Doug Sahm -- see artist discography

Mack Sanders "...And His Swing Band" (Mercury Records, 1964)
Bandleader Mack Sanders, who also recorded under the name Johnny Bozeman, was a deejay from Kansas who cut a few singles in the '50s, and a couple of LPs in the '60s. Working at a variety of stations, Sanders was a pioneering figure in Midwestern country music broadcasting, establishing Wichita's first full-time country station. With country star Webb Pierce as a business partner, Sanders purchased a string of radio stations throughout the Midwest, as well as a foothold in Nashville. He was married to singer Sherry Bryce, up until his death in 2003. This album features vocals from Sanders as well as Gene McCoy and Jeanie Person, a female singer with a very rough, rugged vocal style. The music is a nice mix of easygoing honkytonk and country swing, similar to the Hank Thompson sound. It's not top flight, but it is pretty good -- the fiddle and steel guitar are particularly nice. Definitely worth a spin!

Tommy Scott -- see artist profile

Billy Joe Shaver - see artist discography

The Shelton Brothers "Down On The Farm" (Binge Disc, 2001)
The East Texas-based Shelton Brothers had a great, jovial style -- a prototypical hard country sound where novelty songs nestle side by side with lightly-delivered, bluesy weepers. Although the band's sound is a little rickety and sparse, not dazzling or muscular, or overly soulful, they still pioneered the guitar solo in country music, and had a clear influence on Ernest Tubb and other early honkytonkers. This is a great set of oldies from the late 1937-41, rare 78s from the Decca label, way back in its infancy... Moon Mullican and Gene Sullivan are among the musicians, though the stars are Joe and Bob Shelton, who had a wonderful and and completely infectious sense of humor. Highly recommended, and well worth tracking down!

The Shelton Brothers "A Hillbilly And Western Swing Legend" (Binge Disc, 2002)
This second set of Shelton Brothers oldies has the advantage of English-language liner notes, which explain the history of this popular Depression-era brother act, their dual identity as "the Sunshine Boys" (when recording for Victor, or performing on the KWHK Louisiana Barn Ride), and their long professional association with country star (and Louisiana governor) Jimmie Davis. As with the first album, this disc is packed with sentimental oldies and lightly raucous takes on old tunes such as "Deep Elem Blues" and "Mamma Don't 'Low." Unfortunately, neither CD includes their original version of "Just Because" (later a hit for Elvis Presley), although this volume does include their 1937 remake. More great stuff; highly recommended.

The Shelton Brothers "Rompin' And Stompin' Around" (BACM, 2005)
Another great set from the Shelton Brothers which, amazingly, does not overlap with the two Binge Disc collections listed above. If you're into these guys, then snap this one up! (Available through the British Archive of Country Music website.)

Glen Sherley "Live At Vacaville, California" (Mega Records, 1971)
California convict Glen Sherley came into Johnny Cash's sphere of influence when Cash staged his legendary 1968 Folsom Prison concert -- someone had passed Cash a demo of Sherley's prison ballad, "Greystone Chapel," which he sang in front of an enthusiastic audience, with an unsuspecting and dumbfounded Sherley sitting in the front row. The song made it onto the album and Cash became Sherley's champion in Nashville, helping get this live album produced -- it was recorded while Sherley was still in prison, and his live version of "Greystone Chapel" was a modest hit. Cash pushed for Sherley's parole later the same year and he gave him a job, too, as a staff writer in his "House of Cash" company, along with Sherley's friend Harlan Sanders, who was also a convict in the California system. The mix of freedom and fame was apparently too much for Sherley -- his antisocial behavior forced Cash to fire him, and he quickly fell off the radar. Years later, in 1978, Glen Sherley committed suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, having been unable to hang onto his music career, one of the more tragic figures in the '70s country scene.

Jean Shepard - see artist discography

Mervin Shiner "Steppin' Out" (BACM, 2005)

Gene Simmons "Drinkin' Wine: The Sun Years, Plus" (Bear Family Records, 2006)

Luke Simmons "I Like My Music Country Style" (BACM, 2005)

Luke Simmons "Pure Down Home Raw 1950s Country Singin' & Pickin'" (Jasmine Records, 2012)
A nice reissue release profiling Canadian honky-tonker Luke Simmons... Some rare old material that shows Canuck country at its finest.

Red Simpson -- see artist discography

Daryle Singletary -- see artist discography

Margie Singleton -- see artist discography

Jimmie Skinner "From The Beginning To Fame" (Binge Discs, 1997)
One of the great overlooked Jimmie Rodgers-derived honkytonkers of the 1950s, Skinner's best stuff is still sadly unavailable here in the States. He had some fair-sized hits on Mercury Records during the 1950s, but sank out of sight in the early '60s. Some of his oldies, such as "I Found My Girl In The Good Old USA", are present on the Highland CD, but sadly they are not in their original form -- these seem to be re-recordings with dubious sound quality. Thank goodness for the German label, Binge Discs, which has put together a killer collection of Skinner's best stuff, recorded between 1949-1961. The hits aren't on here (presumably to avoid a lawsuit), but the slew of lesser-known tracks is just as great, if not greater, to listen to. The debt to Ernest Tubb is obvious, although Skinner, with a voice that often clumsily breaks out of his bluesier phrases, has an endearing quality all his own. Plus, the material is just great. The early songs include a lot of snappy, hard luck and cold-hearted lyrics as well as sappy heart songs galore. Later on, as country adapted to the rock era, Skinner's stuff took on a bouncy lope, as on tracks like "Don't Let Your Love Get You Down." The major labels aren't likely to reissue much of Skinner's work anytime soon, so this import disc is definitely worth looking for.

Jimmie Skinner "Doin' My Time" (Bear Family Records, 2003)
Well, leave it to Bear Family...! Here's a mega-delic, 6-CD box set, with Skinner's best work from 1947-62, including previously unreleased takes and rare bluegrass recordings that were pretty far off the radar... The sixth disc is made up of spoken word recordings drawn from Skinner's autobiography (oh, well...) Still, what a treasure trove of groovy, true-blue all-American hillbilly music, from one of the great, long-lost country artists of yesteryear.

Jimmie Skinner "One Dead Man Ago (Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight)" (Bear Family Records, 2008)
A great classic country release from one of the best reissue labels in the world. Plaintive honkytonker Jimmie Skinner is a personal favorite -- little known and little remembered, be had a lot of the same laconic, nasal sound as Ernest Tubb, but with a bluesier, rawer style, that was closer in many ways to their mutual idol, Jimmie Rodgers. Skinner had a few hits in the 1950s, and later put an extra little bounce into his music, in an attempt to keep up with the rock/rockabilly invasion. That suits this disc just fine -- like the rest of the records in the Shake This Shack series, this tilts towards upbeat material, and is a more modest, single-disc version of a more massive Bear Family box set (in Skinner's case, a 6-CD set). This should be just about right for most retro-twang fans. If you want to check out one of the most distinctive artists of honky-tonk's golden era, this is a great introduction to his work.

Jimmie Skinner "22 Greatest Hits" (Highland Music, 1997)

Jimmie Skinner "Jimmie Skinner Sings Bluegrass" (Crosscut Records, 2001)

Jimmie Skinner "Too Hot To Handle" (BACM, 2005)
More old-school country gems... These are his more obscure recordings, but one noteworthy inclusion is his original version of "You Don't Know My Mind," which became a country and bluegrass standard. Great stuff! (Available through the British Archive of Country Music website.)

Billy Joe Shaver - see artist discography

Merv Shiner "In The Ghetto" (Little Darling Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Clement)
Mervin Shiner emerged as a teenage hillbilly singer in the 1930s, originally in a duo with his mother, and later as a solo performer. Because he was so young, he was sometimes typecast as a kid-oriented novelty singer, a situation that persisted well into his twenties, with Shiner cutting cutesy tunes of the "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" variety. Even though this was a little galling to Shiner, it paid off bigtime in 1950 when he had a million-selling hit single, "Here Comes Peter Cottontail." That kept his career going through the 'Fifties and beyond, although he gradually moved out of the spotlight and concentrated more on songwriting in later years. This album has a bunch of socially-conscious stuff on it, I guess a bid to be seen as a "serious artist," though there's also some plain old country twang as well.

Merv Shiner "Life Is Lovin' What You're Made For" (Certron Records, 1970) (LP)

Merv Shiner "Greatest Christmas Kiddie Hits" (Certron Records, 1970) (LP)

Fiddlin' Arthur Smith "...And His Dixieliners" (County Records, 2002)

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith "The Golden Age Of Arthur 'Guitar Boogie' Smith" (Binge Disc, 2006)

Arthur Smith "Original Guitar Boogie" (Binge Disc/Bronco Buster Records, 2006)

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith "Here Comes The Boogie Man" (Jasmine Records, 2000)
Groovy guitar instrumentals from the late '40s and early '50s. A veteran radio performer before the War, hick picker Arthur Smith landed a sweet gig as one of the first artists signed to the fledgling MGM label, and enjoyed a fair amount of popularity over the decades. This disc collects the original versions of several songs that wound up getting re-recorded on a series of labels -- and it's worth it to check out the first recordings, which crackle with Smith's vitality and sense of playfulness. Kinda jazzy, like a hillbilly boogie crossover between Merle Travis and Django Rinehardt... fun stuff!

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith "One Good Boogie Deserves Another" (Jasmine Records, 2000)
More "boogies" and "bops," rags and glides from this country-jazz trailblazer... Twangeddy, twangeddy-twang!

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith "Have A Little Fun" (Jasmine Records, 2004)

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith "Guitar Boogie" (Magic Records, 2007)

Carl Smith - see artist discography

Connie Smith - see artist discography

John Smith "Classics Of The Purple Sage" (Binge Disc/Bronco Buster, 19--?)

Ray Smith "Hell's Fire" (Binge Disc, 2002)
This California-born country crooner was a major also-ran in the postwar hillbilly scene, first recording for indie labels in 1946, then moving up to the Columbia Records roster for a few years in the early 'Fifties. After negligible success on the charts, he dropped off the radar entirely, apparently retiring altogether around 1954. What a shame. This disc collects the bulk of Smith's recorded work, and I gotta say, he was a mighty fine singer, with pleasantly rounded tones and smooth, confident delivery. He stared out on a fairly rugged note, covering "Born To Lose" and the cheerfully vindictive "When My Day Rolls Around" (written by his steel player, Vaughn Horton), then progressively went for a softer, croonier style, edging towards the country Crosby mode. It's all pretty good stuff; another impressive archeological gem from the Binge Disc label.

Warren Smith "Call Of The Wild" (Bear Family Records, 1990)
A super-rural Mississippi rocker who is best known for his 1956 rockabilly classic, "Ubangi Stomp," Warren Smith went on to do country records, but it never really went anywhere. The oddest thing about these discs is how the label discounts Smith's early '60s recordings in the "Call of the Wild" liner notes -- basically, they say his country stuff sucked. I couldn't disagree more: there's a fun, loping Texas shuffle backbeat on here that you've just got to love. If anything, his earlier recordings when he was a rocker (the other disc) are a bit thinner, and he wasn't really a rocker for long. One thing about Warren Smith, though -- he didn't sound like one of those skinny, greasy-haired rockabilly teens. Hardly. Sounds more like someone who would wrap a tire iron upside your head in a truck stop parking lot, if you looked at him funny at the counter. These discs aren't top-flight material, but they're certainly worth checking out.

Warren Smith "Classic Recordings" (Bear Family Records, 1992)

Warren Smith "The First Country Collection Of..." (Liberty Records, 1961) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Allison)
A much tamer Warren Smith tries his hand at mainstream country, with a distinctly honkytonk vibe throughout... Half the songs are Harlan Howard tunes, including standards such as "I Fall To Pieces" and "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down," with the rest of the songs coming from folks like Johnny Cash, Don Gibson, Fuzzy Owen and Wayne Walker... The no-frills, hard-country playlist suits Smith's style well, as he eases into a comfortably masculine, pleasantly robust style that recalls kings of the genre such as Carl Smith and Faron Young. The record isn't very original, but it does sound great. Perhaps the most interesting (and least well-known) song is "Take Good Care Of Her," a forlorn, you-can-have-her lost-love weeper. Two of the singles hit the Top Ten in '60 and '61, but continued success eluded him, and he slid off the charts within a few years. Too bad: with more originals sent his way, he could have done really well. (Note: the songs on this album were reissued as part of Bear Family's Call Of The Wild CD, listed above.)

Warren Smith "The Legendary Warren Smith" (Lake Country Records, 1977) (LP)

Hank Snow - see artist discography

Earl & Joyce Songer "Early Country From Detroit: 1949-1951" (Old Homestead Records, 1993) (LP)
Raw, old-school hillbilly music from a husband-wife duo based in postwar Detroit... The material is a mix of sentimental ballads from the '30s Carter Family stringband tradition along with tougher, more worldly honky-tonk and hillbilly boogie, though even the honky-tonk songs have an old-fashioned feel, sort of a cross between the Delmore Brothers and Ernest Tubb. A little-known hillbilly filly with a Kitty Wells-ish voice, Joyce Songer mostly has a background role, singing harmony on a few songs, though Mr. Songer is clearly in the bandleader and featured performer throughout... Their band, the Rocky Road Ramblers, wasn't packed with hotshot superpickers, but their robust rough edges are a big part of their charm. I guess they must have been contemporaries of the York Brothers, in the scrappy Great Lakes country scene.

Sons Of The Pioneers - see artist profile

Tommy Sosebee "The Voice Of The Hills" (Binge Disc, 1998)
Straight out of Tennessee Ernie Ford/Red Foley tradition of bluesy, jovial hillbilly cornballs, complete with novelty songs and soulful gospel numbers. An alumnus of Peewee King's band, Sosebee went solo in the late '40s and landed a contract with Coral in 1949, and the bulk of these recordings come from singles on that label. The liner notes speculate that crackerjack session players such as Jerry Byrd, Grady Martin and Bud Isaacs may have backed Sosebee up. Whoever it was, they did good. Fun, old-fashioned country with solid performances all around.

Hal Southern - see artist discography

Red Sovine - see artist discography

Red Sovine "How Do You Think I Feel" (BACM, 2005)
(Available through the British Archive of Country Music website.)

Jimmy Spellman "Doggonit" (Bear Family Records, 2011)

Clyde Stacy "Hoy Hoy" (Bear Family Records, 2011)
Sub-par rockabilly... The title track is a cover of a classic R&B song; this collection also includes versions of songs such as Johnny Horton's "Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor" and Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues," and a few proto-surf instrumentals. Stacy was never much of a "player", but he had a colorful career, including a stint in Lubbock, Texas -- hometown of Buddy Holly -- and many years up north in Scranton, PA, where he performed as a regional star. Rockabilly enthusiasts will want to check this out, though country fans may find a little less to delve into than on similar Bear Family discs. Includes about a dozen previously unreleased tracks, along with a bunch of rockabilly rarities on several microscopic '50s/'60s indie labels.

The Stanley Brothers - see artist discography

Dr. Ralph Stanley - see artist discography

Frankie Starr "Elevator Baby" (Bear Family Records, 1996)
A regional star in Phoenix, Arizona, Starr's hard-luck history is intimately intertwined with that of Marty Robbins, a singer he discovered and helped promote in late 1940s. Starr began his career in Los Angeles, but moved to Arizona after World War Two and was reasonably successful as a radio singer and bar band leader. He hired Robbins around 1948, then watched helplessly as his protege quickly eclipsed him and made the leap into Nashville superstardom... To hear Starr tell the story (which he does in the liner notes), Robbins pretty much bailed on Starr as soon as Music City beckoned, and did little to help Starr out when he later to make a go of things in Tennessee. A lot of folks apparently liked Starr, and a few covered his songs, but he was destined to be an also-ran, and this collection represents his entire recorded legacy -- a few 1950s singles on Decca, some more on his own independent Star-Win label, and some 'Sixties recordings made with Autry Inman. Starr had a good voice, and though he wasn't an electrifying performer, his Hank Snow-ish crooning has a definite charm to it... Marty Robbins fans will find this disc of interest since it also includes his earliest demo recordings, four tracks cut in 1948, in a session Starr said he helped set up and pay for... The sound quality on these tracks ain't great, but the historical value is immense. Really, what you want to hear on this album is Starr himself -- he might not have made it big in showbiz, but he left behind some fine hillbilly music for folks to listen to in decades to come.

Red Steagall - see artist discography

Gary Stewart - see artist discography

Wynn Stewart - see artist discography

Cliffie Stone/Various Artists "Radio Transcriptions: 1945-49" (Country Routes, 1996)
Here's Stone working live on the air with folks like Tex Atchison, Harold Hensley, Red Murrell, Jimmy Wakely and, of course, Tennessee Ernie Ford, whose career Stone managed early on, after he discovered him and brought him on board over at Capitol Records... It's all very scrappy and West Coast, and features a few dimly-remembered hillbilly stars of the late 'Forties... Nice stuff if you're into that time period!

Cliffie Stone "Sings The Grunt Song And Other Country Classics" (Jasmine Records, 2003)
Hillbilly bandleader Cliffie Stone was one of the Capitol label's most influential West Coast country talent scouts, and helped shape the label's maverick, non-Nashville tendencies. To many longtime vinyl hounds, Stone is best known for his series of square-dancing albums, which featured hotshot pickers playing some fairly hokey music. Stone also recorded plenty of straight country stuff, including more than his fair share of novelty songs, as this disc amply demonstrates. It kicks off with the grotesque, over-the-top cult classic, "The Grunt Song," which is one of the loudest examples of bathroom humor know to mankind. Plenty of other weird themes are put to a plunky, twangy beat, and Stone and his crew plow through one oddball tune after another, including some of the dance music he was later known for, such as a 'billied-up version of the Hokey Pokey(!) Stone came from a showbiz background -- his father was a radio star, the hobo-clothed, banjo plunkin' country comedian known as Herman The Hermit -- and he passed that legacy on to his son, Curtis Stone, who was one of the principal members of Highway 101. Here's a chance to hear Stone at his country best, in a series of rare late '40s/early '50s singles that showcase his rowdy, pre-rockabilly kookiness. It's not as emotionally rich as the best country music from the era, but it's still pretty interesting. A nice slice of country music history.

Texas Bill Strength "When Love Comes Knockin' " (BACM, 2005)
(Available through the British Archive of Country Music website.)

Stringbean - see artist discography

Dave Stuckey & The Rhythm Gang "Get A Load Of This" (Hightone Records, 2000)
I always suspected that Dave was the brains behind the Dave & Deke Combo, and Deke just had the looks... Now, with the release of Dave's first solo album, my fears are confirmed. This is a flat-out awesome ton of fun -- Dave Stuckey playing upbeat western swingabilly along with a passel of hot-shot pickers from Austin and surrounding environs. Among the musicians pitching in on here are the picker's pickers, Biller & Wakefield, Whit Smith and Elana Fremerman of the Hot Club of Cowtown, and several other Gang members of equal note. The best part, though, is Dave himself. Half the songs on here are his originals, but they're so true to the style that you'd easily believe they were written back in the '40s and '50s, along with the oldies by Boudeleux Bryant, Benny Goodman and Harold Hensley. Stuckey is a for-real scholar of authentic, old-time, smirkin'-while-you're-singin' countrybilly music, and he stands heads above many other would-be retro-novelty singers, in his depth of knowledge, his excellent comic timing and feel for the material. (Plus, as a big Decca Records fan, I really dig the album art!) If you dug the Combo, you gotta check this out.

The Sundowners "Chicago Country Legends" (Bloodshot Records, 2003)
A uniquely alluring, informal set, documenting the work of these good-natured elder statesmen of Chicago's country music scene. The Sundowners, comprised of guitarists Bob Boyd and Don Walls, along with bassist Curt Delaney, were a hard-working ensemble that performed together almost continuously from 1959 to 1989, playing at dives and local taverns throughout the Windy City. They all originally hailed from the South, but after meeting up north, they plugged away for many a year and became legendary figures on Chicago's urban country scene. This disc, drawn from three decades of live performances, is both a heartwarming memento of these long-off-the-radar hillbilly singers, and a really fun record in and of itself. The material is a mix of western cowboy tunes, old-fashioned heartsongs, countrified pop and rock standards and even a song written by Robbie Fulks, back in 1988. The Sundowners also recorded several albums on various local micro-labels (good luck finding them!), but the ambiance of their live shows has a special appeal. I thought this was a really charming record, more authentic and genuinely heartfelt than a truckload of Number One hits from modern-day Nashville. Recommended!

Sunshine Ruby "Sweetheart Of The Big D Jamboree" (Binge Discs, 2005)
A fascinating, though flawed, set of rarities from a child star from the early 1950s regional country circuit. When she was just barely in her teens, Texas-born Ruby Jewell Bateman landed a slot in the Dallas-based Big "D" Jamboree, a Lone Star answer to the Grand Ole Opry radio and stage show. Like other regional shows, the Jamboree served as a farm team for the national stage, and talent scouts from RCA Records signed Ruby up early in 1953. Not much came of it -- she had a couple of (pardon the pun) minor hits, but the sixteen tracks on this album pretty much cover her recording career. There are riotously funny hillbilly gems, such as the risque "That Ain't In Any Catalog," and the jaunty "Too Young To Tango," which had more of a pop flair to it. These early tracks were, paradoxically, Ruby's best -- later that year her voice deepened and became quite husky. Instead of sounding like a little boy, she suddenly sounded like a fey lumberjack, and her songs lost a little bit of their sparkle and charm. The studio crew seemed not to take these sessions too seriously, with guitarist George Barnes, in particular, taking the opportunity to drift off on jazzy improvs, rather than stick to the hillbilly twang that best suited the young girl's voice. While she was game for some unusual, inventive phrasing, it mostly didn't work, and Ruby seemed to have been cast adrift in the studio system, doing a Brenda Lee act a couple of years before Lee came along... A few duets with teen idol Tommy Sands fell flat as well, and while there's still an undeniable charm to this disc, the standout tracks are the exception, not the rule. Still known only on a regional level, Sunshine Ruby apparently quit show business in 1955, marrying and "settling down," as they called it back then... And that was that. Folks who are delving into the history of women in country music will definitely want to check this out -- a few tracks are a real hoot and when the music clicks, it really clicks. (Available through the Binge Discs label.)

Sunshine Ruby "Western Swing In Its Prime" (Binge Discs, 2006)

Sweet Violet Boys "Jim's Windy Mule" (BACM, 2012)
Apparently this is actually the Prairie Ramblers, working under another name...

Hick Music Index