The K's "K's Kountry" (Big Chief Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Alexander)

Milfie Kaiser "Sings Country" (Gem Records, 1974-?) (LP)
Mournful true twang from Canadian honkytonk singer Milford Grant Kaiser (1947-2013), a native of Gold River, Nova Scotia. Although he recorded a few singles as well, this seems to have been his first full album, manufactured by the Jewel Records company in Cincinnati, Ohio. The set list is mostly classic country covers, including songs by Johnny Cash, Ernest Tubb, Porter Wagoner and Hank Williams, although a few tracks may have been originals, notably "Daddy's Song," "She's My Friend" "The One Before Me." Not a lot of biographical info about him online, although he appears to have recorded several CDs later in life, and took on a sort of Gordon Lightfoot-ish tone, unlike the earlier Vernon Oxford style heard on this album. No info on the musicians backing him, alas, although he had his own band, called Northwind, and toured extensively in Canada.

Steve Karlinski "Gotta Keep Movin' " (Perception Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Karlinski & Art Polhemus)
Originally from Winnipeg, songwriter Steve Karliski (1940-2007) made his way to New York City in the early 1960s, where he became part of the elite composer's corps at the fabled Brill Building, though later he found his groove as a country tunesmith. His breakout hit came with the novelty-number cheating song "Yes, Mr. Peters," a 1965 hit duet for Roy Drusky and Priscilla Mitchell; other chart-toppers soon followed, with songs recorded by Bill Anderson, Jan Howard, Waylon Jennings and others. This was Steve Karlinski's only album -- he also recorded a few stray singles, though really it was as a composer he made his mark. He eventually returned to Canada, and retired in Ontario.

Hank Karr "Stealin' My World" (Alkon Records, 1967) (LP)
Canadian honky tonk songwriter Hank Karr was originally from Saskatchewan, but wound up working in the Pacific Northwest and eventually moved to the Yukon in 1965, where he really carved out his niche as a regional performer. He specialized in songs about Yukon history and culture, although this album is almost all originals, and is more focussed on romantic material with a couple of songs about the frozen North, but many more heartsongs.

Hank Karr "Paddlewheeler And Other Northland Ballads" (Alkon Records, 19--?)

Hank Karr "Where Do You Go After Yukon" (19--?)

Hank Karr "Through The Years: The Hank Karr Collection" (Karmac Records)

Debbie Lori Kaye "Hey Little One!" (Columbia Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Johnston, Don Law & Billy Sherrill)
Canadian country gal Debbie Lori Kaye cut a string of low-performing Nashville singles, parceled out over a number of years, including a bunch of tracks that were eventually gathered onto this album, which came out in Canada, though apparently not down in the States. Ms. Kaye worked with a bunch of top producers, including Bob Johnston, Don Law and Billy Sherrill (and others) though the tracks were cut in separate sessions, not in some big super-producer lovefest. Of particular note is her version of "Shadows Of Her Mind," one of the earlier compositions by Kris Kristofferson to get picked up and recorded in Nashville. She also recorded at least one single as simply "Lori Kaye," though that seems to have been a more pop-oriented phase in her career.

Christopher Kearney "Christopher Kearney" (Capitol Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Dennis R. Murphy & Phil Sheridan)
Rootsy folk-rock from a Canadian singer-songwriter from Toronto. Kearney wasn't full-on "country," but he was certainly somewhere on the spectrum, kicking this off with the gruff, loping, "Country Lady," which eases into a series of twangy, rural tracks. It's kinda catchy, in a hippiedelic folk-boogie kinda way; fans of Jonathan Edwards or maybe even Taj Mahal might really dig this. Most notable among the pickers is the great David Bromberg on guitar. Definitely worth a spin.

Christopher Kearney "Pemmican Stash" (Capitol Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Dennis R. Murphy & Phil Sheridan)
Some nice stuff. Arguably more of a folk, folk-pop thing, but hey man, that's the early 'Seventies for you. Nice interplay of acoustic and electric instruments, pleasantly restrained arrangements. Kearney leans more into the hippie folk mode, again bringing Jonathan Edwards to mind. But Jonathan Edwards circa 1973 is a pretty good benchmark, if you ask me. Certainly if you're looking for some groovy Canadian country counterculture, this is a disc you'll wanna check out. A particularly shout-out for guitarist Josh Onderisin, who was on Kearney's first album as well, and later played with Ian Thomas.

Christopher Kearney "Sweet Water" (Capitol Records, 1974)
As with his earlier albums, this has enough of a grounding in country roots that it fits into the country-rock spectrum, though there is much more of an overt pop slant to this one, with some weird, slick AOR touches on many tracks. The twangy stuff is nice, though, on tunes like "Travellin' Son," though the tinny guitars on tracks like "Chicano Cowboy" are a rough haul, even if the sentiment is interesting. Too rock-pop oriented for me, but still representative of the eclectic vibe of the times. Of interest to Canadian country fans are steel player Al Brisco and multi-instrumentalist Ben Mink, who play throughout.

Evan Kemp & The Trail Riders "Volume One" (Aragon Records, 196-?) (LP)

Evan Kemp "Remember Me" (Aragon Records, 19--?) (LP)

Evan Kemp "Evan Kemp In Hollywood" (Aragon Records, 1960-?) (LP)

Evan Kemp & The Trail Riders "Beautiful Nicola Valley" (BACM) (CD)

Bob King "Keepin' It Country" (San-Lyn Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Swanson & Bob King)
A chart-topping Canadian artist in the 1950s and '60s, Ontario's Bob King (1934-1989) started his career in the early 'Fifties and had been plugging away for over a decade before scoring a hit with his version of "Working On The County Road," a song by Maine songwriter Don Peters that brought him regional fame and almost cracked into the US market. King reprises that tune on this indie album, along with several others penned by Peters. The rest of the songs are originals as well, including one by Billy Don Burns, another from Jack Swanson, and three by Bob King himself, "Daddy's Despair," "Josephine" and "Laurel Lee." Two tracks are duets with his wife, Marie King, while the rest of the band is also identified by first name only, including a steel player named Quincy. Bob King recorded this set over a decade after giving up on his solo career: after the RCA label declined to promote him in the States and his contract with Banff Records petered out, the Kings joined the Brown Family road show, and also performed as a duo in the '80s, before Mr. King succumbed to lung cancer.

Dez King & The Rangers "The Top 16 Country And Western Hits" (Trans World Records, 196-?) (LP)
Bandleader Dez King hosted a local country music showcase on Channel 7, CHLT-TV, in Sherbrooke, Quebec... Several vocalists from the show are spotlighted on this album, including "girl" singer Fern Dauth, along with Bill Ashby, Huzon Grenier and Russ Parker, all covering Nashville hits of the era. Perhaps most notable, singing a version of "Big Bad John," is Quebec native Ronnie Prophet, who went on to earn numerous Juno awards, and to crack into the US country Top Forty in the early '70s... He also recorded an album for Trans World, around 1965, and I'm guessing this collection came first, so although there's no date on the LP, it was probably cut around 1963-64.

Dusty King "This Ole Heart" (Arc Records, 196-?) (LP)
Country singer Robert Bruce Dustin (1938-2003) -- aka Dusty King -- was born in East Hatley, Quebec, near the Vermont border, and performed on local TV stations on both sides of the border, including CHLT in Sherbrooke, WIKE, in Newport, Vermont, and others. King had a big hit early in his career with the song "This Old Heart," which is heard on this album, his first following a string on singles on the Dominion label. Moving to Montreal, he led the house band at a place called the Country Palace, and later toured extensively throughout Canada's East Coast for most of the 1970s. His son, Dusty King, Jr., played bass and made a few records in the late '80s. (Thanks to the Ottawa CMHF for filling in a few blanks.)

Dusty King "I Remember Jim Reeves" (Arc Records, 196-?) (LP)

Joe King & Corinne Cee "Anything's Better Than Nothing" (Star Records) (LP)

The King Trio "King Kountry" (Cynda Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Fred McKenna & Jim Morgan)

Wayne King & The Bluecats "Might As Well Give Up" (Disques Major/Major Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne King)

Jack Kingston "Main Street Jamboree Song Hits" (Quality Records, 19--?) (LP)
Saint Catherine, Ontario's Jack Kingston (1925-1996) started his career in the hillbilly era of the 1940s and early 'Fifties... His first paid gig was a slot on the CKNX Barn Dance, which he landed after winning a local talent show. His really big break came in 1952, when he landed a job as lead vocalist on The Main Street Jamboree, which was originally a live variety show on radio station CHML, in Hamilton, Ontario. Kingston fronted a band called the Hillbilly Jewels, with Geordie Tapp serving as the show's emcee, a career-making gig that he hearkens back to in this nostalgic set, which showcases hit songs from that era. Kingston was working at radio station CHOW on the Niagara Peninsula when he cut this album, part of that station's "Barn Dance" show, though apparently using the Main Street brand for his own work. This record is, sadly, undated and does not tell us who was backing Kingston for these recordings, but the liner notes refer to the song "Springhill Mine Explosion," which he first recorded back in 1956, although he doesn't include a version of that song here. About half the songs on this album are Jack Kingston originals, including most of the tracks on Side Two

Jack Kingston "Springhill Mine Explosion" (Birchmount Records, 1971) (LP)

Jack Kingston "Happy Birthday Darling" (Marathon Records, 1973) (LP)

Jack Kingston "The Canadian Playboy: Pickin' And Singin' " (BACM, 2010) (LP)
A generously programmed, 28-song collection of Jack Kingston's early work, including a slew of classic country songs, with a ton of sentimental oldies and several American hits such as "Alabama Jubilee," "Letter Edged In Black" and Faron Young's "If You Ain't Lovin' You Ain't Livin'," as well as Kingston's original 1956 version of "Springhill Mine Explosion," and other originals in his repertoire. It also includes covers of Marty Robbins' "Singing The Blues" and "Bye Bye Love" from the Everly Brothers, recorded in the late 'Fifties when Kingston was trying his hand at uptempo pop material, earning himself a place in the early Canadian rockabilly pantheon. Nice chance to hear some rare old Canadian twang.

Kirsty "Mackinaw Music Show Presents: Kirsty" (19--?) (LP)
This young gal was a featured singer in the country-oriented Michigan-based variety program, the Gary Davis Mackinaw Music Show, which was a five-piece band that toured throughout the Midwest during the late 1970s. (Davis also sponsored a band called the Diplomats who put out an album as well.) Not sure when this one came out, but she does sing a cover of the song, "Why Have You Left The One You Left Me For," which was a hit for Crystal Gayle in 1978, so I'm guessing 1979, 1980 on this one...

The Konkens "Frank And Ruby Go Country" (19--?) (LP)
A partly-secular album by the gospel duo on Frank and Ruby Konken, who married in 1955 and recorded a string of privately-released records over the years. This album, which was recorded in Vancouver, was apparently their first country record, although they cut singles and three LPs before this. Most of the songs on here were Konken originals...

Joe Kozak & The Rogers Brothers Band "Canada Salutes Nashville, Tennessee" (Banff Records, 1961-?) (LP)

Joe Kozak & His Quartet "Canada Salutes Nashville, Tennessee" (Banff Records, 1961-?) (LP)

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