This is an incomplete, non-definitive guide to British (and Irish) country music, or at least the small sliver of it visible to me, here in the distant American colonies. There have been an awful lot of UK (and Irish) twangbands, dating back many decades, and many remain quite obscure, even on the fair isles. But I'll keep banging away and tracking down as many artists as I can find. As always, any helpful comments, corrections and suggestions are welcome.
This page covers the Letter "J"
JD & Dallas "Keep It Country" (Igus Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Shipton)
An all-female Scottish country band led by vocalist Jan Douglas, along with Elaine Graham on rhythm guitar, drummer Ena McCallum and Fiona Todd playing bass... They were joined by a mixed compliment of male and female side musicians, including Duncan Findlay (guitar and mandolin), Angela Preston (fiddle), Dave Pringle (synthesizer), Robin Rankin (piano), Dougie Stevenson (pedal steel) and a gal simply named Blossom singing backup. No indication where the band were from provided in the liner notes, but from the matching outfits and slick-looking album cover, I'd guess they gave a pretty shot at making it in show business. There are a couple of oldies medleys, one on each album side, though most of the tracks are regular country tunes, including covers of contemporary '70s/early '80s hits such as "Queen Of The Silver Dollar," "Texas (When I Die)" and yet another cover of Mickey Newberry's ever-dreary "American Trilogy." As far as I can tell this was the band's only album, and I wasn't able to find out much in the way of biographical information... (I'm not sure, but guitarist Duncan Findlay may have gone on to play in several trad-folk bands, notably one called Caledonia... Dougie Stevenson had a pretty high-profile career as a country music sideman and solo recording artist
Jess James & Friends "Jess: Country Style" (Odyssey Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by John Knight & Lionel Curnow)
A country-and-folk covers band from Cornwall, one of the small number of artists that passed through the independently-owned Knight Studios, back in the mid-1970s. The group included lead singer
Jess James on rhythm guitar, Derek Hogg (bass and lead guitar), El Imber (steel guitar), John Shepherd (keyboards) and the mysteriously-nicknamed "Ufi," also on bass and lead guitar. There is one original number on here, "Someone On Your Mind," co-written by Jess James and harmony singer Sue Speight, while the rest of the numbers come from America, songs ranging from straight country to a wide swath of folk-pop/AOR hits from the likes of Jim Croce, Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin and Randy Sparks. But anyone covering "Lay Lady Lay" and "Lyin' Eyes," as well as some old Don Williams has got me in their corner. Most of these folks seems to have been local Cornish amateur musicians, though some were active in the UK folk-rock scene, notably keyboardist John Shepherd, who was part of Ashley Hutchings' far-flung Albion Band musical empire.
The Frank Jennings Syndicate "Me And My Guitar" (Columbia Records, 197-?) (LP)
The Frank Jennings Syndicate "Heaven Is My Woman's Love" (One Up Records, 197-?) (LP)
The Frank Jennings Syndicate "Ponderosa Country" (One Up Records, 197-?) (LP)
Frank Jennings "Country Collection" (Champ Records, 1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Richard De Sylva)
Tom Jennings & The Nashville Session Band "No. 1" (T.J. Productions, 1984) (LP)
Not to be confused with Waylon's brother Tommy, Irish pop singer Tom Jennings has been leading his hard-working wedding band for decades, dating back to the late 'Sixties. Though he also sings rock and soul, here Jennings concentrates pretty strictly on country stuff, covering hits like "Thirty-Nine And Holding," "Is Anybody Going To San Antone," "Margaritaville," and "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight." I'm not sure where Jennings grew up, but he seems to have been based in London for most of his career... And, by the way, I believe you can still book his band if you go to his website, and pick a date!
Jess And The Gingerbread "Country Roots" (Tank Records, 1976) (LP)
Jess "Until It's Time" (Tank Records, 1977) (LP)
John & Seamus "Golden Dreams" (Glan Records, 19--?) (LP)
That would be John Duggan and Seamus Mannion, of Glenamaddy, County Galway, a couple of fellas with an odd mix of (kind of) country and more traditionally-oriented Irish music. This is distinct, however, from many Irish "show band" albums or vocalists who pingpong between regional folk material and country cover songs: the styles really are mixed together here, with intriguing results that, admittedly, are undercut by the fairly thin, lackadaisical production. In all honesty, this didn't really appeal to me -- it seemed a bit rinky-dink and not quite as country as I would prefer. Still, it has its charms... You have to have a high tolerance for the according, to start with, though the infusion of some fairly manic pedal steel and twangy guitar may catch your ear. Also, Duggand and Mannion make zero effort to alter their melodious, western shore Irish accents in order to sound more American -- when they say this is Irish country music, they mean it. A few of Mr. Duggan's songs had been recorded elsewhere, notably "Murphy's Widow," which was recorded by Brendan Shine and is also included here, in Duggan's own version. No info on the other musicians involved in these sessions, though they seem to have been pretty solid pickers.
Kenny Johnson & Northwind "Lakeside Highway" (North West Gramophone, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Kenny Johnson)
Liverpudlian singer and composer Kenny Johnson (1939-2015) was a founding member of the popular country band The Hillsiders, as well as its predecessor, Sonny Webb & The Cascades, where he used the Sonny Webb stage name. Johnson left The Hillsiders in 1975 to go solo, recording one album billed as Kenny Johnson & Northwind, though later albums were just under his own name. This solo debut is packed with choice material from the American country scene, including a hefty dose of country-rock and outlaw material, with songs from folks such as Jimmy Buffett, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Mike Nesmith, Michael Martin Murphy, and a couple from Credence Clearwater Revival. The album closes with its lone original tune, Johnson's own "Cheating Kind Of Woman."
Kenny Johnson "Let Me Love You Once" (OBM Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Phil Ault)
Kenny Johnson "A Tree In The Meadow" (OBM Records, 1981) (LP)
Ron Jones "Sings A Country Song For Everyone" (Cambrian Records, 1978) (LP)
Sarah Jory "Sarah's Steel Line" (Crow Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by P. Richardson)
A child prodigy from Berkshire, United Kingdom, steel player Sarah Jory started her professional career when she was only nine years old, playing live on the BBC backed by the English country-rock group Poacher, who back her on this album. She soon joined the lineup of Colorado Country, and established UK twangband from the 1970s, and went on to start her own band and later worked in the road bands of stars such as Van Morrison and Eric Clapton.
Sarah Jory "Sarah On Steel" (Sarah Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Sarah Jory & John O'Boyle)
Sarah Jory "Cross Country" (Sarah Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Sarah Jory & Nick Smith)
Sarah Jory "The Way To Survive" (Sarah Records, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Sarah Jory & Colin Bainbridge)
