This is a resolutely 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 isles. But I will 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 "S"
Billy Sage "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" (Canassee Records, 19--?) (LP)
Sagebrush "Sagebrush" (Westwood Records, 1975) (LP)
Haydn St. James "All The Gold In California" (Horshoe Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Haydn St. James)
Santa Fe "Santa Fe" (Tank Records, 197--?) (LP) >
Sarah (Jory) "Sarah's Steel Line" (1980) (LP)
Sarah (Jory) "Sarah On Steel" (Sarah Records, 1984) (LP)
Sarah (Jory) "Cross Country" (Sarah Records, 1985) (LP)
The cover shows Ms. Jory posed near highway signs for London/Exeter... She's backed on this album by Al Cody (rhythm guitar), Colin Potts (drums), Alan Perchard (bass), lead guitars by Des Richards and Bob Howe, Paul Bale (keyboards), and Drew Taylor on fiddle. The repertoire includes country classics such as "Beneath Still Waters," "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain," "Crazy Arms" and "Rose Coloured Glasses" (with an adorable British re-spelling!) This was Jory's third album (with many more to follow...)
Pete Sayers "Pete Sayers' Grand Ole Opry Road Show's Gramaphone Record" (Transatlantic Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Ian Grant)
Picker-singer Pete Sayers spent several years in the late '60s and early '70s working for WSM-TV in Nashville, and following his return to London in December, 1971, he decided he wanted to help the UK up its game, countrywise. Sayers started the Cambridge-based Grand Ole Opry England, a combination music venue, recording studio and, eventually, a live band featuring him, along with fiddler Gerry Hale, along with mandolinist Anne Barraclough and Nick Barraclough on guitar, as well as banjo picker Stan Rahn, a North Carolina native who was in the band while stationed at the USAF military base at Middenhall. The repertoire on this album reflects the eclectic ethos Sayers set forth for his club, with a heavy dose of bluegrass, leavened by faux-cowboy oldies such as "I'm An Old Cowhand," hippie-dippie country rock ("You Ain't Going Nowhere"), classic rockabilly ("Great Balls Of Fire") and some original, Brit-centric tunes, such as "Pickin' And Grinnin' For The Beeb." I'm not sure how long the club or the band held together, but Sayers certainly had a grand, expansive vision.
Pete Sayers "Watermelon Summer" (Transatlantic Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Ian Grant & Pete Sayers)
As on the previous album, this is an admirably diverse disc, with deep roots in the twangses of yesteryear. The set includes covers of the gospel oldie, "Turn Your Radio On," as well as "Through The Bottom Of The Glass," "Fire On The Mountain" and the hapa haole Hawaiian classic, "Ukulele Lady," which had recently been revived by Arlo Guthrie around the time Sayers cut this record. The Barracloughs are both still on board, though their American banjo plunker Stan Rahn has moved on, to be replaced by bassist Allen Smith.
Pete Sayers "Bye Bye Tennessee" (Nashville International, 1978) (LP)
Pete Sayers "Bogalusa Gumbo" (Response Records, 1979) (LP)
Pete Sayers "Cy-Clone" (Country Roads, 19--?) (LP)
Clive Scott & The Skywegians "Best Of Country And Western" (Deacon Records, 1970) (LP)
A fun set of authentic-sounding Euro-British pub-country... Clive Scott was apparently an English expat who grew up in England and in Malaysia, and wound up marrying a Norwegian gal and moving to Norway. This band, which was made up of Clive Scott, his daughter Claudia Scott and a whole slew of Scandinavians, had been touring the UK for a couple of years by the time this album came out, and thus found a London label to record with. And it's pretty good. A strong, thumping beat, plenty of twang, good song selection (Johnny Cash, George Jones, Buck Owens) and a nice, upbeat vibe... Methinks this is an accurate reflection of what '60s country bands sounded like in the pubs -- pleasantly rough around the edges, but also played with confidence and authority. Recommended!
Ellie Scott "Look For Me" (Tank Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Sheriff)
Glen Scott "Recaptured" (SRT Productions, 1980) (LP)
The Severn Valley Country Sound "Just For You" (Tank Records, 197--?) (LP)
Dave Sheriff "...With Four Card Express" (Tank Records, 197--?) (LP)
The band, Four Card Express, also had an album of their own (see above)...
Dave Sheriff "I'll Be Alone Tonight" (Tank Records, 197--?) (LP)
Dave Sheriff "Fill My Hat With Silver" (Tank Records, 197--?) (LP)
Ben Sherman "Country Music Man" (Tank Records, 1978-?) (LP)
Brendan Shine "Country And Irish" (Play Records, 19--?) (LP)
Memphis Short "I'm Just Me -- Country Style" (Tank Records, 1978) (LP)
Memphis Short "Wheeler Dealer Man" (Tank Records, 1980) (LP)
Sidewinder "All Wound Up" (Tank Records, 19--?) (LP)
Silver Wings "Kentucky County" (County Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by D. Tompkins)
Twang music from Bedfordshire, by a band that included Ray Hine (lead guitar), Dave Nicholson (rhythm guitar), Jed Oatham (bass and pedal steel), Pete Scott (drums). The set is mostly covers of classic and contemporary hits, although one track, "Daddy Sing My Song," was written by Hine and Nicholson.
George C. Smith "The Country World Of George C. Smith" (Emerald Gem Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Tommy Scott)
A Liverpudlian who recorded his first album in 1973 under the pseudonym Georgie Cash, George C. Smith switched to his real(?) name a couple of years later and seems to have enjoyed a fair amount of success in Ireland and the UK, recording at least three albums over the next few years. He may have toured Canada as well, as this disc was also issued in Canada on the Broadland label. Though mostly cover songs, this spotlights some original material, including a reprise of "Cash Versus Cash," from his earlier album, and Smith's "Mother I Love You."
George C. Smith "Dreams And Schemes" (Decca Records, 1977) (LP)
George C. Smith "Sings Country Gems" (Jungle Records, 1980) (LP)
Smokey & Sam "Age'in Romeo" (Hillside Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Smokey & Sam Sinclair)
Sam Sinclair and Smokey Sinclair were a husband-wife duo from Suffolk, England who recorded this indie album at a studio in Ipswich, mainly as a love-letter to each other, but also in tribute to the American roots music they clearly both revered... Neither was a particularly strong singer, but their backing band was pretty good, and this album is packed with original material (and several nice cover songs) including Smokey's affectionate homage to her hubby, the adorably mis-apostrophed "Age'in Romeo," which gives a wink and a nod to the foibles of middle-aged men. She wrote several songs on here, he adds a few as well. I don't know if the Sinclairs played at pubs, or what, but this is certainly a charming memento of the British country scene, back in the days of disco. Oh, and for those of you keeping track of steel guitarists, sideman Roger Peachy adds some nice licks on this disc.
Diane Solomon "The Diane Solomon Showcase" (Philips Records, 1974) (LP)
Diane Solomon "Live On Tour: Recorded At The 1981 Glen Campbell Tour" (Bulldog Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Howard Kruger, Chris Blake & David Chapman)
An American country singer who emigrated to the UK in the early 1970s, Diane Solomon became a popular folk and country singer, even landing her own TV show on the BBC. She recorded several albums, including this live set made when she joined Glen Campbell as part of his UK road show. This album was recorded on May 8, 1981 at the Cornwall Coliseum, with a compact backing band that provides non-nonsense backing for Solomon's songbird-pretty, but rather bland vocals, which are very much in the Anne Murray/Karen Carpenter Top Forty soft-pop tradition. The arrangements are underpinned by gentle, soothing keyboard fills, buoyed by some decent pedal steel, courtesy of Maurice Hipkiss, as well as a solid rhythm section, which keeps things moving along. Solomon was okay for the style, although you can see why she left the States to forge a career abroad: even for a transitional pop-culture era like 1981, this has a slightly fly-trapped-in-amber feel to it -- this kind of music was about three or four years out of date, which contributes to the record's lackluster feel. Still, fans of gooey post-countrypolitan pop may really enjoy this disc (as well as any of Solomon's other records) although outlaws and twangfans need not apply.
Southern Breeze "Reserved Just For You" (SRT Records, 1978) (LP)
New Southern Comfort "Some Of Ours And Some Of Theirs" (Look Records, 1976) (LP)
The Southern Eagle String Band "Old Timey Revival" (Folk Variety Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Richard Weize & Juergen Feuss)
This band was, in fact, a UK duo -- Chris Comber and Mike Paris -- working through a set of old-timey tunes, many of American vintage. Not sure about Mr. Paris, but Comber lived in Bexleyheath, Kent, and while most of the record is just them as a duo, cowgirl legend Patsy Montana sings on one track, "Whisper Your Mother's Name." (Quite a coup!) The whole project was under the auspices of Richard Weize, who went on the found the ever-astounding Bear Family label a few years later in 1975, keeping the Folk Variety imprint handy for much of the '70s for newly-commissioned, folkier material.
The Southern Ramblers "Blue Grass Special" (Philips Records) (LP)
Southern Sunshine "Hillbilly Overdrive" (Tank Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Riddel)
Splinter "The Place I Love" (A & M Records/Dark Horse, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by George Harrison)
Sure, it's a bit of a stretch to add this spacey '70s rock record to our list of "country-rock" albums... But since it's basically sort of a secret George Harrison solo album, and since we all dig George's love affair with rockabilly and twang, it's worth checking out, both for the country stuff, and the Beatles-y pop. On paper, the British band Splinter was the Newcastle-based pop duo of Bill Elliott and Bobby Purvis, though Harrison was a heavy presence on their first album, playing numerous instruments, singing harmony and definitively shaping the album's sound. In short, if you like Harrison's early solo stuff, or the Badfinger albums, you oughta love this as well. George plays lead guitar, 12-string, dobro, mandolin and Moog, impishly disguising himself under a variety of easily-cracked pseudonyms ("Hari Georgeson", "Jai Raj Harisein," etc.) This was the first record released by Harrison's Dark Horse label, and the sessions included several powerhouse players drawn from the post-Beatles crew -- Klaus Voorman, Billy Preston, Gary Wright and the like. Several songs, such as "Somebody's City" and "China Light," have a powerfully Harrison-ian feel, with the keening, sensitive vocal style, and the song "Costafine Town" was a successful pop single in the UK. The twangier tunes include the acoustic-oriented "Drink All Day," which showcases some sweet dobro licks courtesy of Mr. Georgeson... This disc was not a huge commercial success, but it is a lovely album, with haunting melodies and a very recognizable sound. Definitely worth a spin!
Springfield "Great Guns" (Look Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Whiteley)
Stan & The Rustlers "Branded" (Ellie Jay Records, 19--?) (LP)
Is it just me, or is this cover art a little bit sexist? So hard to tell. This semi-anonymous country band recorded on a custom label in Coventry, UK and comes shrouded in slightly more mystery than usual. Not all the bandmembers are identified by name: the lineup includes "Big Ron" (lead guitar), Kermit Keith (percussion), Hallo Rivers (keyboards) and lead singer "Stan The Man," and since the repertoire is (mostly?) cover songs, no songwriter credits help pierce the veil. It's probable that Stan was actually erotic photographer Nicholas Staveley Stanley (MBE), who is credited with the "design concept" and photography. (If so, he seems to be the same Nick Stanley who helped popularize go-cart racing in the Coventry area... further research may be needed.) No release date, either, alas.
Pete Stanley & Roger Knowles "Banjo Bounce" (Transatlantic Records, 1973) (LP)
Pete Stanley & Roger Knowles "Picking And Singing" (Transatlantic, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Ritchie Gold)
A dazzlingly good bluegrass'n'old-timey set from British banjoist Pete Stanley and guitar picker Roger Knowles... This is really quite good -- an excellent repertoire, performed with vigor and conviction. There's a bluesy folk feel to many tracks that reminded me of Norman Blake (and indeed, they cover Norman Blake's "Last Train From Poor Valley," along with tunes by Charlie Poole, Red River Dave, J. E. Mainer, John Prine and the Osborne Brothers... An unusual album for the Transatlantic label, but a good one!
Pete Stanley & Brian Golbey "When The Dealing Is Done" (Waterfront Records, 1979) (LP)
Ringo Starr "Beaucoups Of Blues" (Apple Records, 1970)
(Produced by Pete Drake)
On his second solo album, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr indulged his love of country music, a predilection towards twang which ran back to his winning rendition of the Buck Owens classic, "Act Naturally," as well as two songs he wrote himself, "What Goes On" and "Don't Pass Me By." With veteran pedal steel player Pete Drake acting as the album's producer, Ringo helmed a quick Nashville session that included tons of top talent, pickers such as Charlie Daniels, Jerry Reed, Ben Keith, Jerry Kennedy and Dave Kirby, as well as a teenage Jeannie Kendall singing a duet on "I Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way." That was one of several songs written by Chuck Howard; off-the-radar songsmiths Sorrells Pickard and Buzz Rabin also contributed material, giving this album a fresher flavor than if Ringo had gone in for a bunch of country cover tunes (this in contrast to his first album, which was a reverential set of jazz-pop standards...)
Freddie Steady's Wild Country "Lucky 7" (Heartland Records, 1987) (LP)
Stealin' Corn "Lonely Street" (Tank Records, 1976-?) (LP)
Dane Stevens "For A Rainy Day" (Tank Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Young & Dane Stevens)
A 'Sixties rocker from Colchester, Essex, Dane Stevens moved through a variety of bands including a rockabilly band named The Deepbeats and a stint with a '70s Welsh rock group called Dealer. In the early 'Seventies Stevens got into country music, recording his first set of twangtunes for Tank Records in the mid-'70s. He stuck with country and has recorded several more albums since this one.
Stu Stevens "Returning Your Call" (Granite Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Miki Dallon)
An odd yet strangely alluring album of wayyyyy over the top countrypolitan ballads sung by British baritone Stu Stevens (1937-2016), a singer from Nottingham, England who first recorded in 1969 on Columbia in the UK, then made appearances on Lonnie Donegan's TV show. In the early 'Seventies he made a push into the American market, appearing on the Grand Ole Opry and cutting this album for Cliffie Stone's label in LA. The lyrics are majestically pretentious, matched by the sweeping, swooping, kookily baroque arrangements, courtesy of arranger Tom Parker, who also is credited on a few of the songs themselves. Stevens really throws himself into it, with robust bellows and a vocal tone that reminds us of croaky crooners such as Dave Dudley and Hank Snow, sung in a grandiose, post-Glen Campbellian style that weds Nashville Sound loftiness to West Coast experimentalism. I struggled through this record the first time 'round, and then it really grew on me. If you savor 'Seventies pop-country kitsch, you're gonna want to check this one out.
Dave Sterling "Putting In Overtime At Home" (Tank Records, 1977) (LP)
Gary Stevens "My Type Of Country" (Tank Records, 197--?) (LP)
Stu Stevens & Sons "Together Again" (Eagle Records, 1977) (LP)
Stu Stevens "The Loner: Stories In Song, v.2" (Eagle Records, 1977) (LP)
Gerry Storme "Country Storme" (Tank Records, 197--?) (LP)
The Stringdusters "The Stringdusters" (Country Music Recordings, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Alan Green)
A Welsh band, apparently. The group was comprised of Lawrence Ashley on bass, Dave Howard (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Richie Galvin (drums) and Alan Willey on lead guitar... The repertoire was mostly (if not all) cover songs...
John L. Sullivan "Tear Time" (Mint Julep Records) (LP)
Suffolk Punch "Bartender Blues" (1979) (LP)
(Produced by Barry Dye)
John L. Sullivan "Tear Time" (Mint Julep Records) (LP)
The Sundowners "Homespun Country, Volume One" (Hillside Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Richard Allison & Dave Allison)
Not to be confused with the Chicago-based old coot cowboy band, this English country group from Suffolk is fascinating in more ways than one. Bandleader Jock "Slim" Albins is credited with forming the first country band in Ipswich, and kept it together for decades -- this particular incarnation features his son Tony Albins on lead guitar, and a variety of singers, including a gal identified only as "Carol (sadly no last name was given) who sings with a charmingly English accent layered into the American-style twang, reminding me a bit of Maddy Prior. They also had a guy named Raj playing drums, so they were an integrated group as well. The repertoire is all covers of American country hits, well-chosen and earnestly delivered, though if the truth be told neither the performances or the production values will blow you away. But if you want to hear a totally charming, totally earnest set of British country enthusiasts singing their little hearts out, this is a nice record to check out.
The Sundowners "Homespun Country, Volume Two" (Hillside Records, 1975-?) (LP)
And, yes, they made a Volume Two...!
