Shorty Avery "...And The Swingsters" (Renee Records, 1972-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Comte & Larry Krenk)
A farm kid from Petersburg, Nebraska, Orville "Shorty" Avery (1923-2013) played in local groups dating back to the early 1950s, and formed his own four-piece band, the Swingsters, in the 1960s, and for a while hosted a weekly television show on KCNA in nearby Albion, Nebraska. This edition of the band included Mr. Avery on rhythm guitar, Dick Williamson playing piano, Leon Schulz on lead guitar, and "Porky" the drum machine, who gets a lot of attention in the liner notes. There's no date on this album, but the cover songs -- "Snow Bird," "Never Ending Song Of Love," "Games People Play," "Me And Bobby McGee," "Kiss An Angel Good Morning," and Faron Young's "Leavin' And Sayin' Goodbye," et. al. -- include a slew of tunes that were hits in 1971, so I'm making an educated guess that this came out in '72. In addition to all the covers, there are two songs listed as originals: "Ramblin' Piano" (composed by Williamson) and "Please Forget Me" (penned by Mr. Avery). The group apparently played gigs in Nebraska, South Dakota and nearby Kansas -- they also traveled to Texas to cut an earlier(?) 7" single on Keeno Records, which was a square dancing record. Avery played live shows up until around 2000, when he was almost eighty years old, though I think this was his only LP.

Jim Casey "Blue Oasis" (Prairie Wind Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Garth Fundis & John Donnegan)
A twangy set from Jim Casey, a songwriter from Nebraska who used to be in a rock band called The Smoke Ring, and went on to record several albums as a solo artist... This album is all original material, with Casey definitely aiming for an outlaw vibe on songs like the opening track, "Pass That Joint (And Play That Song Again)." This album was recorded partly in Nashville, and partly at Westminster Sound in Otho, Iowa... Interestingly enough, Casey seems to have worked with his own, all-local band, either traveling with them to Music City, or bringing them on tape, but either way, there's nary a Nashville studio pro in sight.

The Desperados "II" (Pollyfox Studios, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Frank Green)
This no-nonsense country band from eastern Nebraska was led by Don Rogert, a businessman from Waterloo who was also active in state politics during the '70s. The Desperados headed to Nashville to record at least two albums, both of which are quite good -- not dazzling, but solidly performed and well produced, and packed with well-chosen material. The core group included Rogert on guitar, along with fiddler Jerry Cook and a fine dobro picker named Max Cooley, who also played in several bluegrass bands. They had a distinctly old-fashioned, down-to-earth traditional country sensibility, playing lots of oldies and a few contemporary hits. This album seems to be an early-to-mid-'70s release, with songs including include "Six Days On The Road," "The Key Is In The Mailbox" "I'm A Survivor" and "Daisy A Day." These two albums were reissued together on CD, though I'm not sure where you could find a copy.

The Desperados "In Nashville" (1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by David Shipley)
This album features a larger band and smoother production, and seems to be from around 1978-79... The more recent songs include "Couple More Years" (recorded by both Dr. Hook and Waylon Jennings in 1976) and "You're The One" (a big hit for the Oak Ridge Boys in 1977 and '78.) I'm not sure how much longer the band was together after this... any info is welcome!

Jon Emery - see artist discography

Rick Evans "Fun Songs/Think Songs" (Fun Records, 197--?)
(Produced by Rick Evans, Garth Fundis & Jim Williamson)
An interesting footnote to the career of Lincoln, Nebraska songwriter Rick Evans (1943-2018) who became a quintessential one-hit wonder as half of the folk-pop duo Zager & Evans, who scored a chart-topping hit back in 1969, with their single, "In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)." He and Denny Zager started out in a series of high plains garage bands in the early 1960s, and broke through when "2525" became a regional hit, grabbing the attention of the national major labels. Nothing quite clicked on their subsequent albums, and at some point Evans headed over to Nashville to record this country-flavored outing, which includes a mix of new tunes and re-recordings of old Zager & Evans material, with all songs written by Rick Evans. He's backed by a bunch of A-list Nashville cats, including David Briggs, Kenny Buttrey, Weldon Myrick, Norbert Putnam, and the Lea Jane Singers. Although some online sources peg the LP he recorded with Pam Herbert as having been recorded years earlier, the studio band backing Evans on both albums is pretty much identical, and it seems likely the two records emerged from the same sessions. There's also some overlap of material -- notably the song "The Firetrucks Came All The Way From Wichita" -- though I'm not sure if it's the same version on both albums.

Rick Evans & Pam Herbert "I Need This Song" (Truth Records, 197-?) (LP)

Father And Son "All Originals" (Renee Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Comte)
This father-son duo was comprised of songwriter Tommy Johnson and multi-instrumentalist Jonny Johnson of Columbus, Nebraska -- Jonny played guitar, fiddle, banjo and mandolin, who also wrote two of the songs on this album... No release date on the disc, but I'm guessing mid- to late-'80s.

Dan Foral & The Drifters "Dan Foral & The Drifters" (Rene Records, 1971-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Comte & Lerry Krenk)
A singer from Columbus, Nebraska, Dan Foral's recording career stretched back to the early 1960s, when he cut several singles with singer Bill LeGate, a fellow Nebraskan who worked with Foral at least through the early 1970s. Dan Foral took over the Drifters band in 1970 and led them for a while, along with bandmembers Ed Julius, Jerry Frey and Ken Jenson, with Bill LeGate in the mix for a while as well. The repertoire on this album is all country covers, mostly contemporary hits from 1969-70, stuff like "Me And Bobby McGee," "Snowbird," "Bed Of Rose's" and "Ruby." Lead singer Ed Julius also recorded an album on Rene Records, Life Is Hard, which had more original material, including one tune credited to Dan Foral, although as far as I can tell, Foral was not directly related to that band. Anyway, this guy was a rootsy country crooner, a solid example of a working-band Midwesterner at the center of an intriguing plain states twang scene.

Dan Foral "With All Your Country Favorites" (Rene Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Comte & Bob Palenesky)
A pretty laid-back set of early-'Seventies countrypolitan, with hints of Bill Anderson, Jim Ed Brown and Roger Miller in the vocals... The material is mostly cover songs, though there are four originals, including "Black Hills Woman," "Country Lovin' Drifter," the very sunshine-y "The Smile You Gave Me," and a reprise of Foral's 1963 song, "Boy From Alabama," a Hank Williams tribute co-written with his longtime pal, Bill LeGate. This edition of the band included Jerry Frey (bass), Ray Gulley (lead guitar) and Bob Laroe (drums), with backing vocals by the Pat Phillips Singers, a perky gal chorus in the Anita Kerr/Nashville Sound style. Not sure of the date on this one, though it couldn't have been too much later than the album above.

Dalton Fuller & The Nebraska Playboys "...Presents The Golden Guitar" (Renee Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Comte & Tad Palensky)
Nice, down-to-earth country twang by a guy from from Keith County, Nebraska who later retired to Wyoming. A former rodeo rider and Navy veteran, Dalton Fuller (1940-2019) was a young man when he and his band signed up to do a USO tour of Vietnam, back in 1969, the first of roughly a dozen tours they took over the course of the war. He continued to lead his band, the Nebraska Playboys, for several decades, and also took a keen interest in veterans affairs, frequently performing at his local American Legion post, as well as writing music about veteran's issues. Fuller pursued a variety of professions, notably working as a sound engineer for the Renee Records studio and label, in David City, Nebraska, where this record was made. This edition of his band included steel guitar player Randy Hartman, Joe Sharp on drums, and bassist Francie Allen, who also sang duets with Fuller -- the quartet is pictured on the back cover in front of their USO tour banner, decked out is some truly groovy matching slacks with a patriotic stars-and-stripes design. Overall, the performances are pretty laid-back; Fuller's reedy vocals may remind you of folks like Chip Taylor or Dick Feller.

Dalton Fuller & Larry Good "A Bit Of Country With A Touch Of Brass" (Rene Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Comte & Bill Palensky)
When these two midwestern honkytonkers bumped into one another while cutting their respective albums at Bud Comte's studio in David City, Nebraska, someone came up with the idea of collaborating on a country-big band hybrid record. So a year later Dalton Fuller's band, the Nebraska Playboys hooked up with several regional jazz players -- Marty Grubbs on clarinet and saxophone, Bill Palensky (trumpet), Jack Seckman (trombone), Allen Valish (trombone), Brad Wesely (trumpet) and Dennis Wesely on piano -- crafting brassy renditions of western swing and country oldies. I'm not sure if singer Larry Good is the same as the guy from Kansas City; if so, I'm curious to find out about the solo record made on the Rene label before this project came together. At any rate, this is a swell album, with a boisterous, nutty charm and an affinity for mixing jazz and twang that recalls some of Merle Haggard's more innovative albums of the early 'Seventies. Definitely worth tracking down.

Stan Galli & The Stuff Brothers "Live" (Renee Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Compte & Ernie Kucera)
As some of you may know, I am not a big fan of the "make fun of old album covers" music website subgenre... I think it's mostly a feeble form of humor -- inherently mean-spirited and more revealing of the author's limitations than those of their targets. That being said, this one's a doozy. I mean, first off, wow, look at the hair, then, wow, look at those vests, and also, wow, who calls their group "The Stuff Brothers"? Besides which, why does bandleader Stan Galli look kinda like Eric Idle, while that other guy looks so much like Steve Zahn? Is that Steve Zahn?? Anyway, this album actually is about as scary as it looks... Not entirely country, though there is definitely some twang in the mix, including covers of the Gatlin Brothers' "All The Gold In California" and Tom Paxton's "Wasn't That A Party," which sounds like an old Moe Bandy song, but isn't. They also shoehorned in Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly medleys at the ends of each side fo the album, which I guess is kind of country-adjacent. It turns out Stan Galli -- who grew up in Duluth and later settled in Omaha -- was actually a veteran music performer, having played drums in a similarly eclectic Minneapolis lounge band called The Links, backing brothers Jim and John Link, who also mixed contemporary pop and country hits as well as rather strained novelty material. (The Links, by the way, looked even scarier than the Stuff Brothers, with one sibling perpetually pop-eyed and overly cheerful, and the other looking very much like a BMOC jock-bully type.) At any rate, Mr. Galli recorded several albums with The Links in the first half of the 1970s, but left the band sometime before 1978 and set out on his own, though apparently emulating the same basic formula with a new trio which included Mark Beckwith on bass, drums and guitar, and John Seleski playing banjo, bass, and lead guitar. This is a deeply flawed album, with manic performances of okay material, punctuated by two truly awful comedy bits, one a version of Joe Dolce's then-hit, "Shaddap You Face," in which Mr. Galli goes to great lengths to provide his own Italian-American bona fides, but also bizarrely ties it to the elevation of Polish cardinal Karol Jozef Wojtyla to become Pope John Paul II, which apparently was a great shocker to some of Italian descent. Anyway, that stereotype-laden performance is nothing compared to the sheer, abject misery of the bit on the flipside called "OB-GYN," in which a male "doctor" discusses his work, and is just plain gross. I was drawn to this disc because it was recorded at the Renee Records studio in David City, Nebraska, which was a locus for regional country (and polka) artists, and I guess the album lives up to its promise, in that it was an authentic document of a working lounge band of the era... But still, yikes.

The Jim Glaser Singers "Country Spectacular Live From The Stage In Nashville" (Wyncote Records, 19--?) (LP)

Tompall Glaser (And The Glaser Brothers) - see artist discography

Steven O. Hanson "Pick And Choose" (Hangren Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Steven O. Hanson & Frank Green)
A key player in Nebraska's hippie-era twang scene, banjo picker Steve Hanson was best known as a bluegrass musician, but he made his mark on the national stage backing novelty-twang star C.W. McCall on Top Forty hits such as "Convoy." This album was recorded in Lincoln with a slew of local pickers, including Pete Blakeslee on dobro, fiddler Dave Fowler, bassist Dave Morris and guitarists John Ingwerson and Terry Schmitt, as well as Hanson singing and playing several different instruments. Not sure if this was Hanson's only solo album... His name pops up as a session player on a lot of indie albums, as well.

James Hendricks "Songs Of James Hendricks" (Liberty/Soul City, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Rivers)
An odd record with a complicated back-story. Born in Nebraska, songwriter James Hendricks was at the heart of the East Coast folkie/jug band scene, but he was a sort of perpetual also-ran, despite working with several big stars. In 1963 he married singer Cass Elliot, working with her and Tim Rose in a short-lived folk trio called the Big Three, which morphed into a jug band formed with John Sebastian and other musicians who went on to huge fame. Sebastian and guitarist Zal Yanovsky formed the Lovin' Spoonful, while Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot gravitated towards the equally successful Mamas & Papas. Hendricks never hit the bigtime himself, although he did write a Top 20 hit for Johnny Rivers, and later found success as a Contemporary Christian songwriter. Rivers apparently took Hendricks under his wing to produce this semi-psychedelic, idiosyncratic folk-country-pop album. The studio crew includes a lot of hot session players, such as Pete Drake, Jerry Reed and a little bit of dobro playing by James Burton, who at the time was anchoring Elvis Presley's band. It's not a terribly distinctive record, but it's pleasant to listen to, and it's very much of its time. Worth checking out.

James Hendricks "James Hendricks" (MGM, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by James Hendricks)
It took me a little while to warm to this record... Here, Hendricks is much more clearly in a country mode (though also still rather folkie-sounding), wearing a cowboy hat on the cover and adding Buddy Emmons steel guitar into a mix that again includes guitarist James Burton, along with his TCB bandmates Jerry Scheff and Ronnie Tutt, the core of the Elvis Presley band, who give this record an air of cool, solid confidence. What takes a while to get used to is the thinness of Hendricks' voice, which doesn't seem to match the material, but after you ride with it a while, he'll win you over. A couple of the more languid, relaxed tracks have soft string arrangements which, for all the world, make this sound a little like a "country Nick Drake" album. This get interesting on Side Two, where he delivers some more uptempo, almost twangy material, covers a Hank Williams oldie, and closes out with nice version of Jimmie Rodgers' "Blue Yodel No. 10." An album highlight is a heartfelt performance of the classic gospel hymn "Softly And Tenderly," which presaged his later move into Contemporary Christian songwriting. Hendricks released a lone country single a few years later, but this was about it for his career as a recording artist. A nice, subtle record -- doesn't reach right out and grab you, but it's a solid set.

John Hunt "Beginnings" (Great American Goldmine, 1985) (LP)
A guitarist and singer from Omaha, Nebraska's roots music scene, Hunt played played with a country band called Backtrack, which included songwriter John Gibson on bass and Dan Mohamed on steel guitar. As far as I know, this was his only album.

Len & Esther Hutsell "When I Met Him" (196--?) (LP)

Len & Esther Hutsell "In The Valley" (Crusade Enterprises, 196--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Harris)
This married couple from Fremont, Nebraska were both clunky vocalists but the guitar pickin' is good and packed with rockabilly-influenced twang. The liner notes indicate that they performed shows throughout the South and upper Midwest, though I'm not sure if they were part of any particular ministry. Most of the songs were written by Len Hutsell, most notably his novelty number, "Guitar Pickin' Preacher Man." There are also a few standards such as "Palms Of Victory," as well originals such as "You Can't Run Away From God," by fellow evangelist, Jim Snyder and one called "Won't You Let Jesus In," which was composed by Esther's uncle Dan McGraw, a minister from Gillette, Wyoming. Her family band, the Grace Victors, with brothers Phil Grace and Steve Grace provided backing vocals as well. Given the twangy, uptempo feel, Hutsell may have started out playing in some local rock band or another before taking up his evangelical mission -- I'm not sure if he's playing lead on any of these tracks, though, as Crusade label staffers Bill Casolari and Pat Baker played on these sessions, and Hutsell is only mentioned as a rhythm guitarist. Anyway, this is a nice one for folks looking for Christian country with a little musical bite to it... Worth a spin, for sure!

Don King "Dreams 'N' Things" (Con Brio Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Walker)
Although he was ultimately a back-bencher, Nebraska's Don King had a pretty good run in the charts from 1976-88. Like many struggling artists, his big hits came at the beginning, when he scored two Top 20 entries in the late '70s, though after that he was constantly wobbling around the edges of the Top 40 -- still in the game, but not quite able to grab the brass ring. This album was recorded in Nashville with a big "usual suspects" studio crew -- one of the many albums fielded by the spunky Con Brio label during the last gasp of commercially-viable Nashville indies.

Pat & Barb "You And Me Against The World" (Renee Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Comte & Bob Palensky)
The Phillips sisters, Pat and Barb were born in Wisner, Nebraska, a tiny little place on the eastern end of the state, and played local shows together from 1971-77, including the years Pat went to college in Lincoln, studying for a degree in music education. They recorded this album on the feisty local indie, Renee Records, located in David City, about twenty miles south of where they grew up. The gals had lovely voices, great pitch and were solidly in the Skeeter Davis/Connie Francis post-girl group pop mould, with just enough country in the mix to merit mention here. Apparently they were musical prodigies, and label owner Bud Comte offered to donate his studio time to help them make a record. They cut commercials, did local concerts and opened for some national acts; at one point someone said they were going to give a tape of them to the Carpenters, who were their idols. On the album they cover "Silver Threads And Golden Needles," and "Different Drum," the title track which was a hit for Helen Reddy, and each of the sibs offers an original composition of their own, Barb Phillips wrote "Wait For Me," while Pat Phillips penned "Should The Heavens Above." No info on the musicians backing them, though some of the arrangements are, it must be admitted, a little nondescript. Barb Phillips died young, in 1979, and Pat kept singing locally, including a jingle for the local Chamber of Commerce in Beatrice, Nebraska though this LP was their only record together. (Thanks to the Beatrice Daily Sun for its 1981 profile of Pat Phillips, which provided much of the background information about this album, including the release date)

Jim & Jody (Pearson) "We Have This Moment Today" (Sword & Shield Records, 1982) (LP)
A charming country gospel set by an evangelical husband-wife duo who were also owners of the Double J Ranch in Stamford, Nebraska. They went to Texas to record this at the Sword & Shield studio in Arlington, with a very country-sounding backing band, including Junior Knight on steel guitar and banjo. There are two originals on this album, Jim Curry's "Jesus Feet, and Janet Potter's "You And Me And The Lord," though most of the material comes from established gospel artists such as the Gaithers and the Stamphills, as well as a version of Hank Williams's "I Saw The Light." Plenty of twang (yay!) and although neither one of them can stay in tune, they're so enthusiastic it's pretty hard not to like 'em.

Ramblin' "Ramblin' " (Self-Released, 1982-?) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Renfro)
Not to be confused with a Louisiana twangband of the same name, this cover band from Ponca, Nebraska was formed in the late 1970s and had a sweet tooth for melodic hits and harmony vocals, stuff like "All The Gold In California" by the Gatlins, "Fancy Free" by the Oak Ridge Boys and Johnny Lee's big hit, "Lookin' For Love." They also dug more country-rock type stuff such as "Lyin' Eyes" by the Eagles, and "Third Rate Romance," the 1975 hit by the Amazing Rhythm Aces. The group included lead guitar Mark Brewer, bassist Dan Frohberg, drummer Craig Kleinberg and lead singer Jeff Taylor (1954-2010) as well as his wife, Joan Taylor, on vocals (even though they didn't include her in the band photo...) Although eventually the band broke up, the Taylors continued to perform together at weddings and other local events well into the 1990s and 2000s; Mr. Taylor passed away in 2010 at the age of 55.

George Russell "Snake River" (Green Linnet, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Peter Oshtroushko)
George Russell was a guitarist from Scott's Bluff, Nebraska who became part of the Minneapolis folk scene... This album is a little less country than most of the records I'm looking at, but along a bunch of his own originals, he also covers some Jimmie Rodgers tunes such as "Peach Pickin' Time In Georgia" and "Columbus Stockade Blues." The backing band includes Peter Ostroushko, Butch Thompson, Barry St. Mane (on banjo), Mike Cass (dobro and steel guitar) and folkster Bill Staines contributes liner notes.

Jim Salestrom "Limited Edition" (1983) (LP)
(Produced by Kris O'Connor)
Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, songwriter Jim Salestrom formed the country-rock band Timberline with his brother Chuck while still in his teens; the group released one album in 1977 then disbanded the following year. Salestrom landed on his feet, though, landing a decade-long gig playing in Dolly Parton's band, while also recording a string of solo albums, and even performing the opening number in the movie Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. He became a Colorado-based artist, blending country and folk, and years later formed the band Wild Jimbos with erstwhile Nitty Gritty bandmember Jimmy Ibbotson. As far as I know, this was his first solo album, and was issued with two different covers, one white, the other black, though the content was the same on both versions.

Jim Salestrom "Blue River Dreamin' " (1983) (LP)
(Produced by Kris O'Connor & Ronny Light)

Jim Salestrom "Genuine Colorado" (1984)
(Produced by John Macy & Jim Salestrom)

Jim Salestrom "Look Through Any Window" (Rebecca Records, 1986)
(Produced by John Macy)

Tex Schutz "Keepin' It Country" (Red Dog Country Music, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Blake Etheridge & Frank Green)
This was the first album from multi-instrumentalist Richard L. (Tex) Schutz and his wife, vocalist Mary Neal Schutz, who at the time were living in Bennett, Nebraska, just outside of Lincoln. Though recorded in Nashville, this seems to feature their own band backing them or at least a bunch of lesser-known session players. Mr. Schutz plays lead guitar, along with Alex Austin on drums, Karl Brandt (bass), Ben Cowling (guitar), Frank Green (bass), Tim Murphy (fiddle and piano), Doug Sullivan (drums), and Bob Tripp playing dobro. A lot of cover songs on there, including "Green, Green Grass Of Home" and "Today I Started Loving You Again," though the album kicks off with a Tex Schutz original, "Put the Country Back in the Music," (a novelty number built around the great couplet, "Put the country back in the music/Put the rock back in the ground"); a second song, "Forty Miles Of Bad Road" is also credited to Mr. Schutz, although it's a pretty old theme. The Schutzes founded a couple of music festivals, the first being held at their own Prairieland Park venue in Firth, Nebraska, from 1988-97, when they closed the auditorium. They also founded a second traditionally-oriented country music concert called the "Miles Of Memories Country MusicFest & RV Rally," held annually in Hastings, Nebraska for twelve years up until 2015, when Mr. Schutz had to retire due to health issues. At some point, they moved to Streetman, Texas, and took their Red Dog label with them, recording well over a dozen albums together, giving their final concert together for fans in Nebraska in 2014.

Sour Mash "Drinks And Goes Home" (IGL Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Peterson)
The first album by this swinging, eclectic band from Omaha, Nebraska. Lots of cover songs, such as "D-I-V-O-R-C-E," Paul Siebel's "Louise" and some honkytonk oldies, as well as a few originals, including Jim Pipher's "Last Call Lover," and Randy Barger's "New Man Underground" and "Canadian Hotels." Apparently the group sent a lot of time on the road, but struggled to break out of the regional market -- a pity, since they were pretty darn good. They stuck together through the early 1980s, though I believe they only recorded these two LPs.

Sour Mash "Sour Mash" (Candy Apple Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by James A. Ludwig)
An amiable country-rock/swing revival band from Omaha, Nebraska, Sour Mash more or less split their repertoire between Asleep At The Wheel-style swing-standards covers -- of songs like "Mack The Knife," "Chatanooga Choo-Choo," and "Barnyard Boogie" -- and tunes from the Emmylou Harris/Gram Parsons canon, such as "Love Hurts," "That's All It Took" and "I'll Be Your San Antone Rose." Yeah, they're derivative: singer Pam Harms had a major Emmylou jones, and the debt to the Wheel is equally clear... But they're charming nonetheless, a nice, unpretentious local band who got the chance to make a couple of records... and did pretty well!

John L. Sullivan "Woman Leave Me Alone" (Nugget Records, 1968-?) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Carter, Jr. & Jerry Bradley)
A country singer from Norfolk, Nebraska, John L. Sullivan worked in Kansas City during the mid-1960s and recorded a few singles on the KCMO-based Brass label, then moved to Nashville for a few years before returning to the Midwest. Back in Nebraska he started his own label, Shue Records, releasing numerous singles of his own, as well as many by other local artists such as Shirley Adams, Dean & Sue, and perhaps most notably bandleader Don Sohl, a fellow Norfolker and regionally popular performer who also tried his luck in the big city (New York, in his case) but came back after a few years to life the simple life.

John L. Sullivan "Tear Time" (Mint Julep Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Meryvn Solomon)
Not sure what the whole story behind this one is... Apparently in the late 'Seventies, the Irish record producer-promoter Meryvn Solomon -- who discovered Van Morrison & Them and who also helped fund the Radio Caroline pirate radio station -- set up an American wing of his Emerald Records imprint, and signed John L. Sullivan up as one of his US artists. Obviously, this album went nowhere, but it's a nice footnote to an already idiosyncratic career. This may have also come out in the UK, but don't quote me on that.

Helen Taylor & The Taylor Sisters "Country" (Helen Taylor Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Logan)
A rock-solid honkytonk set from Ewing, Nebraska's Helen Taylor, an accomplished guitarist who recorded original music as well as covers, and led her own, all-female band which is pictured on the back cover. They were originally called the Country Misses, but legend has it that in the late '60s Johnny Cash suggested they change the name because at the time the word "country" was out of fashion in show business. Taylor may have recorded some singles as well, but I think this was her only album... According to the liner notes, it was recorded in Nashville, but they don't say what musicians are playing on the sessions, so I'm not sure if it was her own band backing her or not... Anyway, Taylor was a fine singer -- earthy, charismatic and direct, and very much in the Loretta Lynn style. She covers Loretta's "Coal Miner's Daughter," as well as a couple of Kris Kristofferson songs and a version of John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads," which probably places this (undated) album at around 1972, despite the impressive, '60s-style beehive hairdos on the band photo... The most enjoyable stuff on here, though, is the original material, with one song written by Taylor ("The Things I Already Know") and another credited to the same publishing company but written by Dave Hall and Louis Redding ("It's Not The Miles You Traveled") as well as novelty numbers like Hank Mills' "I Don't Think You Love Me (I Know You Do)." Old-school honkytonker Faron Young contributed liner notes and was one of many nationally-known stars who knew and performed with Ms. Taylor. She passed away in 1976 from pancreatic cancer, only a few years after this fine album had been recorded. During her career she toured nationally and in Europe, played Vegas, did USO shows in Vietnam and of course performed at countless county fairs and other local venues. It's a shame she didn't get the chance to record more, though, as this really is a fine album with a ton of authentic twang.

Helen Taylor "Last Farewell" (Renee Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Comte & Bob Palensky)
This late 'Seventies album shows Ms. Taylor plugging away, still rooted in real-deal hard country, playing Merle Haggard and whatnot. Looks like she also still had an all-gal band, though alas, none of the musicians are identified. Kansas City country singer Larry Good contributes laudatory liner notes; he seems to have had some connection with the Renee label, as he wrote liners for other releases as well.

Timberline "The Great Timber Rush" (Epic Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bones Howe)
Yeesh. This country-rock band from Kearney, Nebraska hit the big time (kind of) with a major-label contract that featured the perky beat and airy melodies of contemporary country-rock, almost to a fault. Brothers Chuck and Jim Salestrom formed the band as teens, back in 1971, building up a regional reputation that led to their getting signed by CBS Records, and a recording session with a bunch of LA heavyweights. Plenty of other artists come to mind when listening to this record: America, John Denver, The Eagles -- et cetera. -- but the ultimate impression is one of generic, derivative, overly-slick, overly-pumped up AOR twang. I mean, yeah, for the genre this is probably pretty good -- fans of 'Seventies soft rock will probably dig it, but for whatever reason it got on my nerves and brought out the twang-snob in me... it just seems too contrived and formulaic, although the band really put their heart and soul into the sessions. Apparently, while riding on the success of this album Timberline toured with Dolly Parton for a while, but the band fell apart in '78, with Jim Salestrom breaking orbit and establishing himself as an in-demand session player, songwriter, and solo musician. He toured with Dolly in the 1980s, and has worked steadily throughout the years. This album? Didn't work for me, but really, it's pretty strong for the genre.

Young Country "Barroom Blues" (Lost Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Keith Brown & Young Country)
An entirely different group from the Dallas, Texas band listed elsewhere, this Nebraska-based country-rock combo had its heyday from 1975-82, playing throughout the Midwest... I think this was their only album, but it's definitely a good one! Packed with clearly-conceived, concisely written, well-performed country tunes, this is an amiable, unpretentious set with several strong tracks and a ton of original material written by Jim Casey and Nick Leland (and one cover of a Merle Haggard song...) Highlights include Leland's "Married To The Bottle" and Casey's "Color TV," in which the sing admits that he mostly likes his girlfriend because of her swell home entertainment system. The picking is generally first-rate, bright and twangy, and at times pleasantly plunky... Even on the slower songs, like "Wait For Yesterday," they come up with some interesting tonalities during the bridge, so even the album's weaker moments are okay. Overall, this one's definitely worth tracking down. Apparently, not long after they made this record the band broke up, then regrouped in 1980 as "The Y.C. Critter Band," and plated regionally for a couple more years until they finally gave up the ghost. This LP's a nice legacy, though!

Various Artists "CIRCLE H RANCH PRESENTS: STREAKING SALLY" (Dynamite Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Richie Burkhardt)
This looks like a souvenir album from the Circle H Ranch, in Norfolk, Nebraska... I originally thought the Circle H was a dude ranch with chuckwagon singalongs, but it may be more likely that this was some kind of pay-to-play song-poem album and the Circle H was a fictitious entity: other than this album, I haven't found any other info about it. The musicians include Jim Hall, Bill Moore & The Kentuckians, producer Richie Burkhardt and Martha Dee on Side One, with Nancy Burkhardt, Don Cassidy, Lon Rose and Kanas C. Williams on Side Two. Not sure who did what, though: the back cover is blank. The composer credits seem to line up with the performers, but that's about all the discographical info we get. All very mysterious.

Various Artists "THE RED BARN SHOW" (Renee Records, 1980-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Comte)
Omaha, Nebraska's Richard and Florence Andersen founded the Red Barn Opry Show in 1980, as well as something called the Mid-America Country Music Association (aka MACMA) although this record is the only place I've never heard of either institution... The same is true for the artists on this album, who include Keith Andersen, Kerry Andersen, Richard Andersen, Louise Fleming, Jim Hanna, Kelly Hitch, Dave Klingforth, Dale Sisco, Cheryl Spenser and Sylvia Spencer... The Bed Barn Opry was apparently a Branson-esque regional country variety show, though both it and the country music organization went by the wayside years ago. Anyone out there with more info? I'm all ears! (By the way, there were several Red Barn Shows, located in different states at different times... As far as I know there was no direct connection between any of them...)

Hick Music Index