Tony Albert & Shirley Rogers "Shade Of Blue" (Danceland Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gayle Leister & Glen Seybert)
Lounge singer Tony Albert was originally from Boise, Idaho, though according to the liner notes he was living in Dodge City, Kansas when he recorded this album... It's a souvenir of a stint with his "Tony Albert Show" -- lead singers Tony Albert and Shirley Rogers, backed by arranger Ken Saari on cordovox, Kevin Kavanaugh, Jack Trice, and a small horn section led by Mr. Saari. The album was a souvenir of the band's gig at the Red Pussycat lounge, a strip club and music venue in Salina, Kansas that was popular in the 1960s and '70s and was a destination for on-tour rock and country bands and comedy acts passing through the remote western Kansas hinterlands. (It was remodeled a few times, including a big reboot in 1976, where it expanded to 10,000 square feet(!) and had two separate lounges, one for country music and another for rock artists, and a "rotating table..." The owner at the time this album came out was Gayle Leister, who contributes a quick blurb on the back cover...) To be honest, this record is pretty terrible -- Albert and Rogers were both rather questionable vocalists, and the cordovox-led pop-vocals arrangements are kind of bizarre, although technically speaking this album does have a lot of "country" material, songs by Pee Wee King, Eddie Miller, Marty Robbins, Billy Walker, and others.

The Alferd Packer Memorial String Band "Friends For Lunch" (1985) (LP)
This wild-and-wooley, all-acoustic, old-timey jugband represented the old-guard hippie fringe of the Lawrence, Kansas music scene. When all the kids were going punk, the Alferd Packer band -- named after a notorious 19th Century Midwestern cannibal -- played a mix of old-timey tunes from the likes of Charlie Poole and Uncle Dave Macon, some Celtic material, and several originals by bandmembers Steve Mason, Jim Krause and Doug DuBois, who penned the topically-themed "A Partheid In A Pear Tree." Playing percussion in the group was sculptor Jim Brothers, who found fame outside the Midwest and was drawn back to the heavy gravity of Larryville, where he continued to produced nationally-recognized works, often with historical themes. Not sure if he ever did a piece about Alfred Packer, though... This album also includes their rambunctious version of the "William Tell Overture," which they would play to heighten the tension of their annual concerts at the downtown Post Office on Tax Day, to the delight of last-minute filers.

Terry Allen -- see artist profile

The Ark Valley Boys "Solid Gospel" (Valley Records, 198-) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Duggen & Brian Kelsey)
This youthful Southern Gospel band from Haysville, Kansas took its name from a legendary western group called the Ark Valley Boys, which -- beginning in 1939 -- was the house band for radio station KFH, Wichita. I'm not sure if these guys have any direct connection to the original AV Boys, but there is certainly a lot of colorful history to the name. The original Ark Valley Boys were early stars of Kansas country music, and fostered the careers of numerous local musicians, including Fiddlin' Willie Boggs, Kay Stalker, pianist-arranger "Corky" Edminster (1916-2013) and others. The band fractured in the 1949 when Edminster and a half-dozen musicians left KFH, kicking off a legal battle between the station and the musicians' union when KFH hired Tex Ferguson to lead a new band with the same name... Edminster formed his own group, Corky's Corral Gang, which then played on rival radio station KANS; some bandmembers also followed Edminster out to Hollywood, where he worked with Smiley Burnette on various cowboy "oater" movies. In the 1950s, Willie Boggs went on to play in a version of the Ark Valley Boys which performed on KAKE-TV's country program, "Dusty's Jamboree," hosted by Dusty Herring, a real-life deputy sheriff in Wichita. From there, the trail gets a little hazy. There was a western swing group formed in Pueblo, Colorado in the 1940s and led by Clyde Casebier which was billed as the Arkansas Valley Boys, which has been (I believe) mistakenly identified as an offshoot of the Kansas band; also a guy named Bill Wimberly led an edition of the Ark Valley Boys in the 'Fifties, though I'm not sure how he fits into the overall story. At any rate, this 1980s(?) group may have simply borrowed the name of the popular old band for their own gospel vocals, or maybe someone's uncle once played with them; I dunno. As far as I know these two LPs -- one gospel, one secular -- were the only two cut by this group. The lineup was: Rob Wilson (tenor), Ron Baggett (second tenor, emcee), Glenn Hanna (baritone), Dick Warren (bass), Dave Thomas (piano), Fred Townsend (drums) Curt Baggett (bass guitar), recording a session at the Benson Sound Studios, in Oklahoma City. Musically solid, with clear country roots, though on this album they lean pretty far into the sluggish, mopey vocal style popular in the Southern Gospel scene. The twangier, uptempo numbers are satisfying, but few.

The Ark Valley Boys "Solid Country" (Valley Records, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Baggett & Barry Dirks)
Produced at the same time as their Solid Gospel album, this features the same vocal quartet, augmented a more country-oriented with steel guitar by Gene Crownover and Cotton Wittington on steel guitars, Buddy Kendrick on bass, fiddle by Gene Gasaway and piano by Jack Atchley. They cover some '70s/'80s hits, jovial stuff such as "Come On In" and "Y'All Come Back Saloon." Given the set list, I'd guess this was from somewhere around 1982-83...

Darlene Austin "...And The Road Company" (Road Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Haynes & Bill Vandervort)
Originally from Salina, Kansas, singer Darlene Austin hit Nashville in the early 'Eighties and landed solid gigs performing on Nashville Now and The Ralph Emery Show. This was her first album, and it has lotsa cover songs, including contemporary country-pop hits like "Somebody's Knockin'," "Nine To Five" and "The Rose," as well as some more rootsy, outlaw-ish material from folks like Delbert McClinton and Rusty Weir, even a version of Al Green's "Take Me To The River." There's one song credited to Ms. Austin, "How Long Does It Last," as well as one by bass player Terry Dee (aka Terry D. Zimmerman), who splits some of the lead singer duties. Although this disc is heavy on cover songs, Austin later became known as a songwriter, after years of plugging away as a singer.

Darlene Austin "In And Out Of Love" (Music Masters, Ltd., 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Harry Shields & Dennis Richie)
An expansive double-LP set with backing by some elite Nashville players, including Gene Chrisman (drums) Sonny Garrish (steel guitar), Mike Leach (bass) Bobby Ogden (piano), Vince Rundus (guitar), Jerry Shook (guitar), with Gary Talley as guest steel player on one track, and the Cates Sisters singing backup, reprising their role on Austin's previous album. This was recorded at Jerry Shook's "Shook Shack" studio; one assumes some of the players worked with Darlene Austin at one or more of her TV gigs...

Lander Ballard "High Time" (Free Wind Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Lander Ballard & Billy Sherrill)
An ambitious local from Wichita, Kansas... Ostensibly this is a "folk-rock" album, but in reality there is precious little twang to be heard here. I was anticipating something along the lines of regional heroes Brewer & Shipley, but instead this is really more of a straight-up AOR/perky soft-pop outing with echoes of Billy Joel or Leo Sayer, maybe even solo Paul McCartney. I was drawn to the presence of Billy Sherrill as the album's producer (as well as session pros like Larry Londin and Timmy Tappin) but I guess this falls more into the "twangfans beware" category, though it is an impressive example of independently produced regional 'Seventies pop from the heartland. It's conceivable this guy really coulda made it big, but for whatever reasons that never quite materialized. He self-released a few more records, spread over the decades.

Pat Bangle "Bill Post Presents Pat Bangle" (DJB Records, 1972-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Post & Stan Ross)
Described as a "folk gospel singer," 22-year old singer-pianist Pat Bangle was a protege of evangelical songwriter Bill Post, who was best known for his regional anthem, "Where In The World But Kansas." Post spotted Bangle performing at her local church in Lenora, Kansas, and arranged for her to travel to California to record this album at the Gold Star Studios in Hollywood. It's mostly Ms. Bangle accompanying herself on piano, though there's light backing by an anonymous studio band on several tracks; not much you'd call "country," but her singing is pretty striking. Ms. Bangle had a lovely voice, as well as an inchoate sense of musical phrasing that suggests she could have gone far in commercial pop or folk music, or even in the southern gospel scene. Bangle seems to have stuck mainly to community events, although at some point she moved to Grapevine, Texas, and took part in Christian music "showcases"; I'm not sure if she was part of the Grapevine Opry or not... At any rate, she was a good musician, hampered here a bit by slightly bland material. Her cover of Glen Campbell's "Less Of Me" is an album highlight; she and Bill Post co-wrote a tune called "There's A Mighty Jesus Movement," which kicks off Side Two.

The Barleen Family "Live At The Barleen Country Music Dinner Theater" (1984) (LP)

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

The Barons "Featuring Smith Center Kansas" (Exceptions Studio Productions, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Randy Wills & Exception Studio Productions)
A groovy little album from a foursome in Smith Center Kansas, a tiny town about ten miles away from the geographic center of the continental United States, near the Nebraska border. For my money, this is about as good a "private pressing" country album as you'll ever hear -- it's got exactly what you want in this kind of record -- pure amateurism, a distinctive local flavor, sincerity and enthusiasm, and an original novelty song about hippies getting beaten up by war veterans. That last one would be the album's opener, "The Smith Center Kansas Moratorium Day Rock Festival Car Race And Barn Dance," a timeless tune ripely deserving of compilation or reissue. It in, all the locals (and maybe a few long-haired out-of-towners) get together for a big party and parade, but when one of the freaks starts getting all, "no more war!" a World War One veteran bops him over the head with his cane, and eventually life gets back to normal, albeit without those pesky hippie oddballs. Along the way, songwriter Jim Fetters also manages to take a few digs at lawyers and judges, expressing a bit of that good old Midwestern libertarian spirit. Fetters was the band's guitarist, and the liner notes inform us he "uses his music as his hobby," which was doubtless true of the rest of the guys. All the other songs are cover tunes, ranging from "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" and "City Of New Orleans" to "Good Hearted Woman" and "Please Mister Please," and all delivered with a clunky, see-the-gears-turn simplicity which I find very, very appealing.

Byron Berline -- see artist profile

Sam Bidwell "Sam Bidwell" (Ricochet Records, 1988) (LP)
Independent neo-trad country by Wichita, Kansas songwriter Sam Bidwell, with songs such as "Small Town Country Boy," "Your Love Hit Me Like A Bullet," "What Excuse Will I Use Tonight" and "Honky Tonk Crazy." This session was recorded in Nashville.

John Biggs "The Roads We Travel" (Blue River Valley Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Dan Weir & John Biggs)
A mostly-folkie set, with distinct flavors of bluegrass and country twang from this Manhattan, Kansas songwriter... There's a strong John Denver-ish feel to the gentler tunes, but also some wicked humor ala Larry Groce, as heard on the faux-gospel novelty number, "Send Me To Glory In A Glad Bag," which is probably the album's best-known song. Biggs also includes a couple of real gospel songs, notably a brief instrumental fling at "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring" and "Talk About Your Suffering," though I'd hardly call this a religious record...) Electric guitarist Dan Kirkpatrick adds some hot licks on a couple of tracks, though most of the other players are true locals-only types... Admittedly, Biggs has a fairly thin voice and many of his songs are pretty goopy, but they are also compelling, in no small part due to his committed, passionate performances. This tilts a little farther into pure-folk terrain for me, but it's still a really nice record. And definitely very "of its time..."

Kenny Boyd & Strawboss "Tommy Collins Is Back, Introducing Kenny Boyd & Strawboss" (1983) (LP)
(Produced by L. D. Allen & Jan Drouhard)
Over the years, singing sheriff Kenny Boyd (1946-2012) worked as a railroad detective, a federal marshal, then as deputy -- and later Sheriff -- of Sumner County, Kansas, where he served for over twenty years. I'm not sure when he formed the Strawboss band, but I think this was their only album, and the title's a little confusing. Were they backing country star Tommy Collins, or was he just being their buddy and lending his name to their debut? Looks like it was mostly Collins's show, although the band gets a big shout-out on the cover, and at least one single "I Like Country Music," was released off this album, under Kenny Boyd's name. Recorded in Nashville, remixed in Oklahoma.

Brewer & Shipley -- see artist profile

Michael Brewer "Beauty Lies" (Warner Brothers, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Dan Fogelberg)
This solo album from Michael Brewer sports a ton of LA-scene talent, ranging from veteran country-rockers to diehard soft-pop studio-crew regulars. Although it almost painfully reflects the gooey, ornate sound of mid-to-late-'70s AOR, it still has its charms. Producer Dan Fogelberg leaves a strong mark on the sound (including a few of his own songs in the set list) and there is a certain formulaic feel that may be distracting or, depending on your point of view, a welcome throwback to the pop music of several years earlier. Either way, it's nice to hear Brewer sing, with that distinctive, reedy tone that is still distinctive and strong, a decade or so after his salad days. Worth a spin, if you're already a fan.

Curt Burrell & The Barleen Trio "The Best Of..." (Eye In The Sky Sound, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Randy Miotke & Mike Moryc)
A member of the Barleen Family's country revue, multi-instrumentalist Curt Burrell looks to have been a good fifteen or twenty years older than the kids in the Barleen Trio. (In the liner notes he mentions having toured with Patsy Cline in 1961, so he was no spring chicken...) Burrell recorded with Barleens elsewhere (see above) although this album puts him in the spotlight as the featured performer, along with his wife Barbara Barleen, who sings some duets on this LP. Recorded at studios in Denver and LaPorte, Colorado, this is a souvenir of their venue in Estes Park, with additional lead guitar work by cast member Tim Radloff and Russ Bergstrom on steel guitar. The material is almost all cover songs and country classics, though one song, "Living Without You," is an original co-written by Curt Burrell and Barbara Barleen. Burrell also released at least one single under his own name, a custom label recording from '61.

Jim Carley & Johnny Adams "Dim Lights And Thick Smoke" (American Heritage Music Corporation, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Marty Martin & Loyd Wanzer)
A construction worker by trade, banjo picker Jim Carley grew up in Kansas and pursued his musical career first in the Sunflower State, then over in Missouri, where he was part of the Buster Jenkins troupe. Carley moved to Idaho in 1962 and met guitar picker Johnny Adams, himself a transplant from Pennsylvania. They are joined on this set of bluegrass and country oldies by "The Flint Hill Boys," including fiddlers Dallas Goff and Dwayne Youngblood, along with Youngblood's fourteen-year old son Ricky Youngblood on rhythm guitar. Not sure exactly when this came out, but it looks early 'Seventies-ish. The repertoire is pure oldies, though, including sentimental numbers such as "Don't Say Goodbye," "Kiss Me One More Time" and "Don't That Road Look Rough & Rocky," as well as raucous fling-ding numbers like Reno & Smiley's "Tally Ho," and a bunch of hillbilly stuff from the Merle Travis era. Sounds good to me!

Charlee "Standing In Your Shoes" (Amerama Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Henry Strzelecki)
A pretty grim story behind this one... A perky young blonde very much in the 'Seventies style, Charlee was the stage name for a gal named Linda Hise Scott (1950-1978) who grew up near Overland Park, Kansas, just outside of Kansas City. Not to be confused with the 'Sixties teen beach movie actress Linda Scott, Charlee was a country singer who started out working in local clubs such as Don Dee's Steak House and Lounge in Olathe, though at some point she made her way to Nashville and was signed and produced by Music City insider Henry Strzelecki. She cut this album which provided a few modestly successful singles, and was on tour nationwide and making television appearances in November, 1978 when she was found dead, brutally murdered in her home in New Rochelle, New York, at age twenty-eight. Apparently her chauffer was eventually convicted of the murder, though honestly I'm not into the whole true crime genre, so I couldn't tell you why he did it, just that it was an awful, tragic crime. Although this pop/countrypolitan oriented album didn't really make much of a dent chartwise, it is noteworthy as a change of pace for bassist Henry Strzelecki, one of the most ubiquitous session players of the era. Here, Strzelecki steps into the producer's booth and also contributes several songs for the fledgling artist to perform: "Hand Me My Guitar (So Long Song)," "I Hate Me (For Hurting You)" and the title track, "Standing In Your Shoes." Much of the album's sound is shaped by arranger Bill Pursell, who adds strings and whatnot into the mix. A second album was put together and released posthumously, though neither album yielded any chart hits. Tanya Tucker fans might like this one!

Charlee "Midnight Madness" (Amerama Records, 1979) (LP)

Connie & Ed "Introducing Connie And Ed" (Pearce Records, 1974-?) (LP)
The Pearce label was a custom recording service that pressed albums for a number of artists in the greater Kansas City area, including a high proportion of country or country-ish artists... Connie and Ed Shaw were a hopeful duo from the area who went into the studio and gave it a shot, even though neither one of them were particularly strong singers. She had an okay voice, but weak phrasing, so despite the band being kind of decent, the songs turn out sounding clunky and awkward. More's the pity since the original material on Side One is actually pretty good -- some well-crafted country songs that maybe could have gotten some traction, given the right setting. The Shaw's had their own publishing company, Limestone Music, and packed their own material on the first half of the album, filling out Side Two with covers of songs such as "My Music" (a hit for Loggins & Messina in 1973), "Proud Mary" (of course), Bread's "I Want To Make It With You" and "Honeymoon Feeling," which was a hit for Roy Clark in 1974. The cover songs, interestingly enough, are loungier and less satisfying than the originals... I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess the release date on this album was 1974, possibly '75, based on the Roy Clark tune, which was a country hit in 1974. This ain't a great record, but it is one of those self-released vanity albums that has a certain sincerity and charm, and certainly a unique feel that takes you to a place and time all it's own. It's worth checking out, particularly for their version of "Wichita Waitress" (credited to J. Schweer) which is one of the songs on here that could maybe stand to be revived by someone with more solid musical chops...

Connie & The Kandy Kowboys "Out Late On Saturday Night" (Benson Sounds, 19--?) (LP)
Produced by Larry Benson & Gary Duggan)
Sort of an oddball one here -- this was an amateur band from Marysville, Kansas -- near Topeka -- that went all the way down to Benson Studios in Oklahoma to record this album. The group was led by Henry W. Borgerding, a middle-aged guy who met some "setbacks" in his "music career" (as his liner notes put it) and at the urging of his wife decided to record an album of his own. All but one of the songs were written by Borgerding, although they were sung by a local teenager, 13-year old Connie Richter, with backing by several other "young people" from Marysville and environs: Patty Moser (piano), Dolores Pilsch (bass), Dick Smalley (drums), and Kevin Vering on rhythm guitar. Smalley added one song of his own, "The Way I Think Of You," while all the others were Mr. Borgerding's vision. Outside of this album, the only mentions I could find of the group were a handful of show notices in local papers, including shows they did in nearby Beatrice, Nebraska and Manhattan, Kansas. These shows spanned 1971-75, though there was no information about the band itself -- if the same musicians also played live shows, or which end of this spectrum the LP was made. Looking at the cover photos, and in particular the guy's hair, I'm gonna guess that Mr. Borgerding played local gigs for a few years under the "Kandy Kowboys" name and after he gave up the band (around 1975?) he decided to make an album to memorialize those efforts... Judging from how the teens look in the album photos, I'd guess this came out no earlier than 1976, though '77-'78 seems more like it. Anyone who knows more about this disc, feel free to get in touch!

Steve Cormier "Black Bart" (A&R Record Manufacturing, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Strattan)
A longhaired acoustic-folkie set from singer-guitarist Steve Cormier, along with fiddler Greg Allen, who played together in Wichita, Kansas. The repertoire's a mix of older traditional tunes, some country stuff from sources as diverse as Wilf Carter, Ted Daffan, The Delmore Brothers and Steve Fromholtz, as well as a couple of originals by Cormier -- "Black Bart" and "Closing The Bar" -- closing things out with the ever-singable Kansas state song, "Home On The Range." Cormier apparently spent some time as a real-deal cowboy and eventually moved from a generalized coffeehouse folk persona (ala Dakota Dave Hull) into a more concentrated focus on western (cowboy) material, eventually settling down in Sandia Park, New Mexico, as a resident cowboy poet. Around the time this album was made, Cormier was apparently involved in the Market Street Forum in its early 'Seventies nonprofit days, and gives the Forum a shout-out on the back cover.

The Cowan Brothers "Live At The Iron Horse" (Iron Horse, Inc., 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Keith Schrock & Tom Webb)
An earthy live album with a mix of lounge-friendly pop/folk material ("La Bamba," "Malaguena," "Norwegian Wood," et. al.) along with a slew of country stuff, including chestnuts such as "Orange Blossom Special," "Rocky Top" and "Me And Bobby McGee." There are also a few blues tunes and more esoteric material such as a cover of Hoyt Axton's "Snowblind Friend," which had been recorded by the hard rock band Steppenwolf earlier the same year. Chuck and Roger Cowan were musical siblings from Garnett, Kansas, a tiny town dead south of Lawrence, vaguely in the orbit of Kansas City. Chuck Cowan was a hotshot picker who had recorded rock singles way back in the late 1950s, and hit the road to tour with various national acts, including the latter-day orchestras of big band leaders like Woody Herman, Les Baxter, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and even Bob Wills' Texas Playboys... (At least that's what he said on the back of one of his singles in 1978...) Cowan came back to Kansas, however, and contented himself with local legend status, adopting a don't-give-a-hoot attitude and gruff vocal style that reminds me of Jim Dickinson, just without the artsy inclinations. Although he later settled into purposeful sloppiness, this album is more focussed, with an alluring, evocative feel -- still a little loosey-goosey, but with a deep reservoir of talent bristling beneath the surface. The brothers are joined by drummer Skip Switzer (who went on to do a fair amount of studio work) and their pal, Don Kile, playing cello on one track. There's mention of a second Cowan Brothers album, Draggin' The Gut, though I've never actually seen a copy of that one. Both Cowan brothers were recruited by Les Baxter to play on Yma Sumac's 1972 album, Miracles, and Chuck Cowan did an undetermined amount of studio work over the years; he eventually settled down in Overland Park, outside of Kansas City.

Chuck Cowan "Chuck Cowan's Generic Phonograph Record" (Uncle Al's, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Don Kile, Don Blaylock & Violet Cowan)
Full-out nuttiness on this one. A few straight covers, including country numbers like "Roll, Truck, Roll," but mostly this is packed with odd ditties that reflect Cowan's what-the-heck attitude towards the whole show-biz racket, also seen in the hyper-minimalist album art. Recording (at least partially) in a local studio in Emporia, Kansas, he's backed by Ron Jackson on harmonica, percussionist Kim Kirk, Don Kile of bass, and Duane Proctor on acoustic guitar. The insouciant, goofy liner notes drop references to a couple of Northern California towns -- Concord and Walnut Creek -- so Cowan must have spent some time out in San Francisco at some point in the 'Seventies. The overall impression is of a guy who knows he's talented, but doesn't give a flying hoot about making it it in the music business, and recorded a whole album of unmarketable music, just to drive the point home. Which isn't to say this record is "bad" in any way, just that Chuck Cowan was going out of his way to thumb his nose at success, and possibly to get all the folks who were pestering him to join their band to go pester someone else. I'm not sure when this album was recorded -- my copy has a personal inscription on the back cover that was dated sometime in 1985, but even at that late date it could be perhaps suggested that Cowan was working a little bit ahead of his time: if he'd recorded a similar album a few years later, he might have been championed inside the "Americana" scene, which allowed for more introspective, post-folk material similar to some of the songs on here. Also, a lot of the lightly electrified material on Side Two reminds me quite a bit of John Martyn's later recordings. An odd album, definitely worth checking out.

Dan Crary - see artist discography

Debbie Dierks "Lucky Chicago" (Cherish Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Dan Hoffman)
Originally hailing from Kansas, Debbie Dierks made her way to Nashville in the early '70s to try and make it big in Music City. In addition to several singles for the Kansa label, and at age nineteen singer she cut this excellent album for Cherish Records, a side project of radio DJ Dan Hoffman. He produced the record and provided several songs he'd written himself along with other compositions by songwriters in his orbit. It's pure perky, early '70s Nashville pop with bouncy little melodies and just enough twang to make it fun, featuring pedal steel by Bubba Seymour and fiddles by Buddy Spicher. Dierks's plainspoken girl-next-door vocals recall girl-groupish country gals such as Skeeter Davis and Jody Miller -- very pleasant overall. Unfortunately, like many Nashville indies of this era, Cherish was really more of a vehicle for promoting songs rather than artists, and Dierks was simply a vehicle to deliver their hopeful hits. However, she was able to record one song of her own, "Daddy's Little Girl," a heartfelt remembrance of her own father, who had passed away before the family moved to Tennessee. All too quickly, her country career foundered and by '74 she signed with the Christian-oriented Dove label, setting out on a different musical path. Decades later, recording under her married name, Debbie Dierks Montgomery remains a religious singer and has long since moved back to the heartland, living and working in the Kansas City suburbs. This is a fun record, though, if you can manage to track it down!

Jerry Dycke "Memphis Country" (Aries Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Knox Phillips)
Singer Gerald Dyche (aka Jerry Dyke, or Jerry Dycke) was a kid from Auburn, Kansas -- near Topeka. As a teen he appeared on the Brush Creek Follies hillbilly variety show in Kansas City, and tried his hand at both country and pop material at the start of his career. He cut his first single in 1958 while still in college, recording a couple of songs written by local deejay Bob Bobo and went on to record sporadically over the years. In the late '60s he recorded at Sun Records, and during the '70s and early '80s cut several records for the Nashville indie, Churchill Records, grazing the back end of the Top 100 a couple of times in 1980-81. Although he was born in the Midwest, Dycke moved to Fort Myers and became known as a Florida-based artist. This disc was recorded in Memphis, with a very interesting studio crew: songwriter Paul Craft plays guitar, as does Sandra Rhodes, who is better known as a backing vocalist. Dycke also sings one of Craft's songs, a novelty number called "You Went Out Of Your Way (To Walk On Me)," as well as one of his own originals, "A Little More, A Little Less," along with a slew of groovy tunes by the likes of Glen Campbell, Dallas Frazier and Charlie Rich, and even one by future Nashville mogul, Allen Reynolds, and a sitar-ish groover called "Billy Lee's Country Band," written by John Phillips of the Mamas & Papas. Apparently Dyche recorded with Sun Records from roughly 1968-73, with this disc as the capstone of that era.

Jerry Dycke "I Never Said Good-Bye" (Aries Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Ed Penny, Charlie Bragg & Jim Williamson)
This album was recorded in Nashville, with studio pros such as Hargus 'Pig' Robbins and Charlie McCoy in the band. The album features four songs written by producer Ed Penny, while Jerry Dycke contributes one original song of his own, "Daddy Played Harmonica," which turned out to be one of his two entries into the Billboard charts. (The other song, "Beethoven Was Before My Time," is not included on this album, and may have come out only as a single...)

Elk River Biscuit And Gravy Band "Eat It Up" (Rancher Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Arnie Christiansen)
This is one of the most obscure -- and best -- of the hippiebilly swing albums of yesteryear. Apparently these guys were from the teeny, tiny town of Emporia, Kansas, and recorded in nearby Manhattan... Truly the hinterlands of the Midwest... but man, did they rock! The band's fiddler, Mark Kline, was a first-rate talent, joined on a few tunes by local pedal steel player John Briggs as well as the band's own Roger Cook on lap steel, each of them getting in plenty of tasty licks. Lead singer Kenny Craig wrote most of the songs, holding forth in an exaggerated rural drawl that fits the music well. His name-dropping outlaw anthem, "I'm Country," is an album highlight, as is their rugged rendition of John Sebastian's "Jug Band Music." The album's only weak spot comes on the rambling "Singin' Sensation," which is about a bar-band singer who's just trying to get by, moving from gig to gig, which is a fine idea for a song, except that in one verse Craig needlessly includes the n-word in order to underscore just how hard the guy was working. (As in, "working like a...") Oh, well. But overall, this is a very impressive, very listenable, very fun set of prime '70s twang which could stand shoulder to shoulder with classics by Jerry Jeff Walker, Asleep At The Wheel, and others. I'd love to learn more about these guys... anybody out there who can chime in?

Dave English & The Exceptions "Softly Speaking" (Infinity, Inc., 1975-?) (LP)
This one's in here mostly in a "Danger, Will Robinson!" kinda way... I took the bullet, so you don't have to. I had vague hopes that there might be some semi-plausible twang on here, but really I could see where this was headed. This is the kind of guy that people label as "a lounge singer," and they're every bit as cheesy and overly-sincere as advertised. Dunno much about Mr. English, other than that he was from Topeka, Kansas and he really, really, really dug David Gates & Bread, covering no fewer than four of Gates's songs, along with a couple from Jim Croce, a bombastically orchestrated version of Nino Rota's "Speak Softly Love," and other schmaltzy standards such as "It Was A Very Good Year." I think his painfully earnest rendition of "Mr. Bojangles" is the album's most irony-laden "winner," a truly cringeworthy, super-serious performance that stomps all over the song's already-iffy racial politics. But really, who am I to judge? I'm sure there are a few cackling, gleeful soft-rock retro-ologists out there who would really dig this disc, although for country fans, this really doesn't have much to offer.

Sheila Estes "Here's My Heart" (BOC Records, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by B. J. Carnahan & Brad Edwards)
Once in a while you get a child performer who is a true prodigy -- in country music, Brenda Lee or the Collins Kids come to mind -- but often when you come across these kiddie-singer albums, you kind of have to wonder what the dynamic was like between the kids and the loving parents who put them in front of a microphone, even though maybe they weren't quite ready. In the case of Sheila Estes, who was born in Seneca, Kansas and grew up in Topeka, we've got a teen or pre-teen gal who made her onstage debut at a talent show in Branson, sometime around 1981, the same year she cut her first single, a gospel set with two songs also included here, "Blessed Are The Believers" and a version of Kris Kristofferson's "One Day At A Time." To be honest, the pre-teen Ms. Estes wasn't a dazzling vocalist, though I think that's largely due to her voice still needing to mature. Despite her confidence and seeming ease in the studio, she seems to have been prematurely pushed towards "fame," when waiting a few more years might have made all the difference. She did have a plain-spoken, rural charm, though, and you can certainly imagine her recording stronger material as her voice matured. Ms. Estes was backed by the house band at B. J. Carnahan's Audioloft Studios in Mack's Creek, Missouri, a professional group from the Ozarks scene that included bassist Brad Edwards, fiddler Kelly Jones, Gene Reasoner on piano, and steel player Myron Smith -- they didn't give it their all on this album, but they provide pretty solid backing overall.

The Etcetera String Band "The Harvest Hop" (Moon Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Dennis Pash)
I'm running a little far afield on this one, but I just can't resist a good, twangy band from Kansas. This Kansas City, Kansas trio specialized in pre-jazz, pre-country old-timey music, rags and cakewalk instrumentals, with particular emphasis here on composers from Kansas and Missouri, which is what makes this album particularly unique. A handsomely illustrated and copiously researched insert details the careers of regional turn-of-the-century composers such as E. Harry Kelly, Ed Kuhn, Charles L. Johnson and Charles A. Gish who clustered together in Northwestern Missouri, performing together in marching bands and other venues, and whose work complimented that of the better-known Scott Joplin, who hailed from nearby Sedalia, and whose ragtime tunes defined the popular music of the era. Like their obscure idols, the fellas in the Etcetera String Band stuck close to come, playing local gigs mostly in and around Kansas City. This first album is largely defined by the mandolin work of Dennis Pash, with firm but humble accompaniment by guitarist Kevin Sanders and fiddling by Pat Ireland that often seems obscured in the mix. There's not a lot of stylistic or sonic variety to this album, but it is compelling and immersive nonetheless. Highly recommended, particularly for fans of retro-ologists such as Steve Grossman or Bob Brozman.

The Etcetera String Band "Bonne Humeur" (1990-?) (LP)
Years later, the group explored Caribbean and Latin themes, resulting in this album. Eventually, Dennis Pash moved to San Francisco and formed a new group, the prolific Ragtime Skedaddlers, and the remaining bandmembers -- who now included art therapist Bob Ault, and a musical multi-instrumentalist in his own right -- formed a new old-timey/ragtime trio called The Rhythmia.

The Fabulous Continentals "Live At The Grain Bin - Weds. Fri. Sat." (Jerry Sparks Record Productions, 19--?)
(Produced by Jerry Sparks)
An ultra-obscuro LP recorded at the Grain Bin Saloon, in Garden City, Kansas... This band, which included Gary Batchelder, Jerry Wilcox, Carl Knaus, Jimmy Knight and Freddy Morales (on congas!) showed up on the LAS VEGAS GRIND compilation series, though they are definitely playing some real country stuff on this disc. Let's hear it for the Free State!

Frank Fara & Patty Parker "Frank Fara/Patty Parker" (Comstock Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Rooney & Paul Solomon)
A split LP by the founders of the independent Comstock label, which was located in Shawnee, Kansas, outside of Kansas City. Mr. Fara was a former teen idol from Arizona who relocated to Midwest, and co-founded Comstock in the 'Seventies, providing a new venue for many of the region's off-the-radar country artists. Almost all the songs are Frank Fara originals, with the exceptions being a couple of cover songs sung by Ms. Parker, versions of Elvis Presley's old hit, "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" and Ernest Tubb's "Walking The Floor Over You." This may have been the first full LP on their label, though they'd already put out a bunch of singles, starting in 1976.

Mike Finnigan "Mike Finnigan" (Warner Brothers, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Wexler)
Keyboard player to the stars, Mike Finnigan is perhaps best known as a rock, pop and R&B player, and for his work with rock and pop elite such as Jimi Hendrix, Peter Frampton, and Crosby Stills & Nash, but he also had a country side, as heard in parts of this funky, eclectic album, which includes Texas fiddler Johnny Gimble and picker Pete Carr as part of an impressive studio lineup. At the time, according to the liner notes, his day jobs were backing Maria Muldaur and Dave Mason, and Muldaur sings on here as well... Mostly it's a white soul album -- I'm reminded of Bill Champlin on several tracks -- but on songs like "Mississippi On My Mind," "Southern Lady" and "Misery Loves Company," there's a subtle bit of twang. The Stamps Quartet provides some Southern gospel backup, ala the Oak Ridge Boys... Mostly this is too slick and pop-oriented for me, but it's a good slice of eclectic '70s musicmaking, for the more AOR-oriented among us. (Apparently Finnigan also attended college at KU, in Lawrence, and seems to have retired there after his sojourns to the big city...)

John Fitzwater "In A Country State Of Mind" (Out Of Town Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Maggard)
Singer-guitarist John Fitzwater started out playing rock in an late-'Fifties/early-'Sixties band called The Tornadoes, playing regionally around Dodge City. He moved into a series of country groups, including Don Pray's band, and eventually started his own group, Country Fever, which included guitarist Jerry Wilcox who had been playing with Fitzgerald since the early '70s. Around the time this album was recorded, Wilcox died in a parachuting accident, though Fitzgerald and the band -- which included Wilcox's son, Darrin, on drums -- kept plugging away despite the tragedy. Fitzwater seems to have left Country Fever by decade's end, although the band stayed together for several decades, with a lineup that has shifted over the years. This album was distributed by MCA, though it remained a regional release.

The Fugitives "Two Sides Of The Fugitives" (Kanwic Records, 1971-?) (LP)
(Produced by Curtis Kirk)
A country covers band from southern Kansas, right above the Oklahoma state line, with several members hailing from Arkansas City, just south of Wichita, and one guy from nearby Winfield, both towns located in Cowley Country (which I'd never heard of, either...) as well as a fifth member from Oxford, KS, in neighboring Sumner County. The group was made up of rhythm guitarist Lowell Adams, Lewis Black (lead guitar), Bill Jordan (bass), Steve Kanelakos (rhythm guitar), and Wilbur Killblane on drums... These were guys in their thirties and early forties with differing levels of musical experience: drummer Wilbur Killblane (1929-2019) was a Cessna employee who had been playing in local bands since his high school days, and for many years was a member of the Flint Hill Playboys, a western swing band that later changed its name to The Sons Of The Saddle, while Bill Jordan had been in a Kansas City-based band called The Deserters. The repertoire on this album is pretty strictly cover tunes, with classics by Hank Snow and Hank Williams, but a heavy tilt towards newer material, including a few Merle Haggard hits and a cover of Dave Kirby's "Is Anybody Going To San Antone," which helps date this disc to at last 1970, or thereabouts.

Johnny Gatewood "Heartaches And Honky Tonks" (Kash Records, 198-?) (LP)
(Produced by Sonny Deaton & Phil Harris)
Honkytonker Johnny Gatewood was born in Independence Missouri and played in the Kansas City area, as well as touring in various country road shows during the '60s and '70s. He later settled down in tiny, rural Inman, Kansas (just north of Wichita) and for many years played shows in the nearby towns of Hutchinson and Salina. For this album he traveled to Nashville to get studio pros like steel player Doug Jernigan to back him Somewhere I heard that this was his second album, and that the first one was also recorded in Nashville, though I haven't been able to confirm that info yet; he also released several singles, though I don't have all of that info either.

Johnny Gatewood "The Johnny Gatewood Show" (Horse Shoe Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Frazier & Johnny Gatewood)
I kinda dig the country album covers that picture the artists in bars... Sometimes they tell you a lot about the musicians or their fans, and the kinds of places they called home. I'm not sure which (if any) of the gals posed with Johnny Gatewood were in his band, though it's possible they all were: the liner notes credit the band as Dell Daugherty on steel guitar, Roger Enns (steel), Maxine Gatewood (harmony vocals), Shirley Gatewood (bass), Diane Jackson (vocals), Allen Jones (banjo), Susie Schrag (drums), Tom Swofford (vocals) and Joe Wieneman on fiddle. It's cool that this was an all-local crew, as opposed to his previous pilgrimage to Nashville... The Jimmy Gatewood Show performed regularly in central Kansas throughout the mid-to-late '80s, as seen in numerous 1984-88 show notices in local papers from Hutchinson and Salina. On the back cover, Gatewood gives an address in Sterling, Kansas, which like Inman was a little north of Hutchinson. Alas, no mention of which bar they were in.

Lilah Gillett & Harvey Prinz "Prairie Wild Flowers" (Audio House High Fidelity, 1978) (LP)
Recorded at the fabled Audio House studios in Lawrence, Kansas, this is actually more of a folkie thing, an atypical set of hammered dulcimer music by two adherents of the instrument who lived in Overland Park, Kansas. Reverend Harvey L. Prinz (1931-2012) was an ordained minister in the Lutheran church who also handcrafted dulcimers, while Ms. Gillett learned the instrument from her father, who started a group for dulcimer enthusiasts in the early 1960s in Michigan. Prinz introduced himself to Gillett in 1975 after reading about her in a local newspaper, and they formed a duet in 1977, the same year they founded the Prairie Dulcimer Club. Apparently their stylistic approach was unusual, opting for a slower "sweet" style, rather than the breakneck pace that many dulcimer artists preferred. They performed together at the Walnut Valley bluegrass festival in Winfield, Kansas; for several years running, Rev, Prinz was tapped by the festival to custom build a dulcimer to be awarded as one of their competition prizes. Originally from Davenport, he returned to Iowa in 1987 after securing a position at a local church, where he served as pastor for about ten years before retiring.

Lilah Gillett & Harvey Prinz "Happy Hammering" (Audio House High Fidelity, 1979) (LP)

Joanie Gilmore & The Cascades "Joanie Gilmore And The Cascades" (Gil-Key Records, 1965-?) (LP)
(Produced by R. M. Caskey)
An ultra-DIY set from 1960's Topeka, Kansas, with cool, Wanda Jackson-ish vocals by Ms. Gilmore. By the way... Anyone out there have a copy they could lend me? I'd love to hear the whole thing.

Tony Glenn "Grandpaw's Raising" (Hardware Music, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Al LeDoux, Paul Goldberg & Gary Laney)
A prolific songwriter with work dating back to the 1970s, Tony Glenn Bessire was a farm kid who grew up around a series of feedlots and ranches in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas managed by their dad, who eventually settled down in Ulysses, Kansas, a tiny town in the southwestern corner of the state, near Dodge City. Along with his brother Mick, he formed a band called Ulysses Hardware, named after the store their dad owned and ran for nearly forty years. They worked regionally in Colorado and Texas, cut an album in 1976, then disbanded when Mick Dessire went to college and Tony Glenn headed for Nashville. Along the way he did some rodeo riding and met future Top Forty star Chris LeDoux, who recorded several of Bessire's tunes, including "Call Of The Wild," "The Lights Of Amarillo," "Navajo Wrangler." Bessire also worked with New Mexican twangster Jake Brooks, who pitches in on this album. Most of the tracks are Tony Glenn originals, with the other songs written by Jake Brooks and Terry Smith, including gems such as "All I Know About Rodeo," "Skoal Between Her Teeth" and "Once Around Heaven," "Twice Around Hell," and "Interstate Forty," a song that should resonate with a bunch of folks around the country.

Tony Glenn "Summer Thunder" (American Cowboy Songs, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Al LeDoux & Paul Goldberg)
This disc was recorded in Nashville with a bunch of studio pros -- Jimmy Capps, Mark Casstevens, Steve Chapman, Hal Rugg, Buddy Spicher, et.al. -- and is once again packed with Tony Bessire originals. He also recorded at least one later album (under his full name) in the digital era, 2001's Tailgate Party, and seems to have followed Jake Brooks down to Texas, where they continued to write and record together.

Larry Good "Movin' Country" (Lari-Jon Records, 19--?) (LP)
This indie album includes a bunch of original songs, including two by Kansas City honkytonker Larry Good, two more by Charlie Craig and a couple by old-timer Redd Stewart... Apparently Good was a minor-league baseball player 'way back in the '50s, but got into music after that, first as a rockabilly artist, and later singing country. Not sure, but I think this album was from the late '70s -- he also has a bunch of singles, including several indie tracks from the early 1960s, some of which are gathered on the KANSAS CITY COUNTRY ROCKERS compilation album. (Thanks to the KCLawrencevinyl blog for background info on this one...)

The Grand Poo-Bah Beaner Band "It Must Be A Breakdown" (Rising Star Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Chuck Chapman)
Basically a decent "progressive" bluegrass band from the Kansas City area, with Byrds-y harmonies and a repertoire that spanned from traditional material to more rock-pop oriented stuff such as covers of Dylan's "I Shall Be Released," "Friend Of The Devil" by the Dead, and Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain." The vocals aren't great, but the picking was fine, particularly Jan Carlson's banjo, and some sweet mandolin riffs on their version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," which is an album highlight. On their version of "Cold Sailor," they give Kansas a little shout-out, which is cute. No original material on here, as far as I can tell, but some nice picking.

The Great White Possum String Company "The Great White Possum String Company" (Professional Artist Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Parvin Tramel)
Formed at the start of 1976, this bluegrassy band took their name from an early, pioneer-days nickname for Kansas City... According to the liner notes, they met at a KCMO music shop called the Possum Trot Pickin' Parlor, which was defunct by the time this album came out, and played local festivals and fairs. Lead singer Don Hupp lived in nearby Olathe, Kansas, and the other members -- Gary Gray (banjo), Bill Norton (bass), Mark Pusell (lead guitar), and Tony Rodriguez (fiddle and mandolin) -- were from Kansas City and environs, augmented by fiddler Kirk Brandenberger, of Kirksville, Missouri, in the northern end of the state. As far as I know this was their only album, and has them trotting their way through a mix of bluegrass and stringband standards like "Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor," contemporary bluegrass numbers from J. D. Crowe and Tony Rice, country standards and folk-rock tunes such as Gene Clark's "Tried So Hard."

The Greenfield Hands "Shades Of Country" (Greenfield Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Harold L. King)
A longhaired country band from Hesston, Kansas, just north of Wichita. They play country hits, mostly standards such as "Daddy Sang Bass," "Green, Green Grass Of Home," "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Why Me, Lord," along with some original material, such as guitarist Jon Miller's "Sagebrush" and "Hobo Train," written by bassist Harold King. The group also included Bryce Goering on steel guitar, Bill Martin (vocals), Del K. Paulson (drums), Marlow V. Penner (rhythm guitar), Kenny Smallwood (bass) and lead singer Phil Thompson. I'm not sure if any of these guys played in other bands, or made other records, but this disc's a nice legacy.

Ray Hildebrand "He's Everything To Me" (Word Records, 1967) (LP)
Gospel folkie Ray Hildebrand had an interesting history... A Texas native, he emerged as a Kennedy-era pop star as half of the vocal duo Paul & Paula, topping the charts with his single, "Hey, Paula," which led to a high-profile whirlwind of international stardom. He got burnt out after a couple of years, though, and left show business in 1965 in order to finish college. Hildebrand moved to Kansas City, Kansas and beginning in 1967, he reemerged as a gospel singer, becoming one of the pioneers of what would eventually be known as Contemporary Christian music. I'm not sure, but I think this may have been his first album, with over half the songs his own originals... Plus, dig that rockin' crew cut!

Ray Hildebrand "Special Kind Of Man" (Myrrh/Word Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Ray Hearn, Rick Horton & David McKinley)
An exemplary hippie-era country-rock gospel album, mixing modern musical approaches into old songs and new. Although many of his albums have a pop/folk feel, this one is notable for its overt country twang, with superb backing by roots music revivalist Norman Blake, who plays banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin, along with steel guitar player Curly Chalker, who adds some slightly chunky licks reminiscent of Jerry Garcia's "Teach Your Children" riffs. It's not all country and bluegrass twang, though -- several songs have an innovative hippie rock feel, notably his wild reinterpretation of Alfred E. Brumley's "I'll Fly Away," which is recast as a slow, slinky roots-funk number. Other notable tracks include his version of Chuck Girard's "Little Country Church," a wide-eyed, open-hearted hootenanny anthem about how the churches of today ain't like they was back in grandpa's back -- no stern lectures, just happy, happy times, praising the Lord. It has to be said, in all honesty, that many of these songs have a similarly goopy, booster-ish feel, seeking to make a pitch for the ecstatic spiritualism of the longhaired "Jesus freak" movement, which appealed to counterculture types looking for religious solace amid the social turbulence of the Nixonian era. Although there are several very good tracks on this record, there are also a few that dip into pretty dorky, gosh-heck lyrics, where the fervor for conversion takes precedence over musical finesse. Still, it's a great example of the style, and if you're looking into country-rock Christian music, this one's a classic.

Ed Hinkle "Flint Hills Ramblin' " (Wilbur Sound Studios, 1983-?) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Lourie)
Old-timey instrumentals of the Depression era Blue Sky Boys-ish style... An old-timer himself when this record was made, multi-instrumentalist Edgar N. Hinkle plays banjo, fiddle, electric and acoustic guitar and a plangent mandolin reminiscent of early stuff by Jim & Jesse. He was born near Wakefield, Kansas and was in a regional band called the Rhythm Wranglers, earning the nickname "the Flint Hills Wrangler." This album was recorded in Salina, Kansas with a few other locals backing him up, including Phillip North on bass, Marcy Warren on keyboards and Bill Hinkle on drums. In general, they are a bit clunky on the rhythm end of things, though Hinkle is definitely a talented fellow. An unassuming, low-key set by real, live amateur musicians. Includes several regionally-themed originals ("Flint Hills Boogie," "Flint Hills Waltz," etc.) as well as classics such as "Old Joe Clark."

Bennie Holtsclaw "God, Family, And Friends" (Melody Wings Music, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by John Leavitt, Jr., Barry Dirks & John Salem)
This may have been the first full album by country-gospel auteur Bennie Holtsclaw, who lived in Cedar Point, Kansas, a tiny town roughly northeast of Wichita. He had made a few singles in the late 'Seventies, but notes on the back of this album that folks had been encouraging him for years to cut an album of his own stuff, which he finally did on this record. All but one song here is a Holtsclaw original, with the lone exception being a cover of the old Jimmie Davis hymn, "Suppertime." Some of the songs, like "Daddy I Want To Be A Cowboy" and "He's Just As Close To Heaven As He Wants To Be," were earlier released as a single, though apparently those were different versions than the ones included here. The band backing him in the Wichita-based studio seem to be locals, including guitarist Tom DeMaster, Paul Elwood (banjo) producer John Leavitt (piano), Lee Velasquez (bass) and a little bit of flute from Lorraine Webb.

Bennie Holtsclaw "Lots Of Love" (Melody Wings Music, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by John Leavitt, Jr.)
A gospel offering from Cedar Point, Kansas, with a half-dozen Bennie Holtsclaw originals, including a couple that have local, Kansas-specific references, "My Kansas Flint Hills" and "A World Champion Cowboy," a recitation song which pays tribute to a couple of local rodeo riders. Holtsclaw has kind of a tremulous voice, one that I'd perhaps call "churchy," but there's definite true twang on here as well, with fiddle, banjo and mandolin added to a basic, Nashville-style electric-country backdrop, all performed by local artists. This album -- which isn't earthshaking, but has its charms -- was made a long time ago, though Holtsclaw kept writing, recording and self-releasing for years to come, still holding down the fort in Cedar Point.

Bennie Holtsclaw "Jesus Loves Me" (Melody Wings Music, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by John Leavitt, Jr.)

Bennie Holtsclaw "Bring Me My Wings, Lord" (Good Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Dwight Good & Jim Zebrowski)
There's some sort of connection here with a label in Anaheim, California, but Mr. Holtsclaw was still very much a Kansan when he cut this, still living in Cedar Point. He covers a bunch of fairly hip folks -- Dallas Frazier ("The Baptism Of Jess Taylor"), Kris Kristofferson ("One Day At A Time"), Hank Williams ("House Of Gold") and you know me: I'm always in favor of a good version of Alfred Brumley's "I'll Fly Away." The albums originals include the title track, "Bring Me My Wings, Lord," along with "No Vacancy," "Search In Matthew, Mark, Luke And John," and "Won't You Come Unto Me." The backing musicians include Paul Bahn, Tim Jaquette, Tom Keene and Ron Ragon, though sadly there's no indication of who played what.

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

Peter Isaacson "...Sings The Songs Of Dylan, Donovan, Lightfoot, Hardin And Others" (Altair Records, 1971) (LP)
Can't get much more "folkie" than this... I think Pete Isaacson started out as a folk singer in Wichita, Kansas (correct me if I'm wrong!) and he was known even as far back as the late '60s for adding electric guitar and drums to his band. Check out below for some info on Isaacson's country side...

Peter & John Isaacson "Peter & John Isaacson" (Philo/Fretless Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Peter & John Isaacson)
A nice set of casual-sounding folk-and-country from brothers John and Peter Isaacson, with Peter being the main songwriter, lead singer and guitarist. Some of the songs are too far into the straight-up 'Seventies folk sound for my tastes, though nothing on here is at all unpleasant... The country stuff is really nice, though, particularly with the dreamy pedal steel licks added by Herb Jones on songs like "Coming Home To Houston." I thought maybe Isaacson's wife Karen was singing uncredited on a tune on a tune or two, but listening closer, it might actually be his brother, adding a near-falsetto counterpoint with a touch of the uncanny "brother harmony" feel. A really sweet, soulful album that holds up well over the years.

Johnny & Vernon "The New Young Country Sound Of Johnny & Vernon" (Mount Vernon Music, 19--?) (LP)
Johnny Dubas and Vernon R. Sandusky (1939-2020) were a pair of clean-cut lads from Scranton, Pennsylvania and Coffeyville, Kansas, respectively, who were both 23-years old when they cut this album. This is an early 'Sixties outing -- the liner notes tell us they'd been "performing together since 1959," though I don't know if that means they'd also made other records, or when this one came out. (I'm guessing around 1962-63.) There may have been some original material on here, though songwriter credits weren't included. By 1964 Sandusky and Dubas shifted gears and formed a Beatles-y rock band called the Chartbusters, which supposedly was the inspiration for the greatest movie of all time, the Tom Hanks-directed documentary, That Thing You Do. Vernon Sandusky later joined Rodney Lay's Wild West, which became the backing band for Hee Haw star Roy Clark, a gig that lasted over twenty years, including playing on the Hee Haw show. Sandusky also recorded an album of his own on the GBS label, sometime around 1980 or so. (See below.)

Carl Johnson & The Esquires "Country Western Songs" (Emir Records, 19--?) (LP)
A middle-aged businessman from Gardner, Kansas, a tiny town in the greater KC area, Carl Johnson took a trip up to Burlington, Iowa to cut this disc with some local kids -- Mike Christy, Dick Seals, and Gary Smith -- who seem to have been the house band for the delightfully obscure Emir label. The liner notes inform us these lads had previously played at the "Gottlinberg Grand Ole Opry," by which they probably meant the Ole Red opry in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. At any rate, I don't think these guys were Mr. Johnson's own band, since Christy and Smith both lived in Burlington. My guess is he didn't really have a band and that music was more of an avocation than a full-time pursuit... Mr. Johnson puts his heart on his sleeve with two rather similar-sounding songs, "Salesman Blues" and "Sales Rep Blues," which I assume are originals, though alas, there are no song credits. There are cover tunes as well, including weepers such as "Bouquet Of Roses" and "Green, Green Grass Of Home," though it's a version of Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through The Night" that helps us peg this as an early 'Seventies release.

Ann Jones - see artist discography

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

Rodney Lay "Silent Partners" (Sun Records, 1981) (LP)
A modest success as a solo artist, singer Rodney Lay was a teenager rocker in the late '50s and early '60s, going out on the road on package tours with rockabilly stars such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Wanda Jackson, before returning to the Midwest to work as a radio DJ in Coffeyville, Kansas. As with many first-generation rockers, Lay drifted towards country music and scored a few hits as a songwriter, composing tunes that were recorded by the likes of Waylon Jennings, Bob Luman and Hank Thompson in the late-1960s... He was also a protege of Roy Clark, becoming the bandleader for Clark's touring group (which doubled as Lay's own band, the Wild West, and backed Clark on several albums...) Lay also worked as a cast member of the '80s edition of Hee Haw TV show, again, under Roy Clark's wings.

Rodney Lay "Heartbreak" (MCA/Churchill Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Nereco & Joe Bob Barnhill)
This album includes several songs that grazed the Top 100, such as "Happy Country Birthday Darling," "You Could Have Heard A Heart Break" and his highest-charting single, "I Wish I Had A Job To Shove," which peaked at #45, a plaintive answer to Johnny Paycheck's old '78 hit. Lay was an okay singer, with some performances better than others... Musically, this was a bit of a throwback, a relatively rootsy, honkytonk-ish set of good old weepers and novelty songs that sounded a bit like early Moe Bandy, even as the synthy side of '80s country was beginning to pick up steam. The record includes a duet with Roy Clark on "I'm A Hog For You." Not a great album, but it's certainly worth a spin.

Don LeBeaux "A Part Of Me" (Comstock Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Patty Parker, John Williamson & Tom Laney)
This one's a little bit of a mystery disc: the Comstock label (and presumably Mr. LeBeaux?) was from Shawnee, Kansas, on the outskirts of Kansas City. However, he went to Nashville to record this album, with studio pros like Tony Migliore on piano, and both Hal Rugg and Sonny Garrish playing steel guitar. But other than that, the guy is a complete mystery. Anyone out there have any clues?

The (Singing) Ledbetters "Waitin', Longing, Yearnin' " (A Smile From Heaven Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Dale McCoy)
A perky family gospel band from Wichita, Kansas who really threw themselves into their music and had an amazingly prolific recording career, with at least ten albums under their belt that I'm aware of.... Led by their dad, Glenn Ledbetter, the group generally take a pretty upbeat approach and were willing to let the Oklahoma City studio musicians at Benson Sound cut loose with some twangy chicken-pickin' licks which don't overwhelm the vocals, but do add to their uneven, rural charm. (The steel player isn't identified, but guitarist Jimmy Jay may have added them in as overdubs; other studio help comes from pianist/arranger Larry Benson, Stan Bonham (bass), and drummer Rex Stafford, as well as a string section drawn from the OCO Orchestra...) My attention was drawn to a couple of songs by the Hemphills, though Glenn Ledbetter also contributes a couple of his own originals; the album also features three songs by the otherwise-unfamiliar Harold Herrington. A little chaotic at times, though personally I prefer that to the too-perfect stuffiness of many other gospel records.

Don Lee see artist profile

Shana Lynette & Midwest Express "On The Right Track" (1985) (LP)
Hailing from Pittsburg, Kansas, Shana Lynette seems to have started out as a teenager performer, cutting an earlier, holiday-themed EP, with the oh-so-promising "Mr. Russian, Please Don't Shoot Down Santa's Sleigh" and "Getting Ready For Christmas." Here, despite the late date (mid-1980s) and the young country look, she covers a lot of oldies, stuff like "Hey Good Lookin'," "I Fall To Pieces," "Statue Of A Fool," and (yet another) version of Mickey Newberry's "American Trilogy." She throws in a few new tunes, as well, such as "Smoky Old Barroom" and "Whole Lotta Country In Me." The band includes Joey Adams, Scott Avery, Bill Boren, Doug Hudson and Mick Johnson, with help from Nashvillers Willie Rainsford and the Cates Sisters providing backing vocals.

Margaret & The Country Kids "Margaret And The Country Kids" (Artco Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Hartman)
A family band led by Margaret Stewart, a rancher from Cottonwood Falls, Kansas who also was a well-known square dance caller in the Oklahoma-Kansas region. She sings and plays mandolin, with a cast of dozens both backing her up and sharing the spotlight. The album includes songs written by her daughter, Judith Roper ("Granny's Teenage Queen," "It Started From A Dream," "John's Old Sal") and producer Tom Hartman ("Gingerbread Man," "Good Old Country Music," "Down Home"). The group performed at local rodeos and other events, and this album, which was recorded at Associated Recording Artists studio in Oklahoma City, and was written up in Billboard magazine, as part of an overview of the Oklahoma country scene of 1973.

Martina McBride - see artist discography

Jimmie McCartney "Country Gospel Time" (ARTS/Art's Recording And Tape Studio, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Art Pemberton)
A fine set of great, old-fashioned country gospel, with plenty of true twang and some pleasantly rough edges, kinda like Ernest Tubb fronting the old Jim & Jesse band, but a little more low-rent, filled with old-timey hymns, recitation songs and weepers such as "Little Tom," "Room 204," with plenty of plangent pickin' and heartfelt vocals. Back in the early 1950s, guitar picker Jimmie McCartney was a honky-tonk roughneck who joined one of Kansas City's hottest country bands, Dan Harless & The Trailblazers in 1948, then broke off to form his own group, The Midwesterners around 1955. He was a local headliner for several years, though living the fast life soon took its toll. The way Mr. McCartney tells it, his life soon spun out of control, filled with booze, drugs and all sorts of sin. He got religion at a revival meeting in 1961 and quit the secular scene. He never laid down his old guitar, though, and started cutting country gospel material instead, with this album as a fine example. He's backed here by several other right-minded locals, Bill Howell on bass, Dallas Nichols playing mandolin, and lap steel player Paul Tribble; Mr. Tribble also contributes a couple of his own original songs, and sings lead on a few tunes in a voice that's every bit as creaky and thick as Mr. McCartney's. This album simply oozes with sincerity and authenticity, their fervid Christian faith only enhanced by the musically ragged, amateurish edges. McCartney lived in Kansas City, hosting a Saturday morning radio show on KCLO and attending the Calvary Temple church on Sundays, though this album was recorded across the state line at Art Pemberton's studio in Lansing, Kansas, a small town close to Leavenworth penitentiary. Mr. Permberton was a radio professional and also an accomplished guitar picker in the Merle Travis style. Although I don't think he plays on here, Art Pemberton later backed other local gospel acts such as the Singing Straub Family on their albums. In 1975 he partnered up with Jimmie McCartney and his wife Margie, when they opened their Gospel Center Ministries, in KCMO, a revival program that featured a plenty of music, and became a way-station for touring southern gospel bands; Jimmie McCartney led the GC Ministries as pastor until 1998, when he passed the torch to a younger fella. Not sure just how many records he made over his career, but this disc's a doozy.

Midnight Flyer "First Flight" (Air Midwest Rescue Music, 1980) (LP)
This was a country-rock band from the Kansas/Missouri axis, apparently from out int he hinterlands of Hays, Kansas and nearby Salina, north of Wichita. There's not a lot of info about these guys online, but I'm all ears if you know more than me...

Midnight Flyer "A Quart Short & Three Bricks Shy" (Air Midwest Rescue Music, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Mark Meckel & Jack Trice)
On their second album, the band included Jack Trice on lead guitar and vocals, drummer Dean Kranzler, bassist Leon Holl, and Paul Draper on keyboards. Though not listed as an official member of the band, Kansas City-area picker John Briggs adds pedal steel and harmonica on several tracks -- Briggs also recorded as a solo artist and put out at least one album, several years after this. All the songs on here were written by Trice, except for "The Outside Man," which was written by bass player Leon Holl, and features him singing lead.

Chuck Millhuff "...In Nashville" (Proclaim Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Col. Dave Mathes)
A Kansas City-area Christian pastor, singer Chuck Millhuff led a successful ministry in the KC suburb of Olathe, Kansas, and continued evangelizing well into the 21st Century. He was firmly entrenched in the Southern Gospel scene, seen here by liner note testimonials by Bill Gaither and Brock Speer, as well as the inclusion of several songs co-written by Gaither and Milhuff. For this disc he made a pilgrimage to Music City and adds distinctly Nashville-ian production to his message, in this case a 'Sixties-era pop-vocal sound that shows the influence of crooner Jim Reeves and spotlights Anita Kerr-esque backing vocals. (Indeed, although no studio musicians are listed by name, I would guess that the female chorus actually was the Kerr crew, though I can't say for sure.) Several tracks open with robust flourishes of life, though most lapse into a more sedate feel... Overall, though, this religious set does deliver on its promise of a country touch, and is worth checking out if you enjoy hearing where these two styles meet.

Chuck Millhuff "Feelin' Country Good" (A+R Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Cline & Chuck Millhuff)
Early '70s Christian music with surprisingly robust country arrangements, including Christian folk star Phil Keaggy playing guitar. Milhuff was not a great singer, but this is a legitimately twangy record, with some nice pickin' on it, and a more laid-back, down-home feel than his other albums. Worth a spin!

Billy Mize - see artist discography

Neita & The Drifters "Introducing..." (Audio House Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ed Down & Larry Miller)
An archetypal custom-label indie album by an informal country'n'oldies band out of Lawrence, Kansas, featuring a middle-aged gal named Neita Bahnmaier on piano, organ and vocals, along with several local lads, several of whom also sing lead on a track or two: Harvey Boyd on drums, David Cloud (lead guitar), Lynn McKenzie (bass), Leo McMullen (harmonica), Mickey Penny (lead guitar) and Bill Smith (rhythm guitar). Born in 1929, Mrs. Bahnmaier and her husband Joe lived on the outskirts of town, in rural Lecompton, although it isn't hard to imagine that the younger bandmembers were in some local rock bands, and possibly were enrolled at Kansas University... (I'm speculating: for the life of me, I couldn't find biographical info about most of these folks, other than Mr. McKenzie, who lived in Oskaloosa and passed away in 2003...) Anyway, this is an amateurish album that's easy to be charmed by, with some easy-to-play oldies such as "All Shook Up," "Johnny B. Goode," "Kansas City" (of course!) and also a decent amount of country stuff, tunes like "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Paper Roses" and "Snow Bird" (with Mrs. Bahnmaier singing lead.) My personal favorite is their unlikely cover of Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour," which could be dismissed as too whitebread and too rock'n'roll, but which I hear as an unexpectedly groovy power-pop version... And in case anyone's keeping track, they also cover "Proud Mary," in this version, a duet between Neita and picker Mickey Penny. I'm not sure if these folks did much in the way of live public performances, but this is a pretty cute little album.

Mike O'Roark & The Freeborn Men - see artist discography

The Outpost Family "The Family Sings" (Shiloh Records, 1981-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Humphrey)
Some nice, simple bluegrass and stringband music from a group out of Winfield, Kansas. This was a family band, led by Don Wise and his wife Donna, along with various kids and their partners, as well as a gaggle of little kids. Mr. Wise had been in a Wichita rock band back in the 1950s, but had to quit after an accident that paralyzed his lower body. After the family moved to Winfield in 1976, they got into bluegrass music, and over the years performed at a number of festivals and contests. I think this was their first album, and while the band steadily moved towards an all-gospel repertoire, this set is almost all secular, packed with standards such as "Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms" and "Jesse James," Leadbelly's "Cottonfields" and "Heart To Heart" from the Stanley Brothers." There are also a couple of originals written by Mr. Wise, one called "The Country" and "Skunk In The Chicken House." The album ends with a gospel medley -- pointing towards things to come -- though the track pairs a couple of standards, "I'll Fly Away" and "I Saw The Light" with a tune I confess I never saw fitting into the country gospel genre, Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin'." Though this album was released on a nationally-distributed bluegrass label, it was recorded back home at an indie studio in Wichita, with the band self-releasing their subsequent albums...

The Outpost Family "How About You?" (Outpost Records, 1982-?) (LP)
I think this was their second album, and includes more original material, such as "One More Songs For The King" and "Sold On Jesus," written by Don Wise, and "The Plains," which was co-written with his son-in-law, flatpicker Barry Hus. Nice stuff!

The Outpost Family Band "A Little Outpost Of Heaven" (Outpost Records, 1984) (LP)
While the second side of this album is all gospel material, Side One is mainly secular, though devoted to, well, to nostalgia more than anything else... There are some rural twang oldies, such as "Rabbit In A Log," as well as more modern sentimental songs like "Grandma's Feather Bed," "Crawdad Hole," "Song Of The South" and -- not to put too fine a point on it -- one called "The Good Old Days." The gospel stuff is equally a mix of old tunes and modern emulations, ranging from "Do Lord " and "Leaning On The Everlasting" to Donna Fargo's anthemic '70s pop-country hit, "You Can't Be A Beacon," which remains a great singalong song.

The Outpost Family Band "Sing A Happy Song" (Outpost Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by The Outpost Family)

Portland Rose "Portland Rose" (197--?) (LP)
An amiable but amateurish country-oriented bar-band from Salina, Kansas... This trio included singer-guitarist Jack H. Trice III, bass player Tom Cannon and drummer Dean Kranzler, galloping through a spunky set of cover songs that draws on the Eagles ("Tequila Sunrise"), Merle Haggard ("Swingin' Doors," "White Line Fever," "Mama Tried"), Willie Nelson ("Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain") and a couple of rock'n'roll oldies for good measure. The liner notes tout the band's versatility and experience playing, rodeos, weddings and supper clubs, and boasts that they have 140 songs in their repertoire... Still, they're pretty ragged around the edges, with the drummer adding wild fills and extra beats on song after song, and the guitar and bass also a bit wobbly in terms of the meter and melody. It's charming, but a little chaotic, though not outright bad, by any means. (There's no date on the album, but it's definitely a mid-'70s affair... I'm guessing 1975-ish(?) (BTW - the band's name refers to the old Union Pacific passenger line, the Portland Rose, a first-class service that ran from Saint Louis out to the west coast, with a stop at Salina along the way... In 1969, the company cut back service on the smaller stations, including Salina, and was discontinued altogether when Amtrak was established in 1971. Also, it should be mentioned that drummer Dean Kranzler went on to become a music teacher at various central Kansas school, including a staff position at Kansas Wesleyan University.)

Bill Post "Where In The World But Kansas?" (DJB Records, 19--?) (LP)
Evangelical preacher William H. Post returned to his native Kansas after a fling with fame in the California music biz, where he and his wife Dorothy worked as staff writers for the American Music publishing house, which placed songs with Lawrence Welk, The Lettermen, and others. The Posts co-wrote a tune called "Sixteen Reasons," which was a hit for Connie Stevens, but there was something about big city life that turned them off, and they came home to the Sunflower State, where they settled into the nascent Southern gospel/tent show Christian music scene. Bill Post is perhaps best remembered for his regional pride anthem, "Where In The World But Kansas?" which became sort of a runner-up state song back in the '60s and '70s. Bill Post also had his own musical ministry, anchored by his family, but also with some other local talent.

Bill Post "...Tells His Life Story" (DJB Records, 19--?) (LP)
This jaunty live album includes a version of "Where In The World But Kansas?" as well as several recitations and a lot of stage patter from Mr. Post. Avuncular but not quite smarmy, he clearly considered himself kind of a big fish in a small pond, and projected an aura of of-course-I'm-famous confidence. He frequently made joshing reference to his son and other family members, banter which has the same sense of mild uncomfortability generated by secular country artists such as Bobby Bare and Conway Twitty when they thrust their kids into the spotlight. Though perhaps not all that "country," this is a nice snapshot of a fairly slick evangelical Christian road show of the late '60s or early '70s.

Pott County Pork And Bean Band "Spreadin' It" (Pott County Fine Arts, 1975) (LP)
A Kansas City area band which was formed in the late '60s and played regionally for years before recording their first album... Their hometown of Wamego, in Pottawottamee County, Kansas is just east of Topeka, and about as heartland as you can get... Their first album was was recorded after the band had been together for years, and it's a pretty solid hippie-country outing, with strong debts to the Grateful Dead and their offshoot band, the New Riders Of The Purple Sage, both stylistically and in choice of repertoire... Most (maybe all?) of the songs are cover tunes, played with lots of energy and drive, with solid picking that stands out from the DIY/private pressing crowd. The songs include stuff like "Panama Red," from the NRPS, Dylan's "Nashville Skyline," Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried," and the Dead's "New Lee Highway Blues..." You kinda see where they were coming from... Not super original, but pretty good overall!

Pott County Pork And Bean Band "Western Electric" (Pott County Fine Arts, 1980) (LP)
On their second album, the Pott County band let their hair down (even more) and embraced a looser, more twang, less rock sound, with more emphasis on bluegrass and western swing-flavored solos, more fiddle, and most of all a powerful lineup of original songs. It's a big change from their first album, and another first-rate hippiebilly album. Worth tracking down, though for now you can find free, clean downloads on the band's website: http://pottcountyporkandbeanband.com

Prairie Fire "Prairie Fire" (Prairie Fire Music, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Gilbert)
A bluegrass band from Topeka, Kansas, with Mary Schmaus-Franzke (vocals, guitar), Mark Franzke (vocals, banjo, mandolin), Greg Allen (vocals, fiddle) and Marvin Pine on bass... As far as I know, this was their only album. They thank Kansas twangster Gary Kirkland in the liner notes, though they don't cover his material, and he doesn't seem to play on this album... The repertoire include tunes by Harley Allen, Lester Flatt, Herb Pedersen's "Old Train," and a Stanley Brothers tune.

Don Pray "My Best To You" (19--?) (LP)
A longtime fixture on the Kansas country scene, Don Pray (1939-2013) started his band, The Nashville Sound, back in 1964, playing regional gigs for several decades, while balancing a vigorous weekly performance schedule with his day job as an insurance salesman in Dodge City. This collection, which was posted on the Midwest Music Network website may or may not have come out as an actual album; if so, the cover art looks fairly modern, late 1980s at the very least, though the recordings may have originally been from older singles or home recordings. Anyway, it's nice stuff -- firm, reverential covers of country classics such as "Candy Kisses," "Folsom Prison," "Hello Darlin'," "Move It On Over," "You Needed Me," and the like. It's a wide range of material, though Mr. Pray seems to have had a soft spot for ballads, where he could really dig into his warm vocal tone, sort of a mix of Merle Haggard and Tom T. Hall. No information about the musicians backing him, whether this was a local group or if he made a pilgrimage to Nashville. Around 2002, he retired and quit touring with the Nashville Sound, though he put together a less formal band called the Ford County Five, where he entertained at retirement homes and similar venues, just for fun.

Donnie Quinn "Reno Junction" (Big K Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Kellogg & D. J. Brundridge)
A rockabilly-flavored offering from a Kansas City-area teen, and an album that's packed with original material. The liner notes by KFIX radio deejay Uncle Don Rhea inform us that Donnie Quinn was seventeen years old when he cut this disc, and that "many" of the station's listeners were already fans, having heard him sing at churches and school events... I can't confirm or deny any of that, but this album is notable for its wealth of original material, including a couple of songs credited to Quinn ("Rockin' Fever" and "You're Living With The One You Love") as well as others by producers Charlie Kellogg ("Legend Of The Hillbilly Cat") and Donald Brundridge ("Your Love") along with a bevy of less well-known composers: Michael Angelo, Neva Cessnum, Ron Hake, Walt Hummell and Russ Pyburn. (One suspects some sort of song poem-ish, pay-to-play arrangement at work here...) The backing band seems to have been locals, though it's not clear if they were Quinn's own group or a studio crew -- Jack Hensley on steel guitar, Jeff Litrell (drums), Doug McBain (saxophone), and arranger Terry Swope on bass, lead guitar and sax. Two songs, including the title track, are credited to Terry Swope and one to co-arranger Jeff Litrell. In later years Donnie Quinn made his devotion to "the King" more clear and worked as an Elvis Presley imitator, albeit often in a "what if Elvis lived?" mode, where he records newly-minted songs written to match the Presley style.

Donnie Quinn "What Might Have Been" (2017) (LP)
He was still plugging away decades later, as seen on this self-released set... a bunch of cover tunes, mainly country oldies and 'Seventies pop hits, done Elvis style.

Rain Crow "Cowboys And Indians" (Howling Records Company, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Funk & Cliff Shilling)
Another cool record from the heartland, in this case, from Newton, Kansas, not far from Wichita, albeit released on a label from Longmont, Colorado... There's a wide mix of styles here, from straightforward twang and jaunty rodeo songs to surprisingly hip western swing, ala Asleep At The Wheel. There might be some slight issues of cultural appropriation, what with the "cowboys and Indians" motif on the front cover, though singer Cliff Shilling was apparently of first nations descent -- a Pawnee-Choctaw -- and his presumably autobiographical song, "Choctaw," opens the album, complete with a Native American chorus led by powwow singer Harvey Ware, so perhaps it was more legitimate than one might assume. The core of the band included Jim Mangan on piano, Lynn Piller (bass and guitar), Reece Pullen (drums), Katy J. Ray (lead guitar), and Cliff Shilling (bass and guitar) and a whole slew of guest musicians, including fiddler Jeff Pritchart, bassist Armadillo Slim, a small horn section, and harmony singers Brian Driscoll, Jeanette Driscoll, and Joni Richardson. The band's main members take turns singing lead, with Jim Mangan being perhaps the most solid country singer; Katy J. Ray has a distinctive presence, initially coming off as a proto-Lucinda Williams type on her composition, "Foolish Woman, Foolish Man" (an album highlight) though she later devolves into sort of a Juice Newton knockoff. Lynn Piller was formerly in the early 'Seventies country-rock band Treefrog, and there may have been other connections to that Lawrence-based band. While not all the songs are that great, the album's first side is pretty solid, while Side Two drifts off onto a few questionable pop-flavored tangents. Overall, this is well worth checking out, especially if you're into Kansas country.

Marvin Rainwater -- see artist profile

Darlene Randel "...Sings You Are My Man" (Starway Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Logan & John Salisbury)
A vanity album recorded in Nashville by a gal from Eudora, Kansas, just outside of Kansas City. Claudia Darlene Randel (1936-2015) wrote the title track, "You Are My Man," as well as "Okey Doke Yodel," both of which were also released as singles. She had a nice voice for country, and sounds like a dead ringer for Loretta Lynn on several tracks, although she struggled on high notes, and also when she crooned... Producer John Salisbury also contributed three originals, "Baby Please Don't Take That Plane," "Home Brew," and "It Takes A Man (To Make A Woman Sing The Blues)." He seems to have been under contract with Acuff-Rose publishing, and had material recorded by stars such as Sue Thompson and Charlie Walker. He had another Kansas connection: originally from the West Coast, Salisbury married singer Mary Taylor, and moved to Nashville around 1971; Taylor later retired to Coffeyville, Kansas, down by the Oklahoma border. Sadly, the backup musicians aren't identified, though I suppose Jack Logan had a stable of sidemen he worked with in the late 'Seventies; it seems likely this was recorded at his sound house, Studio 19, which the Logan brothers purchased in '74.

The Reflections "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" (American Artists Records, 1981-?) (LP)
It took me a while to track this one down, having caught wind of it through the KCLawrencevinyl blog a while ago... Apparently the Reflections were a high school band (with a large vocal chorus) from the tiny town of Pittsburg, Kansas on the state line near Joplin, Missouri. According to the liner notes this was the ensemble's third album, a charmingly clumsy set covering various contemporary hits, with a particular emphasis on country, inspired by the Urban Cowboy movie, though with a lot of pop Top Forty as well. Along with tunes from Eddie Rabbit, Willie & Waylon, Don Williams and The Charlie Daniels Band, there are covers of mainstream pop artists such as Anne Murray ("Could I Have This Dance"), Olivia Newton-John ("I Honestly Love You," a solo by Jerri Dawn Timi) and Irene Cara ("Fame"), as well as a delightfully puzzling version of Steve Martin's novelty hit, "King Tut." There are various soloists, though most tracks feature a vocal chorus which generally makes the tracks feel less nimble; the main musical backing comes from a modest though mostly competent ensemble including drummer Mark Breneman, guitarist Steve Mahnken, and bass players Larry Davenport and Richard Ralph, as well as a few different pianists a few horn players. It's all very talent-showy, nothing terrible, but also nothing you need to rush out to find, although there are a few kitschy bits that could be kind of amusing.

Rita Remington "Sounds Like Songs Of Loretta Lynn" (Pickwick Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Shelby Singleton)
Though she also cut a few original-material singles, Rita Remington was primarily known as a "soundalike singer," one of those talented few who were elevated from anonymous studio work and given a chance to cut a few albums under their own name, but still mostly budget-label releases where she covered the hit material of star artists. I'd always assumed that hers was a stage name, although it turns out several women really are (or were) named Rita Remington... Unfortunately I couldn't find much biographical info about this particular country singin' gal... Originally from McPherson, Kansas, her birth name was Rita Unruh, and she seems to have married and moved back to near Wichita after about a decade trying to make it in Nashville. Ms. Remington first seems to have been tried out as a chart artist, scoring a minor Back Forty hit with an "answer song" that mirrored one of Conway Twitty's hits back in 1973; her highest charting song was a 1982 single called "The Flame," which peaked at #76. This initial LP includes cover versions of nine Loretta Lynn classics, with Remington doing a remarkably good job of imitating Lynn's voice on some (though not all) the tracks, although the unidentified backing band sounds a little lackluster. This album was reissued with all the same tracks in 1980 as Sounds Like Songs Of Loretta Lynn with "FEATURING COALMINER'S DAUGHTER" emblazoned across the cover in order to capitalize on the popularity of the Loretta Lynn biopic of the same name. Three other albums followed, and Remington also appeared in actress Carol Channing's 1978 country music revue, although she completely dropped off the radar in the early 1980s. In later years she does seem to have done a few low-profile local appearances at small venues around McPherson -- I guess it's just another cautionary tale of how Music City can chew up even the most talented artists. Still, she did get the chance to make several albums, which is a lot more than most folks can say!

Rita Remington "Country Girl Gold" (Plantation Records, 1977) (LP)

Rita Remington & The Smokey Valley Symphony "My Melody Of Love" (Plantation Records, 1977) (LP)

Rita Remington "Magical Musical Memories" (Plantation Records, 1978) (LP)

Rita Remington "The Country Collection" (Sun Records, 2012)

Riverrock "Riverrock" (SRC, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Riverrock & Ron Ubel)
Longhaired bluegrassers from Kansas City. To be honest, these guys were not top-flight pickers -- they plunk their way through standards like "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and "Orange Blossom Special," and well as grassed-up versions of old honkytonk tunes like "Jambalaya" and "Oh, Lonesome Me," as well as few nods at rock'n'pop, like clompy bar-band renditions on the Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends" and John Denver's "Thank God I'm A Country Boy." It's all adequate, but not sizzling. They hint at bigger things with their pedal steel-tinged cover of the Byrds' "You Ain't Going Nowhere," which is the only plugged-in tune on here. Curiously enough, a couple of years later they cut a single with two songs written by fiddler/lead singer Jim Blanton, which I guess they started tucking into the album from '75 -- that's how I found mine -- and it's really quite good. The songs, "Come On In" and "Pine Mountain Railway" have an electrified, Byrds-y feel, and were a sign of things to come, when they shifted into more of a country group. Here, though, they are more or less a straight-up, amateur-level progressive bluegrass band.

Riverrock "Still Live And Pickin' " (Rockin' W Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Riverrock)
This live album shows the Riverrock band in a more stripped-down mode, playing spunky bluegrass and acoustic-swing tunes, mainly covers of country and bluegrass standards such as "Gotta Get Drunk," "Nashville Cats," "Six Pack To Go" and "Fox On The Run," as well as a trio of original songs by brothers John and Paul Mumma: "Another Girl Like You," "I Love You Now" and "Lost Road At Midnight." This LP documents a July 9, 1977 show at Putsch's Strawberry Patch, a restaurant-lounge venue in Overland Park, Kansas that hosted a variety of musical acts. The sound quality's so-so, and the performances are pretty scrappy, but it's a nice picture of a DIY local band with their fans in full force, cheering them on. The Asleep At The Wheel-ish swing songs showed a promising, vigorous direction for the band, and it would have been nice to hear more of their own material, but overall this is a nice souvenir of bygone times... Worth a spin!

Riverrock "Midwest Man" (SRC Records, 1980)
This album marked a major change of direction for Riverrock, with the band ditching bluegrass in favor of a deliberately commercialized, bigger country sound, some of it kind of Firefall-ish or Poco-esque, some of it inching into the glossy style of Top 40 bands such as Alabama. The new lead singer, Rick Harrelson, sounded like a cross between Kenny Rogers and Jonathan Edwards, matching the bland material and the equally uninspiring arrangements. On a few tunes you can hear echoes of their earlier style, with bluegrass licks and novelty lyrics coming to the fore... But mostly this one's kind of rough going... Uneven, at best.

Juanita Rose "Juanita Rose" (Lee Mac Records, 1974-?) (LP)
Born and raised in Kinston, North Carolina, singer Juanita Rose worked in radio and television broadcasting and at local venues before she was recruited by Hank Snow to become a member of his touring band. She spent six years on the road before moving to Wichita, Kansas, where she was living when she cut this disc. It's mostly cover material, although there are a couple of tracks that might be originals: "Think Of All The Fun We'll Have" by Grace Bridges and "Six Weeks Every Summer" by Fran Powers. Ms. Rose also cut at least one single before making this LP, including one that had one of her own original songs, "She Dropped The World In My Hands," which unfortunately isn't included here. Also missing is any information about the musicians backing her for these sessions, although they may have been Kansas locals, possibly even members of the Plainsmen band, which worked under the auspices of the Lee Mac label's owner.

Mack Sanders "...And His Swing Band" (Mercury Records, 1964) (LP)
Bandleader Mack Sanders, who also recorded under the name Johnny Bozeman, was a deejay from Kansas who cut a few singles in the '50s, and a couple of LPs in the '60s. Working at a variety of stations, Sanders was a pioneering figure in Midwestern country music broadcasting, establishing Wichita's first full-time country station. With country star Webb Pierce as a business partner, Sanders purchased a string of radio stations throughout the Midwest, as well as a foothold in Nashville. He was married to singer Sherry Bryce, up until his death in 2003. This album features vocals from Sanders as well as Gene McCoy and Jeanie Pierson, a female singer with a very rough, rugged vocal style (who I believe may have been Sanders' first wife...) The music is a nice mix of easygoing honkytonk and country swing, similar to the Hank Thompson sound. It's not top flight, but it is pretty good -- the fiddle and steel guitar are particularly nice. Definitely worth a spin!

Mack Sanders "Tonkin' The Blues" (Pilot Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Tommy Allsup, Sherry Bryce Sanders, Terry Skinner & Tom Sparkman)
A flashy set of latter-day western swing, with an all-star cast that included studio heavyweights such as steel player Curly Chalker, pianist Bill Purcell, as well as Leon Rhodes, Hargus Pig Robbins, Buddy Spicher, and Jerry Wallace, and perhaps most intriguingly, twang-bar king Travis Wammack on lead guitar. The album was recorded in separate sessions in Nashville and Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and co-produced by Sanders' wife, singer Sherry Bryce, who also helped manage their string of radio stations. She penned three songs on this album, "Close Down the Honky Tonks," "Honky Tonk Bands" and "Sometimes Bad, Sometimes Good, Sometimes Gone," while Sanders contributed two others, "Sweet Country Girl" and the title track, "Tonkin' The Blues."

Vernon Sandusky "Vernon Sandusky" (GBS Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Vernon Sandusky)
A hotshot guitarist who grew up near Coffeyville, Kansas right on the border with Oklahoma, Vernon R. Sandusky (1939-2020) had a truly remarkable career, beginning when he was in high school and picking up steam throughout the 1950s, '60s and '70s. His first big gig was as lead guitarist for Bobby Poe & The Poe Kats, a group that became Wanda Jackson's backing band; soon after he formed a partnership with a guy named Johnny Dubas, working first as the country duo Johnny & Vernon, then forming the rock band The Chartbusters which supposedly was the inspiration for the greatest movie of all time, the Tom Hanks-directed documentary, That Thing You Do. In 1969 Vernon Sandusky joined Rodney Lay's Wild West, which later became the backing band for Hee Haw star Roy Clark, a gig that lasted over twenty years, including performances at the Hee Haw revue in the Roy Clark Theater in Branson, Missouri. He later retired to southern Kansas, where he played in a local gospel group as well as joining the cast of the Grand Grove Opry, located in Grove, Oklahoma. As far as I know this was his only solo album, recorded and self-released sometime in the early 1980s.

Beth Scalet "It's A Living" (J-Bird Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Beth Scalet, Chris Bauer & Caren Prideaux)
A veteran folk singer from Lawrence, Kansas, Beth Scalet (1948-2014) performed extensively in the 1970s before recording this early '80s album. There's some subtle, pedal steel-propelled twang on here, but mostly this is soft, soulful bluesy pop, reminiscent of Phoebe Snow or a slicker-sounding Tracy Nelson, more of an adult-alt kinda thing in a mellow, poppish mode. Includes a cover of Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade Of Pale," but otherwise it's all original material.

The SeKanAires "Oh What A Savior" (Damon Records, 19--?) (LP)
Though probably not all that country, this gospel vocal group was definitely very Kansas. Hailing from the southeastern end of the state near Joplin, Missouri, the SeKanAires performed at civic events throughout the region, and had a remarkably long run as a musical group, founded sometime in the 1960s and still doing concerts at least as recently as 2008(!) According to an article in a local (Fort Scott) newspaper, "the original Sekanaires quartet was founded in the mid-1960s and consisted of area businessmen," though the identities of the founding members is unknown. One of the early stalwarts was Dr. Carl Leon Hazen (1937-2020) of microscopic Chanute, Kansas in rural Neosho County; other members were from the same area, though some later SeKanAires seem to have lived as far afield as Leavenworth and Wichita. The group recorded at least eight albums for the Damon label (based on the liner notes on one of the albums below.)

The SeKanAires "Above The Clouds" (Damon Records, 19--?) (LP)

The SeKanAires "How Great Thou Art" (Damon Records, 19--?) (LP)

The SeKanAires "Old And New Gospel Favorites" (Damon Records, 19--?) (LP)

The SeKanAires "God Is The Master Of Creation" (Damon Records, 19--?) (LP)

The SeKanAires "Spirit Of Kansas" (Damon Records, 19--?) (LP)

The SeKanAires "Jesus Met The Woman" (Damon Records, 19--?) (LP)

The SeKanAires "This Little Light" (Damon Records, 19--?) (LP)
Although this is the last of the SeKanAires albums that I know of, it's quite likely they made more -- the group stayed together (with an evolving membership) throughout the 1970s and beyond -- the most recent mention of them I could find was a couple of show notices in Fort Scott, Kansas in 2007 and 2008(!). This edition of the band is identified only by their first names, with brief mention of the musical roles they played: Chuck (bass vocals), Dave (second tenor), Jack (high tenor), Mike (piano) and Ralph (baritone vocals and guitar.) Most of the members remain mysterious, though "Chuck" was one of the longest-running members of the 'Sixties group, Charles G. Chauncey (1923-2018) a highly decorated WWII bomber pilot who took part in numerous veteran groups as well as this gospel sideline.

Shade Tree "Shade Tree" (Buffarilla Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Scott & Shade Tree)
This Topeka, Kansas band was an odd and uneven mix of disco-y pop, boogie rock and, yeah, I guess some little bit of country-rock. Kind of. They may fall more into a so-bad-it's-good category, although a lot of that may have been from the sound mix, where slick-sounding guitars and clamorous cowbells reach equal prominence. But it's also due to the often unrestrained, note-heavy guitar-god riffs and overall cluttered feel, as well as the super-Kansan vocals... This album is authentic, though, a kind of clunky local band making the album of their dreams during the disco era... It doesn't really hang together, but you get the idea. There's some pedal steel in there somewhere, but really this is more of a rock record, with hints of Southern rock in there as well.

Bob Shepherd "Foot'Loose" (Doo-Dah City Records And Promotions, 1980-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Shepherd, Jon Miller)
Obscuro country-lounge material from Wichita, recorded at a local studio called Miller's Cave, in nearby Newton, Kansas... There's some original material by Bob Shepherd, along with some fairly diverse cover tunes such as "She Caught The Katy" and "Redneck In A Rock'n'Roll Bar." This seems to have been recorded a little haphazardly, and Shepherd employed a complicated system to identify which musicians played on which tracks, but some of the local talent included Dewayne Bailey on guitar, pedal steel from Jeff Pickering and Bob Lorenz on keyboards, along with a whole slew of backup singers, and a band called Sweet Water backing him on one song, "We're All The Way." I'm not 100% sure but I think at some point he was a member of the Wichita Linemen, a regionally popular group made up of deejays from local radio station KFDI: there's an (undated) single by a guy named "Shep" that came out on the Linemen label, produced by the band's lead singer Don Walton. The composer of both songs? Someone named Bob Shepherd, who lived in Wichita. It's a theory. Anyway, I'm just guessing at the release date of this album based on the catalog number and the look of the cover art... No idea why he inserted an apostrophe in the middle of the word "footloose." But he did.

Jack Sherer "Meadowlark" (Windmill Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Sherer & Jim Sparks)
An ambitious set of mid-tempo countrypolitan ballads from songwriter Jack Sherer, of Liberal, Kansas, a tiny town in the southwestern edge of the state, right by the Oklahoma Panhandle. Sherer's vocals weren't super-dynamic, but he had a rock-solid baritone, and he kept in tune the whole time. Also, he wrote almost all the songs on this LP, including "Long Way To Nashville," one of the more rugged-sounding numbers which name-checks San Antonio, Texas. (Sherer may have played some gigs in the Lone Star State, as seen in the liner notes by Jack Clark, a music critic from Amarillo.) His band, JS & The Bachs played locally for several years, including a reunion gig in 2012; Sherer also played in other Kansas bands, notably with Dodge City bandleader Don Pray (1939-2013). Sherer is backed on this album by his Kansas cohorts, Garry Brack (drums), Chris Perkins (bass and piano), though he may have also recorded part of this album in Nashville with a-list session players such as Fred Carter and Johnny Gimble, even though they aren't mentioned on the original LP. Mostly this is a little too syrupy for my tastes, but he was a good singer, and the music was very much in the style of the times.

The Slim Pikens Band "Texas In A Tombstone" (A&R/Hill Creek Records, 1983-?) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Funk & John Miller)
Nope: nobody in the group actually nicknamed Slim Pikens, so this one does, indeed, belong under the latter "S." This low-key indiebilly band from Newton, Kansas showcased a ton of original material by singers Bob Kisner and Dave Robins, who are joined by bassist Colin Hammeke and drummer Floyd Norlin, as well as pedal steel player Terry Gregg, who adds some nice, tasty licks. Norlin contributes two tunes, "Hiway Blues" and "Wichita Cannonball," while all the others were penned by Robins. The album starts out sounding a little too slick (somewhere in the 1980s?) but quickly settles into an amiably small-label feel, comparable to bands such as Dusty Chaps or the Cooder Browne Band. Not bad! Alas, the only mention of the band I could find was a picture of them in the Hutchinson News, playing on a small bandstand at the Kansas State Fair, in September of '82. Any further info would be welcome!

The Solid Gold Band "Meet The Solid Gold Band" (NSD Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Rowland, John Green & Ray Edwards)
A hard-working mainstream country band from Galena, Kansas, a little postage-stamp town in the southeast end of the state, just across the border from Joplin, Missouri. Indeed, these fellas worked a nightclub in Joplin called the Gold Dust Lounge -- according to the liner notes, they weren't just the house band, they actually owned the place! The SGB was formed in 1974 by lead singers John Green and Jim Rowland (the guys who bought the bar) and played steadily throughout Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. They had a working relationship with Tom T. Hall and his band the Storytellers, who helped them in the studio for this album, while Tom T. himself contributed to the liner notes, and seems to have promoted them in Nashville. The disc is impressively packed with original material, most of it penned by Jim Rowland, and got a big writeup in Billboard when it came out. The band included Alan Abbott (drums), Mike Bartlett (guitar), John Green (bass) Tyler Ogle (keyboards) and Jim Rowland on rhythm guitar... I'm not sure what became of these guys -- from their vantage point in Joplin, they were well situated to break into the Branson scene, but that's just speculation on my part. (By the way, I can't resist going into the history of their bar, which seems to have changed hands many times over the years... According to a 2011 news story in The Joplin Globe the bar opened in the late 1940s as the Freeway Cafe, and over the years was known as Dan's Branding Iron, The Wells Fargo, The Stampede, The Gold Dust Lounge, The Paint Stallion, The Horse Shoe Saloon and was slated to reopen as The Crazy Town Rockin' Saloon at press time in 2011, soon to be renamed The Blue Rose. Phew! Personally I like the Blue Rose best of all, but Lord knows what's there now. Probably a Starbucks.) Solid Gold Band also put out a few singles, including a western swing ditty, "Cherokee Country," which apparently hit the national charts in '82, but is not included on this album.

Southwind "Southwind" (1983) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Hacke, Jim Stratton & Southwind)
A fairly iffy bluegrass/swing-string outing by an ultra-upbeat, perky quintet out of Wichita, Kansas... Their arrangements are a little too zippy, but it's really the vocals that kill this for me, just a bit too precious and twee, also the white-girl blues-mama thing (very Judds-y) can be a hard sell... As I've often said, I'm not really big on harshing out people who make "bad" records, since there's someone out there who will enjoy just about anything, and besides -- have I ever made a record? No, I have not. But even given my generous spirit, I have to admit I can't imagine many twangfans who would be into this disc... Maybe for fans of Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks, or the Good Old People? That's the direction they were aiming in, for sure... so I'll let you be the judge. The group featured Chris Fisher (rhythm guitar), Joni Richardson (lead vocals), Clif Major (bass, banjo and dobro), Jeanette Driscoll (lead vocals), Brian Driscoll (lead guitar, mandolin), along with a few other locals helping out on piano, drums and whatnot.

Kenny Starr "The Blind Man In The Bleachers" (MCA Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Frank Jones)
He's hardly a household name, even to fans of '70s country, but Kenny Starr of Burlingame, Kansas had a major hit with the title track, "The Blind Man In The Bleachers," a sentimental novelty song along the lines of "Patches" or "Phantom 309" that soared up to #2 on the charts. He never topped that one, and although he had lots of singles, this was his only full major-label album. That's too bad, since the rest of this record is pretty darn good. Of course, I'm partial to the classic studio style of the '60s/'70s-era Decca-MCA producers, with their clear, bright, vibrant sound and emphasis on the melody. And Starr was an artist who fit in well, crooning in a soulful mode that reminds you of Conway Twitty, but also with a few rough edges that ground him in traditional country. Also, there's another novelty weeper on here called "The Calico Cat," which got my attention just because I love kitty-cats. This one's definitely worth tracking down and giving a spin.

Kenny Starr "Kenny Starr" (SRO, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Kenny Starr & Terry Rose)
This appears to be an indie record that Starr released well after his mid-'70s salad days... The "SRO" label stands for "Starr-Rose," and was based in Nashville.

The Singing Straub Family "...With The Nashville Sound" (Heritage Records, 19--?) (LP)
Twangy gospel from a family band led by Randy Straub along with his wife and three kids, who harmonize in a peppy vocal style that would be familiar to fans of the Statler Brothers or the Oak Ridge Boys. The Straubs were from Kansas City, Kansas, and apparently played gigs at local churches -- the liner notes are by a pastor from nearby Lawrence, Kansas. They made the trek to Nashville to record this one, although sadly they don't mention which studio they booked. Lead guitarist Art Pemberton gets into some nice, clean Merle Travis/early Atkins-style pickin' while the liner notes credit The Christian Troubadours as background vocalists... I'm assuming this is the same group led by Wayne Walters and Leroy Blankenship that moved from California to Nashville. (Note: this album seems to have two titles; it's called At An Old Fashioned Meeting on the inner label.)

Mary Taylor - see artist discography

Jack & Mike Theobald "With Bluegrass Country" (Shiloh Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by G. Humphrey & Dale Davis)
Brothers Jack and Mike Theobald were from the Wichita, Kansas area - apparently they were in the first bluegrass band in the state of Kansas, the Bluegrass Country Boys, formed in 1963, and remained stalwarts of the Sunflower State bluegrass scene for decades to come...

Treefrog "Better Late Than Never" (Great Orm Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Treefrog & Bill Millsap)
Hailing from Lawrence, Kansas, Treefrog was a harmony-driven, progressive country-rock band, much in the style of Poco or the Eagles. The group took its name from the (fictional) brand of beer consumed by the Checkered Demon, an infamously vile underground comix character drawn by S. Clay Wilson (who was himself a Lawrence local in the early '60s...) Treefrog was formed around 1970 and played across the Sunflower State up until the decade's end -- this album was released after the fact and includes demos and unreleased material recorded over the years. In 1973, they went to Nashville to record their music but had session players brought in to dub backing tracks under their vocals, and they were unhappy with the results. After Treefrog broke up, guitarist Eric Elder and bassist Jim Fey went back to Nashville and did session work there, apparently joining a late edition of the band Timberline, while steel player Lynn Piller stayed in Lawrence and opened a music store; Piller later played bass in the Wichita-area band Rain Crow. As far as I know, this was Treefrog's only record, and includes both home demos and some of their Nashville sessions... (Thanks to the Lawrence Daily Journal World for providing background info on these guys...)

Denny Tymer "It's About Tymer" (Wilwin Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Denny Tymer, Chuck Seitz & Bill Vandervort)
Syrupy, sunshine-y countrypolitan crooning, along the lines of Jim Ed Brown and Nat Stuckey, with competent but uncommitted backing by an all-star Nashville session crew -- Kenny Buttrey, Pete Drake, Hargus Robbins, Bobby Thompson, Charlie McCoy, et. al. Denny Tymer was born in Kanopolis, Kansas, but seems to have made his way out west, recording this disc for the Wilwin label based in Carlsbad, California, just north of San Diego. Though this doesn't quite gel, it's a solid effort, with all-original songs written by Tymer, and he's pretty committed as a vocalist, although the sunshine-country style is an acquired taste, and was about three or four years out of date by the time Tymer recorded this album. Still, countrypolitan crate-diggers might wanna track this one down -- if you're into it, this is good but off-the-radar obscuro stuff. One album highlight is "I Hope To Hit The Traffic Lights All Green," an uptempo novelty with a memorable melodic hook...

Ulysses Hardware "Buffalo Grass" (Aspen Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Mick Bessire & Tony Bessire)
Though considered a Colorado band because they recorded this set in Golden, Colorado, this country-rock trio seem to have originally been from Kansas... All the songs were written by brothers Mick and Tony Bessire, with the trio rounded out by Kent Smothers. The Bessires were farm kids when they were young, growing up around a series of feedlots and ranches in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Their dad moved around a lot, though he eventually settled down in Ulysses, Kansas, a tiny town in the southwestern corner of the state, near Dodge City. The band was named after the hardware store their dad owned and ran for nearly forty years. Although this album was recorded in 1976, some of the songs date back several years earlier, such as "Folks, I Wish You Were Here," which they copyrighted in '73. I'm not sure if Ulysses Hardware did many live shows, but the band was a stepping stone for Tony Bessire, who moved to Nashville to work as a professional songwriter. His greatest successes came writing for or with neotrad singer Chris Ledoux, who wound up recording a half dozen of Bessire's songs. Tony Bessire eventually retired to Florida, while Mick Bessire followed his rural roots as a career, moving to upstate New York, where he worked for the state and in various ag-related academic jobs. As far as I know, this was the only album by Ulysses Hardware.

Virgil & Bill "I'm Gonna Sing" (Hi-Spot Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Claiborne & Bill Belknap)
An exemplary country gospel set -- joyful, exuberant and full of true twang. Starting in 1953, Virgil Glenn and Bill Thorton hosted a popular country music program on KOAM-TV, in Pittsburg, Kansas, and they sound as confident and relaxed as you'd expect from such seasoned veteran performers. They trucked on down to nearby Tulsa, Oklahoma to record this disc, backed in the studio by the Danny Gilliand band, with Danny Gilliand on banjo, Terry Brown (guitar), Mike Bruce (steel guitar), Mike Dinsmore (bass), Shelby Eicher (fiddle and mandolin) and Doyle Speer on drums. The band really gets into it as well -- maybe they get a little note-happy at times, but overall this is just a fun, joyful record. Highly recommended!

The Western Swingers "Swingin' Live At The Western Swinger" (Kanwic Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Miller, Buck Coghlan & The Western Gentlemen)
The Western Swinger was a country music nightclub located in Wichita, Kansas (on 47th and South Broadway) during the late 1960s and early '70s. This band included the owners, Joan Schultze and Paul Schultze, along with lead singer DeWayne Bowman, bandleader and bassist Frank McMeans, Jimmy Powell (steel guitar), and Chet Vaughn on drums. Over the years, Dewayne Bowman was perhaps the most prolific performer, buying his own bar -- The Paint Stallion, in Joplin, Missouri -- and recording several singles as well as an album in the early 'Eighties, and playing on some a few records with other regional artists. Although the club's name suggests an affinity for Texas-style western swing, the repertoire was mostly straight-up country standards and contemporary hits, stuff like "Proud Mary" and "Statue Of A Fool." Among the many bands to pass through the Swinger were local legends, The Wichita Linemen, made up of various deejays at radio station KFDI; not sure how long the club was open or exactly when it opened.

Norman Whistler "Rural Rythm" (Repeat Records, 1964) (LP)
(Produced by L. M. Barcus)
A kooky looking album which has floated around for decades in the quarter bins of many a West Coast record store... The impression of kookiness comes mostly from the 19th Century-style carnival-barker artwork on the album's front cover, although the record itself is a pretty straightforward set of old-timey fiddle music. The liner notes (and his obituary) inform us that fiddler Norman Whistler (1933-2009) was a Kansas native who began playing in his teens and performed live in several regional bands in and around Independence, KS, near the Oklahoma border. At age seventeen he won a local talent show, which helped propel him out of the Sunflower State, traveling first to New York City, where he placed second in a contest hosted by The Arthur Godfey Show and then to Los Angeles, where he set down roots in 1958, and worked for several years as a professional musician. Whistler played in the house band at a country music club in Long Beach, and apparently worked cutting song demos, including some sessions with guitarist Glen Campbell. This album is one of a handful of LPs commissioned by Repeat Records, an odd local label that seems to have been established solely to help promote the "Barcus-Berry Direct Process" recording technology, which proudly proclaimed that no microphones were used, supposedly producing a superior sound quality. Repeat drew on an eclectic mix of Southern Californian country, jazz and pop musicians, including many session players who were employed by the film and television industries -- on this album, Whistler was backed by country pickers Dee Ford (a female guitar player who also worked with Merle Haggard) and bassist Carl Scroggins, as well as drummer Frank Flynn and horn player Ted Nash, who were both alumni of the Les Brown Orchestra. Norman Whistler and Carl Scroggins also played on another Repeat LP, a cowjazz set by western swing steel guitar legend Noel Boggs, which came out the following year, in 1965. Not long after this, in 1966, Norman Whistler moved back to the Midwest, opening a grocery store in Copan, Oklahoma, about twenty-five miles away from where he grew up. He continued playing music regionally, including a stint with an early edition of Rodney Lay's Wild West Band, and later as a house musician for a local mini-opry called the Nowata Country Jubilee, along with his wife Louise.

The Wichita Linemen - see artist discography

Wild Country "Boogie" (Bull Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Verne Leeper & Matt Frazier)
A shaggy country quartet from Columbus, Kansas, down in the Southeast corner of the state, near Joplin, Missouri. No date on the album, but I'd guess it's early '80s, like 1981-83, just from how Alabama-esque/Oak Ridge Boys-y they look in the photos. In technical terms, this is a pretty crudely made record, though mostly just regarding the production values. The band itself was surprisingly good, and songwriter Verne A. Leeper had an ambitious agenda -- a small-town kid, for sure, but he had a taste for country-rock and pop that was sophisticated and diverse. Some songs are pretty straightforward melodic twang, while others have more of a confessional, introverted quality. For example, "How Many Times" is a broken-hearted bummer song that has the definite feel of a spiral-bound notebook high school poetry, but even so there's something compelling about the singer's abject, rueful misery as he wonders aloud, how many times did you spend the night over at my place... and where are you now? Another one of those odd, imperfect gems that float up out of the ocean of self-released records. Not a classic, but it has its charms. Decades later, Leeper was still living in Columbus, and performing occasionally as the leader of the Verne Leeper Band.

Chuck Willis "...And Friends" (CWA Records, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Elgin)
Not to be confused with the turban-clad 1950s R&B singer/rock pioneer, this Chuck Willis was a Midwestern country bandleader. His bio on the back cover tells us Willis was born in Liberty, Indiana, but went on to radio and TV jobs in Ohio and Kansas, most notably hosting a TV show on KTVH, Wichita, called Chuck Willis And The Country Brothers Jamboree. I'm not sure where this album fits into his career; Willis shares the spotlight with several vocalists, including Jimmie Clark, Elsa Sommers and Sam McGuire, who were part of a road show he toured with in the early 1970s. Outside of this album, the only mention of these folks I've seen was a 1974 show notice for a gig in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where they were billed as "Nashville" artists... Willis and his band played a lot of gigs on military bases and NCO clubs in Leavenworth and elsewhere, and this appears to be a souvenir of that era.

Ron Woodley "Marathon Man" (Magic Angel Records, 1984-?) (LP)
(Produced by Wayne Edmondson)
An amiable country-pop songwriter from Wellsville, Kansas, Ron Woodley earned the nickname "marathon man" after a record-setting stunt of playing the guitar for 264 hours straight, which he did in 1984, gaining a spot in the Guinness Book Of World Records, as well as raising a couple thousand for a charity in Kansas City. (He actually broke the record a few years earlier while in Nashville, in 1981, but the feat wasn't properly monitored, so it didn't make it into the books...) After securing his place in history, Woodley continued to play lounge gigs throughout Kansas and Missouri, and recorded this LP which is about half his own material. As you might imagine, with all that practice Woodley was a pretty good electric guitarist, although some might find his vocals a little, well... geefy, though not entirely outside the country mainstream... Freddy Fender comes to mind, with maybe a bit of Billy Crash Craddock in there as well. Also worth noting on this album is backing by a Nashville studio band that included steel guitarist Doug Jernigan, as well as piano player Ansley Fleetwood, a guy who released his own private album after penning Moe Bandy's big hit, "Good Ole Boys." There's no big hit like that on here, but it's still a nice, sincere little record from the heartland... Definitely worth a spin!

Red Young "This Is Red!" (Red Young Enterprises, 1981)
(Produced by DeWayne Orender & Don Powell)
A nice set of rootsy though commercially-oriented country with a late-'70s neotrad sound similar to that of Top 40 artists such as Ed Bruce, Mickey Gilley and Red Steagall. Highlights include the weeper, "You're Treating Me Like Company" and the boozy "Here's A Toast To The Record (On The Jukebox)" along with other pedal-steel drenched twang tunes. Country crooner Red Young was apparently a Midwesterner who was based in Independence, Missouri when this record came out, although he may have originally been from Wichita. He traveled to Nashville to cut this album, backed by studio pros who included Mark Casstevens and Weldon Myrick, with Lamar Morris playing lead guitar. It's fairly solid honky tonk material, with most of the songs credited to DeWayne Orender and Lamar Morris, who were signed to Acuff-Rose publishing -- Morris played guitar on the recording sessions, while Orender was a co-producer. It's not the most vigorous album ever, but it's as good as a lot of major-label releases from the same era... Obviously, it went nowhere, since there seems to be no trace of Red Young (or this record) anywhere online, though honestly he could have -- and maybe should have -- become a real star.

Various Artists "BIG COUNTRY" (Lee Mac Records, 1968-?) (LP)
(Produced by Lee Nichols & Mac Sanders)
A locals-heavy compilation album sponsored by radio station KFRM, out of Wichita, Kansas... The talent lineup was apparently drawn from the station's on-air staff, with with backing by Duane "Pitiful" Pollard (electric guitar), Jack Reed (sax) and Mike Stocker (drums). The singers include bandleader/station execs Lee Nichols and Mack Sanders, Jeanie Pierson, Maxine And Jan, Abram Burnett, Jerry Minshall, Gene Morris, and singer Billy C. Cole, a popular DJ who also contributed the liner notes.

Various Artists "KANSAS CITY COUNTRY ROCKERS" (Redita Records, 1979) (LP)
Great set of Kansas/Kansas City oldies curated by a European collector's label... These regional "hillbilly bop" recordings date back to the late 1950s and early '60s and are drawn from several indie labels associated with the Bill Davidson and Leroy Davidson, prominent Midwestern "one-stop" jukebox distributors who ran a recording studio on the side. The Davidsons were tapped into various musical trends, and captured several hot regional artists in their prime, including local faves Zig Dillon, Larry Good and Gene McKown, who all put out singles or full LPs later in life. These uptempo tracks are probably of most interest to rockabilly fans, though the country influence is undeniable and strong. Groovy historical collection!

Various Artists "PAOLA BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL '74" (SPBGMA, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by John Mosley & Bill Hargrave)
This locals-only bluegrass festival was held in teeny-tiny Paola, Kansas (just south of Kansas City and Overland Park...) The participants included several bands from the Kansas City and Independence, Missouri areas, as well as one from Lawrence, Kansas... They included The Bluegrass Association, Bluegrass Attack, The Bluegrass Five, The Calton Family, The Collins Brothers, Grand River Township, Mike O'Roark & The Freeborn Men, Harold Rowden, Tennessee Gentlemen, and Ralph Withers.

Various Artists(?) "TAKING PRIDE IN TOPEKA" (Impact Broadcast Marketing, 1990) (LP)
(Produced by Sean Hogin & Gary Laney)
This is an odd little album, with a mildly intriguing back story... Impact Broadcast was a marketing firm based in Nashville that created a series of vinyl LPs, circa 1989-91, that were made up to look like locally-produced regional boosterism projects. All of the albums had the exact same music on them, generic, prefab songs with vague lyrics about "your town," etc., and purposefully indeterminate pop-country (which is it??) arrangements with slick, bland, contemporary production. Two of these tracks were adapted on each album to represent the individual clients, thus "Taking Pride In Portland" could become "Taking Pride In Topeka" at the drop of a hat. Likewise, many tracks feature individualized recitations that actually do reflect the town in question, albeit through rose-colored lenses. In this case, it's local TV anchor Ron Harbaugh who intones about the glories of the Kansas capitol... Impact usually partnered with a local TV or radio station, and presumably got their staff to round up financial backers: the Topeka album was sponsored by the Fairlawn Mall, TJ Maxx, and other Topeka businesses... Sadly, the Nashville studio musicians aren't credited, although many of the Taking Pride albums list a Linda Mayhew as their "creative consultant," and it's possible that she was the female vocalist featured on all the songs... Regardless, the folks at Impact Broadcast Marketing definitely had a lot of hustle, and managed to sign up several dozen clients during their short run as cookie-cutter civic cheerleaders. Other cities include: Ashville, Omaha, Peoria, Portland, Spartanburg, Spokane... you get the idea. Some albums are dedicated to entire states or regions: Central Florida, West Michigan, the state of Nevada... but one would assume these were less high-status than the folks who paid for just their own city to be feted on vinyl. This disc from Topeka is the only one I'm going to review (I got it for a dollar at a combination gun shop-antique store in Ottawa, Kansas) but if anyone wanted to send me a copy of Taking Pride In Austin, I wouldn't complain...

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