The Arkansaw Travellers "From The Ozarks" (Arkansaw Traveller Records, 1969) (LP)
Retro-delic old-timey music recorded by the cast of an all-acoustic local "opry" called the Arkansas Traveller Folk Theater in Hardy, Arkansas. This early edition of the cast included Denice Adams, B. F. Anderson, Wayne Clark, Neil Crow, Ralph Depriest, Bruce Ferniman, Olaf Pinkston, Orilla Pinkston, Leo Rainey and Debbie Sanders. The repertoire was all oldies and folk songs, including chestnuts such as "Bill Bailey," "Home Sweet Home," "Bile Them Cabbage Down," and, of course a version of "Arkansas Traveler" and one called "Down In Arkansas." The liner notes mention some previous studio albums, but I haven't been able to track those down yet.

The Arkansaw Travellers "Echoes Of The Ozarks" (Arkansaw Traveller Records, 1971) (LP)

The Arkansaw Travellers "The Arkansaw Traveller Folk Theatre" (Rimrock Records, 1973) (LP)

The Arkansaw Travellers "The Arkansaw Traveller Folk Theatre" (Rimrock Records, 1975) (LP)

The Arkansas Travellers "Live" (American Artists Records, 1976)
(Produced by Leo Rainey)
A live show recorded in August, 1976 with artists such as Ralph Depriest, Jim Buchanan, Debbie Hansen, Abe Weaver and others... The repertoire was all oldies and folk songs, including "Sally Goodin," "Sweet Betsy From Pike," "Wreck Of The Old 97," "Old Rattler," "Bile Them Cabbage Down," and the like.

Garry Ash "The Country Sound Of Garry Ash" (John's Recording Studio, 1973-? ) (LP)
A native of Melbourne, Arkansas, teenaged guitarist Garry Ash -- who was still in high school when he cut this record -- picks and sings a set of country covers, with hits such as "Big River," "White Lightnin'," "Walk On By" and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." The backing band appear to be all locals, among them Todge Avey on lead guitar, Zane Beck playing steel and Bobby Carson on fiddle. Not sure of the year, though it definitely looks 1970s... This was his first album, though Garry Ash continued playing country music and put out CDs as recently as 2011, backed by his band Wildfire.

Jerry Don Bailey & Allyx "One Little Cloud" (Dax Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Don Bailey)
Without doubt, this is a truly oddball indiebilly album. Bailey seems to have been from Russellville, Arkansas and recorded this album there, but released this album on the Houston-based Dax label. Apparently, he eventually moved to Texas (although it turns out there were an awful lot of guys named Jerry Bailey from Arkansas, so I'm not entirely 100% sure if I've got the right guy...) Anyway, this is a tinny, thinly-recorded set, a mix of Jerry Reed-ish raunch and spacey philosophizing, with a few really good honkytonk songs packed in the middle. Particularly noteworthy is a Willie-esque barroom weeper, "That Door" -- indeed, if you can overlook the weak-sounding production, there are actually some pretty good songs on here. By the way, you might be forgiven for assuming that "Allyx" was the name of some female backup singer -- it's not, though: actually that's the name of his band. Go figure. If you're into outsider art, country style, you might wanna check this one out. No date is given on the album -- anyone have more info about these session?

Jerry Don Bailey "Blacktop River" (Dax Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Don Bailey)

Darlene Battles "I Just Want To Love You" (Bejay Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Mickey Moody)
Born in Wynne, Arkansas, singer Darlene Battles sang backup gigs in Nashville throughout the late 60s and married country/R&B singer Jerry Jaye in the early '70s, working with him on numerous projects. She recorded this solo album with Jaye and his band backing her up, including steel guitar player (and label owner) Ben Jack, Darrell Price plunking piano, and Curly Lewis on fiddle. This was Darlene Battles only solo album as a secular artist -- she got religion in 2003 and has since recorded several gospel albums, both under her own name and with the band On Call...

Zane Beck "...Plays The New ZB Student Model" (John's Recording Studio, 1972-?) (LP)
(Produced by John Miller)
Steel player Zane Back (1937-1985) was a mainstay of the Arkansas recording scene, though he also did some time in Nashville, backing singers like Red Sovine and Billy Walker. Like a lot of pedal steel pickers, he was also a mechanical tinkerer and started his own musical instrument company, selling pedal steels of his own design. According to the liner notes, he sold the company in 1968 although he kept a hand in the development and marketing of new instruments, including the one featured on this album, the ZB Student Model. Apparently this was Beck's first session as a solo artist in about a decade; he was backed by drummer Rex Bell, Terrell Brashers (bass), Wes Cole (drums) and gal guitar picker/vocalist LaRue McAnulty, who sings on two tracks.

Zane Beck & Julian Tharpe "12+14 = Country Jazz" (Zanbeck Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by A. D. Cummings)
I'm guessing that this duo from Scranton, Arkansas were more jazz than twang, but I'm always in favor of a bit of pedal steel, and Julian Tharpe has a bunch of albums to choose from. The pickin' from Zane Beck don't hurt much, either!

Zane Beck "...Meets Bobby Caldwell" (Mid-Land Records, 19--?) (LP)

Billy Blanton "Me And Leroy Live At The Hanging Tree" (1977) (LP)
Although he was born in Vandervoort, Arkansas, and appeared to have lived in the state for most of his life, country singer Billy Wayne Blanton (1934-2017) traveled throughout the South to build his career. He must have spent a considerable amount of time in the Southwest as well, since this album was recorded live in Yuma, Arizona, and his following LP came out on a label from New Mexico. Blanton's first record was a single from 1973, followed by one on an Arkansas label in '76. As far as I know, he didn't record anything after the late 1970s, though he does seem to have kept performing later in life. Blanton didn't have the deepest, most robust voice, but he was a solid and sincere honkytonker, at times with a hint of Ernest Tubb in his vocals. He seems particularly guileless and eager in the live banter on this concert album, recorded at a club that was named after one of Arizona's great western tall-tales.

Billy Blanton "Little Richie Records Presents Billy Blanton" (Little Richie, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Little Richie Johnson)
A fine album released on Richie Johnson's New Mexico-based label, though recorded in Nashville with a high power studio band (Lloyd Green, Buddy Harman, Dave Kirby, Hargus Robbins, Buddy Spicher, et.al.). The set list includes a couple of Leon Payne songs, a cover of the Kenny Rogers hit, "The Gambler," and Ed Bruce's "Texas When I Die." There are also three songs by Ray D. Willis: "Hell Ain't Half A Mile Away," "I Can Almost See Houston" and "I'm Here To Drink It All," which was a first-class novelty number that was later released as a single, as was Gene Crysler's "If I Ever Need A Lady." The liner notes give us a sense of how hard Blanton struggled to break through and how far he traveled for his career: he performed at concerts and TV shows in Georgia, Kansas, South Carolina and Texas, at the Louisiana Hayride, and at an event affiliated with the Grand Ole Opry, working with folks as disparate as Jim Nesbitt, Jimmy Gateley and Bill Mack. As far as I know, this was his last full album, though it sure sounded swell -- straight-up, steel-drenched honky-tonk with a good-natured, hard-partying vibe. Nice stuff.

Margie Bowman "From The Heart Of Margie Bowman" (Ranger Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Forrest Green)
This gal from the town of Ozark, Arkansas wrote most of the songs on this album, adding a few cover tunes from the likes of Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson and Loretta Lynn. Bowman was a rough, rural vocalist -- although she pays homage to Loretta, her roots run a little deeper, back to foremothers such as Kitty Wells and more particularly to Jean Shepard, whose proto-feminist anthems are echoed in Bowman's own lyrics. This is best borne out on the album's second track, "Lord, Did You Think Of Lonely Women," in which she directly confronts God (yes, that God!) about the religious double standards that make it okay for men to seek comfort in sex, but don't allow women to do the same. That's probably the most striking song on here, but there are several that are quite good. Bowman is backed by producer Forrest Green and his band, the Rangers, a veteran of the 1950's country scene and former Arkansan himself, who moved to Michigan and settled into a second act as an indie record producer... His band adds a lively, melodic, steel-driven twang, reminiscent of Lynn's best work from the '60s; the album isn't that well-produced, and Bowman's phrasing sounds a little stiff -- nerves, maybe? -- but it's still a cool record. Not entirely sure when this was made, but I'm guessing it was around 1974-75, based on the album art and on the cover tunes: "Me And Bobby McGee" was from the late '60s, but Haggard's "Holding Things Together" came out in '74. Anyone out there know for sure?

The Brassfield Trio "God's Countdown" (Bejay Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Ben Jack and Glenn Smith)
A pleasantly country-flavored gospel set from a family trio from Hartford, Arkansas, made up of Leon and Myra Brassfield and their daughter Wanda. I was drawn to this album by the wealth of original material, as well as covers of songs by a couple of Hemphill family songs, and one by Dottie Rambo, but mostly because of the musical backing by studio owner Ben Jack and his studio crew, who also did a lot of country and R&B recordings, most notably working with Jerry Jaye and Darlene Battles. The studio band included Terry Anderson (lead guitar), Ben Jack (steel guitar), Wanda Johnson (piano) and Bill Jones (drums), a compact group than provides some surprisingly rich country textures throughout the album... The vocals are a little variable, but overall I'd call this one a keeper.

David Brewer "David Brewer" (Zeta Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Morris & Dee Keener)
Not a lot of info about singer David Brewer, per se although his backing band included the husband-wife duo of Bob Morris and Faye (Hardin) Morris, fellow Arkansans who were closely associated with Buck Owens and the early 1960's Bakersfield Sound. They recorded for the West Coast label, Challenge Records, and co-wrote a number of successful songs, including "Made In Japan," which was a #1 hit for Buck Owens in 1972. Mr. Morris also worked prolifically as a studio musician, playing bass (and other instruments) on sessions for Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, and the couple was given a spotlight on Owen's pre-Hee-Haw TV show. Eventually the Morrises headed back to Arkansas where they helped produce records for local musicians, including this album. All the songs are originals co-written by David Brewer and Bob Morris, with Morris playing guitar, fiddle and keyboards, Faye Morris singing backup, with Gene Morris on bass and Robbie Morris playing drums. (Note: when Bob Morris died in 1981 after a struggle with cancer, David Brewer was one of his pallbearers.)

Elton Britt -- see artist profile

Jim Ed Brown -- see artist profile

The Browns -- see artist profile

Ed Bruce -- see artist profile

Billy Don Burns "Ramblin Gypsy" (Gypsy Woman Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Porter Wagoner, Tom Pick & Roy Shockley)
Country singer Billy Don Burns headed out the gate looking pretty good... Moving to Nashville from Arkansas, he landed a staff songwriting job set up by Harlan Howard, later formed a business partnership with Hank Cochran, placed songs with Willie Nelson and other stars, an produced albums by Merle Haggard and Johnny Paycheck... A lot of doors lay open for him. Burns cut a few singles in the early 'Seventies, and finally made his first album in '82, with help from producer Porter Wagoner. Although he looked all baby-faced and earnest on the cover, Billy Don was a real-deal, leather-jacket country outlaw. In addition to a taste for motorcycles and Jack Daniels, he also had a long-running series of drug addictions, habits that held him back him professionally and much later in life led to an arrest for meth possession with a subsequent parole violation, earning a couple of years in a Kentucky prison. Willie Nelson wrote a letter to the state asking for leniency, but Burns still did hard time despite being an old dude in his sixties. This album is a fine memento of his youth, a rugged set of original material with about half the songs written by Burns, a couple more by some guys in his band, and a few Hank Williams tunes thrown in for good measure. Perhaps best of all are the back-cover liner notes, which guilelessly list his tour dates for 1981-82, a mix of local honkytonks and military bases, the kind of wear-it-on-your-sleeve sub-stardom stuff that I find totally charming. Burns went on to record several more albums over the decades, including at least one from after his parole.

Shawn Camp -- see artist profile

Glen Campbell -- see artist profile

Johnny Cash -- see artist profile

Tommy Cash -- see artist profile

The Cates Gang "Wanted" (Metromedia Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Mickey Moody, John Patterson & Huey P. Meaux)
Twin brothers Earl and Ernest Cate were from Fayetteville, Arkansas, where as teens they hung out with fellow locals Ronnie Hawkins and Levon Helms, who later became instrumental in forming the legendary hippie-twang group The Band. The brothers were a popular regional act throughout the 'Sixties and cut this LP at Delta Studios, in Fort Worth, Texas with backing by Huey Meaux, owner of the Crazy Cajun label. All the songs are their own originals; several years later they briefly cracked into the Top 25 with the song "Union Man," off the first of several albums they recorded for Asylum Records, as the Cate Brothers.

The Cates Gang "Come Back Home" (Metromedia Records, 1972) (LP)
As on their previous album, this is an intriguing mix of heavy, Muscle Shoals-style soul and deep rural twang... Maybe more of a soul or rock record, but worth a spin from the country-rock set as well.

Gene Champlin "Teardrops" (Lookout Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Duggan)
Country covers by a clean-cut young man from Springdale, Arkansas... This album features cryptic liner notes by Bill Banner, program director at radio station KFAY, in Fayetteville, who tells us that Champlin cut these sessions as a joke, but he doesn't elaborate much beyond that. My guess is that Champlin also worked at KFAY, and the guys in the office were like, c'mon man, you can make a record! Amid tunes by Harlan Howard, Kris Kristofferson and Eddy Arnold are two originals written by Bill Banner himself, "Teardrops" and "Wall Of Sorrow," which may help to explain why the record was so popular (according to Banner) around the station. Alas, there's no real info about Mr. Champlin or the musicians backing him, though they crossed the state line and went all the way to Oklahoma City to record at the Benson Sound studios, and it seems likely the band was drawn from Benson's in-house stable. There's no date on this album, though the inclusion of Bob McDill's "Amanda" and Kristofferson's "Sunday Mornin' Coming Down" indicate an early 'Seventies release, probably 1974 or thereabouts. Champlin may also have recorded a single in 1981, under the band name Hambo And The Moonshiners, though I'm not 100% sure it's the same guy.

The Chisum Family & Devoe Campbell "The Chisum Family And Devoe Campbell" (John's Recording Studio, 19--?) (LP)
This family band was led by patriarch James Lester Chisum (1923-2012) a banjo player and ordained Pentecostal minister from the unincorporated, deeply rural Ozark hamlet of Ben Hur, Arkansas, along with lead guitarist Devoe Campbell, a fellow pastor who lived in nearby Mount Judea. The group included a whole passel of family members, notably Mr. Chisum's song Donnie, who also became a minister. This may have been their first album, though the occasion was tinged with sorrow, as the liner notes inform us that four of the family's teenage boys had died in an auto accident on March 1, 1969, probably not long before this album was pressed. Good stuff here: raw, rural, amateurish in just the right way, unpretentious and very heartfelt, with dips into both bluegrass and country stylings. Fans of Porter Wagoner might really dig these folks.

The Chisum Family & Devoe Campbell "The Sun Will Shine" (John's Recording Studio, 1971-?) (LP)
The lineup on this album includes Jim Atkins on piano, Paul Blalock (bass), Devoe Campbell (lead guitar), Don Chisum (rhythm guitar), Lester Chisum (banjo) and steel guitarist Zane Beck, who played on numerous album by local artists. Although there are no composer credits, this appears to be packed with original material; there's also no date written on the album, but I'm guessing that this came out around 1971 based on the catalog number.

The Chisum Family "The Church In The Country" (Spin-Chek Records, 19--?) (LP)
This disc also includes steel guitar from Zane Beck, along with Terrell Brashear on bass, Devoe Campbell (lead guitar), Donnie Chisum (rhyhm guitar), Lester Chisum (banjo), Gene Gasaway (sp?) on violin, and drummer Gary Nichols, as well as Chisum daughters Rosetta and Ruth.

Jed Clampit "Mississippi To Arizona" (My Own Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by John Minick & Skip Shimmin)
A country-folk auteur from Monticello, Arkansas, songwriter Jed Clampit eventually released seven albums in his career, though I believe this one was the first. Recorded in both Little Rock and Nashville with mix of Music City pros and a string section drawn from the Little Rock Symphony, this is an all-original set, including songs like the title track and one called "Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven," which apparently was not a cover of the Ellen McIlwaine classic. Clampit continued to record and perform well into the 1990s and 2000s, though his website is now dormant or kaput.

Ray Coble "Memory In My Mind" (Ron-Dale Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Coble & Johnny Durham)
As far as I can figure, Raymond Eugene Coble (1934-2019) started out in the late 'Fifties, leading a rockabilly-era band called the JazzKatz, down in Jonesboro, Arkansas. In the early 'Sixties he cut a string of singles for a local label and eventually moved up to Iowa where he was a well-known country performer throughout the 1970s, '80s and '90s, mostly working around Des Moines. This album was released on a label from Jonesboro, but directs us towards a fan club in Cherokee, Iowa, and the band backing him seem to be locals from the upper Midwest, including Gary Vern on lead guitar, Becky Anderson playing bass, and Tom Grim on drums. They mostly do cover tunes, although there is some original material, notably the title track, "Memory In My Mind," which was penned by Coble. There's no date on the disc, but one of the songs they cover is Merle Haggard's "Old Man From The Mountain" which was originally released in 1974, so sometime in the mid-'70s is a fairly safe bet. Apparently he also hosted a TV show, though I'm not sure when it aired.

Marty Colburn "Hard Timing" (SM Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Leroy Wilkes, Jr., Will Riley, Marty Colburn & Robby Turner)
A set of all-original material by a band from Jonesboro, Arkansas. All the songs were written by Will Riley and Leroy Wilkes, Jr., with Robby Turner playing steel guitar, dobro and piano while also engineering the album. And if that ain't local enough for you, the record is dedicated to country station KFIN-108FM as well as to the Aycock Pontiac dealership in Jonesboro.

Donald 'Cotton' Combs "My Fiddle And I, Volume One" (Rooster Records, 1984-?) (LP)
(Produced by James C. Simons)
A pretty snazzy, lively album by an old-timey fiddler living in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a veteran regional performer whose career dates back to the Great Depression. In the 1930s, Combs was part of the Happy Hanks Show, and traveled with the band out to California, where Combs was part of the SoCal western swing scene in its prime; later, he played with regional bands such as the Ferguson Family and other Ozark-area artists, including gigs at some of the local "oprys." On this album, he pays tribute to his western swing years with versions of several Bob Wills songs, along with a bunch of squeeky-fiddle rural old-timey tunes. Backing Mr. Combs on this album were Loy and Euna Sisemore on guitar, along with his cousin, Eldon Combs, on bass -- the same group was performing with him at a gig in Branson, Missouri's Silver Dollar City country music theme park. Apparently the Sisemores pressed and sold their own version of this album, under the title Versions Of Old Time Fiddling, clarifying that it was recorded in Arkansas, at the Gospel Melody Recordings Studios, in Fort Smith. The liner notes promise a second volume soon to come -- anyone know if that other album came out as well?

Donald 'Cotton' Combs "Parkin' Lot Jammin' " (John's Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Russell Gillian, Steve Gillian & Phillip Slowey)
Another laid-back acoustic session from this Arkansas fiddler, with accompaniment by bassist Monte Avery and J. J. Curry on guitar. Combs and Curry were both old-timers, though Mr. Avery was a much younger fella.

John & Margie Cook "Down At The Tavern: 12 Songs Bluegrass Style" (Wizard Custom Series) (LP)
The Cooks were a couple from Arkansas who started performing together after getting married in the late 1940s, moving around and performing on various radio stations such as XERF, in Del Rio Texas, and XERB San Diego. They also appeared on the Smiley Burnette and Arthur Smith shows, and cut at least one major-label single for Dot Records, as well as a couple of singles through Starday's custom-label service. Settling down in Memphis, they started their own label (including the Wizard imprint, as well as Blake Records and Marble Hill) and released several albums of their own, as well as recordings of other local and regional artists. I think this was their first album, though I'm not sure what year it came out... It's a very old-timey outing, recalling the rougher edge of the same pre-Nashville era that the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers came from... Neither of the Cooks have what you might consider "great" voices, but they do have conviction and authenticity galore... Fans of odd-angled old-time stringband music might get a kick out of this one, though others might find it rough going.

John Corbin & The Sundowners "John's Presents..." (John's Recording Studio, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by John Corbin)
Real-deal amateur honky-tonk by a buncha middle-aged good ole boys from northeastern Arkansas... These guys had some rough edges and imperfections, but they're earthy and enthusiastic, and sure love the music. Lead singer John Corbin (1937-1998) cheerfully channeled Merle Haggard, with a hint of Roger Miller, and while he wasn't a supergreat singer, he also ain't bad: you could tell he really felt what he was singing about. There are a bunch of cover songs, including versions of "Good Hearted Woman" and Amazing Rhythm Aces' "The End Is Not In Sight," although the real gem on here is Corbin's lone original, "I Had Everything Going My Way," which is a truly great barroom ballad that sticks in your mind. Other highlights include "Sweet Mental Revenge" and the goofball novelty song, "Haunted House." This was recorded at John's Recording Studio, in Russelville, Arkansas (which I'm willing to bet was Corbin's own place) and features the following Sundowners: Andrew Frye (piano), Bernie Geels (drums), Gene Haugh (pedal steel), O. D. Lewis (rhythm guitar), Dean Porter (lead guitar), Will Schmitz (bass) and Ivan Smith (fiddle). The liner notes mention a previous LP, though I haven't been able to track that one down yet. Anyway, I like this album -- it's the real thing.

The Country Boys "The Best Of The Country Boys" (Camaro Records) (LP)
(Produced by Style Wooten)
Pretty much a strictly-locals band with guys from Arkadelphia and Malvern, Arkansas, singing a mix of covers and original material. The group consisted of Clyde Bolt (harmonica), Junior Helms (lead guitar), Raymond Ray (lead guitar), Wayne V. "Hap" Roberson (bass, emcee), Jody Stiles (rhythm guitar), and Lincoln Wilson on drums. Apparently they traveled to Memphis to record this album, though they were all Arkansas lads as far as I can tell. The album includes several originals, including a number of instrumentals, as well as songs written by various bandmemebrs: "I'll Be Obliged To You" by Hap Roberson, "Freight Train And A Model T Ford" by Clyde Bolt, and "Love Letters" by Raymond and Wilson.

The Country Time Jamboree "Comin' At Ya" (19--?) (LP)
An Ozarks mini-opry based in in Harrison, Arkansas, led by a fella named Mike Bishop and his wife Angela Marie Bishop, who was the show's booking agent. Not sure when this album came out or who was in the cast, but the venue opened in 1983 and seemed to have been in business at least through the 1990s, possibly as late as 2019. In addition to running their own venue in Harrison, the Jamboree was also a touring act, with a multi-state range that included gigs in Kansas and Missouri. I'm not sure of the year this album came out, or if they produced any others.

Iris DeMent -- see artist profile

Connie Dycus "Let Ole Lonesome In" (Country's Finest Disc Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Raney, Harry Glenn, Rose Maddox)
Originally from down south, Connie Dycus grew up in Arkansas but moved up north to Flint, Michigan where he was a country deejay and hosted his own TV show, while also working a day job at a General Motors factory... Dycus was a first-generation rockabilly/rock'n'roll star, recording tracks with Jim Minor and as a solo artist -- in 1958, he cut a single for Mercury Records, "Rock-a-Bye-Baby Rock"/"Mind If I Cry" and recorded steadily through the early '60s, releasing singles on a variety of small local labels, including Wayne Raney's Rimrock Records. Raney also produced this early 'Seventies LP, which was partly made up of late 'Sixties recordings. Dycus wrote ten of the twelve songs on here, and covers the Merle Travis oldie, "Dark As A Dungeon," which was also released as a single on Rimrock. Dycus eventually moved back to Arkansas, and passed away later in life.

The Eldorados "At The Cadillac Club" (Nugget Records, 197--?) (LP)
These guys were the house band at an Arkansas night spot called the Cadillac Club, owned by Jim Fike. The Eldorados were a four-piece group that mixed rock oldies with 'Seventies pop and country covers, with varying degrees of lounge music goofiness. The country stuff is okay, though the rock'n'roll songs lack some of the requisite punch -- maybe they were more uninhibited playing live, I dunno. There are a couple of embarrassing moments, on songs that require higher energy or vocal finesse, notably on Bill Withers's "Lean On Me," a limp version of Mac Davis's anthemic "I Believe In Music," as well as an equally languid runthrough of "Too Late to Turn Back Now," a 1972 soul hit by the Cornelius Brothers. The Eldorados were Jim Corrons on rhythm guitar, Rick House (lead guitar), Larry House (piano), and Jim Tedford (bass and guitar)

Barbara Fairchild -- see artist profile

Doyle Faubus "Sentimental Country" (19--?) (LP)
This indie album was written and recorded by songwriter Doyle Faubus, the brother of longtime Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, a figure most remembered for his refusal to integrate the schools in Little Rock, despite a Federal order to do so in the 1950s. Doyle Faubus had a real commitment to his music, performing locally and regionally for several decades, including a gig at the "Lil' Ol' Opry" that ran at least as late as 2011. He wrote all the songs on this album, though sadly I have no info on the musicians backing him.

Ray Franks & The Can't Hardly Playboys "Just Plain Country" (Bar-Co Records, 197--?) (LP)
I totally love this album -- I dig the band name, the album title, and hey, the music's pretty great, too. Ray Franks, a self-taught country auteur from Grand Rapids, Michigan, named his band the Can't Hardly Playboys, 'way back when he was teenager in the late 1950s, while he was learning the ropes with Great Lakes western swing bandleader Herb Brown. I dunno what the whole story is with this one... The guys in the band are mostly from around Batesville, Arkansas, where this disc was recorded, and they sound pretty good. The songs are all Franks originals, but they have a powerful streak of unruly, old-school hillbilly music to them... The music is rough-edged and imperfect, also completely heartfelt and authentic. Most of the songs aren't great compositions, but they are fun, and twangy as all getout. I think Franks also recorded a few singles, and kept the band together for decades after this, well into the 2000s, at least. If you can track this one down, definitely check it out.

Glen Garrison "Country! Country!" (Imperial Records, 1967) (LP)
(Produced by Scott Turner)
An ex-rockabilly rebel-gone-West Coast country singer and session guitarist, Harold Glen Garrison (1942-1971) adopted a sound stylistically and vocally very much like Buck Owens, and released two major-label LPs at the height of the Bakersfield Sound. Garrison only placed two songs chart in the Top 100, including "Goodbye Swingers," off this album, which peaked out at #72 on the Billboard charts. He was born in Searcy, Arkansas and moved out the California, where he played in Wynn Stewart's band before pursuing his own solo career. Despite the lack of commercial success, this is still fun stuff, and if you dig vintage Buck Owens, there's no reason not to turn up the volume on this album, as well... Even ol' Buck agreed: he wrote the liner notes, opining on the differences between Hollywood and Nashville country. Garrison died young, passing away in Joy, Arkansas just a few years after these albums came out... He certainly seems like an artist ripe for reissue, though, particularly if anyone wanted to collect his earlier rock'n'roll records, which for years have only been available on some far-flung rockabilly comps.

Glen Garrison "If I Lived Here: The Country Soul Of Glen Garrison" (Imperial Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Scott Turner)

Ron-Emmet Givens "Ron-Emmet Givens" (Prairie Dust Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Morton & Gene Rice)
I couldn't find out much about this guy, outside of the liner notes on this album... His name was Ronald Emmet Givens (which he didn't always hyphenate) and he was born in Missouri but grew up in Arkansas, and he worked all over the map before apparently landing in Nashville, where he recorded this album, with backing by a bunch of Music City studio pros. He had some sort of professional arrangement with songwriter Ann J. Morton (who I believe owned the Prairie Dust label) and recorded several of her songs on this album, including "Life Without You," which she also sings on... Givens seems to have settled in Nashville and was listed doing some shows there in the mid-1980s, though after that the trail grows cold.

Lonnie Glosson "The Living Legend" (Rimrock Records, 1982-?) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Raney)
A late-life recording by Arkansas native Lonnie Glosson, one of the major stars of the postwar, pre-rock'n'roll hillbilly country era. Glosson partnered up with singer Wayne Raney after Raney split with the Delmore Brothers, and the Glosson-Raney duo developed a propulsive sound, buoyed by their chugging harmonicas and an aggressive guitar style that presaged the rock sound by several years. Along with others, they helped define the dynamic, edgy style of their label, Starday Records. That being said, both Glosson and Raney were never my favorites fo the hillbilly and hillbilly-boogie era, with Glosson in particular striking me as a bit static, stylistically speaking. According to Prague Frank, this album draws on sessions from 1960s that were previously leased to Starday, though the tracks on here mostly went unissued... That's understandable: these are pretty laidback recordings, mostly Glosson blithely strumming his guitar, and occasionally tootling on the harmonica, but not the cannonball-country chugga-chuggers Glosson was known for... Starday put those tracks out as singles. What's on this disc might fit into the various waves of folk-scene revivals where authenticity was prized above all else, but may be slow-going for many country fans. The other big disappointment is that, if you just look at the front cover, you'd think this was an LP called Lonnie And Wife Ruthie, and that Mrs. Glosson would be on here as well: she's not -- it's just him performing solo. Oh, well. Fans of old-old-school country gospel and sentimental songs will appreciate the revivalism of this disc, but it's not really an earthshaker.

Dick Goodwin "I Miss You So" (PBK Records, 1968-?) (LP)
A fairly obscure singer from Camden, Arkansas who played in a local band called the Lazy River Boys, Richard E. Goodwin wrote the title track and released it as a single in 1968, alone with another song, "In My Own Familiar Way," which unfortunately is not also included here, though there may be a couple of other originals on this album. The rest of the tracks are covers of classics by artists such as Bill Anderson, Eddy Arnold Carl Belew and Hank Williams, including tunes like "Am I That Easy To Forget," "City Lights," "Green, Green Grass Of Home," and "Welcome To My World." Goodwin is backed by Larry Cartwright on bass, Glen Harris (fiddle), John Hughey (steel guitar), Bo Posey (drums), Albert Prince (lead guitar), and Zane Raney (Wayne Raney's son) also on drums. This appears to be Goodwin's only album, and was perhaps the sum of his musical career... The liner notes inform us that he played once in 1967 at a venue called the "North Louisiana Hayride" (perhaps a spin-off of the official Hayride?) though I haven't found evidence of any other shows, or other recordings.

Tammy Graham "Rock 'N' Country" (Twin Cities Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Harold Bradley & Bobby Bradley)
In the early 1980's Tammy Wynette Graham, a teenaged piano-player from Little Rock, Arkansas went to Nashville, where she cut this private-press LP as a demo set. She was working with a top producer of the classic Nashville Sound era -- in addition to producing, Harold Bradley plays lead guitar, rhythm, mandolin, banjo and synths(!), with an A-list crew including fellas like David Briggs and Buddy Harman, steel players Lloyd Green, Sonny Garrish and Hal Rugg, as well as Hank Strzelecki on bass... As the title implies, it's mostly a set of country and rock oldies, stuff like "Johnny B. Goode" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," as well as Jambalaya" and "Blue Kentucky Girl" on the country side of things. There's one short track credited to Graham at the end of Side One, "Tammy's Boogie," and a couple of tracks by other composers that may have been original to this album. Graham made it to the majors, eventually, recording a self-titled album for Arista in 1997.

Tammy Graham "Tammy Graham" (Career Records, 1997)
(Produced by Barry Beckett)

Bobby Green "In The Country With Bobby Green" (MajLin Records, 19--?) (LP)
Country gospel singer Bobby Green was born in Bentonville, Arkansas, though this album was released on a label from Escondido, California... Anyone know much about this guy?

The Harden Trio - see artist discography

Buddy Harris "Foundation" (Plantation Records, 1979) (LP)
Singer Buddy Harris was a farm kid from Arkansas who landed a radio show on KDXE, Little Rock, when he was still in grade school, and worked in local bars all through his teens and twenties. He made his way to Nashville around 1970 and plugged away for years before cutting this album and a few singles for Shelby Singleton's Plantation label. It tanked, but he kept plugging away, working at venues like the Say When Lounge, which is where he was playing when Singleton spotted him. Dunno if Harris recorded any more records after this, but at least he got the chance to make this one!

Levon Helm -- see artist profile

Violet Hensley "Old Time Fiddle Tunes" (A & R Record Manufacturing, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Ketchum)
Nicknamed "Yellville's whittlin' fiddler," Violet Brumley Hensley was an Arkansas native who became nationally known in the early 1970s as an ambassador of Ozark musical culture, and as a celebrity fiddle maker. She started playing the violin when she was twelve, and started making them when she was fifteen. Over the years she made several dozen, and fixed countless others at her studio in Yellville, with perhaps her most famous client being former Senate majority leader Robert Byrd, who was a fine old-timey musician himself. Hensley worked with Ozark folklorist and country star Jimmie Driftwood, and made numerous television appearances, on The Beverly Hillbillies and the Regis and Kathy Lee show, to name a couple. This album was recorded with various family members backing her on banjo, guitar and jawbone in a pretty standard traditional repertoire, and seems to have gone through a few different pressings on various labels.

Violet Hensley "Old Time Hoedowns" (1976-?) (LP)

Violet Hensley "The Whittling Fiddler And Family" (1983) (LP)

Edwin Hubbard "A Great Deal Of Jazz And A Little Bit Of Country" (Orion Records, 1981) (LP)

Edwin Hubbard "Edwin Hubbard" (Prana Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Edwin Hubbard & Ron Capone)
This is definitely an oddball record, though also pretty cool. Flautist Edwin Hubbard is best known for his work as a jazz and soul player -- originally from Arkansas, he became a well-known musician on the Memphis scene, Hubbard toured with Isaac Hayes during the peak of Hayes' career, and played on the "Shaft" sessions. But he also had a consistent fascination with and affinity for country material, often interpolating bluegrass standards into the jazz format. It's unusual, for sure, but if you really listen to Hubbard's recordings, you'll realize it's not just gimmicky, he really dug country music and had a unique way of folding it into other styles. Joining him on this disc are twangsters such as Doug Dillard on banjo and Leo Leblanc on steel guitar. I'm not sure how often I would want to come back to this album just for listening pleasure, but it's certainly worth checking out and giving a spin or two.

Tom Hunnicutt "Escaping From Today" (Hillside Country Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Linneman & Gene Lawson)
A native of Opposition, Arkansas, singer Tom Hunnicutt served in the US Marine Corps and peppers his songs with political and social commentary. Tracks include "The Environmentalist," "To Fight A War," "Escaping From Today" and "What Would You Do?" Hunnicutt later rebranded himself as "Captain T," and has self-released several CDs of early and later work. The Nashville crew on theis album includes guitarist Jimmy Capps, fiddler Johnny Gimble and Jeff Newman on steel.

Jim Hurley "Ode To The Razorbacks" (All-Pro Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Larry L. Hart)
This one's pretty much what it says it is: an extended homage to Arkansas football from a hometown honkytonker, or more specifically to the University of Arkansas' Razorbacks team. Hurley had been around for a while before he cut this LP; way in 1967 he cut a single for the Stop label, followed by a string of songs in the early 'Seventies, including a duet with gal singer Linda Cassady. At some point he started working Johnny Elgin who produced some of his records, including this full album. The songs were all written (or adapted) by Jim Hurley, Larry L. Hart and John Elgin. Some are adaptations of old country songs: the title track, "Ode To The Razorbacks" is a version of an old Carter Family song (which one?), while "Watch Your Step Quarterback" is based on a John D. Loudermilk tune. Other songs include Larry Hart's "Armchair Football Superstar," "The Hogs And The Horns" and "Arkansas I Love You." So if you're into football and country music -- but ready for a break from Hank Junior -- give this disc a spin!

Jada "Introducing Jada" (Coyotee Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Beck)
Singer Jada Vaughn was born in Searce, Arkansas but was working in Corpus Cristi, Texas when she cut this album. It features four songs written by Vaughn -- "Haven't Heard A Good Love Song," "I Want You To Know," "Never Been Alone," and "Where Are You Waylon" -- as well as several by producer-arranger Gary Beck: "I'm Trying," "I've Quit Hurting Over You," and "Tell Me Why Why Why," rounding things out with a Hank Williams medley. The band seems like they were all locals -- I don't recognize any of the players -- including Gary Beck on keyboards, pedal steel by Tommy Roots and lead guitar by Allen Hunt.

Jada (Vaughan) "Long Road Home To Texas" (Coyotee Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Beck & Jack Gilmer)
Still working with producer Gary Beck, Ms. Vaughan stuck to her same basic sound -- modern-yet-rootsy Texas twang, with a liberal dose of fiddle and steel -- although the lineup of her backing band changed considerably. Recording this one in Nashville, Gary Beck took more of a backseat role, letting pianist Ray Cobb take over the keyboardist role, while the rest fo the studio crew included bassist Rod Helm, Cliff Parker (lead guitar), John Stacy (drums), Jim Vest (steel guitar), and Tommy Williams on fiddle, as well as Bobby Hardin and the Hardin Trio on backup vocals. The set list includes three repeats from Jada's previous album, presumably re-recordings: her outlaw anthem, "Where Are You Waylon," Beck's "I've Quit Hurting Over You" and Ronnie Tanner's "Night Feelings," with a couple of other Gary Beck originals and a couple of tunes penned by Merrill Lane, notably the album's saucy opener, "I Wanna Ride In Your Rodeo."

Jerry Jay(e) & The Jaywalkers "Souvenir Album Of Most Requested Songs" (Bejay Records, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Mickey Moody)
This was a seriously-indie, in-between-gigs side session for singer Jerry Jaye, an Arkansas native who had a regional and national pop hit with the 1967 single, "My Girl Josephine" and who toured with both Booker T & The MGs and with the Bill Black Combo in the early '70s. This mostly-covers album seems to be vintage 1972-73, a few years before Jaye's country Top Forty breakthrough, "Honky Tonk Women Love Redneck Men" which is an enduring classic of 1970s honkytonk pop. This disc features Jaye playing with some locals in Western Arkansas on a record that was sold out of the Ben Jack Guitar Store in the K-Mart Plaza of Fort Smith. (Co-producer Ben Jack also played pedal steel on the album.) They cover hits of the day, such as "Help Me Make It Through The Night," "Don't Mess Around With Jim," "Country Roads" and "Don't Get Hooked On Me," and possibly a couple of originals. His name is misspelled on the album cover, but there's no mistaking Jay's funky, down-home mix of soul and twang... A fun record, though a little goofy at times.

Jerry Jaye "Honky Tonk Women Love Redneck Men (Plus)" (Edsel Records, 1999)
A fine reissue of Memphis local Jerry Jaye's 1976 album, Honky Tonk Women Love Redneck Men, the title track of which was one of the finest, funnest, most melodic redneck anthems of the 'Seventies neotrad scene. Built on a roller-rinky guitar riff that was lifted straight from Billy Swan's "I Can Help," the song offers one of the most jovial portraits of good-timin' good ole boy life ever committed to wax... The album has several other fine tunes, including "Drinkin' My Way Back Home," and "Standing Room Only," as well as several less-impressive cover tunes, drawing from both the country and R&B sides of Jaye's work. This CD augments his country work with ten bonus tracks drawn from some 1969 white soul sessions with a bunch of Memphis pickers and a Charlie Rich-like vibe... This earlier stuff doesn't blow me away, even though twang-bar king Travis Wammack was one of the backup players... But for southern soul aficianados, these unissued tracks and single sides are doubtless a real find. Still, "Honky Tonk Women" alone is worth the price of admission... What a grrreat song!!

Jerry Jaye & Darlene Battles "Kings Inn Presents..." (Bejay Records, 1984) (LP)
I think this album, recorded with his wife, was the last LP Jerry Jaye recorded, going back to his locals-only roots with the Bejay label...

The Jaye Sisters "On Tour With The Jaye Sisters" (Parthenon Productions, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Boles)
The credits list the sisters as Pattie and Darlene Jaye, who I think may have been singer Darlene Battles, wife of roots/country/R&B singer Jerry Jaye... I couldn't find any definitive info about when this one came out. It seems to have been recorded in Nashville, at least as late as 1968, since they cover Tammy Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E," along with a bunch of 1950s and '60s hits, including "Love Of The Common People" "Act Naturally" and others. The Jaye Sisters may have originally been pitched as a pop duo -- they seem to have also recorded a couple of singles for Atlantic in the early '60s.

Patrick Kelley "Patrick Kelley" (Rock Candy, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Patrick Kelley)
A mix of bar-band boogie rock, contemporary country and soft rock, with plenty of electric guitar all around. Not the greatest record ever, but I guess it has its moments... Not enough country twang for me, though. I couldn't figure if this guy was from California or from the South: the tracks were recorded half in Arkansas, half in San Jose, CA, and the private-pressing record label has a San Jose address as part of the handwritten album art, but immediately below that is a small typewritten address in Pine Bluff, AR. Go figure. The tunes were all originals; two tracks seem to have been born-again Christian songs, the soft-rock "If You Beckon Me," and the more-obvious "Tell Someone," which merited one of those little Jesus-fish icons next to it on the back cover and the inner label... the rest of the songs seem pretty secular, though. "Don't Play That Song" is best country-flavored number.

C. B. Kelton "Loving You" (Conestoga Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Beck)
Arkansas-born pianist C. B. Kelton was primarily a Southern Gospel performer, but at the time he recorded this mostly-secular set, he was working as a lounge singer at a place called the Brown Jug, in Decatur, Illinois. He made the pilgrimage to Nashville to get backing by some of the Music City studio pros, and the results are pretty solid. Countrypolitan blends with soft-pop standards like "Killing Me Softly" and "I'll Have To Say I Love You," given peculiar lounge-singer makeovers... The sound mix isn't that great, and the musicians don't really vary their approach much, but there's a charming authenticity to it all... Maybe more of a lounge record than his other secular stuff (below) but still... Kinda fun, in a corny, old-school way.

C. B. Kelton "...Sings And Plays Town And Country" (Nashville Artists Productions, 19--?) (LP)
Kelton was still playing at the Brown Jug when he cut this one, and once again, he made the trek to Nashville, with satisfying results. As the album title implies, this isn't strictly a country set, but with songs-of-the-day such as "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" and Rod McEuen's "Jean" in the mix, it's a nice time capsule of the era... There are also some original tunes, Kelton's jaunty "Who Oiled The Hinges On My Back Door?" and the more lugubrious "City Life," along with some country and rock oldies covers... All in all, a pretty good vanity album; kinda makes you wish he'd done more stuff like it!

Wayne Kemp - see artist discography

Zane King "Hooked on Steelin' " (Zanbeck Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Zane Beck)
A pedal steel prodigy, fourteen year old Zane King was a student of Arkansas steel player Zane Beck, who produced this album on his own private label and contributed the liner notes as well. King is backed by guitarist Rick Campbell, Larry House (piano), Randy McDonald (drums) and Eric Nolen (bass). Not a lot of info about what this kid did next; it's possible he's the same Zane King who produced some southern gospel bands in the 1990s.

Sleepy LaBeef - see artist discography

Merrill Lane "Blues On A Rainy Day" (Suntone Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Chuck Seitz)
Apparently this was the lone album by songwriter Merrill Lynn Lane (1947-2006) a lad from Searcy, Arkansas who also recorded numerous singles on regional labels such as BeJay Records an Coyotee Records, as well as several Nashville indies. Although he had moved to Texas, he made serious inroads plugging his songs in Nashville, landing tracks with Moe Bandy, Stoney Edwards and other neotrad artists. He started his career in a family gospel trio called The Lanes and eventually headed down to Corpus Christi, where he later contributed songs to a fellow Searcy expat, singer Jada Vaughan. This album was made up of his original compositions and recorded at RCA Studios in Nashville, with a slew of Music City pros, folks like Harold Bradley, Lloyd Green, Tommy Jackson, Hargus Robbins and the like... The multiple guitarists, fiddlers, bass players and whatnot suggest that this LP was put together in several sessions over a long period of time, though few of the songs seem to have come out as singles. According to one online profile, on Reverbnation, Merrill Lane composed over three thousand songs(!)

Truman Lankford "True Man" (Louisiana Hayride Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by David Cherry, Jim Cotton & Pat Holt)
One of those guys who kicked around the country backroads for years, Truman McCoy Lankford (1929-1987) had one big success as a songwriter, when his 1965 trucker tune, "Freightliner Fever" caught the attention of Nashville, and was covered over the years by stars such as Dave Dudley, Red Sovine, and Boxcar Willie. Lankford's own musical career never quite broke out of the regional scene; he was apparently a cast member of the late 'Seventies edition of the Louisiana Hayride and even dabbled in acting, appearing as the character "Truman" in a 1977 feature film called Cody. I think was his only full LP, and while most of the tracks are classic country covers, the song "Closing Time" was a Lankford original, also released as a single alongside Jerry McBee and Fred Lehner's "Watch That First Step Lady," which is also on the album. Mr. Lankford passed away in Cale, Arkansas, though I'm not sure if that was his original home state.

Jim Lay "Long Walk To Arkansas" (Quest International, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Hammett)
The back cover tells us that Jim Lay was a 37 year-old from Heber Springs, Arkansas, though there was zero info about this guy online... It does look like this album is packed with original material, though. Anyone know more about this guy?

Dean Mitchell "Did You Hear My Song?" (Stargem Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Hodge)
A farm kid from Jackson County, Arkansas, by choice Dean Mitchell stuck to the local scene -- according to the liner notes he turned down invitations to tour nationally because he wanted to stay close to his family. So he played county fairs and other regional gigs, and eventually made his way to Nashville to record this album, which includes several of his own songs, along with a couple by G. Litton ("Looking Back At Luckenbach" and "Early Morning Sadness Of The Rain") as well as the title track, which was written by Terry Carisse, and previously a hit for the Mercy Brothers.

Dean Mitchell "Me And Jimmie's Blues" (Foundation Records, 1981) (LP)
The first of two Jimmie Rodgers tribute albums... or was there a third? Hmmm.

Dean Mitchell "Me And Jimmie's Blues, v.2" (Foundation Records, 198--?) (LP)

Dean Mitchell "Slippin' Away" (Foundation Records, 1984) (LP)
A gospel offering, mostly standards such as "On The Wings Of A Dove," "One Day At A Time," "Slipping Away" and "Uncloudy Day."

The Moberlys "Singing With The Spirit" (Promotional Records, 1970-?) (LP)
A thoroughly charming, pleasantly lo-fi country gospel set from the evangelical team of Rev. Tom Moberly and Mary Moberly (who I presume was his wife.) She sings lead, with modest accompaniment and minimal harmony vocals, and has an immensely appealing, plainspoken style -- she's not a dazzling vocalist, but she's very sincere and has a husky, rural tone that reminds me of Melba Montgomery. The Moberlys were from Brinkley, Arkansas -- halfway between Little Rock and Memphis -- though they also gave an address in Oklahoma City, so they may have worked in a regional evangelical circuit. The backing musicians all seem to have been Arkansans, including Wayne Raney's son, Zyndall Raney, on guitar, along with picker Eddie Slusser adding some nice Chet Atkins/Merle Travis-style licks, Tom Moberly on flattop guitar, Bret Moberly (bass), Lloyd Ramsey Jr. (drums) and Rita King adding some delightfully plunky piano riffs (reminding me a bit of Jessi Colter's gospel work...) The underlying vibe is definitely country, though not full-tilt hillbilly... Alas, there are no composer credits, though some of these tunes may have been originals; one album highlight is a tune called "I Won't Ask For More," which features one of Ms. Moberly's most affecting performances. [Note: I wasn't able to find this record online, but there is a handwritten note dating its purchase in October, 1970.]

Sylvia Mobley "My Needs Are You" (Belle Meade Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Scotty Moore & Al Gore)
Way back in the early 1960s, Southern singer Sylvia Mobley recorded several catchy, charmingly primitive latter-day rockabilly/country-twang singles, including one that was cut for Starday, and another for bandleader Gene Williams, down in Arkansas. She worked with Williams and other hard-country bandleaders such as Jimmy Haggett, and released a handful of 45s before cutting this LP sometime in the late '70s, an album that seems to be put together from a couple of sessions around 1975. Amid covers of oldies by Buck Owens ("Under Your Spell Again") and Slim Willet ("Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes") are a half-dozen originals credited to Ms. Mobley -- a nice legacy for this little-known country gal!

Sylvia Mobley "Songs For Mama" (Ray's Of Gold, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Scotty Moore)
A nostalgic gospel set, with backing from some solid, A-list studio musicians, including D. J. Fontana on drums, Hoot Hester (fiddle), Willie Rainsford (piano), Larry Sasser (dobro) and Pete Wade on guitar. Along with a bunch of gospel standards ("Will The Circle Be Unbroken," "Life's Railway To Heaven," "If I Could Hear Mother Pray") are newer tunes and Mobley originals such as "Mama" and "Can't You Remember."

Linda Mullens "In Touch With God Again" (Gospel Recordings, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by James A. Simons)
A strictly local gospel singer from Van Buren, Arkansas, recording for an evangelical label in nearby Central City. I'll admit that this one's a little bit iffy, mostly because of Ms. Mullens' vocals, which have an almost-but-not-quite quality to them -- bright, clear and fully committed to the material, but she does wobble off-tune quite a bit. On the other hand, I kind of dig the straightforward country-flavored backing, courtesy of a locals-only band that included steel player Jim Einert, Danny Fisher (drums), Beverley Mitchell (bass), and Nina R. Willhoite on piano. Six of one, half dozen of the other.

Toy Norwood "Live! At Village Creek State Park, Arkansas" (1981) (LP)
This album was more of an old-timey folkloric/outsider art kind of thing... Ms. Norwood was an older resident of Parkin, Arkansas who played folk music at the Village Creek State Park, on the state's Eastern border. She's backed here by two younger guys, songwriter Bill Haymes (who lived in Little Rock) and Terry Mitchell, who was from nearby Memphis.

Okry "Crowded Model-T" (Wildfire Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Lieblong, Faril Simpson & Dave Katz)
A retrodelic bluegrass band from Conway, Arkansas... looks like a neat repertoire!

The Old Americans "Dream Of Yesterday" (Green Thumb Records, 1980-?) (LP)
Great squeaky-fiddle stuff by an elderly trio of folk preservationists out of Stone County, Arkansas. These duffers include guitar picker Seth Mize and brothers David and Willie Morrison, both fiddlers, and all three "well over 60," according to the liner notes. They made a lot of appearances out of state, largely because of their profile as poster children for Senator Ted Kennedy's "green thumb" initiative, which employed older Arkansans on highway beautification projects and the like. Anyway, the music is great, if you're into the old-timey style. On a few tunes Mize plays a little out of tune: I actually think is sounds cool, adding a non-Western drone effect to the record. Recommended!

Duane Owens & The Arkansas Country "Our Kind Of Country" (Cupid Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Stan Getz)
First things first: I'm pretty sure the guy playing guitar and producing this album is not the same Stan Getz who blew sax and had a global hit with "Girl From Ipanema." I could be wrong, but... Anyway, singer Duane Owens was born in Caraway, Arkansas and started playing guitar while in the Army, forming a band with pedal steel player Dan Hullihen in 1975. They're joined here by Stan Getz (lead guitar), Paul Strothers (drums) and Jim Williams (bass), with backing vocals from a couple of gals identified as Joy Jean and Sherry Lynn. The set list includes a bunch of covers, as well as several Duane Owens originals: "Heartache To Heaven," "I Don't Need You Anymore," "Let's Just Say Goodbye," "Six Pack Of Heartaches," as well as "Dan's Theme," composed by Mr. Hullihan.

Vernon Oxford - see artist discography

The Ozark Quartet "In Concert Bull Shoals State Park" (John's Recording Studio Records, 19--?) (LP)
A solid, very traditional southern gospel vocal group from Mountain Home, Arkansas, with plenty of country twang surrounding their smooth, churchy harmonies. The backing band includes some of the guys from John's Recording Studio in Russellville, a popular regional studio that hosted both secular and religious clienteles, with steel player Zane Beck as the focal member, along with Mike Cox, who adds some nice Chet Atkins/Merle Travis-style riffs. The Quartet itself brought a few instrumentalists, notably bassist Tony Chastain and T. R. Chastain on piano, with the vocal group including lead singer Palmer Foley, Louis Knight singing bass, Clifford Morris (tenor) and Jerry Shew (baritone). The musical accompaniment ranges from somewhat haphazard to sweet and sincere; some of the steel passages are rich and subtle, though overall there doesn't seem to have been a very clear plan or explicit, pre-planned arrangements, and the sessions have a distinctly seat-of-the-pants feel... But I kind of find that appealing, especially combined with the occasional shakiness of Palmer Foley's distinctly middle-aged lead vocals, which add a "real person" charm that transcends the often too-perfect sound of the genre. Though the album title mentions them being "in concert" at a popular recreational spot near a dam on the White River, this is clearly a studio album... One assumes they had a gig at some bandshell at one of the many campgrounds, though this isn't made clear on the album itself. Anyway, this album has a nice authenticity to it, and plenty of country music twang in the mix, though probably not enough to win over secular folks who don't dig the old-fashioned vocal style.

Johnny Patton "Keepin' Country Alive" (Gold Crown Records, 2000) (CD)
A back-to-basics solo set from honkytonk singer-guitarist Johnny Patton, an Arkansas native who was a founding cast member of the Bob-O-Links mini-opry in Branson, Missouri, and later went on to open his own venue, Johnny Patton's Hitchin' Post USA, in Springfield, MO.

Pine Mountain Jamboree "Live On Stage" (1981) (LP)
Dave and Deanna Drennon founded this Ozark music show in 1975, with Eureka Springs, Arkansas as their base of operations. The liner notes for this album promise a program of "good, clean country music and comedy for the entire family" and the songs range from pop oldies like "Mister Sandman" and gospel standards such as "Have A Little Talk With Jesus" and "Let's All Go Down To The River" to a variety of country hits, old and new, including "Rocky Top," "Smoky Mountain Rain," "9 To 5" and Ronnie Reno's "Boogie Grass Band." And, as a family-friendly venue in a former Confederate state, they split the difference on the Civil War's still-simmering legacy by closing things out with a medley of "Dixie" and "Battle Hymn Of The Republic." Unfortunately, the liner notes don't mention who any of the musicians were, so while this may actually be a "various artists" album, it's hard to tell who played what. Alas!

Pine Mountain Jamboree "Live On Stage" (1982) (LP)
Same album title, different record; go figure. Anyway, this is another early 'Eighties offering from Dave and Deanna Drennon's mini-opry located in Eureka Springs. As on the album above, the other musicians aren't listed and there's no date given, but looking at it forensically, I'd guess early 1982. The set includes the usual Branson-esque mix of country and gospel chestnuts, with a few contemporary hits thrown in for good measure. This time around they played "Elvira," (a big hit for the Oak Ridge Boys in 1981), along with Anne Murray's "Could I Have This Dance" and -- whoo-hoo!-- "Pac Man Fever," which was also hitting the high score in '81. Plus "Rocky Top," and all that kinda stuff.

Pine Mountain Jamboree "Thirty And Counting" (2003) (CD)

Ramblin' Rebel Band "Ramblin' Rebel Band" (Ramblin' Rebel Band, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gregory-Andrews Audio Productions)
A country band with an undercurrent of bar-band rock -- slightly clunky, local-level stuff with a very Waylon-esque feel... This group from out of Hot Springs, Arkansas featured a whole slew of Castleberrys -- brothers one would assume -- with the full lineup being Doug Castleberry on lead guitar, Kurt Castleberry (rhythm guitar), Troy Castleberry (steel guitar), Andrew Frye (keyboards), Greg Spurling (bass), and Kevin Thorton on drums. Some of the guys look pretty young, maybe even in their highschool-year teens. The vocals are sometimes a little wobbly, and the production's a little static or flat, but they sound like real folks, doin' the best they can. There are a few different singing leaders; one of 'em sounds like he was a little nervous working in the studio, and some of the picking sounds pretty amateurish as well. Also noteworthy is the inclusion of a bunch of originals, as well as cover tunes like Buck Owens' "Let Jesse Rob The Train" and Waylon's "Theme From Dukes Of Hazzard." There's no date anywhere on the album, but the "Dukes" tune lets us know it's from at least sometime in the early-to-mid '80s.

Teddy Redell "The JLL Sound Of Teddy Redell" (Collector Records, 1972) (LP)

Teddy Redell "Teddy Redell Is Back" (White Label Records, 1979) (LP)

Jack Reeves "Wabash Cannon Ball" (Corral Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Big Bill Smith & Rob Kinney)
A longtime fixture on the Southern California country scene, singer Jack Reeves grew up in Desire, Arkansas and claimed to be a cousin of Glen Campbell, who was born in nearby Billstown. Moving out to the West Coast around 1966, Reeves landed feet first in the middle of the Bakersfield-adjacent longhair country scene that clustered around the Palomino Club, including guitarist Clarence White and singer Eddy Drake. Reeves cut several singles in the decade leading up to this first LP, including one produced by scenester Gary Paxton, and others on various microscopic SoCal indie labels. In 1974 he won a major country music showbiz award, but remained mostly off-the-radar nationally; imitations were a big part of his live act act, and after Elvis Presley died, he specialized in an Elvis routine, working casinos and elsewhere. Eventually he moved back to Arkansas, and formed a band with his two sons, Cole and Matt, who also went on to record as The Reeves Brothers. This was Jack Reeves's first album, and finds him backed by Archie Francis on drums, John Hobbs (piano), Don Lee (guitar), Jay Dee Maness (steel guitar), Curtis Stone on bass.

Jack Reeves "When I Dream" (Ripcord Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Blaine Allen)

Helen Regan "Here's Helen" (Bejay Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Mickey Moody)
A solid set covering a bunch of early 'Seventies country hits, including a slew of "girl" songs such as "Delta Dawn," "I Wish I Was A Teddy Bear," "Paper Roses," Lynn Anderson's "Top Of The World," etc. The backing band is solid -- the Bejay studio crew were one of the most underrated house bands of the era -- and even though they may have been going through the motions a little bit, it's still a strong performance. No info on Ms. Regan, though presumably she was from Arkansas as well. In all honesty, she wasn't the greatest singer ever -- the album starts with an excellent uptempo rendition of "My Man," but gets a little wobbly the farther in you go. Nonetheless, she seems to have been enjoying herself, and her good spirits are infectious. Unfortunately, the musicians aren't specifically identified, though Mickey Moody contributes some cheerful, though extremely brief liner notes. The album may have actually come out in '74, though the liners tell us it was recorded on November 29th and 30th, 1973.

Kenny Seratt "Love And Honor" (MGM Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Merle Haggard)
Originally from Arkansas, singer Kenny Seratt (1934-2015) made his way out west in the 1950s and fell in with the Bakersfield Sound crowd. He later moved to Texas and was part of the Wylie Opry, and recorded at least one album at the Grapevine Opry, near Dallas. Seratt moved around a lot, with stretches in Arizona, Idaho and Montana...

Kenny Seratt "Give Me A Title And I'll Write You A Song" (ASR/Big R Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Phil York)
Billed as "live at the Grapevine Opry," this album showcases Seratt's talents as a composer, with backing by Dallas-area pickers including Maurice Anderson, Pat Dacus, and Marc Jaco.... Except for a cover of Gene Autry's "Silver Haired Daddy," all the songs on here were written or co-written by Serratt with songwriting partners such as Peter Graves, Sage Hen, Jess Hudson, and some guy named Merle Haggard. This was originally released on Aunt Susie Records and, like several of Seratt's other albums, reissued on the UK-based Big R label, in Scotland.

Kenny Seratt "Saturday Night In Dallas" (Big R Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Harold Shedd)

Kenny Seratt "Ridin' The Big A" (Big R Music, 1980)
(Produced by Kenny Serratt, Drew Taylor & Harold Shedd)
A trucker-themed album, featuring several songs penned by Seratt, as well as covers such as "Six Days On The Road" and "White Live Fever." This session was recorded in Nashville with an A-list studio band; I'm not sure if it was originally released in the States,

Dusty Shelton "To The One I Love" (Bejay Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Mickey Moody)
Took a while to track down the background on this one, but it's a good story. Dusty Shelton was born in Casscoe, Arkansas, a tiny little postage stamp halfway between Little Rock and Memphis, and also a ways off the main road. The liner notes by Major Lloyd E. Shier describe how Shelton had to drive for hours to get to the Bejay studio in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and could only record on weekends, to accommodate his work schedule. So it took him a while to get the whole album produced... Back then he was a professional photographer, though he tried doing music full-time, and did for about six or seven years, later settling back down in his home town where he got a job as a school district bus mechanic while also opening his own business, fixing up and selling classic cars. I think much later in life he also recorded and self-released some gospel music and kept playing in local bars, drifting towards rock and soul oldies in later years. Okay, so that's all pretty cool, but it gets better: his kid, Cam Shelton, who was born in the early 2000s, became a country-pop prodigy, playing drums, piano and guitar in various bands with his dad and other musicians -- at fairs, schools, churches and even opening for (and playing with) a rock band called The Remedy. In 2018, when he was thirteen years old, he won a statewide country music prize, the Arkansas Country Music Association's "young artist of the year" award. Not bad, eh? And his history traces back to this disc, as well as to his granddad, who also played music, and taught Cam, and probably his dad too. Also of interest are some of the sidemen playing at Bejay Studios at the time: apparently there was a young keyboard player named David Paich in on these sessions -- the song of big band/pop arranger Marty Paich, not long after this he co-wrote some of Boz Scaggs best songs, and started a little band called Toto. It's simpler stuff back in '71, though, with covers of "Leaving On A Jet Plane" and Steve Young's "Seven Bridges Road." There may be some originals on here as well, such as "Her Love Didn't Make It Home."

Terry Sims "We'll Talk It Over" (Kennett Sound Studios, 19--?) (LP)
Mr. Sims was born in Hayti, Missouri, but had an address in Mammoth Springs, Arkansas; the liner notes say he had recently moved to Thayer, Missouri with his wife, but continued to sing in a vocal group with his mother and two sisters. He's backed here by Dennis Autry on piano, Lee Barnes (bass), Clyde Brown (guitar), Jamie Holmes (drums) and Gary Blanchard on lead guitar and steel on a country-gospel set that may include some of his own original material, along with songs by Laverne Tripp, Ira Stamphill and Johnny Cook.

Skinny & Liz "Skinny & Liz" (A&R/Hill Creek Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Aubrey Richardson)
This duo from Northern Arkansas performed old-timey and hillbilly country and folk tunes at the Mountain View Folklore Society's weekend shows. They are backed here by Jim Walker on lead guitar and Gerald Ivy on bass, playing a set mostly made up of Depression-era oldies, with a mix of secular and gospel material. Unfortunately, the album doesn't give their full names... anyone out there know more about these folks?

Frank Starr "You Can't Disguise Religion" (Starr Records, 1972--?) (LP)
Not to be mixed up with 'Fifties hillbilly honkytonker Frankie Starr, Franklin Delano Gulledge (1932-2003) was a kid from rural Arkansas who formed a country band with his brothers after serving in the Korean War, but soon gravitated towards the exciting new rockabilly sound. MGM signed him up to be their answer to Elvis Presley, renamed him "Andy Starr," and released a string of singles that are valued by collectors, but sold poorly at the time. He moved around a lot, including a long-term gig as a radio deejay in Idaho, and a five-year stint up in Alaska, and later attempted to break into the rock scene in Los Angeles. In the early 'Seventies he legally changed his name to Frank Starr, and careened from one project to another -- he tried his hand leading an evangelical ministry, made a few stabs at breaking into politics, and took music gigs where he could find them. Kicking off his short-lived career as an evangelical preacher, Frank Starr cut this set with a longhaired "Jesus freak" band called the Wilson-McKinley Jesus Rock Band, who are credited as pioneers of Christian rock, though they played some pretty decent country riffs here. The group included Jimmy Bartlett (bass), Mike Messer (guitar), Tom Slipp (drums) and Randy Wilcox on piano; they are joined by Spokane, Washington steel player Neil Livingston, who adds a solid country sound. (Even though they spelled his name "Niel" on the album art... ooops!) A few tracks, like the cacophonous "Jesus," blast straight into hippie acid rock territory, and give a sense of what it was like to be a first-generation rock'n'roller trying to adapt to the post-Woodstock sensibilities. Nutty stuff!

Frank Starr "Live At Wanda's Club -- Kellogg, Idaho" (1973-?) (LP)
This set was recorded live on New Year's Eve (though the album itself doesn't tell us which year) at a place called Wanda's Club, up in Kellogg, Idaho, described in the liner notes as "the country music headquarters of our Silver Valley." We are also helpfully informed this was recorded live on New Year's Eve, though not which year. The songs are mostly rock oldies, including a Little Richard medley, some Chuck Berry, a little Hank Williams, and one original credited to Starr, "Pocatello Blues." Backing him are Richard Ochoa (drums), Don Sherrick (bass), and Buck Stinson on rhythm guitar, a compact band blasting their way through some oldies and a little bit of twang. The best part is how they plastered "for swingers only" all over the artwork... just so you'd know how truly groovy this was gonna be!

Frank Starr "Frank Starr Sings Patterson & Starr" (Starr Records, 1973-?) (LP)
This is an entire album of country tunes co-written by Frank Starr and Harry Patterson, who was presumably a pal of his in Idaho... In the '80s Starr also released an album of risque novelty songs; years later he took a trip to Nashville and recorded a CD called Starr Struck, which was sort of a career retrospective.

Patsy Storm "The Girl That Made The Harmonica Go Country" (Storm Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Zyndall Raney)
Step aside, P. T. Gazell...!! An acolyte of hillbilly harpman Wayne Raney, this gal from Trona, Arkansas cut an album of country harmonica instrumentals with a local crew made up of Hank Blumenthal (banjo), Eulaine Blumenthal (bass), Ken Burge (dobro), Scotty Branscum (fiddle) and Comer Mullins (guitar). Her idol, Wayne Raney contributes brief liner notes and his son was the session's producer. The greatest thing is that this was her real name, not some showbiz monicker -- Patsy Storm (1937-2009) was born in Los Angeles but grew up in Arkansas, where she married Dale Storm in 1958. Though she'd been playing harmonica for decades, Storm didn't record anything until this late '80s album, which led to her entering world championship contests and meeting several of her country music idols.

Julian Tharpe "The Jet Age" (Mid-Land Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Bragg & DeWitt Scott)
A showcase set for steel player Julian Earl Tharpe (1937-1994) who recorded several mostly-instrumental albums and also did a lot of session work with indie-label artists, mostly in Arkansas and Missouri. Mr. Tharpe was attached to a few different studios and also helped produce some albums, though twang-jazz steel sets seem to have been his real passion...

Julian Tharpe "Southern Fried Steel" (Mid-Land Records, 1979) (LP)

Julian Tharpe "Deep Feelings" (Mid-Land Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by DeWitt Scott)
This session was recorded at a studio in Florissant, Missouri, with backing from Bobby Caldwell (guitar), John DiMartino (drums), Russ Weaver (bass), along with vocalist Chuck Raue.

Red Tuck "Cowboy Songs By Red Tuck" (1987) (cassette)
A later album by Howard "Red" Tuck, whose recording career dates back to the early 1960s... Mr. Tuck was born in Keo, Arkansas, a tiny crossroads pit stop a few miles east of Little Rock; he made his way to Nashville via Illinois, working with hillbilly old-timer Marvin Rainwater and Rainwater's Chicago-based Brave Records, which provided several of Tuck's tunes to its stable of artists. Perhaps his biggest success as a songwriter came when his "Laugh The Years Away" was included on an early 'Seventies Porter Wagoner/Dolly Parton duets album... In addition to a string of indie-label singles, Red Tuck also at least one album, this set of western tunes with musical arrangements by Susan Brading, which may have been a cassette-only release with limited distribution. I've seen reference to him passing away in Illinois, but was unable to determine the date of his death.

Roy Warren "Roy Warren The Singing Hobo And His Hobos" (Hobo Recordings, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Roy Warren)
I couldn't find any info about this guy, other than that he was from Jonesboro, Arkansas, and that he made at least a couple of singles in the early 'Seventies. All the songs on this album are Roy Warren originals, including titles such as "1980 Drought," "Ford-A-Matic 8" and "Climbin' The Mountain For Mercy." Mr. Warren looks to have been a middle-aged fella when he cut this disc, though the backing band is of much younger men, who are unfortunately not identified by name... There's no date on the record, but presumably it's from after 1980, what with that drought song and all.

The Western Union Band "A Message From..." (Zan Beck Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Hammett)
Not to be confused with the pop group from Singapore, or the Californians below, this group from Little Rock, Arkansas featured Jimmy Bishop on bass, Ricky Campbell (lead guitar), Randy Holland (drums), Rudy Osborne (pedal steel), Pete Richardson (piano), and Tony Terry (trombone). Some cover songs, as well as some original material...

Bob White "Steel Trek" (Longhorn/Mid Land Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Ben Jack)
A virtuosic (but kinda cheesy) pedal steel instrumentals album from veteran player Bob White, an Arkansas boy who got his first gig working with Bob Wills in 1952, then jumped ship over to Hank Thompson, touring and recording with the Brazos Valley Boys through the rest of the decade. White's a great musician, and like many steel players he shows a strong sense of humor in his solo work, notably in his song selection (covers of "Kangaroo Hop," the surfadelic "Steel Guitar Wipeout" and a goofy, hard-rockin' version of "Raunchy") along with some outright cornball pop covers, such as Paul McCartney's "My Love" and the Carpenters' "Top Of The World." The album kicks off with a pastiche/medley of classic western swing and country riffs, titled "Bits And Pieces," which also introduces us to the intermittent backup vocals by Tracy Friel and Bruce Ewen. This was recorded at Ben Jack's BeJay Studios in Van Buren, Arkansas, with plenty of top pickers backing him. Mostly this is a little too florid for my tastes, though I kinda dug the surf tune and his version of Kris Kristofferson's "Why Me Lord."

The Wilburn Brothers -- see artist profile

Wolf & Gary "Solo Flight" (Dungeon Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bus Bryant)
Ozark folkies Gary Allbritton and Wolf Grulkey collaborated on this rather gooey set of bluegrass-flavored acoustic musings... All but one of the songs was written (or cowritten) by Gary Allbritton, a strained but emphatic vocalist, while multi-instrumentalist Grulkey provides backing on banjo and fiddle, and contributes one song of his own. This track, "Irene," also features a guest performance by bassist Mike "Supe" Granda, of Missouri's nationally-known Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Though they recorded at the Dungeon studios in Springfield, Missouri,, Wolf & Gary were actually from Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in the northern end of the state, not far from Branson, MO. The musicians on this album included harmonica player Leroy Gorrell, drummer Jim Perry and bassist Ron Sumner -- evolved into a local band called Gaskins Switch, which doesn't seem to have made any records and broke up in the mid-1980s, though Albritton and Grulkey seem to have kept collaborating over the years. While this isn't a particularly "country" record, Grulkey later played on a would-be top forty country album by local singer Bill White. The "solo flight" album title refers to Grulkey's background as an airplane pilot and instructor; he later opened his own restaurant, The Hungry Wolf Cafe.

The Wray Brothers Band "Cowboy Sangers" (CIS Northwest, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Messick & Dave Mathew)
This album is notable as the launching pad for the career of 1990s Top Forty star Collin Raye, an Arkansas native whose birth name was Floyd Elliot Wray. He was going by the name Bubba Wray at the time, and had apparently moved to Portland, Oregon with his brother Scott, who he performed with up until the decade's end. Though they started out as indie artists, the Wrays also took a fling at Nashville, recording a few singles for Mercury Records in the late '80s. This early album looks super-twangy and ultra-indie, but it's mostly pretty slick sounding, with a heavy debt towards the Eagles/ They do make a few nods at Asleep At The Wheel-style western swing and Johnny Cash-ish hillbilly twang (on the album's one cover song, a version of Jimmie Skinner's "Doin' My Time") but the smooth sound Raye would excel at a decade later is readily detected on this disc. The album's many originals include "Briars In Her Britches," "Country Sangers," "Country By-God Music," with Scott Wray being the main songwriter. It's country (poppy country) with a few goofy instruments in the mix -- Moog, synths, orchestra bells, woodblocks -- as well as a banjo and pedal steel, but it's also a solid album, a cut above most records made at this level. No surprise that Collin Raye made it big in Nashville, though one wonders why the brothers didn't make it as a duo.

Zorro & The Blue Footballs "Zorro & The Blue Footballs" (Burdett Music, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by David Lunsford, Scott Lunsford & Jim Stephens)
A weirdo-eclectic ensemble from Fayetteville, Arkansas who dipped into jazz, rock and roots music. The group formed around 1974 and developed a freewheeling demeanor that earned them a gig opening for Frank Zappa on one of his late 'Seventies tours. Not a "country" record, per se, though they dipped into string-swing territory here with covers of standards such as "Don't Mean A Think (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" and "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens." Besides, they're just nutty and chaotic enough that they should be on our radar. And on their live album (below) they definitely veered hard into a more rural repertoire... The group included lead singer and band co-founder Wendell "Windy" Austin (1952-2010) on clarinet, Ron Brooks (drums), Mike Mohney (saxophone and vocals), Ron Rummage (bass), and Mike Sizemore on guitar. The band played regionally throughout the deep South, including regular forays into Texas and held longterm gigs at a bunch of Arkansas nightspots.

Zorro & The Blue Footballs "Rated Blue" (Chuck Lunch Records, 1983) (LP)
On this mysterious album -- apparently from the early 'Eighties -- the band still takes some cues from Louis Jordan and the like, as on their version of "Caledonia," but there's a pretty decisive swing towards country music, particularly on western swing standards such as "Big Balls In Cowtown," "Stay All Night," and "Take Me Back To Tulsa." Looks like this album was recorded and released just before the group broke up in 1984... not sure what the lineup was like for this show.

Various Artists "ARKANSAS JAMBOREE, v.1" (ALP Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny James)
It's hard to pinpoint the release date on this locals-only compilation album -- from the cover photo, I'd guess anywhere from 1969-72... The more contemporary cover songs include "Harper Valley PTA" and Merle Haggard's "Working Man Blues," which were hits in 1968 and '69, respectively... So late '69 or early 1970 are strong possibilities... Anyway, this is a real indie outing, with unknowns galore, presumably attached to one of the many live regional variety shows that still dotted the map, back in the Me Decade... Little Rock's original Arkansas Jamboree radio program ran from 1946-1960; I'm not sure how much of a direct connection there was between that show and this album.

Various Artists "EUREKA SPRINGS COUNTRY SHINDIG" (History Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Terry Crane & Brad Edwards)
A memento of one of the many mom'n'pop mini-oprys dotting the landscape in the rural Ozarks. This particular venue was one of several oprys located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, not far from Branson, Missouri and seems to have been a short-lived project headed by Terry Crane, whose name was slapped on the inner label almost as an afterthought... Unfortunately the musicians aren't listed individually, though the husband-wife gospel duo of Dave and Cathy Ellis joined the newly-formed group in the spring of '82 and may have been on this album.

Various Artists "THE RACKENSACK, v.1" (Ozark Folk Center, 19--?) (LP)
A collection of hardcore folk and stringband music from Arkansas... My attention was caught here by the presence of country star Jimmie Driftwood, who is best known for the many "historical" songs he wrote which defined the genre during the late '50s and early '60s, most notably "The Battle Of New Orleans," which was a big hit for Johnny Horton. Driftwood also released a string of folk-themed albums, discs which I long assumed were major-label attempts to cash in on the early '60 folk revival, although as it turns out, Driftwood was in fact a very dedicated and accomplished folklorist who vigorously promoted the preservation of Ozark Mountain folk music. The Rackensack gatherings were a series of festival-style concerts held at the Ozark Folk Center, which he helped establish in the early 1960s. The musicians are all locals, and the performances -- including a few by Mr. Driftwood -- are all solid and sincere. Highly recommended!

Various Artists "THE RACKENSACK, v.2" (1972) (LP)

Hick Music Index