Les Taillefers "Les Taillefers" (Ultra Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Le Grand Jim)

Ian Tamblyn "Ian Tamblyn" (Cream Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Ted Gerrow & Harvey Glatt)
The debut album by Canadian folkie Ian Tamblyn, who has sort of a Bruce Cockburn-ish versatility and mild cynicism... I finally picked this album up after years of seeing it in the country bins and always kinda thinking, "Hmmmmm... really?" Turns out I was right: this is really at heart a kind of gooey folk-pop set, though with a wide variety of styles, with the strongest material on Side Two of the original LP: there's a lot of spacey, tidily arranged chamber-folk romanticism, some funky-jazzy instrumental flights, a hint of the blues, a rambling, street-poet ruefulness and even a shot of passable whiteboy reggae. And yeah, there are some country touches, with pedal steel player Dennis Delorme adding nice licks on a tune or two, and Sneezy Waters playing acoustic guitar somewhere in the background... But Tamblyn mainly seems aimed in the direction of rock music, nodding towards the stadiums with a glint in his eye that says he could do that stuff, if he wanted to... If you like eclectic 'Seventies soft-rock and space folk, you might wanna give this a shot... Of limited interest, perhaps, for the purely twang-at-heart.

Gordie Tapp "Both Sides: Live At The Grapevine Opry" (ASR/Aunt Susie Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Phil York)
A country musician and comedian originally from Ontario, Gordie Tapp (1922-2016) started out on the CBC and in regional shows such as the Main Street Jamboree, before hitting the bigtime down south as "Cousin Clem," on the fabled Hee Haw TV show. Somewhere along the way he got involved with the Grapevine Opry, a mom'n'pop revue in Dallas, Texas led by performers Chisai Childs and Johnnie High, with backing from Aunt Susie Slaughter. I'm not sure if Tapp was a regular cast member or just a celebrity guest when this souvenir album was made; it features "two sides" of his persona: solid country oldies, augmented by cornball comedy bits such as "I Wouldn't Take Her To A Dog Fight" and that old Hee Haw favorite, "Pffft! You Was Gone." He's backed by members of the Grapevine Opry's house band, including Bud Carter on steel guitar, Pat Dacus (guitar), Jerry Hargrove (bass), Noel Riddle (keyboards), Perry Skidmore (drums), David Tanner (guitar and piano), and fiddler Bob Zelner.

Jimmy Tardif "Retour Au Pays" (Bonanza Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Dennis Champoux)

Jimmy Tardif "L'Amour M'Attend À La Porte" (Jimmy Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Dennis Champoux)

Mona Taylor & Dusty "On The Wings Of The Wind" (Stop Records, 1967-?) (LP)
A husband-wife duo from the northwestern plains, and beyond. Dusty Taylor was originally from Canada, though he grew up in Idaho, while Mona Taylor from South Dakota. This is one of several remarkably obscure LPs put out by the well-connected Stop label, in addition to the slew of singles by equally unknown artists.

The Tennessee Tacos "The Brass I Heard In Nashville" (Arc Sound, 196-?) (LP)
(Produced by D. L. Miller)
Wow... really? This mega-iffy budget-line album took its cues from the equally sketchy Nashville Brass albums, which in turn were applying the Tijuana Brass formula to country-based material. Some of the brassed-up tunes on this album include "Bill Bailey," "Great Speckled Bird," "Crazy," "Jambalaya" and (of course!) "The Tennessee Waltz." You get the general idea, right? No info, alas, on the musicians involved... but I love that band name!

Yvonne Terry & Chef Adams "Show Stoppers" (Arc Records, 1964-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ben Weatherby)

David Thompson "I Never Figured On This" (Diamond Records, 1979-?) (LP)

David Thompson "I Never Figured On This" (Diamond Records, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Chuck Williams)

The Thompson Valley Boys "It's Country Music Style Featuring..." (Kam-Son Records, 196-?) (LP)
(Produced by Harry Kerr & Gordon Rye)
This earnest ensemble from Kamloops, British Columbia regularly performed at a place called the Flying U Guest Ranch, and released their first album in 1960; I believe this was their second LP, recorded for the same label. Although they were billed as the Thompson Valley "Boys," they also had a gal in the lineup: the group included Brian Layland (accordion), Ron Kalmakoff (piano), Gerry Murdy (emcee, rhythm guitar), Gloria Murdy (harmony vocals), Ted Stadnichuk (lead guitar) and Ed Stevens (rhythm guitar). The charmingly down-home album art actually underplays just how clunky and roughshod the band was, plunking out their simple tunes almost note-by-note, with echoes of Ernest Tubb and Johnny Cash -- real barebones, back to basics stuff, with simple, sonically flat production, very much a throwback to 1950s-era honkytonk... I kinda dig it.

Russell Thornberry "Something To Believe" (London Records, 1970) (LP)

Russell Thornberry "One Day Soon" (MCA Records-Canada, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Buck)

Russell Thornberry "Ten Dollar Songs" (Royalty Records, 1976) (LP)

Russell Thornberry "Lonesome In The Saddle" (CD Baby, 2004) (CD)

The Three Reeds "Inside Country (And Western)" (Arc Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ben Weatherby)
Three crazy cats on harmonica -- Harry Cooper, Bob Higgins and Maurice Vint -- playing country classics and contemporary hits such as "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," "Gentle On My Mind" and "Green, Green Grass Of Home." There's also a smidge of Canadian content, with a cover of an early Gordon Lightfoot tune, "I'm Not Sayin'," and a couple of tracks credited to the Reeds themselves.

Billy ThunderKloud & The Chieftones "...Where Do I Begin To Tell The Story..." (Superstar Records, 1972) (LP)
Vincent Clifford, aka "Billy ThunderKloud" was the lead singer for Canada's "all Indian band," who scored a surprise commercial hit with "What Time Of Day," which peaked on the US Country charts in 1975. They never topped that success, but managed to place a few songs on the charts over the next couple of years, and stayed together as a working band for over a decade more.

Billy ThunderKloud & The Chieftones "All Through The Night" (Superstar Records, 1973) (LP)

Billy ThunderKloud & The Chieftones "Off The Reservation" (Superior Records, 19--?) (LP)

Billy ThunderKloud & The Chieftones "Some Of Nashville's Finest" (20th Century, 1974) (LP)

Billy ThunderKloud "I Want To Be Touched By You" (CheyShawnee Records, 1981-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Witte & Joe Mills)
TMI, my friend... TMI.

Red Thurston & The His Country Squires "Country And Western Top Hits" (Masterseal Records, 1963--?) (LP)
A budget label album released in Canada, but of unknown provenance... Was "Red Thurston" a real person? A Canadian? An American...? Who knows! But this is that kind of an album: possibly original recordings, possibly relicensed material from Lord knows where... This does seem to be the only album released under the Red Thurston name, though the label calls out some featured vocalists, a duo called "Jack And Joe" and a guy named Burt Evans; Evans is also credited on a Masterseal album by the equally dubious Clint Harvey, so there may have been a stable of musicians working together on several of these albums. Anyway, this disc is, as advertised, a set of country hits, all twelve tracks covers of country songs released as singles in 1962 by American country stars such as Carl Butler, Roy Drusky, Stonewall Jackson, Kitty Wells, Porter Wagoner, et.al. Perhaps the most intriguing is a cover of Loretta Lynn's "World Of Forgotten People," an obscure number mostly because it came so early in her career and was overshadowed by later, bigger hits. Anybody there who know the real story behind Red Thurston? I'm all ears.

Elmer Tippe "I Found A Song" (Cynda Records, 1971) (LP)
A Canadian radio host and country singer from Alberta, Elmer Tippe started his career in the late 1940s, playing fiddle in a band with his brothers, and was later a featured member of ex-rocker Rudy Hayden's late-'60s band, playing on Hayden's 1967 album, The 401. He broke out as a solo artist on this self-released album, establishing a strong regional following in British Columbia, both as a broadcaster and as a recording artist. He charted a few modest singles in the '70s and was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002. His son, Rick Tippe, also became a country artist, recording several albums in the 1990s and '00s.

Elmer Tippe "...And His Supercountry Band" (Roadside Records, 1980-?) (LP)

Elmer Tippe "Dreams Of A Dreamer " (Roadside Records, 1982) (LP)

Elmer Tippe & Supercountry "Do It In The Sand" (Roadside Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Harold F. Wainwright)

Elmer Tippe "Charlie The Trucker" (Roadside Records, 1983) (LP)

Rick Tippe "Shoulda Seem Her Comin' " (Roadside Records, 1994) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Pomeroy)

Rick Tippe "Get Hot Or Go Home" (Moon Tan Records, 1996) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Pomeroy)

Rick Tippe "Shiver And Shake" (Moon Tan Records, 2001) (LP)
(Produced by Raymond Arthur Harvey, Chris Rolin & Rick Tippe)

Tom & Curt "It's About Time" (T&C Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Filchak)
A Canadian duo -- guitar picker Tom Price and bass player Curt Stuckert -- who recorded mostly country stuff on this album, including songs like "Grandma's Feather Bed," "Rocky Top" and "Luckenbach, Texas," along with some seemingly out of place pop vocals material (such as a Charles Azavanour song...) No info on these guys, other than that this was recorded at a studio in Alberta. John B. Lacey, who co-produced the album listed below, plays trumpet on their version of Tom T. Hall's "Ravishing Ruby."

Tom & Curt "Sure Thing" (T&C Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Price & John B. Lacey)
As on their other album, a mix of country stuff -- such as Bobby Bare's "Tequila Sheila" -- along with pop/rock oldies like "Wipeout" and "Pretty Woman."

Eleanor Townsend "Mrs. Country Fiddle" (Marathon Records, 197-?) (LP)

Eleanor Townsend "Mrs. Country Fiddle" (Marathon Records, 1974) (LP)
An instrumental set from Canadian fiddler Eleanor Townsend, with several songs credited to Mrs. Townsend, as well as to her husband, Graham Townsend, with whom she toured and recorded. Mr. Townsend's father, Fred Townsend, worked as a caller in Don Messer's dance group, and also led a family band, The Townsend Family, with Graham and Eleanor as cast members.

Eleanor Townsend "Lark Of The Morning" (Condor Records, 19--?) (LP)

Eleanor Townsend & Graham Townsend "Live At Barre, Vermont" (Condor Records, 1981) (LP)

Graham Townsend "...And His Fiddle" (Banff Records, 19--?) (LP)

Doug Trineer & The Hackamores "...Sings The Hits Of Roger Miller And Buck Owens" (Point Records, 196-?) (LP)

Floyed Turcotte "Country" (Banff Records, 196-?) (LP)
A young fella at the time this album was made, Floyed Turcotte was a Hank Snow devotee who was born in Pembroke, Ontario in 1945 and moved to Edmonton in the early 1960s. Some of the songs on this album were originals, though not all the tracks include composer credits; it looks like Side Two is original, newer material, while Side One is all classic covers. Two songs, "Hawaiian Queen" and "Walking, Wondering" are attributed to Turcotte, while a third, "You Take The Future," is credited to someone identified simply as Glocer. Turcotte's slavish imitation of Snow is a little bit silly, but it's good music nonetheless. Nice, concise steel playing, with somewhat more expressive fiddle -- unfortunately none of the backing musicians are identified, though I imagine they may have been part of a house band employed by the label.

The Tyler Twins "The Tyler Twins" (Checkmate Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Saunders)
A Canadian duo from Edmonton, the Tylers had an obvious Everly Brothers fixation, covering a few of their songs on here and modeling themselves on Don and Phil's legacy. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you!!) There are also some original songs, including "There Ain't No Country Girls Anymore" and "Livin' Next Door To Alice."

Hick Music Index
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