Rhett Sanborn "Miss America I'm Calling You" (Polyvox Records, 1976) (LP)
Rhett Sanborn "At High Chaparral" (High Chaparral Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Goran Sandquist)
I'm not 100% sure if Rhett Sanborn was European or American, but this set was recorded at a studio in Elstad, Sweden...
Cato Sanden "Cato Sanden" (Plateselskapet A/S, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Saetre, Cato Sanden & Roger Valstad)
After his country-rock band Flyvende Nordmenn (The Flying Norwegians) broke up, multi-instrumentalist Cato Sanden set out on a highly successful solo career, recording a string of well-liked country albums. The Flying Norwegians, who had also backed '70s singer Teddy Nelson, reunited in 1996, with Sanden in the lineup, and again for one last tour in 2005. This was his first solo album, an award-winnng country record which was soon followed by the chart-busting followup, Living Today, which was the most popular Norwegian album of 1986.
Cato Sanden "Living Today" (Plateselskapet A/S, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Age Aleksandersen, Cato Sanden & Roger Valstad)
Cato Sanden "Once A Hero" (Plateselskapet A/S, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Eirik Hundvin, Rune Nordal, & Cato Sanden)
Cato Sanden "Skal For Dette Landet" (Plateselskapet A/S, 1989) (LP)
(Produced by Cato Sanden)
Cato Sanden "My Country" (Plateselskapet A/S, 1991) (LP)
(Produced by Eirik Hundvin, Cato Sanden & Bil VornDick)
Cato Sanden "New Steps" (Casa Music, 1993) (LP)
(Produced by David Aasheim, Eirik Hundvin & Cato Sanden)
Cato Sanden "Crossroads Of My Life" (Dialog Foss Records, 1999) (LP)
(Produced by Cato Sanden)
Cato Sanden "Cross My Heart" (Showtime Records, 2001) (LP)
(Produced by Cato Sanden)
Schovanky "Number One" (Bonton Records, 1991)
(Produced by Frantisek Francl & Lubos Novacek)
An all-gal country band from Czechoslovakia, Schovanky was founded in 1971 but apparently didn't record until two decades later(!) Jeez... Talk about a sexist music industry. It was worth the wait, though, since these gals had both musical chops as well as good taste: they cover several female artists, including a couple of Dolly Parton songs, one from Jeannie Kendall, and also a version of Guy Clark's "Heartbroke." So, clearly, they knew what they were doing. The band served as a proving ground for a whole wagonload of Czech cowgals, though this lineup included Dana Hackerova (vocals), Lida Helligerova (guitar), Vera Kocilsova (fiddle and keyboards), Hana Lounova (vocals), Jana Maraskova (drums), Alena Solatova (bass) and Mila Solatova, who is decscribed as the band's leader, on banjo and guitar.
Christian Seguret "Old Fashioned Love" (Cezame Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Denis Phan & Bruno Menny)
French bluegrass guitarist Christian Seguret hosts an all-star lineup of several pickers in the Cezame label's orbit: Denis Blanchard (dobro), Herve De Sainte-Foy (bass), Jean-Claude Druot (guitar), Daniel Olivier (banjo), Danny Vriet (fiddle), and others, as well as a compliment of visiting Americans, including Bill Keith, Mike Lilly and Wendy Miller. Seguret plays both guitar and mandolin on these sessions. A cool set list, including some old honkytonk and western swing tunes...
The Bobby Setter Band "A Touch Of Country" (Monopole Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bobby Setter & Luc Derdin)
Belgian showband leader Bobby Setter was not primarily a country artist, but like many European showbands, his group covered a lot of territory, and frequently mixed twangtunes into their albums. This particular album was devoted mostly-entirely to country stuff, with covers of "Okie From Muskogee," and a Boudeleaux Bryant song called "Kentucky Calling," as well as a ton of tunes from songwriter Doug Zepp, which I assume were originals commissioned for this record. Anyway, this album was pitched as a country, so it merits mention here... As for all the others... well... you'll have to sort through those yourself.
Egil Skjelnes & Dag Wolf "Med Steel" (Creative Sound AS, 1988)
(Produced by Torleif Iversen)
A pretty groovy instrumental album featuring dual pedal steel from Norwegian steel players Egil Skjelnes and Dag Wolf, buoyed by a bunch of talented Scandinavian twangsters. Both of these picker played on a lot of other albums; Dag Wolf later formed a group called Country Action, along with singer Lief Aase. A real who's-who of Norwegian country pickers on here, including Kjell Birkeland, Jan Ove Hommel and Cato Sanden, to name but a few.
Egil Skjelnes "Steelig Musikk" (Rocade Records, 1999)
Egil Skjelnes "Steel On My Mind" (Rocade Records, 2010)
Helge Steinsland "Havstrilen" (Hot Line Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Cato Sanden)
Perhaps a bit on the borderline, this Norwegian pop-country set has a singalong quality that tilts a bit in the direction of schlager, but there is a distinctively country feel as well, punctuated by solid pedal steel and a thumping, loping country beat. This seems to have been the lone album from the otherwise obscure Helge Steinsland, a fairly clunky singer who nonetheless got backing from Cato Sanden and some of his compatriots from the band Flying Norwegians and from steel player Egil Skjelnes, who cut a few albums of his own, and later formed a band called Coastline, along with bassist Johannes Torkelsen. Maybe a bit iffy, but not bad.
Ben Steneker & The Lowland Singers "Country And Western" (CNR Records, 1970) (LP)
Born way back in 1935, Dutch honkytonker Ben Steneker began his recording career in the early 1960s, but apparently this was his first full album -- he only put out singles and EPs for the better part of a decade.
Ben Steneker "Songs Of The Road" (CNR Records, 1980) (LP)
Ben Steneker "Hello Again" (Killroy Special Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Limpens)
Ben Steneker "Take A Ride In The Country With Me" (Killroy Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Conny Peters)
Ben Steneker "Loving You" (Sky Records, 1985)
Ben Steneker "Sweet Memories" (Sky Records, 1986)
Ben Steneker "Heart To Heart" (Telstar Records, 1989)
(Produced by Fred Limpens & John van de Ven)
Ben Steneker "Ben Steneker" (CNR Records, 1989)
(Produced by John Paay)
Ben Steneker "Part Of Me" (Sky Records, 1991)
Ben Steneker "Route 65" (Sky Records, 2000)
Ben Steneker "Songs About Love" (Sky Records, 2002)
Ben Steneker & Carmen Steneker "Like Father, Like Daughter" (Rood Hit Blauw Records, 2005)
Carmen Steneker "Country Fever" (Dutch Flower Collection Records, 2001) (LP)
The daughter of Dutch country star Ben Steneker, Carmen Steneker had launched her own solo career a few years before forming a duo act with her father. This seems to have been her first album, recorded with a small, compact band; the set includes a duet with her father, "The Last One To Break My Heart," which was certainly a hint of things to come.
Carmen Steneker "Slow(e)motions" (Dutch Flower Collection Records, 2003) (LP)
Carl Swanson "Mandolino - Texas Country" (Texas Country Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Juliana Guernsey & Mickey Moody)
Norwegian-born mandolin whiz Carl Swanson emigrated to the United States while he was pretty young -- he played in Bradley Kincaid's band back in 1935 and was working in a duo act when World War Two broke out and he joined the Air Force. After the war he and his wife formed an act, Jane and Carl, aka "Mr. & Mrs. Sunshine." They cut a string of singles for MGM; also during the early 'Fifties Mr. Swanson was working as a popular radio deejay. Fast forward a couple of decades, and Mr. Swanson seems to have been living in Texas when he finally cut this album -- his first -- taped at a studio in Houston, when he was all of 69 years old. The set list is heavy on real-deal oldies, tunes like "No Letter Today," "In A Little Spanish Town," "Nobody's Darling But Mine," and Rex Griffin's "The Last Letter," as well as one original by Mr. Swanson, "Mellow Music," and closes with one by Hilsen Fra Oss, who I'm just guessing was somebody from the Old Country. The lineup was Carl Swanson on mandolin, with Jerry Holloway (piano), Donnie King (bass), Dahryl Norris (drums), and steel player Bob Tuttle. Swanson also put out a single on Texas Country a couple years later, with two of his own songs, "Overworked And Underpaid" and "Dancing Mandolins," which was apparently used in a regional TV ad. a couple of singes were also broken off of this LP, with all the songs from the album.
Kenneth Swanstrom & His Jamboree "Rockin' Tiger" (Kountry Korall Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Per Ake Blohm)
Inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis, Swedish piano player Kenneth Swanstrom started out in the 1950s as a straight-up rocker, switching to piano in the 'Sixties, and "went country" later on, forming his band The Jamboree in 1971 to pursue a more conventionally twangy sound. On this album he's backed by a compact band with Lasse Fredrikssonon drums, bassist Mick Grimwade and Ronnie Jillebo on guitar. Wild but true: Swanstrom actually died on stage, playing at a rock'n'roll revival show in 2003.
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!)
