Paul Belanger "You're The One For Me" (White Mountain Music, 19--?) (LP)
An old-fashioned cowboy yodeler from New England, Paul Belanger was born in New Hampshire and hosted a weekly radio program for over thirty years, as well as performing and touring nationally and internationally for over sixty years, well into the 2010's. Backing him on this album is East Coast country legend Dick Curless, on rhythm guitar with his son, Rick Curless on drums, Jeff Patterson and Chuck Parish (of the John Penny Band) playing pedal steel and lead guitar, respectively. The repertoire's mostly straight-up cowboy music and sentimental stuff, including a couple of Gene Autry tunes, one by Montana Slim and a couple by Wilf Carter, who was a friend of Belanger. There's also a wealth of original material on here, including a pair of Christmas-related songs, the title track and one called "Cash Box For A Heart." Not sure when this album was recorded, but Belanger looks relatively youthful here, and Rick Curless was playing with Chuck Parrish in the John Penny Band around 1978... So, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that this came out around then as well.

Paul Belanger "The Old Man Of The Mountain" (Allagash Records, 19--?) (LP)
One of Mr. Belanger's most popular songs was his twangy tribute to the Old Man Of The Mountains, a curious rock formation near Franconia, New Hampshire than had a craggy profile not unlike that of Abraham Lincoln. The overhang was a popular tourist attraction and became New Hampshire's state emblem, drawing countless gawkers over the decades, until it collapsed from natural erosion in 2003. But we'll always have this song to remember it by!

Carl Brouse "American Hotel" (DTI Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Craig Luckin & Carl Brouse)
This was the lone LP by songwriter Carl Brouse (1950-2002), a New Hampshire artist notable in part for his collaborations with alt-twang luminary Tom Russell, who co-wrote for songs on here, and later recorded his own version of the title track on one of his own albums. This record might appeal to fans of the younger Rodney Crowell, or early Marty Stuart -- Brouse had a similar rock-appreciative country style, pop-aware, but definitely twangy. Plus, his laconic Southern-inflected drawl sounds an awful lot like Rodney at various points in his career. Highlights include the honkytonk boozing anthem, "These Bars (Have Made A Prisoner Out Of Me)" and the title track, which is an homage to the great American composer Stephen Foster. Brouse moved to Austin at some point, San Francisco as well, and worked with a bunch of talented people. On this album alone, he's got folks like Shawn Colvin, Amos Garrett, Bonnie Hayes and Paul Davis (which explains some of the 'Seventies AOR vibe on a tune or two...) as well as Bobby Black on steel guitar... Brouse died young, apparently from complications of diabetes. This album is a fine legacy, though! As are the few singles he recorded as well...

The Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra "Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra" (F&W Records, 1972) (LP)

The Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra "...Meets The F&W String Band" (F&W Records, 1972) (LP)

(Dudley Laufman &) The Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra "Swinging On A Gate" (Front Hall Records, 1974) (LP)

(Dudley Laufman &) The Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra "Mistwold" (F&W Records, 1974) (LP)

The Canterbury Orchestra "Shake A Leg: Canterbury Folk At Marble Palace" (Andrea Records, 19--?) (LP)

Connie Converse - see artist discography

The Country Playboys Show "Waltz Of New England (My Home)" (Country Playboys Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Don West)
Not a lot of info about this compact country crew from New Hampshire... The group was led by songwriter Brad Robinson, who wrote eight out of eleven songs on the album; there are two more originals by Milton Humpfus, who wasn't in the band but who shared Robinson's publishing company, Kinfolk Publishing... The album is rounded out by a version of Santo & Johnny's "Sleep Walk," which is the only cover tune. Robinson is the only band member identified by his full name -- Jim (drums), Ted (lead guitar) and Tony (bass) all get their pictures on the back cover, but not their names, which makes researching a bit difficult. The album was recorded at Don West's studio in Farmington, New Hampshire, and other than that the trail grows cold... The group was plugged by a couple of ads in the Portsmouth Herald in August, 1974, when they had a gig playing at a place called Driftwood Manor; an obituary for a guy who joined the band later indicates that the Country Playboys stayed together for over twenty years, though this was apparently their only album.

Joe Creslo, Rose Lee & Don West "Our Way" (Interstate Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Timothy Sprawl & Don West)

Dwight Davis & The Linemen "Meet Dwight Davis And The Linemen" (Lineman Records, 197--?) (LP)
According to the liner notes by Dick Curless, bandleader Dwight Davis was born in Lyneboro, New Hampshire, and was a trucker by profession, although he sure knew how to sing a twangtune as well... Davis led his band, The Linemen, for several years, playing throughout New England, notably headlining at the Gene LaVerne's Lone Star Ranch, out in Merrimack, New Hampshire. Confident though resolutely forlorn, Davis channels national stars such as Merle Haggard and George Jones, a rock-solid honkytonker with a calm demeanor and a firm hand on the tiller. The band included some excellent pedal steel by Al Eyles, with Ken d'Eon (bass), Normand Ouellette (drums), Gary Winslow on lead guitar, and harmony vocals by Roxanne Lebo. This self-released LP was recorded at EAR Studios in Lewiston, Maine, though Davis also recorded for Little Ritchie Records, in New Mexico, and is said to have played down in Texas as well. Recommended.

Don & Charlotte "My Little Corner Of The World" (Interstate Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Don West & Tim Sprowl)
This New Hampshire duo featured singer-guitarist Don West and "girl" singer Charlotte (whose last name isn't mentioned in the liner notes), who were from Manchester and Londonderry, NH, respectively. Some songs are sung as duets, others as solo... They performed together for several years before this album came out, and their repertoire included a lot of early '70s countrypolitan hits -- stuff like Donna Fargo's "Funny Face," Conway Twitty's "You've Never Been This Far Before," "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," "Let Me Be There," and of course a couple of Marie Osmond hits. So... early '70s? 1973? Something like that?

Jan Esty "Too Much Of You Still On My Mind" (Diamond Tape Productions, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Fournier & Jeff Levine)
Not a ton of information about this gal out there... Jan Esty (1935-2014) was the stage name for Janice Hanscom, a New Englander born in Maynard, Massachusetts though she grew up in New Hampshire. In 1977 she led a band called The Happy Days which played regular gigs at a venue in Nashua called the Loyal Club, which I think was some sort of country club or fraternal order. The liner notes by her daughter Sally Nordle are charming, though not super-informative -- mostly Ms. Nordle talks about how she was into rock music, but her mom dug country, and how it took a while for her to appreciate the genre. Esty's range was fairly wide: she sang a mix of oldies such as "I Still Miss Someone" and "Sugar Coated Love" along with more contemporary hits like "Let Me Be There" and Kris Kristofferson's "Lord Help Me, Jesus." Unfortunately, the production notes don't tell us who was backing her, although the backup singers are identified as the Songsmiths, a trio including Lucy Devino, Pauline Downing and Gene Raschi. As far as I know, this was her only album, though she did record at least one single as well

Itinerant Musicians License "Itinerant Musicians License" (Front Hall, 1972-?) (LP)
This hippie-folkie old-timey string band was an offshoot of the Canterbury Orchestra, an amorphous ensemble led by multi-instrumentalist Dudley Laufman, who plays accordion on this record... He's joined by several fiddlers -- Jack Perron, Randy Miller and Fred Breunig -- on a lively acoustic set. Laufman also recorded a solo album (or two) back around the same time.

Dudley Laufman & The Canterbury Orchestra "Swinging On A Gate" (Front Hall Records, 1974) (LP)

Gene LaVerne "Country Music -- Past And Present" (Natural Sound Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Lou Casella)
A Minnesota native, singer Gene LaVerne (1924-2004) was a vaudeville performer in the late 1930s, working with a partner named Harry Burke with whom he toured throughout the South and Midwest. LaVerne started a radio career in New England, but wound up serving in the military when WWII broke out -- he returned to New England after the war, working in radio again and as part of a country music revue show at the Lone Star Ranch, located in Reeds Ferry, New Hampshire, where he worked for several decades. This early '70s album has a mailing address in Maynard, Mass and is mostly an oldies set -- country and old-timey standards, along with two songs credited to Gene LaVerne, "Love Me," and the title track, "Country Music -- Past And Present." Features lead guitar by Dusty Burnell, who also played on LaVerne's next album.

Gene LaVerne "...Sings Something Old, Something New" (Natural Sound Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Lou Casella)
This disc features a ton of public domain oldies, along with a cover of "Green, Green Grass Of Home," and a tune by Ronnie Cormier, "Shine On Sunshine," which seems to have been original to this album. Among the many testimonials on the back cover -- by George Jones, Mel Tillis, et. al. -- is one by George Chatfield of radio station WFGL/WFMP-FM, in Fitchburg, MA, indicating that Gene LaVerne was working there as on-air talent at the time. He's backed by New England locals, including Dusty Burnell on dobro, Cathy Cass (piano), Al Eyles (steel guitar), Curly King (fiddle), Charlie Patterson (rhythm guitar) and Sal Perry on bass; several of these musicians were also regulars at the Lone Star Ranch venue, in New Hampshire.

Ray Little "The Ray Little Gang" (Arc Records, 196--?) (LP)
Bandleader Ray Little was originally from New Hampshire, although he and his wife Ann (a Massachusetts gal) emigrated up to Canada in 1946, where they led country bands in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. At the time of this album (sorry, no date) they'd been hosting a TV show in Regina for over three years. Unfortunately as is often the case with these old Arc LPs, there's no info about who the backing musicians were on this set.

Bill Madison "Sunday Mornin' Hayride" (Saloon Records, 1973) (LP)
Authentic spaced-out, meandering, longhaired, hippie folk music from a New Hampshire-based troubadour who mixed blues-based acoustic picking with a bit of country-flavored pedal steel and whatnot. The songwriting doesn't seem super-focussed, but the album oozes authenticity... After this album came out, Madison started a country-rock group called Them Fargo Bros... and while the band never put out an album(?) during their time together, they toured widely and recorded sporadically, with a couple of archival albums that came out years later. (See below.)

Fran Owens "Many Sides Of Fran Owens" (Fleetwood Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Ronnie Des Marais)
Back in the 'Sixties and 'Seventies, the whole "both side/many sides" gimmick was meant to be a way to sell a lounge artist's versatility, though in the case of Nashua, New Hampshire's blonde, statuesque folk-pop singer Fran Owens, it was also part of a salacious framing of her "other talents," or put more simply, part of the ogling process the folks at Fleetwood thought was perfectly normal at the time. For example, Ken Meyer, of the Boston Herald-Traveler opines on the back cover, "This gal packs a throaty sound in a well-curv'd container, and with proper spotting could make it big. She screams sex." Gross. The album is, however, more or less split between, "pop" material on Side One, and mostly country stuff on Side Two. Ms. Owens, who perhaps didn't have the strongest voice, gets some slightly odd backing from a small combo that included pianist Charles Beckler, arranger/producer Ronnie Des Marais on guitar, and drummer Jim Snow... We can probably skip her rendition of "You've Got A Friend," though there's a pretty solid slate of country lounge standards to be heard on the flipside: "Happiest Girl In The Whole USA," "Help Me Make It Through The Night," "The Night They Burned Old Dixie Down," yet another version of "Me And Bobby McGee," and the one I really wanna hear: her version of Lynn Anderson's "Rose Garden."

Them Fargo Bros. "The Studio Recordings: 1976-1981" (2010)
A digital-era reissue of from-the-archives material by the New Hampshire-based band, Them Fargo Bros., which featured songwriter Bill Madison, who had released his own solo folk album, Sunday Mornin' Hayride, before starting this country-rock band in '74. I'm not sure if any of these tracks really came out on vinyl, back in the day, or whether they are gathered here for the first time in album form.

Them Fargo Bros. "1979" (1979-?)
A previously-unreleased album recorded by this regionally-known New England country-rock band at a live gig at North Conway, NH's Oxen Yoke Inn... Apparently the band toured quite widely throughout the '70s and early '80s and stuck together until the early 1990s, in one form or another.

Rusty Wellington "Lonesome... In My Blue House" (Soundcraft Associates, 1963) (LP)
(Produced by Daniel N. Flickinger)
Although he was born in New Brunswick, Canada, singer Douglas Bramwell ("Rusty") Wellington (1925-1987) became known as a pioneering figure in New England's hillbilly country scene. His family moved to New Hampshire when he was ten, and the precociously talented lad had his own radio show as a teen, and even performed with several established bands. Wellington's career had an amazingly Zelig-like quality: he toured with stars such as Hank Snow, Hank Williams and Tex Williams and was closely associated with Bill Haley, who he wrote songs for and went on the road with following World War Two. After the war, Wellington settled in New Hampshire and established himself regionally, hosting a popular television show and writing regional pride songs such as "The Allagash" and "Packed In Maine," which helped earn him a spot in the Maine Country Music Hall Of Fame.

Rusty Wellington "Yes, It's Me Again" (Arzee Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Lucky Steel & Tony Schmidt)
A fine set, marked by Mr. Wellington's marvelously imperfect but deeply sincere vocals, as well as some fine, no-frills country backing. And when I say his vocals are pleasantly flawed, I'm not being cynical or snide: I really do find him to be an appealing and emotionally authentic performer... Hank Snow is the most obvious tonal comparison, but mousy-voiced crooners such as Hank Locklin also come to mind. The real treat here is the wealth of original material provided by label owner Rex Zario's publishing company, presumably all from New England composers... This includes several songs by Rusty and Dolly Wellington, along with Kay Snyder, Lucky Taylor, and others. Unfortunately, the liner notes don't tell us the names of any of the backing band, but they were pretty solid, and not terribly flashy; the old-fashioned lap steel guitar is kind of fun, and a real throwback to an earlier era of hillbilly twang. Also, where else are you going to find a country song like "Packed In Maine," which references the East Coast fisheries and lobsters? Now that's some regional music!

Rusty Wellington "Stepping Stone To A Higher Ground" (Arcade Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Howard)
Shifting into gospel mode later in life, Wellington billed himself as "the singing preacher" on an album packed with several of his own originals, and only a few obvious cover songs. The liner notes highlight a gruesome and tragic story about his fifteen-month old baby getting injured, an event that seems to have triggered Wellington's religious conversion. Recorded at Virtue Recording Studios, in Philadelphia, PA, this album's lineup includes Rusty Wellington on rhythm guitar and vocals, Buck Wellington (bass), Henry Cherokee Bull (lead guitar), and Milton Sacks playing dobro and steel guitar... I'm not 100% sure, but this may have been his last album.

Don West & Rose Lee "14 Karat Gold" (Hilltop Production Company, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Linneman)
Great, gritty hard country from a husband-wife duo from New England. There's not a ton of info about these two, including exactly where they were from. Apparently in the 1970s they hosted a TV show in Bangor, Maine, but their careers date back to the early 1960s and several of their early singles are on small, private labels with an address in Farmington, New Hampshire. They seem to have performed (and recorded) regionally, including some records made in Massachusetts. Don West was a delightfully imperfect singer, country to the bone, and retained a similarly rough edge in his twangy guitar work. Perhaps more interesting is how Rose Lee fit into the mix: she had an old-fashioned, mildly grating, vocal sound harkening back to the 1940s or earlier, but the music was often more uptempo and modern -- it's like if Kitty Wells had been backed by Buck Owens. Both West and Lee also cut singles under their own name, including a few that were broken off their albums. I'm not 100% sure when this came out -- PragueFrank says '73 -- but it was at least after 1971, since they cover "Never Ending Song Of Love," as well as some Connie Smith hits from the 'Sixties and whatnot. Good stuff!

Don West/Rose Lee/Joe Creslo "Our Way" (Interstate Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Don West & Timothy Sprowl)
There's a lot going on here, much of it bewildering. All three of these performers from New Hampshire were pretty obscure, although producer/label owner Don West and his partner Rose Lee released several albums together, independent of Joe Creslo, who remains a stubbornly elusive character. Keeping things brief, this is a weird album. A lot of it swirls around Rose Lee's anachronistic, Kitty Wells-ish vocals, though her old-fashioned approach is at odds with the album's slightly chaotic arrangements, which include lots of odd, fitful Spanish guitar riffs -- noodly, slightly pretentious meanderings which may have been meant to approximate the lofty, artsy-fartsy pop crossovers of the contemporary countrypolitan scene. Whatever their aspirations, this isn't an easy album to listen to, with more of an outsider-art feel than your average self-released country set from the 'Seventies. This feeling is amplified by the side note that all of the songs were written or co-written by a guy named Carl Bragner (1927-1992) who had written some stuff back in the '60s, and composed seven of this album's songs with his younger brother Edwin Bragner. The Bragners seem to have been habitual amateur songwriters, copywriting numerous works over the course of a couple of decades, and this was most likely some kind of song-poem, pay-to-have-your-lyrics-put-to-music kind of deal. Given that Joe Creslo has zero online paper trail (other than one lone show notice for an American Legion gig in 1975), I halfway wondered if he was a pseudonym for Carl Bregner... but who would pick "Creslo" as their stage name? Anyway, this is a weird record. Devoted fans of obscuro twang can certainly appreciate it, but you do have to put in some effort.

Don West & Rose Lee "New England Country" (197-?) (LP)

Dusty Cal & Bonnie (Witham) "Songs Of The Old Country Church" (Soundcraft Associates, 196--?) (LP)
A married couple from Rochester, New Hampshire, Rev. Calvin G. Witham (1926-2021) and Clara C. Witham (1925-2012) were secular country stars in the late 1940s, before they got religion in 1951 and shifted towards gospel music. Cal Witham had a career going back to the mid-1940s, and was partnered up with another New England country picker, Clyde Joy, for a couple of years after the war. For several decades the Withams were connected with the Lone Star Ranch country music venue in Reeds Ferry, New Hampshire, and at the time this album came out "Dusty Cal" was a performer on a country show broadcast from Manchester's WMUR-TV. Their career found the couple working both sides of the Massachusetts/New Hampshire state line, though they eventually settled down in Cambridge, MA in 1985. They are accompanied on this album by organist Beverly Smith, and Warren Carney on guitar. The set was recorded in Cambridge, Massachusetts; later the Withams moved to Hanson, MA, south of Boston, where Cal Witham served as an ordained minister, and later moved to Cambridge.

Cal Witham & Bonnie Witham "...Sing The Gospel Country Style" (Bolt Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Buzz Whittica, Buck Carney & Richard Nevue)
The old-time country duo of Cal & Bonnie started out as a secular act, but went gospel later in life, with Mr. Witham becoming an ordained Baptist minister, in Hanson, Massachusetts. This album is mostly packed with standards, including a patriotic medley performed by John Phipps on the Wurlitzer organ. Producer Buck Carney plays dobro and guitar, and was apparently the co-owner of Bolt Records, which gives its address as the Lone Star Ranch, in Reeds Ferry, New Hampshire. (Many thanks to Hillbilly-Music.com for filling in a few blanks!)

Jimmy Woods & The Woodsmen "Just For You" (Onyx Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Terry Sutton)
A lifelong resident of Dover, New Hampshire, bandleader James J. Wood, Jr (1936-2015) played in New England country bands for several decades, and started his group, The Woodsmen, back in 1967. They cut a couple of singles on the Natural Sound label around 1972, and this full album -- with a new lineup -- a few years later. This lineup of the Woodsmen included Jimmy Woods on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Ronny Chase (piano), Rod Levigne (drums), Jimmy Reynolds (lead guitar), John Rogers (bass), and producer Terry Sutton playing pedal steel, working their way through a set of cover songs including 'Sixties and 'Seventies hits such as "Fox On The Run," "Slide Off Your Satin Sheets," "Country Roads," and yet another version of "You Gave Me A Mountain." In later years, Mr. Woods opened his own club, St. Jean's, which opened in 1981, and later changed the name to Jimmy's Sports Bar. He was also a co-founder and longtime officer of the New Hampshire Country Music Association, and was inducted into its ranks in 1990. It's worth noting that the Woodsmen's earlier singles showcased several Jimmy Woods originals,, all co-written with a C. Hoitt (whose first name I couldn't quite track down...) None of those earlier songs are included here, so anyone reissues this record, be sure to include those tracks as well!

Earl D. Woodward "The Hillbilly Singer" (Home Town Records, 1970-?) (7") (EP)
(Produced by Sam H. Brackin)
This modest seven-inch disc is about as "private" and DIY as you can get... Earl Woodward (1906-1986) was born in New Hampshire, grew up in Connecticut, and was apparently living in Johnson City, Tennessee when he cut this six-song EP at age 63. He played on the radio as a kid, 'way back in the 1920s, later he served in World War II and was apparently wounded in combat -- he lost his right leg and part of his left foot, and is pictured on the front cover holding his guitar while leaning on crutches. The songs are all originals, with backing by three Johnson City locals -- Bill Crowell (rhythm guitar), Blue Friday (electric guitar) and Fred Shoun on bass. Songs include "Be Your Self," "The Big Oak Tree," "Chick Chock Charley," "Like A Rainbow," "Mexican Beauty," and "Sweetest Thing In Life." Despite having a musical background, this disc was his first recording, and his only one, as far as I know.

Hick Music Index