Buddy Ackers & The Canadian Nighthawks "Buddy Ackers And His Steel Guitar" (London Records, 19--?) (LP)
One of several albums by the Canadian Nighthawks, a long-lived band that frequently showcased its members in "solo" albums like this one, with steel guitarist Buddy Ackers..."et son guitarre Hawaienne." A native of Montreal, Buddy Ackers joined the Nighthawks in 1959, and is backed here by bandmates Johnny Brown, Bernie McLean, Ruthie McLean, and Scotty Stevenson.
Buddy Ackers "A Son Meilleur" (Bonanza Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Menard)
Chef Adams "Songs For Country Lovers" (Canatal Records, 1964-?) (LP)
One of those guys who struggled for years before breaking through as a musician. A farm kid from Sturgis, Saskatchewan, Adam Edward Semeniuk (1929-2017) earned his "Chef Adams" nickname in the early 1950s working a day job in a Toronto restaurant while trying to get his music career off the ground. He soon formed his own band and in 1956 had a minor hit with the song, "Marilyn Has Done It Again" (a topical song about Canadian long-distance swimmer Marilyn Bell, who crossed Lake Ontario and later the English Channel) and plugged away for several more years before cutting his first LP. Adams had an odd, thin voice, a peculiar mix of Buck Owens and Bill Anderson, carrying his songs through sheer sincerity more than anything else.
Chef Adams & Yvonne Terry "Show Stoppers" (Arc Records, 196-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ben Weatherby)
This album features several duets with singer Yvonne Terry, a pleasantly rural country gal who pairs well with Adams, in sort of a Buck Owens-meets-Kitty Wells vibe. She certainly doesn't overshadow him, notably in his softer moments, where he lapses into a Bill Anderson-esque softness. The backing band includes drummer Bill Bartlett, Artie MacLaren (rhythm guitar), Mark McGivern (bass), Mark McGivern (lead guitar), and Ollie Strong on steel guitar. Alas, no info about Ms. Terry outside of this album, and though they seem to have been fairly successful on the Canadian charts, he had picked up a new partner just a couple of years later.
Chef Adams "...The Adams Boys And Jennie Reeves" (Paragon Records, 1968-?) (LP)
Chef Adams "Singer/Songwriter" (Paragon Records, 1969-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Boswell & Bill Beeney)
Perhaps his most popular album, this disc lives up to its title, featuring nine songs written by Adams, including one co-written with his bass player, Andy Greatrix. Adams lays it on pretty thick with the opening number, a regional pride tune called "My Home In Saskatchewan,"
Chef Adams "I Never Knew Her Name" (Marathon Records, 1971-?) (LP)
Chef Adams "Does The Sunshine Still Remember" (Boot Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Chuck Goudie & Ken Friesen)
Chef Adams & Jaime "Success - Success" (Cheyenne Records, 19--?) (LP)
Clare Adlam "Fiddler's Delight" (Paragon Records, 1969-?) (LP)
Alberta Slim "Golden Memories" (RCA-Canada, 19--?) (LP)
Alberta Slim "Canada, My Homeland" (RCA-Canada, 19--?) (LP)
Alberta Slim "...With His Bar-X Ranch Boys" (Point Records, 19--?) (LP)
Alibi "No Doubts" (Comstock Records, 1988) (LP)
(Produced by Colin Weinmaster & Doug McCann)
Ross Allan "Memories Of Hank Williams" (Arc Records, 19--?) (LP)
The Allan Sisters "In Song" (Arpeggio Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Buck)
Coralie and Jackie Allan were thin, blonde, and apparently country... This disc was recorded at RCA Studios in Toronto, and was described as their "new album" - was there something earlier?
Gerry Allard "I Still Love You" (Snocan Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gerry Allard, Terry Carisse & David Denison)
Johnny Allen & The Sons Of The Saddle "Steelin' Guitars" (Canatal Records, 1964-?) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Newberry)
An instrumental showcase album for steel player Johnny Allen, who started his career in Edmonton back in the late 1940s, then joined the Sons Of The Saddle in the early '50s, after moving to Calgary. The album is mostly covers -- classics Leon McAuliffe, Merle Travis, Bob Wills and the like, along with several Allen originals: "E String Rag," "Johnny's China Boogie," and "Ripple Rock." He's backed by his bandmates, Gene Siebert (accordion), Lucky Ambo (guitar and fiddle), and Ricki Reynolds on drums.
Judy Allen "Especially For You" (Stop Records, 1972) (LP)
One of the many lost, orphan albums of the early '70s... Though her career took off in Canada, singer Judy Allen -- an ex-wife of country star Rex Allen, Jr. -- was originally from California. Her chart hits came a little later, in 1978, with a brief mid-1970s stint on Polydor, but apparently those Back Forty singles weren't enough to persuade the label to put out a full album of her work... Perhaps someday she'll get a full retrospective set, combining these songs with the later stuff? Maybe... who knows?
Ray Allgood "Here's Ray Allgood!" (Big Chief Records, 19--?) (LP)
The Altones "...Of CBC-TV Red River Jamboree" (Continental Maple Leaf/CML Records, 1963) (LP)
Formed in 1954, the Altones were a vocal quartet that are best remembered as cast members of CBC-TV's Red River Jamboree, a weekly televised program from Winnipeg that ran from 1960-65, with Stu Phillips as its longest-running host. The Altones included Andy Anderson, Brian Flye, Bert Scinocca, and guitarist Dick Carr, who was also the program's music director.
Lucky Ambo "...Sings Country Goodies" (Canatal Records, 1962) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Newberry & Art Snider)
An instrumental set showcasing French-Canadian fiddler-guitarst Lucky Ambo (aka Clifford Ambeault, 1929-1984) a longtime member of the Sons Of The Saddle band, several of whom who back him on this album. Ambo is joined by steel player Johnny Allen, as well as Jean Siebert on piano, Lenny Siebert on bass and Vic Siebert playing guitar. Amid all the jigs, scottisches and traditional tunes are a few originals by Ambeault, including "Argonaut Two-Step," "Bootlegger's Breakdown," and "Sportsman Jig."
Sheila Ann "The Pump Proudly Presents: The Sheila Ann Show" (Gaiety Records, 1967) (LP)
(Produced by Don Grashey)
Sheila Ann "Dream Maker" (Boot Records, 1978) (LP)
Sheila Ann "Sometimes When We Touch" (Boot Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by David Cline & Ray Griff)
Shirley Ann "Sing Me A New Song, Volume One" (Big Chief Records, 19--?) (LP)
Shirley Ann "Easy Listening" (Big Chief Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ernest Klump & Bruce Thompson)
Shirley Ann "The Other Me" (Big Chief Records, 1971-?) (LP)
(Produced by Donn Petrak & Bruce Thompson)
Shirley Ann "The Other Me" (Big Chief Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Donn Petrak & Jack Lacey)
Billy Ashby & The Stringdusters "16 Top Hits" (Top Hit Records, 1964-?) (LP)
Hyper-generic country on a short-lived Canadian budget label that promised to deliver monthly releases of "top hits" in a variety of styles. Billy Ashby apparently had a history as both a pop and country artist, though the Stringdusters backing band are a bit more obscure... The album doesn't list any individual musicians, although the subsequent(?) LP below names Betty Gauthier, Mac McBain, Ron Nicholls and Russ Parker as bandmembers, with drummer Ron Nicholls better known as a member of the Canadian Night Hawks. As with many budget-line albums, this also includes no release date, but the profusion of songs first released in 1963 points us in the right direction, while a couple of 1964 B-sides -- Carl Smith's "Pillow That Whispers" and Johnny Cash's "Understand Your Man" -- narrow it down to a likely 1964 or '65 release date.
Billy Ashby & The Stringdusters "Lucky 13: Country And Western Top Hits" (ROK Records, 19--?) (LP)
It's possible -- probable, even -- that this was the earlier album, since all most of the songs seems to date from 1963 singles by various American country stars, but nothing later than that. This album also lists the members of the Stringdusters by name, though neglects to tell us who played which instruments. Anyone know more about these folks?
Gary Austin "Easy Lovin' " (Country Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Lee)
A swell set of rough-cut, heartfelt Canadian country... Lead singer Gary Austin had a pleasantly imperfect baritone, quite at home with cover songs like Dave Dudley's "Six Days On The Road" or Waylon's "Good Hearted Woman," though admittedly a bit wobbly around songs with more complex phrasing. No worries: he's a sincere and committed performer, and the backing band is super-twangy and plenty country, so it all evens out. This is one of those uber-indie albums where at first you think, oh that guy can't sing, and then if you're lucky, you get over yourself and get in the groove. Along with a few cover songs, there's a slew of original material, credited to Austin's publishing companies, Dusty Pants and Patchy Pants, with Greg Austin co-credited on a couple of tunes, and other composers including three songs by Dennis Clement, who was in the band and is pictured on the back cover, as well as Wendy Cribbins and Liz Haas, who must have been in their orbit as well. Good stuff!
Joe Aylward "Joe Aylward" (Panther Records, 1984) (LP)
A Top-40 oriented honkytonker from Ontario, Canada, Joe Aylward released this 6-song EP in the '80s, and kept plugging away for at least a decade, well into the mullet-y '90s, backed by his band, The Yelverton Express. Good, uptempo neo-trad stuff.
Canada has long had a vibrant love of country music, often tinged with strong regional pride and songs extolling the great Northern expanse. Some artists, of course, became well-known down south, but for every Hank Snow there are literally thousands of other musicians who never made it to Nashville, or never even tried. At any rate, the Canadian country scene is huge, and deserves to be celebrated in its own right. I'm pretty sure I'm only scratching the surface here, and welcome any recommendations, additions or corrections. 
