Alan Jackson - see artist discography

Stonewall Jackson - see artist discography

Wanda Jackson - see artist discography

Jana Jae -- see artist profile

Anthony Michael James "Old Friends" (V-Tone Records, 2004)
(Produced by Doug Deforest & Jon Raney)
Hailing from Pennsylvania, James has a more traditional sound than many contemporary Nashvillers, with plenty of fiddle and acoustic backup, and this album opens with great promise, although ultimately it's a letdown. He has a nice voice, but it is poorly used on this set of fairly weak, undistinguished material. There are a couple of standout tracks -- the rollicking opener, "Sweet Sarah," is probably the strongest showcase for his vocals, and the wistful "One More Goodbye" succeeds in connecting emotionally, as does the doleful "Let Me," which closes the album... But the rest of the record is unmemorable; it's formulaic, but not in a particularly effective way. If you like sensitive male singers, James' slower stuff may ring your bells, but I, for one, would like to hear him come back with a stronger set, one which really plays to his strengths. Not so sure this one does.

Casey James "Casey James" (BNA/19 Recordings, 2012)
(Produced by Casey James & Chris Lindsey)
The first album by the third-place runner-up in an American Idol season, way back in 2010. Bright, prefab, John Mellencamp-ish stuff. Whatevs. I mean, I guess he's okay, and he plays the dobro pretty well, in a southern rock-ish mode... But this music is essentially so soulless, calculated and bland, it's hard to get worked up about it one way or another. I didn't care for his later electric blues stuff either, but at least he was trying something that might challenge a listener or two... This stuff, though, is just more turgid, emotionally flat, super-unoriginal Nashville pablum. Completely skippable.

Casey James "Strip It Down" (CaseyJamesOfficial.com, 2017)
(Produced by Tom Hambridge, Justin Francis & Michael Saint-Leon)
I'm dutifully following up on this young man's career, although this particular album isn't really country. Instead, Casey James leaned into more of a modern/pre-fab blues/rock sound, although it still sounds very canned and artifcial... But, hey, he got Delbert McClinton for sit in as a guest on one song, "Bulletproof," which gives Mr. James a few cool points in my book. Still, this slick-sounding stuff doesn't do much for me, and I guess James just gave up on the whole country-adjacent thing. Mildly roadhouse-y, but if that's the stuff I want to hear, I'll just dig up an old Delbert McClinton album. Or one by Gary Stewart.

Ryan James "Back To The Wind" (Hightail Records, 2007)
(Produced by Tim Lorsch & Walt Wilkins)
Texas-based songwriter Ryan James flies under the radar with this fine set of half-alt/half-pop twang. It's an indie release, but your ears will perk up when you hear tunes like "Everything That Glitters Is Not Gold" (a Dan Seals oldie) contrasted with a cover of Waylon Jennings old hit, "Ramblin' Man." Although the album opens with a couple of tunes that seem tailormade for Nashville bigwigs like Tim McGraw, et. al., to cover -- "Goodbye Carolina" and "Home On The Range" -- James is equally comfortable with chunkier, more outlaw-ish material, and sympathetic backing from Walt Wilkins and his crew make this a pretty solid set. James is a perfect example of the current intersection between roots music and chart hits -- he could go either way, and he certainly should make some headway as a Music Row songwriter... Worth checking out, no matter which side of the fence you're on!

Sonny James - see artist discography

The Jane Dear Girls "The Jane Dear Girls" (Warner-Reprise, 2011)
Faux-roots country with antiseptic modern production; the slick studio sound I can handle, but what really bugs me are their vocals -- the flat, phony sneer of contemporary teenybopper pop infects their harmonies, and shrieks out the blandness of their product. Yeah, I "get" that commercial country has cross-pollinated with post-Miley Cyrus pop, and I get that this is a valid stylistic choice... I just personally find it terribly empty and uninvolving. Oh, well. Can't win 'em all.

Jaron & The Long Road To Love "Getting Dressed In The Dark" (Universal/Big Machine, 2010)
(Produced by Jaron Lowenstein)
As fifty percent of the identical-twins pop duo Evan & Jaron, the now-solo Jaron Lowenstein doesn't stray far from his boy-band background on this, technically, country album. I mean, yeah, sure some songs were genuinely in line with the already super-formulaic, pop-flavored contemporary country scene... though some others drift into pretty un-twangy territory. Anyway, it's not really my cup of tea. The album was preceded by a single, "Pray To You," which is included here and which peaked at #13 on the country charts... But other tracks off this album tanked and Jaron seems to have hung up his spurs and Stetson... at least for now. Worth noting, I suppose, that all the songs on here are Jaron Lowenstein compositions... though I'm not sure if "originals" is exactly the right word to use.

Jerry Jaye "Honky Tonk Women Love Redneck Men" (Hi Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Rogers)
Though he spent the early part of the 'Seventies touring with R&B's Booker T & The MGs, Jerry Jaye emerged mid-decade as a commercial country breakthrough on this fun album which shares the same kind of bright, punchy production style as contemporary releases on MCA. The super-catchy title track was one of the finest, funnest, most melodic redneck anthems of the 'Seventies neotrad scene. Built on a roller-rinky guitar riff that was lifted straight from Billy Swan's "I Can Help," the song offers one of the most jovial portraits of good-timin' good ole boy life ever committed to wax... The album has several other fine tunes, including "Drinkin' My Way Back Home," and "Standing Room Only," as well as several less-impressive cover tunes, drawing from both the country and R&B sides of Jaye's work. "Honky Tonk Women" alone is worth the price of admission... What a grrreat song!! The musicians were a mix of Nashville ringers such as Charlie McCoy and Ronny Scaife, along with several of Jaye's longtime Memphis compadres, notably steel player Ben Jack, whose BeeJay label issued several of Jaye's more indie-level albums. The full band included Butch Carter on keyboards, Danny Hogan (bass), Ben Jack (dobro and steel guitar), Charlie McCoy (harmonica), Bobby Neal (guitar), Ronny Scaife (guitar), and percussionist Perry York, who also enjoyed success as a songwriter, notably with The Bill Black Combo. This is a fun record, definitely worth a spin.

Jerry Jaye "Honky Tonk Women Love Redneck Men (Plus)" (Edsel Records, 1999)
A fine reissue of Memphis local Jerry Jaye's 1976 album, with ten additional tracks drawn from some 1969 white soul sessions with a bunch of Memphis pickers and a Charlie Rich-like vibe... This earlier stuff doesn't blow me away, even though twang-bar king Travis Wammack was one of the backup players... But for southern soul aficionados, these unissued tracks and single sides are doubtless a real find. Groovy!

Norma Jean - see artist discography

Bob Jenkins "Bob Jenkins Sings" (Twentieth Century, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Michael Taylor)
Slick, heavily orchestrated countrypolitan/country-rock, recorded outside of the Nashville studio system. More '70s AOR than "country." I don't know much about this guy, and I'm not sure if he's the same Bob Jenkins who had a minor country hit a decade later with a novelty song about the Rubik's cube... Anyway, Jenkins and his producer Mike Taylor each wrote about half the songs on here, and I'm assuming they were in a band together or something. Nothing charted from this album, but if you like the smoother side of the country-rock sound -- bands like Poco and Firefall -- you might enjoy this as well. (BTW, if anyone has more info, feel free to contact me.)

Shooter Jennings - see artist discography

Tommy Jennings "Then There Was One" (Dimension Records, 1980) (LP)
Yes indeed, this fella was Waylon Jennings' younger brother, and he played in Waylon's band in the early 1960s when the future outlaw was gathering steam for his Nashville career. Tommy Jennings (1938-2019) also tried to launch his own career, but met with only middling success -- in the late '70s he had a few songs scrape the back end of the Billboard charts, while this album produced his biggest hit, "Just Give Me What You Think Is Fair," which pegged out at #51.

Tommy Jennings "Equal Opportunity Lovin' Man" (Audiograph Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Daniels)
A distinctly commercially-oriented album from the urban cowboy era... On most tracks, Jennings aims for a semi-robust, Johnny Lee-ish early '80s sound, but he's better on the ballads, when he croons a little bit like Don Williams. He's not totally successful in either mode, though -- the truth of the matter is, he just doesn't have the chops and he tries to hit not-that-high high notes that were apparently out of his range. Regardless, this Nashville indie had him cut an album and like many Audiograph releases, it seems to have been a songwriters demo set. There are three tracks written by a guy named Doc Cole, one by a gal named Kim Cole (who also sings backup) and several other songwriters who I've never heard of, either. The studio crew are B- and C-List players who mostly don't ring a bell... I've seen steel player Jim Vest's name a time or two, but that's about it. So, in short, this is a fairly mediocre wannabee Top Forty set, though some of the songs are okay... I think my favorite track here is Byron Hill's novelty number, "Out Of Your Mind," which had been a hit for Joe Sun a few years earlier. Others, like "Lady's Man," "Fantasy Lady" and "Equal Opportunity Lovin' Man" have a little too desperate-for-a-hit feel to them, sensitive studly swagger and all. You can probably skip this one, though it could be worth a spin, depending on what you're looking for.

Tommy Jennings "Hey, Waylon! The Eagle's Last Flight" (Heroes-N-Legends Records, 2005)
A "family tribute," recorded after Waylon's untimely demise... There's a strong vocal and stylistic likeness, easy to hear on covers of Waylon classics such as "Dreaming My Dreams," "Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line" and "Rainy Day Woman." There's also a from-the-vaults duet with Waylon himself, and a few songs with an autobiographical/hagiographic quality that may be of interest to many hardcore Hoss-ologists, including the title track, "Eagle's Last Flight," and "Me And Them Three Brothers Of Mine." This used to be sold on Tommy Jennings' own website (now defunct) though I guess you'll have to poke around a bit to find a copy in the wild.

Tommy Jennings "Southern Touch" (One Media Records, 2011)

Tommy Jennings "Waylon's Brother" (One Media Records, 2011)

Waylon Jennings - see artist discography

Sherri Jerrico "Country Heartaches" (Crazy Cajun Records, 1978) (LP)
(Producer Huey P. Meaux)
This was the lone album by Texas honkytonker Sherri Jerrico, a Lone Star gal who cut a long string of singles dating back at least as far as 1968, continuing on through the early '80s. Jerrico was apparently born in Austin back around 1951 and was not, as far as I can tell, related to hillbilly-era Houston country star Jerry Jericho. A hefty chunk of her records came out on indie labels, though in the mid-'Seventies she cut an album's worth of material for the Crazy Cajun label, and later recorded a long string of singles for Gusto Records, with most of the tracks produced by Tommy Hill. Over her career she sang her fair share of cover songs, though she's also notable for penning a bunch of her own original material. On this album she's credited as the composer of four songs: "Houston Rain," "Love Me Back Together Again," "If You Can Fake It I Might Make It" and the provocatively titled "My Mind Can't Control (What My Body Wants To Do)." Curiously, though, these last two were previously paired together as Jerrico's lone Crazy Cajun single, though on that disc they were credited to two Chicano songwriters, Freddy Fender and Simon Reyes. I haven't dug deep enough to explain the discrepancy, though given label owner Huey P. Meaux's shifty reputation, a credible explanation may be that giving composer credits to Jerrico was a way to at least temporarily screw Fender and Reyes out of their royalties (keeping in mind that Reyes passed away in 1974...) Or perhaps there was just a typo on the single, and she was the author of both songs. I honestly have no idea. Folks say that Ms. Jerrico moved to Tennessee for a while, and her last records seem to have come out on the Nashville-based NSD/Soundwaves, circa 1980.

Buddy Jewell "Buddy Jewell" (Columbia Records, 2003)
(Produced by Clint Black)
A second-stringer. A bubbadelic good ole boy with modest vocal strength and a fairly plodding sense of phrasing and rhythm, Jewell won the Country Star TV talent contest -- the Nashville version of American Idol -- and the result is this somewhat unremarkable set of clunky, croony tunes. Apparently, he's a protege of Clint Black -- Clint produced this album, and Jewell dutifully records one of Black's songs, one of many that are dressed up in formulaic Nashville arrangements. There's nothing really, well, bad on here... just nothing terribly exciting. Highlights include the pseudo-offensive, but nice sounding "You Know How Women Are" and a nice duet with Miranda Lambert (it's a well-chosen cover of Buck Owens' "Today I Started Loving You Again" ... but who the heck is she?? Was she on that show, too?) Overall, this is nothing to write home about.

Buddy Jewell "Tales Of The New West: Songs Of The Coreys And Dennis Kahler" (Oarfin Records, 2003)

Buddy Jewell "Times Like These" (Columbia Records, 2006)

Buddy Jewell "Country Enough" (Diamond Dust Records, 2008)

Buddy Jewell "I Surrender All" (Diamond Dust Records, 2011)
(Produced by Michael Bush & Buddy Jewell)
An independently-released, all-gospel set from this former Top-40 contender and reality-show winner... The title track and others are a little too tinkly and Southern gospel poppy for my tastes, but others have a nice, twangy vigor. "Hell Bent And Heaven Bound" has a nice trucker-song feel. while "Jesus, Elvis And Me," and his version of "There Is Power In The Blood" have a strong, thumping backbeat. I think Jewell sounded better with a bigger studio budget behind him, but if you're a country gospel fan, this is certainly worth checking out.

JJ White "Janice & Jayne" (Curb Records, 1991)
(Produced by James Stroud)
Janice and Jayne White were a Northern California sister duo from Yuba City (up above Sacramento) who wrote a lot of their own material... Their voices are twangy and rural, but the music is both slick and lethargic, monotonous, even. I suppose fans of the Judds or the Forresters might appreciate the family harmonies, but this isn't a very fun record. This album yielded a trio of Back Forty singles which were followed by another, non-album single that also languished in the middle of the charts. You know how that story goes: the Whites headed back home, and recorded another album on their own, which they self-released in '99. Janice White passed away in 2003, after a battle with cancer.

JJ White "Scratches On Her Knees" (JJ White, 1999)
(Produced by Andre Pessis & Janice White)

Erika Jo "Erika Jo" (Universal South, 2005)
(Produced by Tim DuBois, Rick Giles & Steve Mandile)
A winner on the cable TV talent show, Nashville Star, Texas teen Erika Jo stood a good chance at becoming one of Nashville's new elite. Her major-label debut sounds a little too rock-pop at times, which is probably a hangover from an American Idol-y TV tilt towards perky, generic pop. But the album's opener, "I Break Things," is a great, upbeat honkytonkish tune that has a bit of Tanya Tucker sass to it, which could have been a sign of things to come. Like many younger singers, Jo didn't quite sound like she has the real-life emotional experience to feel convincing on songs of heavy heartbreak and regret... But that can change with time... For fans of the post-millennial style of ornate Nashville twang and fluffy, teenybopper pop (ala Lindsey Lohan), this disc might make for a little summer fun... I was interested to hear where Erika Jo went from here, but apparently this was fated to be her only full album.

Joey + Rory - see artist discography

Sarah Johns "Big Love In A Small Town" (BNA Records, 2007)
(Produced by Joe Scaife)
One of the finer examples of the back-to-basics neo-trad country sound of the post-Gretchen '00s... There's lots of egregious twang with tons of fiddle and pedal steel, but unlike the trailblazing Gretchen Wilson, Kentucky-born Sarah Johns doesn't get stuck in macho-chick posturing. This is an album of country love songs, with a minimal use of novelty-song gimmicks and no references to shotguns, booze, tailgate parties or trucks. Thank God. There's only one track -- the milky, heavily-orchestrated "It's Hard To Be A Girl (In A Young Man's World)" -- that dips into the kind of gooey soul-ish pop that '90s femme-stars like Martina McBride and Sara Evans, et. al., made the dominant sound for Nashville women. Nonetheless, Johns keeps herself remarkably true to her country core, and the rest of the album, though tightly sculpted still has some real twang. It's particularly impressive to note that she wrote or co-wrote all the songs on here, making her a bit of a country auteur. Unfortunately, Nashville didn't reward her for her classiness: the album's two singles only made it to the outer edges of the Top 40, and that wasn't enough of a splash to earn her a second album. Pity. It's been a while, but I keep hoping she'll resurface, because modern country sure could use a few more artists with depth like this.

Carolyn Dawn Johnson "Room With A View" (Arista, 2001)
(Produced by Paul Worley & Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
Although she dabbles in the glossy, poppy, overwritten style that defines post-millennial Nashville, Johnson still has a lightness of touch that makes some of these songs, like "Georgia" and "I'll Think Of You That Way," kind of compelling. The singles are kind of a mixed bag -- "Complicated" is a glossy, dreary bore, "One Day Closer To You" and "I Don't Want You To Go" both try and infuse more bounce into the formula, but they fall flat -- Johnson's sincere, bright vocals swathed in antiseptic, too-perfect studio production. It's too bad, really; she's an artist I have a natural sympathy for, but her records are simply more of the same mediocre, Martina McBride-ish pop-country "girl" stuff that crowded the radiowaves at the turn of the millennium... You can see why her career has kind of stalled, which is really kind of a shame, but honestly, there's no there there.

Carolyn Dawn Johnson "Dress Rehearsal" (Arista, 2004)
(Produced by Dan Huff)
As aggressively "pop" a country album as has been produced in the last five years or so... pretty lavish and heavy on the chiming electric guitars, compact rhythmic hooks and treble-tilting EQ, but also pretty effective at what it's trying to do. To their credit, the label picked two of the more demure, more country-sounding songs as the initial singles, "Simple Life," with it's pert little banjo riff, and "Die Of A Broken Heart," which is a rather nice little weeper... I would have picked those songs, too. The rest of the album, though, is a little bit busy for my tastes, and a few tunes are actually rather jarring -- the cloying pop-gospel of "God Doesn't Make Mistakes," the Stones-y Sheryl Crow-isms of "My Little Secret," the sheer shrillness of "Squeezin' The Love Right Out Of You," the awkward meter of the otherwise sweet "Life As We Know It," etc. Johnson's following the prefab pop diva path of Shania and them other 1990s gals, and while that style is a turnoff for me, more mainstream modern pop-country fans should find this album pretty satisfying. But really... why call it "country"??

Carolyn Dawn Johnson "Love And Negotiation" (Universal/Dancing Lily Records, 2009)
(Produced by Carolyn Dawn Johnson & Dann Huff)

Carolyn Dawn Johnson "Love Rules" (Universal/Dancing Lily Records, 2010)
(Produced by Carolyn Dawn Johnson & Frank Rogers)

Jamey Johnson "They Call Me Country" (Jamey Johnson Entertainment, 2002)
(Produced by Dave Brainard)

Jamey Johnson "The Dollar" (BNA Records, 2006)
(Produced by Buddy Cannon)

Jamey Johnson "That Lonesome Song" (Mercury-Nashville, 2008)
(Produced by Jamey Johnson & The Kent Hadley Playboys)
Wow. Great record. Jamey Johnson is one in a long line of rough-edged, roots-oriented country singers who have gotten chewed up and spit out by Nashville, and lived to tell the tale. He's had a lot of success as a songwriter, penning hit singles for Trace Atkins, George Strait and others, but as a solo act he's had his ups and downs. He hit the Top 20 a couple of years ago, but still got dumped by his label, prompting Johnson to retrench and go "outlaw" -- in a big, big way. This record is areal throwback to the glory years of the 1970s outlaw scene, sharply recalling the best work by Kris Kristofferson, David Allan Coe and -- of course -- Waylon Jennings. But while bad-boy posturing is pretty commonplace among country stars these days, Johnson seems to "get it" in a way most hat acts don't: this disc opens with "High Cost Of Living," a rueful, soul-rending song about drug abuse and addiction that's smarter and more honest than a truckload of just-say-no PSAs. Other songs follow in the same suit, songs about partying hard and losing sight of the important things in life, about trashing the house after your lover leaves you, about coming to terms with failure and loss, about being p*ssed it all happened in the first place, and trying to get your act together again. (It probably helps that, in addition to having his label drop him, Johnson also got divorced before he recorded this record: the pain and anger here are real.) Along with his own excellent compositions, Johnson covers some classics, notably Bob McDill's "The Door Is Always Open," and Alan Reynolds' "Dreaming My Dreams" -- in case you didn't quite get the point, he closes the album with a nod towards two of his heros, explaining where his records can be found, filed somewhere "Between Jennings And Jones." If you like gritty, greasy, real-deal outlaw honkytonk, give this disc a shot. Johnson might be hanging out with a bunch of 21st Century hat act guys, but this record is pure 1974 single-finger salute. I like it a lot.

Jamey Johnson "The Guitar Song" (Mercury Nashville, 2010)
(Produced by Arlis Albritton, Dave Cobb & The Kent Hardly Playboys)
A real stunner. Probably the best, or at least the most significant new country record this year. It's a double-disc record, with a "black album" and a "white album" side by side, the dark one representing the darkness of a man hitting rock bottom, packed with some of the hardest-hitting, bleakest honky-tonk gloom-and-doom songs you'll ever hear. His character loses his lover, his job, his home and the respect of his fellow man -- on "Can't Cash My Checks," his stock has fallen so low, no one will trust him to pay his debts, in a searing, painful commentary on modern-day poverty that sounds like something out of the Dust Bowl. But it's not just thematically that Johnson makes his mark, but musically as well: this guy really "gets" old-school hard-country music. He gets the twang right, as well as that extra layer of rich, thick texture from the pedal steel, vocals and bass; he gets the sentiment and grit and sense of humor as well. Indeed, this music is so good, and so true to its roots I'm completely amazed that Johnson has a major label deal -- and he's successful, too! Maybe there's hope for the world, after all. Side Two, or rather, Disc Two is the "white album," where his character takes an upward swing towards joyfulness and life... Musically this translates into Waylon Jennings-style twang-rock jams, poling expressions of twangadelic playfulness: personally, I'd go for a couple of brighter, more concise melodic numbers, but hey, Johnson's the auteur. As this second disc winds down, the songs start to slow down a bit, and there is a suggestion that either the narrator has aged and mellowed, or perhaps the sadness is coming back, and it's time to go back to other disc: I like to think that this is a complete package, with the emotions ebbing and flowing, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, a real country song-cycle, an unending see-saw of catchy, boozy tunes. Although this is a triumph as a cohesive concept album, there are of course plenty of standout songs. The black album's opener, Keith Whitley's "Lonely At The Top," pokes fun at self-pitying celebrities crying at the bar; the barroom setting is echoed in a great cover of Vern Gosdin's big hit, "Set 'Em Up Joe." Although Johnson's soulful originals make this album so resonant, there are some cover tunes, too, including Mel Tillis' "Mental Revenge," Kris Kristofferson's "For The Good Times" and a great version of the title track, Bill Anderson's "The Guitar Song," featuring Anderson himself adding a surprisingly vigorous duet. Jamey Johnson, with a crackerjack band worthy of the mantle of Waylon or Willie's 1970's ensembles, has tapped into country music's true past, and points the way to a vigorous new future. Let's hope he keeps on the same path for as long as he can, 'cause this is some really really fine stuff. (Now if you'll excuse me, it's time to change the discs again...)

Jamey Johnson "Living For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran" (Mercury Nashville, 2012)
(Produced by Buddy Cannon & Dale Dodson)
One of the best, most authentic roots-country auteurs in today's country scene pays homage to songwriter Hank Cochran... It's hard to describe just how flat-out satisfying and amazing a record like this is for a hard-country fan like me: each track is a tour-de-force of true twang, where Johnson's love of tradition and grit comes through loud and clear, as does his appreciation of Cochran's work, which -- like Johnson's -- perfectly hits the sweet spot between honkytonk roots and the demands of modern Nashville pop. Cochran's strengths as a composer are reconfirmed as Johnson and his many guests bring the songs to life and make the lyrics their own. And Johnson proves himself a generous and gracious host by letting each of his duet partners stand in the spotlight, complimented by his own rich, robust, rumbling vocals. The album opens with a gorgeous version of "Make The World Go Away," with Alison Krauss mining the emotional agonies of this great melodic oldie; other highlights include a rough-hewn duet with Merle Haggard ("I Fall To Pieces"), a heartbreaking ballad with Elvis Costello ("She'll Be Back"), Emmylou Harris delving deep into the erotic charge of "Don't Touch Me" (perhaps the most frankly carnal song I've ever heard her sing) and Johnson's epic collaboration with Willie Nelson, one of the most sure-fire Cochran interpreters you could ever hope to hear. Jamey Johnson made the most of this opportunity, to harmonize with his heroes, to pay homage to a great and now under-recognized country composer, and to bring an avalanche of real-deal, hardcore, beautifully arranged true twang into the country mainstream. He sings unaccompanied on only one track, the aching "Would These Arms Be In Your Way," and it, like every other record he's made, is a gem. Another highly recommended album from one of the most potent and soulful artist working in Nashville today.

Jamey Johnson "The Christmas Song" (Big Gassed Records, 2015)
(Produced by Dave Cobb)
Sadly, Johnson had a falling out with his label, and drifted off the radar. This self-released set was a five-song holiday EP with four Christmas chestnuts paired with one Jamey Johnson original, "South Alabama Christmas," one of the last songs he wrote before a years-long spell of writer's block. It's been a while, but you never know: I for one look forward to Johnson getting back his mojo and knocking our socks off again someday. You never know.

Lois Johnson - see artist discography

Jolie & The Wanted "Jolie & The Wanted" (Dreamworks Records, 2001)
(Produced by Dann Huff)
Very generic, very poppy stuff, with a few glimmers of life, but not much twang. Lead singer Jolie Edwards hailed from Omaha, Nebraska, as did apparently the rest of her band -- drummer Andy Hull, Steve King (keyboards), Ethan Pilzer (bass guitar), Phil Symonds (guitar), and guitarist Jonathan Trebing. This disc is perky, for sure, but the bright, bland production doesn't give Edwards much room to do anything interesting. Includes a cover of Paul Davis' '70s AOR hit, "I Go Crazy." Jinkies. They had a couple of mid-level singles, "Boom" and "I Would" (which both peaked at #55 on Billboard) but big hits were not forthcoming, and the group broke up a couple of years later. Jolie Edwards did get signed as a solo artist, but nothing came of the deal and she went indie instead; Ethan Pilzer became embedded in the Nashville scene as part of Big & Rich's crew.

The Jones Boys "Country & Western Song Book: Instrumental Selections Of George Jones' Greatest Hits" (Musicor Records, 1964) (LP)
The backing band for the world's greatest country singer, The Jones Boys went through steady changes in lineup, as did many Nashville road bands. And their albums, as with others of their kind, often did not list the individual band members, so it's not always clear who played on which albums, or if they were sometimes augmented by other musicians in the studio setting. Greenfield, Ohio's Don Adams anchored the band for several years in the mid-'Sixties, and The Jones Boys also included future solo star Johnny Paycheck -- indeed, when his own career took off later in the decade, Paycheck poached Adams and other members of the group when forming his own road band. No credits on this album, alas, though apparently a fella named Sonny Curtis was featured as the steel guitar player, though he was another picker from Ohio, not to be confused with the songwriter of the same name.

The Jones Boys "New Country Hits" (Musicor Records, 1965) (LP)
(Produced by Pappy Daily)

The Jones Boys "My Boys" (Musicor Records, 1970) (LP)
Charlie Carter and James Hollie alternate on the lead vocals, with the big boss man, George Jones singing on two tracks, "Burn The Honky Tonk Down" and "I Cried Myself Awake." Alas, the other band members remain anonymous.

(George Jones &) The Jones Boys "Live At Dancetown USA" (Ace Records, 1985) (LP)
Live performances from 1965. Most of the tracks feature George Jones on vocals, though Don Adams and the Jones Boys are credited on several tracks.

(George Jones &) The Jones Boys "Live In Texas: 1965" (Ace Records, 2018) (CD)
This is an expanded edition of the Dancetown USA album above...

David Lynn Jones "Hard Times On Easy Street" (Mercury Records, 1987)
(Produced by Richie Albright & Mick Ronson)
The solo debut album of neo-trad troubadour David Lynn Jones, an Arkansas lad who broke through in Nashville as a songwriter, and was riding high on the success of Willie Nelson's hit version of "Living In The Promiseland," which topped the charts in 1986. A song like that can get you your own recording contract, and though David Lynn Jones didn't exactly tear up the charts, be had some modest chart successes and made the most of his run, and released a short string of potent albums during one of country music's neotrad upswings. This album includes his two biggest chart hits, "Bonnie Jean (Little Sister)," which hit #10, and another Top 15 entry, "High Ridin' Heroes," a duet with Waylon Jennings, who was one of Jones's musical idols. The album's other two singles found Jones slipping into the back rungs of the Billboard charts, and nothing from his subsequent albums charted at all, as he settled into the sort of singer-songwriter-ish position held by guys like John Hiatt, where you're respected by everybody, but you're not quite a household name. Bowsing the list of session musicians for this album is pretty interesting: there are a few Nashville ringers, for sure, but also a very diverse, even motley assortment of musicians. Some of the names that caught my eye included roots-twangster Kieran Kane, steel player Ben Keith, a string section that included Edgar Meyer, and veteran backup singers Charlie Chalmers, Sandra Chalmers as well countrypolitan star Lynn Anderson(!) singing some harmony. If you're known by the company you keep, David Lynn Jones wasn't doing too bad!

David Lynn Jones "Wood, Wind And Stone" (Mercury Records, 1990)
(Produced by Richie Albright, David Lynn Jones, Wayne Neuendorf & Joe Scaife)
Of interest here is the continued collaboration with the fabled Rhodes-Chalmers-Rhodes singing group, with all three of them -- Sandra Rhodes, Charlie Chalmers and Donna Rhodes -- in the lineup, as well as kid brother Perry Rhodes, who also sings harmony. (Multi-instrumentalist/super-session man Michael Rhodes, later in the Cicadas and the Notorious Cherry Bombs, is also on board, though he apparently was not related to the Rhodes Sisters...) Also worth noting is a change of steel guitar, with veteran picker Paul Franklin brought in for these sessions.

David Lynn Jones "Mixed Emotions" (Capitol-Liberty Records, 1992)
(Produced by Richie Albright & David Lynn Jones)
Brightly produced, a times brash, singer-songwriter roots-rock, given a big-country treatment; in quiet moments there's a glimmer of Guy Clark, but for the most part, it's more of a John Hiatt/John Mellencamp kinda thing. Not bad for the style.

David Lynn Jones "Play By Ear" (Capitol-Liberty Records, 1992)
(Produced by Richie Albright & David Lynn Jones)

George Jones - see artist discography

J. C. Jones "One Night" (Rising Tide Records, 1998)
(Produced by Barry Beckett, Steve Fishell & Emory Gordy, Jr.)
A second-stringer who barely cracked into the Top 100 with this earnest yet unmoving debut. I dunno, I can see how a lot of folks would really like this guy, seeing him as some sort of sensitive songwriter/outlaw type or something. I wanted to like him, but for some reason the songs seemed a little overcooked, though not so over-the-top that they'd work the way the big Nashville hits do. He seems to be trying really hard, but can't quite get there... Lots of talent on here, including some folks on the rootsier end of the Nashville scene, with co-producers Emory Gordy Jr. on bass, and Steve Fishell playing lap steel, as well as bluegrasser Aubrey Haynie on fiddle and mandolin, Paul Franklin (pedal steel), Brent Rowan, Biff Watson and various and sundry others, including '80s singer Deborah Allen singing backup. This appears to have been one of the last records put out by the semi-indie Rising Tide label, which folded later this same year; not sure if Mr. Jones continued to record elsewhere.

Joshua Scott Jones "The Healing" (JSJ Music, 2014)
A self-released substance-abuse recovery album by Joshua Scott Jones, best known as one half of the country duo Steel Magnolia. The group disbanded in 2012, also ending his relationship with co-star Meghan Linsey... All the songs were written or co-written by Jones, and while they aren't all about his addiction problems, themes of recover are woven throughout, including both religious and romantic healing.

Joshua Scott Jones "The Rural Deal" (JSJ Music, 2016)

Joshua Scott Jones "How The Story Goes" (2019)

Joshua Scott Jones "Outlier Circa 1980" (2020)

The Jordanaires - see artist discography

Porter Jordan "Porter Sings Porter" (MC Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Styner)
I dunno what the whole story was on the short-lived, country-oriented Motown Records offshoot, MC Records, but since most of the titles produced under its imprint -- including this one -- weren't released commercially, I think it's a safe guess that it was some sort of tax writeoff... Anyway, I had no idea what to expect when I picked this disc up, and my hopes weren't that high, but man! what a pleasant surprise! This is a really good, richly produced, fine example of '70s-style honkytonk, with lots of pedal steel and a lazy shuffle beat. He reminds me folks such as Carmol Taylor or Little David Wilkins, off-the-radar country journeymen who were just a few rungs away from the show biz status of someone like Mickey Gilley, et. al. At any rate, I liked the music a lot -- Porter Jordan didn't have the best voice, but it works for the style, and the songs and arrangements are all pretty good. I couldn't find much info about this album, or about Porter Jordan, but since the song, "Bad Georgia Road," included on this album, was featured in a 1977 film of the same title, I think it's safe to assume that he's the same Porter Jordan who worked on the soundtracks for a series of '70s horror and exploitation films, such as Jennifer, Chain Gang Women and Dixie Dynamite. You'd never think it, though, listening to this fine, rich set of soulful twang. Sadly, the sparse liner notes include no info on the studio musicians, other than Porter and the producer (who also shares some song credits...)

Tresa Jordan "3D" (South River Road Records, 2005)
(Produced by Jim Cooper)
Pretty darn good. Jordan clearly has commercial aspirations and I'll bet she can make it, if she plays her cards right. This album shows her adept at a variety of Top Country styles, from the relatively rootsy to the sappy and poetic, reaching into the Sara Evans/Martina McBride side of pop-country, while still keeping sight of some good, old gravel-road grit. I didn't expect much from this record, but I was pleasantly surprised... You might be, too. Unfortunately, this seems to have been her only album.

The Judds - see artist discography

Wynonna Judd - see artist discography

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Hick Music Index

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