Jim "Ab" Abernathy "Good Timin' Man" (Applause Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Jeff Galey)
In the cosmic contest for the world's all-time biggest fan of Waylon Jennings, Illinois honkytonker Ab Abernathy is a pretty strong contender. This album, recorded towards the tail end of the Waylon & Willie glory years, is basically a Waylon tribute disc, covering a bunch of the biggest, most iconic outlaw hits: "Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys," "Waymore Blues," "Luckenbach, Texas," "Don't Cuss The Fiddle," "Me And Paul" and more. Sure, Abernathy's no Waylon, but he's alright, and his band holds their own as well, pickin' and plunkin' in the classic style. The songs are all covers except for one original called "I'm Going Fishing," written by lead guitarist Phil Pedigo, and it fits right in with the slack, Waylonesque vibe of the rest of the record. A nice, guileless, straightforward homage to their hero... guaranteed to pry a smile out of other devoted fans as well.

Andy Acree's Country Squires "Welcome To Squires Country" (Illini Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Fritz Brading)
I was psyched to see this album in the dollar bin at my local Record Hut, but profoundly bummed when it had the wrong disc was in the jacket. (The Doors...?? Really? Ugh. Oh, thou vast, wiggly quantum physics, you canst be cruel.) I did eventually track down a real copy, and am pleased to report that this is a great record. Crisp, direct, understated country ballads with a strong debt to Merle Haggard, though packed with original material, most of it penned by Leroy Clark, who may also have been the band's primary lead singer. Anyway, apparently these guys were from Springfield, Illinois, and played county fairs and similar local gigs, a continuation of Acree's youthful apprenticeship in Johnny Barton's band. Andy Acree is joined by brothers Jack Sampson and Larry Sampson on lead guitar and steel, singer (and songwriter) Leroy Clark, a gal vocalist named Janey Elston, who sings lead on one of Clark's originals, "My Whole World Turned Blue," and finally Acree's son, Gene Acree, playing drums. I guess they mostly did the county fair circuit, with Acree's own career reaching back a few decades before this album was recorded. (By the way, anyone know if this guy was related to country deejay Les Acree? Just wondering...) Nice one!

Rex Allen, Jr. -- see artist profile

Casey Anderson "Good Old Boys" (Edge Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Ed Hansen)
Born in Chicago, singer-guitarist Casey Anderson was more of a "folk" artist, recording albums in the '60s for Elektra, Atco and other "real" labels, but he'd always peppered his work with country and blues material. On this self-released indie album, he goes all-out country, covering Johnny Horton, Jim Reeves, Hank Williams and others, and adds a twang anthem to the canon called "Country Music Is Alive And Well." This was, I believe, his second-to-the-last album, with Anderson passing away in '76. A rock-solid record, really. Good vocals, understated accompaniment, strong material, emotional resonance. Fans of Don Williams might like this one -- it has a similar world-weary vibe. Unfortunately, the backing musicians are not identified

Appaloosa "Morning Riser" (White Gold Music, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Greg Riker & Michael Day)
A country-rock band from Champaign, Illinois... Despite the evocative, rural-sounding band name these guys do set off a few it-was-the-'Seventies-man warning bells, mostly the presence of congas, flute, recorder and saxophone, none of which should be on a country record. And indeed, they do go off on some weird, over-the-top musical fusion tangents, as heard on the disastrous gallop into twang-prog territory on the album's title track and elsewhere. Probably fine live, though, as they were a fairly popular regional band. Not mentioning any offending instruments, the group included songwriter-lead vocalist Michael Garcia on guitar, Howie Golub (percussion), Marc Hutchison (bass), Steve Morrison (drums), Ray Wiggs (piano) and Stephen Strong on lead guitar and pedal steel (good man!). This was a late edition of the band, which first formed around 1976 and played local clubs such as The Alley Cat, Panama Red's and Ruby Gulch, as well as gigs in Chicago and elsewhere. In the 2010s, a free-flowing group of veteran Appaloosans reunited and started doing local shows, though apparently Mike Garcia, who was the dominant force on this album, was not part of the reunion.

Jack Arndt "The Country Sounds Of Jack Arndt" (Crusade Enterprises, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Harris)
This was the second album by Midwesterner Jack Arndt, a clean-cut young fella from Vandalia, Illinois, near Saint Louis. He was a Christian recording artist, having made a gospel album before this secular set. The repertoire here is all country covers, oldies and hits by Merle Haggard, Harlan Howard, Stonewall Jackson, Hank Williams, and others. This was recorded at Crusade Studios in Flora, Illinois, with Art Baker (steel guitar), Charlie Mills (drums) and perhaps most notably pianist-guitarist Bill Casiolari, who played on countless gospel sessions, and Jack Arndt on lead vocals and 12-string guitar. I couldn't find much info about this guy online, though there was at least one show notice from 1975, in a newspaper from nearby Mattoon. IL. Other than that, not much.

Ray Austin "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke" (R&E Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Brien Fisher)
Amazingly little information to be found about this guy... Although this was recorded in Nashville, Austin's record company had an address in La Grange, Illinois, which leads me to believe he was active around Chicago. He also seems to have been the same showbiz orbit as the Kendalls and their producer, Brien Fisher: Royce Kendall contributes glowing liner notes, Fisher set up the sessions, and the Cates Sisters -- who Fisher also produced -- sing backup. Austin apparently didn't get recruited for Fisher's main label, Ovation Records, though this album seems to have been made at the height of Fisher's career, possibly around 1980 or so. Among the session players were steel player Sonny Garrish and Russ Hicks playing lead guitar. There were several country music Ray Austins, though I think this guy didn't record all that much. Anyone out there know more about him?

Jack Barlow -- see artist profile

Tom Barnes "Don't Leave Me In The Springtime" (Barnes Stormer Productions) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Casolari)
An all-original set from Illinois, with a dozen tunes by songwriter Tom Barnes, with steel guitar from Bob Menard, lead guitar by Jack Poole Jr., and fiddle by George Portz... A lot of original material, though the best song title is "I Always Write What's Always Wrong."

Don Barnett & The Nu-Jays "Don Barnett & The Nu-Jays" (Brave Records, 19--?) (LP)
Bandleader Don Barnett was a regional performer from Illinois with a reputation as a hotshot guitarist... After recording several singles, he self-released a series of LPs with his group the Nu-Jays. These included a mix of country and surfy/garage-y rock, and a number of showcase instrumentals... I'm not sure, but I think this was his first album.

Don Barnett & The Nu-Jays "Just Another Good Time... At The Lake N' Park Inn" (Medallion Records, 19--?) (LP)
Home base for the Nu-Jays was a place called the Lake N' Park Inn, in Palos Hills, Illinois, where they apparently played for several years. I'm not sure when this album came out (no dates on any of his records) but from the fashions and choices of cover songs, I'd guess it was somewhere in the early-to-mid '70s.

Don Barnett & The Nu-Jays "Live At The Lake N' Park Inn, Volume Two" (Medallion Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Don Barnett)
This disc includes lots of country cover songs, with different bandmembers singing lead, including Barnett, as well as Lois Kaye and a guy named Jim Lauderdale who was apparently NOT the Jim Lauderdale we know, since the liner notes say this guy passed away during the making of this album.

Don Barnett "The Magic Guitar Of Don Barnett" (Medallion Records, 19--?) (LP)

Don Barnett "They Call The Wind Maria" (Ovation Records, 1976) (LP)

John Beland -- see artist discography

Benny & The Amigos "Strictly Country" (Siesta Records) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Roedl)
Benny Burch and his band were from Effingham, Illinois and, as the title suggests, played a solid mix of straight-up country stuff, ranging from the Delmore Brothers and Bob Wills to Merle Haggard and Harlan Howard... classic material. They also recorded several original tunes, including two weepers written by bassist L. D. Lankford and an instrumental by fiddler Fay Walls. The band started in the 1960s -- not sure when this album came out.

Elvin Bishop -- see artist profile

The Bluetones "Presenting The Bluetones" (Pass Time Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Beaman)
A genuinely down-home country-rock cover band from Wonderlake, Illinois. Bob Beaman, his brother Ben and a few of their pals -- Wayne Effler (lead guitar and dobro), Dan Noel-Joe Evans (bass), Steve Sosnowski (steel guitar) -- got together in a basement studio to record this set of (mostly country) cover songs -- with stuff by Waylon & Willie, Gordon Lightfoot, a couple of Bob McDill tunes, one by Michael Dinner(!) and two more by Allen Reynolds. An immensely appealing, aw-shucks, uber-DIY-just-for-family-and-friends-looking project, with minimal artwork and even less in the way of liner notes. I'm just guessing, but I'd say, um, maybe 1980-81 for this one? Maybe a little earlier? Anyway, I think this one's great. [Note: the group is also known as Bob & The Bluetones; that's how it's written on the inner label, though not on the album cover.]

Suzy Bogguss -- see artist profile

Boulderdash "Boulderdash" (Shivaree Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Daryl McQuinn)
A country rock/honkytonk band from Collinsville, Illinois, with solid musicianship and a full brace of original material... These guys made the most of modest means -- the studio production was pretty barebones and they are definitely "real folks" locals, not hotshot country music rockstars. That said, this is a fun record with an amiable feel, covering a wide variety of styles -- cosmic cowboy/outlaw stuff, old-school honky tonk, harmony-laced country-rock, cowboy yodeling, and a goofy novelty song about having fantasies of winning the lottery. The set list includes a version of McGuinness Flint's "Two Hangmen," although most of the tracks were written by the band: drummer Paul Jarvis three songs, with pickers George Kershaw and Harry Garber adding a few more... All in all, a pretty solid set, though not necessarily a flashy or electrifying band. Definitely worth a spin!

Junior Bradford "...And The Country Knights" (Big Rock Recording, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by John Montgomery)

Dick Bruning "The Smooth Country Style Of Dick Bruning" (Stop Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Drake)
Singer Dick Bruning (1939-2013) hailed from around Galesburg, Illinois, and worked in a band called the Mississippi Valley Boys with a fella named Dale Wenstrom (1925-2010) who wrote most of their material. This album includes covers of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Mickey Newbury, as well as one tune credited to Dick Bruning ("I'll Stop Loving You") and four that were penned by Mr. Wenstrom. A couple of those songs were previously released on a single in 1967, though I think these versions were new recordings. They both had days jobs, of course: Bruning was an ironworker, while Wenstrom was a World War Two vet who served in the Pacific theater, came home and farmed for over a decade in Illinois then re-upped in 1959 and wound up serving in Vietnam, later to become an Army drill sergeant until he retired in '82. So if you had something to say about his music, you probably wanted to choose your words well. In addition to this album, they also released a single in with a topical song called "Pakistan Disaster," about a 1970 hurricane that caused tens of thousands of deaths.

Buckacre "Morning Comes" (MCA, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Glyn Johns)
Amiable, country-tinged '70s soft-rock by a popular regional band from Illinois. They sounded kind of like the band America, with a few added Southern rock guitar riffs. Lots of vocal harmonies, and pretty gooey, amorphous songs. Really it's the songwriting where they fall flat: none of these songs really see about anything much at all... But they're all pretty easy on the ears, and folks who like the goopier side of the country-rock genre will probably dig this as sort of a semi-lost gem. Or a semiprecious stone, at least... turquoise, no doubt... Anyway, they were a competent band and the production is classic, super-slick, hermetically sealed 'Seventies stuff, courtesy of Eagles cohort Glyn Johns. Worth checking out, though not much here stuck to my ribs. The country-tinged "Just Another Night" might be about the most memorable song on here, though that's not saying much.

Buckacre "Buckacre" (MCA, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Win Kutz)
The country vibe seems to be slowly leaking out in favor of a more rock-oriented sound. Hints of Styx or Kansas, maybe, though -- god, how embarrassing! -- not quite as rocking as those guys. Terrible attempt at reggae on "Fire, Wind And Water," and a mildly interesting look at show biz with "Same Old Song And Dance." A pair of pedal steel-flavored twangtunes -- "Here's A Stranger" and "Don't Be Blue" -- point back towards their last album, but they clearly wanted to score some pop hits, and it just wasn't gonna happen. The sound mix is still pretty slick, and '70s pop fans might dig it, but nothing really wowed me here.

Buck's Stove & Range Co. "North On The Highway" (Old Homestead Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Justin Niebank)
This bluegrass-y band from Chicago, Illinois showcased original material by lead singer Brad Hevron and banjo plunker Roger Banister,... They also picked some groovy tunes to cover, such as "My Window Faces The South," and Dolly Parton's "Jolene."

Buck's Stove & Range Co. "Buck's Hot Blast" (Rabbit Records, 1981) (LP)
Brad Hevron and Roger Banister (who shared the same publishing company, Blossom Rock Publishing) penned most of the music on here, though they also sing "Blue Heartache," an oldie by Paul Craft.

Buck's Stove & Range Co. "Fired Up" (BSRC Records, 1985) (LP)

Pat Burton "We've Been Waiting For This" (Flying Fish Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Michael Melford)
This was one of the earliest releases on the Flying Fish label, an eclectic, freewheeling doozy of a bluegrass-indiebilly album featuring Illinois-born singer-guitarist Pat Burton and a bunch of his pals. These included fiddler Vassar Clements, mandolinist Michael Melford, two of the surviving Bray Brothers -- Harley Bray on banjo and Francis Bray on bass -- and alt-twang ringleader John Hartford singing and playing a little bit of everything as well. Burton had been hanging around with and playing bands with these guys for years, since the mid-1950s, and is probably best remembered for his work with Hartford, particularly on the Slumberin' On The Cumberland album, and he shows a lot of the same self-effacing, good-natured sense of humor and genre-busting musical virtuosity. The album kicks off with the half-rueful "Hit Song," a novelty song that speaks for the legions of talented living room pickers who will never hit the bigtime, as well as "Ode To Country Music," which further elaborates Burton's love of good, old-fashioned twang. He wrote half the songs on here, including "Jane Russell No. 3" and "Jane Russell No.11," and on the rest of the record dips liberally into old-timey music and traditional country, with some sweet tunes by the likes of Bradley Kincaid, Hank Snow, Lester Flatt and Hank Thompson. Clements gets a chance to shine on a cover of Thompson's "The Older The Violin, The Sweeter The Music," and Burton ends the album with some truly fine gospel singing with a gospel that included Harley and Shiela Bray, on a nice version of "Heaven's Light Is Shining." Apparently this was the only album Burton released under his own name, although he got equal billing with Hartford and Martin on the Cumberland album, and he jammed with a lot of artists over the years. If you see this one, pick it up -- it's pretty fun!

Ken Carlysle & The Cadillac Cowboys "Live!! At The Black Stallion" (Carlysle & Kimbro Music, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Ken Carlysle)
A raunchy live set recorded live in November, 1979 at a country club in Bettendorf, Iowa...

Ken Carlysle & The Cadillac Cowboys "The Black Album" (Inglewood Records, 1981) (LP)
Another "blue" album of naughty songs by Illinois-based songwriter Ken Carlysle, who is known for the infamous "Itty Bitty Titty Song..."

Linda Cassady "Just Bein' Me" (Cinkay Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Logan)
The late '70s were kind of the last gasp of true-indie labels making it onto the Country charts, with the scrappy CinKay label being a prime example. Illinois-born singer/composer Linda Cassady wriggled her way onto Billboard's radar several times, but always 'way back in the Back Forty. At one point, Cassady was a member of the WWVA Jamboree, and had some success as a songwriter, with some of her stuff being recorded by second-tier stars such as Barbara Fairchild and Loretta Lynn's sister, Peggy Sue. This album is notable for its abundance of original material, with over half the songs written by Ms. Cassady and several other credited to Jim Hurley... pretty good stuff, too!

Linda Cassady "Just Bein' Me" (Amigo Records, 1981) (LP)

C.C. Express "C.C. Express" (Shadow Records, 197--?) (LP)
A Charlie Daniels-like mix of rock and country material, with a cover of Daniels' "South's Gonna Do It Again," as well as several originals by the band's own fiddler, Jack Little. Some unusual pop covers as well, such as "Killing Me Softly" and Shuggie Otis's "Strawberry Letter #23." I'm intrigued.

Larry Cee "Ceeing The Country" (Gilbert Productions, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by D. Trineer)
Larry Cee was affiliated with the Illinois Country Opry, one of the many faux-"opry" regional variety shows spread throughout the the country in the 1970s... The show was founded in Petersberg, IL, back in 1968 by Gilbert Perkins, though Larry Cee doesn't seem to have been part of the show's early lineup... I'd guess that this LP came out a little bit later, maybe mid-to-late '70s. Regardless, this album is packed with original material, including tunes like "King Of Lumberjacks," "Lonely Helpless Feeling," and "She Know How A Honky Tonk Sounds ," including several that are credited to Larry Cee (without his full name given...) A nice slice of independently-produced Midwestern twang, with no-nonsense pedal steel, and confident, Faron Young-ish vocals.

Everett Cessna & The Country Rebels "This Is Rebel Country" (Ulrich Productions, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Marion Ulrich)
This was the first album by rust-belt rebel Everett Cessna, a singer from Bridgeport, Illinois who led his band through the late 1960s and early '70s, playing a lot of shows in rural Illinois, as well as across the state line in Indiana. He also cut a 1968 single which had some original material, as well as this album, which includes covers of Terry Fell's "Truck Driving Man," Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings," Mel Tillis' "I Ain't Never" and the classic steel guitar instrumental, "Remington Ride." I'm not sure exactly when this LP came out, but there were a bunch of a bunch of newspaper notices about shows he played in 1973. Mr. Cessna is joined by his wife, Ardith Cessna on vocals, Bill Ellison (lead guitar), Gordon Ellison (rhythm guitar),Jim Hunt (drums), Gene Piper (steel) and Marion Ulrich on bass; the album was also recorded at Ulrich's home studio.

Everett Cessna & The Country Rebels "Country Sounds, Rebel Style" (Ulrich Productions, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Marion Ulrich)
Not sure when this one came out, either, but it is Cessna's second album, and features a lot of cover songs, notably a version of "Jackson" a duet with Everett and Ardith, as well as an original tune, "It's A Cold Night In Chicago," written by lead guitarist Bill Ellison. Side Two has a medley track called "Songs Of The South," which unfortunately builds on the band's "rebel" image, which uncomfortably enough includes photos of them gathering around a Confederate flag in someone's basement den. (I'm confused here: wasn't Illinois a Union state?) This is basically the same lineup as the previous album, with one Gordon Ellison being replaced by Terry Ellison on guitar... Still keeping it in the same family, though!

Patsy Cole "Patsy Cole" (Tra-Star, 1989) (LP)
(Produced by Mark Carman)
Singer Patsy Cole was from Maquon, Illinois, which is a long ways from Nashville, but she did make a few light ripples at the back of the country charts with this album. A fairly generic-sounding indie-label attempt at hitting a Top Forty sound, late '80s style, it kinda sounds like early stuff by Kathy Mattea or Holly Dunn or one of those reasonably rootsy gals out in Nashville. Not very original, but very professionally produced and musically solid... She sounds fine for the style.

Companie "Companie Is Comin' " (Curtain Call Enterprises, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Bobby Reed & Marty McReynolds)
Dunno much about these folks, who appear to have been a short-lived local band from Carmi, Illinois. The group had three singers -- Mike Gott, Vickie Janette and bassist Scott Kittinger, with backing from Larry Spivey on lead guitar, and Larry Dolan playing pedal steel. The album includes a cover of "Help Me Make It Through The Night" (add it to the list!) along with other twangy tunes. Few of these folks seem to have done much else musically, although Kittinger also played in a band called Hometown News. Anyone out there able to fill in the blanks?

Tommy Cooper "Country Dreaming" (Celestial Records, 1969-?) (LP)
(Produced by Art Benson)
Born in Springfield, Illinois, lounge/cabaret singer Tommy Cooper "went country" on this album of original material. Most of the songs were written or co-written by jazz/blues producer Art Benson, with others from composers sharing the same publishing company, Grosevoner House, which was connected to the Celestial label. The album wraps up with one cover song, Bobby Goldsboro's "With Pen In Hand," though otherwise this is a fairly legit attempt to generate some action with some brand-new country-styled material. Cooper was clearly a pop-oriented performer, a struggling club singer who split his time between Chicago, Vegas and southern California, where he also got booked on television variety shows hosted by the likes of Steve Allen and Woody Woodbury. In the liner notes, he namedrops every celeb he can think of, from squares such as Jan Garber and Art Linkletter to burlesque performer Babette Bardot, who he toured with; pop arranger Jimmy Haskell was booked for these Hollywood recording sessions. There's no release date anywhere on the album, but given some of the references, it's no earlier than 1968-69; I would have guessed somewhere between '70-72, given how Cooper looks in the photos. (Note: several sites online (circa 2020) have this Tommy Scott mixed up with the more famous Welsh comedian Thomas Frederick Cooper (1921-1984) though this hunky young fella was much younger, with an explicitly distinct biography laid out on the back cover.)

The Country Docs "Live At Crow's Mill School" (1981) (LP)
This bluegrass-y band included Illinois State Champion fiddler Ellis Schweid...

The Country Gospel Singers "Country Gospel Singers" (Mel-Tone Records, 19--?) (LP)
One of many groups to use this name, this family band from Murphysboro, Illinois is identified by their pastor 's liner notes simply as "Floyd, Vickie, and their children." Their last name seems to have been Mayberry, though, as the credits include Floyd Mayberry on rhythm guitar, Bobby Mayberry (bass), David Mayberry (lead guitar) and a Mr. Charles Mason adding some pretty nice licks on steel guitar. (Meanwhile, the full ensemble, pictured on the front, includes eight people total... Hmmm.) The album really is a glorious mess, with family members singing in various modes, barely meshing together despite some pretty good picking from the band, including some fine Chet Atkins-style chicken-pickin'. Lead singer Floyd Mayberry was super old-school: a croaking, gravel-voiced hillbilly singer in the 1920s style; his wife, Vickie, had a nice high voice with a slight hint of Kitty Wells, but she can't always figure out how to squeeze herself in to harmonize with her more primal hubby, and the kids -- well, they just sound like kids, singing in the background. The whole ensemble could sound reasonably okay, particularly on the uptempo tunes, though the record's one true disaster is a solo vocal by their unnamed daughter, who really sang flat, and also stands out in the family chorus. Still, I find it charming, especially since they're so devoted to older, classic country styles. Not 100% sure, but I think Floyd Mayberry might be the same guy who owns Mayberry Music, a retail store in Jonesboro, which is just about fifteen miles north of Murphysboro, in the far southern end of the state.

The Country Revolution "First Endeavor" (GDS Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Richard Mitts)
This Country Revolution was an entirely different group from the Fresno band of the same name -- a twangband from Galesburg, Illinois that was active around 1977 though they seem to have only done local shows. The band featured singers Jim Cahill and Jerry R. Johnson, along with Tom Benge on bass, Greg Chockley (drums), J. D. Thompson (steel guitar) and producer Richard Mitts providing a few synthesizer riffs. There's no date on the album, but it looks very late 1970s, and semi-outlawish in feel. The set list is almost entirely cover songs, though singer Jerry Johnson did copyright some original songs in 1981. Also worth noting that the photo on the back cover shows a sign on a bandstand calling the group "Jim Cahill and The Country Revolution," which was the name the band used throughout the fall of 1977 when they played a series of regular gigs, mostly at the Galesburg Eagles Club and a now-defunct steakhouse called the Kozy Inn, on the north side of town. The band recorded this album at a studio on the other side of Peoria, though as far as I can tell they only played hometown gigs in Galesburg.

The Crazyhorse Bunch "Nice 'N' Country" (19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Blasingame, Rich Brown & Tom Johnson)
A country covers band from Kankakee, Illinois that was first formed in 1975 to provide entertainment for some social events at a local Methodist church, and soon took on a life of its own. Several members of the band were drawn from the choir at Aroma Park United Methodist Church, and while the band was closely associated with the congregation, they also played regionally and their repertoire was mostly secular stuff, as heard on this album which included hits of the day from folks such as Bobby Bare, Johnny Cash, Johnny Paycheck and Merle Haggard, as well as singalong tunes such as Tompall Glaser's "Put Another Log On The Fire" and the early Oak Ridge Boys hit, "Y'All Come Back Saloon." They also tucked in a couple of gospel tunes, including one by the country-rock group Brush Arbor, called "Old Fashioned Few." Not sure how long the group was together, but through the end of the 'Seventies at least -- there's no date on the album, but this probably came out around 1978-79 or thereabouts.

Crossfyre "Crossfyre" (1985) (LP)
(Produced by Bobby Thomas & Crossfyre)
A country-rock band from Illinois, led by songwriter Wayne Douglas, with pedal steel by Rich Koc, banjo by Bobby Thomas and fiddlin' from John Frigo... These guys were pretty good, although the album skips around from style to style and while the old-school outlaw material and novelty twang are nice and straightforward, there are several would-be Top Forty country ballads that fall flat. The band had been playing around Chicago for a number of years, and several members were also the backup group for a gal name Sharie Lynn, performing on her album as The Show-Fers. Although they really seem to have wanted to break into the big time, it wasn't really gonna happen, and the more down-to-earth, low-rent material is a lot more fun than the would-be pop hits. Songs like "Last Call" and "Jukebox Memories" are worth a spin, and though a little clunky in the delivery, there's a nice Moe & Joe-ish novelty number called "Husbands In Law," which is about two guys who were divorced by the same woman who now they both have to take care of the kids while she goes off with her new boyfriend. Kinda weird, but memorable. Anyway, these guys were okay... definitely worth checking out!

Gary Curtis "Mackinaw Valley Boy" (GDS, 1979) (LP)

The Cuz Band "Eatin' Out" (Arrowhead Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by The Cuz Band & George Cumbee)
A somewhat rough-edged, what-the-heck kinda local band from southern Illinois, featuring brothers Darrell and David Cooper, along with regional country-rock veteran Gary Jones (1948-2015) , previously of the Jones/Stanley Band. On the band's twangier side, they had a moderately grungy southern rock sound (heard on the Gary Stewart-ish "Pork Chop Band") while other tracks are more Top Forty country-ish, and further down the spectrum it's more of an AOR feel. There are some intriguing collisions, like "Southern Boys," which sounds like a mix of Rossington Collins and The Raspberries, while the Top Forty-ish "Going To Nashville" sounds a little like early Lyle Lovett(!) The Arrowhead label seems to have been a rebrand of Shadow Records, where lead singer Gary Jones had recorded a string of albums in the late '70s with his partner Joe Stanley.

Kenny Dace & The Downstate Ramblers "Blue Grass Remembrance" (Little Nashville Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Stuber, Don D. Sheets & Bill Schuler)
A straight-up truegrass band that was apparently associated with the Little Nashville Opry, near Bloomington, Indiana. However, their manager, Bob Stuber, provided an address in Iuka, Illinois, and it seems this was not actually a hoosier band. The Downstate Ramblers went on to record several other albums under just the band's name (using studios in Illinois), although Dace was still the group's primary guitar picker.

Joel Daly & The Sundowners "Thank God I'm An Anchorman" (Flying Anchor Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Joel Daly & Vince Ippolito)
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, broadcaster Joel Daly made his way to Chicago where he worked at WLS-TV starting in 1967 until 2004, retiring after nearly two decades as one of the station's top news anchors. He moonlighted as a country singer, playing with the city's fabled honkytonk band, The Sundowners. This live album was recorded at the then newly-opened Rosemont Horizon arena, with backing by Bob Boyd (rhythm guitar), Curt Delaney (bass), Vince Ippolito (drums), Roger Pauly (piano) and Don Walls playing lead guitar... A fair amount to novelty material here, including the title track, along with tunes such as "City Canyon Yodel," "Older Women," "I'm Going To Teach You To Yodel" and "Son Of A Beeper" (about that amazing, revolutionary high-tech 1980's device, the paging beeper. I wouldn't say that Mr. Daly was the world's most dazzling singer, but this is a lively album and he exudes a pretty jovial presence. And he sure could yodel! The Sundowners also released a few albums under the band's name, as well as backing several other local singers.

Joel Daly & The Sundowners "Above And Beyond" (Joel Daly Records, 1993) (LP)

Sheri Davis "I Could Fall In Love With You" (Damo Music Group, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by John R. Moore, Michael R. Radford & Gene Rice)
Not a lot of info about this slick-lookin' country gal, who was definitely trying to crack into the mainstream Top Forty scene with this well-produced, super-commercial sounding album. This was recorded in Nashville with a bunch of Music City studio pros backing her up, though her manager John Moore's business address is listed as being in Marion, Illinois, halfway between Nashville and Saint Louis, so it's possible she'd worked in the Ozarks mini-opry scene for a while. She sounds very Dolly-esque, especially on tracks like "Under The Influence Of Love," and on the whole this record sounds like it could have plausibly made her a chart artist... The backing musicians include Stu Basore on steel guitar and dobro, Mark Casstevens (guitar), Gregg Gailbraith (lead guitar), Gary Prim (piano), Jack Ross (bass), John Story on drums, and the Cates Sisters both singing backup and acting as a string section. No chart action, alas, but not for want to trying. If you're interested in professional-sounding but off-the-radar pop-country albums, this is a pretty strong example.

Carl Dean (Hoppe) "Up To Date Country Music" (Rite Records, 1979-?) (LP)
Country and rockabilly, served up in a Jerry Lee Lewis-ish style by Midwestern piano pounder Carl Dean Hoppe. The tracks on this album were re-released on an album by the retrobilly White Label album, Carl Dean And His Piano, along with a handful of live tracks (which are not included here...) Oh, and in case you're keeping track (which I am) Dean also covers "Me And Bobbie McGee," and "Country Road."

Ronnie Diamond "Songs Of Feeling" (1980) (LP)
(Produced by Chuck Haines & Louie Swift)
An independent twang auteur from Alton, Illinois, just north of Saint Louis... Ronnie Diamond seems to have released both of these albums at the same, traveling to Nashville to record at Tom T. Hall's Toy Box Studios, where the backing band included Jim Baker on steel guitar, Duke Dumas (lead guitar), Tommy Floyd (bass), David Reese (piano), and Terry Waddell on drums. All the songs were composed by Ronnie Diamond, with more originals on the album below. Anyone know more about this guy?

Ronnie Diamond "Just Four Roses And A Daisy" (1980-?) (LP)
(Produced by Louie Swift)

J. J. Dickens "Teardrops On The Rocks" (1980-?) (LP)
Born in Hennessy, Oklahoma and raised on a ranch in Arizona, singer J. J. Dickens made his way up north in the early 1960s, settling in Chicago where he formed a multiracial country band puckishly called the Barrier Breakers, as it was unusual back then for African-Americans to play country music, especially in Illinois. In 1970 he moved out past the 'burbs to the tiny town of Utica where he played small bars and clubs in neighboring towns, such as the City Limits Inn, the Pink Cloud and the Diamond Horseshoe in Oglesby, which was owned by his wife Norma. Dickens also landed a gig playing at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Clubs, though most of his work was local. Dickens died in 2005, though he was performing with his band as late as 2004. As far as I know, this was his only album, though he also cut at least a couple of singles, including one with the Barrier Breakers, recorded around 1970, and another one for FMC in '72 -- both singles highlighted his own original material.

Don & Laurie "The Music Mates" (RJ Recording, 19--?) (LP)
A (very!) 'Seventies private pressing country album from Hoffman Estates, Illinois... On the album cover, he looks like a John Anderson-esque longhaired dude, while she's in cutoffs and cowboy boots...

Eddie Douglas "Chicago Country Sound" (Spectra Sounds Records, 198-?) (LP)
(Produced Lew Douglas & Bob Thomas)
This one's a little mystifying... I'm not sure if this was an album by a band, or some kind of song-poem deal. Eddie Douglas is presumably the guy pictured on the front cover, though it's not clear if he is the singer on all these songs... The back cover provides credits for Bob Shipner as vocalist below all the songs listed on Side One, while Bob Gentile is credited below Side Two... Maybe this means each guy was the featured singer on the entire album side, or perhaps the credit only applies to the last track? I dunno. All the songs were published through D. M. Maryon Music, with Eddie Douglas credited on a few, while the others are mostly credited by last names only: Fabrizio, Gentile, Laney, Miller, Smith, and a gal named Lesa Lamour. No date on the disc, and none of the songs seem to have been registered with the Library Of Congress, so we can only guesstimate on this one -- I'd guess early 'Eighties? Maybe around 1981 or thereabouts? No info on the backing musicians, either, darn it.

Johnny Dunn "Sweet Lies" (F & L Records, 1980-?) (LP)
(Produced by Hank Strzelecki)
Studio professional Hank Strzelecki was the driving force behind this album, arranging and producing the sessions, playing bass and contributing a couple of his own songs. In addition, he provides two tunes by writers using Strzelecki's publishing company, including one by Donald Vince, a friend of Johnny Dunn's who set the singer up with Strzelecki... There are also three songs written by Sid Linard, who was riding the wave of his anti-Iranian novelty songs, "A Message To Khomeni," which thankfully was not covered here. He's backed by an all-star studio crew: Tommy Allsup, Phil Baugh, Buddy Emmons, Lloyd Green, Hargus Robbins, Dave Kirby, Buddy Spicher... alla them guys. The liner notes mention Dunn flying down from "the windy city," so I guess he was from Chicago... anyone know for sure?

The Eddie Boy Band "The Eddie Boy Band" (MCA Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Rick Canoff, Don Sciarrotta & Tony Sciarrotta)
This one's more of a "you were warned" review, at least for twangfans looking for 'Seventies longhair-outlaw stuff. (Also, no one in this Chicago-based band was named "Eddie Boy," so now we both know.) Anyway, this also is often tagged as a southern rock record, but that's a bit of a stretch, although they do throw in some electrified slide guitar riffs reminiscent of Marshall Tucker Band or Little Feat. Much of the album feels like amped-up bar-band power-pop, and one wonders about the type and quantity of mood-altering substances that may or may not have been employed during the studio sessions. Apparently the band was disappointed by how the album came out and broke up right after it was released. There is a solid country music connection, though: towards the end of the decade, lead singer/guitarist Josh Leo landed a gig with J. D. Souther, and later moved to Nashville where he found success as a songwriter, a producer, and perhaps most significantly as an A&R man, where he signed '90s megastar Martina McBride. ['Seventies rock fans might still wanna check this one out -- it may tick off a few boxes for less country-oriented listeners...]

Ennis & The Outlaws "First In Line" (Worldwide Sound Records, 1982-?) (LP)
(Produced by M. W. Elliott & Ron Wheeler)
This outlaw bar-band from Palestine, Illinois featured lead singer Michael "Ennis" Elliott, along with steel player Paul Kidwell and drummer Steve Kidwell, who dedicate the album to their relative Janet Kidwell (1931-1982) a country radio DJ who played the comedy character "Cuzzin Jenny," with cornball schtick drawn from old-time hillbilly variety acts. They give good-natured, bluesy, boozy renditions of old favorites while adding some tasty new tunes to the country canon... Original songs include "First In Line" by Michael Elliott and "Grant Me" by Paul Kidwell. They cover a wide range of hard country songs, from classic Jimmie Rodgers stuff to "Would You Catch A Falling Star," which was a hit for John Anderson in 1981. One of the album highlights is their version of Adam Mitchell's "Out Among The Stars," a chilling, sorrowful, challenging song about a liquor store robbery that ends in a confrontation with the police -- widely covered in various genres, it was also recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard at various times in the 1980s. Since there's no date on this album, I'm not sure where exactly it fits in with the better-known celebrity versions, but the Outlaws may have been one of the earlier bands to cover it following Mitchell's original recording in 1979. They close the album with a languid instrumental version of "Faded Love," showcasing some particularly sweet, ornate pedal steel riffs. A fine album... Anyone know for sure what year it came out?

Bonnie Ferguson "I'll Be There" (Ovation Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Dick Schory)
Singer Cheryl ("Bonnie") Ferguson grew up in the Chicago surburb of Markham, Illinois as part of a musically-inclined family. She started performing in public as part of a family band that included seven(!) of her siblings, but broke out as a solo performer after winning a talent contest sponsored by the Coca-Cola company. By the time she graduated from high school in 1969, Bonnie Ferguson was a seasoned artist, touring regionally to Wisconsin, Indiana and throughout Illinois. She also landed slots on the local WGN Barn Dance TV show and later, around 1974, on the Porter Brothers TV Show. In Chicago she was perhaps best known for her industrial work, recording commercials for Schlitz beer and the Chicago Tribune newspaper. She may have recorded a single or two in her teens, as well as a string of singles for the Metro Country label, circa 1971-72, eventually leading to this album for the insurgent indie Ovation Records. Ms. Ferguson was pitched as a dual-genre country and AOR artist, and the ornate arrangements on this disc are notably short of twangy instruments such as fiddles or pedal steel. As with many other early signings to the Ovation label, her career may have been overshadowed by the runaway success of the Kendalls, who ate up most Ovation's promotional power. This appears to have been her only full album, and I'm not sure where she went from here, though she may have done some work in the film industry as well.

Gerald Finley "The Hurtin's Back Again" (Crusade Enterprises, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gerald Finley)
A picker and singer from Flora, Illinois, leading an all-locals band in an almost-all covers set, including some interesting choices, such as "Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line," "Clap For The Wolfman," "Southern Nights" and "Sixpack To Go." The title track, "The Hurtin's Back Again," was a Gerald Finley original.

Terry Flannery & Mary Ann Marshall "Little Bit Country" (MTF Productions, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Sargon N. Yonan)
The lounge duo of Terry Flannery & Mary Ann Marshall -- also known simply as "Terry & Mary Ann" -- recorded this album at the Sargon Recording Studios in Skokie, Illinois and they give a shout-out on the cover to the folks working at the O'Hare-Kennedy Holiday Inn, where I'd assume they had a regular gig. Terry Flannery did the arrangements and plays most of the instruments -- guitars, bass and keyboards -- along with Ms. Marshall on 12-string and 6-string acoustic guitars and drummer Ron Baron rounding out the sound. They cover stuff like "Me And Bobby McGee" and "The Gambler" as well as oldies like "Danny Boy" and "Ghost Riders In The Sky," and Flannery even gets all choppsy with a run-through of the Spanish guitar standard, "Malaguena." The Kenny Rogers cover places this one at least 1979, if not later. They were not great, but this is a very authentic album from a typical '70s lounge act.

Flatland Band "Plainly Scene" (Golden Rope Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Deglman & The Flatland Band)
Not to be confused with the legendary Texas band, The Flatlanders, this country-rock crew from Illinois had a guitar-centric sound with some pedal steel on top... All original material written by bandmembers Gordy Cotter, Jerry Reno and Sam Dean.

The Footstompers "You Guys Still Here?" (Hybrid Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Lang)
A shaggy-looking, beard-y polka-twang bar-band who cover polka novelty classics such as the "She's Too Fat Polka" and "In Heaven There Is No Beer," but also outlaw country hits like Tompall Glaser's "Put Another Log On The Fire." Music to drink beer by and cheerfully sing along to, fer shure. Not sure, but I think these guys were from Illinois.

Freddie & The Freeloaders "A First Look At..." (Jester Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Hale)
A band from Danville, Illinois that was led by singer-piano player Fred Halls, along with Ken Holycross (steel guitar), Jimmy Nichols (lead guitar) and Sandy Wright on drums. They include a couple of originals, "Dirty Dozen" written by Holycross and "I Don't Need The Wine" by Hall, along with a guy named Bobby Fischer who was not in the band but seems to have been Halls' main collaborator. They also cover some stuff by Merle Haggard and Mickey Newbury, though I couldn't quite pin down when this one came out.

Freddie & The Freeloaders "Anytime Angel" (Progress Records, 197--?) (LP)
The band still centers around Fred Halls, but a couple of years later, he was working with an entirely new band, which by the way had no steel guitar or fiddle. There are also several original songs on here written by Bobby Fischer, though again, he doesn't perform on the album.

The Frontiersmen "Wanted Live" (GDS Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by M. W. Grimm)
Not to be confused with Hal Southern's Hollywood cowboys of the same name, this band from Illinois featured lead singer Chris Allen, backed by Ken Carlyse on banjo and fiddle, Norm Fishman (guitar), John Holm (steel guitar and dobro), Brett King and Roger Cox (percussion), Gary Nabors (keyboards), and Don Vance on bass. They cover 'Seventies pop hits such as "Feelings," "Misty," "Torn Between Two Lovers" and "I Honestly Love You," as well as "Thank God I'm A Country Boy," and some country classics like "Take Me Back To Tulsa" and "San Antonio Rose." There may have had a few originals in the mix as well, though the credits aren't clear. The album was recorded at a studio in Morton, Illinois and the band took its name from a venue called the Frontier Auditorium, in Pekin, IL, a now-defunct theme park that mostly hosted country acts, with an occasional rock group or big band coming through town. They were the house band there, and also did a little bit of work on the road, going as far afield as the Spoon River Days festival in Wyoming. As far as I know, this was their only album.

Gator Alley "It Takes Time" (Gator Alley, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gator Alley & Leon Reeder)
This Midwestern band featured three sisters -- Dawna, Debbie and Dina Nelson -- who wrote most of the songs on the album, with steel guitar by Don Kates and lead guitar by Jerry Fitzpatrick. The album was recorded at Creative Audio studios, Champaign, Illinois and looks like an early '80s outing.

The Good Times "Country Rock Music" (1976-?) (LP)
A hyper-local country covers band from Pekin, Illinois playing pop and country covers, mostly early 'Seventies stuff like "Day Dreams About Night Things," "I Believe In Music," "Kentucky Woman," "Please Mister Please," and the like. The quartet included three guys and one gal, Bill Lohnes, Kurt Milkereit, Bill Wilcox and Jackie Wilcox, though the liner notes don't say who played which instruments, or if there were studio musicians involved. One song, "Jodi," may have been an original, though there are no composer credits anywhere on the album.

Steve Goodman - see artist discography

The Greater Chicago Bluegrass Band "Est. 1973" (Fargo Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Landow & Greg Trafialo)

Greater DeKalb Area Municipal Footstompin' Ensemble "Culture From The Cornfields" (Hybrid Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Andy Waterman)
Dunno much about this one, just whispered rumors from frightened men with broken minds who tried to crack the mysteries of the universe, in defiance of the will of the gods. Oh, wait... where was I? Oh, yeah, this looks like an interesting album late 1970s longhair jugband... Might be lots of fun, if you can track it down!

Jerry Hanlon "Memories" (Universal-Athena Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Bradley & Floyd Chance)
Born in 1933, singer Jerry Hanlon hailed from Kickapoo, Illinois, and started performing and writing country music in the late 1950s, working in a classic, prewar honky-tonk mode, heavily influenced by Jimmie Rodgers and his "blues yodeling" style. He wrote a tribute to Rodgers that got him onto Ernest Tubb's radar: Tubb booked Hanlon on his show and cut a single with him back in '61, and even had him come on tour for a while. Hanlon continued to write and record over the years, but never broke through nationally -- this was his first album, recorded in Nashville with an A-list studio crew (and liner notes by ET!) though normally he played with his own band, The Midwest Playboys. Years later, Hanlon also released several cassette-only and CD albums, and apparently developed a strong following in Ireland, where he has worked with a number of Irish country artists.

Jerry Hanlon & The Midwest Playboys "Everybody Wants To Be A Cowboy" (Universal Athena Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Hanlon & John Holm)
Giving his band a big spotlight on the front cover, Mr. Hanlon plugs away on another set of heartfelt twang. This album is packed with original material, with about half the songs being Jerry Hanlon originals, including a personal tribute to Ernest Tubb ("ET We Are Missing You") and the hilariously-titled "Fast Women And Expensive Toupees," which takes the whole middle-aged mack-daddy vibe of the countrypolitan era about as far as it will go. He also covers material by Sonny Throckmorton and Jimmy Wakely and shares the mic with his son Don, bass player Bobby Hull and guitarist Joe Smiles, who each get a vocal number of their own. They formed the core fo the Midwest Playboys band, with additional backing by fiddler Bob Berry, producer John Holm on steel guitar and keyboardist Gary Nabors. Jerry Hanlon also went on to self-release a slew of albums in the digital era, as noted above.

Heartsfield "Heartsfield" (Mercury-Polygram, 1973)
(Produced by David Rubinson)
On their debut, this eclectic, longhaired Midwestern band mixed soft-twang and Southern rock, and even a bit of thumpy folk-rock in there as well that sounded for all the world like England's fabled Fairport Convention (on tracks such as "Drummer Boy") and eventually became known as an early '70s jam-band. Pedal steel player Phil Lucafo brought a more deliberate country sound to songs such as "Nashville" (which he wrote) though an airier country-rock sound predominates, with vocal harmonies and a tilt towards treble that places these guys firmly in the same camp as commercially-oriented bands such as Poco, Pure Prairie League and the Eagles, albeit with a more aggressive, Allman Brothers-y sound on several songs that may have made marketing them a little difficult. The highlight of this album is probably "Needing Her," though the rockin' "Honest Junkie" probably got a few heads banging at their concerts, back in the day. Worth a spin, but very, very 'Seventies.

Heartsfield "The Wonder Of It All" (Mercury Records, 1974)
(Produced by Tom Geving & Heartsfield)
Nice one. A relaxed, pastoral album, with plenty of flowery guitar work, sweet vocal harmonies and spacey romanticism, with everything on the album's first side melded together into a smooth, slick, multi-layered country-rock production style. There are strong nods towards the Byrds and similarities to contemporary bands like Poco, Pure Prairie League, et. al., although there doesn't seem to have been a strong effort to craft a big radio hit other than the anthemic, CSNY-ish "Shine On," might have had a shot. They dip more overtly into country twang on Side Two, and for my money, the fun really begins when they bust out the pedal steel and get more gosh-heck, singalong about it all, as on "Eight Hours Time" and "I've Just Fallen" and "Lafayette County," while on "Racin' For The Sun" they bust almost unexpectedly into a Southern rock-flavored solo-swapping interlude that probably gives a good idea of what their in-concert jam-band sound was like. I guess I'd have to rank this one as a guilty pleasure, maybe not an A-list guilty pleasure, but still pretty easy on the ears... Certainly, for fans of '70s-era soft-rock, this album's a doozy.

Heartsfield "Foolish Pleasures" (Mercury Records, 1975)

Heartsfield "Collector's Item" (Columbia Records, 1977)
(Produced by David Rubinson, Jeffrey Cohen & Fred Catero)
Although this album shows them having near-perfected a soft-pop/country-rock sound similar to Eagles, Little River Band and Michael Martin Murphey, there's also an unfortunate tilts towards more direct rock and pop, producing actively irritating sonic disasters such as the disco-ish "Another Night Alone," the faux-epic "Lost Love" (which feels a little like late-'70s CSN, particularly in the harmonies) and the would-be AOR anthem, "Let The Music Play." I think Heartsfield had a pretty good run up until this point, but things were starting to go a little Spinal Tap on them, and twangfans are best advised to pick out the more country-sounding songs (which are okay) and leave the rest of it alone. "Southern Girl" and "With These Tools" are country-oriented highlights.

Lawrence Heathcock "From The Faded Past" (Bri-Mar Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Heathcock, Brien Fisher, Jack Logan & Robert Meadows)
Maybe not the greatest country record ever, but certainly not the worst... Lawrence Lee Heathcock (1942-2017) was originally from Jasper County, Illinois, but he moved to Cedar Hill, Tennessee, where he opened a canoeing park in nearly Adams, TN, and taught in the local schools. For this album he booked a full session in Nashville with a bunch of A-list pros, including Jimmy Bryant, Buddy Emmons, D. J. Fontana, Roy Huskey, Sonny Garrish and others. They provide understated but effective backing to can fairly be called amateurish vocals. Really, there's nothing wrong about Mr. Heathcock's voice, he's just not quite... I dunno... completely confident? Nonetheless, he's obviously sincere and totally into it, and this is perhaps the kind of humble vanity album you'd hope to find in the private-press world. It's a little odd that he pitched this as a Johnny Horton tribute album, when half the songs are his own originals (and also pretty good...) Two of his best songs, "Jenny's Hand" and "Mountain Of Pure Gold," were also issued as a single when this album came out.

Genevieve Hovde "...Sings Close To My Heart" (Ardelle Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Rex Allen, Jr.)
Ms. Hovde was formerly a child star performing on the Chicago-based National Barn Dance radio show and KSTP-TV's Sunset Valley Barn Dance, and also apparently played live with the Sons Of The Pioneers... This album captures her much later (early 1970s??) as an adult living the quiet life in River Falls, Wisconsin. She went down to Nashville to record at Jack Clement's studio, with backing from Lloyd Green, Hargus Robbins, Johnny Gimble and other several high-powered studio pros. This album includes some oldies like "Release Me" and Hank Williams's "Mansion On The Hill" as well as several by songwriters she was friends with, such as Bud Auge and Billy Folger. Not sure of the exact date on this one, but I'm guessing early-to-mid '70s.

Lee Hufstedler "From Me To You" (Crusade Records, 198-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Casolari)
This looks like a fairly marginal offering from amateur singer Lee Hufstedler, who hailed from Marion, Illinois, in the state's rural southern end. He cut this album at Bill Casolari's prolific vanity pressing label, with backing by Casolari, though apparently no one else. The repertoire is all covers, though in a variety of styles including country and gospel oldies such as "Ashes Of Love" and "Peace In The Valley," along with more pop-oriented '70s stuff like "Drift Away," "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" and "Joy To The World."

The Ides Of March "Midnight Oil" (RCA, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Frank Rand & Bob Destocki)
This was the fourth album by the Chicago-based rock band Ides Of March, who had a big hit early in their career ("Vehicle") but struggled to keep their momentum in the years that followed. They "went country" on this eclectic set, anchored mostly in the boogie rock of the time, with a hint of Southern rock, but also some definite hippiebilly twang. Rusty Young, of Buffalo Springfield and Poco fame, kicks in some tasty dobro and pedal steel licks, and while a few tunes lapse into the forced rock-star profundity of the time, there are also quieter, more acoustic moments that seem pretty nice. The group disbanded after this album came out, with lead singer Jim Peterik moving into the Southern rock scene as a songwriter for artists like Sammy Hagar and 38 Special -- an improbable third act came when he founded the band Survivor (yes, that Survivor...) and scored an early-'80s megahit with "Eye Of The Tiger." Jeez...who'da thunk it? Anyway, this album isn't earthshaking, but it's certainly worth a spin if you're really delving into the history of '70s country-rock.

Illinois Speed Press "The Illinois Speed Press" (Columbia Records, 1969)
The commercialized country-rock sound is usually thought of as being a Southern California export, but this band out of Chicago had an important early role in its development... Guitarists Paul Cotton and Kal David had been in a variety of garage and pop bands before meeting each other and forming this band, which honed some of the same kind of vocal harmonies and acousti-electric picking styles that flooded the LA scene. In fact, after the ISP broke up, Cotton was recruited to join an early '70s lineup of Poco, bringing some of his songs with him and staying with the band off and on for several decades. Although this earlier band had rougher, more rock'n'roll edges, their mellower numbers have a familiar feel, definitely worth checking out if you're mining deep into the mainstream country-rock sound.

Illinois Speed Press "Duet" (Columbia Records, 1970)

John Johnston "Foolin' Around" (Mr. J Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by John Johnston & Bill Casolari)
A lone acoustic singer from Champaign, Illinois. This looks mostly folkie, though he does have a couple of songs that specifically call out country music, notably "Pure Country Music" and "Favorite C&W Song," as well as a cover of Steve Goodman's "City Of New Orleans." Bill Casolari chimes in on bass, but mostly this is a solo acoustic set.

Gary Jones & Joe Stanley "Letting The Music Take You Away" (Shadow Records, 1979-?) (LP) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Jones, Joe Stanley, George Cumbee)
Formed in 1976, the Jones/Stanley Band was a staple of the southern Illinois rock scene. Songwriters Gary Jones (1948-2015) and Joe Stanley were from the tiny towns of Brookport and Metropolis, Illinois, just across the river from Paducah, Kentucky. They initially had a soft-rock sound similar to that of Top Forty stars England Dan & John Ford Coley -- so similar, if fact, that they reached out for help from Dan Seals' producer, Kyle Lehning, a Nashville insider who grew up in nearly Cairo. Years later, after self-releasing two albums and successfully pitching several songs in Nashville, the group was recruited to become Dan Seals' road band in the early 1980s as Seals was making the transition from pop to country, a move Jones and Stanley had made themselves. Jones worked for Seals for a couple of years, then moved back to Illinois when he decided he'd had enough of life on the road. He opened his own production company, White Noise Studio, and did a lot of advertising work, and also booked country acts and performed at an Ozarks tourist venue in Eminence, Missouri. Although this was primarily a pop album, there were a few nods towards the local twang, as heard on songs like "Grandpa's Old Banjo." Gary Jones also recorded a purely pop-rock solo album called Sweet Jubilation which was released around the same time as this one.

Gary Jones & Joe Stanley "It Takes So Long" (Shadow Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Jones, Joe Stanley, George Cumbee)
This was their most twangy album, and was the swan song for their dreams of making it big... Having plugged away as serious-about-it local rockers, with fancy clothes and long hair, Jones and Stanley decided to go country and get a little greasy, though they were still pretty slick. Around this time they started working for Dan Seals as his road band while he broke into the country market... Local legend has Seals holed up inside the Jones/Stanley's hometown club, Coo Coo's, rehearsing the new act with the musicians and sleeping under the bar. I'm not sure which members of this band went on the road, though, other than Gary Jones who stuck with it for a couple of years, but bailed out just before Seals struck gold with his chart-topping hit, "Bop." As far as I know, none of the guys from Illinois recorded with Seals, but simply backed him on the road. Gary Jones also recorded with the more down-home rock/southern rock group, The Cuz Band, which put out an album in 1983.

Ray Jones & The Melody Kings "Getting Into Country" (TSC Records, 1977) (LP)

Ray Jones & The Melody Kings "Faith: Introducing Abe Chenault" (TSC Records, 1979) (LP)

Ray Jones & The Melody Kings "Presents: Good Country" (Starr Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Jones & Martin Rae)
A family band featuring Ray Jones on lead guitar and vocals, Marty Jones (rhythm guitar), David Jones (drums), and Wayne Mills playing bass... I'm not sure where the Joneses were from, but the Starr label was owned by Mary L. Starr, of Des Plaines, Illinois, so I'd guess the Jones family lived not too far away. All the songs were published by Joseph Starr and Mary Starr, and I think this may have been a "song-poem" album, where the musicians put to music lyrics sent in by various non-professional lyricists. The results are great. Ray Jones was an excellent country music mimic, working his way through performances that evoke Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins and Roger Miller ... and that's just the first three tracks! A pretty solid singer with a real rural feel, Jones is competently backed by a band that feels just amateur enough to be delightful to me. Lotta kooky tunes, too, kicking off with a loping novelty number written by a fella named Luther Robinson, the hyper-patriotic (but strangely reflective) "Lord Help Us Love America"; Side Two offers an odd song called "Sue's Back In Town," which is a hilariously shameless rip-off of Johnny Cash's "Boy Named Sue." If you're looking for "real folks" independent country, this disc's a doozy. [Also worth noting: this label is different from Jack Casey's better-known Starr Records, in Columbus, Ohio... There was also a string of singles on the Illinois-based Starr, most of them credited to Ray Jones. Mr. Jones]

The Julia Belle Swain Band "Dreamboat" (Undertoad Productions, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Dennis Trone, Pete Vrendenburg & Tonky Berkman)
Recorded in Beardstown, Illinois, this album gathers various old-timey and antebellum songs, played by the band aboard the steamboat known as the Julia Belle Swain... Notable among its members is John Hartford's son, Jamie Hartford (misspelled as "Harford" for some reason...) who sings and plays violin, guitar and bass. Along with all the traditional songs are three written by John Hartford ("Natural To Be Gone," "Steamboat Whistle Blues" and "Hamilton Iron Works"). The record also includes some audio recorded on board the Julia Belle Swain -- steam engines, whistles blowing, and the like.

Jump 'N The Saddle Band "Jump 'N The Saddle Band" (Acme Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by T. C. Furlong & Mike Daniel)
Most folks (myself included) assumed that this Chicago-based band only recorded one album, their pop-oriented album on Atlantic (below) with the overly-wacky "Curly Shuffle," a novelty hit that put them on the map nationwide, but also caused the band to implode under the pressures of success. But, hey! There was another album -- also self-titled -- that came out first, and it's a nice, twangy, indiebilly outing with a strong western-swing sensibility, a lot like Asleep At The Wheel, with maybe a tad more honkytonk in the mix. Good stuff! This will come as a big surprise to twangfans who have only heard the tepid major-label outing that made them famous. Too bad they weren't able to go back to their roots after the MTV salad days...

Jump 'N The Saddle Band "Jump 'N The Saddle Band" (Atlantic Records, 1983)
Hey, these guys aren't really a country band at all! Or at least, they weren't by the time they got around to recording this one-off album in the early 'Eighties. The 'Saddle Band were a veteran Chicago bar-band with early roots in the '70s western swing revival, an early influence you can hear in their song selection, which includes "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens ," "Let Me Go Home Whiskey" and "Deep In The Heart Of Texas," choices that reflected the repertoire of Asleep At The Wheel, the greatest of the hippie hick swing bands. 'Saddle's moment in the sun came with the "Three Stooges"-themed fluke novelty hit, "The Curly Shuffle," which was a staple of the early MTV era. That song, like the rest of the album, was pretty much straight jump blues, leaning towards the bluesy side of things. This disc might evoke some nostalgia for a few MTV babies, but I'm not sure how well it holds up, all these years later...

Kathy & Carol "Holt" (Co-Field Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Olszewski & Terry Jamison)
An uber-amateur duo from Metamora, Illinois, Kathy Grindstaff and Carol Languisch sang with a girl-groupish vocal harmony, paired with perky country twang, a combination that was strongly reminiscent of Nashville star Skeeter Davis. This album was packed with original material and the musicians were, as far as I can tell, all locals, including Billy Mason playing piano, Jan Zilm on steel guitar, and Ron Carroll playing something called "freeman strings." A real obscuro offering here... nice and twangy!

Jeanie Kay & Johnny "Boots" (Great River Records, 1968-?) (LP)
(Produced by Meo Stely)
This appears to be a souvenir of a blue nightclub act from Quincy, Illinois, or thereabouts. Singers Jeanie Kay & Johnny Rice cover several contemporary late-1960s pop and country hits, including a version of "These Boots Are Made For Walking." Side Two of this disc includes an x-rated parody of "Harper Valley PTA." There's no date on the disc, but it looks like 1968 or so, based on the song list. I wasn't able to track down much info about these two, even though on their subsequent album we find out Mr. Rice's last name.

Jeanie (Kay) & Johnny Rice "The Mighty X-Odus" (Great River Records, 1969-?) (LP)
(Produced by Mel Elzea, Frank Laughlin & Mark Matthew)
Although this has more of a pop slant than the previous album, there's still a little country stuff in the mix, mainly just a version of John Hartford's "Gentle On My Mind" amid tunes like "Ebb Tide" and "MacArthur Park." The "x" in the title refers to the X-66 Hammond organ, Ms. Kay's instrument of choice, while Mr. Rice provided some rhythm on drums. Twangfans can probably skip this one.

Lois Kaye "Country Girl" (Ovation Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Brien Fisher)
Singer Lois Kaye grew up in Beecher, Illinois and started working in lounges around Chicago and recording singles while still in her teens. In 1971 she joined Don Barnett's band, the NuJays, appearing with them for several years of their long residency at the Lake-N-Park Inn, where she was spotted by Merle Haggard, who invited her to go on tour with his band The Strangers. She came back to Illinois around 1975 to work as a solo artist, eventually scoring a contract with the then-hot Ovation label. The resulting album includes songs by the songwriting team of John Richard Greenbaum and Thomas Gmeiner, who wrote hits for Mel Tillis, Tammy Wynette and other country stars; there are also covers of hits by 'Seventies songwriters Jim Croce and Kenny Loggins, and backing by Nashville stalwarts such as Fred Carter Jr., Sonny Garrish, Dave Kirby and The Cates Sisters. Ms. Kaye was overshadowed by the runaway success of her labelmates, The Kendalls, who got a huge promotional push, apparently at the expense of Kaye's career. She continued perform locally and regionally, though this appears to have been her only full album. (Thanks to Marlene Cook and the Harvey, Illinois Star Tribune for their highly informative 1983 profile piece, which filled in several blanks on Lois Kaye's career.)

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

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

Kentuckiana Opry "10th Anniversary Album" (1981) (LP)
(Produced by Zane Harbaugh)
A souvenir album from the family-oriented theme park, the Kentuckiana Kampground, which oddly enough was located in Tazewell County, Illinois, and not in Kentucky itself. Go figure. Anyway, the park was founded in 1970 and continues in operation well into the 21th century... This disc marked its tenth anniversary with a bluegrassy set, emceed by host Zane Harbaugh, and included a mix of mountain music oldies such as "Mocking Bird" and more modern, country-oriented stuff, like "Cup Of Loneliness," "Old Chunk Of Coal" and -- of course -- "Coal Miner's Daughter."

Alison Krauss -- see artist profile

The Laketown Buskers "Rolling Along" (Vetco Records, 1981) (LP)
More on the bluegrassy/old-time side of things, the Laketown Buskers were kindred spirits to the eclectic stringband/folkie revival bands of the Twin Cities such as The Sorry Muthas and the whole Prairie Home Companion crew. A long-lived ensemble which was together for much of the '70s and early '80s.

Andy Lane "Andy Lane Country" (Staff Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Andy Lane, Jerry D. Rivas & Laddie Oleson)
An electronics engineer who grew up in Villa Park, Illinois, guitar picker Andy Lane apparently worked in radio while also making appearances on a local country music TV show. This guitar album features covers of '70s hits and country standards such as "Delta Dawn," "Satin Sheets," "Green, Green Grass Of Home," "Help Me Make It Through The Night," et. al.

Christy Lane -- see artist profile

Millie Lee & The Leeways "The Bottle And The Microphone" (Applause Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Jeff Galey)
An album by a middle-aged, regular-folks gal from central Illinois... Millie Lee started her career as a child performer, singing on the Cumberland Country Barn Dance, though she'd put music on the back burner a few times to take care of family matters. Her son, Loren Lindsay, plays drums and co-wrote the title track with his brother Ted. Millie Lee wrote one song as well, "Burning Teardrops," which starts Side Two, while the other songs are mostly covers. I'm guessing at the label -- the back cover says this was recorded at the Applause studios in Mattoon, IL, but there's not much other info. She also seems to have recorded a few singles in the 1960s (or '70s?) for various indie labels. Also in the band are lead guitar Gus Pedido, steel player Jim Curry, and Don Pierce on bass.

Ken Little & The Spoon River Band "Leanin' On The Bar" (Dharma Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Perry Johnson & Ken Little)
If you admire artists who show real musical breadth, you've gotta give some props to Ken Little from Libertyville, Illinois, outside of Chicago... In 1973 he released a pretty solid hard rock album called Solo that had strong proggy influences and edged into territory mapped out by groups such as Emerson Lake & Palmer, Mountain, Rush and about a bazillion other hippie-era rock bands I've let drift out of my mind... There was a big blues influence as well, with instrumental cameos by bluesmen Sugarcane Harris and Hubert Sumlin. Fast-forward a couple of years and here he is fronting an album of straight-up longhair country, and the transition is pretty convincing, if nearly unbelievable. He really switched gears on this one! This Spoon River Band is not the same as the guys from Pennsylvania, in case you were wondering.

Sharie Lynn & Her Show-Fers "Keepin' It Country" (Alpha Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Bobbie Thomas)
This one is popular with folks online who like to make fun of "bad" album art... I'm not sure where or when this was recorded -- some folks say Ms. Lynn was from around Chicago -- but I love the band name. Ms. Lynn had kind of a Dolly Parton thing going on with her wardrobe, and the matching lightning-bolt outfits of the boys in the band are a sight to behold as well. She sang about half the songs on the album, letting each of the band members -- John Beke, Wayne Douglas, Joe Nelson and Leon Wilson -- all sing lead on one song as well. Lynn sings in kind of a milky, Lynn Anderson-esque countrypolitan style -- from the looks of things I'd guess this came out in the early '80s, possibly the late, late '70s, but I'm not totally sure either way. Anyone out there have more info about this album? [Note: Several bandmembers later reformed as the southern rock-ish group Crossfyre, which made an album in 1985...]

Mackinaw "Legends In Their Spare Time" (GDS, 1979) (LP)
A country-funk-grass band from Morton, Illinois with lively covers of songs from various alt-country types, as well as originals by bandmember Gary Carroll. Instruments include pedal steel, piano, saxophone and the great John Hartford even plays fiddle on one song! Are you interested now...? A pretty wild set of cover tunes, with material from as far afield as Michael Nesmith, Rusty Wier, Amazing Rhythm Aces and ex-folkie Michael McGinnis, balanced by some more rock-oriented originals from bandmember Gary Carroll... The album's first side is strongest and most country; Side Two opens with a pretty lame novelty song, "Chipmunk Boogie," a lightweight funk-disco track with sped-up, Alvin-esque vocals that I guess was their answer to "Disco Duck," and it closes with a meandering, lead guitar-centric rock snoozer, "Band At The Road House." But the good stuff is good, and worth checking out if you're a twangfan. Much less "bluegrass" than you'd think from looking at the stickers festooning the guitar case on the front cover.

Mason Proffit - see artist discography

Midnight Cowboys "Drinkin' And Thinkin' " (Pond Creek Publishing Co., 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Casolari)
Randy Wilson and the Midnight Cowboys hailed from Golden Gate, Illinois... This album is all original material, with all the songs written or cowritten by Mark Chapman, who interestingly enough was not one of the musicians in the band. Includes songs such as "Nashville Fever," "That One Country Song" and "Ain't No Drunks In Heaven."

Al Morgan "...Sings Jealous Heart" (Gateway Records, 1974) (LP)
Piano player and crooner Al Morgan (1915-1989) made a mint when he recorded Jenny Lou Carson's classic "Jealous Heart" way back in 1949, selling over ten million copies of the country/pop crossover, with a big band version that many fans consider to be definitive. Born in Mount Adams, Kentucky, Morgan started his career playing piano in beer halls in Cincinnati and later in Chicago, where he was working when he recorded "Jealous Heart." He went on to work in radio and TV and later lost his money running his own nightclubs, but steadily kept performing throughout the decades. Indeed, according to his obituary, Morgan had a heart attack in 1989, but went back to playing club dates despite his doctor's orders, and had a relapse that finally did him in. This album was one of over three dozen he recorded over the years, and has a more distinctly country feel, with covers of Hank Williams and Cindy Walker songs, as well as a re-recording of "Jealous Heart" and some well-chosen pop-jazz standards, and even one song written by Morgan ("Walls Around My Heart") that's kinda nice. There is some full-band country accompaniment with pedal steel and whatnot, but Morgan and his piano take center stage. It helps to be a lounge/ballads fan to really get into this one, but it works for twangfans as well.

Jan Morgan "That's Why I Smile" (Gateway Records, 1975) (LP)
A "solo" set by the wife of lounge singer Al Morgan, with him contributing piano and vocals on several songs...

The Jon Morgan Band "Home Town Heros And Honky Tonk Stars" (Golden Eagle Recordings, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Jon Morgan)
A hard-country/Southern rock bar band from Palmyra, Illinois, with some tracks recorded live at the Wooden Nickel Saloon in central Illinois.

Larry Morgan "...And The Westernaires" (Cuca Records, 19--?) (LP)
This Midwestern band was led by Illinois native Larry Morgan, who started his country career while living in Gulf Coast Texas back in the late 1950s. After a stint in the military, Morgan returned to Illinois and formed the Westernaires in 1966. The group included brothers Don Thompson (bass) and Kenneth Thompson (lead guitar), along with drummer Billy Hilburn; they also thank pedal steel player Billy Wayne Hamilton for sitting in on these sessions. The repertoire is packed with classic country covers, including some stuff from Bakersfield artists such as Merle Haggard and Wynn Stewart, as well as honkytonkers like Ray Price and George Jones. There are no producer or songwriter credits but they thank Floyd Robinson for getting their album made... A couple of songs, "Please Don't Leave Me" and "Walk Me To The Door," might have been originals.

Dick Morris "Reflections Of A Wasted Youth" (Progress Records, 1989) (LP)
(Produced by Lanny Clark & Greg Ballard)
A country traditionalist trying to forge ahead during the slick-sounding '80s, Dick Morris was part of the last of gasp of resolutely small-time, local artists who were indie before indie was cool. Morris and his band were from Rock Island, Illinois, where they recorded this album with a non-Nashville crew. The production is modern-sounding, though fairly paint-by-number; Morris had a solid band backing him up, electrified but keeping things twangy... The songs are originals, written in a formalized, older style reminiscent of the sentimental hillbilly songs of the 1940s and the more heartfelt, early honkytonk ballads of the '50s. Morris himself was not a great singer, sounding a bit Don Bowman-esque at times, with slightly inexpressive phrasing that makes it hard to assess the calibre of his songwriting.. This, combined with the disjoint between his old-fashioned songs and the wannabe-glossy musical style give this record an amateurish feel, although there's plenty of talent on both sides of the divide -- his sincerity and devotion to the music and the upbeat, electrified band. Particularly worth noting is the energetic pedal steel by Perry Crews, one of several local musicians that help propel this album along.

Rich Mounce "Country" (Music Records, 197--?)
A purely private pressing vanity album from the 1960s or '70s, with classic country covers of songs by Hank Williams, Ray Price and Roy Acuff... The label was from Chenoa, Illinois -- other than that, not much info on this guy, though I think he played pedal steel of a number of local/Midwestern indiebilly sessions...

Mountain Bus "Sundance" (Good Records, 1971)
(Produced by Jim Hurst & Dave Hemphill)
This short-lived Chicago-area rock band was super-ultra-mega Grateful Dead-ish, though on this album they imitate the Grateful Dead of the era, the more accessible, concise Dead of the American Beauty and Workingman's Dead albums, with a distinctively country-sounding undercurrent. Sure, you could be dismissive of how derivative they are, though on the other hand if you like that era of the Dead and aren't all immersed in concert bootlegs and want to hear more stuff like what you enjoy, this album is a darn good option. Apparently they got embroiled in a legal battle with rocker Leslie West whose better-known band, Mountain, claimed infringement on their name, a drag on the Mountain Bus's momentum that pretty much 86'd them, although the Sundance album has remained in print on and off for several decades. Worth checking out if you're into this brand of hippiedelic roots-rock.

Near Beer "Last Night -- What A Party We Had" (Cowboy Carl Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Carl Schneider & Near Beer)
A live show held at the American Legion post 474, in Matteson, Illinois... This set is packed with outlaw classics from Waylon and Merle and the rest of the gang, including yet another cover of "Up Against The Wall, Redneck Mother" as part of a "redneck medley" that also includes "London Homesick Blues" and "Boney Fingers." The band also included a gal named Peggy Lynn Fargo, with lead vocals by Wade Rivers, who also wrote some originals for the band: "Longneck Kicker" and "I Like Country Music (With My Beer)." The set was poorly recorded, with pretty flat sound quality, but it's authentic as all get-out -- some 1970's young folk getting on with their hard-country groove.

Harry C. Nickelson "Am I Losing You" (American Sound Records, 197--?) (LP)
As far as I can tell, Mr. Nickelson was from Illinois; newspaper listings have him playing shows in Marengo, IL, circa 1981. Other than that, I haven't been able to find out much about this guy...

Ouray "Chrome On The Range" (Taxi Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Ed Cherney & Ouray)
A pretty strong, commercially oriented country-rock record by a regionally successful band that was based in Chicago. They had a solid mix of softer, country-oriented material and slightly more aggressive '70s guitar rock, with some Southern rock touches such as Allmanesque twin guitars, and lots of chicken-pickin' licks, generally framed in a mellow rock-pop sound. The vocals are particularly nice, with the quintet proving themselves adept at the same sort of airy, post-CSN&Y hippie rock harmonies heard in bands such as Poco and Firefall. I like their softer side, especially when the pedal steel takes the lead, though unfortunately they seem to have felt obliged to add a long guitar solo into every song, and that often kills the mood for me. Still, all in all, this is a record worth knowing about and maybe even tracking down if you're into this brand of '70s AOR. Not sure if any of these guys did anything else, but this seems like one of those great almost-coulda-made-it bands you find out about now and then. Great album title, too!

Ouray "Motor Dream" (Taxi Records, 1981) (LP)
Alas, on their sophomore album, Ouray pretty much abandoned their country roots and pursued a more mainstream rock sound. I wouldn't go as far as saying this is dreadful, but's definitely not twangy, and even as a bar-band rock record, it falls flat. Mostly it's just very generic-sounding and bland; on one track they try their hand at reggae (uh...) and though I suppose the opening tracks could have plausibly been pitched as Eddie Rabbit-style country-pop, twangfans need not apply. It isn't until the very last track that they explore a direction that could have given them a more distinctive path: the album closes with "Can't Go On This Way," a decent high-harmony/falsetto power-pop tune with a strong Raspberries influence. If the whole record had sounded like that, it would be way more memorable.

David Patton "David Patton" (RCA/Wooden Nickel, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by James Lee Golden & Barry Alan Fasman)
Dunno much about this guy, except that he recorded two albums for the Chicago-based semi-indie Wooden Nickel label, which made its bread and butter with the early Styx albums, and folded not long after they left for the majors. Anyway, Patton's style is an uneven mix of country-folk, ala John Stewart and more rugged, rootsy material with a swamp-pop feel, evoking gruff-voiced guys like Jerry Reed and Tony Joe White. Patton doesn't have the gravitas or heft of those stars, but this is a notable early album in the '70s alt-country ouvre. The backing musicians are certainly of interest: session guitarist Larry Carlton picks lead guitar, dobro and banjo (he played on this and many other Wooden Nickel albums), along with Buddy Emmons on steel, and Patton playing acoustic guitar. Notable songs include "T.V.A.," a rambling dialogue which tells the story of a family that lost their land to the eminent domain claim of the rural electrification program, and "I'd Rather Be At The Grand Ole Opry," which sprinkle social commentary -- including a reference to the war in Viet Nam -- in with nostalgia for the Opry, namechecking Porter & Dolly as well as Earl Scruggs. This album isn't a gem, but it's something of a nugget.

David Patton "Buckeye" (RCA/Wooden Nickel, 1972) (LP)

Pearl Handle Band "Pearl Handle" (Brylen Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Nelson Larkin)
Not to be confused with the Oklahoma country-rock bar-band Pearle Handle, which launched Melodie Crittenden's top forty career, this was a mostly-southern rock group from Chicago that formed in the late 'Seventies and fell apart in 1983 after a trip to Nashville led to this lone album, which was poorly promoted. The group was led by songwriter-guitarist George Millspugh, backed by drummer Dean Aliotta, bassist Mickey Gentile, and Danny Hurc on guitar. Millspugh wrote over half the songs on this album, which also included a cover of the Kenny Rogers hit, "Lucille," and an early song by Earl Thomas Conley ("Stranded On A Deadend Street") which came from Conley's brief tenure on the related Sunbird Records label. The last track on the album, Roger Guckenhemer's "Can't Live With You Without You Blues," pointed Millspugh's later career as a blues player.

Dean Peters "In Love" (WRP Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Arnold Rogers & Jack Logan)
Cover tunes galore on this folk-tinged album... Dean Peters was originally from Missouri, though he was working in Chicago when this record came out. The sessions were held in Nashville, with usual-suspect studio pros such as D. J. Fontana, Roy Huskey Jr., Doug Jernigan, Bunky Keel and Bruce Watkins backing him up. One odd, notable inclusion to the lineup is hillbilly old-timer Onie Wheeler, credited as playing harmonica. The songs include chestnuts such as Willie Nelson's "Just Pretend I Never Happened," Stewart Hamblen's "Remember Me," Ribbon Of Darkness: by Gordon Lightfoot" and "My Heart Would Know," from the Hank Williams songbook. There's no release date on this album -- it could have been from the later '70s, but I'd guess mid-1980s.

Al Pierson "Country" (Capriole Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Drake & Scotty Moore)
Big band revivalist Al Pierson pursued a smooth dance sound as the leader of "Big Band USA," later resurrecting the classic franchise of Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians... He often mixed country oldies into his repertoire, and went all-out on this session, which features covers of Hank Williams and Eddy Arnold chestnuts, as well as more contemporary hits, such as "Elvira," "On The Road Again" and "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys." This ain't no liquor-fueled outlaw slugfest, though... not by a longshot!

Poker Flatts "Poker Flatts" (Stacked Deck Records, 1977) (LP)
An excellent though obscure country-rock band from Illinois, Poker Flatts is a great example of how much raw talent was bubbling up beneath the radar of the remote, sterile world of Top 40 fame. They were one of the most successful regional groups of the era, though they were never able to crack into the bigtime like contemporary bands such as the Ozark Mountain Daredevils or the Amazing Rhythm Aces. Nonetheless, they crafted some fine tunes that would appeal to fans of bands such as Firefall or Poco. The production on this album is a little rough, but to my way of thinking the unpolished moments are what make it more authentic and resonant, and what bring the craftsmanship of the band into even clearer focus, with several songs that will resonate in your mind after a couple of good listens. "Vampire Blues," "Redneck Daughter," and "Country Life" all tap into the cosmic harmonies of the times, reminding me of AOR gems such as "Aime," while several twang tunes have their charms as well, as does the SF-y funk-rocker that closes the album, "So Good," where they get to flaunt their hard rock chops. This is an archival album that screams out for reissue, a nice collection of tunes that are ripe to be covered by modern-day twangbands. I don't know if any of these guys did anything else professionally, but they sure sounded good, back in day.

Pork & The Havana Ducks "Pork & The Havana Ducks" (Havana Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Gregory Riker)
The first album by this oddly named but highly talented band from Champaign, Illinois is a canny blend of Southern rock, white funk and country twang. Lead singer Jerry "Pork" Armstrong was the charismatic heart of the band, projecting a rednecky Southern rock vibe although he was an Illinois native, sort of in a Hank Jr./David Allan Coe mode, with a heavy dose of Muscle Shoals or the Atlanta Rhythm Section in the mix... The group was a strong regional favorite in the late '70s and early '80s, and on this first album they were mostly playing it straight, with a diverse set of songs that were strong enough to plausibly push the band through to national fame, though on later albums they got goofier and seem to have resigned themselves to keeping it local. For country fans, standout tracks are "Pour Another Bottle In The Jukebox" and "The Drummer Calls Her Darling"; the more pop-oriented, disco-tinged ballads are also pretty compelling. A strong album from a polished but off-the-radar band. (Jerry Armstrong, who worked for years as a radio host, passed away in 2004.)

Pork & The Havana Ducks "Pork Live!" (Havana Records, 19--?) (LP)

Pork & The Havana Ducks "Uncle Saz's Barbecue Dance Party (Live At The Wisconsin State Fair)" (1975)

John Prine -- see artist profile

Billy Cole Reed "Billy Cole Reed" (B. C. R. Enterprises, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Al Pachucci & Billy Cole Reed)
Singer-guitarist Billy Cole Reed (1942-2012) hailed from the tiny coal country town of West Frankfort, Illinois in the southern end of the state, closer to the orbit of Saint Louis and the Ozarks opry scene than to rust-belt Chicago. After playing in a series of garage bands as a kid, his interest turned to country music, and he carved out a niche as a regional bad-boy "outlaw" artist, with a particular love for the music and image of Waylon Jennings. Though Reed also made his way to Nashville, he was primarily a regional Midwestern bandleader, leading his group, The Outlaws, throughout the late 'Seventies and early 'Eighties. This is the first of several albums recorded in Nashville, in this case, at Pete Drake's studio, with backing primarily coming from his own band, which included Richard Ahum (lead guitar), Brad Brown (bass), John Link (drums), and Brad McMillan on bass, with the studio group filled out by steel player Jim Vest, and a bunch of Nashville folks cobbled together from Margo Smith's band and elsewhere. The album includes covers of Waylon classics such as "Storms Never Last" and "Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line," others by the likes of Merle Haggard and Ernest Tubb, and some originals as well, including Rick Schulman's "Who Broke Your Heart Today" and a couple of Dave Cox, "Chains Of Love" and "Why Should It Take A Lie."

Billy Cole Reed "Tribute To An Outlaw" (Phonorama Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Al Pachucci, Randy Best & Billy Cole Reed)
A tribute to Waylon Jennings, with ten songs either written by Waylon, or made famous by him. Pretty much the same group of musicians backing him as on his first album, working again with producer Al Pachucci. The Audiograph album (below) may be a reissue of his first LP, or possibly a re-recording.

Billy Cole Reed "Music Row - Audiograph Alive" (Audiograph Records, 1982) (LP)

Bobby Reed "Shakin Charlene" (Shur-Trak VII, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Brien Fisher)
An excellent set of uptempo, pop-flavored '70s-style honkytonk cheating songs, a surprisingly strong record that probably didn't do as well as it should have due to the super-ugly artwork. An independent artist from Benton, Illinois, Bobby Reed was a popular regional performer who'd been around since the early '60s. He made a strong play to break out nationally with this record, though he wasn't able to get onto the charts. The bouncy, energetic single, "Shakin Charlene," is a novelty number about a nightclub stripper who is condemned by local hypocrites, reminiscent of topical songs like "Harper Valley PTA" and "Skip A Rope." It was a regional hit and is buoyed by a slew of equally potent, well-produced material on the album, all of which was written by Reed, whose neotrad approach echos that of Moe Bandy, with a healthy dose of Merle Haggard in his vocal tones. The musicianship is pretty high-calibre as well -- unfortunately the studio crew isn't listed, but since the Cate Sisters are singing backup, it's probably a safe bet that he cut this album in Nashville. Another album highlight is the cheatin' song, "My Bridges Won't Burn," a really great honky-tonk number about a guy who resists temptation... even though it's so, um, hard. Bobby Reed made another big push a few years later while still plugging away in Illinois; his 1982 single, "If I Just Had My Woman," broke into the back forty of the Billboard charts, but his momentum flagged and he decided to switch gears and go into production. Reed moved to Nashville in 1985, and opened a recording studio. I'm not sure if this was his only full LP... but it's a doozy!

Renegade "...With Bobby Mack" (Golden Voice Recordings, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bobby Mack, Terry Jamison & Tom Byler)
Not to be confused with the (much younger) Texas blues player of the same name, midwesterner Bobby Mack -- nee Mack L. Lipe (1932-2016) -- was born in Tennessee, but he moved to Peoria, Illinois after serving in the Korean War, and was an early rockabilly artist from the heartland. Nicknamed "the man with a thousand voices," he self-released his first single, "Waitin' For You To Call"/"Crazy Heart" in 1958, a thumping rocker with an Elvis-y sound, followed the next year by two locals-only 45s that gave off increasing amounts of country twang. He laid low for a while, reemerging in 1967 with a hip-sounding, Waylon-esque single on the Golden Voice label, cut a couple more for Ace Of Hearts in the early '70s. This disc appears to be his only full LP, with backing by a band of younger musicians, Renegade, which included Tim Atwood on piano, Kenny Elam (bass), Bill Houston (guitar) and drummer Sal Salamanca, who was originally from Santiago, Chile. There's no date on the album, though the liner notes say this was Bobby Mack's "twentieth year in the entertainment field," so it was from sometime in the late '70s. Unfortunately, there were also no composer credits, so even though Mack wrote a lot of originals, it's hard to tell which songs are his... The most obvious covers are a version of "La Bamba," as well as a Gary Stewart's sultry "I See The Want To In Your Eyes." Over the years, Mack owned a string of supper clubs and bars -- The Field Steakhouse, The Driftwood and The Music Mill -- and played at his own clubs and other venues, often backing touring country stars when they came to town. His obituary mentions sone songwriting in Nashville, but as of press time, I'm not sure which if any of his songs were recorded there.

Mike Robin "Hard Times Knockin' " (Mootrey's Studio Recordings, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ricci Moreno)
Not a lot of info about this guy, other than that he was from Freeport, Illinois and made it onto the radar of producer Ricci Moreno, who had done a few sessions with reputable country stars. Moreno lined up an A-list Nashville studio crew, including Jim Baker (steel), guitarist Jack Eubanks, drummer DJ Fontana, Bunky Keels, Willie Rainsford and others. All the songs are Mike Robin originals, except for "Trucker's Heaven" which is credited to Hayes Maxwell. Not sure of the year, but it definitely looks late 'Seventies, possibly early '80s.

Kenny K. Rogers "Lonely Heart" (RPI, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Rich Richardson & Kenny K. Rogers)
Not to be confused with the demonic entity known as Kenny "Sauron" Rogers, this fella from Peoria, Illinois sang mostly cover songs, although he wrote four of the tunes on here, including the title track and several gospel-themed numbers. Other than that, a complete mystery album!

Roger Rone "Hell To Hold" (LDR Records, 1989) (LP)
(Produced by Bobby Bradley & B. Vaughn)
A neo-trad singer in the style of Randy Travis, Rone and his band, Country Fury were from Akin, Illinois, a microscopic crossroads in the south end of the state, between Saint Louis, Missouri and Louisville, Kentucky. They played locally and recorded a couple of singles before heading to Nashville to cut this album at Bradley's Barn under the sponsorship of Bobby D. Reed, the owner of the True Records label, which released the single "Holdin' On To Nothin'," a song that made it into the back forty, peaking at #83 in Billboard.. All but two of the songs here were written or co-written by Reed, with Roger Rone contributing two of his own... While this album was part of the last gasp of Nashville's '80s indie labels, it's a nice legacy for a hard-working local artist...

Sonny Settles "Sonny Doing It His Way" (Maverick Productions, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Herold White)
Howard Lee "Sonny" Settles (1945-2007) was born in La Harpe, Illinois, and seems to have lived most of his life around Moline and Davenport, Iowa, including a couple of decades in Quincy, downriver from the Quad City area. his album was recorded in East Moline, Illinois, where producer and label owner Herold White ran a nightclub in the early 'Seventies. The band on this disc appears to have been all locals, either from Moline, Davenport, and environs. The group included two guys from Sonny's own band -- bass player Buffalo Coontz and drummer Jerry McNeil -- along with Maverick session musicians Perry Crews (steel guitar), Jimmy Seales (lead guitar) and Mike Stroehle on piano. As far as I know, this was Mr. Settles' only album, though White also recorded under the Maverick imprint.

Showdown "Sampler" (Sunset Recording, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Mark MacLean & Mike Burdick)
This Shotgun is a different band from the foul-mouthed redneckers led by Canada's Garry Lee... This was a four-piece band recorded in LaGrange, Illinois, which included Mike Burdick (lead guitar), Jim Pastorek (rhythm guitar), Dave Rapp (bass) and Ted Reinert (drums), though apparently there was no fiddle, banjo or pedal steel. The set list includes two Merle Haggard songs, as well as "Rocky Top," "Ghost Riders In The Sky," a couple of rock oldies ("Roll Over Beethoven" and "Hang On Sloopy") a song by Dennis Linde ("Burning Love") and one original tune written by Jim Pastorek, "Why Can It Be."

J. D. Shug "Pour Me" (Shug-a-Lug Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Larry McCoy)
Not a lot of info about this one, though it's a relatively common disc... J. D. Shug was from Carpentersville, Illinois and while he apparently didn't make it too big, there are some show notices from around the time this disc came out, notably an opening-act gig at the 1982 fair in Bloomington, Illionois, and a couple fo plugs in Cashbox magazine. The album is mostly original material, with tunes penned variously by J.D. Shug (which I think was a shortened last name), as well as Tom Compton and -- most interestingly -- by the songwriting duo of Kermit Goell and Larry McCoy. Goell was a Tin Pan Alley veteran whose career dated back to the big band era though he later tried his hand at more rural material. Goell and McCoy wrote the song "Fly Me To Frisco," which was the title track of a Jimmy Martin bluegrass album. That song is covered here along with some of their other stuff, and since McCoy produced this disc, they must have either helped shape Shug's career, or at least booked him to demo some of their work. Other than that, Shug has a pretty low profile online, with scant info to be found.

Sidewinder "Ready To Strike" (Willow Wind Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Bil VornDick & Alan Ray)
An amateur but aspiring commercially-oriented country band from Bartonville, Illinois, a suburb of Peoria... The group was led by bassist Larry Wilson, who owned the Willow Wind studio and fronted by lead singers Kent Gordon and Sue Gordon. Although Wilson brought in a heavy-hitting producer, folk-pop professional Bil VornDick, this was a decidedly local affair, with just Midwesterners sitting in on the sessions, including fiddler Walter Bottje and Brian Morgan on banjo. Larry Wilson later moved to Lufkin, Texas, though he kept the band together through 2005, and moved his company, Willow Wind Productions, there as well.

Jim Silvers "You Gotta Let All The Girls Know You're A Cowboy" (CMH Records, 1979) (LP)
Here's a fella with a big personality: Chicago-born Jim Silvers was the nephew of fabled record man Syd Nathan, whose King Records label helped define the blues, R&B and country sounds of the post-WWII era, and paved a pathway to the birth of rock'n'roll... Silvers went into the record business himself, joining the CHM bluegrass label in its early years and recorded this album while working as a jack-of-all-trades at the fledgling label... It's a brash, audacious album, best known for the raunchy novelty single, "You Gotta Let All The Know That You're A Cowboy," though packed with other equally aggressive, live-wire country tunes. He's kind of like a Windy City version of Kinky Friedman, though perhaps with fewer memorable tunes. Silvers just made two albums, with this being the best-distributed and stronger of the two.

Jim Silvers "Colonel Jim Silvers" (Rondelet Records, 1981) (LP)

Jim Silvers "Music Makin' Mama From Memphis" (Bear Family Records, 1999)
This generously programmed CD gathers all the songs from his two LPs... A nice, handy reissue worthy of the Bear Family archives!

Shel Silverstein -- see artist profile

Slim & Sally "Portrait Of A New Life" (Big River Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Slim Thompson & George Ingram)
A lifelong resident of Robinson, Illinois, singer Harley F. Thompson (1946-2013) went by the stage name of Slim Thompson and early in life led a group called the Big River Band; I believe he was the same Slim Thompson who cut some country singles back in the day, including a few with a gal going by the name of Sally James... (I'm not 100% certain, but pretty sure, that they are the same folks on this album...) The Thompsons were married in 1971 and cut a couple of singles together -- although those early records came out on regional labels based in Columbus, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan, this LP gives their home address in Robinson. According to Slim Thompson's obituary, the couple had a born-again religious conversion in 1975, and switched from secular to gospel music, later founding their own evangelical ministry in nearby Hutsonville. They repurposed the Big River Band as the name of their record label, which on this album is declared "under the new management of Jesus Christ," and the liner notes go into extensive detail about the tribulations which led to their conversion, including drug addiction and a miscarried pregnancy. I'm not sure if the Thompsons made any other records, but they apparently traveled widely as evangelical missionaries; Mrs. Thompson preceded her husband's death, passing away in 2011.

Gene Smith & Darrell Smith "It's A Miracle To Be An American" (REM Records, 19--?) (LP)
A father-son duo from Chicago, Illinois, the Smiths started performing gospel together in 1964 after Gene Smith "changed his way of life," which I take to mean he settled down and got religion. Before that he'd been playing informally for his pals in the Army while stationed overseas, presumably singing secular country and bluegrass-style music. The Smiths were clearly devotees of "brother act" artists such as Jim & Jesse and the Louvins and emulated their acoustic guitar-and-mandolin based arrangements. What they lacked in musical finesse, the Smiths made up for in enthusiasm -- this is a pretty clumsy set, but it oozes sincerity and authenticity. Side One of the album is all original material written by Gene Smith, including novelty numbers such as "It's A Miracle To Be An American," "The Greatest Of Great Retirement Plans" and Second Honeymoon In Heaven, while Side Two revisits country gospel standards such as "Wait A Little Longer" and "Drunkard's Plea." They recorded this at the REM label, down in Lexington, Kentucky bringing with them their bass player, Reverend Richard Thornberry, of Berwyn, Illinois (a Chicago suburb) and his ten-year old daughter Jeanette, who sings harmony on a couple of tracks. The rest of the band seems to have been ringers provided by the label, banjo picker Wallace Duty and guitarist Kenneth Webb, both of Columbus, Ohio. Unfortunately, this group didn't really congeal very well, though it's hard to tell if this was because of the overall talent level, or just because the various players didn't mesh well. Gene Smith was a decent mandolin player and gets in some sweet licks; he also recorded a string of singles on REM, though they may have come after this album. A few tracks are emotionally resonant, particularly "It's Me Again, Lord," and a cover of the Louvin Brothers' "Weapon Of Prayer," and it's always nice to hear original material from the fellas that penned it. Worth a spin if you're into that whole Columbus-Cincinnati hillbilly gospel scene, though maybe a hard sell for more casual listeners.

Sons Of The Soil "Our Brand Of Country" (Crusade Enterprises, 1973) (LP)

Spur "Spur Of The Moment" (Cinema International Records, 1969) (LP)
A more-obscure-than-usual obscuro rock album, this is sometimes tagged as a "country rock" record, although for the most part it seems like a run of the mill longhaired psychedelic pop outing, with a little incidental twang amid the light-show electric guitars and a few hints of boogie-rock heaviness. The band Spur came from Belleville, Illinois -- just across the river from Saint Louis, Missouri -- and was originally known as The Unknown, recording a few singles under that name which were subsequently collected along with some of these tracks on a reissue retrospective called Spur Of The Moments. While I don't really hear all that much country in their jangly ramblings, it's hard to miss significant debts to the Grateful Dead and the Byrds, so they are technically twang-adjacent in that regard. A couple of tracks have a more rural feel, notably the 'Fifties rock-flavored "Be Tender, My Love," but really this is pretty much a straight-up spaced-out druggie rock record. (The Drag City reissue set does include a countrified rendition of Lennon and McCartney's "Eight Days A Week," but that song didn't appear on the original album...) Likewise, it's hard to tell if the tune "Turn To Jesus" is really indicative of a Christian evangelical streak or if they were just being sarcastic -- the other stuff seems strictly secular, albeit in a hippiedelic kinda way. Then again, their second album was an odd pairing of hippie rock and Christian spoken word, with the band backing a groovy, "with it" priest, so who knows. A groovy lost nugget in the rock world, to be sure, but country fans don't need to knock themselves out tracking it down -- apparently the group broke up around 1972 after leaving their mark on the Saint Louis scene.

Cal Starr "New Voice In Town" (Capaco Records, 1962) (LP)
Country singer Cal Starr worked in radio and TV all across the Midwest and South, but found his most success as a concert promoter, putting together package shows in Chicago and the Great Lakes region. This may have been his first album, although he also recorded a number of singles.

Cal Starr "...And Guitar In Nashville" (Fraternity Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Pennington)
This disc is a late '60s recording, cut in Nashville for a Cincinnati-based label. It was also a publishing showcase/demo set for the Pamper Music company, where producer Ray Pennington was a longtime staffer, working as composer, engineer and A&R man: all the songs on this album were from Pamper's publishing wing. There's no date on the album, but the liner notes mention an event in 1966, so this is at least later than that.

Cal Starr "Volume Three" (Rocket Records, 19--?) (LP)

Queenie Stewart "...Sings Booze And Wine" (Scarlo Records, 1967-?) (LP)
Not a ton of info on this one. Singer Ben "Queenie" Stewart was originally from Jackson, Tennessee and apparently was in Carl Perkins' band for a while, but he had moved to Aurora, Illinois by the time he recorded this LP. Backed by a group called the Porter Brothers, Stewart digs deep into his hard country roots, with songs such as "If I Never Get To Heaven," "Everything She Touches (Gets The Blues)" and "You Don't Have Very Far To Go," as well as oldies and ballads like "Last Letter," "Tell Her Lies And Feed Her Candy," "There Goes My Everything," and "We Could." Although there are no composer credits on this album, there was some original material, such as "With Every Step You Take" (co-written with Inez Rogers) and the title track, "Booze And Wine," which had previously been released as a single back in '66. Sadly, the Porter Brothers are not identified by name, though it seems likely they were the same musicians as the Tune-Drifters, who backed Mr. Stewart on his "Booze" single.

Tiny Stokes "These Hands: Tiny Stokes Sings Hymns" (19--?) (LP)
This gospel set may have been the only solo album from Dwight "Tiny" Stokes (1920-1999) who was best known as the bass player and lead tenor of the comedic country group, Captain Stubby & The Buccaneers. The Chicago-based group was together for several decades, most notably starring on the WLS National Barn Dance program, as well as local and nationally syndicated programs on the ABC network. Stokes was born in Springfield, Missouri but like many entertainers in the radio era he moved around a lot, living in Monticello, Indiana and Helena, Montana among other places, before retiring down in Florida. It was up in Montana in the early 'Sixties while working as a radio deejay that Tiny Stokes met a factory worker and aspiring country singer named Charley Pride, whose career he championed, introducing the future chart-topper to Red Foley, who helped then Pride break into the Nashville scene. Though not known as a solo artist, Stokes recorded prolifically with the Buccaneers, both on Decca singles and countless airshots; he was also known for the hillbilly hit, "Blackfoot Boogie," a Montana-themed novelty number he recorded in 1956 with a group called the Frontiersmen. (The song name-checks every country bar in the state, one by one, city by city, and is about as specific a shout-out song as you'll ever hear...) Unfortunately this album doesn't tell us who was backing Stokes or when it was recorded, though the graphics had an early 'Seventies feel. Any additional info is welcome!

Ron Stockard & The Illinois Band "Beautiful Illinois" (Cornbelt Records, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Stockard)
Regional pride in the extreme! Ten songs, all originals, with over half about the great state of Illinois and its cities, sports teams, and historical heroes. There's the title track, "Beautiful Illinois," as well as "Cardinal Fever," "Decatur Celebration," "Ode To Abraham Lincoln" and perhaps most controversially, "Heart Of The Midwest," a song that prompted riots in Iowa, Kansas, and all three of the Dakotas. I'm not sure what the back story is on this album... All the songs are credited to a guy named Wiley Moore, though he's not in the actual band, so perhaps they were hired guns in some sort of song-poem-esque way. At any rate, if you're a land-of-Lincoln lovin' twangfan, you might wanna check this one out.

Jason Stone & The Classics "Misfortune In Gold" (Paragon Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Jason Stone & Gary Laney)
A youthful twangster from Freeport, Illinois, Jason Stone wrote all but two of the songs on this album, with the remaining tracks by Bobby Fischer, including "Cheatin' In The Key Of C." One song, "In Some Other Place And Time," is a duet with Arleen Harden, of the '60s-era Harden Trio -- Bobby Harden also sings backup on this album.

Jerry Stoner & The Rhythm Masters "Country Favorites" (Twila Records, 1972) (LP)
A nice, down-to-earth local band from the Midwest... It's a little unclear exactly where these guys were from -- their second album (below) was recorded in Saint Louis, but with a little extra digging, it seems that the Rhythm Masters were actually from southern Illinois, although they performed regionally, including forays into eastern Missouri. At the time this album was made, the band had a regular live show on WSIL-TV3, in Harrisburg, Illinois. The compact quartet included Jerry Stoner on lead vocals and guitar, Joe Duncan (drums), Jerry Nelson (bass) and Carroll Harrawood on lead guitar. Harrawood also sings lead on two tracks, covers of "White Lightnin' " and "Little Ole Wine Drinker Me," and has a spotlight number showing off some fancy Atkins-style licks on an instrumental tune, "Pickin' On Chet." There are no songwriter credits, but I believe these are all cover tunes, although to their credit, some are fairly obscure numbers from guys like Claude Gray, Jack Greene and Hank Snow, though they do trot through chestnuts such as "Proud Mary" and "Truck Drivin' Man" as well. Any additional info about these guys would be welcome!

Jerry Stoner & The Rhythm Masters "Our 2nd Album" (Pro-Art, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Parvin Tramel)
An odd, charming record with album art that looks like it should be a super-cool set by some Midwestern hipsters, though if truth be told it's sort of super-normal... Lead singer Jerry Stoner has a distinctly middle-aged voice with a limited power supply; he wasn't a great singer, although his heart was clearly in the right place. He covers songs like "Faded Love" by Bob Wills, Red Simpson's "Close All The Honky Tonks" and the Jim Reeves oldie, "Little Old Dime," as well as some R&B numbers such as Allan Toussaint's "Mother-In-Law" and Gary U.S. Bonds' "New Orleans." It's on the uptempo stuff that the record falters most, but even though these guys were a little creaky around the edges, they still sound like they were having fun, and if you're the forgiving kind, you can kind of get onto their vibe and get into what they were laying down. Not a great record, but a cool one, in its own way... A nice snapshot of a just-plain-folks band from a bygone era.

Randa L. Stout "Rendezvous With Randa" (Randa Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Randa L. Stout, Wilson Dalzell & Chris Rathert)
Ms. Stout grew up in the Ozarks, in Ellington, Missouri but was living in Highland, Illinois when she recorded this album, which includes a bunch of her own material.

The Sundowners "The Sundowners" (EJ Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Don Caldwell, Lloyd Maines & Syl Rice)
This beloved Chicago twangband featured Bob Boyd on rhythm guitar, Curtis Delaney playing bass, and Don Walls on lead guitar; they play mostly western oldies -- "Cimmeron," "Cool Water," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and other canonical cowboy classics. The provenance of these recordings is a little mysterious... It looks like the Sundowners recorded their sessions up in Chicago, possibly with some local pickers helping out, but then the tapes were sent down to Lubbock, Texas where engineer Don Caldwell and his pals in the Maines Brothers Band added overdubbed parts before the album was mixed down and sent back up north. Go figure! But hey, man, find anything with Lloyd Maines playing steel guitar on it, and I'm in!

The Sundowners "Chicago Country Legends" (Bloodshot Records, 2003)
A uniquely alluring, informal set, documenting the work of these good-natured elder statesmen of Chicago's country music scene. The Sundowners, comprised of guitarists Bob Boyd and Don Walls, along with bassist Curt Delaney, were a hard-working ensemble that performed together almost continuously from 1959 to 1989, playing at dives and local taverns throughout the Windy City. They all originally hailed from the South, but after meeting up north, they plugged away for many a year and became legendary figures on Chicago's urban country scene. This disc, drawn from three decades of live performances, is both a heartwarming memento of these long-off-the-radar hillbilly singers, and a really fun record in and of itself. The material is a mix of western cowboy tunes, old-fashioned heartsongs, countrified pop and rock standards and even a song written by Robbie Fulks, back in 1988. The Sundowners also recorded several albums on various local micro-labels (good luck finding them!), but the ambiance of their live shows has a special appeal. I thought this was a really charming record, more authentic and genuinely heartfelt than a truckload of Number One hits from modern-day Nashville. Recommended!

The Talbot Brothers "The Talbot Brothers" (Warner Brothers, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Halverson)
Beautifully produced, classic-sounding '70s country-rock, with an explicit religious overtone. The Talbot Brothers -- John And Terry -- were the driving force behind the Chicago-area '60s country-rock band Mason Proffit, where they explored some spiritual themes, but later they more openly revealed themselves as what was once known as "Jesus freaks," which is to say, sex-and-drugs-friendly hippies of an evangelical bent. The siblings pioneered what became known as "Christian rock," but they also rocked, backed by an impressive lineup of top talent behind them: in addition to a bunch of rock-scene studio cats such as David Lindley, Leland Sklar and Russ Kunkel, twangsters like Josh Graves, Randy Scruggs and Sneaky Pete Kleinow add to the country vibe. Most of the songs are Talbot originals, although Little Feat's Lowell George contributes the album's opening track, "Easy To Slip," and outlaw country songwriter Lee Clayton contributes the slinky, swampy "Carnival Balloon." It's a very nice, very '70s record, one that fans of Brewer & Shipley would appreciate -- although you gotta be willing to hang with the Christian messaging, because it is inescapably present. One track, the gear-jamming "Moline Truckin'," has a raunchier, more secular feel -- a fun song that apparently got left off the later reissue LP, which was retitled Reborn. Go figure.

T. C. Walker Band "Bottle Of Beer" (Statesboro Records, 1983-?) (LP)
(Produced by Earl E. Owens & Tom Labus)
Groovy, raggedy twang from the greater Chicago area. Apparently, "TC Walker" was not an actual person, as the band was a four-ish member group anchored by singer-guitarist John Maniatis, who owned a music store in Oak Lawn, Illinois, along with drummer Al Blakesley (previously in a group called Near Beer) and Bob Jares (guitar, vocals) and Larry Spalla (bass, vocals) who both were from a popular early '70s rock band called LaGrange. It took me a little while to warm to this record, but not too long... The singers had an unconventional, slightly geeky sound, though not that far off the beaten track if you like, oh, I dunno, Kris Kristofferson or maybe the guy from Commander Cody, or for a more modern reference, alt-twangster Wayne Hancock... At any rate, if you give 'em a chance, TC Walker will win you over. Good, high-energy bar-band twang, with plenty of fiddle and pedal steel, a slew of original material, and real commitment to the music. Definitely worth a spin! The group also released a string of singles, dating back to 1981, with mostly the same songs as on this LP, though they may be earlier versions, as the producers were different. It's possible those singles may have also featured singer John Curulewski, a founding member of Styx, and was in an early incarnation of the TC Walker Band (though not on this album).

Terry & Mary Ann "Little Bit Country" (MTF Productions, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Sargon N. Yonan)
The lounge duo of Terry Flannery & Mary Ann Marshall -- also known simply as "Terry & Mary Ann" -- recorded this album at the Sargon Recording Studios in Skokie, Illinois and they give a shout-out on the cover to the folks working at the O'Hare-Kennedy Holiday Inn, where I'd assume they had a regular gig. Terry Flannery did the arrangements and plays most of the instruments -- guitars, bass and keyboards -- along with Ms. Marshall on 12-string and 6-string acoustic guitars and drummer Ron Baron rounding out the sound. They cover stuff like "Me And Bobby McGee" and "The Gambler" as well as oldies like "Danny Boy" and "Ghost Riders In The Sky," and Flannery even gets all choppsy with a run-through of the Spanish guitar standard, "Malaguena." The Kenny Rogers cover places this one at least 1979, if not later. They were not great, but this is a very authentic album from a typical '70s lounge act.

Jerry B. Terry "The Devil And My Lady" (Sounds, Inc., 1973-?)
(Produced by Gene A. Cash)
Originally from Ottawa, Illinois, singer Jerry Terry wound up doing country gigs in Vegas, and recorded this album in Nashville, probably around the end of the '70s. He covers Waylon's "Good Hearted Woman," but the rest of the record is all-original material, with Terry credited on four songs, and producer Gene Cash and Dale Cash (his brother?) penning the rest.

Bob & Bobbie Thomas "Favorite Country Hymns" (Superior Recordings, 196--?) (LP)
Originally from Iowa, the father-son duo of Bob and Bobbie Thomas were featured performers on the 1960s/early '70s edition of WGN-TV's "Barn Dance" country variety show in Chicago, which by the end of the 'Sixties had become a nationally syndicated program. Bobbie Thomas was a child prodigy, learning to play guitar and perform onstage at age five; later on his brother Scott joined the group, which then became billed "Bob & Bobbie, Plus One." Although this is an all-gospel album, they regularly performed secular material on the show, as can be heard on the 1965 album, Saturday Night At The Old Barn Dance, which probably came out around the same time as this disc... Bobbie Thomas also recorded a solo album (below), though I'm not sure if the Thomases recorded any other records as a duo.

Bobbie Thomas "Guitarist Extraordinary" (Brave Records, 196--?) (LP)

Haydon Thompson "Here's Haydon Thompson" (Kapp Records, 1967) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Cohen)
A 'Fifties rockabilly pioneer taking a brief fling at mainstream country success... Singer Haydon Thompson (also spelled "Hayden") was born in Mississippi, grew up on a farm, and cut his first single back in 1954, while still a teenager, and was one of the first generation of artists to record for the Sun Records label. According to the liner notes on this album, Thompson made his way up to Chicago where he worked as a bus driver, all the while nurturing a dream of continuing his career in music. The country thing didn't work out -- this was his only album for Kapp -- but like many '50s rockers, he got a second wind thanks to the European rockabilly revival, with reissues and later recordings galore... I think this was his only full-on country album, though.

Hayden Thompson "Rock-A-Billy Gal: The Sun Years Plus" (Bear Family Records, 19--?)

Jorge Torrens "Country-Rican" (Log Press Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by R. Morrick & Todd Van Ohlen)
Country-rican? Dude, I am so there! I don't have much info about this guy, but apparently he was from Aurora, Illinois and played gigs around Chicago. This album includes lots of cover songs, mostly country, although he also does a version of Bert Kampfert's "Spanish Eyes," as well as Gershwin's "Summertime." There's one original by Torrens ("Love") and a couple by bassist Ken Hill. The album closes with a tune called "So You Say You're Tired Of Country," written by Diane Marcheschi, who I believe later was the owner of Club Alternative, a "teen club" in Chicago, circa 1988. Alas, Torrens doesn't seem to have actually woven Puerto Rican music into his work... but the country stuff is nice. The liner notes helpfully inform us that this was his first album.

Jorge Torrens "Jorgie/I'm Not The Boy I Used To Be" (Log Press Records, 1984) (LP)
He was still keepin' it country in the early '80s... this album includes covers of stuff by Buck Owens, Kris Kristofferson, et al. Nothing by Ramito, though. Alas.

Two For The Show Trio "On Track" (Triaxe Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Engelmann)
Despite the super-dorky cover art, this trio from Springfield, Illinois were actually pretty good... Steve Cox played some lightning-fast banjo with Steve Schimpf on keyboards and Rodney Smith filling in the guitar and bass parts. The album opens with a gloriously twangy version of "Amie" (with added pedal steel by Don Kates and John Peters playing lead guitar) and slides effortlessly into an Eagles medley, two tracks that put the city slickers in LA on notice that folks in the heartland can play some kickass country-rock, too. They move into more folk-trio territory, though, on several medleys of bluegrass and gospel oldies, as well as the album's closer, "Spiked Punch," which is a parade of tunes such as "She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain," punctuated with comedic asides and manic sound effects...) There are also a couple of original songs on Side Two that are fairly dreadful, lethargic romantic pop ballads, one each written by Cox and Schimpf, and both featuring leaden, synthy arrangements. But the twangier tunes are okay -- their version of "Amie" is a winner.

The Western Echoes "...At Bill Dugan's Country Music Inn" (Stone Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Dugan & Bill Haskins)
Nice live album showcasing a rock-solid Rust Belt country band... This was recorded at Bill Dugan's Country Music Inn, a country joint that opened back in 1973 in Northern Illinois -- in a little town called Half Day, near Chicago. Dugan's catered to twangfans who didn't want to drive all the way to the big city to get see a show... The Western Echoes was the house band, with musicians drawn from throughout the upper Great Lakes region, Tennessee and the upper Midwest... The featured singers were Jack Weber, who had apparently been in a few bands before this, along with Libby Sheperd and her husband, Tennessee steel player Jim Shepard, who is a superb accompanist... They were pretty darn good. Libby Sheperd was packaged as the star performer, but she actually only has two solo numbers, covers of a Billie Joe Spears tune, "Blanket On The Ground" and Marty Robbins' "Walking Piece Of Heaven," sung in a distinctly Loretta Lynn-ish tone. She also does a couple of duets, on "Jackson" and "Sweet Thang," while the guys in the band take turns the spotlight on the other songs. Drummer Rick Williams takes the lead on a couple of tunes, while bassist Ernie Green also has a couple of solo numbers, sounding quite a bit like Merle Haggard. There's no date on the disc, but they cover Joe Stampley's 1975 hit, "Roll On Big Mama," so between that and the groovy feathered hair on the kid in the back row, I'm guessing this came out in '76 or thereabouts. Definitely worth a spin!

Jerry & Judie Whitener "Putting It All Together" (J & J Records, 197--?) (LP)
This husband-wife duo from from Rochelle, Illinois traveled widely as evangelical preachers, also recording a bunch of records -- unruly, surprisingly twangy stuff with a pronounced hillbilly feel, reminiscent of Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper. This album looks to me like it was an early-1970s offering -- they refer in the liner notes to fans who liked their older records, and say they made this album as a way to recapture the feel of those earlier recordings, so I think this may have been the first of a string of LPs they self-released in the 'Seventies, with a couple of others listed below. They really harkened back to an earlier era, with an assertive rhythm section and steel guitar propelling them through jubilee and hymnal material -- definitely not a snoozy, organ-led church music set here! I'd love to have more information about them, if anyone out there can help...

Jerry & Judie Whitener "Life Is Worth Living" (J & J Records, 19--?) (LP)

Jerry & Judie Whitener "That Same Road" (J & J Records, 1975) (LP)

Wild West "Wild West" (Round-Up Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Wilson)
A straight-up uberindie honkytonk band from Bartonville, Illinois (near Peoria) with the core group of Larry Wilson (lead vocals and bass), Dan Tynan (guitar), Sharon Bryant (vocals), Dick Bush (guitar), and Jim Smith on drums. The sessions were filled out by various guest musicians, including Gary Nabors on piano and steel guitar player Larry Watson, both part of a backup crew provided by the Willow Wand studios, in Pekin, Illinois. The album is packed with original material, which is groovy, though I couldn't find any info about these folks online, largely due to their super-generic band name. Oh, well.

David Williams "The Great Frontier" (1981) (LP)

David Williams "Cowboy Time" (Trapdoor Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by David Williams, Dennis Jones & Tom Tucker)
A rigorously western-themed set by a fella from DeKalb, Illinois... more of a folk thing, really though with a country-capable band that included David Williams playing guitar and mandolin, harmony vocals by Coleen Ahern, Dave Hanson (bass), David Moore (accordion), Al Murphy (fiddle and mandolin), Dale Thomas (pedal steel), Mike Watts on drums. This album was produced in part with a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, and is packed with original material by David Williams, a real polymath of a guy who worked as a short story writer, playwright, poet, essayist, college lecturer, television writer and cartoonist, and as a musician, who recorded over a half dozen albums. His records tend to have different themes -- an album of children's music, a set of environmental issues, one about the history and lore of Route 66. While this one has a western theme the previous album from a few years earlier explored Midwestern history, back when states such as Ohio and Illinois were the wild frontier...Williams later got into playing gypsy jazz, which he tied into a biographical stage play centered around guitarist Django Reinhardt... quite a career!

Wayne Worley & The Worley Birds "Red Headed Woman" (Wix Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Randy Focht, John Wix & Tommie Wix)
Later recordings by midwestern rockabilly rebel Wayne Worley, who cut his first singles in the early 1960s, and revisits some of that old material a couple of decades later. There's some country stuff here as well, in addition to a slew of rock'n'roll covers -- including the title track, which was originally recorded by Sonny Burgess back in 1956, and first covered by Worley a few years later. A Tennessee native, Worley moved to Chicago as a teen, and recorded this album at a studio in Joliet, Illinois, with backing by drummer Don Burke, Sonny Dale (piano), and Billy Faulk (bass). Not totally country, by any means, although he does cover Dave Dudley's "Six Days On The Road," as well as "There's A Song On The Juke Box," a 'Seventies gem which was written by Billy Sherrill and Carmol Taylor.

Butch Yelton & Upbound "Cookin' Country Gospel" (1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Butch Yelton)
A hard-driving gospel twang band from Bardolph, Illinois... This album features five songs written by bandleader Butch Yelton, as well as one by singer Mary Foley, along with a track called "Amazing Grace, No. 3" by pedal steel player Danny Weaver... They also include covers of Andre Crouch and Gary S. Paxton, as well as a version of Tom T. Hall's sweet and sappy "I Love." Yelton's true claim to fame, though, came with his album below, which for better or for worse has been seized upon by the irony police, those oh-so-dedicated would-be hipsters who fill their blogs with snarky posts of so-called "bad" album covers. Sigh.

Butch Yelton & Upbound "Swing That Gospel Axe" (19--?) (LP)
For some reason, the sub-breed of hipster bloggers who like to post pictures of "bad" album covers have seized upon this album as one of their ultimate holy grails... Yes, it's a little dopey -- the cover shows the fairly clean-cut, not-that-weird-looking Upbound band standing in a pasture, with singer Butch Yelton holding a axe in his hands, as a visual cue for the metaphoric weapon of prayer in the album's title song. Whatever. Some people are Christians; some of these people also like and/or play country music. Get over it. Personally, I think mocking people you consider hicks or muggles, or even just people (gasp!) dressed in fashion styles from decades ago is a boorish, intellectually empty pastime. It reveals more about the mockers than the mocked. I haven't heard this album yet, but I do look forward to checking it out some day. And when I do, I'll let y'all know what I think about it, without resorting to facile irony or sarcasm.

Various Artists "CHICAGO COUNTRY -- LIVE FROM THE ROCK-IN-HORSE" (Chapparal Records, 1969-?) (LP)
(Produced by Brien Fisher & Laddie Oleson)
Ed Wheeler's Rock-In-Horse was a country venue located in the lounge of the Park Arms Hotel, in Franklin Park, Illinois, right next to O'Hare International airport. This live album captured a bunch of Chicago-area locals, including the WGN Barndance's emcee Red Blanchard, former rockabilly rebel Hayden Thompson, Don Barnett & The Nu-Jays, picker Arthur Smith, gal singers Bonnie Ferguson, Queenie Stewart and Dottie Wood, as well as fellas like Sonny Blaylock, Bill Blough, Chuck Burke, Butch Butler, the duo of Doug & Earl, Jack Fisher, Billy Gee, and Jerry Wooters' Bluegrass Five... A real locals-only shindig!

Various Artists "ILLINOIS COUNTRY OPRY -- THIRD ANNIVERSARY ALBUM: 1971" (Gee Pee Records, 1971) (LP)
Back in 1968, Midwestern empressario Gilbert Perkins founded the Illinois Country Opry in Petersberg, IL, and ran the venue throughout the 'Seventies, showcasing a number of local performers, including (on this album) Ken Decker, Leon Loy, Bill and Joannie Morrison, fiddlers Jim Boward and Tom Rudledge, Dick Smith and Pam Gilbert. I'm not wild about the female vocals, but overall this was a pretty sharp crew, with plenty of true twang. Definitely worth a spin, if you're interested in regional country music variety shows. Recommended!

Various Artists "ILLINOIS COUNTRY OPRY -- FIFTH ANNIVERSARY ALBUM" (Gee Pee Records, 1973) (LP)

Various Artists "KENTUCKIANA OPRY: TENTH ANNIVERSARY ALBUM" (1980) (LP)
(Produced by Zane Harbaugh)
A souvenir album from the family-oriented theme park, the Kentuckiana Kampground, which oddly enough was located in Tazewell County, Illinois, and not in Kentucky itself. Go figure. Anyway, the park was founded in 1970 and continued in operation well into the 21th century... This disc marked its tenth anniversary with a pleasantly twangy set, equal parts country, bluegrass and old-timey gospel, with various soloists and singers on every track. Produced by emcee Zane Harbaugh, this is a heartwarmingly modest album, with singers who have flaws and pickers who keep things simple and clean. The repertoire includes mountain music oldies such as "Mocking Bird" and more modern, country-oriented stuff, like "Cup Of Loneliness," "Old Chunk Of Coal" and -- of course -- "Coal Miner's Daughter." Not earthshaking, but authentic.

Various Artists "A TRIBUTE TO GRANDPA GIB SCHULTZ" (Superior Recordings, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Eckstrom & W. D. Zehr)
A hyper-local homage to a real country old-timer... According to the unusually informative liner notes, guitarist Grandpa Gib Schultz was born in 1915, in Danville, Illinois, and started playing professionally in the 1936. Like many performers of the 1930s and '40s, he worked on radio, including stations such as WPBI and later on Danville, Illinois station WITY-980, where he was in the cast of a local program called the Kinney Midwestern Jubilee. The show was sponsored by local businessman Harold Kinney (1929-2018) and his wife June Kinney, who was one of the jubilee's star performers, and performs two songs on this album, Johnny Cash's "Daddy Sang Bass" and a version of Loretta Lynn's "Wings Upon Your Horns," while Mr. Kinney acted as emcee, and their son, Luke Kinney also sings on one track. Other performers include Jim Elliott, George Foehrer, Ernie Gorham, Gene Hooper, Herb Johnson, Hup Johnson, Sunny Norman, Leroy and Penny Swider, Johnny Vance and Nancy Zimmerman. (It's not clear if the Gene Hooper on this album was the same guy from Maine who also sang on the WWVA's own jamboree show; it's possible, since he sings one solo number as well as a duet with June Kinney.) There's also one track with Gib Schultz, an archival recording provided by the Kinneys. Recorded at the McFerren Park Auditorium on November 8, 1970, the show was billed as a benefit, presumably for some medical expenses Mr. Schultz may have racked up, though the notes don't really specify. Although the Kinney Midwestern Jubilee doesn't seem to have produced any records, they were still doing live shows at least recently as 1977, including one listed in the local newspaper in nearby Mattoon, IL. Mrs. Kinney cut a couple of singles in the mid-1960s, and a full album many years later in the CD era; she also self-published a memoir of her musical career, though I think it was only available by mail.

Hick Music Index