Sleepy LaBeef - see artist discography

Doyle Lawson - see artist discography

Albert Lee - see artist discography

Brenda Lee - see artist discography

Ernie Lee "The Kentucky Balladeer" (Binge Disc/Bronco Buster)
Solidly in the Tennessee Ernie Ford/Red Foley tradition of bouncy, jovial bullfrog vocals, Ernie Lee's early-'50s records hold up as well as any of the hillbilly hits by them two stars. Fun stuff skimmed out of the Mercury and MGM catalogs -- well worth checking out!

Ernie Lee "Country From Kentucky" (LMG Records, 2010)

Wilma Lee - see: Wilma Lee Cooper

The LeGarde Twins "One Little Letter" (BACM, 2005)
(Available through the British Archive of Country Music website.)

Jerry Lee Lewis - see: see artist profile

Texas Jim Lewis "Western Swing Nostalgia" (Binge Disc, 1998)
Western swing's answer to Spike Jones, Lewis specialized in relentless nuttiness -- his material includes some of Sheb Wooley's earliest novelty numbers ("Peekin' Through The Keyhole"), as well as plenty of offbeat instrumental flights, along the lines of the time-honored fiddling "bird call" tunes, "Listen To The Mocking Bird." Not everyone goes for the hillbilly novelty bit, but these tunes are pretty irresistible. Fun stuff, highly recommended!

Texas Jim Lewis "...And His Lone Star Cowboys" (Country Routes, 2001)
Live performances taken from vintage, 1940's radio transcription discs...

Texas Jim Lewis "Volume One: Rose Of The Border" (BACM, 2004)
More rarities, available through the British Archive Of Country Music website.

Texas Jim Lewis "Volume 2: In New York & Hollywood -- 1937Ð39" (BACM, 2005)
More rarities, available through the British Archive Of Country Music website.

Joe 'Cannonball' Lewis "You've Been Honkytonkin' " (Binge Disc/Cattle Records, 2006)

The Light Crust Doughboys - see artist discography

Big Bill Lister "Tear In My Beer" (Bear Family Records, 1999)
Now THIS is for-real hick music... "Hick" as in back-woods, patched pants, oil-drilling, hard-timing, 'pea-pickin', tater patch tending HICK music. Sorry... I don't usually indulge in such stereotypes, but then again, rarely are they so accurate. This feller -- a good pal of Hank Williams' -- was a total hayseed, and it oozes from his every syllable in the most delectable way. The music, too, is not overly refined. If you want to hear something that is as verifiably "country" as country can be, then check out these great old recordings from 1949-1953... Some of it's on major label material, recorded for Capitol, but many of these tracks are from the teensy indie label, Everstate... Once again, a jaw-dropping archival effort by the folks at Bear Family that is worth every penny they request. RECOMMENDED!

Big Bill Lister "Remembering Hank Williams" (Heart Of Texas, 2003)

Hank Locklin - see: see artist profile

Jimmie Logsdon "I Got A Rocket In My Pocket" (Bear Family Records, 1993)
A hard-country hillbilly singer who signed to Decca in the early 'Fifties, James Lloyd Logsdon (1922-2001) wound up being a one-hit wonder when he tried bluffing his way into the rock'n'roll market. Recording under the pseudonym "Jimmie Lloyd," he laid down the blistering rockabilly classic, "Rocket In My Pocket," which is one of the most explosive, giddy 'billy hits of the 'Fifties. He also recorded a lot of great hick music, including a tribute to Hank Williams, who helped give him a leg-up in his career. Logsdon was one of those honkytonkers in the early 'Fifties who nakedly imitated Williams, but what he sacrificed in originality he more than made up for with his energy and exuberance. This is a some fine hard-country from a time when the style was really cookin'! Recommended.

Hal Lone Pine & Betty Cody "On The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine" (Bear Family Records, 2006)
Fine, sentimental heartsongs and loopy novelty tunes from the early 1950s... Harold Breau (aka Hal Lone Pine) originally hailed from Maine, while his singing partner Betty Cody was French-Canadian Quebecois. This husband-wife duo made a good showing as second-stringers in both countries, and while this disc probably won't blow you away, it's very charming stuff, typical of its time, a fine example of the workmanlike recordings of country's less rowdy artists in the rollicking honkytonk/hillbilly boogie era. The Breaus found their greatest success up in Canada, largely due to the popularity of the regionally-oriented novelty recitation, "Prince Edward Island Is Heaven To Me," a masterpiece of pure, shameless corn. It was followed by "Apple Blossom Time In Annapolis Valley," which also sang the praises of Nova Scotia. They also sang romantic weepers and smoothed-out honkytonk tunes -- although Lone Pine, in particular, wasn't that strong a vocalist, he sounded amiable and robust, and these tracks are all quite charming. Listening to these old tunes, you can hear that Betty Cody was arguably the better singer of the two -- the folks at the record labels thought so, too, and tried to promote her as a solo artist, although she mainly worked as part of the family road show. She dropped out of show biz when the demands of touring came into conflict with her role as a mother, and when her marriage to Lone Pine fell apart... One interesting footnote: their son, Lenny Breau, was a true musical prodigy and after a brief apprenticeship in the family band, he later emerged as one of he most highly regarded jazz guitarists of the post-bop era. (I don't think he's featured on any of these tracks, but his first teacher, Ray Couture, was a longtime member of the band...) These recordings are a fine legacy of two little-known artists who two sounded quite good together... If you're a devotee of old-school, 1950s country, by all means, check this one out!

Dolly Long & Shorty Long - see artist profile

Lonzo & Oscar "There's A Hole In The Bottom Of The Sea" (BACM, 2005)

Lonzo & Oscar "Straight Songs: Lonzo And Oscar Sing 'Em" (Lonzo And Oscar Country Music Show) (LP)

Bobby Lord "Everybody's Rockin' But Me!" (Bear Family Records, 2011)
You might be familiar with Bobby Lord from various rockabilly compilation albums; this is apparently the first time an entire album worth of his stuff has appeared on CD. A not-great, but totally authentic and enthusiastic early hillbilly/rockabilly artist, Lord recorded a couple dozen tracks recorded Columbia Records between 1954-60, all of which are gathered here. Some of this stuff is kind of clunky, but some of it is pretty fun. Worth checking out, though not top-flight hillbilly material.

Myrna Lorrie "Hello Baby" (Bear Family Records, 2012)
A profile of Canadian country singer Myrna Lorrie, who had a Top Ten hit in America with "You Are Mine," which she recorded in 1955 when she was only fourteen. Lorrie went to Nashville and toured the US with several major country stars, but when more hits failed to come, she retreated from the limelight, retiring for several years until she reemerged as a TV host in the 1960s, becoming a fixture in the Canadian country scene for several decades. This excellent collection concentrates on her early work, much of it teen-oriented and full of vigor; this reissue has great sound quality as well as Bear Family's trademark attention to archival detail. Cool beans!

John D. Loudermilk - see artist discography

The Louvin Brothers - see artist discography

Patty Loveless - see artist discography

Lyle Lovett - see artist discography

Robin Luke "Susie Darlin' " (Bear Family Records, 1991) (LP)
Classic late 'Fifties/early 'Sixties teenpop and rockabilly from Honolulu highschooler Robin Luke, who was just sixteen when he cut his big 1958 hit, "Susie Darlin'," for Hawaii's maverick rock indie, Bertram International Records. The song got licensed by mainland major label Dot Records, and rose to hit #5 on the American pop charts, briefly propelling Luke to international fame, which included multiple appearances on American Bandstand and other TV programs, as well as international reissues in Canada and the UK. Various recording sessions followed, with larger orchestrations as the show biz pros briefly took over his career. Robin Luke dropped out of the entertainment world, though -- his parents insisted he go to college and finish his education -- but he left behind enough tracks to merit a full-on Bear Family reissue.

Bob Luman - see artist discography

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

Loretta Lynn - see artist discography

Hick Music Index