European Country Albums, Letter "C" -- Joe Sixpack's Guide To Hick Music

Country music is everywhere, even in the erudite intellectual aeries of Europe... In fact, there's so much of the stuff, I barely know a fraction of it. This section includes a bunch of random bluegrass and country bands from across the European continent, although I'm aware there are many, many other artists and albums not currently on my radar. Also, separate sections exist for Germany and The United Kingdom and Ireland which have their own large, impressive country scenes, though many of those albums may also be included here. And trust me, once I crack the code and find all the records, France, Croatia and Lichtenstein will all get their own twang guides, too! (PS: I apologize for not being able to support umlauts and schwas and other special characters and for making all your languages look so very not right. I'm just not smart enough for all that technical-type stuff!)

This page covers the Letter "C."

EUROPEAN COUNTRY:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X, Y & Z | Comps

Canyon "Canyon" (Nature Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Gerhard Kampfe)
A German band with fluid boundaries between country and rock, though with a definite country direction... The trio included Manfred Wetterich (guitar), Wolfgang Ronsch (guitar, mandolin) and Achim Dresch (keyboards and harmonica) with additional backing by a slew of musicians, ranging from trumpets to pedal steel. Songs include "Brother Hobo," "Cowboy Song," "Don't Join A Rock'N'Roll Band" and a cover of the Beatles' "I've Just Seen A Face." An earlier iteration of this band cut an album under the name Itcheyfoot, as a more modest, bluegrass-y trio.

Gilbert Caranhac & Le Bluegrass Connection "Special Instrumental: Le Dobro" (Le Chant Du Monde, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Jean Clair & Clement Ziegler)
Dobro player Gilbert Caranhac was a central figure in a French bluegrass/new acoustic clique that also included Pierre Bensusan, Mick Larie and American banjo guru Bill Keith. He led the band Bluegrass Connection, which backs him here and also recorded and performed in a few other permutations, including as New Bluegrass Connection, and also simply as Connection, a couple of years later.

Cattings "Till Tusen" (Rondo Records, 1974) (LP)
I'm honestly a bit leery of this Swedish schlager band, which may have been a bit more "pop" than I'd prefer. But this album does include a song called "Country Paradise," and they peppered their subsequent records with at least a few covers of American country songs. Let's put a pin in it for now...

Chano "Home On The Ranch" (Mermaid Music, 1988) (LP)
(Produced by Ole Baek)
Danish Country picker Chano Tietze worked with singer Teddy Edelmann for several years, first in the awkwardly-named quartet, "Teddy, Chano, Jan & John," and then as a duet. I'm not sure if Edelmann is performing on this Chano solo set, but he's credited on a couple of tracks as an arranger. Some country stuff, some jazz/pop standards, a little old-school American rock.

Chano "Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends" (Chano Records, 2014) (LP)
(Produced by Teddy Edelmann)
Another mostly-instrumental set, a blend of country and pop standards with Chano Tietze on guitar, backed by Basse Berquist (bass), Lone Groth (vocals), Steen Hansen (guitar), Eric Husum (drums), and Nils Tuxen on dobro and steel guitar.

Long Chris & Les Daltons "1: Qui Te Le Dira" (Philips, 1962-?) (7") (EP)

Long Chris & Les Daltons "2: Je Reviendrai" (Philips, 1962-?) (7") (EP)

Long Chris & Les Daltons "3: Ma Guitare Et Mes Bottes" (Philips, 1962-?) (7") (EP)
One of several EPs recorded by French-language singer Long Chris, who appears to have been from France... at least that's where these 45s were manufactured... maybe he was French-Canadian? Anyway, this was the band's third EP, with a lineup that includes Claude Garden (harmonica), Stephen Michelson (guitar), Terry Theriault (banjo) and Peter Watson on 12-string guitar.

Coleen & Kaktus "We'll Dance Tonight" (EMI Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Trygve Thue)
A poppy, sort-of country band from Norway, showcasing lead singer Colleen Sanden, a Bergen lass who had a chirpy, Olivia Newton-John-ish affect, singing in English, though her intonations and phrasing are a little odd. The Kaktus band seems to have had legit country chops, but this album is dominated by tacky pop material that they had to work around, cheerfully injecting solid steel and twangy guitar into otherwise trite, jittery arrangements. The group included two former members of Clive Scott's band, The Skywegians: guitarist Kjell Birkeland and steel player and accordionist Harald Dyb (who was also in the early '70s art-prog/folk-rock band Hole In The Wall) as well as Helge Fredheim (drums), Roald Nordanger (bass). Alas, this combo doesn't seem to have done anything on their own, and this somewhat iffy little record was their main legacy. A mixed bag... probably meant to come off as a Scandinavian Juice Newton, but it's all just a little too awkward.

Connection "Correspondance" (Cezame Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Christophe Bertoux & Jean-Pierre Bameulle)
A very cool bluegrass fusion album, with a rejiggered lineup of the Bluegrass Connection band listed above. The driving forces of Gilbert Caranhac and Jean-Jacques Milteau are carryovers, joined here by Laurent Gerome on pedal steel, Jean-Claude Guillot (piano and synthesizer), Eric Kristy (guitar, kazoo and vocals), Gerard Lavigne (bass), Roger Secco on drums, and a trio of violinists: Claire Liret, Danny Vriet, and the mysteriously mononymic Mathias. This is a nice album: the sophisticated melodic arrangements recall the work of their fellow countryman Pierre Bensusan, simultaneously embracing, evolving and transcending the bluegrass form. Worth checking out!

The Country Bats "Country Bats" (WAM Records, 1974) (LP)
Way back in the early 'Sixties, the Bats was originally a "beat" band that played in Hamburg's fabled Star-Club, back in the days when the amphetamine-powered Beatles walked the land wearing pegged jeans and motorcycle jackets. A decade later, two original members of the Bats, Peter Bosch and Waldemar Kropp, reconstituted the group as a twangband, with Claus "Opa" Eckhardt of the band Truck-Stop as lead vocalist. Though there are some cover tunes, notably Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Morning Coming Down" and a version of the twee twang hit "Tippy Toeing," by The Harden Trio, most of the material was original stuff penned by Tiny Hagen, Jurgen Maass and Peter Wehrspann, all of who played in the band. The full lineup included Peter Bosch on bass and guitar, Tiny Hagen (harmonica), Waldemar Kropp (acoustic guitar), Alan Milner (piano), Norbert Muller (bass), Jurgen Maass (dobro and steel guitar), Renate Kalus (violin), Dieter V. Bargen (banjo), Uli Rademacher (harmonica and vocals), drummer Klaus Sasse, and WAM label owner Peter Wehrspann on piano.

Country Minstrels "Sommaron" (Haparanda Records, 1974) (LP)
First formed by steel guitarist Janne Lindgren back in 1964, Country Minstrels are said to have been Sweden's first homegrown country band. Although the group came together way back when, they mostly seem to have released singles and EPs back in their 'Sixties heyday, although there might be some old LPs out there we just aren't aware of yet. In the mid-1970s, the band recorded a string of albums for a West German label, Haparanda Records, with singer-songwriter Kjell Isaksson as a guiding force. About half the songs n here are originals, mostly Isaksson's own compositions; he also provided the Swedish-language translations of several American country songs borrowed from the likes of Ray Griff, Tom T. Hall, Bobby G. Rice and Justin Tubb.

Country Minstrels "Music For A Country Girl" (Haparanda Records, 1974-?) (LP)
Judging from the artwork, and even the label's adjacent catalog numbers, this album seems to have been recorded and released contemporaneously with the Sommaron album above. The lead singers for this set were Kjell Isaksson and Britt-Mari Anderzon, and I'm sure it's no coincidence that the painted album art makes them looks like Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash... Not entirely sure about the release date, but '74 seems like a good bet.

Country Minstrels "Country Minstrels" (Haparanda Records, 197--?) (LP)
The album art looks suspiciously like one of those "honky tonk piano" albums that I have so studiously avoided for all these years.

Country Minstrels "Country Minstrels" (Sound Of Scandinavia, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Janne Lindgren & David Medlock)

Country Minstrels "Country Palace" (CM Records, 1984) (LP)

Country Minstrels & Michal Tucny "Country Minstrels And Michal Tucny" (Steel Guitar Music, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Eva Lindgren & Janne Lindgren)
Here the band backs Czech country singer Michal Tucny, who had quite a prolific career of his own... This album seems to have come out on a short-lived label started by steel player Janne Lindgren.

Country Ramblers (Swiss) "Lonesome Sound" (CR Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Georg Anderegg)
A remarkably prolific Swiss bluegrass/twang band that performed and recorded through the 1970s. The group included a versatile cast of multi-instrumentalists whose skills overlapped -- so good luck figuring out who did that one hot solo you enjoyed on any given track. This lineup included Roland Ambühl (on banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin), Erwin Bucher (guitar and mandolin), Tom Matejovsky (guitar and mandolin), Daniel Perret (autoharp and guitar... also flute... and bagpipes(!), and Urs Von Arx playing banjo and guitar. There are, unsurprisingly, other bands using the same name

Country Ramblers (Swiss) "Bellvue Square Dance" (CR Records, 1973) (LP)

Country Ramblers (Swiss) "Daybreak" (Music Club Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by P. J. MacTaggart)

Country Ramblers (Swiss) "Heartbreakers" (Music Club Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Bernard Henrion)

Country Ramblers (Swiss) "The Best" (Gold Records, 1978) (LP)

Country Ramblers (Swiss) "America (Where We've Never Been Before)" (Gold Records, 1978) (LP)

Country Ramblers (Swiss) "Bluegrass Festival In The Sky" (Gold Records, 1981) (LP)

Country Ramblers (Swiss) "15 Golden Years: 1970-1985" (Gold Records, 1985) (LP)

Country Ramblers (Swiss) "Picking The Line" (Gold Records, 1987) (LP)

Country Ramblers (Dutch) "Old-Time Country Music And Bluegrass" (Foon Records, 1972) (LP)
A Dutch bluegrass and old-timey band from the town of Kampen, just east of Amsterdam. The group included Jan Nuyen on bass, Jan Roelofs (guitar), Berry Selles (banjo and guitar), Lody Van Vlodrop (banjo, viola) and Paul Van Vlodrop playing mandolin. The first three members seem to have taken turns as lead vocalists, while the Van Vlodrops are both listed as "achtergrondzangers," or backup singers. (You learn something new every day!) This debut album includes nods to the Carter Family ("Bring Back My Blue Eyed Boy," "I'm A Stern Old Bachelor," "Keep On The Sunny Side"), Gid Tanner ("Back Up And Push") and many others, including a lot of public domain standards. The band played together throughout the 1970s, and possibly beyond... kinda hard to tell from way over here.

Country Ramblers (Dutch) "Country Ramblers" (WAM Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Peter Wehrspann)
As it turned out, it was one of the humble achtergrondzangers banjo plunker Lody Van Vlodrop moved up into a more central role as the group pared down into a foursome. Indeed, this fulsome liner notes explain that the band first formed in 1971, with founder Jan Roelofs envisioning it as a strictly old-timey band, though Lody Van Vlodrop (who first came in as a fiddler) steered them towards a more inclusive, bluegrass-friendly path. This lineup included Jan Nuyen (credited on mandolin), Jan Roelofs (guitar), Lody Van Vlodrop (banjo and fiddle), and another newcomer, guitarist Dick Wonnick. While their first album came out in Holland, this one was on a German label.

Country Ramblers (Dutch) "Head Over Heels" (WAM Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Peter Wehrspann)

Country Ramblers (Dutch) "Country Ramblers With Byron Berline" (Racoon Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Andre Van Miert & Lody Van Vlodrop)
Oooh! Quite a coup, landing a session with American fiddle legend Byron Berline... He plays the violin, of course, with Henry Nuyen now the band's lead singer and guitarist, along with Jan Nuyen (bass), Lody Van Vlodrop (banjo) and Paul Van Vlodrop (mandolin). Lody Van Vlodrop, who had been chatted up in the liner notes of the last two albums, seems to have emerged as the clear creative force behind the band and its musical direction. At any rate, fans of Byron Berline might wanna check this one out.

Country Fours "Basta" (Amigo Records, 196--?) (LP)
More of a folkie thing, despite the band's name... This Swedish folk-pop band covered 'Sixties folkies such as Tom Paxton and Malvina Reynolds, albeit translated into Swedish. Although I assume this was a '60s release, it's possible it came out as late as the early 1970s. No info about the band members, though this was a quartet made up of three guys and one gal... any additional info is welcome!