The Ramblers Three "Tiger By The Tail And Other Country Favorites" (Arc Records, 1965) (LP)
(Produced by Ben Weatherby)
This was actually an American trio, with Stan Farlow(!), his wife Betty, and bassist Bud Hopkins... Farlow went on to a brief career as a solo artist in the late '60s/early '70s, but mostly faded into obscurity over the years.

Ramblin' Lou With Joanie Marshall & The Twin Pine Mountaineers "Seashore Blues" (Arc Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Rancheros "12 Great Country Hits" (ARI Records, 1972) (LP)

Dottie Randall "It's Just A Matter Of Time" (Cascade Records, 197--?) (LP)

David Rea "Maverick Child" (Capitol Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Felix Pappalardi & David Rea)
A well-regarded folk-scene sideman, Ohio-born singer-guitarist David Rea (1946-2011) moved to Canada in his teens and kicked off his career in the early 1960s as a sideman for Gordon Lightfoot, later performing with Ian & Sylvia, Jesse Winchester and other stars of the era... By the time he got his own record deal, Rea had moved into more of a rock mode, albeit with strong currents of country in there as well. He worked for a few years with blues-rocker Felix Pappalardi, and Pappalardi's new band, Mountain, co-writing the sludge-y hard-rock anthem, "Mississippi Queen," which became a big hit. He continued working as a studio session player and sideman, including a brief stint with an early-'Seventies lineup of the English folk-rock band Fairport Convention. Jinkies!

David Rea "By The Grace Of God" (Capitol Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Bob D'Orleans, Felix Pappalardi & David Rea)

David Rea "Slewfoot" (Columbia-Windfall Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by David Rea & Bob Weir)
Although this one's mostly on the radar for Deadheads, standard-issue twangfans will wanna check it out too, particularly for the fine covers of real-deal country songs that Rea opens the album with, notably Tom T. Hall's "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" and the Dolly Parton/Porter Wagoner duet "Run That By Me One More Time," which spotlights a dead-on Loretta Lynn imitation by Darlene DiDomenico. Rea excels on the copious cover tunes, and picks some doozies, even including one by UK folkie Dave Swarbrick(!) along with some R&B songs by Chuck Berry and Ike Turner that kind of get swallowed up into the early '70s boogie-rock void. Speaking of which, let's circle back to the Dead now... David Rea was definitely in the Dead-o-Sphere, in a major way... His band features Bob Weir, both as a producer and guitarist, Keith and Donna Godchaux, as well as folks from the New Riders Of The Purple Sage and other orbiting musicians: bassist John Kahn, drummer Spencer Dryden, Matthew Kelly (from the band Kingfish), Buddy Cage on pedal steel and even fiddler Richard Greene and post-bop saxophonist Charles Lloyd. The originals on here by Rea are mostly spacey, yearning, folk-rock-boogie tunes, with great concern for capital "L" Love, and it sounds perhaps as if Rea was really hoping that the Dead or some of their pals would pick them up to record. Anyway, this is a pretty decent hippie twang album, at least when he is being twangy. Definitely worth a spin.

Leon Redbone -- see artist discography

Keray Regan "...Sings" (Aragon Records, 196-?) (LP)

Keray Regan & Evan Kemp "The Poplar Tree" (6th Avenue Records, 19--?) (LP)

Al Reid "Honky Tonk Heart" (Polaris Productions, 19--?) (LP)

Leni Re'nae "Singin' My Songs" (K-Ark Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by John Capps)
Originally from a French-Canadian background, Leni ReNae (who spelled her name a few different ways) was living in Blaine, Washington around the time this album came out... How she hooked up with the Ozark-based K-Ark label is anybody's guess. The set list is mostly not original material. dominated by versions of chestnuts like "Columbus Stockade Blues," "Johnny One Time" and "Louisiana Man," as well as several Kris Kristofferson covers, "Help Me Make It Through The Night," "Me And Bobby McGee," and "Sunday Morning Coming Down," which indicate an early 'Seventies release. There are a few songs that might have been originals, but more research is required...

Leni ReNae "Cold Denver Rain" (K-Ark Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by John Capps)
The apostrophe in her name on the previous album was probably a typo: it's spelled "ReNae" on this album, as well as on all of her singles. This album includes three songs written by Leni Renae, as well as one from producer John Capps. Also worth noting, she additionally recorded at least one single for the Ripcord-related Vanco label, out of Vancouver, Washington.

Larry Renn "Paradise Knife And Gun Club" (Snocan Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Bob Barnhill & Gene Rice)

Buddy Reynolds "Buddy Reynolds Sings" (Aragon Records, 196-?) (LP)

Buddy Reynolds "A Canadian Country Music Pioneer" (Binge Disc/Bronco Buster)
Wonderful, rare Canadian recordings from the 1940s and '50s. Reynolds was very much a devotee of Hank Snow, and follows in the path the "Singing Ranger" laid before splitting for Nashville -- corny, sentimental ballads, cowboy tunes and novelty songs, complete with nasal vocals and Hawaiian slide guitar. Highly recommended -- this is the sort of stuff you can develop a real soft spot for.

Donn Reynolds "The Donn Reynolds Song Bag" (Pye Records, 1959) (LP)

Donn Reynolds "The Wild One" (Banff/Rodeo Records, 1962) (LP)

Donn Reynolds "The Blue Canadian Rockies" (Arc Records, 1965) (LP)

Donn Reynolds "Springtime In The Rockies" (Arc Records, 1967-?) (LP)
(Produced by Manny Alvarez)

Donn Reynolds "Songs of the West" (Marathon Records, 1974) (LP)

Donn Reynolds "King Of The Yodelers" (Quality Records, 1979) (LP)

Donn Reynolds "Donn Reynolds" (RCA Records, 1987) (LP)

Donn Reynolds "Portrait Of A Yodeler" (BACM, 2013) (CD)

The Rhythm Pals "...Sing Hymns And Western Ballads" (Aragon Records, 196-?) (LP)
Specializing in "western" (cowboy) music and sentimental oldies, the Rhythm Pals -- the trio of Mike Ferby (bass), Marc Wald (accordion) and Jack Jensen (guitar) -- got together way back in 1947, and made a guest appearance the following year on Spade Cooley's fabled variety Town Hall Party. As a result, they were one of the first Canadian country bands to perform on American TV, and made many appearances on Town Hall Party throughout the 1950s, as well as other programs such as The Lawrence Welk Show. Starting in the early 'Sixties, they secured a berth on the CBC, and eventually became a house band for the CBC's popular Tommy Hunter Show, a national showcase for country talent.

The Rhythm Pals "Home Country" (Canadian Talent Library, 1967-?) (LP)

The Rhythm Pals "On Stage With The Rhythm Pals" (Arc Records) (LP)

The Rhythm Masters "Jet Set Country: Ridin' High With The Rhythm Masters" (Arc Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Rhythm Pals "Canadian Town And Country Songs" (Banff Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Al Allbott)

The Rhythm Pals "Tennessee Birdwalk" (Canadian Talent Library, 197-?) (LP)

The Rhythm Pals "Best Of The Rhythm Pals: Thirty Golden Hits" (RCA Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Rhythm Sweethearts "The Rhythm Sweethearts" (Arc Records, 19--?) (LP)
An all-female country band featuring Lorrie Gale, Patricia Hennessey, drummer Patti Jo and lead singer Myrtle Gifford... The Rhythm Sweethearts toured with the Wilf Carter Show and sang some of their material in French...

T-Blanc Richard "T-Blanc Richard" (RCA Victor-Canada, 19--?) (LP)

T-Blanc Richard "Reel Favorites" (RCA Victor-Canada, 19--?) (LP)

Royce Riehl & The Country Cousins "Old Tyme Dance Tonight" (Arc Records, 1966-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ben Weatherby)
Although they pitch themselves as an "old time" band, there's a definite honkytonk country vibe here, particularly with the steel guitar placed front and center, as well as the profusion of, well, country songs in the mix. This appears to be a family-led band from Ontario, with guitarist Royce Riehl joined by his brother Alan Riehl (bass) and cousin Wayne Riehl (violin), as well as Ron Coulthard (steel guitar), John Rennie (violin), Gary Sholdice (drums) and vocalist Floyd Sillito. According to the liner notes this band formed in 1962 as a country swing band, but competed in (and won) the local Cookstown Old Tyme Orchestra Contest several years running. Sure, they play some waltzes and reels, but it's the heartsongs that stand out... Really, a pretty fine, old-school country band with a smooth feel, yet a pleasantly rough rural edge. There's even a little hint of Bob Wills-style western swing, if maybe Hank Snow had been in the Western Playboys instead of Tommy Duncan. As far as I can tell, this was their only album, but it's pretty nice.

The River Valley Boys "Spring Time In Heaven" (Calvary Records, 19--?) (LP)

Bud Roberts "This Is Bud Roberts" (1971) (LP)

Lou Roberts "Lou Roberts" (Vintage Records, 19--?) (LP)

Lou Roberts "Ole Log Cabin For Sale" (Allied Records, 19--?) (LP)

Larry Robichaud "Chansons Western" (Sono Disque, 1979) (LP)

Larry Robichaud "Larry Robichaud" (London Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Romaniuk Family "Country Carter Style" (Point Records, 1968) (LP)
Hailing from Canada, the Romaniuk Family band consisted of Ann Romaniuk (born 1916), Ed Romaniuk (b. 1930) and sister Elsie Romaniuk (1927) who all grew up in a coal mining family in rural Foothills County, Alberta and like many folks back then, spent their youth glued to the radio. In 1935 their dad bought a few brand-new 78s of the fabled Carter Family and thus launched a lifelong obsession, plunging Ed Romaniuk in particular into an ardent emulation of the Carter Family and the country music sound they pioneered. Billed as "the Canadian Carter Family," the Romaniuks performed regionally and on the radio, recording their first singles in the mid-1950s, followed by an (exceptionally rare) EP in 1959 and this first full album in 1968. At the time they had a weekly radio show on CBC station CJYR, which had just signed on in '68, and held their slot up until 1970, around the time their second album came out. The Romaniuks were doggedly faithful to their idols and typically devoted about half of each album to Carter Family classics, tucking in a few of their own originals as well as a traditional tune or two. In 1957 they screwed up their courage and drove all the way to Virginia to search for their heroes, actually meeting A. P. Carter, who was charmed by their sincerity and wowed by their sound. Years later, in 1971, Ed Romaniuk made another cross-continental pilgrimage, this time out to California, where he met Sara Carter, who he hung out and shot the breeze with, along with her husband, Coy Bayes. Most remarkably, the long-retired Sara Carter consented to let him record their bull session, which included them playing a few tunes together -- a historic event, as it was apparently the last recording Sara Carter ever made, outside of a brief fling during the waning days of the 'Sixties folk revival. (Special thanks to Mike Tod of The Folk podcast, whose episode on the Romaniuks brought to light the existence of the Sara Carter tapes... Kudos! And also... a Record Store Day 7" single someday?)

The Romaniuk Family "Songs We Love To Sing" (Point Records, 1970) (LP)

The Romaniuk Family "Romaniuk Family" (LEI Records, 1974) (LP)

The Romaniuk Family & Stella Bayes Morris "Country Echoes" (Old Homestead/World Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by John Morris & Garry McDonall)
Late vintage Romaniuks, collaborating with Stella Bayes Morris, a niece of Sara Carter who lived in Lockeford, California (near Stockton) and was one of the many inheritors of the Carter tradition. The album's repertoire is a mix of their originals, hers, and a few oldies, with Ed Romaniuk playing the autoharp and guitar, Ann Romaniuk on harmonica and Canadian fiddler chiming in as well.

Norm Rooke "North American Cowboy" (Damon Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Rick Erickson & Norm Rooke)

Wayne Rostad "Writer Of Songs" (Stag Creek Records, 1979) (LP)

Raymond Rouleau "Ma Maison Dans Mon Vallon" (Bonanza Records, 197-?) (LP)

Bobby Rowan "Johnny Cash Song Hits Sung By Bobby Rowan" (Arc Records, 19--?) (LP)
This one's kind of self-explanatory, right? On the Canadian Arc label.

Bobby Rowan "Songs Made Famous By Johnny Cash" (Continental Maple Leaf/CML Records, 1963-?) (LP)

Jimmy Roy's 5 Star Hillbillies "5 Star Hop" (Fury Records, 1993)
An amiable, easygoing set by these Canadian hillbilly bop enthusiasts, onetime rockabilly fans who went back a few years further to the style's musical roots, much along the line of Big Sandy & The Fly-Rite Boys or the Dave & Deke Combo. Musically, this set doesn't completely catch fire, but the two dozen songs are all pretty nice, especially considering that almost all of them are original compositions by steel guitarist Jimmy Roy and lead singer Cam Wagner. These recordings date back to 1989-93; bandleader Jimmy Roy later went on to work with Ray Condo, as well as with Big Sandy and his band.

Lee Roy "My Soul Sings Out" (RCA-Camden, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Buck)
Leroy Anderson (aka Lee Roy) was a songwriter from Balzac, Alberta... About half the songs on here are his own originals, along with covers of classics by Gordon Lightfoot and Steve Goodman ("City Of New Orleans"). Alas, no information on the backing musicians.

The Royal Sisters "Royal Country" (Dyna West Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by James B. Shaw)

Deric Ruttan "Deric Ruttan" (Lyric Street Records, 2003)
This guy's okay... Not great, but okay. Typical sensitive-guy, anthemic country pop, with slightly overwritten songs that still can connect emotionally, more often than not. His stylistic and emotional range is very limited, though -- not a lot of variety to this album. Still, it's pretty harmless and relatively rootsy, with nods towards John Anderson -- so no harm, no foul. Plus, I appreciate the pro-union sentiment that kicks off the song "Unbeatable..." and interesting tune about current conditions for working folks in the NAFTA era of jobs headed South, along with personal incomes. Them's fightin' words, coming from a Canadian!

Deric Ruttan "Deric Ruttan" (Isotope Records, 2009)
I'm not sure, but I think this is a reissue of his first album...

Deric Ruttan "First Time In A Long Time" (EMI/On Ramp Records, 2003)

Deric Ruttan "Sunshine" (EMI/Black T Records, 2008)

Bob Ruzicka "What The World's All About" (Signpost Records, 1972) (LP)

Bob Ruzicka "Cold Hands, Warm Heart" (MCA Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by David Briggs)
Canadian singer-songwriter Bob Ruzicka was the host of some 1970's folk-scene music shows up North, and he put out several albums, at the same time penning hits recorded by Valdy and other Canadian country and pop artists. This album is a mix of AOR pop and ponderous, message-heavy folk. He sounds sort of like Gordon Lightfoot, but with a heavier touch -- too self-serious and searching for profundity. A little bit of twang, notably on one song where he gets into sort of a Mickey Gilley mode, but mostly this isn't my cup of tea. Nice album title, though.

Bob Ruzicka "Soft Rocker" (RCA, 1973) (LP)

Bob Ruzicka "Dude" (RCA, 1975) (LP)

Bob Ruzicka "Landfall" (Mustard Records , 1973) (LP)

Bob Ruzicka "Loose Talk" (Mustard Records, 1973) (LP)

Len Ryder "Way Out West In Waikiki" (Frontier Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Lang & Don McDiarmid)
A groovy, fun, brisk live album from Canadian steel player and singer Len Ryder, recorded as a memento of his residency at a country bar in Honolulu called the New Frontier. A veteran of Evan Kemp's band in Vancouver, Ryder had a deft, Speedy West-like touch and keeps this small combo humming... The biggest surprise, though, is that this isn't an instrumental album but instead showcases a ton of swell original songs, with various bandmembers singing lead. Though the liner notes only discuss Ryder and the club, the other musicians seem to have included John Ott and spotlight vocalist Muriel Tilton, a yodeling local gal who -- as one half of the Tilton Sister duo -- recorded several singles in the late 'Fifties/early 'Sixties on Bertram International, a pop-'n'-country-oriented Hawaiian label that I would very much like to learn more about. This is a great record with a solid West Coast country sound... Not super-sure when it was recorded, but my copy has a 1971 date handwritten on it, though this looks more like a mid-'Sixties kinda record, maybe 1966 or so(?). According to the liner notes, Ryder had been holding down this gig for several years before they made this record, though he did eventually return to Canada and remained active in several bands over the decades.

Hick Music Index
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