Keith Jackson & The Music Makers "Our Truck Drivin' Man" (Project 70 Studios, 198-?) (LP)
(Produced by Chris Spreen & Irene Spreen)
A Canadian country covers band from Edmonton, the Music Makers first formed in 1979... As far as I know this was the group's only album. The compact quartet included bandleader Keith Jackson on lead vocals and guitar, Brent Gorda (bass), Wayne Harms (drums) and lead guitar player Isaac Rice. Nice selection of country standards, along with a few tunes that may have been originals ("Say It Again," "The Fox From Shining Bank," "Our Truck Driving Man").
Keith Jackson & The Music Makers "Our Truck Drivin Man" (Project 70 Studios, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Chris Spreen & Irene Spreen)
Stoney Jackson & The Country Styles "The Big Country Hits" (Wheels Records, 196--?) (LP)
Canadian honkytonker Stoney Jackson hailed from Quebec and led a compact band from Montreal: Ronnie Cavanagh on pedal steel, Ken Dandy on bass, Jackson on vocals and Sid Menard pickin' guitar. The repertoire is pretty solidly Bakersfield Sound: over half the album is from Buck Owens' catalog, along with covers of Liz Anderson's "From Now On All My Friends Are Going To Be Strangers," which became an early hit for Merle Haggard, and Wynn Stewart's oldie, "They Call Me A Play Boy." Not sure if Jackson recorded other albums, though it doesn't look like it.
Jimmy James -- see artist profile
Winston James "You Won’t Miss Your Water Till The Well Runs Dry" (Marathon Records, 1973) (LP)
Merrick Jarrett "The Old Chisholm Trail: Traditional Songs Of The Old West" (Riverside Records, 1956-?) (LP)
A nice simple set of cowboy tunes, sung by Canadian folkie Merrick Jarrett, who had kind of a Pete Seeger-ish vibe. Recorded in Toronto, this has a lot of well-known western standards, tunes like "Strawberry Roan," "Old Chisholm Trail" and "When The Work's All Done This Fall," but also a fair number f lesser-known songs, such as "The Railroad Corral," "Arizona Boys And Girls" and "Utah Carroll."
Emmett Jarvis "Where In The World Is That Girl That I Love" (Golden H Records, 196--?) (LP)
(Produced by Robert J. Stone)
How a nice, clean-cut lad from Coosa County, Alabama wound up singing (and recording) up north in Canada is likely to remain a mystery. Can't fault him for his taste in twang, though: plenty of West Coast stuff, including hits by Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and Wynn Stewart, plus a little Waylon Jennings and George Jones thrown in for good measure. I think I like this kid. It's possible that the title track was an original, but sadly there are no songwriter credits. Also, no info on the backing musicians. Oh, well. Apparently, Mr. Jarvis (1934-1995) eventually did head back home, passing away in Alabama, a couple of counties over from where he grew up.
Ron Jeffery & The Country Set "One Step Closer" (Marathon Records, 1973) (LP)
Ron Jeffery "Permanent Change" (Marathon Records, 1974) (LP)
Ron Jeffery "Break Me Again" (Condor Records, 1975) (LP)
Ron Jeffery & Tim Jefferey "Call It What You Want" (Big Mama Records, 1982-?) (LP)
Ron Jeffery "All Of Me" (Brylen Records, 1982) (LP)
Ron Jeffery & Tim Jefferey "Good Ole Boys" (Brylen Records, 1982) (LP)
This album is a partial reissue of the Call It What You Want album above, with the first eight tracks reproduced in the same running order, and four songs left off. Among the tunes they omitted is a cover of the Don Williams hit, "Good Ole Boys Like Me," a novelty number called "I'm A Roper Not A Doper," and a version of the Marty Robbins oldie, "Hangin' Tree." I'd say the longer original edition is the one to look for!
Gordon Jensen & Sunrise "Sunrise" (Rockland Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Hilton & Fred Cameron)
As far as I can tell, this was the first "solo" album by Gordon Jensen, a prolific Christian music songwriter who had previously been in a '70s Southern Gospel band called the Orrells, which he transmuted into the group Sunrise. Jensen was born in Canada, but emigrated to Nashville to be part of the Southern Gospel scene. In 1969 he helped revive the Orrell Quartet along with Larry Orrell and Wayne Hilton, with Jensen as the group's primary songwriter. On this album, Jensen pursues a fairly straightforward country sound, with Tony Brown on keyboards, Fred Newell playing lead guitar, and John Rich on pedal steel; the Carol Lee Singers also back them up on a couple of tracks.
Gordon Jensen & Sunrise "Sing The Best Of The Orrells" (Rockland Road Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Hilton & Fred Cameron)
This album was a full-on homage to the group that gave Jensen his start, with pretty much the same group of Nashville pros backed Jensen on his previous album. It's worth noting that Tony Brown -- who was on his way to becoming one of commercial country's best and brightest producers -- had come from a southern gospel background himself, including a long stint in the pre-secular edition of the Oak Ridge Boys.
Gordon Jensen & Sunrise "The Glove" (Essence Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Hilton)
More country gospel from the Sunrise band... Wayne Hilton is still on board as rhythm guitarist and producer, helming a Nashville studio crew with plenty of oomph... I'd be willing to bet that the "Marty Stewart" credited as playing flat-top guitar and mandolin is in fact Marty Stuart, future country star, probably doing some session work after leaving Lester Flatt's band...
Jericho "Jericho" (Bearsville/Ampex Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Todd Rundgren)
This hip, groovy Toronto rock group was mostly a boogie/jam band, though with a sharper edge than many of their sludgier-sounding contemporaries. That may be due to having Todd Rundgren as their producer -- his intricate, overly-precise engineering style is readily discerned, especially on the more rock-blues oriented tracks. Honestly, there's not a lot here for twangfans to latch onto here, though some of the more laid-back grooves are reminiscent of The Band, and the merry jug-band mayhem of "Going To The Country" does give country-rock historians something to look into... Mostly pretty rockin', though, and often a bit shrill.
Lynn Jones "Roses And Candy" (Arpeggio Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Happy Wilson & Gary Buck)
The first LP by Canadian singer Lynn Jones who had recorded three chart-topping country singles and performed on the "Countrytime" and "The Tommy Hunter Show" TV programs...
Jerry & Jo'Anne "Sing The Country Hits You Love" (Daisy Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Linneman)
A bilingual French-Canadian country-pop duo from Lennoxville, Quebec, guitarist Jerry Robitaille (1942-1996) and singer Jo'Anne Moreault recorded prolifically through the 1970s... On this dsic, they recycle several songs from their first album, including "Easy Lovin'," "Mrs. Robinson" and Scott McKenzie's "Hey What About Me." Their backing band includes include Jeff Newman on flattop guitar, Ray Saint-Laurent on piano, and Jerry Robitaille playing both steel and lead guitar...
Jerry & Jo'Anne "En Rappel" (Daisy Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry & Jo'Anne)
John Johnson "Presenting John Johnson" (Ambassador Records, 1982-?) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Dee & Paul Evans)
Born in Timmins, Ontario, singer John Johnson was a construction worker by day, honkytonk hero by night. He had been singing in local bands for a while, first in a local band called the Gold Belt Rangers, and later in a family band known as The Western Pioneers, and was working as the lead singer for The Northmen at the time this album was recorded. This album featured Johnson backed by Pat Ballard (drums), Larry Dee (rhythm guitar and steel), June Eikhard (fiddle), Bobby Munro (piano), Roy Penny (banjo and lead guitar), Dottie Randall (bass) and Hurricane Mike Thompson on harmonica -- Johnson and Thompson also appeared on a liv compilation album released by Ambassador Records called Live At The Richmond Inn. There are several originals on here, all published by the same company, with one song by Mr. Johnson kicking things off, "Shadows Of My Mind," and several credited to Doug Lewis -- "Brother John," "Face Of A Clown," "I'm In The Jukebox" -- with a fourth, "Rose Colored Glasses," that I suspect was really a cover of the John Conlee hit. Indeed, it's the cover tunes that help date this album as most likely being from around 1981-82, including contemporary U.S. hits such as Mel Tillis's "Charlie's Angels" (from 1979), "Old Habits" (Hank Williams, Jr., 1980) and the Waylon Jennings/Jessi Colter classic, "Storms Never Last," which they recorded a couple of times circa 1980-81.
Johnnie Johnston "Johnnie Johnston And The Shamrocks" (Marathon Records, 197--?) (LP)
A showband from Canada with a mostly-country repertoire, but also a tip of the hat towards their Irish roots. The group was led by lead singer Johnnie Johnston, backed by Pat Halferty (organ), Billy Harper (bass), Pat McCrossan (guitar), and drummer Mickey McFadden, who also sang lead on a couple of tunes. In addition to covers of "Orange Blossom Special" and (groan) "You Gave Me A Mountain," they indulged in Irish-isms like "Danny Boy," "The Bold O'Donaghue," and one called "Leprechaun," as well as the tantalizingly prosaic "Agricultural Girl," which may have been a cover of a song Val Doonican recorded back in the early 'Sixties. No composer credits, alas, so I'm not sure how much, if any, of their repertoire was original.
Johnnie Johnston "The Other Side Of The Shamrocks, Featuring Johnnie Johnston" (Marathon Records, 1972-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bryan Ayres)
Lynn Jones "Roses And Candy" (Arpeggio Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Buck & Happy Wilson)
The first LP by Canadian singer Lynn Jones who had recorded three chart-topping country singles and performed on the "Countrytime" and "The Tommy Hunter Show" TV programs... This album includes songs by Harlan Howard, Curly Putman, "I've Been Down This Road Before" by Gary Buck, as well as a couple written by Neil Merritt, with Lynn Jones credited on one track, "Moods Of My Man," which was co-written with Arlene Gordon. This may have been her only album.
The Jubilaires "The Myers Brothers And The Jubilaires" (Vintage Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ken Friesen)
Despite the gospel-sounding name of the band, this is a solidly secular set of Canadian pop-country and honkytonk. The Jubilaires were a country band from Ontario that formed in 1956, featuring guitar picker Oscar Demers, fiddler/guitarist Roland Lozon, and Ray Trahan on drums; brothers Ray and Roland Myers joined the group in 1960. Previously they had been child stars on the Casey Clarke Jamboree and met the guys in the Jubilaires while performing on the CKNX Barn Dance. This set includes a bunch of standard-issue cover tunes -- stuff like Merle Haggard's "Okie From Muskogee," "Kiss An Angel Good Morning" and "Me And Bobby McGee" -- along with several originals by Ray Myers: "Karen," "Once In A While," "People People People," and "Waiting." A re-jiggered edition of the band (released at least one album as The Jubilaires II.
The Jubilaires II "Country Horizons" (Joy Bean Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Richard Janik)
A late-edition album from this long-lived Ontario band, with Roland Lozon and Ray Trahan the sole remaining members from the original group, and an otherwise all-new lineup, including Floyd Bobier on bass, Brad James (rhythm guitar), J. P. Marchand (rhythm guitar), John MacTavish (keyboards) and Roland Lozon pinch-hitting on banjo, fiddle, lead guitar and mandolin. The album was recorded in Windsor, Ontario but released on a Nashville label. There are no composer credits, but it looks like this was all cover songs.
Julie "...Et Les Freres Duguay" (Bonanza Records, 19--?) (LP)
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. 
