A Grain Of Salt "Waiting For You" (Salt Lick Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Avedis)
A fairly straightforward bluegrass group from Aurora, Colorado, with a traditionally-oriented, pleasantly melodic repertoire. For some reason they presented themselves as a trio -- Bobby Anderson on banjo, bassist Kenny Pabst and Steve Youngblood on guitar - though they also had "friends" playing on this album, fiddler Susie Nobels and Dan Carter on banjo. Most of the songs are covers. though the originals include "Crying My Eyes Out Over You" by the band's Bobby Anderson, along with the title track, "Waiting For You," from Missouri bluegrasser David Houseman, and "Call Me When You're Lonesome," penned by Kenny Cornell, a songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma who also placed a song on a George Jones album in the 1990s. No date on this disc, but I'd guess it was an early 'Eighties thing, maybe around 1983, judging by the haircuts and clothes.

Airborn "Airborn" (Yessi Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Richard Crosby)
I haven't heard this obscuro southern rock band from Avon, Colorado, though I've heard they were kinda twangy... Their lineup included some bottleneck guitar and lap steel, in addition to electric lead.

Alaska's Hobo Jim "Thunderfoot" (BS Records, 1984)
(Produced by Russell Smith)
Although he claimed Alaska as his home, "Hobo" Jim Varsos seems to have laid down roots in Boulder, Colorado, at least for long enough to record this album with a bunch of Rocky Mountain locals... Bluegrasser Tim O'Brien is on board to add some fiddle licks. Although this looks like more of a folkie/bluegrass thing, there are some intriguing songs, such as "The American Farmer Song," "The Dramamine Fisher" and "My Old Tractor." This was his first album; several others were released by Varsos himself, and on folk labels like Flying Fish (who re-released this one...)

Suzi Arden "The Suzi Arden Show Live At the Mint Hotel" (Mint Records, 1977) (LP)
Originally from Colorado, fiddler-guitar picker Suzi Arden is best remembered as the leader of the longest-running show in Las Vegas history... She had a background in the golden era of hillbilly variety shows, notably performing on Red Foley's Ozark Jubilee in a duo called "the Arden Sisters." She hit Vegas in the early 'Sixties and became a fixture at the Merri-Mint Lounge, where she remained for most of the 'Sixties and 'Seventies. She also cut a couple of singles in Nashville and LA, but her vinyl clam to fame comes from this live LP, recorded in Vegas in the '70s... Arden is also a legendary figure among guitar buffs for having field-tested the first Rickenbacker 12-string guitar back in 1963... Take that, Roger McGuinn!

Gidget Baird "Sweet Memories" (CCHB, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by John Macy)
I have zero info on this Colorado-based artist, except that her band includes indiebilly Timothy P. Irvin of the group Rural Route 3, and based on the quality of his records, I'm guessing that this one's good and rootsy, too.

Ace Ball "Ace Colorado Country" (JB Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Little Roy Wiggins & John Nicholson)
Born Arthur Chester Balch, Ace Ball was an old-school West Texas honkytonk singer who worked in various regional bands and had recorded several singles as a solo artist before moving to Colorado in the late '60s. He also worked as a country deejay, notably for stations KPUB and KIDN, in Pueblo. Subtitled "...Ace Ball Sings Gene Bloomfield And Some Of His Own," this was his only full-length album. One side of the record was written by Imogene Bloomfield, while Side Two is entirely composed by Ball, who looks to have been an old-timer when this album was made. (Thanks to the Pueblo City Limits blog for additional info about this artist...!)

The Band On The Barroom Floor "Recorded Live At The Gilded Garter" (Award Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Saalwaechter)
A very low-rent live album by a country/rock bar-band with strong bluegrass roots. This set was recorded at the Gilded Garter nightclub in Central City, Colorado, a faux-Gay '90s tourist trap that attained mild infamy for hosting a then-unknown Bob Dylan in the early 1960s. I dunno much about these guys -- their main instrumental ooompf seems to have come from fiddler Harvey Gossman and banjo picker Paul Bretz, adequate pickers who are showcased on the album's bluegrass-y first side, which opens with a torturously long run-through of "Orange Blossom Special." The second half of the record gets into a more rock'n'roll/outlaw country vibe, with clunky but sometimes charming covers of Waylon Jennings' "Are You Ready For The Country," Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl," and yet another country-lounge cover of "Aime" (misspelled as "Amy" on the label...) None of these performances are really all that great, but the record oozes authenticity, particularly when you hear the singer try and cajole audience members onto the dance floor, or when you hear the applause echo out into what sounds like a rather cavernous space.

Bar D Wranglers - see artist discography

The Barleen Family "Estes Park, Colorado" (The Barleen Family, 1980-?) (LP)
This family band started out singing in their Kansas hometown, but pursued music professionally after the family moved to Missouri and they became part of the Ozark Mountain country scene. Led by their father Lloyd Barleen and anchored by a trio of siblings -- Barbara, Brenda and Jeff -- the group moved from the proto-Branson world to their own venue in Colorado around 1979. This album commemorated their second season in Estes Park, with the Barleen Trio joined by Lloyd Barleen playing lead guitar, and Bob Barleen on bass, and Billy Bower chiming in on guitar. The repertoire is almost all covers, though one song, "Even Though," was an original written Brenda and Jeff Barleen, and various band members take solo numbers, including some guitar instrumentals. The album is dedicated to William Barleen (Lloyd's brother?) who passed away in 1979.

The Barleen Trio "Country Favorites With Curt Burrell" (Eye In The Sky Sound, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Randy Miotke)
The Barleen family's main trio of Barbara, Brenda and Jeff are bolstered here by the addition of singer-fiddler Curt Burrell, who married Barbara and emerged as a solo vocalist. By the time this album was recorded, they had been running their own venue in Estes Park, Colorado for over five years. Also on these sessions were steel player Donny Cook and lead guitar Gary Cook, who were in the live show as well. The Barleens recorded numerous other albums, though most came out as cassette-only releases.

Black Canyon Express "Black Canyon Express" (1982) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Mahler, Rich Markowitz & Black Canyon Express)
A Colorado bar band led by songwriter Brad Fitch, Black Canyon Express played for several years at various resorts and venues across the Rocky Mountains... The group also included Charlie Clark, fiddler Jackie Clark, and Dan Downs, playing a mostly-original set including gems such as "Cowboys And Old Folks," "Life In A Tourist Town," and "Manure Scoopin' Man." Later on, in the persona of Cowboy Brad, Fitch recorded a bazillion self-released albums in the digital era. He also co-founded another regional band, The Elktones, which for a decade or so held down a regular gig at the Elk Meadow Lodge in Estes Park, CO.

The Black Canyon Gang "Ridin' High" (Viking Studios, 1974) (LP)
A Colorado hippie band, perhaps more folkadelic than country. According to Elk Bugles they were from the towns of Montrose and Olathe, in the western end of the state, near Grand Junction, adjacent to the Black Canyon National Park. The band was made up of brothers Bill Austin (on mandolin) and Russell Austin (lead guitar), along with Paul Hunter (banjo and bass), Robert Dale Mount (banjo and mandolin) and a fella identified only as Jasper on dobro and steel guitar; Like a lot of local bands, their lineup changed a lot over time, with Bart Lyons and various Austin family members joining in later years. They had a nice sound, blending folkie, progressive bluegrass with s subtle, Byrds-y country-rock vibe. They still sounded that way decades later when doing back-porch performances in the 'Nineties (thank you, YouTube!)

Blackhawk "Transitions/Traditions" (Blackhawk Records, 1981) (LP)
Not to be confused with the Top Forty Nashville band of the 1990s, this group came from Colorado where they had a sizeable local following. This record has -- by accident, I think -- two titles: the album cover says "Transitions," while the inside label reads "Traditions." Go figure. The original songs include "Blackhawk," "Jamie," "Louanne" and "You Were All I Ever Needed."

Dick Bodine "America" (Great American Records, 1983) (LP)
This is the kind of kitschy album cover that folks like to make fun of online... and in this case, I say, go for it! Posed in front of Old Glory with a rifle in hand and a pistol on the table, Mr. Bodine was a middle-aged Coloradan who included some overtly patriotic songs, like "The Pledge" "Why Are you Marching Son," and "Our Flag," along with more politically neutral folk tunes like "I Gave My Love A Cherry" and "City Of New Orleans," as well as country stuff like "Sixteen Tons." I'm not into the whole flashing firearms thing, but if you're looking for patriotic kitsch this disc's a doozy, packed with recitations and evocations of the nation's past and future glories, with Mr. Bodine gravely intoning at every turn. As a country album, this is fairly iffy: Mr. Bodine is accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Doc Hoffman and bassist Marty Hill, who seem reasonably talented but provide little spark... in their defense they're just following Mr. Bodine's lead, and he's not exactly a musical dynamo. This is 100% the kind of stereotypical, self-indulgent cringefest that folks imagine most "private press" albums to be, and if that's what you're looking for, here it is. God bless America. I couldn't find any biographical info out about this guy, though as far as I know this was his only album. (Thanks to the North Of Pueblo blog for background info on this one...)

Bronco "Bronco" (Earthwood Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Chris Kermit)
Not to be confused with an earlier English country-rock band led by Jess Roden, this was a folkie/bluegrassy group from Franklin, Indiana featuring singers Mike Yates and Sally Yates, who play banjo and guitar, respectively, along with drummer Bill Hahn, Harold McKee playing bass, and some pedal steel (by Rex Thomas) thrown in for good measure. The sessions were recorded in Indianapolis, though the label address was in Denver -- the Yateses spent a year or so playing in the Denver area before moving back to Indiana, and released this album through the Colorado-based, cult-fave 700 West studio. There may also be some minor confusion about when this came out: some copies show a 1977 copyright on the inner label and '78 on the back cover, but a contemporary profile piece in the Franklin Daily Journal informs us that the album came out in '77 and had a second pressing the following year. So, mystery solved. Most of the songs were originals written by Mike Yates, along with other by Bill Yates and various friends of the band. It's kind of a sweet little record, more of a folk thing, I suppose, with a John Denver-ish feel on several songs.

Curt Burrell & The Barleen Trio "Country Favorites" (Eye In The Sky Sound, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Randy Miotke)
The family band trio of siblings Barbara, Brenda and Jeff Barleen started out singing in their Kansas hometown, but pursued music professionally after the family moved to Missouri and they became park of the Ozark Mountain country scene. They were bolstered by the addition of singer-fiddler Curt Burrell, who married Barbara and emerged as a solo vocalist. By the time this album was recorded, they had moved to a gig in Estes Park, Colorado, and are joined on the ecording sessions by steel player Donny Cook and lead guitar Gary Cook.

Colorado Kenny "Colorado Kenny" (Frogg Records, 1984) (LP)
A professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago, Dr. Kenneth Krauss taught courses in social work for nearly twenty years before his country-music-crooning folksinger alter-ego of "Colorado Kenny" took over, and he resolved to abandon academia in order to sing, full time, as a living. Before deciding to drop out, he sang at nursing homes and other charitable locales, as well as a well-placed bar or two, and self-released this album, making five hundred copies to sell at shows. I'm not sure how long he rode the cowboy trail, but it sure is a colorful story!

Colorado Sunshine Company "You Only Live Once In A While" (1978) (LP)
(Produced by Wes Lewis & Bruce Bunson)
This group from Wellington, Colorado was mainly the duo of Linda Rinaldo (bass, vocals) and Charlie Butler (guitar, vocals), with Thom Wade playing steel guitar on a couple of tracks. It's really more a folkie kinda thing, although they include some country stuff, too, like a couple of songs by Mickey Newberry and a version of John Prine's "Please Don't Bury Me." The group originally consisted of Linda Rinaldo and pop singer Arden Fennell, who cut several tracks together at Norman Petty's studio, back in 1969; Charlie Butler was brought in to replace Fennell a few years later.

Colorado Sunshine Company "Colorado Sunshine Company" (1981) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Butler, Linda Rinaldo & Rich Pierceall)
An odd amalgam of pop vocal standards and light pop-country -- a little too precious for my tastes, but certainly there's a country component, so it fits in here. They are backed on this album by guitarists Bard Hoff and Steve Owen.

Common People "A Path With A Heart" (Viking Studios, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Mell Jackson & Wade Williams)
A Colorado quartet that included Greg Charles on guitar, Richie Dell (pedal steel), Mel Jackson (bass), and Nancy Lynn (synthesizer), with additional backing by fiddler Joe Gwinn and Bill Kennerly on piano. Given the album title, you'd be excused for assuming this was a gospel record, though actually it's a secular set, filled with oldies and contemporary pop-country hits of the era -- "I'm Looking For Blue Eyes," "Fire On The Mountain," and "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain," which Willie Nelson had just resurrected a few year earlier. No background info about these folks, but any information would be welcome!

The Cowboy "Album 1" (Dead Rabbit Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Rick Sutton)
Not to be confused with Tommy Talton's better-known band, "Cowboy" (listed above), these longhaired country-rockers were the house band for a Durango, Colorado restaurant and bar called, appropriately enough, the Cowboy Bar-B-Que. They recorded at least three souvenir albums between 1976-81, with a core lineup that featured guitarist Phil Ceglia and brothers John and Jim Shields, who both played a wide variety instruments, notably pedal steel and piano. This first album is all cover songs, some of them from the more modern fringes of the '70s country-rock scene, such as "Luckenback, Texas" and "Glendale Train," along with more standard-issue C&W material (Hank Williams, etc.) and several bluegrass breakdowns. The band's chops and the production values are both pretty impressive for pretty high for this kind of private pressing album... Worth a spin!

The Cowboy "Album 2" (Dead Rabbit Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Rich Sutton, Alan Kirk & Tod Andrews)
This is probably the Cowboy band's most interesting record, with the musicians traveling to California to record a studio album that spotlights original material on more than half the tracks. The Shields brothers contribute most of the originals, and some of the strongest songs. Phil Ceglia pens one track, "Through The Eyes Of A Child," while rhythm guitarist Jim Stowell contributes a folk-tinged Western number, "Conchita." There are rough patches (particularly the rugged vocals of Betsy Clark, which are reminiscent of some female vocals on the early Asleep At The Wheel albums...) and nice mix of mellow country-rock and zippy bluegrass such as "Fox On The Run." Overall, though, this is a pretty strong effort, showing the Cowboys (as they called themselves) to be a competent, capable band, and though they probably hoped this set of original music might propel them to bigger and better things, as souvenir albums go, this one makes a nice legacy.

The Cowboy "Live" (Dead Rabbit Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Richard Simpson & Jim Takeda)
Somewhere between albums, the Shields brothers left the band, as did the impulse to write new material... This live album is strictly made up of cover tunes, with Phil Ceglia anchoring the band for one last time. California's heavy gravity tugged at him as well: after recording part of Album 2 in Atascadero, CA, Ceglia migrated there and moved out of the music business. But these guys seemed like they were probably a pretty fun, hot band, back in their day.

The Crystal River Band "Top Of The Mountain" (Jetisson Records, 1984-?) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Martin & Larry Prater)
This casually conceived, sometimes clumsy acoustic album is tailormade for folks who cherish weird old records for obscurity alone... Now, these guys weren't bad by any means, but they also weren't top-flight studio pickers either. The record itself is rather mysterious... my copy doesn't have real album art - the front and back are xeroxed sheets glued to a plain white cardboard jacket, which is in keeping with the music within. There are a few cover songs -- "Ghost Riders In The Sky," Ian Tyson's "Summer Wages," Doc Watson's "Deep River Blues" -- and some bluegrass breakdowns (though their limitations really come out on these instrumental tunes) It's exactly the sort of stuff you'd expect mellow '70s dudes with guitars to strum along to at a barbeque party or whatever. There are also a fair number of original tunes by mandolin picker Russ Rueger, operating in a raggedly folkie vein. (Mr. Rueger spotted my original review and generously added a few details: indeed, though I imagined it was a memento of a summer some friends spent smoking pot together in the Rocky Mountains, it turns out the group had a gig as the house band at the Medicine Man Saloon, near Golden, Colorado, though otherwise he wrote to tell me I'd "captured the essence of our band perfectly." Phew! Also, he says only about a hundred copies were made, so how random is it one fell in my lap? Anyway, although unlikely to be reissued any time soon, this is a charming artifact, an authentic record of a particular moment in time, kind of like one of those self-made home singles people etched themselves back in the '40s and '50s, in the era before magnetic tape hit the market. It's just a real record made by real people... sort of an audio polaroid, if you catch my drift. Thanks also for the shout-out from Colorado music blogger Lisa Wheeler who tracked down even more info on the band, and whose Elk Bugles blog is pretty groovy.

Jim Curtis "Arms Around The Past" (Jester Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Hale)
A lanky lad from Byers, Colorado who was apparently once a cast member of the Rocky Mountain Jamboree, Jim Curtis started his own band while in high school, and kept entertaining while stationed abroad in the Army. Looks like this album is all cover tunes -- while there are a couple of tracks credited to "unknown," the rest are tunes from established artists such as Terry Fell, Don Gibson, Merle Haggard and Mel Tillis, while the title track is one of two Tommy Overstreet covers on this album. The backing band included Manny Anderson on steel guitar, Red Austin (bass), Harley Brendall (steel guitar), Grace Fillmore (drums) Randy Landers (lead guitar), Jimmy Nichols (lead guitar), and Randy E. Sage on drums... The overlap in musicians suggests that some of these folks were studio ringers provided by the Jester Sound Studio, while Anderson, Landers and Sage seem to have been Curtis's own core bandmembers. It's not clear where Curtis was living when he cut this album, though Byers is pretty far from Billings, Montana, where this was made.

Dakota "The Captain And The Outlaw" (Front Range Records, 1982) (LP)
There were a few bands that called themselves "Dakota," including some that weren't from the Dakotas at all... Apparently these guys were from Colorado, and not to be confused with the soft-rock group from Pennsylvania that was led by Jerry Hludzik and Bill Kelly that put out an album a couple of years earlier, or with another country group from Pittsburgh by the same name, led by a different guy. Anyway, this album includes some interesting folk-oriented country-rock covers, including three John Stewart songs, a version of Ian Tyson's "Someday Soon," and a version of "Greenback Dollar."

John Denver -- see artist profile

C. D. Draper "The Most Successful Failure In The World" (Curtain Call Records, 1965) (LP)
C. Dean Draper was a country singer from Englewood, Colorado who started his own label in the mid-1960s and released a number of novelty singles, such as "I'm The Only Hippie In Muskogee" and "The Most Successful Failure In The World" while playing gigs at a venues such as Earl's Toll Gate Tavern and Marvelous Merv's in Denver. He tried to bust out of the regional scene, but his biggest splash came when Buck Owens recorded one of his songs, "California Oakie," in 1976. He also produced some albums by other local artists...

C. D. Draper & Crisser "Bright Lights, Blues And Lonely Memories" (Curtain Call Records, 1983) (LP)
(C. D. Draper & Jerry Mahler)
On his second LP, Draper shared the spotlight with a gal called Crisser (aka Chris Taylor) who sang and played piano... As on all his records, there's an abundance of local talent and original material though, alas, his 'Seventies singles such as "California Oakie" and "The Only Hippie In Muskogee" were not included here: Mr. Draper had moved on. Maybe a best-of collection is in order? The other musicians include Dawn Arlene on drums, John Bower (bass), Bob Carillo (guitars), Tom Likes (percussion), Dick Meis (steel guitar), Art Miller (harmonica), Susie Nobles (fiddle), and Gary Schnacker on piano. [Thanks to The Elk Bugles blog for filling in a few gaps in this guy's career.]

Dusty Drapes & The Dusters "Dusty Drapes & The Dusters" (Columbia Records, 1974) (Unreleased LP)
This was a group of (formerly longhaired) hippies from Boulder, Colorado who "went country" in the early '70s as a way to stand out from the crowd in the rock-oriented live music scene. Dusty Drapes was the cowboy alter-ego of bandleader Steve Swenson, who in 1972 came up with the idea of the guys in the band cutting their hair short and wearing matching polyester suits, as if they were a standard-issue country bar band. At first it was just a gag, but as they got better and dug deeper into hillbilly twang, the Dusters morphed into a capable western swing band, and got more serious about their twang. They were a band seemingly right on the edge of fame, including a brief major-label fling on Columbia Records. Sadly, this ended in misery (and one lone seven-inch single) after the label decided to shelve their debut album and the original lineup decided to call it quits. Founding member Dan McCorison went solo and had some success in Nashville and LA, and even recorded a commercial country album for MCA. Swenson led the band through a few different incarnations, including a lineup that included hotshot guitarist and future Americana icon Junior Brown, though I don't think he ever recorded with them. The Dusters remained a popular local group up until the early '80s, and have played a lot of reunion shows over the years...

Dusty Drapes & The Dusters "Dusty Drapes & The Dusters" (Too Cow Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Mason)
This was their second LP, also known as the "red album," and the only one that actually got released. It's a solid set of eclectic country swing'n'boogie, very much in the same hippie-roadhouse mode as better-known bands such as Commander Cody, Asleep At The Wheel, or Alvin Crow. A big change in lineup, with the '81 band including Dusty Drapes on bass and lead vocals, along with Pete Adams (mandolin and piano), Brian Ercek (steel guitar), James Mason (mighty sweet fiddle), Terry McClanahan (lead guitar), Tom Smith on drums, a modest horn section led by Fly McClard, a few random backup singers, and Skip Edwards making a guest cameo, playing organ on a Pete Adams tune called "One More Shot." Admittedly, these guys sound a little manic and coked-up, but mostly they hit their marks, and the more country they are, the better they sound. There are requisite dips into oldies like "Cielo Lindo," Asher Sizemore's "Right Or Wrong," and Tex Williams' "Talking Boogie," though mostly this album is packed with original material from bandleader Steve Swenson and guitarist Terry McClanahan, and these originals stack up pretty well next to their contemporaries... There are a few hiccups, though. McClanahan tries an ill-advised dip into radio-friendly power ballads ("Lovin' Man") while Swenson's amiable, Jimmy Buffett-ish "Livin' With The Mexicans" is a well-intentioned stab at jovial, stoner-hick multi-culturalism which nonetheless is likely to ruffle a few feathers: any radio deejay bold enough to pair this up with Larry Hosford's likeminded early single, "Salinas," is gonna get some audience feedback, even though both songs are about chill coexistence, not expressions of prejudice. Overall, this is a pretty strong album, several notches above most of the private-press country of the time. Definitely worth a spin, and probably a classic. One wonders, though, if that Columbia album will ever see the light of day...

Hal Edwards "Rollin' Country" (Stylist Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Ashton)
Edwards appears to have been from Sterling, Colorado, backed by an all-locals, Denver-area band -- they recorded in Nashville, but without all the usual hired-hands Music City superpickers. Half the songs on here are Edwards originals, with one more by producer Bob Ashton (who contributes the oddly-titled "I Can't Be One Of Two Anymore").

Leo Everett "The Pure Sweet Country Sounds Of Leo Everett" (Jester Records) (LP)
Originally from Billings, Montana, singer Leo Everett moved to Colorado in 1981 and became a fixture on the local scene. This album was recorded in the late '70s, when he was still in Big Sky country.

Fall River Wranglers "Fall River Country" (Fall River Enterprises, 19--?) (LP)
Dude ranch twang... Fans of old Gene Autry or Roy Rogers records might get a kick out of this group. Babe Humphrey, Bob Minser and Paul Moyers formed a western trio connected to the Estes Park, Colorado dude ranch and its "chuckwagon supper" singalongs... They sang a lot of typical cowboy stuff, "Ghost Riders In The Sky," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and the like, but also some saltier, more country material, such as "Bayou Baby" as well as a gospel tune or two. Unfortunately the voluble liner notes by Denver music critic Red Fenwick aren't terribly informative, other than to tell us the guys were midwesterners, from Colorado, Illinois and Iowa. With an ever-evolving membership, the Wranglers recorded a bazillion albums over the years including a bunch I have sitting on a dusty shelf somewhere, waiting to be reviewed. Someone who has done their homework, though, is KGNU deejay Lisa Wheeler, whose Elk Bugles blog covers the band's history extensively. Nice!

Family Jam "Breadline" (Gladstone Productions, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Richie Cicero)
A hippie-era acoustic string-swing thing from Denver, Colorado, this group included vocals from Paul Conly, Dugg Duggan and Melody Duggan, with several original songs provided by Mr. Conly and one by Mr. Duggan. Paul Conly appears to have been the same Denver musician who was a founding member of the psychedelic rock band Lothar & The Hand People, and wrote many of the songs on this album around the time of that band's dissolution, while Duggan was a founding member of the 'Seventies country-rock group Timberline, which started in Omaha and decamped to Denver in the early 'Seventies. Family Jam seems to have started out as Duggan's side project, producing at least one earlier record, a 1972 single under the name Dugg Duggan & The Family Jam, with two of his songs "Steppin' Out" and "You," and later recording this full album, with Conly stepping up as the primary songwriters. They jokingly called their music "ragtime cowboy jam" and "neo-Depression swing," and seem to have played locally for a while, though eventually Timberline hit the highway, recording their LP, The Great Timber Rush out in Hollywood, then landed a gig working as Dolly Parton's opening act for about a year, before breaking up in '78. Melody Duggan was also active in Denver's theater and rock music scenes, working at the fabled Family Dog rock club before getting "real" job as a high school drama teacher, where she was much beloved by students and parents alike, retiring around 2016, when she won a statewide award as theater educator of the year.

Firefall "The Greatest Hits" (Atlantic Records, 1992)
I suppose I am obliged to mention the super-slick Top 40 Boulder, Colorado 'Seventies band Firefall, which is perhaps really more of a "soft rock" band, but certainly had a respectable country-rock pedigree. Singer Rick Roberts was in an early lineup of the Flying Burrito Brothers (as was drummer Mickey Clarke) and co-founder Jock Bartley was briefly in Gram Parson's backup band, the Fallen Angels, as well as Chris Hillman's post-Burritos band in the mid-'70s. Et cetera, et cetera. Anyway, there was some residual twang, or at least an acoustic sensibility underneath their slick pop hits, though I suspect many twangfans will find a lot of their material pretty noxious, the very epitome of whiny '70s wimp-rock. (Though I have to confess I still have a positive Pavlovian response to some of these oldies, though I won't say which ones... I have to keep a few secrets!) At their best, they were Crosby Stills & Nash knockoffs (like on "It Doesn't Matter," the first track on their first album...) At their worst, as heard on the later tracks of this best-of collection, they played some truly awful, tepid, heartless, semi-synthy stuff, kind of like Toto, but not even that good. Their early-'80s decline was not a pretty thing. So, yeah, part of the country-rock story, but not as interesting as, say, Pure Prairie League.

Flying W Ranch Wranglers "An Evening At The Famous Flying W Ranch" (Flying W Records, 1956-?) (LP)
Not to be confused (too much) with the Flying X Ranch Hands below, the Flying W outfit was also from Colorado and was also led by fiddler-guitarist Jim Blanton, but these albums are of a much earlier vintage. It's all old-fashioned, nostalgic, western material, following the Gene Autry/Sons Of The Pioneers model, and there sure is a lot of it. I have several Flying W discs, the highest number of which is Volume 15(!) so it may take a while to really get to the bottom of this particular well. This late-1950s edition of the band featured Jim Blanton, Chuck Camp, George Jackson, Buck Teeter, Cy Scarborough and Russ Wolfe. As with many of these dude-ranch outfits, the lineup changed a lot over the years, I guess depending on who got hired over the summer on any given year. (Note: the trio of Blanton, Scarborough and Teeter broke off from the Flying W in the late 1960s and bought their own ranch in Durango, where they became known as The Bar D Wranglers and recorded quite a few albums under that name.)

Flying W Ranch Wranglers "Folk Songs Of The Western Frontier" (Flying W Records, 19--?) (LP)

Flying W Ranch Wranglers "Echo Valley" (Flying W Records, 19--?) (LP)
This appears to be their third LP, showcasing a familiar mix of cowboy classics such as "Cool Water," "Cimmaron," and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," along with three songs credited as Buck Teeter originals: "Echo Valley," "Forget Me Not" and "White Sands." The members of the five-person ensemble aren't identified by name, though an autographed copy reveals Chuck Camp and guitar picker George Jackson as rounding out the quintet, along with Buck, Cy and Jim Blanton. Charles Camp later split off from the Flying W to start his own venue, the Triple C Ranch Chuckwagon, near Tucson, Arizona, which was run as a family business starting out in 1969.

Flying W Ranch Wranglers "The Place Where I Worship" (Flying W Records, 19--?) (LP)
Cowboy country gospel... You might assume this would be a rather staid album, but in fact this has some of the group's most adventurous arrangements, including some really nice pedal steel by a (sadly) unidentified but very professional-sounding player. This really is a swell gospel record, with the Wranglers somehow paradoxically sound both ironic and offhand and deeply sincere and rooted in the music. There's no date given, or really much other information on this album, including who plays on it... But the cover photos give off a definite early 'Seventies vibe. My vote is for around 1972-73, but it could be a few years later. No song credits, either, unfortunately, so if there are some originals, I sure couldn't tell you.

Flying X Ranch Hands "Campfire Melodies" (A & R Record Manufacturing Corporation, 1975-?) (LP)
A late-edition offshoot of the fabled Fall River Wranglers (above). This Colorado cowboy quartet spotlights fiddler-guitarist Jim Blanton, rhythm guitarist and tenor vocalist J. D. Blanton, and Floyd Luker on bass, all with guest star, western swing fiddler extraordinaire Hugh Farr, to whom they dedicated the album. The small group format seems to be modeled after the four-person jams led by Hugh and Karl Farr, in tandem with their recordings in the larger Sons Of The Pioneers ensemble. Plenty of oldies -- "Draggin' The Bow," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain," "Sweet Georgia Brown" -- as well as a few more arcane tunes, such as "Little Rock Getaway" and "What This Country Needs." Alas, no songwriter credits, or production notes.

Flying X Ranch Hands "Bunk House Ballads" (A & R , 1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Brooks, Gene Burton & Ray Farmer)
This lineup also featured J. D. Blanton and Jim Blanton, along with Guitarist Ron Grimes and co-producer Bill Brooks on bass and lead vocals. Apparently this generally-younger offshoot of the Flying Ranch Hands dynasty headlined a supper-club gig at the Flying X Chuckwagon restaurant, in Carlsbad, New Mexico, which is a fair stretch from the Flying X Ranch, up in Estes Park. Anyway, though the set list here is mostly straight-up cowboy oldies, I get the sense this might have been a slightly hipper and perhaps rowdier combo than the guys up at the ranch. Maybe the older Jim Blanton was there to keep 'em running along? I dunno. There's no date on this album, but based on the catalog number, there's a good chance it might have been from 1979 or thereabouts... That looks right from the photos.

Patty Gallagher & The Showdowners "By Request" (Little Richie Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Hale)
Ms. Gallagher was identified with the Denver, Colorado country scene throughout the entire 1970s... I'm not sure when this album came out, though the boys in the band look pretty darn "Seventies" to me, so I'll go out on a limb and guess this was recorded around 1975-76... It includes some original material, notably "She Goes Runnin' Round" by bassist Wil Karl and "My World Is Sittin' Tipsy" by Gallagher. She gets top billing, though an awful lot of the spotlight gets shed on Gary Courtney, who's pictured with her on the cover; other band members include guitarist Gary Courtney and steel player Harley Brendal. To be sure, this is not a top-notch production, even for the indiebilly genre, but it is the kind of record you can get to love just for it's sheer authenticity and undisguised flaws. Also, when they burst into an uneven lounge-funk riff on their version of "Crawdad," it's a real hoot. The original songs are pretty charming, though like the rest of the record, they're a little clumsily laid out. It's fun stuff, though... definitely locals!

Dave Gann "Crystal River Valley" (CMC Records, 1985)
(Produced by Mark Macgruder)
A picker-singer from Grand Junction, Colorado... I haven't heard this one, but I'm curious. It looks like it would be more of a folk album, although he does have a song promisingly titled, "Willie Sings With Everyone But Me," which I'm gonna add to my list of Willie Nelson tribute songs...

Bill Gardner "First Time Around: Songs Of The Country" (Studio 40 Records, 1981-?) (LP)
Country ballads and a bit of West Coast twang, with covers of stuff like "Crazy," "From A Jack To A King," "Funny How Time Slips Away" and bouncier tunes like "Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms" and Buck Owens' "Hello Trouble." The record label was from Denver, Colorado, so I imagine that Gardner was also from thereabouts...

Gary & Eddie "...Live!" (Carousel Productions/Cartay Records, 1972-?) (LP)
(Produced by Don Weyand)
No. Way. No frickin' way. Okay, well, let me back up a little... This is a funky (as in kinda clunky) live album recorded at the fabled Taylor's Supper Club, a Denver, Colorado nightclub that also ran its own record label and released a few LPs like this one. So here's the "no way" part: the duo of Gary and Eddie, though not fully identified on the album's liner notes, were actually two kids from Fort Worth, Texas named Eddie Johnson and Gary Morris... Yes, that Gary Morris, the guy who later moved to Nashville and became one of the cheesiest and most successful of the 1980s pop-crossover country ballad singer of the synthy-tinkly piano era, and who recorded one of the earliest hit versions of "Wind Beneath My Wings." Johnson and Morris formed a duo in 1969 and played regular gigs at Taylor's for the next five years -- this album is probably circa 1972, with a brace of late '60s/early '70s hits such as "Snowbird," "Never Ending Love," "Gentle On My Mind" and the inevitable run-throughs of "Proud Mary" and "Me And Bobby McGee." The album is just two long tracks of live performances, with no grooves between the song... It's a lively show, though the guys get kind of goofy with their vocals and seem more like a Kingston Trio-ish folk act at times... They are joined on a few tunes by gal singer Teri Hernandez, who the liner notes say was a teenager at the time, and who has two solo numbers, on "Snowbird" and "Crazy Arms..." Dunno what she did later on. The Gary and Eddie duo broke up when Morris moved to Nashville, where he plugged away for several years until his 1981 breakthrough. Eddie Johnson stayed in Colorado and also played in the singing-policemen band, The Lawmen -- he later formed an act with that band's leader, Bo Cotrell and has been in a string of bands over the years. But here is where it all began.

Glenda & Timm "On Stage" (Shiloh Productions, 1981) (LP)
This duo from Colorado Springs, Colorado wore their musical hearts on their sleeves... but they sure did have good taste in stuff to play. There are a bunch of cover songs, with a heavy, heavy debt to the Emmylou Harris repertoire, including songs such as "Feelin' Single, Seein' Double," "Too Far Gone," "Leavin' Louisiana In The Broad Daylight," "Two More Bottles Of Wine" and "One Of These Days..." (*whew!*) There are also some some classic Patsy Cline material and a few interesting late '70s countrypolitican/country-pop songs, such as "Somebody's Knockin'," "Wildfire" and "Waiting For The Time To Get Better."

Gold Rush "West Wind" (Bare Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Ransom)
The first(?) album by this eclectic band out of Elizabeth, Colorado. Some originals and lotsa cover tunes, including some tasty picks from the 'Seventies scene, such as Jim Silvers' "You Gotta Let All The Girls Know You're A Cowboy" and Paul Craft's "Midnight Flyer." The originals include "Distemper" by mandolinist Charlie Provenza and the title track, "West Wind," by bassist Larry Fries. Various bandmembers previously worked with producer Jim Ransom during his tenure with the Biscuit City label; at this point they were an all-guy group, though they later added fiddler fatale Suzanne Roberts, who recorded with them on their next LP.

Gold Rush "Strikin' It Rich" (Bare Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Gold Rush & Pete Dockendorf)
A lively, inventive set of progressive bluegrass, with clear country touches... This energetic, ambitious band from Elizabeth, Colorado had plenty of talent, notably fiddler Suzanne Roberts, dobro guitarist Al Goll and mandolin picker Charles Provenza, who floats off on Grisman-inspired solos on a tune or two, including the track, "Alturas," which is credited to him but sounds an awful lot like one of those old DGQ songs. There's a wealth of original material on here, including seven songs written by bassist Larry Fries, who often cedes the spotlight to guitarist/lead vocalist Jerry Magnetti. Some of these tunes are a little overwritten, tapping into the poetical streak in '70s progressive 'grass, but that's cool: this record is well-crafted and well-produced, and holds up well against other albums in the style, evoking in particular the spirit of fellow Coloradans Hot Rize. There's also a nice cover of the Dickey Betts song, "Blue Sky," reworked with a nice acoustic feel. Most of these guys went on into a variety of other bands and projects... The liner notes say that this was their second album, although I haven't been able to track down the first one yet...

The Golden West Wranglers "Lazy B Chuckwagon: Chuckwagon Suppers And Western Show At Heritage Square" (Golden West Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Al Ehlers)
A dude ranch band from Golden, Colorado, featuring Al Ehlers on mandolin and fiddle, Dennis Bailey (banjo, guitar and dobro), Gary Davis (8-string guitar), Jim Dunham (emcee) and Lynn Campbell (bass and 12-string guitar). It's all western-style cowboy music, sung with plain, simple arrangements.

Bill Goodwin "Walk Through This World With Me" (Arc Records, 1966) (LP)
This fella was an American artist, although he was backed by a Canadian band. Originally a rocker from Colorado, songwriter Bill Goodwin made a go of it in Nashville in the early 1960s, and recorded a string of singles on various labels, though as far as I know this was his only album, mostly cover songs, but some originals. Alas, I don't know who was in the studio band...

Jack Grayson "A Loser's Night Out" (Silver Bear/Koala Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Morris, Bernie Vaughn & Jack Grayson)
Colorado-born Jack Lebsock (aka Jack Grayson) was pretty strictly a Back Forty kinda guy, but he did make it onto the country charts, and also placed a few of his own songs with better-known, established country artists, notably Hee Haw star Roy Clark. Grayson cut a few singles for Capitol in the early '70s, though after they tanked he went indie and had a fair amount of success on the charts, even cracking into the Top 40 on a couple of occasions. Not earthshaking stuff, but perfectly competent examples of slickly produced, low-end early '80s country-pop, with kind of a whiteboy soul feel. Basically, if you felt like you were running short of Joe Stampley albums, Jack Grayson was there to fill the void.

Jack Grayson "When A Man Loves A Woman" (Koala Records, 1981) (LP)

Jack Grayson "Jack Grayson Sings" (Joe-Wes Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Bernie Vaughn & Jack Grayson)
This album appears to include re-recordings of several of his older hits ("A Loser's Night Out," "When A Man Loves A Woman," etc.) though it might also be a compilation album, drawing on his earlier albums... The liner notes mention that this was recorded at the Koala studios. At any rate, it's okay stuff... Commercially oriented pop-country, with uneven vocals and slick production. I could live without all the saxophone, though.

Great Speckled Bird "Great Speckled Bird" (197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Dotson & Craig Rousch)
Not to be confused with the East Coast country-rock band that backed Ian & Sylvia in the early '70s, this obscure Colorado trio included drummer Greg Eden, bassist Steven Wilcox, and guitarist/singer Fred Walking (aka Rattlesnake, who wrote most of the songs.) They were perhaps more of a rock-oriented bar band, playing surf songs and rock originals, apparently with no "country" instruments such as fiddle, banjo or pedal steel. Not sure what year this came out -- some sources say 1973, but the band's portrait on the front cover definitely looks like more of a late-1970s thing, with post-feathered hair and aviator glasses. According to the liner notes, they group had been playing together for five years when they recorded this album: the music was recorded live at the Rialto Theater in Florence, Colorado and Pueblo Mountain Park in Beulah, CO, on September 1st and 2nd, and one of the shows was the band's fifth anniversary concert. Anyone out there have more info about these guys?

Grubstake "Grubstake" (Biscuit City Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Ransom & N.C. Bull)
The acoustic trio of Steve Abbott, Jack Stanesco along with Harry Tuft, who was the owner of the Denver Folklore Center. The three got together in 1972 and worked up an impressively diverse repertoire spanning old-timey music, Celtic folk, gospel, calypso, country and cowboy tunes. It's decidedly on the folkier end of the spectrum, but nonetheless a nice taste of the 1970's Denver scene.

Denny Hale & The Hale-Raisers "Meet Denny Hale" (Sage Recording & Production, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by John Anders)
A Virginia native who settled down in Colorado after a stint in Nashville, Dennis Hale (1946-2013) was a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who played in Barbara Mandrell and Johnny Paycheck's backing bands, later drifting out west to Nevada and Los Angeles, performing at rodeos and lounges, as well as working in television and film as a sound engineer. Hale owned a bar called Miss Fitz' Tavern, in Olathe, Colorado and plugged away with his own band, the Ghost River Band, while also working in various law enforcement jobs in Colorado, Kansas and elsewhere. This disc features Denny Hale on guitar and vocals, with backing from Bud Blaylock on bass, Danny Franklin (guitar), Jimmy Manganello (drums), and Harold Remington on saxophone. Although this is considered more of a "rural rock" album, Hale definitely had real country roots, and some industry connections: in the 1990s he successfully pitched a song he co-wrote called "Winds Of Change," which was recorded as a duet featuring John Anderson and Merle Haggard. As far as I know, this was his only album.

The High Plains Drifters "The Last Of The High Plains Drifters" (Lame Recordings, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Bowen & Mark Harmon)
Not to be confused with the New Jersey band of the same name, this bluegrass-country hybrid from Boulder, Colorado, consisted of Steve Bauer on mandolin, John Fike (banjo), Bob Juenemann (harmonica), Robert Patterson (guitar) and Beth Tryon on bass... The quintet's actual history is obscured by the glib, facetious liner notes by bluegrasser Pete Wernick who crafts a whole faux band-ography tying them to the fictitious "Cowboy Carl Show," in keeping with the kooky image of Wernick's band, Hot Rize, which years later posed as Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers, in a similar flourish of self-fictionalization. Nonetheless, we do know that the band did exist, they made a record, and were on the 'late-'Seventies Rocky Mountains music scene, even if their original sponsor, KGUK's "Fruit Paste Hour," was alas only an imaginative wisp passing over the alpine ridges.

Highway Robbery "Keep On Ridin' " (Wild Stallion, 1984)
An indie band from Durango that featured Rob Stokes, R. B. "Stoney" Stone, and Andy Janowsky... Not to be confused with the hard rock band that cut an album on RCA in the early '70s... Apparently they had some success in Southern Colorado, but split up after a couple of years, and just recorded this one album.

The Hollywood Rodeo Band "I Haven't Learned A Thing" (HRB, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by E. P. Davis)
One of the more notable bands in Colorado's 'grass-and-twang scene, the Denver-based HRB came together a few years before they made their first album, and stayed together (or reunited) for many years to come. This first record was a rock-solid mix of retro-honky tonk and western swing -- mostly covers, though there are some originals, including bassist Michael Clayton's "Come On Back" and "Nobody's Home," as well as fiddler Clarke Wright's "Wonderful Waltz." The musicianship is excellent, particularly the inventive, ever-present pedal steel work by E. P. Davis, who also adds some tasty banjo licks. Davis had been in a couple of Midwestern bands before this and stayed active in various post-Rodeo projects. Davis later moved to Kauai and delved into Hawaiian music although he still curates the Rodeo Band's legacy, including a best-of CD that's available from his website (and that's also listed below.) Anyway, this is a very strong record... Some iffy vocals, maybe, but on the whole this stands right up there with the best of the western swing revival bands such as Asleep At The Wheel, et. al. Recommended!

The Hollywood Rodeo Band "On The Western Trail" (1985)

The Hollywood Rodeo Band "Saddle Up" (1986)

The Hollywood Rodeo Band "Fading Romance" (1986)

The Hollywood Rodeo Band "Born Ready" (1987)

The Hollywood Rodeo Band "Bluegrass Routes" (1988)

The Hollywood Rodeo Band "Looking At The World" (1991)

The Hollywood Rodeo Band "Cowboy-Bluegrass Honky-Tonk Dancehall Music" (2014)
This best-of set is made up of material from four albums released in the 1980s...

Ernie Hoppe "Another Song To Sing" (Chartwheel Records, 1979) (LP)
Hoppe was a Kansas farm kid who moved to Denver and played in country bars throughout Colorado... This album includes covers of country oldies by Mel Tillis and Ted Daffan alongside a bunch of Hoppe originals. This is an album where you have to overcome your first impressions, as Hoppe had one of those weird mousy-froggy voices that sometimes work in country music, and sometime do not... I'm thinking of folks like Don Bowman, Dick Feller and Dr. Elmo here... Anyway, once you get past the vocal tone, Hoppe's got a lot to offer, not the least of which is a nice flock of original songs such as his own novelty numbers such as "Midnight In Memphis" and "Honky Tonk Fever," where he name drops a bunch of country and outlaw stars. There's one duet on here with an unidentified female singer whose own rather iffy voice makes an odd combination with his... It's a good song, though, the sentimental "Treasure Of Love," one of many fine weepers and ballads that bookend the more uptempo stuff. I'll admit, this record might not be for everyone, but I got into it, and I think it's a real find.

Hot Rize -- see artist profile

Jimmy Ibbotson "Nitty Gritty Ibbotson" (First American Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Dik Darnell)
The album title refers to Jimmy Ibbotson's longtime off-again/on-again membership in The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, an eclectic group whose style is echoed in this far-flung record, although he had left the band in '75... Ibbotson also was a frequent collaborator with Dirt Band honcho John McEuen (notably in the band The Wild Jimbos) although McEuen doesn't appear on this album... Some notable sidemen include Canadian bluesman Ray Bonneville on harmonica and John Macy playing steel guitar. All but one of the songs were written by Ibbotson...

Joe Ice "Breaking The Ice In Nashville" (Pyramid Records 1977) (LP)
Well, despite his (--snicker, tee-hee--) cool name, this would-be honkytonker from Bayfield, Colorado actually cut an uber-DIY album which is a model of so-bad-it's-good-ishness. The adenoidal Joe Ice (which was apparently his real name) was not a terribly good singer, and the production of this album is also pretty remarkable... The mix is incredibly murky, and the performances are wild and chaotic... The (unidentified) pedal steel player was pretty good, but both the lead guitar and the keyboard player were totally out of control -- note-happy and showboating whenever possible. It's definitely a country album, and Ice was definitely a country boy, but these musicians sounded like rockers at heart. Perhaps Ice could have made a more credible record with better editing and greater restraint on the part of band, but honestly it wouldn't have been half as much fun... This record really was a goofy trainwreck, and has to be heard to be believed. So, let's drink a toast to the dreams and the dreamers... Sometimes they really make those records, after all!

Mary Jackson & The Nashville Heir "Live At Tabor Opera House" (Kowgirl Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Chris Hayden & Jill Hayden)
A country show recorded live at the Tabor Opera House, a historic music hall in Leadville, Colorado... Along with Mary Jackson on vocals, the band included Randy Norton (bass), Ronnie Ray (lead guitar), Rob Reamon (drums), and Tsutomu ("Slim") Yamaguchi on fiddle and pedal steel. The set list ranged from oldies to originals, with a smidge of outlaw material as well, such as "The Devil Went Down To Georgia," Rusty Weir's "Don't It Make You Wanna Dance" and Hank Junior's "South Is Gonna Do It Again." (Of historical note is Slim Yamaguchi's subsequent decades-long stint as the steel guitarist in Top Forty star Mark Chesnutt's band, having joined around 1990. Originally from Japan, Yamaguchi settled into the West Colorado twang scene sometime in the late '70s, and played with Cedar Creek and other local bands...)

The James Family "Country Favorites" (JNS Records, 1981) (LP) (Produced by Jim Bartholemew & Iain Burgess)
This was a super-private, custom-label recording by the James family of Englewood, Colorado, backed by local musicians. The repertoire is largely covers of country hits, presumably family favorites: "Rose Garden," "Top Of The The World," "Silver Threads And Golden," "San Antonio Rose," several by Kristofferson, a couple by The Carpenters... There's one song that seems to be an original, "Reach For The Light," which is credited to two family members and a friend.

Larry Johnson & The Dakota Territory "Live At The Black Stallion" (Black Stallion Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Johnson & Vaughan Mayer)
Singer Larry Johnson was born in Iowa though he eventually settled in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he landed a long-term gig playing five nights a week at the Black Stallion, a popular country bar owned by Bill and Polly Nuzum. I'm not sure which of these albums came first, though I think this is the earlier one. At any rate, the Dakota Territory was an established band that Larry Johnson joined around maybe 1969, eventually becoming their frontman and leader. Both albums are souvenirs of their long tenure at the nightclub; they also released a number of singles, both on smaller local labels and at least one that was distributed by the Nashville-based NSD company.

Larry Johnson "And Now Heeeere's Larry Johnson" (Black Stallion Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Glenn Barber)
This one's actually pretty good! Larry Johnson was born in Iowa and eventually settled in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he landed a long-term gig five nights a week at the Black Stallion, a popular country bar owned by Bill and Polly Nuzum. Somehow, Johnson got into the orbit of Nashville back-bencher Glenn Barber, who produced this album and has writer's credit on half the songs. And there is some good stuff on here: "Not Counting Tomorrow" is a decent novelty song with a romantic heart, while "Standing Here Watching" is a soul-searing breakup ballad about a guy who just can't do anything to stop his baby from walking out the door -- an excellent song that would've been worthy of Charlie Rich, delivered in pitch-perfect country-soul style by Johnson. Johnson also provides a surprisingly ragged, rural cover of "Take It Easy" by the Eagles, while on other songs he digs into some oldies-rock riffs, with the claim that he can sound just like Elvis (though I'd peg him as more a Roy Orbison/Charlie Rich kinda crooner) Anyway, the rock guitar solos are a little goofy, but enjoyable in a kitschy way. Unfortunately, the album art doesn't include the release date, although the single for "Not Counting Tomorrow" came out in 1975, so I'm assuming the LP did, too, or maybe in '76. It also doesn't list the backup musicians, which is a shame, particularly in the case of the gal who sings a nice, twangy duet on "Just Between The Two Of Us" -- it's possible she was his wife, Sherri Johnson, but I couldn't say for sure.

Randy King & The Country All-Stars "Live" (Rival Records, 197--?) (LP)
Country bandleader Randy King cut numerous singles on various obscure labels dating back to the mid-1950s, before starting his own label and putting out this lone LP. Although he's known as a Colorado-based artist, King's earliest recordings came out of West Texas, and he made the Rockies his home and even opened a nightspot in Denver called the Club Corners, which is pictured on the cover. Not exactly sure when this one came out, but it seems to have been in the late '70s sometime. (Thanks again to the North Of Pueblo blog for info on this elusive artist...!)

Dewey Knight "Shiny Long Limousine" (JEMKL Records, 1974) (LP)
(Various producers)
Though born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Knight was living in Denver when he cut this album album, having previously cut a string of singles in the 'Sixties and early 'Seventies. According to the liner notes, he was playing at a Denver nightclub called the Ramblin' Rose, and seems to have been working with some of the same people who helped him record his second album, Velvet Street. There are two songs credited to Bill Goodwin, who is mentioned on the other album as well, two others by Bobby George, and four tunes that Knight co-wrote with R. Johnson (possibly Little Richie Johnson, the record producer and promoter?) No info, alas, on the musicians backing him, though most of these vague but laudatory liner notes were recycled for the next album.

Dewey Knight "Velvet Street" (Knight Record Co., 1983-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Young)
Knight traveled to Nashville to cut these sessions, though unfortunately there's no information about who was backing him in the studio. The songs are all originals, solely written by Dewey Knight, or co-written with producer Ron Young. Also no date on this one, though possibly it's from 1983, just guessing from the matrix number (33-3811331). Hard to say, really.

Kenny Knight "Crossroads" (Calop Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Sylvia Brady)
A compelling country-folk-adelic set with a distinctively retro sound (and I mean retro for 1980, when it was released...) This gentle, contemplative, nicely textured album has the sound of nearly a decade earlier, branching from the clumsy but earnest country sounds of early, classic Grateful Dead albums into the odder, freakier eclecticism of the hippie-twang experimentalism of 1971-74, folks like Brewer & Shipley and their lesser-known brethren and sistren. Plenty of deft, lackadaisical, amateurish steel guitar and gauzy 12-string strumming, amid drifting, navel-gazing lyrics. It's a nice album, one that will resonate in surprising ways, perhaps because it's one of those records that's so singular and personal... Apparently singer-songwriter Kenny Knight was a former rocker, having been in a series of hopelessly obscure Colorado garage bands as a kid, but obviously he mellowed out quite a bit during the 'Seventies... Anyway, this one's definitely worth a spin!

The Lang Brothers "Wagons Ho!" (Wagon Wheel Productions, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Virtue)
Brothers Derrell, Gary and Ken Lang grew up on a farm in Quinter, Kansas (right near WaKeeny), later moving to Denver, Colorado where they played together as a family band. The title track was written by the father Bernard Lang, and is an epic number detailing the covered wagon migration that settled the Kansas prairies. It takes up all of Side One of this album, while Side Two showcases western standards such as "Cool Water," "Empty Saddles" and "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds," as well as yet another version of Mickey Newberry's patriotic patchwork medley, "American Trilogy." Notable among the musicians backing them on this set is blues-folkie Ray Bonneville, blowing harmonica, along with a bunch of folks who seem to have been Denver locals.

Larry & Terry "Sandlewood" (Summit Studios, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Drury & Preston Smith)
An exemplary "private press" album, recorded by two longhaired Colorado dudes, Larry Allen and Terry Craig, who are basically just strumming along and singing some of their favorite songs of the time, along with a couple of originals written by Larry Allen. It's easy to imagine their wives and friends listening to them playing in front of the fireplace and saying, "yeah, you should really make a record! why not?" They're not like rock stars or Nick Drake-y dreamers, just a couple of guys who got good enough to sing "Fire And Rain," "Mrs. Robinson" and "You've Got A Friend" and make their buddies smile while the bottle of wine gets lower and lower. This one's maybe more folk-oriented than most of the stuff here, but it's a nice snapshot of what amateur regular-folk singers sounded like back in the 'Seventies. It's the real deal. Besides, they cover "Mr. Bojangles" and "Country Roads," so it's close enough. They're helped out on a few tunes by banjo picker Tom Drury, who I believe did local/regional bluegrass later on... Anyway, this is kind of a sweet album, especially the Allen originals, like "Love One Another," which is an uber-gooey hippie-dippy greeting card of a folk song, and their ultra-earnest version of "We Believe In Music" (the Mac Davis hit, made plural) in which they give shout-outs to all the folks who helped them make the record. Adorable. (Note: about a decade later, Larry Allen and Terry Craig were performing in Southern California as the Shit Howdy Boys, and recorded a "blue" album live, circa 1980, as well as a 7" single on their own SHB label.)

Norbie Larson "I'd Rather Be In Colorado" (1983) (LP)
(Produced by Jay Angello & Tom Gregor)
A native Coloradan, Norbie Larson was a rancher and erstwhile rodeo rider who tried his luck in Hollywood, but just got a few bit parts in films such as Cat Ballou before heading back home. Larson had cut a few singles by the mid-1960s, and dived deeper into music in the following decade. In 1966 Larson was the focus of an extensive, two-page profile in the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, and for a while in the '70s he was a cast member at the Mountain Music Opry House, near Pike's Peak in the eastern end of the state. (Larson appeared on at least one souvenir album, along with the "opry" owner, Al Kelley, and other local musicians.) This early 'Eighties album is packed with regional pride songs, and may have been Larson's only full LP... but don't quote me on that.

The Lawmen "Live At Taylor's" (Cartay Records, 1971--?) (LP)
The Lawmen were actual police officers from Denver, Colorado who initially did the singing thing as a side gig in the late 1960s, and eventually were successful enough that they quit their days jobs and starting patrolling the nightclub and country fair circuits instead. Their steadiest work was at a place in Denver called Taylor's Supper Club; they also recorded several singles and LPs for Cartay Records, a label that was run by Taylor's owner, Sammy O'Toole. Years later, one of the band's original members, Bo Cottrell, was honored as one of President Bush's "thousand point of light," for his many years of charitable work. This album was recorded live at Taylor's (hence the title) and features a hefty dose of Cottrell's comedic patter, which includes a gag about telling a (supposed) cop-hater in the audience, "That's alright... next time you need help, call a hippie!" Plenty of exuberance, corny humor, and galloping renditions of pop, folk and country classics. A fun, rough-hewn set that gives a strong sense of what their live act was like... Also worth noting, the album doesn't include track separations, so each side is just one long track...at the start of Side One, Cotrell mentions that they were recording the concert on videotape, so I suppose it's possible video of this performance also exists... anyone know for sure?

The Lawmen "Special Delivery" (Turnkey Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Lawmen "Live At Leavenworth" (Viking Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Kennerley & Wade R. Williams)

The Lawmen "Cops And A Cajun" (Cartay Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Lazy B Wranglers "Sing Songs Of The Old West" (Lazy B Ranch, 19--?) (LP)
Not to be confused with the Flying W Wranglers, this (other) Colorado dude-ranch band was from the Lazy B layout, in Estes Park. They issued several souvenir albums of their own, including this fine disc, which appears to be a mid-1960s release. Well produced and with a clear and unapologetic debt to the Sons Of The Pioneers, this disc is chock full of chestnuts such as "Boil Them Cabbage Down," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and "When Payday Rolls Around," though there are a few tunes on the more obscure side, and maybe a few originals -- unfortunately there are no song credits, but can assume that "Lazy B Stomp" was cooked up by the band. A couple of nice regional pride songs about Montana, as well. The musicians aren't identified either, though the copy I picked up was signed by Lazy B co-owner Babe Humphrey, as well as by singer Tom Justin, who later proved to be the heart and soul of the Wranglers, appearing on the albums below even though the rest of the band completely changed several times over the years.

The Lazy B Wranglers "...Sing Show Songs" (Lazy B Ranch, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Don Tittle & Dick McGrew)
Not to be confused with the Flying W Wranglers, this (other) Colorado dude-ranch band was from the Lazy B layout, in Estes Park. They issued several souvenir albums of their own, including this mid-'70s offering, which is a pretty solid set of classic Western tunes in the Sons Of The Pioneers style. This edition of the band includes Lynn and Steve Campbell, Jeff Chandler, Jim Dunham, Tom Justin and Everett Stiger. There are a few tracks where they get campy or comedic -- all part of the show -- though on the straight-up performances, they nail it. Not terribly original or innovative, but if you like cowboy music, these guys were good.

The Lazy B Wranglers "Colorado" (Lazy B Ranch, 1978) (LP)
Heartfelt latter-day cowboy vocals... Maybe these guys weren't the greatest group ever, but they were awfully sincere and authentic! This album includes at least two originals, "(I Loved It) When The Cowboys All Would Sing," written and sung by bandmember Jeff Chandler, and "Buckskin And Blanket Days," written by Lynn Campbell.

The Lazy B Wranglers "They All Rode Up The Draw" (Lazy B Ranch Records, 1980) (LP)

The Lazy B Wranglers "Cool Water And Eleven Others" (Lazy B Ranch Records, 1981) (LP)
I love the artwork on this one! No hand-painted western-themed oil painting here -- instead, we get a great glimpse at what their auditorium looked like, with raw-timbered, open-air wooden beam rafters and unfinished barn-style walls. Very rootsy. This edition of the band included Tom Justin (vocals), Tim McKnezie (banjo and guitar) and Monte Gaylord and fiddle... At least those are the guys listed on the back cover: if I was the bass player pictured alongside them on stage, I might feel a little miffed.

The Lazy B Wranglers "Dusty Skies" (Lazy B Ranch Records, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Ed Kaufman)
This edition of the band was still anchored by old-timer Tom Justin, along with three youngsters, Rick Martinez, Larry Morgan and Joe Stephenson on fiddle and mandolin. The material's pretty much what you'd expect -- Sons Of The Pioneers-y western classics, although Rick Martinez adds a couple of originals, "I'm Gonna Ride" and "Underneath The Western Skies," as well as some parody lyrics on "Low Riders (In The Sky)."

Doug Lenard & Private Stock "Hey Ladie!" (Lenco Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Doug Lenard & Dan Guerrie)
Indiebilly twang from Grand Junction, Colorado... In 1983, Doug Lenard formed his band Private Stock, which featured Doug Lenard on guitar and pedal steel, along with Mario Asti (saxophone), Andy Noble (banjo, bass and mandolin), Chris Rosson (drums), and Joe Webber on piano. Later that year Lenard's tune "Hey Ladie" won a local songwriting contest sponsored by Kentucky Fried Chicken and radio station KQIL, a success that led to this album and numerous bookings through the region. All of the songs on this album were written or co-written by Lenard, and while he wasn't able to break through in Nashville, he continued to play locally and sit in on other artist's albums, even after getting a civil service job with the state. He also had a song called "Long Legged," included a local compilation album, HILLTOP COUNTRY 99, which came out in 1984.

Doug Lenard "Tales Of A Modern Day Mountain Man" (?) (CD)

Bob Lind "Since There Were Circles" (Capitol Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Doug Weston)
One of the best-known stars of the 1960s folk revival, Colorado songwriter Bob Lind scored an improbable hit with his breezy 1966 folk-pop single, "Elusive Butterfly," which peaked at #5 on the national pop charts. Riding high, he recorded three albums that year, and was naturally among the legions of young artists hailed as "the next Dylan," which doubtless contributed to his immediate flame-out, substance abuse problems, and precipitous disappearance from the spotlight. Like many 'Sixties truthseekers, Bob Lind dropped out and wrestled with his psyche, reemerging in the early 'Seventies with this expansive, exuberant set of brainiac twang. Backing him was a real who's-who of the early country-rock scene, including top flight pickers such as Gene Clark of the Byrds, Doug Dillard, and Bernie Leadon, as well as bassist David Jackson (who backed Clark and Dillard on a string of influential early '70s LPs) and John Buck Wilkins, a showbiz kid who had also "gone country" on his own solo albums around this time. To be sure, this is hardly a straight-up country record, but you can't deny the impressive roster of talent, or its place in the early country-rock mosaic. Fans of spacey post-folkies such as Jeff Buckley, et.al., might dig this one.

Larry Mahan "King Of The Rodeo" (Warner Brothers, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Snuff Garrett & Steve Dorff)
A fine novelty offering by six-time National Rodeo champion Larry Mahan, who didn't have a tremendous voice or anything, but still had the charisma and affability to carry these tunes and make 'em work. Includes a few great half-recited novelty tunes that might fit well on a Dr. Demento show: "Stunt Man," which laments the hardships of the Hollywood life, "Ha Ha," which sings the praises of getting bloodied up in dumb-ass barroom brawls, and "Rosie's Palace Of Pure Love And Fingertip Massage," which tells the tale of two drunk cowboys getting scammed at a Los Angeles brothel. They don't make records like this anymore. Snuff Garrett co-produced this disc, and some of the songs bear the stamp of his orchestral cowboy approach. Yeeee-hawhawhaw. By the way, even though he was born in Oregon, I believe this is the same Larry Mahan who had a longtime gig as a member of the Fall Rivers Wranglers, a "chuckwagon gang" at a dude-ranch in Colorado -- he was in the group for the first half of the 1970s, and returned for at least one album around 1980.

Mike Martin & Pam Martin "Fernwood Pacific" (Augustus Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Jimmy Ibbotson, Mike Crumm, Mike Martin & Pam Martin)
An enchanting and remarkably diverse album by a duo from Vail, Colorado. The Martins performed often as a duo but went whole hog on this album, with help from producer Jimmy Ibbotson, a sporadic member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, who organized this session in the Denver suburb of Lakewood, Colorado. The range of styles is sweeping and often a bit hard to pin down, certainly country or country-rock, but also '70s AOR and indefinable swirly, folkadelic stuff with wild, ambitious arrangements. To my ears, Pam Martin was the star of the show, with ringing, confident vocals that evoke Linda Ronstadt, among others, though Mike Martin had a strong presence as well... I guess I'm not just as attuned to the tremulous male folk-freak style. There's a wealth of original material, including several songs that sound like the should be covers, notably "Hey Colorado" and the Ian & Sylvia-esque "For The Love That You Bring," and though it seems a little too on the nose lyrically, the lounge singer saga, "Lonely Entertainer," has a funny way of sticking in your head. My attention was caught by an unlikely cover tune, their choppy western swing rendition of "The King Takes The Queen," a timely inclusion since the song was first recorded by California's Larry Hosford on his first album, that same year. The backing band is quite good, with a special shout-out to steel player Eddie Steves, who helps unlock the album's amorphous vibe. (There was a long thread about this album on the Waxidermy blog back in 2011, with Pam Martin chiming in to tell folks that she and Mike had long since split up, though they had both resettled in Arizona. A few years later, the song "Lonely Entertainer" appeared on Numero Records' excellent collection, Wayfaring Strangers.

Pete McCabe "The Man Who Ate The Plant" (Tumbleweed Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Szymczyk)
A novelty-oriented folkie from Denver who was "discovered" while playing in local clubs, Pete McCabe was flown out to LA to record this album, with backing from a bunch of elite studio session players... On the country side of the spectrum, Buddy Emmons plays pedal steel... McCabe didn't become the next Dylan or anything, but he did gain some Dr. Demento-esque notoriety.

Dan McCorison "Dan McCorison" (MCA Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Chris Hillman)
The first solo album and biggest commercial success for singer-songwriter Dan McCorison, who came out of Colorado's booming indie-billy country scene, having previously played in the popular hippie twang band, Dusty Drapes & The Dusters. This album was recorded with help from producer Chris Hillman, who brought in some top LA country talent, including guitarist James Burton and Emory Gordy, Bernie Leadon and steel player Al Perkins. The record was promoted as a mainstream country album, though the single, "That's The Way My Woman Loves Me," barely cracked into the Billboard Country Top 100. Still, McCorison was able to get work as a session player in LA, and was part of Al Perkins' usual suspects crew. He's also self-released several indie albums over the years.

Gary McMahan "Colorado Blue" (Tomato Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by John Simon)
A well-produced but still rather flawed album... Mostly, it's songwriter McMahan's voice: I guess folks who are into his labelmate, Townes Van Zandt, might be more forgiving about it, but he sounds pretty awkward and strained to me. Also, the songs are kind of overwritten and ungainly. He's sort of a souped-up Bill Staines-style singing-cowboy folkie, mixing yodeling with country twang and plenty of rodeo-themed songs. It sure doesn't hurt having steel player Buddy Emmons adding some super-sweet licks; other notable sidemen include Kenny Kosek on fiddle and Eric Weissberg picking guitar, and even the Jordanaires singing on a tune or two. But despite the sleek, rich sound, the record falls flat. The repertoire includes a few cover tunes, I seem to recall one of his original tunes, "Real Live Buckaroo," being covered by somebody once upon a time -- Chris LeDoux, I think -- so that ain't nothin'. Worth checking out if you're a hardcore fan of modern-day cowpoke music, but it wasn't a keeper for me.

Jim & Bobbi LeMay "Sing Country Music" (1973) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Bob Barnhill)
The husband-wife duo of Jim and Bobbi LeMay were amateurs from Colorado Springs, Colorado who took part in a 1972 talent search sponsored by radio station KPIK. They didn't win, but they did catch the ear of producer Joe Bob Barnhill, who was one of the contest judges. Barnhill took the couple under his wing and cut this session with them in Los Angeles, adding two of his own songs to what is otherwise an all-original set, showcasing nine songs written by the LeMays. (And as far as I can tell, Barnhill himself never recorded either of the songs, "Gentle Ben" and "Pretty Please," so they may be unique to this album...) No info on the backing band, though, alas.

The Middle Of It All "Working Day Woman" (19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Soren Bredsdorff)
A quintessential custom-pressing lounge band album, featuring the trio of Jimmy Owens (guitar), drummer Dennis Roe and bassist Donna Roe, with backing by a small studio crew that included piano, guitar and horns. It was the presence of trombones, trumpet and flugelhorn that made me fearful, but they are buried pretty far back in the mix, and to the extent they factor in at all, it's in service of the group trying to tap into an eclectic late-'Sixties Dusty Springfield/Bobbie Gentry vibe on the tracks where Ms. Roe sings lead. It's mostly if not all cover songs, stuff like "Ode To Billy Joe," Chokin' Kind," "Country Boy" and a particularly sluggish rendition of "You Gave Me A Mountain." None of the performances really snap or sparkle, but they all have an authentic, still-an-amateur-band feel. Not sure where these folks were from (or how they picked their goofy band name) but the sessions were recorded in Denver, Colorado for Fred Arthur Productions, a firm best known for its work writing and production radio jingles and TV ads for local and national markets.

Mr. And Mrs. Garvey "Mr. And Mrs. Garvey" (Epic Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Johnston)
Really more of a psychedelic/orchestral pop-folk, 'Sixties kinda thing, but worth inclusion here because of the wealth of Nashville talent backing them up... Pat and Victoria Garvey were a folkie duo who had been playing together for several years before they got their big break and signed to Epic Records in 1968. Traveling from their home base in Aspen, Colorado clear out to Nashville, they got the full treatment, booking studio time with youth-oriented producer Bob Johnston, who helmed a session with all of the a-list "cats" such as Kenny Buttrey, Charlie Daniels, Wayne Moss, Charlie McCoy, with a slew of woodwind and horn players thrown in for good measure. The harpischord figures rather prominently on this album, if that helps you triangulate. There is some overt twang, though: fabled fiddler Tommy Jackson gets some nice licks in on "Fifi O'Toole," a song later covered by the Irish Rovers. Some of their other songs caught outside attention as well: John Denver recorded "Fugacity," and "The Loving Of The Game" was covered by folkie Steve Goodman, Judy Collins and many others. The Garveys were living in Colorado at the time of this recording, though they also worked for several years in Seattle and in upstate New York. The couple broke up in the early 'Seventies, and Victoria Garvey later married another musician, Don Armstrong, recording several albums with him and moving to Tucson, where she died in 2014. Pat Garvey later suffered a stroke and passed away in 2017. (Thanks to mudcat.org for an extensive thread about the Garveys' career which included a lengthy post by Mrs. Garvey in which she outlined their career and the circumstances of this album's creation.)

Bobby Mueller "Bobby Mueller" (Entro's Records, 1978-?) (LP)
A tres-DIY offering from a guy out of Cortez, Colorado, in the southwestern corner of the state... This fella has a remarkably light presence online, and this rather mysterious record does little to illuminate his story: there's no release date, no info about the backing musicians, and although the composer credits are included on the front, the back cover is completely blank. During the late 1960s and early 'Seventies, Mr. Mueller seems to have led a band called the Haywires and put out at least one single sometime around 1971, with one song, "Arizona Good Time Blues," that also appears on this album. At first blush, this album may seem overly amateurish, mostly because Mr. Mueller has one of those odd, thin voices that populate a certain corner of country music -- heard from different angles he may remind you a bit of Bill Anderson or Roger Miller. By the end of the album, though, I was completely won over, largely on the strength of the originals, which include three songs by Bobby Mueller -- "Arizona Good Time Blues," "Drinkin' Wine," and "I Never Knew A Man (Could Shed So Many Tears)" -- and two more by someone credited as D. Hale, "Another Man Sang Her His Song" and "Tired Of Breathin'," which are all modest country-rock/outlaw gems of equal calibre. The rest of the record includes covers drawn from the world of Willie & Waylon, notably "The Door Is Always Open," "Permanently Lonely" and a version of Waylon and Jessi Colter's medley of "Wild Side Of Life/Honky Tonk Angels" which features an unidentified female vocalist singing the second part, who would appear to be Carol R. Johnson, aka Carol Rose, a gal from Grand Junction who recorded an album in 1978 with Bobby Mueller in the backing band.

Bonnie Nelson "Meet Bonnie Nelson: International Truck's Sweetheart Rose" (Squire Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Kelso Herston)
A local performer from Colorado Springs, Ms. Nelson worked steadily through a procession of smalltime gigs in Colorado and Nevada, methodically building a regional fan base and work resume that is minutely (and charmingly) detailed in the liner notes. In 1972 Nelson won a contest sponsored by radio station KPIK, and was signed to a five-year deal offered by producer Kelso Herston, who more or less took over her career. She went to Nashville to cut a few singles for United Artists in 1973-74, and later recorded this album, with some studio pros backing her up on a set heavily populated with covers of hits from "lady" country stars. There are a couple of Patsy Cline classics, "Top Of The World," stuff like that, along with a few new tunes. Oddly enough, nothing she did made a dent on the charts... not until over a decade later, when she cracked into the Back Forty with a couple of singles in the late 1980s. (Thanks to Kim Sloan's blog for helping piece this info together...)

Bonnie Nelson "Good Nights Make Good Mornings" (Hop-A-Long, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Travis Turk & Kelso Herston)

Bonnie Nelson "Live At The Country Palace" (Hop-A-Long Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Travis Turk & Kent Hopper)
A concert show with some tracks spotlighting Speedy Haworth and his band, Stateside Express, as well as Bob Britton, and even Terry McMillan in there, playing the harmonica. This was recorded at The Country Palace nightclub, in Littleton, Colorado ... It's mostly a predictable set of cover tunes, though one standout is "Love From A Woman's Point Of View."

Bonnie Nelson "Meet Bonnie Nelson" (Door Knob Records, 1987) (LP)

The Nestor Haven Band "One Lane Bridge" (Icarus Records, 1983) (LP)
A country-folk band from Colorado Springs, Colorado, with some banjo and steel guitar... They released two albums, although I haven't been able to track down info on the other one yet.

Joe Newell "Local Boys First" (Jack The Bear Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Newell & Karen Hing)
Independent twang from Arvada, Colorado... For the most part this is an aggressively commercial-leaning album with most songs taken at thudding, manic tempo, with several tracks that have kind of a retrobilly/white soul feel similar to Joe Stampley, and one track, "I Shot A Man," which is a dreadful attempt at a southern rock epic. The production seems fairly flat as well, which may contribute to the impression on mediocrity... It wasn't until I got deep into Side Two that I found a track I liked, the twangier, more relaxed Joe Newell original, "Hey Mister." All but one of the songs were written by Mr. Newell, with one, "Daddy's Farm," composed by his guitar player, Michael Frazier, which is the album's other modest highlight. These guys sound like they were talented pickers, but the album itself didn't rally resonate. I sure did the album title, though!

Tim O'Brien -- see artist discography

Plumb Loco "Plumb Loco" (Radiant Star Records, 1982) (LP)

Prairie Moon "Now Appearing" (North Wind Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Jay Lewis & Bob Ramsey)
A rather manic, galloping country-rock set by a longhaired band from the Denver suburb of Littleton, Colorado. The husband-wife duo of Bob Ramsey and Ann Ramsey formed this group in the late 1970s, and kept it together in one form or another for several decades, though I think this was their only album. The album's musicians consisted of Ann Ramsey on fiddle and vocals, Bob Ramsey (lead vocals and guitar), Ronnie Job (bass), Jay Lewis (banjo, pedal steel and guitar), and Duane Paul on drums -- alas, in this case the sum was less than the whole of the parts, as these folks attacked each song at a relentless, barreling pace, allowing very little chance for tonal shading or emotional resonance. Part of the problem may have been Mr. Ramsey's vocals, which seem a bit brisk, but the main trouble is the amped-up tempo, which perhaps were a result of some form of studio jitters. Anyway, this album mostly doesn't work for me, though as is often the case with bar-band indies, their original material is notably more engaging than the cover tunes. Bob Ramsey four songs, "Cabin Fever," "Prairie Moon," "That's All," and "I Came To Stay" (which was co-written with Jay Lewis.) Also of interest are a couple of Gordon Lightfoot covers, as well as lamentable versions of rock oldies "Honey Don't" and "Buddy Holly's "Oh, Boy." Album highlights include a couple of cajun tunes with very good fiddling from Ann Ramsey: one wonders if she pursued this style in her later work. Not my favorite hippie-country album, but it's always nice to track one of these indie discs down.

Bob Princeton "Ladies, Loves And Legends" (Tablemountain Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Princeton)
A honkytonker from Denver, Colorado, with a backing band called the Desperados... But honestly, what kind of name is "Princeton" for a country singer?? Anyway, I don't wanna be mean, but I guess I gotta call it like I see it -- this record is pretty painful to listen to... Princeton was not a very good singer... He tries to play up his deep-voiced tones with Johnny Cash and Dave Dudley-style material, but it doesn't take long to realize he just isn't singing in tune. I doubt I could do much better, though, so I won't go into too much detail. I suppose that folks could listen to this album "ironically," but I'm not really into that kind of hipster/sneery mockery, so I will say this: Bob Princeton really did seem committed to his music, and puts his heart into this album. I'm not sure, but I think the band backing him, The Desperados, recorded an album or two of their own -- they don't really put much effort into this one, but maybe they were just punching the clock. Anyhoo, this is definitely a DIY kinda album, though I can't see myself coming back to it very often... The highlight is probably "Woman, You're The Warden To Me," which is a pretty good country novelty number.

The Pringles "Going Home To Colorado" (Denim & Diamonds Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Michael Henry Martin)
Although they recorded this album in Texas, the Pringle family seem to have been from Colorado: there's a mailing address in Gunnison, CO, a teeny tiny town that's sort of between Telluride and Colorado Springs. Anyway, I'm not sure which of the musicians were from which state, though there are a whole slew of Pringles -- Kari, Ryan and Wes, apparently led by lead singer Rod Pringle, who wrote all but one of the songs on this album. (The exception is their cover of "Orange Blossom Special," which features some fancy fiddling courtesy of Mark Kalson, a child prodigy from Peasall, Texas previously heard on The Kalson Family's own album...) The general vibe here is a soft-pop country rock sound, with some gooey, soul-searching lyrics that drift into folkie territory that's vaguely reminiscent of John Denver. There's also a decent amount of twang, and although I wouldn't personally classify this as an album I'd come back to for fun, it's certainly worth knowing about, particularly if you're specifically into Colorado-local artists.

Ralph & Clyde "Clyde And Ralph Present: Ralph And Clyde" (Big J Records, 19--?) (LP)
The roots duo of bassist Clyde Jorgensen and guitar picker Ralph Smith first came to Grand Junction, Colorado to do a few weeks residency at the St. Regis Hotel hotel. They liked the area, liked the audience, and stayed in Colorado for decades, becoming local legends.

Ralph & Clyde "Getting Inside With Ralph And Clyde" (Big J Records, 19--?) (LP)

Ralph 'N' Clyde "Listen To The Lights In The Rain" (Big J Records, 19--?) (LP)

Jim Ransom "Just Come Along For The Ride" (Biscuit City Records, 1974) (LP)
Originally from New York state, folksinger Jim Ransom moved west in the 'Seventies and settled down in Denver, where he co-founded the Biscuit City label, which quickly became a focal point for the vibrant Colorado folk/acoustic/bluegrass scene. This was his first album, the prelude to a long career in low-key music making. (I have to confess, this looks too folkie for me to prioritize... But you never know. I might get around to it some day!)

Jim Ransom "The Escape Of J. D. Mackenzie And Other Songs" (Biscuit City Records, 1976) (LP)

Jim Ransom "Ransom Notes" (Biscuit City Records, 1977) (LP)

Glenda Roberts & Tim Myers "On Stage" (Shiloh Productions, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Gregor)
A country-rock duo from Colorado Springs, Colorado, with pedal steel and banjo picking added by Dan Williams and Steve Daigle on drums... The set list is all cover tunes, drawing on the mainstream country-rock canon of Emmylou Harris, Michael Martin Murphey and Linda Ronstadt. No less than five of the songs come from Emmylou's '70s repertoire, along with a couple from the Patsy Cline catalog... Sounds good to me!

Carol Roman "Little Richie Johnson Presents..." (Little Richie Johnson Records., 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Little Richie Johnson)
A housewife from Broomfield, Colorado, Carol Roman was a country gal who grew up in Pennsylvania, then pursued a career in music which led to work as a backup singer for Hank Williams, Jr. and other '60s/'70s stars. After retiring to the Denver suburbs, she fell into the orbit of Southwest promoter Little Richie Johnson, who produced this record and provided many of its original songs. The album includes one original song written by Ms. Roman, "I Just Wanna Be Free," as well as three songs from another composer in Johnson's roster, Nadine Moore, who penned "Let It Be," Sweet Freedom" and "Take Your Wings And Go." Unfortunately, the musicians in the backing band aren't mentioned, though as far as I can tell, Ms. Roman didn't have a band of her own at the time.

Carol Rose "Hi... I'm Carol Rose!" (Misty Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Holmes & Bill Yorty)
According to the liner notes, Carol Rose Johnson was born a coal miner's daughter -- not from Butcher Holler, but rather Oak Creek, Colorado, up in the northern end of the state. She seems to have been living near Grand Junction around the time this album came out, and was backed by a makeshift band called Little Bit Country, which featured steel guitar an harmony vocals by a fella from Cortez named Bob Mueller, who recorded an album of his own around the same time, with an uncredited Ms. Johnson singing a duet on one track. I'm not sure which of these albums came out first, though it seems likely there's some overlap between the musicians in his backing band and hers... The Mueller album had no credits, though hers does: in addition to Bobby Mueller, the group included Juan Antonio (piano), Brian Brandstetter (harmonica), Stormy Lee (drums), Jim O'Connor (bass), John Velarde (piano and strings) and lead guitar by "Bobby T," aka Robert T. Tyrer (1936-2015) a Grand Junction local who contributes one of the album's originals, "Love The Hell Right Out Of Him," and seems to have been the bandleader. Carol Rose contributes two more songs, "Hurtin' Again," and "Together We Can Make It," while bassist Jim O'Connor penned the album's opener, "Tears Of A Broken Lady." The cover songs include versions of "Crazy," Terry Fell's "Truck Driving Man," one from Hank Williams, and a torturous version of Nat Stuckey's always-awful "Sweet Thing," with Carol Rose and Bobby T trading battle-of-the-sexes badinage. The general vibe is lively and pleasantly amateurish, if a little bit chaotic... At first blush, Carol Rose seems like a fairly weak singer, but she and the band are fully committed and enthusiastic, and by album's end I was mostly won over, eventually seeing her as somewhat in the same mold as Skeeter Davis. Worth a spin, particularly for the original material.

The Rostvit Sisters "In California" (Claiborne Music Productions, 19--?)
A gospel offering by a family-band vocal quartet that later aligned themselves with the western-themed Flying W dude ranch in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group featured older sisters Lora Jean and Sharon, along with identical twins Fay and Janice Rostvit, who moved with their family from Minnesota to Colorado in 1954, and won a regional talent contest in 1960, launching their musical career, which lasted for several years. They seem to have been primarily a gospel group, though their album for the Flying W Ranch (below) was almost all secular western material.

The Rostvit Sisters "On Tour" (Claiborne Music Productions, 19--?)

The Rostvit Sisters "...Sing At The Famous Flying W Ranch" (Flying W Records, 1964-?)
Since the Rostvit family lived in Colorado Springs, having the gals perform with the Flying W Ranch seems like a natural fit. The repertoire is mostly secular, western-themed chestnuts, along with a couple of gospel numbers and a blithe version of "Mister Sandman," which had been a pop hit for the Chordettes in 1954. Unfortunately this album was rather poorly recorded -- it sounds like a tin can telephone call -- but the gals are also a little bland -- perky and they harmonize well, but their arrangements aren't very adventurous. An early '60s edition of the Flying W Wranglers backs the sisters, though sadly the liner notes don't inform us which individual musicians play on these tracks; they do add a little twang to an otherwise fairly staid pop-vocals presentation. Decent, but nothing earthshaking. (Note: in later years, Faye and Janice co-wrote a book called Twin Reflections, which looks back at their career in gospel music... Apparently this version of the quartet only lasted until about 1966, when the gals quit touring in the United States in favor of an international ministry that took them to Africa and elsewhere; I'm not sure if they also continued recording together as well.)

Dan Sadowsky & The Ophelia Swing Band "Swing Tunes Of The '30s & '40s" (Biscuit City Records, 1977)
A lively set of retro-novelty swing'n'jazz from a band that could be considered Colorado's answer to Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks, though perhaps with a more straightforward jazz orientation. Good stuff! Ray Bonneville and Tim O'Brien are among the guest performers, showing some links to the folk'n'bluegrass scene... Worth a whirl if you can track it down.

Dan Sadowsky & The Ophelia Swing Band "Spreadin' Rhythm Around!" (Biscuit City Records, 1979) (LP)

Fred Shelton "Live At Fred's" (Wormwood Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Michael D. Aisner, Joe Farber & Dave Howe)
A beloved figure on the Colorado roots and folk scene, Fred Shelton moved to Boulder in 1954, opening the first of a series of restaurants, culminating in Fred's Steak House, which is where this live album was recorded on March 2, 1975. Shelton started hosting live music at the steak house in 1971, and it became a focal point for the city's folk and country scenes. A bunch of those musicians join him here, though it is really Shelton's show, with him singing lead on all the tracks. There's some country, a few rock oldies, and even a dash of calypso. The band included Ray Bonneville on harmonica, steel player Andy Chilson, Spencer Bohren and Fred Shelton playing guitar, Eric Holle on banjo and mandolin, and pianist Jamie Kibben, among others.

Fred Shelton "For A Very Special Person" (Tiwiwas Records, 1978) (LP)

Smooth Country "It's The Attitude" (Jetisson Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Michael Podhurcak & Larry Prater)
A fairly informal country trio from Denver, Colorado featuring vocalists Sharon Chubb, Joe Holenbeck and Ron Metcalf -- if there are other musicians on here, they aren't listed. The repertoire is mostly cover songs, though there seems to be one original, their arrangement of "Sunshine, Blue Skies, Good Times," written by George T. Potter, along with covers of "Crazy," "Night Life," "Silver Wings," "The Rose," etc.. Not a lot of info about these folks, though. Alas.

Pete Smythe "The Bottom Ten From The Barbed-Wire Network" (Stylist Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Huey P. Meaux & Danny Epp)
Talk show personality and bandleader Pete Smythe hosted the "Pete Smythe General Store," a long-running series of radio and TV shows in the Denver area, portrayed as cracker-barrel sessions held in the fictional general store of the equally fictional East Tincup, Colorado. Smythe was a radio performer and script writer in the 1940s, as well as leading his own jazz-oriented regional dance bands. When he started his radio show, he took on a country music persona, but regularly invited jazz and mainstream pop artists onto his show, jamming with guests such as Chet Atkins and Duke Ellington, with backing from his band of locals. The show ran from 1948-1969, and this souvenir album gives some idea of what the show was like, with numerous photos of Smythe, his band, and numerous celebrity guests.

The Starlite Ramblers "The New Starlite Ramblers -- 1977" (Rambler Productions, 1977) (LP)
An excellent country-covers bar-band from Southern Colorado, the Starlight Ramblers Band (originally "The New Starlight Ramblers Band") was founded in 1975, and became one of Colorado's premiere indiebilly bands. They recorded several albums in almost a decade together, although it wasn't until their last record that they focussed on writing and recording original material. On this debut disc, they took their cues from bands such as Asleep At The Wheel, playing mainly cowboy and western swing oldies such as "Tumbleweeds," "Thanks A Lot," "Chattanooga Choo Choo," Marty Robbins' "Doggone Cowboy" and "Ghost Riders In The Sky." It might not have been original, but it sure was real!

The Starlite Ramblers "Ain't It The Truth" (Rambler Productions, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Steven Holland Gerber & Steve Dahl)
This live album features more well-selected oldies from folks like Don Gibson, Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb, as well as newer tunes like Hoyt Axton's "Evangelina." They also seem to have been pals with songwriter Gary McMahon -- he's not in the band, but they recorded three of his songs on Side Two of the album, including one of his best, "I'm A Real Live Buckaroo." The picking's pretty good too - a thumpy rhythm section but chunky guitars and a pleasantly plinky honky-tonk piano. Lead singer Michael Golden does some nice yodeling, as well as some impressive auction calling on Leroy Van Dyke's "The Auctioneer." (He also sprinkles a few curse words into this live performance, which is ironic considering his later career as a Christian Zionist preacher and conservative radio show host... But, whatever. We've each got our own paths to follow...) Anyway, this is a decent record with its feet equally in the longhair and old-timer traditions, and plenty of twang for all, with live tracks recorded at Caribou Ranch (in Nederland, Colorado) and Panama Red's, in Fort Collins.

The Starlite Ramblers "Live At Apple's" (Rambler Productions, 1981) (LP)

The Starlite Ramblers "It's Enough To Make A Cowboy Outta You" (Rambler Productions, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by RPI)
Excellent! The Ramblers really upped their game on this album of all-original material, with over half the songs written or co-written by keyboard player Steve Fahl, a couple by guitarist Tim McDonald and the rest by Michael Golden. He also cedes some of the vocals to the other guys, and while this album has some rough edges musically (which I like) it also sports a bunch of first-rate obscuro-billy tunes, including two anti-disco anthems, "It's Enough To Make A Cowboy Outta You" and "Cowboy Songs And Beer." The best performances sound a lot like Red Steagall, though some tracks are a little sloppy, particularly the ones where Golden passes the mic to the other guys in the band. But if you're looking for first-rate, pre-hipster indie-twang, this album's a doozy. The album highlight might be "Piece Of Cake," a stinging satire of the stoner-slacker lifestyle, with amiable vocals by McDonald.

The Starlite Ramblers "1992" (Rambler Productions, 1992)
This is a memento of an early '90s reunion show... From 1985-91 Michael Golden fronted "The Colorado Band," which featured some of the guys who'd been in the Ramblers, in particular bassist Jerel Wood, and I guess when the Colorado Band folded, they decided to do a Starlight Ramblers "farewell" concert... Around this time Golden also took a shot at making it as a songwriter in Nashville, though I'm not sure how successful that outing was. He's mostly been in Colorado as far as I can tell, and got heavily into the Christian fundamentalist thing which seems to have been his full-time gig for a long time... A long ways from the drinkin', cheatin' songs of his youth! Hmmm. I know about Golden, but whatever happened to the other guys in the band? Anyone know?

The Steamboat Album "The Steamboat Album" (Yampa River Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Shoffner & Rolly Wahl)
Sort of an odd, square-peg, round hole kinda album -- some folks consider this a various artists compilation, although I think this is really one group of musicians, albeit with a very strange band name. The record label takes its name from the Yampa River in northwestern Colorado, which runs past Steamboat Springs and is presumably navigable. This album was recorded in the living room of bass player Dave Shoffner, a 25-year old ski bum originally from Southern California who played in a couple of low-key local groups and played a few gigs at ski lodges and other local venues. Joining him are coproducer/songwriter Rolly Wahl, Anthony Matthews and others. These compatriots may have worked as the band on a tourist-industry steamboat, though they may have just been romantics who pined for olden times. Songs include the western-themed "The Chicago Cowboy" and "Mountain Cowboy" as well as novelty number like "Daddy's Little Leaguer." Any info about this project is welcome!

Larry Steele "Going To Kansas City" (K-Ark Records, 1965-?) (LP)
A rockin' twangster originally from Englewood, Colorado, Larry Franklin Steele (1937-2003) recorded prolifically for the K-Ark label throughout the 1960s, though this appears to be his only full album. He also released a flurry of singles and EPs, including a few that credited his band as well, Larry Steele & The Wranglers. This bluesy early offering seems to have come out with no album art other than his name and the song titles on a plain white background; if there are full-art copies out there, I haven't seen 'em. Also not sure who was backing him on this session...

Jim Stricklan "Whereabouts Unknown" (Skinny Man Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Wade & Bobby Ginsburg)
Originally from Colorado, songwriter Jim Stricklan had already established himself as a major figure in the Denver coffeehouse/folk scene of the late 1970s before trucking down to Houston to cut this debut disc. Eventually, about a decade later, he moved to Texas permanently, setting up shop in Austin just in time to ride the Americana wave of the 1990s... Stricklan has notably been in control of his own music, using his own Front Room Music as both publishing company and record label for each of his dozens of albums.

Jim Stricklan & Steve Fulton "Honky Tonk Fantasies" (Skinny Man Records, 1983) (LP)

Jim Stricklan "Tails Out" (Skinny Man Records, 1987) (LP)

Little Debbie Stringer "Hi, I'm Debbie" (Johnny Dollar Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Dollar)
A protege of Nashville producer Johnny Dollar, singer Debbie Stringer was said to be eleven or twelve years old when she recorded this album, although she looks older on the cover photo. At any rate, Stringer hailed from Byers, Colorado, and was steered towards Dollar, who saw her as a latter-day Brenda Lee-style preteen prodigy. They recorded a single in '76, with two songs that aren't included on this album -- "Jumpin' Gee Willickers" and "Mothers And Fathers." For this session, she was backed by some high-power studio pickers, including folks like steel player Buddy Emmons, bassist Roy Huskey Jr., drummer Jerry Kroon and guitarist Dale Sellers... not bad for a little kid! Side One of the album is heavy on cover songs -- a slew of Hank Williams oldies, rounded out with covers of Barbara Fairchild's hit, "Teddy Bear Song," and Olivia Newton-John's "Let Me Be There." Side Two seems to have more originals, including cutesy novelty material such as "I Feel All Grown Up" and "Gee Whiz Ain't It Funny." Stringer was still doing local shows throughout the 'Seventies, though gradually they dropped the "little" nickname... Not sure what happened to her after this.

The Sunday River Bluegrass Show "You Can Dress 'Em Up, But You Can't Take 'Em Out" (Biscuit City, 1972) (LP)
A longhair bluegrass/stringband from Colorado with banjoist E. P. Davis (later of the Hollywood Rodeo Band) and David Ferretta, who was known both as a mandolin picker and as the owner of a music store that was a focal point of the hippie-era Colorado folk/bluegrass/country scene.

Dave Thornton "Breckenridge Nights" (Whip Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by George Holsomback)
This album was a souvenir of a gig at a joint called Singin' Sadie's Saloon, in Breckenridge, Colorado, though I think pianist Dave Thornton was originally from Texas. Several songs appear to be originals written by Thornton, including "Run To The Mountains," accompanied by covers of hits such as Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" and "Long Black Veil."

Timothy P. & Rural Route 3 "Utah Moon" (Mail Box Records, 1976) (LP)

Timothy P. & Rural Route 3 "Hot On The Trail" (Mail Box Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Timothy P. Irvin & John Macy)
Although the repertoire is solid indie-outlaw cow-twang, the performances have a slightly more rock feel to them than I prefer. This is a good record to know about, but somehow there's a slightly manic edge to the music -- and to Irwin's vocals -- that sets me a little on edge. I dunno. Anyway, it's definitely worth checking out, with covers of classics by Willie Nelson, David Allan Coe, a couple by Michael McGinnis and a version of Mike Burton's "Night Rider's Lament." There are also several originals -- Irvin provides "Chat With Your Dog" while bassist Bruce Horn adds "Right Smack In The Middle Of The Blues" and there are a couple of songs by a guy named Jerry Armstrong, though he apparently was not a member of the band.

The Trailriders "...Sing Songs Of Western Folk" (KCMS, 196--?) (LP)
(Produced by C. M. "Bud" Edmonds)
A western-themed trio from Colorado Springs, CO, singing cowboy songs and the like... The group included leader Clyde Casey, whose family traces back to old-school Colorado rancher stock, along with Ronn Langford, an easterner with a show business background, and Jerry Teske, a highschool chorus director in Colorado Springs. Songwriter Johnny Smith contributes a tune called "Land Of The Velvet Hills" and plays guitar on a couple of tracks. The producer Bud Edmonds owned a local radio station, KCMS, and makes reference to using new recording technology from the town's "recently opened" Ampex factory, which helps date this album. It's not clear if the trio also performed on KCMS, but the album was certainly sponsored by the station, or at least bankrolled by Mr. Edmonds.

The Trailriders "Trailriders" (Garden Sight And Sound, 196--?) (LP)
A similar set, though with a different lineup. Although Clyde Casey was originally identified as the leader of the band, it looks like Jerry Teske was the guy who kept it going... Here he's joined by Bill Moon and Rob Ryder... This disc also includes a version of Johnny Smith's "Velvet Hills," though it's unclear if Smith plays on this album as well. Garden Sight was a custom label based in Colorado Springs that mostly seems to have recorded religious material.

Tumbleweed Band "Drifting With Tumbleweed" (Radiant Star Records, 1982) (LP)
Wait a sec... Here's yet another group called Tumbleweed, this one from around Fort Collins, Colorado, though apparently completely different from the other Colorado band of the same name. This group included Gary Greiman (1947-1998) on lead vocals, James H. Schafer (lead guitar), Kirby Bullock (drums), Clarence Sitzman (bass, piano, accordion) and Dennis Shoemaker (bass, rhythm guitar) many of who worked in farming and animal husbandry... Interesting vibe on this one: the songs are mostly Sons Of The Pioneers cowboy/western oldies, with a few detours into country classics such as "Sixteen Tons," "Tennessee Stud" and Silver Wings," as well as yet another version of "Proud Mary," and pretty good rendition of "The Auctioneer." But while mostly western material, the band drifts into a laid-back country-rock mode... it really feels like a record made by a bunch of pals who just liked singing together, brews in hand, while waiting for the grill to heat up. Dunno if these guys really did much as a band, other than make this album... By the way there are a bunch of other bands named Tumbleweed, in several different country over several different decades, including a few rock bands. Go figure. Anyway, this is a nice, mellow record. No muss, no fuss.

Ozie Waters "Central City Favorites" (Columbine Records, 19--?) (LP)
Like a lot of musicians from the pre-WWII era, cowboy singer Vernon Scott Waters (1903-1978) moved around a lot, migrating to wherever he could find a paying gig. He was born in rural Calloway County, Missouri and wanted to see the world. While still only fourteen years old, Waters fibbed about his age and joined the Navy, and wound up stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. After his discharge, he was offered work singing on KGU-AM, the state's first commercial radio station, which began broadcasting in 1922. Later he returned to Missouri and landed a slot on radio station KMBC, Kansas City, where for six years he was a cast member of "The Happy Hollow Show," alongside hillbilly star Curt Massey. Now nicknamed the Ozark Rambler, Waters moved on to work in Texas border radio (XER), as well as "The Ford Ranger Show" on Denver, Colorado's KOA. Perhaps most impressive was his long stint in Hollywood where he acted in at least sixteen westerns, including most of the 1940s Durango Kid movies, alongside Charles Starrett, as well as with William Boyd (aka Hopalong Cassidy). In the 1950s, Waters settled down in Colorado, hosting a western themed TV show and later performing at the Silver Slipper Saloon in Central City, outside of Denver. These albums are souvenirs of that long-running gig, with Waters singing cowboy tunes and sentimental oldies, backed by fiddler Harvey Gosman and Gill Blagg on bass. Over a couple of decades Captain Ozie Waters became a cultural touchstone for many Coloradans; The Denver Post ran a long profile piece on March 20, 1977, which is reprinted in a highly informative post on a geneology website, which provided most of the biographical information here.

Ozie Waters "Central City Favorites, Album Number Two" (Columbine Records, 197--?) (LP)
Recorded at the same time as the blue-covered album above, this red-jacketed disc features the same trio of musicians and identical liner notes, with another fine selection of old-school country songs. No date on either album, though the 1977 Denver Post article mentions that Waters was selling them from his home for $8.50 apiece, postage paid.

Ozie Waters "Sings Great Western Songs From The 1940s" (Castle Records, 1981) (LP)
Mr. Waters also recorded a number of 78 singles for Decca Records and smaller labels such as Coast and Rodeo, fourteen of which are compiled on this European import. His Decca/Coral tracks are not included (presumably because of copyright issues) but most of his Coast recordings are, notably his version of "Cool Water," which was apparently selected for preservation by the Library Of Congress. In the digital era the British Academy Of Country Music issued two discs worth of radio transcriptions made during this same era.

Williams World "Flash-In-The-Pan" (Viking Recordings, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Wade R. Williams)
A family band from Denver, Colorado, led by mom and pop, Carol and Ralph Williams, but showcasing their thirteen-year old daughter Pam Williams, who played the banjo and wrote several of the songs on this album, including "World's A Battle Ground," which was co-written with her older sister Tammy. Mostly bluegrass standards, as well as covers of "Ghost Riders In The Sky" and Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Morning Coming Down."

Ray Willis/Leonard R. Willis -- see artist profile

Wooden Nickel "Live At The Waterhole" (The Sounding Board, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Cook & Keith Roberts)
A semi-shaggy and painfully pretentious folk-rock/soft pop foursome from Vail, Colorado, playing a live gig at Bob Cook's club, The Waterhole #1, located in Des Moines, Iowa. The quartet included drummer Bob Arnett, his brother Mike Arnett on bass and lead guitar, Jim Brennan (bass and guitar), and Brad Quayle (bass, guitar and harmonica) and boy, did they take themselves seriously! The set is a mix of fairly generic originals and cover songs drawing on the likes of The Band, Tom Waits and John Martyn, as well as Jimmy Buffett, whose "A Pirate Looks At Forty" is one of their more impassioned performances. For the most part, this album feels overly controlled and sedate -- they were clearly trying to project a sense of professionalism, but would up sounding somewhat passionless, if not outright snoozy. I suppose this album is a good example of where the late 'Seventies folk scene had drifted, with radio airplay and momentary a possibility for the some lucky folk-rockers and singer-songwriter types, but their success came as part of a media landscape that encouraged both clever experimentation and utter blandness. I don't mean to be catty, and I'm sure there are students of 'Seventies soft-pop who might find this album exciting, particularly if you're looking for local obscuros who didn't make it big... But I'm personally looking for true country twang, and this definitely ain't that.

Dick Woods "Woods Country, Volume One" (Mountain Records Of Colorado, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Dick Woods)
A relatively mysterious fella from Colorado... Dick Woods won some kind of an award in the early 'Seventies for being a valued member of the state's homegrown country scene. He also purchased some small label and put out a few records, including one by a progressive bluegrass group called The Black Canyon Band. I'm not sure about this album's provenance; I think it may have come out in Europe or the UK.

Lynn Wright "From The Rockies" (Prestige Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Kenny Wallis)
Piano plunker Lynn Wright was, I believe, from West Virginia, although this LP is a souvenir of his days playing lounge gigs in Aspen, Colorado. The repertoire is a mix of country standards (Floyd Cramer's "Last Date," a Hank Williams medley), contemporary pop ("You Light Up My Life," "The In Crowd") and additional flights into George Gershwin, Scott Joplin, 'Fifties rock, and a bit of Dixie-ania. But the country influence is definitely there, including backing by guitarist Roger Hallmark, as well as bassist Kenny Wallis and percussionist Goldie Ashton.

Albert Young Eagle "Meet Albert Young Eagle" (Little Richie Records, 1977-?) (LP)
Surprisingly little information about this fellow online, though the back cover liner notes provide a pretty concise outline of his biography. According to this album Albert Young Eagle was apparently of Navajo descent, born in Gallup, New Mexico in 1953 and mostly raised on a nearby reservation located next to the El Morro National Monument. His father owned a nightclub called the Rendezvous Bar, and as a teenager Albert was in a rock band called the Teardrops for several years before he joined the military. He switched to country music after he came back home to Gallup, and was in the orbit of Southwestern music mogul Little Richie Johnson for most of his career, traveling to Nashville to record with Charlie McCoy and his A-list crew, most likely on Little Richie's dime. One missing piece of the puzzle is whether he was actually Albert Lucero, the name given on the composer of one of his songs, "It's All Over Now," which was released as a single and also appears on this album. The Bakers Patch music blog says yes, though the copyright filing with the Library Of Congress listed Lucero and Young Eagle separately. However, the composer credit on this album gives Albert Young Eagle as the author, which gets me to about 99% certainty that his birth name was Lucero, particularly since the trail grows cold on the Young Eagle name, outside of the handful of records produced in the late '70s. The rest of his biography remains obscure: Albert Young Eagle was elected into the Colorado Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1979, so it's possible he moved to the Centennial State sometime after this album came out. There obituaries for several Albert Luceros who lived in several different states -- Arizona, Colorado, etc. -- but I was unable to link any of them to this artist. Unless I hear otherwise, though, I'll accept Mr. Lucero's assertion that he was a First Nations country singer and add him to the list.

Albert Young Eagle "The Best Of Albert Young Eagle" (Little Richie Records, 1979-?) (LP)
An odd album title, particularly as none of the tracks on Young Eagle's first album are included... Partly drawing on some late-'Seventies singles, this is mostly a set of cover tunes, mainly brand-name country classics such as "Faded Love," "Green Green Grass Of Home," "Statue Of A Fool" and "Help Me Make It Through The Night," et.al., though there are also three songs provided by Little Richie Johnson's publishing company: "Have A Talk With Your Conscience," "On My Way To Houston," and "Unwritten, Unsung Country Love Song," though all three were also recorded by other Little Richie artists.

Yukon Railroad Co. "Yukon Railroad Co." (Big Hole Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jeff Aronson & Mike Kicenski)
These lanky, long-haired party animals considered themselves strictly a "show band," i. e. a working band that played mostly cover tunes and performed for whoever would pay them... They had a few long-term bookings during the 'Seventies, including a stretch in 1975 up at the Pea Soup Andersen's restaurant in Mammoth Lakes, California, and a bunch of gigs in Colorado, where I believe they were from... They claimed both the Denver suburb of Lakewood, CO and the ski town Hideaway Park as their home base(s), and worked at a venue called Doctor Generosity's Hungry Skier Restaurant, in the Fraser Valley, just west of Boulder. They were pretty good, too! A shaggy, twangy country-rock group specializing in honkytonk oldies and West Coast and outlaw favorites such as Red Simpson's "Hello, I'm A Truck," Tompall Glaser's "Put Another Log On The Fire," they also wrote a tune or two themselves, much to the delight of their local fans. On this album, the boys all used goofy nicknames and aliases, though lead singer Ron Greensprings and bassist Joe Leonardi seem to have been core members, with Greensprings acting as the band's manager. Not a lot of info about these guys online, though I think this was their only album.

Various Artists "BUSTER JENKINS ROCKY MOUNTAIN JAMBOREE" (Band Box Records, 1962-?) (LP)
Emanating out of Denver, Colorado's KLAK radio station, The Rocky Mountain Jamboree was hosted by bluegrass fiddler and deejay Buster Jenkins and had been broadcast every Saturday night for three years by the time this souvenir album came out. Though he's credited as composer on a couple of tracks and plays one gospel song, his real forte seems to have been as emcee and bandleader -- the liner notes inform us that Jenkins was a seven-time championship fiddler and also played banjo and guitar. The artists in this cast lineup are pretty obscure: Max Allison, Johnny Chase, Doris Fischer, Charles Gordon, Roy Green, Edie Hammons, Jim Moore and Bill Stephens -- hardly household names, to be sure, but that's what makes records like this so much fun. Other than Buster Jenkins, who went on to lead his own band and to cut a few albums, the only other artist I could find that made their own records was Edie Hammons, a decent hillbilly singer who cut a couple of late '60s singles for producer Ray Peterson.

Various Artists "COLORADO FOLK" (Biscuit City Records, 1973) (LP)
This was the first album on the soon-to-be-fabled Biscuit City label, which became home to many of Colorado's top folk and bluegrass musicians in the decade to come. With local artists including Grubstake, Dan McCrimmon, Katy Moffatt, and label founder Jim Ransom.

Various Artists "COLORADO FOLK, v.2" (Biscuit City Records, 1974) (LP)
This volume features Ruthie Allen, The City Limits Bluegrass Band, Pete McCabe, and the duo of Vince DeFrancis & Kathy DeFrancis.

Various Artists "THE ELEVENTH COLORADO COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL" (Illini Records, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Fritz Brading)
A souvenir of the eleventh annual(?) Colorado Country Music Festival, held in Aurora, Colorado with Jim Peters as emcee, and Patsy Montana an honored guest. I don't recognize most of the performers, though this live album is notable for including several female artists; one of them, Patty Gallagher made an album of her own. The lineup included producer Fritz Brading on the closing track, as well as Bill Clossey, Rudy Grant, Jan Hurley, Jerry Moore, Carmen Peters, Ron Ray, Rusty Russell, Doug Stuart and Joe Wells. I suspect this is one of those records that will provide me with a lot of interesting leads, if I ever gt the time to track 'em down. Mostly covers of contemporary, early 'Seventies chart hits, stuff like "Teddy Bear," "Slippin' Away," "The Keys In The Mailbox" and "Six Days On The Road," with originals by Patty Gallagher and Rusty Russell, as well as engineer Fritz Brading who (along with teen gal singer Jan Hurley) was a ringer brought in from Springfield, Illinois, where the Illini label was headquartered. Not sure if this festival produced any other albums, either before or after, but this is a nice snapshot of a local/regional scene in a time of country music transition.

Various Artists "OLD WEST HILLTOP 99 COUNTRY ALBUM #1" (Creative Marketing Concepts/CNC Records, 1984) (LP)
Undeniably a locals-only affair, this album was commissioned by radio station KEBK, the "Old West" country station covering Grand Valley region of Western Colorado. The artists are all locals and unknowns, with arrangements and vocal backing by a studio crew put together by the station. Honestly? A lot of this album is pretty terrible, although the singers are really trying their best. There are a handful of good performances and some interesting songs, though by and large the music on here is a fairly weak. Sometimes, though, one of these little guys strikes gold, and records "that one song" that gives them a mild form of immortality... In this case, the best candidate is Tom Bayne's oddball novelty number, "Love Dorito Style," which is musically strong and also a little nutty. Several songs on the album were written by Gary R. Smith, who I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess was connected to the radio station somehow... Profits from the album were to be donated to the Hilltop Rehabilitation Hospital, which provided a variety of health care programs for folks in the the region around Grand Junction, Colorado.

Various Artists "SAMMY TOOLE PRESENTS: AN EVENING AT TAYLOR'S SUPPER CLUB" (Cartay Records, 1970) (LP)

Hick Music Index