few tunes, just one year before her own debut in '89.

Jesse Winchester - see artist discography

Don Winters - see artist discography

Faye Winters "Country Bumpkin" (Crusade Enterprises, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Casolari)
A secular set from a Midwestern gal who had previously recorded a couple of southern gospel albums... Faye Winters hailed from Altamont, Illinois, a tiny town in the southern end of the state, near Saint Louis, and appears to be backed here by studio musicians provided by gospel producer Bill Casolari at his studio in nearby Flora, IL. The set list is mostly made up of country classics and country-pop numbers associated with female singers, tunes like "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue," "Walkin' After Midnight," and "One Day At A Time," and a little bit of pop-rock, as seen in her cover of the Monkees oldie, "Daydream Believer," which had recently been covered by Anne Murray in 1979.

Wisconsin Opry "Live Country Music Show: Wisconsin Dells' Newest Family Attraction" (1979?) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Lake & Kent Kesterson)
A souvenir album from the Wisconsin Dells tourist attraction which in the late 1970s added a country music show to its entertainment menu... The band on this first album included three lead vocalists, Jerry Beschta, Julie Keller and Ellie Peters who take turns singing on a mix of classic oldies and newer tunes, including some hip and mildly surprising modern selections. Keller takes a pass at a cover of the old George Jones hit, "He Thinks I Still Care" and Emmylou Harris's "Boulder To Birmingham, while Peters closes the album out with a version of "The South's Gonna Do It Again." I think these folks were fairly young musicians who were probably happy to have the gig -- apparently they traveled to Missouri to record the album at the KBK/Earth City studios in Saint Louis.

Wisconsin Opry "Live" (1979?) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Schulenberg)
As on the first album, the musicians at the Dells seem to have been allowed to play stuff they liked, and made some pretty hip selections: they cover several songs that Emmylou Harris recorded in the late '70s, along with some Hank Williams, a version of "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" (which I'm guessing they got off the Asleep At The Wheel version, not from Louis Jordan) as well as "Crazy," and... wait for it... wait..... wait... "Viola, An American Dream," which was a huge hit for Starland Vocal Band, but it also technically a Rodney Crowell song. The only distinctive track, really, is the novelty tune, "400 Hogs," which is sort of a shout-out to the 4H crowd. No release date on the record, but I'm guessing 1979, or maybe '80, based on the set list. Nothing special here, really, but I guess if you were at the Dells back then, possibly working as a candystriper, this might be a nice whiff of Dairyland nostalgia.

Wisconsin Opry "Live Country Music Show, v.3" (1985-?) (LP)
This has mostly the same band as the previous albums, although the Beschtas seem to have left the show... This edition of the group includes Cindy Dickinson on lead vocals, Virgil Dickinson (banjo), Bill Herrewig (steel guitar), Julie Keller (lead vocals), Ellie Peters (lead vocals), Mike Powers (lead vocals, piano), Dennis Reifsteck (fiddle & bass) and Dan Soma (vocals and guitar). The set list has a bunch of oldies, stuff like "Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On" and "Walking After Midnight," along with newer stuff like "All The Gold In California" and "Thank God And Greyhound You're Gone."

Wisconsin Opry "Live Country Music Show, v.4" (Wisconsin Opry, 1985-?) (LP)
(Produced by Virgil Dickinson & Dennis Reifsteck)
Baraboo's finest. Although there's some continuity in membership, the Dickinsons seem to have really taken over the show, adding a couple of more family members, twelve-year old Ken Dickinson and ten-year old Liz Dickinson (both on fiddle), along with a new steel player, Tom Dehlinger, and a new drummer as well, Greg Wanda. Mike Powers, Dennis Reifsteck and Dan Soma are all still on board, and the album has the same mix of old and new. A new vocalist, Joette Rockow kicks the album off with three tracks, decent covers of "Sweet Dreams" and "Pins And Needles," and an appropriately dreadful cover of "Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer," sung as a duet with pianist Mike Powers (who was super-cheesy). Rockow had a very nice voice, though she's highly imitative of Emmylou Harris, and is framed by cautious arrangements that somewhat hold the listener at arm's length... But she was good. Apparently she went into academics and became a journalism professor at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Great fiddling on their covers of "Orange Blossom Special" and "Alabama Jubilee," and Tom Dehlinger shines as a clear-toned, confident steel player. I'm not sure if there were any other Wisconsin Opry albums after this, but I do find them charming and sincere.

Jeff Wise & Darren Fay "Redneck Rock" (Charter Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Ellis Miller)
Darren Fay and Jeff Wise were buddies from Southern California who hoofed it up to Vancouver, Washington to party down and cut a record at Ripcord Studios, with owner-engineer Gene Breeden adding electric guitar and pedal steel to a track or two, his son Danny Breeden on drums, Ellis Miller on bass, and of course, Fay and Wise strummin' guitars and singin' up a storm. There's also some guy named Mark who adds fiddle, flute, or saxophone -- as well as vocals -- to all but two tracks, and you can totally just hear those two guitar dudes, being all, "Oh, man, dude! You know we would put your name on the cover, too, just... like, y'know... you're not on those two tracks!" And Mark was all, "Well, can't we just come up with a band name?" Not like he's pissed, or anything. Anyway, these two (or is it three?) longhaired guys were just about as 1975 as you could get... Dig those shirts, dig that chest hair, and how do you stay that thin?? The dudes returned home, with Jeff Wise being considered an "unofficial mayor" of his hometown of Harbison Caynon, a rural community outside of San Diego where he grew up... As far as I know, this was their only album.

Jennifer Wise "Just Jennifer" (BOC/Audioloft Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by B. J. Carnahan)
Although she's pals with producer B. J. Carnahan -- who was pals with Johnny Cash -- this album has far less twang to it than you'd expect from inside the orbit of the Macks Creek, Missouri mom-n-pop indie scene... Basically, this is a fairly generic, low-energy set of wispy folk-pop, crooned by Ms. Wise in a Karen Carpenter-esque milkiness. She wrote most of the songs on here, including two co-written with Carnahan. She also covers "Welcome To My World," David Mallett's "Garden Song" (aka "Inch By Inch," most famously recorded by Pete Seeger) and the Hank Williams oldie, "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," which is the most country-sounding track on the record. The album was arranged by Brad Edwards, who presumably also plays on the sessions (no musician credits, alas...) Not much to get worked up about on this one, though I did like the pedal steel on the Hank song.

Dusty Cal & Bonnie (Witham) "Songs Of The Old Country Church" (Soundcraft Associates, 196--?) (LP)
A married couple from Rochester, New Hampshire, Rev. Calvin G. Witham (1926-2021) and Clara C. Witham (1925-2012) were secular country stars in the late 1940s, before they got religion in 1951 and shifted towards gospel music. Cal Witham had a career going back to the mid-1940s, and was partnered up with another New England country picker, Clyde Joy, for a couple of years after the war. For several decades the Withams were connected with the Lone Star Ranch country music venue in Reeds Ferry, New Hampshire, and at the time this album came out "Dusty Cal" was a performer on a country show broadcast from Manchester's WMUR-TV. Their career found the couple working both sides of the Massachusetts/New Hampshire state line, though they eventually settled down in Cambridge, MA in 1985. They are accompanied on this album by organist Beverly Smith, and Warren Carney on guitar. The set was recorded in Cambridge, Massachusetts; later the Withams moved to Hanson, MA, south of Boston, where Cal Witham served as an ordained minister, and later moved to Cambridge.

Cal Witham & Bonnie Witham "...Sing The Gospel Country Style" (Bolt Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Buzz Whittica, Buck Carney & Richard Nevue)
The old-time country duo of Cal & Bonnie started out as a secular act, but went gospel later in life, with Mr. Witham becoming an ordained Baptist minister, in Hanson, Massachusetts. This album is mostly packed with standards, including a patriotic medley performed by John Phipps on the Wurlitzer organ. Producer Buck Carney plays dobro and guitar, and was apparently the co-owner of Bolt Records, which gives its address as the Lone Star Ranch, in Reeds Ferry, New Hampshire. (Many thanks to Hillbilly-Music.com for filling in a few blanks!)

Al 'Porky' Witherow "Are You Satisfied?" (Cerylaine Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Al Curven)
Born in York, Pennsylvania, Alfred "Porky" Witherow (1935-2004) was a child musical prodigy in the 1940s, and while in his teens he toured with Bob Hope's USO show during the Korean War. Settling down in Vails Gate, New York, he cut a few singles and recorded some self-released albums but seems to have retired from music sometime in the 1970s, eventually moving to Florida, where he passed away in 2004. As far as I know, this was his first full album, recorded while Witherow was a regular on the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree show. It's a curious record, pretty professional and very sincere, in which Witherow tries out several different styles. As one of those thin-voiced, Hank Locklin-esque tenors who once populated the country scene, Witherow is well suited to sentimental ballads like "For The Good Times," "Help Me Make It Through The Night," and "Last Letter," but he also tackles more rugged, uptempo material, such as "Heart Over Mind" and "Memphis," and while it's an unusual match, it ain't bad. Witherow was a good example of the high level of talent that bubbled just beneath the surface of national stardom, able to flourish in a regional scene, but not break through on the national charts. Worth a spin.

Al 'Porky' Witherow & The Country Mystery "Almost Live At The Club Utica" (Arctic Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Al Witherow & Loryn Atwell)

Al 'Porky' Witherow "Singing Everybody's Favorites" (Arctic Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Al Curven)

Al 'Porky' Witherow & Birdie Lee "Duo Dynamite" (Arctic 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 appealing, particularly given the direction country was headed in at the time... Definitely worth a spin!

Ken Withington "Don't Try To Stop Me" (Focus Records, 1974) (LP)
Australian-born gospel singer Ken Withington (1945-1997) billed himself as "the singer from down under," though he emigrated to the US and became a citizen in 1977, eventually settling down in Kern County, California, performing both locally and on the national stage, including appearances at the Grand Ole Opry. Before his move to America, Withington also recorded in Australia, including this early '70s LP.

Ken Withington "He's Risen" (JCL/Jesus Christ Is Lord, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Clyde Beavers)
After moving to the States, Withington became one of the clients for Nashville songwriter Clyde Beavers' gospel-oriented JCL label, which produced Southern Gospel records in the late 1970s. Withington still had some twang to him, though, as seen in his inclusion of several Hank Williams songs...

Ken Withington "I Thank You God" (JCL/Jesus Christ Is Lord, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Clyde Beavers)

Norm Witt "...Sings Songs For Towne And Country" (CEI Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by R. T. Brown & Phil Young)
All cover tunes, but intensely local, nonetheless... Singer Norman Witt lived in Oak Harbor, Ohio, just east of Toledo, he worked for the local school district, and was known in later years for his loving restoration of an old, one-room schoolhouse he inherited, and its transformation into a local museum. In his younger days he sang country music, and recorded this album at a studio in nearby Fremont, OH. The lineup was Norm Witt on vocals and guitar, along with Gary Arnold (drums), Gary Gruenke (bass), Bill Oliver (12-string guitar), Gary Seeger (lead guitar), and Kim Seeger playing piano. The repertoire draws almost entirely on early 'Seventies country singles, some more obscure than others. Setting aside an Elvis Presley song and the soft-pop ballad "If...," by Bread, this is a pretty solidly country set, covering songs originally recorded by guys like Merle Haggard, Ronnie Milsap, Johnny Paycheck, (two by) Charley Pride, Johnny Rodriguez, and of course the inevitable rendition of "Me And Bobby McGee." The most recent songs were Ronnie Milsap's "Pure Love" and "Dance With Me (One More Time)," from Johnny Rodriguez, both from 1974. So my best guess is this album came out around late '74, or '75. In the liner notes, Witt thanks "Nashville North" for their help making the record; i'm not sure if that's a reference to the Chicago nightclub, or someone else using the name... which pops up all over the country landscape. Norm Witt and Gary Gruenke also played in an Oak Harbor band called "Pete And The Boys," backing the town's onetime mayor, Pete Macko. I'm not sure of the timeframe for that band, but they played a reunion show in the summer of 1988, so maybe back in the 'Seventies? As far as I know that group make any records... but you never know.

The Wolcott Family "Movin' Up" (Homestead Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Don Sheets & Mark Walcott)
Bluegrass gospel from a family band from Bloomington, Indiana... The group was made up of four siblings -- Debbie Wolcott on bass, Kevin Wolcott (fiddle), Mark Wolcott (banjo), and Mike Wolcott (rhythm guitar) -- along with lead singer Denise Arnett and Joe Edwards on guitar. I'm not sure if they performed at Indiana's "Little Nashville Opry," though they were produced by one of its organizers, Don D. Sheets. Most of the songs are gospel oldies, traditional material and chestnuts such as Alfred E. Brumley's "I'll Fly Away," though the title track, "Movin' Up," is credited to Mark Wolcott.

Wolf & Gary "Solo Flight" (Dungeon Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bus Bryant)
Ozark folkies Gary Allbritton and Wolf Grulkey collaborated on this rather gooey set of bluegrass-flavored acoustic musings... All but one of the songs was written (or cowritten) by Gary Allbritton, a strained but emphatic vocalist, while multi-instrumentalist Grulkey provides backing on banjo and fiddle, and contributes one song of his own. This track, "Irene," also features a guest performance by bassist Mike "Supe" Granda, of Missouri's nationally-known Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Though they recorded at the Dungeon studios in Springfield, Missouri,, Wolf & Gary were actually from Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in the northern end of the state, not far from Branson, MO. The musicians on this album included harmonica player Leroy Gorrell, drummer Jim Perry and bassist Ron Sumner -- evolved into a local band called Gaskins Switch, which doesn't seem to have made any records and broke up in the mid-1980s, though Albritton and Grulkey seem to have kept collaborating over the years. While this isn't a particularly "country" record, Grulkey later played on a would-be top forty country album by local singer Bill White. The "solo flight" album title refers to Grulkey's background as an airplane pilot and instructor; he later opened his own restaurant, The Hungry Wolf Cafe.

Kate Wolf - see artist discography

Allen Wolfe "So Hard To Believe" (Press Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Billings)
An aspiring songwriter from Fort Myers, Florida, Allen Wolfe took time out from his day job as a barber to self-release this album, which is packed with his own compositions... The testimonial liner notes are by Billie Jo Spears, who says she met him at a Florida "jam session..." The backup musicians are simply listed as the "Oak String Band," though no individual pickers are named.

Dean Wolfe & The Second Chapter "The Best Part Of..." (Sunset Records, 1973-?) (LP)
A local country-rocker from Indianapolis, Indiana who started out way back in the rockabilly era and got more and more country as time went on. Wolfe had kind of a Roy Orbison-ish vibe... and some truly crazy-looking hair (was it a wig...??) He recorded some early rock'n'roll singes, dating back at least to 1961, and throughout the decade led a band called the Redmen that played gigs in Indianapolis throughout the mid- to late-1960s... I suppose name of this "new" group from the early 'Seventies is what the whole "second chapter" thing refers to -- maybe he broke up the band for a while, and this was a reunion or something? Anyway, they covered pop-chart twangtunes such as Ricky Nelson's "Garden Party" and America's "Horse With No Name," which suggest a post-'72 date for this disc; he also released at leased one single on the Nashville-based Nugget label. At the time he recorded these sessions, Wolfe was working exclusively for a couple of Holiday Inn motels on I-70 with a band that included Keith Payne playing organ, drummer Don Jesse, and Harry Neidigh (1935-2014) on bass. There was also some original material, though a lot of it seems like a standard lounge set for the era

Don Wolfe & The Western Ramblers "Back On The Road Again" (Vista Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Martin Ashley, Kenny Maki, Willie McCreary & Ron Rehm)
Originally from Duluth, Minnesota, singer and lead guitarist Don Wolfe eventually moved out west and set up shop around in California's Great Central Valley. While this set was recorded at Heavenly Recording Studios in Sacramento, the front cover shows him and his band hitchhiking outside the city limits of the wine-country town of Fairfield, midway between the state capitol and San Francisco (though it's not clear if that's really where they were from, or if they just picked that stretch of highway to denote being "on the road"...) Wolfe's show band included drummer Dino Ambro, Jim Cahill on bass, and singer Darlene Wolfe; if other musicians were brought in to fill out the sessions, they aren't mentioned in the liner notes. Not a lot of info on Don Wolfe or where he was based: The Western Ramblers also released at least one single, "Make Mine A Double," which came out on a San Jose-based label around 1971. This album is almost all cover songs, chestnuts such as "Crazy," "Rainy Day Woman," "A Fool Such As I" and newer tunes like "Country Sunshine," as well as both of Marty Robbins' identically dreary, florid power ballads, "You Gave Me A Mountain" and "My Woman. My Woman, My Wife." In all honesty, the Ramblers seem to have been a slightly low-wattage band, though perhaps it was the recording session itself that fell flat... Regardless, it's still a charming kind of "real people" record, not flashy and pretty down to earth... another tiny bit of the California country mosaic.

Jimmy Wolford "The Hatfields And The McCoys: The Great Vendetta" (Wolf Records, 1976) (LP)
A concept album about the fabled Hatfield and McCoy feud...

Austin Wood "Swings Cross Country" (Sure Records, 1965) (LP)
A popular country deejay and performer who was one of the first entrepreneurs to set up shop in the Lake Of The Ozarks resort area, bandleader Austin Wood started his professional career in 1941 as a member of Saint Louis, Missouri's "Big Old Fashioned Barn Dance" show, moving several years later to a long-running gig as a radio host on KTTR in Rolla, MO. The station's general manager, Luther W. Martin, wrote this album's liner notes, attesting to Wood's longevity in the regional country scene. Wood cut numerous 78s during the 'Forties and 'Fifties, fronting a band called the Missouri Swingsters, which played a variety of styles, including western swing, honky tonk and even some Bill Haley-esque rock'n'roll. This was Wood's first full album, marking the opening his own musical venue, Austin's Nashville Opry, near Bagwell Dam on the Lake Of The Ozarks. This local "opry" booked major national stars well into the late '60s, when the name was changed to the Austin Wood Auditorium. Austin Wood also held regional gigs on radio station KTTR as well as on KOMU-TV in nearby Columbia, both as a DJ and performer. Alas, there's no info included about where the album was recorded or with which musicians backing him up -- the front cover shows Wood posed next to his personal tour bus, which advertises his band, the Missouri Swingsters, but whether those guys are backing him here, I can't say for sure.

Austin Wood "Songs To Remember" (Sure Records, 1966-?) (LP)
Another solid set of jaunty latter-day western swing and loping honkytonk shuffles, with solid if slightly formal arrangements and professional though not soulless production. Opry emcee Grant Turner contributes lengthy, glowing liner notes which recite Wood's career history though, sadly, there's nothing in the liner notes telling us who played on these session, or what studio was used. (This could be Austin Wood's own local Missouri band, or a Nashville crew; hard to tell...) This is a pretty swell, straightforward set showing the depth of talent in the heart of the Midwest; definitely worth a spin.

Austin Wood "...And His Missouri Swingsters" (BACM, 2012-?) (CD)
A CDR collection of Austin Wood's early recordings from the 1940s and '50s, including some original material as well as plenty of cover tunes, ranging from honkytonk to western swing...

Billy Wood "Just What I Had In Mind" (Music City Records, 1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Curly Chalker & Jack Logan)
This album has some of the most forthcoming liner notes I've ever seen... Wood describes how he'd spent the last twenty-plus years playing with his band, The Virginians, and that having hit the ripe old age of 42 and moving to New Jersey, he realized he was just plain tired of going out on tour and dealing with the hassles of playing live. So, he decided to make an album, mostly just for himself and his wife Lynn, to remember the good times he had playing in a country band. The disc is packed with cover tunes, including versions of "Today I Started Loving You Again," Eddie Rabbitt's "Two Dollars In The Juke Box," "Whiskey River," "Behind Closed Doors," and the like. Billy Wood was a decent, only mildly flawed, country singer, with echoes of Johnny Bush, Johnny Paycheck, Merle Haggard, and others... For a custom pressing Nashville session the arrangements have a surprising roughness to them, but maybe Wood told Curly Chalker he wanted more of a "live" sound. It also seems likely that some of the more unconstrained guitar riffs were Billy Wood himself taking a little spin as the lead guitar. No info about the backing musicians, though. Overall, a good example of private press country, twangy, but idiosyncratic.

Bob Wood "Plays It Cool" (MRC/Major Recording Company, 1974) (LP)

Bob Wood "The Other Side Of Bob Wood" (MRC/Major Recording Company, 197--?) (LP)

Bob Wood "Reflections Of My Mind" (MRC/Major Recording Company, 1974-?) (LP)
No biographical info about this guy, although he recorded for John Major's MRC label, located in Waynesboro, Virginia, and may have been backed by the house band. The repertoire is packed with contemporary, early '70s hits as well as country oldies -- "Country Roads," Tom T. Hall's "Old Dogs And Children And Watermelon Wine," Gene McClellan's "Put Your Hand In The Hand," along with Rex Griffin's "Last Letter" and Marty Robbins' "You Gave Me A Mountain." Three tracks are credited to Bob Wood, through his own BeniBob publishing company: "Love Meant For Me," "Through The Eyes Of A Fool" and the title track, "Reflections Of My Mind"; "Honey Hole," by Bennie Caudill, may also have been original to this album.

Deb Wood "With You In My Heart" (Valence Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Abbott)
A Fort Worth local, honkytonker Delbert "Deb" Wood (1931-2009) was the longtime emcee of a country music TV show called Cow Town Boogie, which broadcast from Panther Hall in the 1960s. He also played locals gigs with his band, The Debonaires, and ultimately opened his own nightclub, Deb's Danceland, in Grand Prairie. He was something of an auteur, penning all the songs on this album, as well as several other originals released on indie label singles, songs that, alas, are not included here. The Valence label was based in Arlington, and released a few singles by other artists, though this seems to have been the imprint's only full LP , and may have been Mr. Wood's only album as well. Unfortunately the musicians backing him aren't identified -- they may have been his own band, or studio musicians working in Jerry Abbott's studio. The songs include tunes like "Sweet And Sexy," "Sugar Daddy's Gettin' Bitter," "Everybody's Gone Crazy," and the tribute tune, "The Unforgettable Bob Wills."

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

Lloyd Wood "Scrapbook" (River Creek Studio, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Schuler)
Indiana-based singer and impressionist Lloyd Wood started playing professionally in 1978 and was one of the cast members of the Little Nashville Opry, in Nashville, IN. He was probably still in the show when this album came out in 1980, but had moved on by the time the house band, Little Nashville Express, cut its own LP in 1983. Wood established himself as a solo act, but also performed in other local revues, such as the Brandywine Music Hall and Brandywine Music Hall, mostly staying close to home in Indiana, with a little interstate touring on the side. He made impressions the cornerstone of his act, doing his turns at folks like Johnny Cash, George Jones, Willie Nelson and Elvis -- later, around 2009, he shifted his focus towards gospel music, though still keeping the comedy and the twang in his act. This album is packed with original material - other than a lone Hank Williams cover and a version of "Mama Don't 'Low," all the songs are credited to Mr. Wood. It's a homegrown backing band as well, with Wood on lead vocals, along with Theresa Ellis (violin), Rick Ferguson (bass), Roger Fish (piano), Jeff Guernsey (guitars and mandolin), Jimmy Meisenheimer (pedal steel) and Dave Rugenstein on drums.

Lloyd Wood "Impressions" (198-?) (cassette only?)
This undated cassette album probably didn't come out too much later than the LP above. It showcases twenty different county music imitations, including a version of John Conlee's "Friday Night Blues," which was a hit around 1980-81. Not a lot of info in the packaging, although Wood gives a home address in Spencer, Indiana, just north of Bloomington.

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

Windy Wood & The Sons Of The West "Kings' Row: A Gallery Of Western Swing Masterpieces From The Reigns Of Bob Wills And Spade Cooley" (Rimstone Records, 1981) (LP)
Wow... there's an album title for you!! R. T. "Windy" Wood (1920-2004) was a Texas-born western swing bandleader who played and recorded extensively over the decades, including a couple of singles way back in the 1950s, and several tape-only albums during the 'Seventies era of 8-tracks and cassettes. Wood, who passed away in 2004 at the age of eighty, was just a kid when guys like Milton Brown, Bob Wills, Leon McAuliffe and Spade Cooley were defining the western swing genre, but he learned fast and took up the baton, working with a number of veterans of old Bob Wills bands, as well as welcoming revivalists such as Ray Benson and Asleep At The Wheel. He recorded over a dozen albums, though only a handful originally came out on vinyl. Wood lived in Claude, Texas near the Panhandle until finally retiring to nearby Amarillo when he needed to move into town... But he was playing music right up to the end, mostly free shows for old-timers in rest homes and retirement communities who still enjoyed the old-time sounds.

Windy Wood "The Bob Wills Connection" (Rimstone Records, 1981) (LP)

Windy Wood "Classic Sound Of Western Swing" (Rimstone Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Chet Calcote & Windy Wood)
A latter-day western swing set that's very typical of the revival genre -- loyal to the style, faithfully reproducing classic material from the canon, but hardly as wild as the music that inspired it. Windy Wood leads a band that includes lead singer Weldon Allard, steel player Vic Ashmead, Jim Benjamin (drums), Chet Calcote (bass and lead vocals), Larry Capranice (trumpet), Tiny Duncan (piano and lead vocals), Maggie Scales (fiddle), Kenny Williamson (guitar), and Jimmy Young on second fiddle. The repertoire is split between Bob Wills songs and those made famous by Spade Cooley, though as noted in the liners, Windy Wood grew up slightly more partial to Cooley's streamlined, pop-oriented approach, which may explain the light tone and stylistic similarities from song to song. Standout tracks include a few vocal tunes where singer Tiny Duncan, though not actually related to Tommy Duncan of Texas Playboys fame, musters a striking vocal similarity. Cheerful, brisk performances all around, though not a terribly surprising album.

Windy Wood "West Texas Swing" (Sundown Records, 1986) (LP)

Carrie Lou (Woodall) "Carrie Lou In Nashville" (Nashville Country Records, 1974-?) (LP)
A teenaged gal from Phoenix, Arizona, Carrie Lou Woodall may have had a background in gospel music, though this album is almost entirely a secular set, packed with covers of current hits and country standards such as Hillman Hall's "Pass Me By," "Diggy Liggy Lo," and others. She seems to have had a particular taste for Merle Haggard's work, covering three of his hits, along with one by Willie Nelson ("Shotgun Willie") while on the poppier end of things, she also belts out versions of "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues." I'm not sure how old she was when this album came out -- the pictures on the back show her decked out in cowgirl gear but looking a few years younger than on the front cover, maybe anywhere between thirteen to fifteen years old, while she may have been a young adult when this came out. (If I had to guess, I'd say her parents helped her make this album when she turned eighteen, or something along those lines.) At any rate, the most striking thing about this album is how hard she digs into a hard country sound, going full twang on the vocals and even sounding quite masculine on some of the later tracks. The backing band was rock solid -- I would have guessed they were Nashville pros, though bandleader (and Phoenix-area radio deejay) Dick Harbold adds a blurb talking about backing her with his band Pony Express, so it's possible this was an entirely Arizonan project. But since there are no individual musician credits, it's hard to say who played on the album itself. There is a Nashville connection, though: the album includes one original, the lone gospel tune, "Those Old Time Hymns," written by Lou Hildreth who was a Christian music talent scout based in Music City. This seems to have been Carrie Lou's only record, which is a shame, because although a bit callow, she definitely had grit. (Notes: her stage name is given as "Carrie Lou" on the outside covers, but Carrie Woodall on the inner label... Also, assuming Pony Express are the backing band, this may have been the only recording by Dick Harbold and his band, although they seem to have played gigs at various Arizona venues throughout the 1970s.)

The Woodchucks "The Cactus Club Presents The Woodchucks" (Atteiram Records, 19--?) (LP)
A memento of an Atlanta nightclub gig by The Woodchucks, an ad hoc band anchored by country-billy singer Chuck Atha (d. 2004, age 72) who grew up in Fulton County and became something of a Georgia country music legend. Mr. Atha formed his first band way back in the late 1940s, playing live shows in tiny rural towns like Braselton and Dacula while performing on the radio in nearby Decatur. He cut his first records in the 1950s, scoring regionally and nationally with uptempo country-billy singles such as "Oh Boy!" and "Oooh-eee (What You Do To Me)" that have frequently popped up on rockabilly collections over the years. He went on to record a string of rock and country singles stretching over several decades, including a political novelty song recorded in support of George Wallace's 1972 presidential campaign. Although he worked with several future country stars -- notably a young Jerry Reed -- at some point Mr. Atha gave up on playing music for a living and worked as an appliance repairman for over a decade before landing a steady slot playing at the Silver Saddle Club, where he led the house band for over two decades, starting in 1974. Right before that, he had a gig at an Atlanta bar called The Cactus Club, which sponsored this souvenir album, in a band that also featured gal singer Gail Stanley. As far as I know, this was the only Woodchucks record, and possibly Mr. Atha's only LP as well. It's pretty good, actually -- wish my copy wasn't so scratchy. It sounds like something from 1966 or '67, with heavy debts to Marty Robbins and George Jones, but since they cover songs such as "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" and "For The Good Times," it's definitely an early 'Seventies offering.

Wooden Nickel "Live At The Waterhole" (The Sounding Board, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Cook & Keith Roberts)
A semi-shaggy and painfully pretentious folk-rock/soft pop foursome from Vail, Colorado, playing a live gig at Bob Cook's club, The Waterhole #1, located in Des Moines, Iowa. The quartet included drummer Bob Arnett, his brother Mike Arnett on bass and lead guitar, Jim Brennan (bass and guitar), and Brad Quayle (bass, guitar and harmonica) and boy, did they take themselves seriously! The set is a mix of fairly generic originals and cover songs drawing on the likes of The Band, Tom Waits and John Martyn, as well as Jimmy Buffett, whose "A Pirate Looks At Forty" is one of their more impassioned performances. For the most part, this album feels overly controlled and sedate -- they were clearly trying to project a sense of professionalism, but would up sounding somewhat passionless, if not outright snoozy. I suppose this album is a good example of where the late 'Seventies folk scene had drifted, with radio airplay and momentary a possibility for the some lucky folk-rockers and singer-songwriter types, but their success came as part of a media landscape that encouraged both clever experimentation and utter blandness. I don't mean to be catty, and I'm sure there are students of 'Seventies soft-pop who might find this album exciting, particularly if you're looking for local obscuros who didn't make it big... But I'm personally looking for true country twang, and this definitely ain't that.

The Wooden Nickel Band "Puttin' It Together" (The Sounding Board, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Otis Forrest)
An eclectic bluegrass band from Greenville, South Carolina, on my radar as a twangband because they covered both Rodney Crowell and Pure Prairie League's "Aime," which is one of my all-time favorite 'Seventies tunes. These folks are also interesting because guitarist-lead singer Cindy Murphy Orr wrote about half the songs, and yay! women in bluegrass! The Rodney Crowell song is "Shame On The Moon," one of his poppier early works; they also cover Townes Van Zandt's "White Freightliner Blues," and a little bit of Flatt & Scruggs, though mostly this is a pretty modern, forward-facing 'grass group. The rest of the band included banjo player Bill Fowler, Fred Lunsford (bass), Frank Murphy (guitar), and Herman Towles on fiddle and mandolin... Cindy Murphy Orr later fronted a commercial country-pop band called Dixiana, which was together from 1986-93 and placed a couple of singles in the back end of the Top Forty; their last album was a country-gospel offering, which perhaps presaged her work as the leader of an evangelical congregation back home in Greenville.

Ron Woodley "Marathon Man" (Magic Angel Records, 1984-?) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Edmondson)
An amiable country-pop songwriter from Wellsville, Kansas, Ron Woodley earned the nickname "marathon man" after a record-setting stunt of playing the guitar for 264 hours straight, which he did in 1984, gaining a spot in the Guinness Book Of World Records, as well as raising a couple thousand for a charity in Kansas City. (He actually broke the record a few years earlier while in Nashville, in 1981, but the feat wasn't properly monitored, so it didn't make it into the books...) After securing his place in history, Woodley continued to play lounge gigs throughout Kansas and Missouri, and recorded this LP which is about half his own material. As you might imagine, with all that practice Woodley was a pretty good electric guitarist, although some might find his vocals a little, well... geefy, though not entirely outside the country mainstream... Freddy Fender comes to mind, with maybe a bit of Billy Crash Craddock in there as well. Also worth noting on this album is backing by a Nashville studio band that included steel guitarist Doug Jernigan, as well as piano player Ansley Fleetwood, a guy who released his own private album after penning Moe Bandy's big hit, "Good Ole Boys." There's no big hit like that on here, but it's still a nice, sincere little record from the heartland... Definitely worth a spin!

John Woodruff "Country Soul" (Woodcock Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Brian Webster)
An odd set from Southern California... Pianist-singer John Woodruff seems to have had sincere country-rock leanings, covering stuff like John Conlee's "Rose Colored Glasses" and Little Feat's "Willin'," along with a slew of original material... But he had a really thin voice, more suited perhaps to college rock or the nascent indierock sound, and he goes a little overboard on his piano plunking, drifting into lush, Elton John-ish territory at times. Woodruff was backed by other SoCal locals, including Jeff Cassidy on drums, Scott Huston blowing harmonica, and Brian Webster on bass. One track, "I'm Just a Country Boy," should not be confused with Albert Lee's old 'Seventies showcase number. Overall this strikes me as more of a vanity disc -- emotive, a little frantic and perhaps excessive -- though it definitely fits into the country-rock spectrum.

Bill Woods/Various Artists "Bakersfield's First Annual Country Music Awards Show" (Country Town Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Jay Albright)
A live album capturing a musical tribute to Bakersfield old-timer Bill Woods, a club owner and bandleader whose was a guiding light in the early years of the Bakersfield country scene. In her glowing liner note testimonial, Bonnie Owens recalls meeting Woods in when she first moved to Bakersfield in 1952, and how he took her under his wing, as he did with numerous other Central Valley musicians. Woods owned a nightclub called the Bill Woods Corral, and pretty much anyone you've heard of either worked in his band or played at his venue. This show was sponsored by kind of a Bakersfield Sound fan club, featuring Mayf Nutter as emcee; the live tapes were mastered and mixed at Buck Owens Studios by Jay Albright, who was a deejay on Owens's radio station, KUZZ 800-AM.

Bob Woods "The Bob Woods Show" (Union Station/MCR Records & Tapes, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Dale McCoy & Jim Spence)
Not to be confused with the California-based songwriter Bob Woods (below), Oklahoma bandleader Bob Woods (d. 2001) and his wife Carolyn owned a music store called Del City Music, which he opened in 1962. His band, which included his wife and two daughters, headlined a Vegas show at the Golden Nugget for several years in the late '60s and early '70s. On this album, he's backed by a vocal trio called The Parrish Sisters and a Waylon Jennings lookalike guitar picker nicknamed "Tex" -- presumably the gals in the trio also included his kids, Lisa and Pam(?) Anyway, the disc is packed with current pop-country covers, stuff like "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," "Tie A Yellow Ribbon," and even "Mama Don't Dance," by Loggins & Messina. There's also some original material, including "I Let You" and "Why Couldn't Tomorrow Be Yesterday," both written by Joe Salathiel, who separately cut a single with the Parrish Sisters with one of his songs on it. This is, frankly, an odd album. There's an almost exclusive focus on the gal singers, although they had a pretty limited range as a vocal harmony group -- better when backing Mr. Woods, but constantly thrust into the spotlight as a trio, and sounding quite a bit like Skeeter Davis when she multi-tracked her own harmonies, but not as expressive. The musical production is also curiously flat, with not much dynamic range or variety of instruments, and typically dominated by the piano, bass and guitar, which all stick to a pretty muted support role. After several years in Vegas, Woods settled back down in Oklahoma City, where he played local shows and supported regional artists through his work as president and founder of the Oklahoma Country Music Association, and as owner of the Woodside Records label. (It's worth noting that one of the musicians he promoted was fiddler Byron Berline, who he worked with in the early '60s...) Finally, you all know I'm not all that into making fun of country folk, though I gotta say, if I was ever going to put together a twangy Golden Throats-style compilation, the Bob Woods version of "Behind Closed Doors" would be a strong contender, especially with the yodel-like sustained note that closes the track. Priceless.

Bob Woods "Hillbilly Cadillac" (Bennett-House Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Marley Monson & Bob Hudson)
An indie outing from a California roots-rocker who crossed rockabilly and country twang... In the early '70s, Woods played western swing in a Sacramento-based band called Tokpela, and he blends some hillbilly swing in, along with trucker twang, bar-band R&B and hillbilly boogie. Good songs, decent picking, kind of an iffy singer, but still cool in the way his musical mix anticipates the hillbilly retro of "Americana" scene bands such as Big Sandy & The Fly-Rite Boys, et. al. Woods plays lead guitar, and is backed by a wide cast of players, including pedal steel players Pat Finney and Dave Wren, Jerry McKinney on saxophone, Rex Coomes on fiddle and various harmonizers and backup singers. Nice energetic set, with most songs written by Bob Woods, three by Kevin Blackie Ferrell and a stripped-down rave-up rendition of Carl Perkins' "Soul Beat." Give 'er a spin!

Dick Woods "Woods Country, Volume One" (Mountain Records Of Colorado, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Dick Woods)
A relatively mysterious fella from Colorado... Dick Woods won some kind of an award in the early 'Seventies for being a valued member of the state's homegrown country scene. He also purchased some small label and put out a few records, including one by a progressive bluegrass group called The Black Canyon Band. I'm not sure about this album's provenance; I think it may have come out in Europe or the UK.

Jimmy Woods & The Woodsmen "Just For You" (Onyx Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Terry Sutton)
A lifelong resident of Dover, New Hampshire, bandleader James J. Wood, Jr (1936-2015) played in New England country bands for several decades, and started his group, The Woodsmen, back in 1967. They cut a couple of singles on the Natural Sound label around 1972, and this full album -- with a new lineup -- a few years later. This lineup of the Woodsmen included Jimmy Woods on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Ronny Chase (piano), Rod Levigne (drums), Jimmy Reynolds (lead guitar), John Rogers (bass), and producer Terry Sutton playing pedal steel, working their way through a set of cover songs including 'Sixties and 'Seventies hits such as "Fox On The Run," "Slide Off Your Satin Sheets," "Country Roads," and yet another version of "You Gave Me A Mountain." In later years, Mr. Woods opened his own club, St. Jean's, which opened in 1981, and later changed the name to Jimmy's Sports Bar. He was also a co-founder and longtime officer of the New Hampshire Country Music Association, and was inducted into its ranks in 1990. It's worth noting that the Woodsmen's earlier singles showcased several Jimmy Woods originals,, all co-written with a C. Hoitt (whose first name I couldn't quite track down...) None of those earlier songs are included here, so anyone reissues this record, be sure to include those tracks as well!

Little Joe Woods "With Alot Of Help From My Friends" (Sound 80 Studios, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Cal Hand & Tony Matlock)
Dunno much about this low-key country-rock/folk outing from Minnesota... Wood covers some hits and oldies, as well as some original material -- his pals included pedal steel player Cal Hand, who plays on the album and co-produces, though the other players seem pretty obscure. Anyone know more about this guy?

Lori Lee Woods "In Nashville" (Flash Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Eddie Miller)
As a teenager, Missouri native Lori Woods was in a KCMO-area all-girl band called The Hurricane Girls, where she played several instruments. In 1971 she went country and set out on her own, recording a single for the K-Ark label, and then fell into the orbit of producer Eddie Miller, who helped record this album. This appears to have been a Nashville publishing demo album, with Miller contributing two songs on Side One -- "Release Me" and "Climbing The Walls" -- along with a couple by R. Williams ("All Or Nothing" and "Be What You Want To Be"), one by Tom Ghent ("Till Sunrise"), and covers of "Rocky Top" and "Crazy Arms." Ms. Woods also got to record three of her own songs, "Best Thing," "Charley Baby" and "Charleston," which were all tucked away at the end of Side Two. Sadly, there's no info on the recording date or the musicians involved, but I'm guessing 1972, as that was the year she earned a mention in Billboard as an up-and-coming new artist.

Lori Lee Woods "Touch Me (If You Care)" (Legs Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Col. David Mathes)

Steve Woods & The Slingshot Band "Highway Bound" (Mercury Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Butler & Billy Sherrill)
A pretty dull album that never came close to the charts, although I'm not sure why -- it's not that different than other stuff that did well at the time. Sort of a Johnny Lee-meets-The Oak Ridge Boys vibe here, with uninspired though competent backing by a band that included fiddler/guitarist Steve Hill, a talented veteran of the Texas twang scene who later went on to work with Chris Hillman and the Desert Rose Band. This album's a dud, though, mostly because of the singer. My guess is once they had it in the can and realized it was a stiff, the label just 86-ed the promotions and let it die a quiet death. If you really, really are into the mellower end of the early '80s country sound, you could check this out, but there's certainly better stuff out there.

Woodstock Mountains Revue "Music Among Friends" (Rounder Records, 1972) (LP)
This free-floating amalgamation of folkies, post-folkies, bluegrassers and wandering roots musicians included such luminaries as Pat Alger, Eric Andersen, Larry Campbell, John Herald, banjo whiz Bill Keith, jugband pop star John Sebastian, and brothers Artie & Happy Traum... to name a few! Sometimes also called "Mud Acres," the group was sort of a fraternal lodge for mellow, super-talented acoustic musicians -- they were neighbors in upstate New York, and over the course of the years released several albums, all of which are packed with resonant little goodies...

Woodstock Mountains Revue "Music From Mud Acres" (Rounder Records, 1974) (LP)

Woodstock Mountains Revue "More Music From Mud Acres" (Rounder Records, 1977) (LP)

Woodstock Mountains Revue "Pretty Lucky" (Rounder Records, 1978) (LP)

Woodstock Mountains Revue "Back To Mud Acres" (Rounder Records, 1981) (LP)

Earl D. Woodward "The Hillbilly Singer" (Home Town Records, 1970-?) (7") (EP)
(Produced by Sam H. Brackin)
This modest seven-inch disc is about as "private" and DIY as you can get... Earl Woodward (1906-1986) was born in New Hampshire, grew up in Connecticut, and was apparently living in Johnson City, Tennessee when he cut this six-song EP at age 63. He played on the radio as a kid, 'way back in the 1920s, later he served in World War II and was apparently wounded in combat -- he lost his right leg and part of his left foot, and is pictured on the front cover holding his guitar while leaning on crutches. The songs are all originals, with backing by three Johnson City locals -- Bill Crowell (rhythm guitar), Blue Friday (electric guitar) and Fred Shoun on bass. Songs include "Be Your Self," "The Big Oak Tree," "Chick Chock Charley," "Like A Rainbow," "Mexican Beauty," and "Sweetest Thing In Life." Despite having a musical background, this disc was his first recording, and his only one, as far as I know.

Amy Wooley "Amy Wooley" (MCA Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Louie Shelton & Tony Peluso)
Poppy, would-be top forty stuff. Produced by "Wrecking Crew" guitarist Louis Shelton, this was the lone album from songwriter Amy Wooley -- pop music, really, but with a definite country-rock undercurrent. Although Ms. Wooley was more or less blatantly imitating Linda Ronstadt, she was considered a country artist, garnering a "best new female vocalist" nomination from the Academy of Country Music. The album includes some explicitly country-flavored material such as the fiddle-and-steel drenched "If My Heart Had Windows," which showcases steel player Douglas Livingston and has a posh, Billy Sherrill-style countrypolitian vibe. It's worth noting that almost all the songs were Wooley's own originals; I'm not sure if she was successful at pitching her stuff to any established artists, though she later moved into musical theater, working primarily as an arranger and composer. Amy Wooley seems to have been from Southern California, studying at UCLA and USC, and she cut this album at the same Los Angeles studio where Seals & Croft(!) and other 'Seventies AOR stars recorded some of their biggest hits.

Woolvin James "Lonely Night" (Raven Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Clayton & Jerry Wise)
Not actually a person, the band called Woolvin James came from the merger of two Florida groups, The Doc Holiday Band (from Jacksonville) and The Shag Band (out of Sarasota) which merged together in 1980. They soon got a gig as the house band at a club in Dothan, Alabama called The Cowboy, which is where they were working when they cut this album, augmented in the studio by a couple of guys from the Raven label. The lineup includes John Rainy Adkins on bass, Donny Clayton (guitar), Steve Clayton (piano), Ronnie Lee (guitar), Tommy McAllister (steel guitar), Jimmy Ringo (guitar), and bassist Dan Sheffield, along with several different drummers. Most of the songs are credited (mysteriously) to a J. Broun, with one track, "Sunshine," co-written by the Claytons, and one song, "The Party's Over," penned by Bill McCorvey, who would later become the lead singer of the '90s top forty band Pirates Of The Mississippi.

Norm Wooster - see artist discography

The Wooten Brothers "My Grass Is Blue" (1974) (LP)

The Wooten Brothers "Fire On The Mountain" (197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Herb Baker)

Frank Wooten "My World Of Country" (Music Shop Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Carl Fracala & Ted Lakamowski)
A regular-people recording from Jackson, Michigan, packed with covers of classic hits with decent, if slightly amateurish, vocals. Biographical info was hard to come by as there are several Frank Wootens in Michigan and no mentions of him playing any live shows or leading a band. Nonetheless, this is a pretty solid record, with backing by what seems to be an all-local pool of musicians: Perry Clemons (lead guitar), Don Davis (pedal steel), Kurt Hasselschwert (rhythm guitar), Bill Marienfield (percussion), Darwin Mattice (drums), Bob Shultz (keyboards), Gerry Tedrow (lead guitar), and Randy Van Winkle on bass. The mix has some rough spots, but the steel guitar work stands out as particularly rich. Anyone know more about this fella?

Wayne Worley & The Worley Birds "Red Headed Woman" (Wix Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Randy Focht, John Wix & Tommie Wix)
Later recordings by midwestern rockabilly rebel Wayne Worley, who cut his first singles in the early 1960s, and here revisits some of that old material a couple of decades later. There's some country stuff, as well as a slew of rock'n'roll tunes -- including the title track, which was originally recorded by Sonny Burgess back in 1956, and covered by Worley a few years later. A Tennessee native, Worley moved to Chicago as a teen, recording for some small local labels. He recorded this album at a studio in Joliet, Illinois, with backing by drummer Don Burke, Sonny Dale (piano), and Billy Faulk (bass). Not totally country, by any means, though he does cover Dave Dudley's "Six Days On The Road," as well as "There's A Song On The Juke Box," a 'Seventies gem which was written by Billy Sherrill and Carmol Taylor. (By the way, as far as I can tell, Mr. Worley was not directly related to '00s top country star Darryl Worley, although the younger singer was also from Tennessee, and once opened a restaurant called the Worleybird Cafe... so who knows?)

Jack Worthington "The Jack Worthington Show" (NWI Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by David Mathew)
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, truck driver Jack Worthington went from singing along to old Hank Williams songs to forming a band called the Gearjammers, anchored by lead guitarist Bob Saloum and steel player Ron Stephens. He seems to have been a rather democratically inclined fellow, singing lead on only three of the tracks, while sharing the spotlight with Dick Carson, Dave Eberly, Linda Pullen, Jimmy Walker and other locals... The repertoire is all oldies and standards, stuff like "Six Days On The Road," "Wild Side Of Life," "Truck Driving Man" and "Little Ole Wine Drinker Me," as well as a couple of more pop/jazz oriented tunes such as "Harlem Nocturne" and "Yakety Sax." Seems like a pretty good-natured, unpretentious get-together all around... According to some reports, Mr. Worthington remained in Oregon and was still playing shows at local cafes and other venues near Coos Bay, as late as 2015... Any info is of course always welcome!

Wrangler & Jean "... Sing Rodeo Man" (Wrangler & Jean Record Company, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Art Walunas & Robin Freeman)
An all-original set with high ambitions. This sheepskin-and-fringe clad duo was actually Ed Walunas and Mary Ann Walunas of Parowan, Utah... aka "Wrangler & Jean." (Oh man, jeez, I'm only just now getting the joke...) I'm not sure if the album's producer, Art Walunas, is the same guy as the 1960's polka accordionist from Detroit who famously translated "In Heaven There Is No Beer" into English; but it does seem likely, since all the song publishing for this album is on "Squeeze Box Music-BMI." Ed's brother maybe? Had some show business connections? Anyway, maybe they weren't really the greatest country singers ever, but W&J did really gave it their all, and they got a crackerjack band to provide a big, full sound. Whose band? Loretta Lynn's band, actually -- the same guys who appeared in the movie Coal Miner's Daughter as "The Coal Miner's Band." In addition to lead guitarist/arranger/engineer Dave Thornhill, the musicians include Zeke Dawson on fiddle, Gene Dunlap (piano), Durwood Edwards (banjo and harmonica), Chuck Flynn (bass), Lonnie Godfrey (drums), and Bob Hempker on steel guitar... These guys were Tennessee pickers, though the liner notes say the album was recorded in Las Vegas -- maybe they were playing some lounge gigs at the time? Anyway, it was a for-real studio band and they made the most of it... The title track, which opens the album, is a serious shot at commercial country, though the musical focus gets a little shakier after that. This disc has a few wobbly moments, but it's definitely worth a spin!

The Wranglers "Theme From How The West Was Won, And Other Western Favorites" (Viking Records, 1963-?) (LP)

The Wranglers "Ring Of Fire And Other Western Hits" (Viking Records, 1965-?) (LP)
An anonymous, East Coast budget-label band playing western-themed oldies, mostly cowboy music chestnuts such as "Home On The Range," "Red River Valley," etc., as well as a cover of the then-popular country hit, "Ring Of Fire." Most of these tracks seem to have been reissued from earlier cheapo-label albums on the Valiant and Dyna Disc imprints, including many that were credited to the Bar-X Chorus. No idea who played on these tracks, or where they were from: it's a real fly-by-night, East Coast-y kinda thing. Also issued as Sings An Evening Of Western Hits.

The Wray Brothers Band "Cowboy Sangers" (CIS Northwest Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Messick & Dave Mathew)
This album is notable as the launching pad for the career of 1990s Top Forty star Collin Raye, an Arkansas native whose birth name was Floyd Elliot Wray. He was going by the name Bubba Wray at the time, and had apparently moved to Portland, Oregon with his brother Scott, who he performed with up until the decade's end. Though they started out as indie artists, the Wrays also took a fling at Nashville, recording a few singles for Mercury Records in the late '80s. This early album looks super-twangy and ultra-indie, but it's mostly pretty slick sounding, with a heavy debt towards the Eagles/ They do make a few nods at Asleep At The Wheel-style western swing and Johnny Cash-ish hillbilly twang (on the album's one cover song, a version of Jimmie Skinner's "Doin' My Time") but the smooth sound Raye would excel at a decade later is readily detected on this disc. The album's many originals include "Briars In Her Britches," "Country Sangers," "Country By-God Music," with Scott Wray being the main songwriter. It's country (poppy country) with a few goofy instruments in the mix -- Moog, synths, orchestra bells, woodblocks -- as well as a banjo and pedal steel, but it's also a solid album, a cut above most records made at this level. No surprise that Collin Raye made it big in Nashville, though one wonders why the brothers didn't make it as a duo.

Vernon Wray "Wasted" (Vermillion Records, 1972) (LP)
A stunning ultra-indie release from Vernon Wray, the older brother of rock guitar pioneer Link Wray, who in the early 1970s dropped out for a while and moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he recorded and self-released two intense and deeply personal albums. The second record, Wasted, was originally only pressed in a few hundred copies, which he sold at local gigs. It's a remarkable album, and a real find for hardcore fans of hippie-era country, with Wray (backed by his brothers) churning through mournful, contemplative, moody folk and tough, rugged country gems -- it's a real outsider-art album, and a compelling, cohesive statement by an artist with a truly singular vision. There's little of the brash, post-rockabilly proto-grunge of the Wraymen recordings, though the same level of intensity is there, just in a seemingly quieter mode. Highly recommended.

B. J. Wright "B. J. Wright's First Album" (NSD/Soundwaves Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Ronnie McDowell, Joe Gibson & Noel Gibson)
B. J. Wright was from Portland, Tennessee and recorded this album in Nashville, with Top Forty star Ronnie McDowell as his patron -- McDowell co-produced the album, wrote the liner notes, and contributes one song ("You Loved The Devil Out Of Me.") About half the songs are B. J. Wright originals, including an anemic novelty number called "J.R." which was a transparent attempt to piggyback on the runaway success of the Dallas TV show. Great idea, I guess, though not a very strong song, or a strong performance. Mr. Wright was a fairly low-wattage performer , though I found myself charmed by his relaxed vocals on sentimental ballads such as the Jimmie Davis oldie, "Nobody's Darling But Mine." It's a little harder to hang with him on more modern material, but I suppose he's not that much different than, say Bill Anderson, who also had a thin voice that seemed out of place among the big, fancy pop-country arrangements of the late 'Seventies and early 'Eighties. Like Bill Anderson's albums, though, this record might grow on you, if you give it a chance. This LP seems to have taken a long time to put together, with sessions at four different studios and contributions from a variety of studio musicians, probably over a series of sessions. You don't see many full albums on the pay-to-play NSD imprint, and I would imagine that some of these tracks first came out as NSD singles. Worth a spin

The Wright Brothers Overland Stage Company "Cornfield Cowboys" (Wright & Perry Record Company, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Moss, Ronald L. Perry & Charlie Tallent)

The Wright Brothers Overland Stage Company "Memorabilia Box" (Wright & Perry Record Company, 1975) (LP)

The Wright Brothers Overland Stage Company "Third Phonograph Album" (Wright & Perry Record Company, 1976) (LP)

The Wright Brothers Overland Stage Company "Anthology Album" (Wright & Perry Record Company, 1977) (LP)

Gene Wright "Horse Music" (1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Wright, Cecil Jones & Bob Goff)
Kind of a sweet story behind this one... Gene Wright was a young fella from Lexington, Kentucky who wrangled horses on the show horse circuit. According to the liner notes, he calmed the cayuses by playing music in the stalls, and his preferred instruments included the Hammond B-3 and ARP synths; on this album he also plays the grand piano, though I doubt he would bring one out into the barn, at least not on a regular basis... He's accompanied here by steel guitarist Vince Emmett and Rex Hart on drums, on a set that mixes country and pop material. But wait... Let's back up a little: playing keyboards to the horses? I bet the gals in Kentucky simply swooned over that one!

Jerry Wright "My Kind Of Country" (Raboulliet Records, 19--?) (LP)
From Simonton, Texas...

John Lincoln Wright - see artist discography

Lee Wright "The Wright Way" (Prairie Dust Records, 1985-?) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Morton, Dave Hieronymous & Gene Rice)

Lynn Wright "From The Rockies" (Prestige Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Kenny Wallis)
Piano plunker Lynn Wright was, I believe, from West Virginia, although this LP is a souvenir of his days playing lounge gigs in Aspen, Colorado. The repertoire is a mix of country standards (Floyd Cramer's "Last Date," a Hank Williams medley), contemporary pop ("You Light Up My Life," "The In Crowd") and additional flights into George Gershwin, Scott Joplin, 'Fifties rock, and a bit of Dixie-ania. But the country influence is definitely there, including backing by guitarist Roger Hallmark, as well as bassist Kenny Wallis and percussionist Goldie Ashton.

T. Z. Wright "T. Z. Wright" (1977) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Veanaglia & Larry White)
Singer-songwriter T. Z. Wright originally hails from Oklahoma, but was living in New Mexico when he cut this album, leading the house band at a place called the Motherlode, in Red River... This album features a bunch of original material, and some swell pedal steel guitar throughout. Wright plays bass, guitar and piano, with backing by David Coe (fiddle and mandolin), Rick Fowley (guitar), and drummer Rick Klein, along with additional musicians that seem to have been used on one track recorded in Dallas. Nice stuff... he even kinda reminds me of Dick Feller, which in my book is a real compliment.

Bob Wurst & The Countrified "Any Old Song" (New Image Records, 19--?) (LP)
This Toledo, Ohio band featured lead vocals by Bob Wurst, with backing by his peeps, Jerry Lavender, Rick Spitler and Mark Hall (a group which, one might assume, had more than its fair share of teasing during their grade school days...) Anyway, this is solidly mediocre bar-band material: they play some rootsy stuff, songs like "Tulsa Time," "Take This Job And Shove It," and "The Auctioneer," as well as plenty of scary '70s pop songs, such as "You Needed Me" and "Three Times A Lady" -- whatever was popular at the time. So, eek, maybe just a little. The vocals and the picking are both a little wobbly, but like many of these kinds of records, it's a true portrait of a working band, "real folks," way beneath the Nashville radar. These guys also apparently toured with fellow Ohio twangster Gary Shope, who was a popular regional entertainer, but doesn't seem to have recorded any albums himself. Wurst also recorded an album with the Toledo band, Buckeye, with songwriter Roger Ball.

Billy Wyatt "Sweet Jean Marie" (B&J&W Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Bernie Vaughn)
A self-proclaimed "barefoot boy from Southeast Missouri," singer Billy Wyatt was a middle-aged guy celebrating twenty-five years of marriage to his wife, Jean Marie, who co-wrote some of the material on this album. Not to be confused with the much younger Billy Wyatt from Wapato, Washington (below) the plaintive and heartfelt Mr. Wyatt didn't always sing in tune, or in meter, but his sincerity is compelling, as are his equally guileless original songs. Four tunes credited to Billy Wyatt -- "Love Me Always," "Right From Wrong," "Sweet Jean Marie," and "The Wedding" -- are paired with oldies such as "Together Again" and "Your Cheating Heart." The cover songs are actually more problematic than the originals: when you hear him struggle to get through familiar standards like "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" or Webb Pierce's "Slowly," it's harder to be as forgiving as you can when the songs are his own creations. Still, I was on his side. This was recorded in Nashville with backing musicians that include Dennis Bigby (bass), Bob Brown (piano), Curly Chalker (rhythm guitar), Johnny Cox (steel guitar), Don Mills (drums) and Bobby Whitton (lead guitar). Mostly they provide dutiful, if plodding accompaniment; on occasion they go off on zippy, electrified modern-sounding flights that don't really match up with Wyatt's modest vocals, but it sounds line when they rein themselves in. The album ends with a particularly forlorn rendition of Ronnie Milsap's more contemporary hit, "Daydreams About Night Things," which I have an odd compulsion to play on the radio someday.

Billy Wyatt "On Dreams Alone" (Manaoa Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by James B. Shaw & Benny Kennerson)
Dunno the story on this fellow, though I was drawn to this album for several reasons... First off, I noticed he covered a couple of songs from cult fave Harlan Sanders, and secondly Mr. Wyatt recorded part of this album at the Buck Owens Studios in Bakersfield (which is often a good sign) with the rest of the record cut in Nashville. Lastly, Doyle Grisham is on board as a picker and arranger, and he can be an omen of good things to come. Billy Wyatt appears to have been from the Pacific Northwest, providing an address in Wapato, Washington, and he cut several singles as well as this album; he may be the same Billy Wyatt who released a CD in 1999 called When A Cowboy Dreams At Night, though that's not 100% for sure. This seems to have been kind of a songwriter's demo set: in addition to the Ray Sanders tunes, there are two songs penned by Carl Gardner, and four co-written by producer James B. Shaw along with other aspiring songwriters.

The Wyatt Brothers "From The Mountains To The World" (Wyatt Records, 1983) (LP)
An ambitious though deeply flawed album by a family band from Webster County, West Virginia... The set opens on a promising note, with a slightly cluttered but reasonably rugged bluegrass-meets-southern rock moonshiner romp called "Wyatt Liquor," but things go sideways pretty quickly after that. Next up is an uneven, warbling, Kenny Rogers-esque romantic ballad ("Beautiful Feelings") with the band veering into a jarring stylistic turn that gets worse on the even more lugubrious "Wishing I Were Him," a track that combines weak songwriting with torturous vocals. By the time they turn back towards twang, on the fiddle-based "Daisy's Dead," the jig is up, and it's hard to take these guys seriously... especially when they ham it up with belabored, drawling hick schtick, a transition which makes them sound artificial and insincere. I don't doubt that these guys had rural roots and some legitimate grounding in country music, but you have to question their stylistic choices, as well as their general taste level. This album is all over the map, packed with songs that needed a lot more editing, and really don't fit together that well. Oh well. Can't win 'em all.

Johnny Wyatt "One Who Cares" (Hill Country Records, 1976) (LP)
Bandleader Johnny Wyatt was a regional performer who played throughout the South and Southwest, eventually hanging his hat in Trinidad, Colorado which was his center of operations for most of the '70s. Later in the decade he also recorded a couple of singles on his own label, Wyatt Records, eventually retiring in Las Vegas. I believe this was his only LP. [Thanks to the great regional blog, Pueblo City Limits for info on this artist. A fine blog, though recently departed...]

Lee Wyatt "Candlelight" (NSD/AMI Records, 198-?) (LP)
(Produced by Skip McQuinn & Jim Prater)
This is one of those albums that's found itself in the crosshairs of the Hipstertown irony police, mocked online and elsewhere for its supposedly goofy album art. I couldn't find any info about Lee Wyatt and his wife June, the couple that wrote most of the songs on this album, but I assume it's her picture on the front cover that has 'em all laughing: Like, omigod! who could possibly put some old person on their album cover?!? Personally, I think it's kind of sweet. Regardless of the music within, Mr. Wyatt's earnest affection for his wife is plain as day, and well, maybe some people just can't handle something that straightforward and sincere. Whatevs. Anyway, this album was singled out for teasing in the book Enjoy The Experience, and has echoed around online ever since. If you ask me, though, maybe a better target would be the music within, particularly tunes with such lofty titles as "Mistaken Words," "You Walk Through My Soul" and "You Change With A Cough." He also covers a few country classics, such as George Morgan's "Hello Pretty Lady," Jimmie Rodgers' "T For Texas" and Stonewall Jackson's "Don't Be Angry." If anyone out there has info about this adorable old couple, feel free to get in touch -- I'm all ears!

Nina Wyatt "Someone To Love" (Charta Records, 19--?) (LP)

Wyld Oats "Stage One" (1979) (LP)
This was a band from Schaumburg, Illinois... Other than that I don't have much info on them.

Wyndstar "Make Me A Memory" (Maggard Sound Studios, 19--?) (LP)
A slightly scary-looking (and scary sounding) set of redneck funk/southern-rock by some fellas from Kingsport, Tennessee. These 'Eighties dudes were definitely more into a good-timing, rock'n'roll, dancin' at the bar kinda vibe, but their rural Southern identity is pretty hard to miss. Plus they cover the song "Tennessee Backroads," which I know from bluegrasser Lou Reid's version. Wyndstar included Bill Cowden (drums), Mike Lumley (lead guitar), David Powell (bass), Johnny Viers (rhythm guitar), and Larry Walsh on keyboards and rhythm guitar... As far as I know, this was their only record.

Wynn & John "Live At The Casa Nova" (Casa Nova Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Kelingos and Dick Curtis)
This mustachioed disco-era duo may actually have been a trio -- there's some unidentified gal pictured singing with them on the back cover -- but regardless, they seem to have been the house band for a while at the Casa Nova nightclub in Ypsilanti, Michigan sometime in the early-to-mid 1970s. They cover popular country standards such as "Country Roads," "Rocky Mountain High" and "Okie From Muskogee," as well as straight-up pop songs like "I Believe In Music," "Alone Again (Naturally)" and even a version of "Ebb Tide." So, they were a working band in the true bar-music tradition, playing what folks wanted to hear while slouched over their beers... Anyone out there know more about these guys? Or who that female singer was?

Ron Wynne "From The Heart" (Jetisson Productions, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Prater & Fred Martin)
This Colorado honkytonker includes two of his own songs, "You Call The Shots" and "The Only One," along with covers of classics by Willie Nelson, Terry Fell, Hank Cochran and others...

Roy Wynn & The Country Clubs "Just Plain Country" (Candy Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Hurley)

The Wynne Unit Band "The Texas Prison Rodeo Presents: Behind The Walls" (1980) (LP)
(Produced by Dale Mullins & Tom Miller)

Gail Wynters "A Girl For All Seasons" (Hickory Records, 1967) (LP)
(Produced by Wesley Rose)
Wow - what a weird record. I mean, it's on the Hickory label, and it's got this groovy, Mod cover art... I saw several country songs listed on the credits, along with a few '60s pop vocal hits, and Ray Stevens of all people doing the arrangements, so I thought, okay I'll bite. But there ain't no twang on this thang: Ms. Wynters, born Nancy Gail Shivel, was a preacher's daughter from rural Kentucky who developed a love of jazz and blues vocals... Here, styles herself as a white-girl soul singer, ala Dusty Springfield, and the arrangements are lavish, baroque '60s pop with a heavy dose of bluesy Northern Soul... Hardly what you'd expect on old Roy Acuff's label! Wynters frequently slides into a low, growling Shirley Bassey/Eartha Kitt mode, and while there are some "country" songs on here, they are bent out of recognition into big, brassy pop numbers -- probably the weirdest song on here is the brassy, overwrought arrangement of the Louvin Brothers' sweet, demure ballad, "When I Stop Dreaming." But even as a devoted obscuro-twang fan, I just couldn't find a rationale for hanging on to this one... I guess, though, this wasn't just some weird vanity record -- Wynters recorded for several labels and made a modest reputation for herself as a jazz-standards stylist. This album appears to have been just a matter of circumstance, with Wesley Rose willing to test the waters for more pop-oriented material, and although this was her first album, it's the only one that has any tangential connection to country or Nashville.

Wyokie "Sundance Sunday Morning" (Clique Productions, 1980-?) (LP)
This one is a real ultra, super-mystery disc. More of a folkie thing, really, although they did know their country music, and covered several top forty country hits, although in a gentle, folkie style. The main musicians were a fresh-faced (if slightly shaggy) ultra-earnest trio -- Connie Hannah (guitar), pianist Rusty Hudelson, and his wife Scharara Hudelson on guitar -- along with Jeanne Rogers, Johnnie Rogers, Cheryl Wales, Terry Wales, who are all mentioned on the inner label. Some members of the Wyokie band were also business partners, having opened a coffeehouse in Sundance, Wyoming, a tiny hamlet nestled in the shadow of butte-like Morian Hill, on the eastern state line right by South Dakota. They recorded this album in nearby Rapid City, and one imagines it pretty closely mirrored the kind of music they sang at their cafe. In addition to some very hippie-sounding originals, this includes covers of a couple of recent country hits, the Oak Ridge Boy's 1977 classic,"Y'All Come Back Saloon" and the equally irresistible "Louisiana Saturday Night," which they probably picked up from Mel McDaniel's version which charted in 1981. They also covered Don Williams' "It Must Be Love" and "I Had A Lovely Time" from the Kendalls, as well as the dino-hippie classic, "Teach Your Children," from Crosby, Stills & Nash. What's weird, though, is that I could find literally zero information about this album online -- the only reference I could find to the band itself was a show notice (and brief profile) that ran in The Sundance Times back in 1986... About all that I could learn was that the Hudelsons were originally from Oklahoma, and it looks like they eventually left Wyoming, with Rusty Hudelson pursuing a solo career down in Texas. Any info is welcome.

Wyvon "Wyvon" (Gervasi Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Shook)
This Texas honkytonk crooner's full name is Wyvon Alexander, and this record is pretty darn good. Robust, soulful, and packed with original material, this is a nice mix of hard-edged barroom ballads and smoother commercial country. This might appeal to fans of Ed Bruce, Vern Gosdin or Waylon Jennings -- kind of in that general territory. Definitely worth a spin!

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