Gary Allen "Stars And Bars" (PMI Records/Prime Music Incorporated, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Joseph Cesare & Robert M. Durazzo)
A really great set of smoothly-produced but totally robust modernized honkytonk, with debts to Moe Bandy, Marty Robbins, and others. I'm pretty sure this is not the same Gary Allen who hit the Top Forty scene in the early 2000s, though there's really not much to go on infowise as far as this album goes -- no musician credits, no date, no address, etc. It looks like a late 'Eighties outing, though apparently Mr. Allen had a recording career dating back to the 1960s, and was briefly signed to Capitol Records around 1970. He was for sure working in Arizona when this album came out, as the front cover gives shout-outs to a couple dozen nightclubs scattered throughout the state, and a Tucson address for PMI Records is given on the inner sleeve. Sadly there are also no composer credits, though I'm guessing these were all Allen's own originals. Fortunately, the music speaks for itself, and this is a very strong, very enjoyable album, one of those discs that make you wonder why some folks make it while other don't... Definitely worth a spin!

Rags Allen "After Hours With Rags Allen" (2005) (LP)
A solo set by pianist Rags Allen, a versatile musician who played with a wide variety of rock, pop and country artists. This set isn't very twangy, packed with pop standards such as "The In Crowd," "Misty" and "Say A Little Prayer," with a version of Floyd Cramer's "Last Date" being just about the only officially "country" song in the batch... But having backed folks like Charley Pride, Marty Robbins, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, he'd earned the right to play whatever fancy-pants, big-city, easy listening stuff he wanted... I'm not sure how many recording sessions he was in, though he can be spotted in the early 'Seventies touring with itinerant bandleader Al Perry. I'm also not sure where Allen was originally from, but he settled down in Arizona and self-released several other CD-era albums, and was inducted into the Arizona Nightclub Performers Hall of Fame.

Rex Allen -- see artist profile

Apache Spirit "Indian Cowboy" (Apache Spirit Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Jose A. Chavez)
A nice set of mellow, mostly acoustic country tunes from a Native American band out of Whiteriver, Arizona, inside the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, near Phoenix. I really like the vibe on this disc -- it's totally laid back and chill, just some regular folks playing some of their favorite songs with a sense of good cheer all around. There are two originals credited to Evelyn J. Ethelbah, "Weekend Woman" and the title track, "Indian Cowboy." It seems likely she is also one of the band's lead singers, simply listed as Lee in the liner notes. The other musicians also use nicknames: Midnight plays lead guitar and pedal steel, Paschal plays bass, and Apache Boy is on drums. The other songs are cover tunes, a mix of country and pop hits, along with a few oldies such as "Bring It On Home" and "La Bamba." One of my favorite tracks is the strummy cover of Van Morrison's "Gloria," which really sounds like a guy sitting around at a house party banging away on an acoustic guitar, very simple but heartfelt and real. Other tracks include Bonnie Bramblett's "Never Ending Song," "Delta Dawn" and "Hello Trouble," from the Buck Owens catalog, as well as one track called "Apache Mexico," where they didn't know the composer, but credit the arrangement to guitarist Midnight. A nice, unpretentious album... definitely worth a spin!

Apache Spirit "Keep Movin' On" (Apache Spirit Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Jose A. Chavez & Herman E. Martinez)
Mainly a straight-up country covers set, with plenty of classics such as "Ashes Of Love," "Help Me Make It Thru The Night," "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad," and "Silver Threads And Golden Needles," although the title track, "Keep Movin' On," is not a Hank Snow cover, but rather one of two originals credited to Matthew J. Ethelbah, along with the super-cosmic sounding "Everything Will Always Be Together," which kicks off Side Two. They also cover a Jimi Hendrix oldie ("Fire") so it ain't all country stuff on here... Also worth noting are the album's bilingual liner notes, which are written in both Apachean script and English translations...

Apache Spirit "Volume Three" (Apache Spirit Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Jose A. Chavez)
Mixing things up a little, Apache Spirit play all country songs on Side One ("Pass Me By," "Rainy Day Woman," "Together Again") and a diverse selection of rock'n' pop covers on Side Two ("Brown Eyed Girl," Santana's "Black Magic Woman," BTO's "Takin' Care Of Business" and Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day"). As on their previous albums, the band is identified only by nicknames and first names: Apache Boy (guitar), Darrell (drums), Lee (vocals), Midnite (lead guitar and steel) and Paschal (bass)

Apache Spirit "El Mosquito Medley (And Other Spanish Favorites, 19--?)" (Alta Vista Records) (LP)

Arizona Mountaineers "...At Home" (BIRC Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by John Diana)
A laid-back but rural bluegrass group from Tuscon, Arizona with a taste for contemporary country and western swing, the Arizona Mountaineers featured Fred Eaton (bass), Phil Egleston (banjo), Don Johnston (fiddle) and Don Matlock on guitar. They were all native Arizonans, except(?) Egleston, and apparently played their fair share of local gigs, including at local bars. Not surprising, then, they include honkytonk hits like "Goodhearted Woman" and "Is Anybody Going To San Antone" as well as softer country stuff such as the Statler Brothers' "Bed Of Rose's" alongside all the stringband standards like "Foggy Mountain Breakdown, "Maiden's Prayer" and "Black Mountain Rag." Not a lot of info about these guys, though apparently Egleston had been around forever, as seen in a 1961 show notice of a folk-revival era hootenanny headlined by Peggy Seeger. I imagine they all played in other bands at various times, but wasn't able to track that info down.

Arizona Outlaws "On The Road" (1979) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Monnett)
This long-lived band from Central Arizona was led by pedal steel player Jim Monnett, with Danny Monnett on lead guitar, Don Carson on piano, some fiddle and mandolin by Maverick Homes, and vocals by Jim Monnett, Kathy West and bassist Bob Lewis. The album includes covers of classics by Rodney Crowell, Whitey Schafer and Hank Thompson, as well as a wealth of original material. There are four songs written by Ken Patrick, a friend of the band who had apparently passed away before the was released, including "Can't Get You Out Of My Mind," "Listen Heart," "Outlaw Night Train" and "Running To The River." Jim Monnett contributed two songs, "Arizona Outlaw Theme" and "Spaced Out Cowboy" while Bob Lewis penned one called "Free Man Again." The lineup changed a few times, but Monnett kept the band together well into the 2010s, playing local festivals, county fairs and other community-oriented gigs, although I think this was the group's only album.

Arrow Memphis "Arrow Memphis" (Intermountain, 1980) (LP)
Originally from Saint Louis, Missouri, these guys moved to Tucson, Arizona in the late '70s when the desert's country-rock scene was really hot... They became mainstays of the local scene, and at the time they made this album, were the houseband at the Stumble Inn honkytonk bar. Lead singer Steve Williams bought a smooth, James Taylor-ish voice to front a solid outlaw country sound -- he later broke into the Nashville songwriting racket, penning several Top Forty hits, including "Redneck Yacht Club" (a chart-topper for Craig Morgan) and "Where Have I Been All My Life," which was recorded by George Strait. And here's Williams and his pals, back in their longhaired glory... Pretty good stuff, though you can sure hear the commercial, Top 40 aspirations in there as well.

Jim Bing "This Is Jim Bing" (Universal Audio, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by John Michaelson)
Originally from Wisconsin, rockabilly/frat rock veteran Jim Bing had been living in Arizona for several years when he recorded this album of pop and country covers. The country stuff includes stuff like "Proud Mary," "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," "For The Good Times" and "You Don't Mess Around With Jim," placing this undated album somewhere around 1973 or thereabouts. His old band, The Valiants, are faves of the rockabilly/retro set, and recorded several sizzling tunes back in the '60s.

Jim Bing "Keep On Singing" (DB Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Bing & Fred Stevenson)
This appears to be mainly cover tunes -- the title track might be an original by co-composers Bobby Hart and Danny Janssen -- but it's mainly cover tunes, with songalong standards such as Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain," John Rostill's "Let Me Be There," "After The Lovin'," "Lucille," and other '60s/'70s faves. Jim Bing plays lead guitar, backed by Jay Mitchell on bass, Fred Stevenson (rhythm guitar), Susie Stevenson (synthesizer), and Mike Valentine on drums.

James Bingle "Solely James Bingle" (Bingle Records, 196-?) (LP)
(Produced by James Bingle)
Primitive, earthy and immediate, this rough-hewn bluesy acoustic country music shows a strong, undeniable Jimmie Rodgers influence. Details are pretty sparse, but according to the guy selling this unicorn on eBay, Mr. Bingle was a street musician who self-released only a few dozen copies of this oddly compelling album. There's no cover art, and the erratically-designed inner label credits him as sole author and composer of all the material. Tracking down his BMI entity, J-B Music Publishing, I believe his full name was James Freemont Bingle (1971-2013) and Arkansas native who later moved to Southern California and became known as "the Cabazon Cowboy." While some of these songs were registered as early as 1962, Mr. Bingle was still copywriting his music as late as 1971-72, so this album may be of a later vintage than it seems. The main thread seems to be his 1962 song, "At Our House," which is broken up on the album into three separate tracks, in perhaps sort of a song cycle, along with "Cottage For Two," "Bye For Now," "Our Yesterday" and others. Bingle also includes a few instrumentals, odd, chunky meanderings that take his country-blues style into interesting directions. He was no John Fahey, to be sure, but he did sound unique. (Note" the album's "title" was a judgement call: I took it from the handwritten script printed on both sides of the label; alternately, it could be titled "Words And Music by James Bingle," which is what appears in typeface.) Apparently Mr. Bingle was an accomplished self-taught luthier, and handmade several guitars modeled after the Martin company's style.

The Bonanzas "A Night With The Bonanzas" (Copre Records, 19--?)
An Arizona-based band, with members Bobby Bower, Barney Carl and John Spaugh... They sang covers of mainstream country tunes, though they were definitely longhairs. Probably a bar-band somewhere, though I haven't dug up their history yet.

Jim Brady "Get Along" (JB Records, 1979-?) (LP)
I'm not sure if this it the same guy as Diamond Jim Brady (below) though he sure looks like it in the album photos -- wolfish, dark-haired, etc. The liner notes tell us this was Brady's first album, and provide an address in Denver, though ex-rocker Diamond Jim was an Arizona native. (The liners also mention him playing gigs in Arizona, so perhaps he'd moved to Colorado for a while in the 'Seventies?) Anyway, a bunch of cover tunes here, including stuff by Kris Kristofferson, Roy Orbison, Bob Wills and others -- even one by Billy Joel! yikes! -- as well as a couple of originals by Mr. Brady, "Evil Woman" and "Honey, It's Raining In Utah," which kick off the album. No musician credits, alas, though Brady gives thanks to several guys who may have been backing him(?) including Ken Long, whose tune "Get Along" appears to be the album's third original.

Jim Brady "Brady" (Roc-co Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Otis Blackwell)
Although Arizona rocker "Diamond" Jim Brady had been a professional musician since the late '50s, he worked mostly as a sideman, notably for Roy Clark in the early '60s and several years touring with B. J. Thomas. This disc, from the mid-1980s, was his solo debut, and it has a 'Fifties rock feel, though there is a bit of twang in there as well. The album was produced by R&B legend Otis Blackwell, the guy who wrote seminal rock classics such as "All Shook Up," "Don't Be Cruel," "Fever," "Great Balls Of Fire," and "Return To Sender." Half the songs on this album were Blackwell compositions, but newer tunes, like "Paralize" and "Just Keep It Up." Also of interest (and more off the beaten track) is a song by Jack Quist ("Her Love's On Hold") and one by a guy named O. D. Fulks... (Any relation to Robbie? Lord only knows... but wouldn't that be cool?)

Randy Brook "One More Highway" (Takoma-Devi Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Don Davis)
This one's a little more folkie than the type of country I'm into, but I wanted to keep it on the radar because Arizona alterna-twangster Shep Cooke is one of the backing musicians, playing bass and "harmonics" (harmonica?) and there's also a credit for "The Phantom Slide Dobro Player," which sure sounds mysterious. Plus, it's on Takoma... so that's major cool factor just to begin with!

Junior Brown -- see artist profile

Brent Burns "Brent Burns" (Wolfhound Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Williams)
A twangy solo set from ex-rocker Brent Burns, one of the founding members of the Phoenix, Arizona garage-psych band The Grapes Of Wrath, who were together from 1967-73. Burns previously cut a few early 'Seventies singles under his own name, including the topical oil crisis tune "No Crude, No Food," which is reprised on this album as "Cheaper Crude Or No More Food," with a more explicit title, in case the original message was too oblique. He pursues more rural themes on tracks like "Country Lady," "Boots Don't Make A Cowboy," "My Old Country Roads" and "Damned Good Thing (Momma Can't See Me Now)." This appears to have been his recording swan song, although the Grapes of Wrath staged annual reunions well into the late 1990s and eventually released a collection of their old recordings during the CD era. On this album Brent Burns is backed by Rick Gilbreath on piano, Mike McClain (bass and piano), Dave Messel (bass), and Billy Williams on guitar.

Russell Burriss "Just Happen To Have It Along" (Rustler Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Peters & Ron Livingston)
A competitive fiddler who won the Arizona state championship in 1976, '77 and '78. He's joined by fellow musicians on bass, drums, guitar, piano and steel guitar, so I guess he wasn't that into keeping things hyper-traditional.

The Camp Family "Putting The Western Back In The Country" (Triple C Recordings, 1981) (LP) (LP)
(Produced by Chuck Camp)
A family-run dude-ranch band which also recorded under the name of the Triple C Chuck Wagon Stage Show. The group was led by Charles R. Camp and his wife Mae Camp, along with three of their kids -- Bill, Cathy and Jim -- who set up shop near Tucson, Arizona. A Colorado native, Chuck Camp (1926-2003) was an educator by vocation, teaching electronics at various schools before retiring to run the Triple C full-time. Before moving to Arizona, Mr. Camp was a performer at the Flying W Chuckwagon, a well-known dude ranch in Colorado Springs; in 1969 the Camps moved to Tucson to replicate the Flying W model and go into business for themselves. Like many tourist ranch bands, the Triple C fostered a lot of talent over the years; in addition to the family members, other featured performers included singers David Bradley and David May. Traveling artists also were booked onto the Triple C stage and starting in 1984 the ranch was home to an edition of the Sons Of The Pioneers led by singer Dale Warren (d. 2008). The Triple C Ranch was part of a regional industry devoted to "wild west" nostalgia, and was often included in package tours of ghost towns and the like. The ranch remained local fixture for many years, run by Chuck and Mae until 1990, when they gave the reins to their son Bill, who ran it for over a decade before closing up shop in 2003. A charter member of the The Western Music Association, Mae Camp continued performing regionally for many years after the ranch closed and after her husband passed away. (Thanks to The Tucson Musicians Museum and local newspapers for providing some of the background info...)

Carrie Lou (Woodall) "Carrie Lou In Nashville" (Nashville Country Records, 1974-?) (LP)
A teenaged gal from Phoenix, Arizona, Carrie Lou Woodall may have had a background in gospel music, though this album is almost entirely a secular set, packed with covers of current hits and country standards such as Hillman Hall's "Pass Me By," "Diggy Liggy Lo," and others. She seems to have had a particular taste for Merle Haggard's work, covering three of his hits, along with one by Willie Nelson ("Shotgun Willie") while on the poppier end of things, she also belts out versions of "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues." I'm not sure how old she was when this album came out -- the pictures on the back show her decked out in cowgirl gear but looking a few years younger than on the front cover, maybe anywhere between thirteen to fifteen years old, while she may have been a young adult when this came out. (If I had to guess, I'd say her parents helped her make this album when she turned eighteen, or something along those lines.) At any rate, the most striking thing about this album is how hard she digs into a hard country sound, going full twang on the vocals and even sounding quite masculine on some of the later tracks. The backing band was rock solid -- I would have guessed they were Nashville pros, though bandleader (and Phoenix-area radio deejay) Dick Harbold adds a blurb talking about backing her with his band Pony Express, so it's possible this was an entirely Arizonan project. But since there are no individual musician credits, it's hard to say who played on the album itself. There is a Nashville connection, though: the album includes one original, the lone gospel tune, "Those Old Time Hymns," written by Lou Hildreth who was a Christian music talent scout based in Music City. This seems to have been Carrie Lou's only record, which is a shame, because although a bit callow, she definitely had grit. (Notes: her stage name is given as "Carrie Lou" on the outside covers, but Carrie Woodall on the inner label... Also, assuming Pony Express are the backing band, this may have been the only recording by Dick Harbold and his band, although they seem to have played gigs at various Arizona venues throughout the 1970s.)

The Chambers "...And The Country Gentlemen" (Bunkhouse Records, 1987) (LP)
A folkie, western-cowboy set by the husband-wife team of Tom and Becki Chambers, originally from Colorado but living in Tucson, Arizona when they made this album. The music is mostly a jaunty mix of bluegrass and western swing, though they occasionally drift into more folk-oriented territory with slightly saccharine arrangements, a little too cutesy and smooth for me at times... though western music enthusiasts might disagree. They both sing lead, while Mr. Chambers also plays guitar, with extra backing by John Dawson on mandolin, fiddler Gail Gowing, and bass player Rick Skiff. (Not sure if the mandolin player is the same John Dawson who was in the New Riders Of The Purple Sage, though it seems like a good possibility...)

Bill Chapman & The Border Wranglers "Death Of A Country Music Singer" (Border Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Chapman & Ralph Osborn)
This is one of those odd albums where the band couldn't quite decide what to call themselves. The front cover is emblazoned with the Border Wranglers band name, but on the back it's Bill Chapman who gets the top billing. He wrote the liner notes and refers to the Wranglers as his band; both names are used on the inner label... So if you ask me, this is an album by Bill Chapman And The Border Wranglers. Chapman had kicked around the Arizona country scene for years and cut a few singles under his own name sometime in the 'Sixties, including one with a band called the Rustlers, whose members are unknown. The musicians on this album include Mr. Chapman on vocals and guitar, Dennis Chipley (bass), Joe Ingram (drums), and triple-threat Dennis Martin on lead guitar, fiddle and mandolin. All but two songs were written or co-written by Bill Chapman, several with Bill Fraley. The only cover song is a version of Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Morning Coming Down." There's also one other non-Chapman tune, "It's Up To You," penned by Dennis Chipley. Not quite sure when this came out, but it looks like an early-to-mid 1980s release.

Chuck Wagon & The Wheels - see artist discography

Terry Lee Clark "Almost Home" (HPI Records, 198--?)
(Produced by Roger King)
A mystery man from Tucson, Arizona. This undated disc from the late 1970s/early '80s pictures a lanky, jeans-clad Terry Lee Clark hitchin' a ride outside the city limits, in full 'Sixties Waylon mode. The album features a slew of cover tunes, some cool, some kind of standard-issue. It kicks off with "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" and "Behind Closed Doors," while Clark also touches on stuff by Jim Croce, Jerry Lee Lewis and Wayne Kemp, as well as chestnuts like "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and "Danny Boy." Clark's band seems to have been all-local, with Terry Lee Clark on banjo, piano and guitar, Tom Demer (violin), Bobby Jenkins (guitar), Garry Skinner (drums), and Rick Skinner playing bass, though I couldn't find any record of Clark or the band playing any live gigs. The album features two or three original songs, including Terry Clark's "Sadness Hurts The Heart" which had been previously released as a single (and recorded by a different producer) back in 1969, and one called "Shattered Glass," written by Bobby Jenkins. A third track, "A Damn Good Man" by Gary W. Allen shares the same publisher (Hit Kit) as the Jenkins tune, but I wasn't able to track it down much further than that. Though there's no date on the album, the Charlie Daniels cover pegs it as 1979 or later. Any info is welcome!

Roy Clayborne & The Alamo "First Edition" (19--?) (LP)
Originally from San Antonio, singer Roy Clayborne was the epitome of an upbeat but struggling third-tier country lounge artist. He worked all over, playing in Nashville for a while, then later in Arizona and throughout the Southwest and Midwest, as well as touring Europe a time or two. He led a variety of bands and much of his material was original. The exact details of where and when his records were recorded are a bit hard to track down: as far as I know, this was his first album, although I'm not sure when it came out. Clayborne was working professionally at least since the late 1960s, with professional management as early as 1970, although he didn't have a record deal until later. At any rate, this disc is also notable for being one of the many vanity LPs pressed with the identical beach landscape photo -- they all had different "label" names but obviously came from the same manufacturer... More on this later.

Roy Clayborne & The Alamo "Second Edition" (Alamo Village Records, 1975) (LP)
This live album is one of Clayborne's strongest releases -- it was recorded at the Sahara Motor Inn, which I believe was located in Tucson, Arizona. As always, Clayborne had one foot here, one foot there -- there are a couple of Arizona pride songs, notably "Son Of Arizona," where he explains that he wasn't born there, but that the state had opened its heart to him, and he now felt like a native son. Still, there's a mailing address on the back of the album for his manager, Happy Shanan, in Brackettville, Texas, so Clayborne seems to have been a pretty nomadic fellow. Oh! And the music? Pretty good, actually. The uptempo country stuff is fun, though balanced by some melodramatic, cornball numbers like the Spanish-flavored "Malagena" and his uber-earnest cover of "Please Come To Boston." There's also a perky live version of "Mary Gets Around," a song that was also released as a single on the Libbi label a couple of years later. Overall, this is a pretty strong effort, and even the flaws are kind of charming. On the track entitled "Medley," Clayborne says he's doing classic country impressions -- of honkytonkers like Lefty Frizzell, Hank Williams, etc., although really all the impersonations just sound like Clayborne singing in his usual voice, which is fine, just a little funny that he billed it that way. The only really weak moment comes on the last track, "Wouldn't It Be Something," an inspiration ballad sung by one of the younger members of Clayborn's band (unidentified on the album jacket) which is kind of a terrible song, but also the guy couldn't sing on key. But hey, that's how you know they're real people, right?

Roy Clayborne "Live At The Landmark" (Contempo Records, 19--?) (LP)
Not sure when this live album came out, although while trying to find out more about Clayborne, I did learn that he died in 1996 while on tour in Europe. Clayborne's most notable contribution to country music is probably his song, "Put Me On A Train Back To Texas," which was covered by Willie Nelson on his 1991 album, Clean Shirt. Other than that, I think he was mostly known regionally, particularly in Arizona, where he wound up hanging his hat.

Roy Clayborne "Roy Clayborne" (Guinness Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Louis Lofredo)
Very odd looking LP on a label widely said to have been a "tax scam" company -- i.e., a phony business set up for the sole purpose of writing off losses inside the US tax code. Still, to write off a record, you gotta have an artist, so Roy Clayborne got to squeeze out one more LP, even though the cover art is unbelievably weird and visually very un-country. Also, the song titles overlap with his previous releases; I'm not sure if these are re-recordings or if this is kind of a de facto "best of" collection. Anyone know for sure?

Roy Clayborne "Arizona Highways" (Libbi Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Bobby Borchers)

Roy Clayborne "Roy Clayborne" (Libbi Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Bobby Borchers & Larry Baker)
Clayborne was apparently doing lounge gigs in Nashville around the time this album was recorded... Although it's a studio set, I'm sure it reflects his stage show pretty well: there's some robust country stuff, like his cover of Dallas Frazier's "The Devil Ain't A Lonely Woman's Friend" (an awesome, over-the-top novelty number about an unwed teenage mother who goes to Nashville trying to make it in the music business, and winds up a drug-addicted prostitute who jumps off a bridge at age 43... They don't write 'em like that anymore!) Clayborne also covers a couple of Mickey Newbury songs (as sluggish, Elvis-esque ballads) and two by songwriter Gary Sefton, as well as two Clayborne originals. According to the liner notes, Clayborne was known as a "country western imitator," but other than the vague Elvis-iness on a few tunes, I couldn't really place any distinct likenesses. But there are some okay performances; also of interest is the producer, Bobby Borchers, a distinctive singer who cut a couple of records himself a few years earlier.

Loy Clingman "Grand Canyon Country Sweet... And Sour" (Rimrock Records, 1971-?) (LP)
Native Arizonan Loy Clingman (1923-2011) was a twang auteur often tagged as a rockabilly artist, which is kinda true, though the label doesn't quite capture his oddball charm... Possessed of a distinctive voice with hints of Buddy Holly, Clingman might seem like an unlikely recording artist, though it didn't hurt that he put out a bunch of stuff on his own label, the Phoenix-based Viv Records, which he purchased in the late 1950s after cutting a few singles for its original owner, Lee Hazelwood. The label became a minor regional powerhouse, nurturing local talents such as Jessi Colter, and various rockers, while also allowing Clingman to indulge his own pursuits, which took him down some pretty idiosyncratic pathways, ranging from off-kilter rock to western-oriented folk tunes. He really found his calling with his devotion to cowboy songs, folkie material that he delivered with emphatic intensity, particularly the songs with Arizona-specific themes. This low-key, acoustic set tilts towards western themes and was a fine showcase for Clingman's unique style. Not sure when it came out, but it seems to be an early 'Seventies set.

Jessi Colter - see artist discography

Shep Cooke "Shep Cooke" (WWC Records, 1976) (LP)
Check it out: another twangy hippie weirdo from Arizona! A veteran of the Southwestern garage rock scene, Shep Cooke moved to LA and joined the Stone Poneys when Linda Ronstadt was emerging as a folk-rock star, and was in her orbit for a couple of years, until "the label" decided to groom her for solo stardom, and fired the band. For a while Cooke bopped back and forth between Tucson and LA, playing with the local band Dusty Chaps, recording an album with the Floating House band (a trio with two other ex-Stone Poneys) and playing on Tom Waits' first album. This was the first of two solo albums recorded in the '70s, it's mostly a spacey freak-folk set but there are glimmers of country twang in there as well, along with the acoustic rock and Tom Rush/Gordon Lightfoot-ish folk. Not as much of a "hippiebilly" album as others included here, but it's worth a footnote due to his lengthy history in the same scene that fostered folks like Chuck Wagon And The Wheels, and also because his next album is a little closer to what I'm talking about. Besides, there's lots of nice guitar picking on here...

Shep Cooke "Concert Tour Of Mars" (Sierra Records, 1977) (LP)
Although most of this album is dewy-eyed singer-songwriter folkie stuff, the album is bookended by a couple of wacky, Bonzo Dog Band-ish tracks about jamming on the tunes with the little green guys on Mars, tailormade for airplay on Dr. Demento. There are a couple of other oddball songs that have an only-in-the-'70s feel: on "Tomcat Boogie," Cooke sings about singing hippie music in biker bars, and "Backstage Rock'N'Roll Star" is an interesting lament from the vantage point of the many, many talented musicians who can never quite grab the brass ring, but know a famous person or two, nonetheless. The album's cult status is confirmed by its reissue in non-vinyl format, including a Japanese import version, no less! I wouldn't say this is dazzling, but it's cute and has novelty appeal... worth knowing about, for sure.

The Country Score "Live At The Handlebar-J" (Handlebar-J Records, 197-?) (LP)
This live set was recorded at a Scottsdale, Arizona country bar and steakhouse that first opened in 1960 and was originally was called "Wild Bill's" until it got sold to George Lautz in 1966, who renamed it the Handlebar-J. Lautz and some buddies formed a country group, The Country Score, which was the Handlebar's house band for several years. They recorded at least two albums there sometime during the 'Seventies. Country Score included "Lonesome George" Lautz on vocals and guitar, along with Bob Love pickin' and singin', fiddler Ted Haff, and bass player Brick Herndon, who bought the bar from the Lautz family in 1975, and ran it with his wife Gwen. Their kids -- Ray, Rick, and Ron Herndon -- played together in rock and country bands as kids, and Ray Herndon went professional in the late '80s, touring with Lyle Lovett and as one of the original members of the 1990's top forty band, McBride & The Ride. Although Brick Herdon passed away in 1981, his wife Gwen Herndon (1924-2017) kept the restaurant open, and the Herndon Brothers played there on a regular basis, along with many other bands. On this old LP, Haff, Herndon, Lautz and Love cruise through a mix of old-fashioned western (cowboy) material, sentimental country classics and honkytonk tunes like Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" and George Jones' "White Lightning." They stuck to this formula on their followup record, which is also heavy on the cowboy tunes; unfortunately neither album includes a release date, although the mid-to-late '70s seems about right. (Thanks to Ray Herndon's website and to the Arizona Music Hall Of Fame for their background info, and for connecting some of the dots.)

The Country Score "More Country Score: Live At The Handlebar-J" (Handlebar-J Records, 197-?) (LP)
This second live album has the same lineup as above, and a similar mix of honkytonk, western swing and western oldies, including classics such as "Silver Bells" and "San Antone Rose," "Four Walls," "For The Good Times," "Cimmeron" and "Tumbleweeds." There's also one original, a tune called "Drifting Apart," which is credited to singer Bob Love. The back cover of the album is blank and neither the disc or the jacket includes a release date or any information about when the show was taped. Oddly enough, the fromnt cover has the wrong track listing, showing the set list for their first album -- maybe they were just recycling some old copies?

Crazy Ed "Live From Crazy Ed's" (Chaton Records, 1973-?) (LP)
A souvenir album from "Crazy Ed" Chilleen, a legendary figure in Arizona who ran a string of colorfully-named restaurants across the state, starting in the early 1960s with the original Crazy Ed's, and also venues such as The Horny Toad and the Satisfied Frog. This is a mega-indie "private" album, with a plain white, no-art jacket and a "Crazy Ed For Governor" sticker attached on the front... The repertoire is a mix of country songs, pop-vocals oldies and Dixieland tunes, reflecting the perky music played at his clubs. There's no info about the musicians, or a release date on the record, though I'm gonna shoot for 1973, since it includes a version of Steve Goodman's "City Of New Orleans," which was a hit for Arlo Guthrie in '72. Maybe sometime if I work up the nerve, I'll contact Mr. Chilleen and ask him if he remembers anything about making this disc. It could be a long conversation!

C. W. & Company "Saturday Night Live At The Wickenburg Inn" (The Wickenburg Inn, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Tim Ramsey)
I'm not very into making fun of bad records, but I gotta be honest about this one... This is not a very good record. A souvenir of the Wickenburg Inn, a now-defunct dude ranch in Arizona, this features a quartet of two gals and two guys, singing a potpourri of novelty songs, country hits and oldies. The first thing you'll notice, pretty much the moment the needle hits the vinyl, is that there's only one of these four people who can stay in tune. So, their vocal harmonies leave something to be desired. Overall, the feel of this album is pretty low-energy, as in, "why bother trying hard?" and it feels like it has more in common with talent show albums than with most dude ranch records. But if you're into so-bad-it's-good kitsch, this record might offer a few giggles, notably their versions of "Okie From Muskogee," "Me And Bobby McGee" and "Redneck Mother." Also, I like the back cover photo of one of the gals goosing C.W. while they stand up on stage. Hee hee hee.

Johnny Dakota "In Nashville" (Rodeo Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Mills & Bill Eldridge)
A solo album by Jon E. Severson, aka Johnny Dakota, a stalwart member of the Western Gentlemen, longtime the house band at the Reata Pass Steakhouse near Scottsdale, Arizona... Usually he recorded locally with his bandmates, bass player Buck Coghlan and fiddler Slim Forbes, but for this disc they went whole hog and booked time at Bradley's Barn playing with a bunch of Nashville pros, including Willie Ackerman, David Briggs, Jerry Byrd, Walter Haynes, Junior Huskey, Pete Wade and others. Most of the tracks are covers of classics, tunes like "Almost Persuaded," "Release Me," "For The Good Times" and "Sunday Morning Coming Down," though there's also one original, "The Night Wind," credited to Mr. Dakota, which was also released as a single on the Rodeo label.

LeRoy Davis "For All My Friends" (L-V-K/Wakefield Records, 197--?)
(Produced by Sandy LaMont)
This one's really pretty much what it says -- LeRoy Davis was just some guy from Phoenix who cut an album because his friends told him he really should someday, and so one day he did. I'm sure he gave everyone a copy, too. He's not great, but he's not bad -- he's just a humble, average guy singing country standards such as "Crying Time Again," "Release Me," "Born To Lose," "Jambalaya," etc. No originals on here, but that's okay... that's not what this record is about. No info on the backing band, but I doubt they were major players... I also kinda doubt that Davis had a regular band of his own, but who knows? He gives a shout-out to the Rim Cafe in Pine, Arizona, and that's the only other clue to this disc's provenance.

Gene Diffie "Country Now And Then" (ARA, 1975-?) (LP)
A charming album by an old-school honkytonker from Phoenix, Arizona. Songwriter Gene Diffie led various bands through much of the 1950s, '60s and '70s, and had one of those odd, thin voices that were popular in the fifties (a cross between Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb) which at first may be offputting, but really grows on you after a while... At the point when he made this album, there were several longhairs in his band, which included steel player Art Hawkins and Clint Diffie on keyboards. This album is mostly original material, with four songs written by Gene Diffie, two by Stan Bennett, and three more by Slim Forbes, a veteran performer of "western" cowboy bands. Honestly? It's great stuff. The cover art is intriguing: there's a drawing of him standing outside of "Diffie's Hair-Em," a hair salon that he presumably owned... (And FYI, apparently the Arizona Diffies were not direct relations of '90s top forty star Joe Diffie, who grew up in Oklahoma and Texas...)

Steve Dodge "Steve Dodge" (Cactus Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Dodge)
Independent twang from Phoenix, Arizona, with all original songs, except for a couple of tasty cover tunes, one of Johnny Horton's "North To Alaska" as well as Guy Clark's "Rita Ballou."

Peso Dollar "The Highway Man" (Ranch Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Sanders & Billy Williams)
Phoenix, Arizona's country-singing cop, W. O. "Peso" Dollar was a Highway Patrolman by day and honkytonker by night, leading his band, The Counterfeit Bills, throughout the 1950s and '60s and '70s. The next-gen denominations, son Mark Dollar and Amanda Dollar, led an "all-star" version of the band for a couple of decades, working as the house band for the Rustler's Rooster nightclub since the early 1990s. I'm not sure when this LP came out, but I believe Peso Dollar also cut some singles back in the rockabilly era, some of which have turned up on a "hillbilly bop" collection or two. I think this may have been his first album, as they go out of their way in the liner notes to explain how he was both a police officer and professional entertainer... The repertoire is heavy on western (cowboy) songs, stuff like "Cool Water," "Streets Of Laredo," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," "Bad Brahma Bull," "Strawberry Roan" and "Ghost Riders In The Sky." No info on the musicians who were backing him, alas.

Peso Dollar "...Sings Cowboy Country" (Ranch Records, 19--?) (LP)
This album also includes a bunch of western oldies, along with a few originals, including two by Peso Dollar and two by Ray Sanders.

Peso Dollar "...Sings Trail Rider Songs" (Ranch Records, 19--?) (LP)

Peso Dollar "Arizona... A Little Bit North Of Old Mexico" (Cimmeron Records, 19--?) (LP)

Dusty Chaps "Honky Tonk Music" (Bandoleer Records, 1975) (LP)

Dusty Chaps "Honky Tonk Music" (Capitol Records, 1977) (LP)

Dusty Chaps "Domino Joe" (Capitol Records, 1978) (LP)

Dusty Chaps "Honky Tonk Music/Domino Joe" (Zyx Records, 2008)
A CD reissue of two '70s albums from this dimly-remembered, novelty-oriented hippiebilly outfit, Tucson, Arizona's answer to the Lost Gonzo Band... I used to hear a bunch of these songs on the legendary FM freeform station, KFAT -- "Don't Haul Bricks On 66," "Honky Tonk Music," "Too Many Pretty Woman (To Love Just One)" "Keep Your Hands Off Her Stranger," "Chile Today, Hot Tamale" -- and while the lead singer still isn't the most robust vocalist you'll ever hear, this is certainly a singular batch of songs, stuff that only these guys could have come up with, or pulled off so well. Worth checking out, but probably mostly as a nostalgia trip for folks who remember these guys from 'way back when.

Dusty Chips "When The Chips Are Down" (Spencer Alquist Audio Enterprises, 1975) (LP)
Not to be confused with the Dusty Chaps (above) this short-lived trio also hailed from Tucson, but were basically an informal group that played a few coffeehouse and casino gigs and called it quits after a few brief months in 1975. That May, they were in a battle of the bands sponsored by radio station KHOS, and played a finalists' concert that proved to be their swan song. The group was made up of Wayne Glass (guitar) and Tom Ryan (banjo and guitar), with Jay Obenour on bass, and Ruth Glass pitching in on one track, an original number called "Early In The Mornin'." All of this information is included in charmingly earnest, typewritten liner notes, which were printed on a xeroxed sheet that was hand-pasted on the back cover, as was with the equally low-tech cover art. The Chips definitely had a sweet-tooth for novelty numbers, including a trilogy of tunes written by Wayne Glass -- "Double Clutchin' Trucker," "Happy Go Lucky Truck Driver," and "Mother Russian Trucker," and once called "Flushed." According to the liners, this album contains all the songs in their repertoire. I'm not sure if all of these guys pursued music after this adventure, although decades later Tom Ryan was in a contradance band called The Jumping Chollas, which was active in the 2010s.

Travis Edmonson & Bill Moore "The Liar's Hour" (Latigo Records, 1975) (LP)
This album features narration by real-life cowboy Bill Moore and music by Travis Edmonson, a veteran 'Sixties folkie formerly of the Gateway Singers and the popular duo Bud & Travis. They recreate the feel of the round-robin, cock-and-bull song-and-joke sessions of cowboy campfires at roundup time. The album has a particularly Arizonan feel -- Edmonson grew up in Nogales, and several of the songs are from Arizona artists. The humor-filled set includes a lot of obscure selections, along with the title track, an original song written by Edmonson that captures the essence of the campfire ritual. A nice one for fans of the genre!

Charlie Edwards "Old And New - Rawhide, Arizona" (Crystal Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Sue Overson & Jim Walden)
Another independent offering from Phoenix, Arizona from a guy who didn't have a great set of pipes, but was fully committed to the music, and knew when to hold back and not push outside of his comfort zone. Edwards was more of a crooner, and several tracks sound like close cousins of "You Gave Me A Mountain," although the plainspoken Edwards never pushes for the emotive higher notes, and keeps his performances pretty low-key. It's on uptempo tunes that you really hear his limitations, tunes like "Just Walk On By" or "Hey Good Lookin'," where his play-it-safe strategy leaves him sounding conversational rather that compelling. Still, you can't help liking the guy... he just sounds so gosh-darned sincere! Edwards was born in Indiana but moved to Arizona as a child in 1936. He was a former championship fiddler and played music locally for a number of years. Two originals on this record are composed by "T. Gayle" while the album also includes covers of a bunch of hard-country standards... stuff by Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings and Pee Wee King. There's also one track written by the album's arranger, Dale Stuart, though none are credited to Edwards himself. (BTW - anyone know if T. Gayle was in fact Tommy Gayle, the guy who was briefly in the Denton, Texas garage band the Chessmen??)

Tom & Honey Lou Elliott "Wright County Country" (Artronics/Jem Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Art Boyd)
It might have been back in '71, but that big, old handlebar moustache wasn't a hippie thing, even if there was a goatee underneath it... At the time they recorded this album in Nashville, the husband-wife duo of Tom and Honey Lou Elliott had spent several years on the road as itinerant horse trainers and livestock wranglers, and decided to cut a country album kinda just for the fun of it... Originally from the tiny town of Buffalo, Minnesota, they moved all across the upper Midwest, and eventually settled down in Benson, Arizona (and, many years later, recorded a couple of cowboy/western albums celebrating their adoptive state...) But Tom Elliott's look has stayed pretty much the same: that's a real-deal cowboy face. This mostly-honky tonk album is a swell mix of cover tunes and originals, kicking off with the topically-tinged "Goodbye Saigon" -- he also wrote "Looking For Happy," both of which are great songs. The other originals come from a guy named Joe Allen, who seems to have been their contact person in Music City: the album was recorded in separate sessions in Minneapolis and Nashville, and Allen plays rhythm guitar in the Nashville crew, along with studio pros like Ken Malone, Hal Rugg and Buddy Spicher. Tom Elliott played bass and Honey Lou held down the rhythm guitar on the Minnesota sessions, but in Nashville they both just sang the songs. At any rate, this is a pretty cool record -- sometimes it sounds poorly recorded, but the music is a gas, and they sound like they had a lot of fun, particularly on a live track where Tom Elliott busts out with some fairly impressive yodeling. No fooling! Worth a spin if you can track it down.

Dolan Ellis "Who's Gonna Run The Truck Stop In Tuba City While I'm Gone?" (Capo Records, 1972) (LP)
An original member of the prefab 1960s folk-pop band, the New Christy Minstrels, singer Dolan Ellis retired from the big city show biz limelight and decamped to Arizona where in the late '60s he was dubbed "the Bard of Arizona," as well as the "Official Arizona State Balladeer." You can see why when you tap into this kooky, regionally-themed set, packed with novelty numbers such as "Arizona History 101," "Goin' Home To Springerville," "Flight To Phoenix," and of course the tongue-twisting title track, a sort-of topical song which is an album highlight. In it, a henpecked husband finally has enough, packs his bags and tells his "plain bad broad" of a wife that she can run the friggin' bar by herself, and then the narrator steps in to deliver a small sermon about how "women's liberation needs a slightly different point of view," and how it's a woman's job to puff up her lover's ego so that he can, um, "make her feel like a woman." (What?? Oh come on, people, there's nothing sexist about that... it's just plain old scientific fact! Am I right, fellas? Back me up here, guys...) Anyway, there are also a bunch of songs on here that are -- to be honest -- pretty lame. The music, the vocals, the lyrics often sound forced and awkward, though the rickety nature of the album adds a DIY, so-bad-it's-good charm. Still, I doubt I'd ever want to listen to any of these songs again. The album's closing track, "Then Came Man," is a real stinker, an earnest but unlistenable screed about how humans have screwed up the environment -- I agree with the message, but the song is incredibly artless and, like "Tuba City," ripe for hip mockery from our oh-so-evolved perspective here in the future, where we don't have have any problems like that, and all the music is better, too.

Dolan Ellis "Touch The Earth" (Capo Records, 1975) (LP)

Clyde Ferrell "Clyde Ferrell" (Delta Record Company, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Clyde Ferrell)
Originally from Texas, songwriter Clyde Ferrell was holding down a gig at the Pinnacle Peak Patio, a steakhouse near Scottsdale, Arizona when he recorded this debut album. About half the songs on here are Ferrell originals, along with covers of contemporary hits like "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," "Polk Salad Annie" and "Help Me Make It Through The Night." It's quintessential lounge band material, with the band jamming a little and sort of farting around on songs they've played a bazillion times and Ferrell, it must be said, makes some interesting choices with the melodies and phrasing on some of these songs; his versions of "I Can See Clearly Now" and "For The Good Times" veer off in directions that border on the bizarre. But overall, this is a pretty likeable record -- the only track that's truly painful is his cover of "You've Got A Friend," though that might be more James Taylor's fault than Mr. Ferrell's. (I'm guessing at the release date based on the song selection and liner notes, which inform us of Mr. Ferrell "going professional" in 1974 and "soon after" working at the Pinnacle Peak Patio in Scottsdale, Arizona...) Goofy, but good-natured.

Clyde Ferrell "Brazos River Country" (Clyde Music Company, 1983) (LP)

The Frank & Woody Show "Damn The Luck" (1978)
(Produced by Bruce Bendinger & Billy Culhane)
A local band from Tucson, AZ, fronted by Frank Manhardt and Woody Janda... They sound a whole lot like their Arizonan contemporaries, Chuck Wagon & The Wheels, though with a slightly less biting wit. (In fact, you can see one of the bandmembers wearing a "Disco Sucks" t-shirt in a photo on the back cover, so they were probably all buddies...) Anyway, back to Frank and Woody... This is another one of those time-capsule hippie country albums, oozing with hard-won authenticity... you can definitely imagine them having their fair share of beer bottles tossed at them in a bunch of desert roadhouse bars, and practically hear the whoops of delight from their longhaired fans as they sang novelty songs like "Damn The Luck" (with the cheerful refrain, "...what the f***"). There are some hot licks and a couple of resonant songs, but mostly this is a pretty sloppy, jokey album -- a nice keepsake for those who were actually there and a great snapshot for those of us who weren't.

The Frank & Woody Show "Wrapped Up In The Fun Of It" (Key Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Smith)
Their second album was a much slicker production - they were really trying on this one, and though they're almost a little too smooth, they have some nice tunes. The first big contrast with their first album is how they cleaned up the language on the Tex-Mexish title tune: this time around they hint at a swear word -- and I'm sure they must have sang it in their live shows -- but when it came time to make the album, the rhyme went, "...wrapped up in the fun of it/refusing to give a bit..." which is kind of wimpy, but whatever. This disc is best remembered for the topical novelty song, "One Less Jogger On The Road," which got a lot of airplay at the time... Other winners include the fantasy number, "If I Ever Get Rich" and their cover of "Your Time's Coming," which was co-written by Kris Kristofferson and Shel Silverstein. Guest musicians include stringband revivalist Jay Ungar playing fiddle and mandolin on the title track, and local Tucson legend Shep Cooke plays some really pretty guitar, sitting in on one of his own songs, "Forever." Most of the songs are Woody Janda originals, and although his vocals were a little iffy, the album's charming: these were real guys making genuine DIY country.

Bob Garrett "Two Sides" (Pacific Music & Publishing Company, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Bastin & John Pearson)
A crude, sometimes-country comedy album backed with ditties such as 'Think I'll Become A Narc," "You Can't Write No Hit Song If It's Dirty," "You Can Take Love And Shove It Up The North End Of A Gila Monster Headin' South," and "Whadya Say About Hittin' The Hay?" Some songs, obviously, will not have weathered the changing mores of the times, such as the album's opener, "Fold-Out, Teenage Queen Of Puberty" (yikes) and "Girl With A Tattoo," an ida that would have still sounded exotic in 1980... Not a ton of information about Bob Garrett to be found... He wrote all the songs on this album, and claimed to have been the coach of the short-lived Tucson Sky professional volleyball team, which itself may have been a bit of a joke, and later the director of America's Olympic volleyball team, though I couldn't find any documentation of that latter claim. (He may also be the same Bob Garrett who's known as "the fakest coach" in boxing, another title that I cannot confirm or deny, mostly because I don't care about sports.) Anyway, this is crude, transgressive humor , worthy of fellow travelers such as Chinga Chavin and Montezuma's Revenge. I ordered a copy from the quarter bin of my local Record Hut, and it was supposed to get FedEx-ed to my office, but it never arrived.

George Gillespie "Cow Camp Songs Of The Old West" (Thorne Records, 19--?) (LP)
Hardcore, old-fashioned cowboy and western songs sung by a dude wrangler and ranch hand from Scottsdale, Arizona. Pretty much the real deal.

Goose Creek Symphony "Est. 1970" (Capitol Records, 1970) (LP)
This longhaired Arizona ensemble started off with a wild mix of goofy country clompers, disjointed hillbilly psychedelia, old country gospel numbers, and plenty of good, old-fashioned '70s style boogie rock. Their debut album is pretty cool -- veering off in various directions, with gems in all the categories mentioned above, and many songs that creep through the stylistic margins. A weird, but relatively cohesive record that is pleasantly emblematic of its times. Experimental, eclectic and filled with chaotic good humor and energy -- definitely worth checking out!

Goose Creek Symphony "Welcome To Goose Creek" (Capitol Records, 1971)
Unfortunately on their second album, the band chose to pass their country side off as a Hee-Haw-ish hick-hoedown joke, hamming it up on all the overtly hillbilly tunes, while concentrating their "serious" efforts on the more acid-laced rock numbers and feedbacky guitars. Still an interesting, eclectic album, but it's sad that the country stuff simply doesn't hold up. After a while they settle into a smooth groove that sounds an awful lot like Garth and Rick and Levon and all the boys from The Band.

Goose Creek Symphony "Words Of Earnest" (Capitol Records, 1972)
Perhaps their best album, this shows a much-welcome slide back into a more heartfelt country mode, an increased affinity to rootsy sound of The Band, more coherent attempts at serious psychedelicized songwriting, and some goofy stuff to balance it out, including a cover of Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz" and several druggy celebrations which make explicit mention of all the tokes, hits and trips it took to get this album together. Interesting cultural artifact and a pretty good record, to boot! Recommended.

Goose Creek Symphony "The Goose Is Loose" (Bo Records, 2007)
A new album from this still-active hippie-era experimental country/rock jam band from Arizona -- in this case, it's a 2-CD set taken from a 1994 reunion concert. Haven't heard it yet, but I'm quite curious. (There's more info at the band's website: www.goosecreeksymphony.com )

Wayne Gregory "Here I Am" (Soundtech Studios, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Hal Rugg, Joe Gibson & Milton Blackford)
A Nashville outing from an Arizona bar-band singer... All the songs were written by a fella named Gary W. Allen, and recorded at the Jack Clements studio with Jerry Reed playing acoustic and electric, Lloyd Green and Hal Rugg on steel, Hargus Robbins on piano and Gary Allen singing backup...

Wayne Gregory & CC Company "Live At The Brite Spot" (Flo-Ren Records, 1985)
(Produced by Chris Gussa)
Recorded live in 1985 at The Brite Spot, in Palominas, Arizona... The set list is all cover songs, stuff like "Release Me," Lay Down Sally," "Rose Colored Glasses" and "It's Such A Pretty World Today." His band included Larry Paycheck and Patty Paycheck, with Jimmy Curl on drums.

Big Jim Griffith "The Dixie Cowboy" (Sonyatone Records, 1976) (LP)
Down-to-earth, stripped-down old-timey revivalist twang from a Tucson, Arizona college kid who picked banjo and sang, backed by guitarist Dave Luckow and Bob Sayers on fiddle and mandolin. No producer credits, alas.

Bill Hallock "...And Cactus Country" (Hal B's Records, 1981) (LP)
This band was kicking around Flagstaff and Phoenix, Arizona in the late '70s and early '80s, and was one of the first local groups to break into airplay on the local country radio station, KNIX. They used to play regularly at a club called Mr. Lucky's and recorded this album at the height of the band's notoriety.

Tim Harris "Chuckie Records Presents: Country Tim Harris" (Little Richie Johnson/Chuckie Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Little Richie Johnson)
A native Arizonan who came up through the square dance scene, Country Tim Harris was a successful teen performer and, according to the liner notes, had his own radio show on KPIN in Casa Grande, starting when he was twelve years old. Harris pursued his career both as a square dance caller and as a convention country singer, culminating in this album, which seems to have been produced in Nashville. The backing band are all top pros -- Lloyd Green, Buddy Harman, Dave Kirby, Tony Milgiore, Hargus Robbins, Billy Sanford, Buddy Spicher and Hank Strzelecki -- and they give the entire album a crisp, solid sound, even if Mr. Harris was a thin-voiced, rather iffy singer, with . Still, he's fully committed and the kind of country artist that you can root for once you get on his wavelength -- the rock-solid, western-swing flavored backing definitely helps, sounding a lot like the bright, punchy sound perfected by MCA Records in the middle of the decade. The songs all seems to have been provided by producer Ritchie Johnson's own publishing company, notably including five songs by another LRJ artist, Albert Young Eagle, along with others by Frankie Leal, George Standridge, and Dan Thrush... Mr. Harris doesn't seem to have been a songwriter himself. Overall, a pretty enjoyable album, combining studio professionalism with "real people" imperfection and charm.

Rod Hart & The Hustlers "Live At Don Scott's Museum Club" (Hart Records, 1969-?) (LP)
(Produced by Rod Hart, Richie Albright & Buddy Wheeler)
Why, yes, this is the same Rod Hart who later cashed in on the 1970s CB radio craze (see below) still working the local bar scene in Arizona. This is a convincingly rough-edged concert album, recorded at the Museum Club, in Flagstaff, with enough awkward moments that it feels genuinely live. As in his later work, Hart comes off as a pretty iffy performer -- unpolished, though not quite raw, a little bit stiff as the band's emcee. The lineup consisted of Rod Hart on vocals and guitar, along with Al Heyer (bass), Tommy Madrid (drums), Curt Taggert (lead guitar and steel) and a repertoire that's about half his own originals, including songs like "Truck Drivin' Can Be Fun," "In One Heart And Out The Other," and a comedic bit called "Choke Up On The Eight Ball" which was previously released as a single in 1968. There's also a song composed and performed by picker Curt Taggert, "Bad Boy," although Rod Hart sings lead on all the other songs. As is often the case, the original material is more compelling that the cover songs; indeed, Hart's renditions of "Proud Mary" and "House Of The Rising Sun" are a little bit torturous, though it could always be worse. Overall, a nice portrait of a basic roadhouse band.

Rod Hart & The Hustlers "Breakeroo!" (Plantation Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Leroy Duncan, Rod Hart and Shelby Singleton, Jr.)
Jumping on the CB-radio bandwagon, Rod Hart scored a minor hit with his song, "CB Savage," a miserably homophobic trucker anthem that was first released as a regional single on the Little Richie label before being picked up for national distribution by Shelby Singleton's semi-major label, Plantation Records. (The song is about a highway patrol officer pretending to be a flamingly gay CB operator, as part of some far-fetched plan to bust speeding truckers by distracting them with his "weird," queeny voice... Yeesh.) It was enough of a hit that Plantation commissioned an entire album, which was soon rushed to market before the CB-er fad got its last big 10-4. Most of the songs were tunes written by other folks in Singleton's orbit, including one by Rita Remington, called "We Tried," and several by Royce G. Clark, though Hart does contribute a couple of his own, "Hooked On Honky Tonks," and the title track, of course. The liner notes also helpfully inform us that the singer was born Roderick Stephen Hart, in Beulah, Michigan, though he had long since resettled in Prescott, Arizona before he started his country music career in the late 1950s. I'm not sure what happened to Rod Hart after this album's flash of fame -- apparently he had previously contributed a couple of tracks to a 1972 film called Junior Bonner, but "CB Savage" seems to have been his career swan song, with a few random singles to follow.

Norm Heard "Love And Teardrops" (Penny Records, 1970) (LP)
12-string balladeer Norm Heard was originally from Texas, but in the late '60s and early '70s he played clubs and hotel lounges in Arizona. As far as I know, this was his only album.

Ray Herndon "Livin' The Dream" (Compendia/Rayman Records, 2004)
(Produced by Matt Hollings & Ray Herndon)
Guitarist-songwriter Ray Herndon sure has a rich back story... He grew up in Scottsdale Arizona, where his folks owned a country bar and western-themed steakhouse called the Handlebar-J. Ray's dad, Brick Herndon, played bass in the house band, The Country Score, and purchased the steakhouse from a fellow bandmember, back in 1975. As Ray and his brothers came of age, they played shows together on local TV and onstage at the Handlebar-J. A talented guitarist, Ray eventually set out on his own in the early '80s. After a gig with the popular local band, J. David Sloan & The Rogues, he went on tour as part of Lyle Lovett's backing band, working with Lovett for much of the decade, as well as on and off over the years. In 1989 he was recruited to join the Nashville-based top forty vocal trio McBride & The Ride, in an original lineup that stayed together from 1989-1994. (Ray Herndon and drummer Billy Thomas rejoined Terry McBride for a brief reunion starting in 2000, recording one more album that came out in 2002.) Here, on his first solo album, Herdon proves himself a smooth, amiable twangster, straddling the local and the national styles. The disc is packed with guest artists: Lyle Lovett, Clint Black, Sonya Isaacs and Jesse Colter each sing duets with Herndon, with the Clint Black collaboration, "A Grain Of Salt (And A Shot Of Tequila)," being an album highlight. This disc didn't really catch fire as far as I was concerned, but it sure has its moments, and a strong downhome, underdog appeal. In recent years, the Herndon Brothers Band has been holding down the fort at the Handlebar-J, which the family still owns. As far as I know, though, they haven't put out a record together... though time will tell.

James Edward Holmes "Sounds Of Memories" (Comstock Records, 1989) (LP)
(Produced by James Edward Holmes)
A self-produced set of all-original, retro twang, with songs like "Home Brewed" and "Hillbilly Saturday Night." Holmes was from Scottsdale, Arizona, but other than that I don't know much about him.

Clem Hutchins "Clem Hutchins Does It Again" (Jaguar Records, 1972-?) (LP)
(Produced by Randy Bleuer)
A singularly weird record by a one-man band from Phoenix, Arizona, who plays an amazingly eccentric combination of acoustic guitar, percussion, and some kind of toy piano. He alternates between manic energy and clompy calm, singing sometimes, including a few old-fashioned sentimental tunes from the pre-honkytonk country tradition. Best of all is the intensely primitive production quality, which gives this disc a disjointed, otherworldly, DIY quality that lofi-sters like Hasil Adkins or Eugene Chadbourne could only dream of, particularly the distant-sounding, sung-into-a-tin-can vocals. There are layers of mystery surrounding this disc, which pairs the cryptic front cover with a blank white back, and one little name on the inner label that cracks things open, but just a little bit. "Clem Hutchins" seems to have been a stage name for "Jon Cristi," which in turn seems to have been a pen name for Henry Collins Edwards, who registered several of these songs with the Library Of Congress around 1970. He may have been at this for a long, long time: the LOC also records a few songs from the 1940s -- "In Sailor Town" (1943); "Armful Of Love" (1944); and "Black Dan" (1947) -- registered by a guy named Henry Collins Edwards, Jr., who was living in Los Angeles at the time. None of those war-era songs are on this album, although he may have recorded them elsewhere; Clem Hutchins also released a string of singles on his Jaguar label, including many of the tracks gathered here, bracketed by a few early 'Sixties singles (1963's "The Ramblin' Blues" and "Chasin' The Blues Away," from 1965) and some from the late 'Seventies. (On at least one of his singles he claimed to have a backing band called The Haymakers... no info about them, either, alas.) Anyway, this seems to be a collection of his singles from the '60s and '70s, possibly with additional "new" material to round things out. No release date, but it was probably from between 1970 and '75. Any additional information is welcome!

Waylon Jennings - see artist discography

Scotty Johnson "Don't Mind Me" (Wagon Tracks Records, 1981)
(Produced by Scotty Johnson)
Easygoing longhair twang from the label that brought us the legendary Chuck Wagon And The Wheels. Johnson wrote and arranged all the songs on this album...

Stan Jones "Creakin' Leather" (Disneyland Records, 1958-?) (LP)
It's a little hard to comprehend, but the cowboy classic, "Ghost Riders In The Sky" was actually written by a human being, namely Stanley Davis Jones (1914-1963) a prolific songwriter from Arizona who was also a character actor in classic westerns such as Rio Grande and The Searchers. Legend has it that Jones wrote "Ghost Riders" while working as a park ranger in Death Valley back in 1948, and the song obviously has become an enduring country standard, performed in countless bars, lounges and oprys, and included on an equally unquantifiable number of recordings. This was his first album, recorded for Disney at the height of the 'Fifties western revival, and pitched towards younger fans. In perhaps a grave oversight, this album doesn't include Ghost Riders, though it was tacked on the end of the album when Disney reissued the record in 1961... under the new title Ghost Riders In The Sky, no less! Apparently all the songs on here were Jones's own originals.

Stan Jones & The Ranger Chorus "Walt Disney Presents Songs Of The National Parks" (Disneyland Records, 1958-?) (LP)
Another set of all-original material penned by Stan Jones, with hefty narrations by the great Thurl Ravenscroft (singer of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch") and vocals by the unidentified members of the "Rangers Chorus."

Stan Jones & The Ranger Chorus "That Was The West" (Disneyland Records, 1958-?) (LP)
A similar set, again with narration by Thurl Ravenscroft, original songs by Stan Jones and apparently an arranger credit for cowboy singer Lloyd Perryman, which suggests that at least some of the Ranger Chorus was made up of fellow members of his group, the fabled Sons Of The Pioneers. This album came with an illustrated booklet, full of western and frontier lore which may or may not hold up to the scrutiny of future generations.

The Last Roundup "The Last Roundup" (Blue Saguaro Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Milton Spalding)
This was quite possibly the literal last-gasp of the 1970s Southwestern country-rock sound, and in all honesty was kind of a terrible record... This band from Tucson, Arizona wore a variety of cowboy hats, bandanas and leather vests, but despite the country iconography, they tilted in a soft-rock direction a bit more than towards twang. Some of the songs are interesting, but their vocals are often iffy and the arrangements are a little cheesy. I dunno. It just didn't do much for me, although they were obviously adorable, earnest locals... The best moments come (briefly) when they let multi-instrumentalist Tim O'Connor off the leash to dash off some fiddle and banjo licks -- he's also one of the band's better lead singers, in contrast to frontmen Earl Jackson and Dennis Theobald, who both have the same odd, plainspoken "gawrsh, heck" Arizona accent as other, earlier bands like Chuck Wagon & The Wheels, but the material here just isn't as strong. Alas.

Katie Lee "Ten Thousand Goddam Cattle" (Katydid Records, 1977) (LP)
Perhaps the most country-oriented album by folksinger Katie Lee (1919-2017), whose recording career stretched back to her topical and comedic folk albums of the late 1950s. This double-length set was based on a book she wrote of the same title, which was a comprehensive analysis of American cowboy culture. Backing her are folkie elder and fellow Arizonan, Travis Edmonson, as well as newcomer David Holt on banjo; this may have been Holt's first recording, launching a career that made him a stalwart of the mainstream 1980s folk scene.

Toni Lee "A Little Bit O' Country" (Corey Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Dallas Corey)
This was the first (and possibly only?) LP released on the short-lived label started by Nashville music publisher/songwriter Dallas Corey, who was best known for his patriotic album, The History Of The American Revolution, which he recorded for Chart Records before deciding to set out on his own entrepreneurial career. I think it's safe to assume this record was primarily meant to function as a songwriter's demo album, and not a chartbuster. Toni Lee, who came from Phoenix, Arizona, was a syrupy, tempo-challenged singer who seems to have had a hard time locating a backbeat -- she's okay if you're into the slow, old-school "Nashville Sound" ballad style, but this was definitely pretty out of place in the perky early '70s country scene. The unidentified backup musicians are mostly just going through the motions, which is fine, since I think the emphasis is really on the songs, and trying to get them recorded by an established artist. Dallas Corey wrote two of the tunes -- "The Day That Our Love Came Back Home Again" and "Dry The Tears From Mommy's Eyes" (a divorce ballad written from the point of view of mother asking her kid to comfort her, probably the album highlight...) There's one song by Bill Irwin, "The Top Of The World, along with material from Billy C. Cole, James Joiner, Jayce McDuffey and Dub Walker. None of it's very electrifying, though. Dub Walker's "Wasting Your Time" is also a standout track, although the performance is a bit sluggish.

Loose Boots "Loose Boots" (Criminal Records, 1978) (LP)
Jangly, bouncy, brightly twangy country-rock from the late '70s Tucson, Arizona scene. This band featured songwriters Scott Sechman, along with Billy Odom, formerly of the Straight Shot band. It's nice stuff, roughly in the same vein as hippiebilly bands such as the late-edition Flying Burrito Brothers or New Riders Of The Purple Sage.

Ron Lowry "Marry Me" (Republic Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Adams)
Another country music also-ran... Ron Lowry (1944-2007) was originally from Oklahoma and grew up in New Mexico, but after a stint in the Army he settled down in Phoenix, Arizona. Lowry got signed to Gene Autry's label and made a few waves in the press at the time. The title track cracked into the Top Forty (barely), though the follow-up single, "Oh How I Waited," pretty much tanked, and I think that was all she wrote for Mr. Lowry's solo career... This was a mildly twangy version of a song recorded by Engelbert Humperdinck in '69, and while this version is a bit perkier, it retains a lot of the same bouncy late-'Sixties orchestral pop sensibility.

Marty & Carla "It's Gonna Be Sunny In Nashville" (Nevell Music, 19--?) (LP)
Minnesota-born keyboardist Carla Elliott and singer-comedian Marty Nevers formed a musical duo in 1969, and performed together for over forty years (with Nevers passing away in 2012). I don't think all their stuff was country, but this album definitely had a twangy twist to it, as seen by the cowboy hats on the cover, and songs such as "Rodeo Cowboy," "Country Boy" and the title track. They were married and lived in Minnesota, but would spend half each year in Mesa, Arizona, performing in the Southwest as well.

Mason Bricke "...With Peter Masi and Donna Brickie" (Cactus Records, 1976) (LP)
This Arizona band takes its name from a composite of songwriter Peter Masi and singer Donna Bricke, who are joined by pedal steel player Gary Morse... This album is kind of all over the map, a mix of hippie country, starry-eyed folk and iffy acoustic blues. Donna Brickie had a very Judy Collins-y folkie vocal style, which doesn't do much for me, particularly on songs such as her cover of Graham Nash's "Wounded Bird." From a country-lover's perspective, probably the best track on here is the album's opener, "Janie," which has some really groovy pedal steel work, but mostly this is a bit too much in folkie territory for me.

Chuck Maultsby - see artist discography

Ben Mishler "By Faith Now" (Herald Records, 19--?) (LP)
An ultra-DIY private-press album by Arizona's Ben Mishler, a former rodeo rider and amateur boxer who got religion in 1962, cleaned up his life and pursued a career in law enforcement, starting in 1964. He worked as a deputy sheriff in both Mojave and Yavapai counties, and is posed on the cover photo beside his patrol car, with a rather affable smile on his face. He recorded this set of gospel tunes with a scrappy group of unidentified musicians, presumably locals, and they seem to have been genuine country pickers, though only a couple of tunes delve into outright twang. It's a good set, though -- Mr. Mishler's unguarded, unbridled enthusiasm comes through on every track... He's clearly not a professional singer, but he's having fun. No release date, alas, but it looks like a late 'Sixties record. I also wasn't able to find any additional biographical info about Mr. Mishler, though he and his family seems to have stayed in Arizona.

Bill Moore & Travis Edmonson "The Liar's Hour" (Latigo Records, 19--?) (LP)
This album features narration by real-life cowboy Bill Moore and music by Travis Edmonson, a veteran 'Sixties folkie formerly of the Gateway Singers and the popular duo Bud & Travis. They recreate the feel of the round-robin, cock-and-bull song-and-joke sessions of cowboy campfires at roundup time. he album has a particularly Arizonan feel -- Edmonson grew up in Nogales, and several of the songs are from Arizona artists. The humor-filled set includes a lot of obscure selections, along with the title track, an original song written by Edmonson that captures the essence of the campfire ritual. A nice one for fans of the genre!

Paul T. Morris & The P.M. Band "Cowboy Moon" (Pantheon Desert Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Jimmy Darrell)
Outlaw country from Flagstaff, Arizona... The songs are all Paul T. Morris originals, with Mr. Morris on lead vocals and guitar, backed by Ric Bowers (lead guitar), Rollo Cocuzzi (drums), Ray Gann (bass), and several other supporting musicians. He also at least a couple of singles -- one off this album and a Harley-themed biker novelty tune released in 1987.

Cal Nichols & The Westernaires "...Sings Your Requests" (Big Sky Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Miller)
Country crooner Cal Nichols hailed from Casa Grande, Arizona and was backed by a band including locals Lester Buie, Ben Day, Douglas Hersey, Bob Mullen, and George E. Monk. This album includes four songs written by George Monk: "End Of The Show," "I Just Hate To Go," "I've Been Thinking," and "When I Remember," some of which date back to 1967 or so, when they were copyrighted under Monk's name. I'm not sure "Cal Nichols" was a pseudonym or not, but the band was playing local gigs in the late 1950s and seems to have had a pretty steady history. Nichols was one of those less-robust rural balladeers, reminiscent of Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold, while the Westernaires were plodding but authentic, a real-deal regional band.

Dale Noe "Songs I Wrote" (1999) (cassette)
(Produced by Dale Noe)
Originally from Arizona, Dale Emerson Noe (1927-2004) had a string of successes as a professional songwriter, most notably penning the chart-topping 1967 Wynn Stewart hit, "It's Such a Pretty World Today," which became a late 'Sixties standard in both the pop and country genres. Dale Noe knew Wynn Stewart from his days playing onstage with Buck Owens, and Stewart also had a minor late-career hit in 1975 with another one of Noe's tunes, "After The Storm," which provided the title of Stewart's last album. Noe was a veteran of hillbilly bands such as Texas Jim Roberts' Westerners, and enjoyed a stint on The Louisiana Hayride backing Johnny Horton, however his career as a composer dated back to the late 1950s, notably including the song "Missing You," which country icon Red Sovine released as a single in 1955. From his perch in Arizona's robust country scene, Noe made connections with stars such as Marty Robbins and Jim Reeves, who recorded several of his tunes, and asked Noe to write for his exclusively. Although he was a regular presence on the country scene for many years and cut several vigorous singles in his youth, this appears to have been Dale Noe's only full album, and was apparently only released on cassette. The packaging and liner notes were less than minimal, so no info about where this was made, or who the backing musicians may have been, alas. But if anyone knows of a vinyl edition, please let me know! [Thanks to the Country Music Hall Of Fame for archiving their interview with Mr. Noe, circa 1980.]

Hans Olson "Western Winds" (Joplin Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by A.J. Kubicsko & Marshall Marinakis)
The debut album of Arizona auteur Hans Olson, who moved high school rock bands in California to a more personalized style after decamping out to the Southwest. This private-press LP is more roots-rock than pure twang, though it is definitely country-adjacent, with a feel that's similar to John Hiatt's early work. Olson later zeroed in more deliberately on a modern blues sound, though this disc has plenty of poetic acoustic ramblings, and might appeal to fans of Townes Van Zandt and the like. In the late 1980s Olson opened his own night spot, the Sun Club, in Tempe, Arizona, which he ran until 1992. He also later helped establish the Arizona Blues Hall Of Fame, and got involved in regional politics as a co-founder of the state's Green Party.

Jason Paris & His Crystal Sunset Band "Hello Troublemaker" (Paris Productions, 1986) (LP)
Born in West Virginia, singer Jason Paris migrated out West and was in Paradise Valley, Arizona when he recorded this solid country set. The repertoire's about half-covers, balanced by several originals: "The Bottom Line," "Broken Hearts Cause Broken Homes," "Go Lie On Someone Else's Shoulder," "Hello Troublemaker" and "Put It Off Until Tomorrow." Alas, no info on the musicians or producer.

Kelly Pedersen & The Mesa Band "Rodeo Queen" (Maske Records, 1986) (LP)

Phoenix Sonshine "Shinin' In The Light" (Destiny Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Evan Williams)
Christian country-rock by a trio from Phoenix, Arizona... The band's principal songwriter, Gary Cowan, is backed by his wife, Debbe Cowan and guitarist Ron Schriber, as well as several local musicians. This first album has been repressed several times, with different artwork, and remains a classic of the hippie-era "Jesus music" subgenre...

Phoenix Sonshine "The Exodus" (Maranatha Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Evan Williams)
Pedal steel player Al Perkins helps anchor this album, supporting a lineup that includes pianist-producer Evan Williams, singers Debbe Cowan and Gary Cowan, guitarist Ron Scribner and Don Gerber on banjo and dobro. The songs are all originals, including more worldly titles such as "Paperback Bible" and "Backsliders Blues," as well as more stuffy-sounding poetical tunes like "God's Prologue" and "The Understanding Love," which sound a little less fun.

Linda Ronstadt - see artist discography

Sidney Poolheco "The First American" (Kings Universal Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Louis Wright & Ronnie Light)
Back when he was a kid, in the late 1960s, Sidney Poolheco was in an Arizona garage rock band called the Mysterians (not to be confused with the better-known Question Mark And...) along with a couple of his siblings, and some guys from the nearby state university. At the time, he was playing mostly frat rock stuff -- "Wooly Bully," "Land Of A Thousand Dances" -- but there was also a Buck Owens song on their album, and a cover of "Release Me," so his future dedication to country music wasn't that hard to foresee. Fast forward a couple of decades, and that brings us to this album. It's mostly country covers, good stuff too, as well as some original material. There's one song called "Navajo Wrangler," written by Jake Brooks and T. G. Bessire, although according to the info on his earlier album, Poolheco grew up on Hopi lands, near Winslow Arizona. He also became involved in preserving Hopi culture, performing traditional music as well as becoming a painter and carving artist.

Hyram Posey "Listen To My Fiddle" (Goldust Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Emmit Brooks)

Hyram Posey "Done Gone" (Goldust Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Emmit Brooks)
The second album by fiddler Hyram Posey, of Bisbee, Arizona, who was in the circle of musicians orbiting the Goldust studios in Las Cruces. Mr. Posey is backed here by Emmit Brooks (bass), Scott Kyle (drums), Marshall Racowsky (guitar) and Calvin Tuberville (steel guitar).

Lloyd Rowland "In Dreams" (Cannon, 197-?) (LP)

Lloyd Rowland "The Running Man" (Cannon Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by David Hearn)
Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, guitarist Lloyd Rowland worked in local country bands in the late 1960s, cutting this "solo" album with his pal, Bob Norine sometime in the early '70s, probably around 1973. The album includes covers of country and pop hits such as "Delta Dawn," "City Of New Orleans" "Games People Play" and "If We Make It Through December," as well as a couple of originals, "Constant Sorrow" and "Running Man," both credited to Rowland.

Garry Rust "...And The Rust Country Band" (Rust Country Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Garry Rust, Bill Cashman & Fred Porter)
This band from the Tucson, Arizona twang scene played a few choice covers, such as "Amanda" and "Y'All Come Back Saloon," as well as plenty of original material. Among the bandmembers were lead singer Garry Rust, pedal steel player Ted Hockenberry, Steve Call on rhythm guitar and pianist Duncan Stitt, who played in several other local Arizona bands during the '70s and '80s.

The Saddle City Band "Bareback" (Carte Blanche Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Cashman & Rick Nuttall)
This Tucson, Arizona twangband upholds a long tradition of longhaired desert country artists playing jaunty, uptempo music fronted by fairly jittery, plainspoken lead singers. I dunno, I guess it's just an Arizona thing...(?) Anyway, this band came at the tale end of the whole 'Seventies outlaw scene, and while their more rollicking numbers seem anchored in the western swing/roadhouse revival, the album feel a little too slick with slightly antiseptic production, with half an eye towards commercial airplay. Some tracks are really terrible, though this still has some fairly rootsy material, and is notable for the democratic spotlighting of several different bandmembers as lead vocalists. The strongest and most "country" soloist was pianist Duncan Stitt, who'd also released a solo album a few years earlier. They seem to have been aiming for a middle-of-the-road, Oak Ridge Boys/Alabama top forty sound, which I imagine was a disappointment to some of their local fans, but this is still worth a spin.

The Saddle City Band "The Lights Of Tucson" (Art Attack Records, 1988)
I haven't heard this follow-up album yet, but look forward to tracking it down. As fate would have it, Saddle City was a remarkably successful local group, playing shows right through the 1990s, 2000s and beyond.

Sandy & The Sweetbriar Band "Just The Beginning" (Black Canyon Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Santo BamBoci & Roy Peters)

Alvie Self "Arizona Country" (Accent Records, 1988) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Kass & Alvie Self)
A rancher kid from Cottonwood, Arizona, Alvie Self started out as a rockabilly singer in the early 1960s, and his early stuff pops up on a lot of rockabilly and garage-band compilations, particularly poppy humdingers like "Let's Go Wild." Like a lot of kids in Arizona, Self grew up listening to local legend Marty Robbins, and you can detect a Robbins influence in his smooth vocal style. On this album, he pays homage to his idol with "We Miss You Marty Robbins," one of several originals on this disc. Indeed, Mr. Self wrote or co-wrote all but one of the songs, rounding out his set with a version of the sentimental oldie, "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You." Other notable numbers include "How The Grand Canyon Began" (a Paul Bunyan tall tale, set to music) and "The Firefighter's Helping Hand," a heartfelt paean to first responders everywhere. Although the rest of the musicians aren't listed by name, picker Buddy Merrill plays steel guitar on some of the tunes... Many of the songs on this album were first released as Accent singles in the '70s, although it's not clear whether these tracks are the original versions, or re-recordings. This may not be the style of rockabilly/teenpop that Self's older fans remember, but there's still some pretty nice pickin' on here, and the guy definitely had real country roots.

Jim Silver "Volume III" (Silver Records, 19--?) (LP)
A raspy-looking old dude from Sedona, Arizona, Jim Silvers wrote all the songs on here, including twangtunes like "I'd Like To Hear A Country Song," "Waylon And Willie" and "I'm Too Drunk To Drive." The liner notes say there were four volumes altogether, though I haven't laid eyes on any of the other three...

Skeptic Union "From The Hills Of Arizona" (SMG Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Cliffie Stone)
A band from Kingman, Arizona with all-original material written by Dan Phillips... This was more in a strummy-acoustic, spacey soft-rock/folkie/psych mode, though you do hear some twang in there. Mostly it's pretty starry-eyed and spaced-out, with some moments that have a Jonathan Edwards-esque feel to them. Mellow, amateurish, terribly earnest and sincere. (And shouldn't that be Skeptic's Union, plural and with an apostrophe and everything? Just asking.)

J. David Sloan "The Exciting Young Modern Country Sounds Of Today" (Starday Records, 1969-?) (LP)
(Produced by Waylon Jennings & Charlie McCoy)
This is an early album by J. David Sloan, a singer from Phoenix, Arizona who for three decades led the house band at a bar called Mr. Lucky's, which he purchased in 1988 and owned up until 2004. Sloan is perhaps best known for his work with the band the Rogues, which backed Lyle Lovett early in Lovett's career, and helped him record a demo in 1984. Guitarist Ray Herndon, who played on Lovett's first album, was also a member of the Rogues, and helped form the core of Lovett's band as the Americana scene of the '80s took flight. Some sources say that Sloan moved to Phoenix in 1972, though the involvement of Waylon Jennings in this album from 1969 suggests that Sloan was on the scene earlier. In addition to Jennings co-producing the record, it also includes a version of Waylon's "Young Widow Brown," which was also released as a single.

J. David Sloan & The Rogues "A New Box Of People" (Pantheon Desert Records) (LP)
(Produced by Kirk Butler & J. David Sloan)
For the life of me, I could not track down what year this album came out, though I suspect it's an '80s outing... The band includes Sloan, Joey Trujillo, Dave Hearn, Joe Sutton, Danny Snead on steel guitar, and Jesse Gilbreath on keyboards. Among other songs, they do a medley of "Luckenbach, Texas/Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain," giving a nod to the Texas outlaws... Years later, Sloan and his son Jaylon formed a group called the Western Bred, which as far as I know is still together.

Dennis Smith "Cowboy" (Adonda Records, 1981-?)
(Produced by Les Ladd & Harrison Tyner)
Scottsdale, Arizona's John Dennis Smith -- who also went by the name John Starr and well as about a half-dozen other aliases -- sure seems like a real character. Two decades after recording this album in Nashville, he self-published an autobiography, Let The Boy Sing: Elvis Is My Daddy, which was the focus of an unusually harsh, amazingly derisive, truly hilarious, excruciatingly long 2013 book review by the Phoenix New Times music critic Robert L. Pela. And yes, indeed, Mr. Smith claimed that Elvis Presley was his dad and had secretly set up a network of enablers within the music industry who gave the kid all kinds of breaks, including the Nashville record deal. Apparently this Elvis-was-my-dad delusion is pretty common -- it's the main focus of the Pela's article -- but it's only a tiny part of Smith's questionable claims to fame. He also talks about penning hit songs recorded by Restless Heart, Larry Gatlin, and even the late, great Kenny (Sauron) Rogers... The New Times reviewer goes to great lengths to debunk these claims -- one of the songs was first recorded when Smith was ten years old, and he wasn't listed with composer credits on any of them. To be fair, though, the fact checker may have needed a fact checker himself: one of the supposed fictions Pena catches Smith out on is about the existence of this very album; he couldn't find any reference to it online, so he assumed it was another one of Smith's fibs. However, I'm looking at four separate copies listed on eBay today, and several more on Discogs, so, yeah, it exists. Recorded at Doc's Place in Nashville, with a bunch of A-list pros, the album seems to have been one of those songwriter demo discs, subsidized by a studio to showcase some new tunes they want to plug... About half the tracks were written or co-written by Don Vinson, along with other composers such as Bristow Hopper, Dallas Laird, Dan Willis and Lee Stuart, including a couple with Dennis Smith's manager Harrison Tyner claiming a partial songwriting credit. And was Elvis himself lurking somewhere in the background? It's certainly possible: Dennis Smith was only nineteen years old when he cut this disc, but he said in his book he didn't know about the family connection until he was twenty-seven! And don't even try to tell me that Elvis was dead!!

Frankie Starr "Elevator Baby" (Bear Family Records, 1996)
A regional star in Phoenix, Starr's hard-luck history is intimately intertwined with that of Marty Robbins, a singer he discovered and helped promote in late 1940s. Starr began his career in Los Angeles, but moved to Arizona after World War Two and was reasonably successful as a radio singer and bar band leader. He hired Robbins around 1948, then watched helplessly as his protege quickly eclipsed him and made the leap into Nashville superstardom... To hear Starr tell the story (which he does in the liner notes), Robbins pretty much bailed on Starr as soon as Music City beckoned, and did little to help Starr out when he later to make a go of things in Tennessee. A lot of folks apparently liked Starr, and a few covered his songs, but he was destined to be an also-ran, and this collection represents his entire recorded legacy -- a few 1950s singles on Decca, some more on his own independent Star-Win label, and some 'Sixties recordings made with Autry Inman. Starr had a good voice, and though he wasn't an electrifying performer, his Hank Snow-ish crooning has a definite charm to it... Marty Robbins fans will find this disc of interest since it also includes his earliest demo recordings, four tracks cut in 1948, in a session Starr said he helped set up and pay for... The sound quality on these tracks ain't great, but the historical value is immense. Really, what you want to hear on this album is Starr himself -- he might not have made it big in showbiz, but he left behind some fine hillbilly music for folks to listen to in decades to come.

Duncan Stitt "It's The Music In Me" (BIRC, 1978) (LP)
Piano player Duncan Stitt was a mainstay of the late-'70s Tucson, Arizona alt-country scene, playing in the Saddle City Band and as part of the house band at the Outlaw nightclub. I believe this was his first solo album, still playing country, though he later switched to pop and R&B and other more lucrative styles. He's backed by Emmit Brooks on bass, Marshall Racewsky(sp?) on guitar, and Calvin Turbeville on steel.

Stumpwater Jak "Too Many Outlaws" (Pantheon Studios, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Carl Hamrick & Rick Hamrick)
This hippiebilly band from Phoenix, Arizona featured lead guitar by Jerry Gropp (who had recorded and toured with Waylon Jennings in the '60s), keyboards from Steven D. Brown (who had previously held down a longtime gig playing in the house band at the Palomino Club in Albuquerque, NM) and drumming and harmony vocals by Michael Hounshell, from the local hippiefolk band Mason Bricke, along with bassist Gary Clemmons... Other than a cover of Louis Jordan's "Choo-Choo-Ch-Boogie," this album is packed with original material, songs such as "Fill 'Er Up Again," "Beer Drinkin' Song" and "Too Many Outlaws." You may detect a pattern here? Modern-day desert honkytonk, with a longhair twist.

Summerdog "Blue Grass" (Peek Publications, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Chip Curry)
A popular band on the late '70s Tucson's twang scene, Summerdog mixed bluegrass roots with western swing and border music, also producing a wealth of original material written by various bandmembers. The longhaired lineup on this album featured banjo player Chip Curry, fiddler Marc Rennard, Ron Doering on guitar and mandolin by Jon Ross. (An early incarnation of the group included banjo player Tom Rozum, who went on to become one of the key players in the Northern California bluegrass scene... I don't think Rozum ever played on any of their albums, though.)

Summerdog "Tucson, AZ" (M & I Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by E. C. Creigh & R. W. Darling)

Summerdog "New Moon" (M & I Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by R. W. Darling, Fred Porter & Roger King)

Ned Sutton "Drugstore Cowboy" (Pool International, 1978/1981) (LP)
(Produced by George Hawke)
Another nice one from the American Southwest... Tucson, Arizona bandleader Ned Sutton really throws himself into these brightly-produced, truly twangy country novelty tunes, and while audibly very DIY, it's also very solid and satisfying. All the songs were written by producer/guitarist/bassist George Hawke, who used to be in the fabled Dusty Chaps (along with Sutton, I believe...) Also on board is picker Shep Cooke, another desert indiebilly auteur, and sundry other locals. This is a fine record, with plenty of wit and grit, and definitely worth tracking down. I guess this was Sutton's only album... anyone know for sure?

Gary Tonkin "Presenting The Modern Country Sounds Of Gary Tonkin" (Music City Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Shockley)
Originally from Seattle, Washington, singer Gary Tonkin performed extensively while stationed abroad in the Air Force during the early 1960s, and formed his own band when he got back stateside. Tonkin played in a band called the Bitter Creek Canyon Band while living in Flagstaff, Arizona... This album was recorded in Nashville with a band that included Gary Tonkin on rhythm guitar, Frank Bernard (lead guitar), Glen Decker (bass) and Gary Toothaker (drums). The album is mostly cover tunes, along with a few originals such as Gary Tonkin's "Hey You" and Frank Bernard's "Big Fool Of The Year" and "Early Morning Sadness." Tonkin was a fairly schmaltzy performer, in sort of a Glen Campbell-ish mode, although he covers some more robust material -- songs by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. He also covers Rod Hart's "Arizona Morning," a nod towards his days in the desert. The arrangements get kinda fancy; he might have been shooting for some kind of Mac Davis countrypolitan vibe.

The Triple C Chuck Wagon Stage Show "Recorded Live At Triple C Ranch" (Triple C Recordings, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Chuck Camp)
A chuck-wagon souvenir album from a dude ranch outside of Tucson, Arizona... The album jacket only gives us the first names of the five bandmembers, though this was a family-based operation, run by Charles R. Camp and his wife Mae Camp, along with three of their kids -- Bill, Cathy and Jim -- who are also pictured on the back. A Colorado native, Chuck Camp (1926-2003) was an educator by vocation, teaching electronics at various schools before retiring to run the Triple C full-time. Before moving to Arizona, Mr. Camp was a performer at the Flying W Chuckwagon, a well-known dude ranch in Colorado Springs; in 1969 the Camps moved to Tucson to replicate the Flying W model and go into business for themselves. Like many tourist ranch bands, the Triple C fostered a lot of talent over the years; in addition to the family members, other featured performers included singers David Bradley and David May. Traveling artists also were booked onto the Triple C stage and starting in 1984 the ranch was home to an edition of the Sons Of The Pioneers led by singer Dale Warren (d. 2008). The Triple C Ranch was part of a regional industry devoted to "wild west" nostalgia, and was often included in package tours of ghost towns and the like. The ranch remained local fixture for many years, run by Chuck and Mae until 1990, when they gave the reins to their son Bill, who ran it for over a decade before closing up shop in 2003. A charter member of the The Western Music Association, Mae Camp continued performing regionally for many years after the ranch closed and after her husband passed away. (Thanks to The Tucson Musicians Museum and local newspapers for providing some of the background info...)

The Triple C Wranglers "An Evening At Triple C Ranch" (Triple C Recordings, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Chuck Camp)

The Tucson Messengers "Goin Home" (Eddie Crook Productions, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Eddie Crook)
A southern gospel/country gospel group from Arizona, the Tucson Messengers were founded by singer Marojean Tatman (1923-2011) who previously had years of experience performing with her family group, The Kline Family. Mrs. Tatman started her own group in 1968, earning national popularity and recording several albums before her death in 2011. The Tucson Messengers continued on as a group, although the distinctively twangy approach heard on these early albums was gradually softened to take on a more "contemporary" Christian sound.

The Tucson Messengers "Classic" (Eddie Crook Productions, 1985-?) (LP)

The Tucson Messengers "Home In The Sky" (Crusade Records, 19--?) (LP)

Two Week Notice Band "Two Week Notice Band" (Self-Released, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Mortenson)
Love the band name! This longhaired crew from Phoenix, Arizona seems to have been the brainchild of brothers Ken Skaggs and Russell Skaggs... Haven't heard it yet, but I look forward to the day I do.

Zuni Midnighters "Zuni Midnighters" (Indian Arts Of America, 1965-?) (LP)
A mix of country twang and rock'n'surf oldies from a tribal twang band out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Midnighters were one of the longest-running and most professional Native American country bands of the 1960s and '70s, playing regionally and recording several albums. The lineup on this early 'Sixties album (their first?) included Lloyd Boone, Rudy Bowekaty, Lynn Hooee, Kimo Natewa, Stanley Natewa, and Jones Shebola -- not sure who played which instruments, though, alas. This disc has more of a rock orientation, with covers of "Money," "Memphis," "Surf Bunny" and "Wipeout," though they also cover Hank Strzelecki's novelty twang tune "Long Tall Texan," which had been popularized by the Beach Boys. I'm not sure of the exact date on this one, but given the repertoire it was probably recorded no earlier than 1965.

Zuni Midnighters "Land Of The Shalako" (JWP Records, 1973) (LP)
Though still clearly into classic pop and garage rock and 'Sixties R&B -- with covers of "96 Tears," "Midnight Hour," "Pushing Too Hard" and "Whiter Shade Of Pale" -- the Midnighters were also grooving on some hip contemporary roots-rock, including stuff by Creedence Clearwater ("Lodi") and Doug Sahm ("Mendocino"). Not all twang, by any means, but pretty eclectic and groovy, for sure. It's worth noting that this album came out on the JWP label, which also put out an album by Three Faces West, an early band of Austin, Texas icon Ray Wylie Hubbard, so they were definitely in the swing of things. As far as I know, the tribally-themed title track, "Land Of The Shalako," was an original.

Zuni Midnighters "The Long Journey" (JWP Records, 197--?) (LP)
Not sure when this one came out, but it wasn't long after the other JWP album... According to the liner notes, this was the band's fourth album, and by this time Stanley Natewa was the only remaining original member. There are still some rock'n'soul songs in the mix, but country-oriented material was more in the foreground, as wella s more regionally-oriented songs such as "Rancho Tenaya," "Mountains Of New Mexico," and "Long Journey," which was written to commemorate the hardships faced by the Navajo nation.

Zuni Midnighters "My Land" (JWP Records, 197-?) (LP)

Zuni Midnighters "Our Sixth Album" (19--?) (LP)
In case anyone was keeping count, this was, well, their sixth album, and possibly the band's last. Stanley Natewa was still holding things down as the groups lead guitar player and main vocalist, with Johnny Natewa on organ, as well Bill Crockett (vocals), Lawrence Laiteyse (drums), Ceam Tekala (bass) and Lebeck Unkistine also on bass.

Various Artists "THE BEST OF COUNTRY SWING, v.1 -- AS SELECTED BY DANCING DAN" (J. R. Records, 1980) (LP)
A swell selection of late '70s/early '80s hippiebilly... Most of the artists on here are from Tucson, Arizona's desert twang scene, including Chuck Wagon & The Wheels, The Frank & Woody Show, The Saddle City Band, Billy Odom (of the bands Straight Shot and Loose Boots), The David Dollar Revue, Duncan Stitt and Two Crisp Bills... The odd man out is Deadly Ernest and his band the Honky Tonk Heroes, who were from Ohio... But I ain't complaining!

Various Artists "HOT TIMES IN TUCSON" (Cactus Wren Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Richard O. Dungan)
Live recordings from the "Tucson Meet Yourself" folk festival, a multi-cultural traditional music event which included Balkan music and polkas, Native American and latino songs, alongside African-American and white gospel, bluegrass and old-timey tunes, and even a little bit of cowboy balladry from Van Holyoke. All the participants were Arizona residents, invited to perform by the Cultural Exchange Council, organized with help from a federal NEA grant.

Various Artists "KDBK: ARIZONA SOUNDS -- HOMEGROWN MUSIC" (Dwight-Karma Records, 1976) (LP)
The first in a series of showcase albums sponsored by an Arizona radio station, documenting a number of indie-country and rock'n'roll bar bands, including a couple of groups that cut LPs, such as Shep Cooke, The Dusty Chaps and Custer's Last Band, and a slew of super-obscuro artists from the days before Americana was Americana. While this initial volume had a fair amount of twang, later volumes took more of a tilt towards rock and AOR.

Various Artists "ROCKIN' AND BOPPIN' IN THE DESERT: ARIZONA ROCKABILLY, v.1" (Bear Family Records, 1999) (LP)

Various Artists "ROCKIN' AND BOPPIN' IN THE DESERT: ARIZONA ROCKABILLY, v.2" (Bear Family Records, 1999) (LP)

Various Artists "SING A SONG FOR A SOUVENIR OF ARIZONA" (LJR Souvenir Records, 19--?) (LP)
This faux-live album celebrates the early '60s heyday of the Arizona honkytonk scene, gathering archival recordings of Waylon Jennings and Donny Owens, along with more obscure singers such as Dave Curtis, Jimmy Gray, Don Rollins, Herb Sims, and even one by professional clown Bozo Darnell. The album cover is emblazoned with a photo of Lonesome Long John Roller, a local deejay and onetime flagpole sitter who apparently also ran a small record label (LJR) and was one of Waylon's early patrons and pals... Roller sings one song on here, "Ten Years Ago," which is one of several tracks credited to Jennings. There are also a couple of gals on here: Francis Clinton and guitarist Charlotte Dixon, and overlapping backup musicians on several of the tracks. Mae Axton -- Hoyt's mom -- was connected with this crowd as well, and contributes glowing liner notes. Good, straightforward honkytonk from the goodle days.

Hick Music Index