C. W. Anderson "Turn Off The Key And Rosin Up The Bow" (Circle B Recordings, 19--?) (LP)
Not to be confused with the children's book illustrator, country fiddler Clifford "C.W." Anderson (1931-2013) was a founding member of the house band at the Circle B, a dude ranch near Rapid City that produced numerous LPs, including this "solo" set, which highlights fiddle tunes... Anderson was born in Minnesota and worked for several decades in the logging and paper industries. In 1962 he moved to Grand Rapids where he continued his paper industry work, even patenting a specialized, multi-part trailer bed for trucking logs called the Translotor. He also became involved in the Circle B Ranch and the Black Hills Country Music Association, performing regionally as well as on tours of Canada and the Rockies.

C. W. "Cliff" Anderson "A Little Fiddlin' And A Little Yodelin' " (Circle B Records, 19--?) (LP)
Another solo set, with fiddle tunes such as "Cripple Creek" and "Old Joe Clark," as well as cowboy songs like "Cattle Call" and "Lonesome Cowpoke." Alas, no info on the musicians, or when this was recorded. Looks 1980s to me...

Jan Arden & Company "This, That And (Of Course) The Other Thing" (Falcon Enterprises, 1979)
(Produced by Jan Arden & John Filadel)
Not a lot of info about this country-oriented lounge band from South Dakota... The liner notes inform us that he started playing music professionally in 1973, though neglect to tell us what town he was from. The repertoire is mostly country or country-adjacent, with covers of "Mr. Bojangles" and "Rocky Top," a couple of Kenny Rogers songs, also some pop stuff like "Danny's Song," Mack The Knife," and "House At Pooh Corner." The band included Jan Arden on vocals and guitar, Bob Glover (bass), John Hogen (piano), Scott Kaverklamp (drums), and Katie Rassmussen on bass and backing vocals.

Rick Baxter "Cowboy's Dream" (Circle B Records, 19--?) (LP)
A western (cowboy) oriented souvenir album from the Circle B Ranch, near Rapid City, South Dakota, the same venue that hosted fiddler C. W. Anderson... The album sports remarkably barebones graphics, and sparse info as well, other than the song titles and address. The songs are pretty standard fare, covers of "Back In The Saddle," "Have I Told You Lately," "Wayward Wind," et. al. Not sure when this came out, though from the looks of it it could be anywhere from the mid-1960s to the early '70s.

Jenni Blocker & Neil Wayne "Two For The Road" (Safari Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Charles Fields & Johnny Howard)
A trip to Nashville resulted in this album by South Dakotans Jenni Blocker and Neil Bagaus (aka Neil Wayne) who had previously been in an amateur band called the Suns Of The West, which played several county fair-type events and talent contests but never really cracked into the professional country scene. The Suns recorded an album in 1974, though as far as I know, these were the only two records they made...

The Circle B Cowboys "A Cowboy Has To Sing" (Circle B Records, 19--?) (LP)
A western (cowboy) themed band from a dude ranch near Rapid City, South Dakota... The quartet on this album included Jay Baldwin (lead vocals), Jim Lovell (baritone), Rick Baxter (guitar) and C. W. Anderson on fiddle. Anderson, Baxter and Lovell each recorded "solo" albums under their own names -- I suspect Jay Baldwin must have as well, or maybe since he was the main vocalist on the Circle B albums, that was good enough? I dunno. Anyway, these dude ranch cowboy albums are better than you think they are.

The Circle B Cowboys "Circle B Cowboy's Best" (Circle B Records, 1981-?) (LP)
A bunch more cowboy classics and a fiddle tune or two. A really mainstream, less folkloric selection on this one, with chestnuts like "Cool Water," "Pinto Pal," "How Great Thou Art," "Streets Of Laredo" and the like. No date on this one, but they mention with pride getting "a national award for the preservation of the music of the Old West," in 1980, so I'm guessing '81, maybe even late 1980, since that's the kind of thing you wanna brag about right away. This early 'Eighties lineup included Jay Baldwin, Cliff Anderson and Jim Lovell, and a fella from LA named Bob Wright joining on bass vocals.

Circle B Chuckwagon Suppers And Western Show "South Dakota" (Circle B Records, 19--?) (LP)
This edition of the group included Jay Baldwin (lead vocals), Jim Lovell (baritone), John Raderschoot (bass) and Ken Wilcox (bass). Not to be confused with the four American presidents etched onto Mount Rushmore in the background of this album's cover photo...

The Country Classics "Outstanding In Their Field" (197--?) (LP)
These beard-y, semi-longhairs from South Dakota were devotees of outlaws like Waylon and redneck libertarians like Charlie Daniels... A rock-solid working class twang band, they thank the folks at the Stauffer Chemical company (where doubtless they worked) as well as fans in Sioux City and Oakdale... They cover lots of attitude-heavy twang classics, like "Long Haired Country Boy" and "Up Against The Wall, Redneck Mother," though oddly enough some of the best tracks are heart songs, like their cover of Conway Twitty's "I've Never Been This Far Before." To be honest, the Classics weren't really a very skillful band, and their performances are kinda workmanlike and clunky, although they were clearly into it and their repertoire is kind of a hoot. At any rate, if you're not too picky about musicianship and stuff like that, this is one of those old '70s records that's a very honest snapshot of bar bands of the time -- it's the real deal, even if it ain't exactly Waylon & Willie. One minor mark against them for leaving the n-word in their cover of David Allan Coe's "If That Ain't Country," though maybe I'd have to give the point back to them for staying true to the source material.

Country Cousins "First Time Around" (A & R Record Manufacturing Corporation, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Richard Halverson)
An uber-indie release by some young musicians from Sturgis, South Dakota, who went to Dallas to cut this album. The band includes brothers Lars and Lynn Aga, on lead guitar and lead vocals, along with drummer Sam Hilmer, and his sister Denise, who also sings lead. All but one of the band members were teenagers when this album was produced. Honestly? It's not a great record, although it is quite enjoyable. This is the very definition of a vanity album made by amateur musicians just for fun: they sound unrehearsed and like they just learned to play their instruments, but they also sound like they were having fun, and that they enjoyed playing together. The production values are minimal, basically a flat mix around an unfiltered microphone, and several tracks don't even include all their instruments. And I gotta say, of all the bazillion versions of "Proud Mary" recorded on private albums during the 1970s, I think this one -- mostly just ragged group vocals around a single acoustic guitar -- is my all-time favorite. I also love the liner notes, where they say they don't know what they're gonna do after they graduate high school, but they kind of wish they could just stay at home, working on the ranch. Now, that's country!

The Country Jans "Baby It's You" (Jomar Records, 1978) (LP)
This album was recorded by two marvelously beehived gals from South Dakota -- Jan Tchida of Lake City, SD and Janet Iverson from nearby Hazel, two tiny towns firmly located left of the middle of nowhere. They're backed on this album by the Tibor Brothers, a North Dakota musical family who supported a lot of regional artists over the years and also owned the Jomar label, acting as its house band. The Jans cover some classics by Don Gibson, Lefty Frizzell and Eddy Raven, and also recorded a couple of originals written by Tchida, as well as some others that look like they might have been written by other locals. They also include Ronnie Milsap's 1975 hit, "Daydreams About Night Things," which is the most contemporary hit on here. Amazingly enough, the title track is not cover of the girl group oldie, but rather one of Tchida's own songs. I wouldn't say either of these gals were great singers, but they wrote some decent songs, and were definitely "into it" when they made this record...

The Dakota Strings "The Dakota Strings" (UA Recordings, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Doug Gunderson)
A hyper-local trio from central South Dakota, made up of drummer Jene Carroll (from Huron, SD), bassist Dick Linneman (of Bryant), and singer-guitarist Russ Madsen (of Carpenter). We are talking really, truly rural, small-town America here, with the biggest city nearby being Huron, where they played the state fair at one point, and recorded this live set at the American Legion Club. The repertoire is a mix of country tunes ("Okie From Muskogee," "Orange Blossom Special," a bunch of Hank Williams songs) and rock'n'roll oldies.

Kyle Evans "Kyle And Company" (United Audio Recordings, 197--?)
This was the first album by rodeo singer Kyle Evans (1947-2001), a farm kid who grew up near Wessington Springs, in South Dakota. When he was young, Evans was a huge Jim Reeves fan and when he was still a teenager he formed this band along with one of his cousins and some other local farm kids. Under the name "Kyle And Company," they played county fairs and ag shows and cut this album, which is all cover tunes, mostly country standards by Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Jack Greene, Merle, Jim Reeves, and more Merle. The guys look really, really young, like either teenagers or in their early twenties, so I'm guessing they cut this record not long after they first got together in 1969. The other bandmembers -- Brian Bergeleen, Lennie Fagerhang, and Dale Schimke -- played with Evans throughout the '70s, but basically they went back to farming for a living. In the early '80s Evans got hooked up with the rodeo circuit, and was able to make his living playing music, with calf roping as a hobby. Eventually he cut over a dozen albums of cowboy songs, and became a well-respected figure on the "western" music scene.

Kyle Evans "In Heaven On A Horse" (American Cowboy Songs, Inc., 1984)
(Produced by Al LeDoux)
You'd think from the album title this would be a gospel album, but really it's the horse that matters most. Kyle Evans slid into the "western" scene, playing up his rodeo roots and going full cowboy for the rest of his career. This one was recorded in Nashville, with heavyweight players like Jimmy Capps, Mark Casstevens, Hal Rugg, Buddy Spicher and the like...

Kyle Evans "Yesterday's Rodeo Man" (KEP Records, 197--?)
(Produced by Bill Crist)
This was his third album, according to liner notes, recorded at a home studio in Wessington Springs, South Dakota. The band was a bunch of locals, including Brian Bergeleen on lead guitar, Lennie Fagerhaug (bass), Dale Schimke (drums) and Brian Larson playing violin. I think Kyle Evans made a few CDs as well, later on when he was more deeply into the cowboy poetry scene.

Elizabeth Foss "Sing For Us, Grandma" (Westmark Custom Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Al Opland)
Mrs. Elizabeth Foss and her husband Wilbur Foss (1921-2015) were devotees in the extreme to the "private label" phenomenon, recording literally dozens of albums, mostly of old-time fiddling music played by regular folks who came to the Foss' ranch to take part in musical gatherings sponsored by the family. In the 1940s and 'Fifties the Fosses owned a hardware store, which he apparently gave up during a brief stint serving in South Dakota's state Senate; later in the decade he took a job at a local bank, where he worked for over two decades. In his mid-fifties, Mr. Foss turned to music, learning to play the fiddle at age fifty-five years old, even though he had lost three fingers while still a toddler during an accident on the family farm. The Fosses co-founded the South Dakota Fiddlers organization in 1976, and received numerous musical and civic awards over the years, including an induction into the South Dakota Country Music Hall Of Fame. They were also key members of the Old Time Fiddlers festival, based in Yankton, SD, and seem to have produced dozens of vinyl LPs commemorating the event. This album is one of many they recorded through the Westmark custom label network, and is perhaps a more personal record than most, with Mrs. Foss singing a mix of country oldies, gospel hymns and German leider, backed on guitar by Norma Borgheiinick, along with Charles Baker (fiddle and guitar), John McNeil (banjo and guitar), and Annie McNeil on piano.

Wilbur Foss/Various Artists "JARLE, WILBUR AND ELIZABETH FOSS INVITE YOU TO LISTEN TO THEIR FRIENDS PLAY THE FIDDLE, v. 26" (Westmark Custom Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Al Opland)
I'm not sure what year this disc was recorded, but as the volume number implies, it was one of many recorded as part of the Old Time Fiddlers gathering in Yankton. Jarle Foss was Mr. Foss's father, and a fiddler himself; before learning the fiddle, Wilbur Foss would accompany his dad on piano.

Wilbur Foss "We Rode Our Horses & Played With Fiddlers From Yankton, SD, To Havana, North Dakota, Volume 36" (1985) (LP)

Wilbur Foss/Various Artists "WILBUR FOSS, v. 40: FIDDLERS OF EVERY AGE AND STYLE COME TO YANKTON, SD" (Westmark Custom Records, 19--?) (LP)
This is the highest volume number I've seen yet in this series. Not much info on the preceding three dozen-plus LPs, but I'm sure they're out there...

Roland Hoffman & The Believers "Cross Country" (Homestead Records, 19--?) (LP)
A family gospel band from Lemmon, South Dakota, the Believers were led by Roland F. Hoffman (1941-2021) who started out in a band with his siblings, called the Stateliners, and later recruited his wife and kids ("The Believers") to raise a little twang unto the Lord. The band is perhaps best known as the proving ground for Hoffman's son, Rory, who started performing in their concerts at age five, learned to play fourteen different instruments, and grew up to be a major star on the contemporary Christian/Southern gospel scene. Blind at birth, Rory Hoffman is also held up as an inspirational figure, and has written about his life and how he surmounted various challenges. I'm not sure when this album came out, or how old the various Hoffman siblings were at the time... The Hoffmans recorded five albums altogether, including three that were recorded in their own home studio.

Roland Hoffman & The Believers "Standing On The Rock" (Homestead Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Harvey Tibor)

Roland Hoffman & The Believers "Country Gospel Blend" (Home Stead Productions, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by David Swenson)

Roland Hoffman & The Believers "Country For The Lord" (Home Stead Productions, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Karol Hoffman & David Swenson)

Roland Hoffman & The Believers "Up With Families" (Home Stead Productions, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Karol Hoffman)

Tom & Evie Lammon "Our Kind Of Country" (Black Gold, 1971--?) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Martinson, Tom Lammon & Evie Lammon)
An immensely charming album by a husband-wife duo from Aberdeen, South Dakota who were proteges of regional country legend Sherwin Linton. Linton was their manager and writes the liner notes as well, in a style that reflects the bare-bones, low rent, DIY feel of the whole project. Tom Lammon was a rocker in the early 1960s, leading a band in Minnesota called Tom Lammon & The Mystics; by the time he'd met Linton, Lammon had turned to country and taught himself to master the Merle Travis picking style, which is the bedrock of this album. The sound is quite stripped down: it's just him on guitar, her on a thumping electric bass and modest, unobtrusive drumming by Marty Mortenson... Judging from the album cover, the Lammons hoped for a Loretta Lynn/Conway Twitty kind of vibe, although his vocals generally overshadow hers, though not by much. There's nothing flashy or super-glamorous about these recordings, but nothing embarrassing either... It's just a very simple, honest, effective portrait of a real-locals DIY country duo, with plenty of fun covers of songs by The Everly Brothers, Doug Kershaw, Charlie Rich, Jerry Reed and Marty Robbins, with a couple of originals written by Tom Lammon: "Train Of Thought" and "Sleepless Nights." Well done!

Don Laughlin "Ballads Of Deadwood South Dakota: Deadwood In 1876" (Kajac Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Harold L. Luick)
A concept album of sorts, packed with songs sung in honor of South Dakota -- maybe more of a folkie thing, but still kinda twangy. Singer Don Laughlin was originally from Iowa though when he made it out to South Dakota, he kinda fell in love with the place. Laughlin became a tour guide and had a full-time residence in Lead, SD, though he went back to Carlisle, Iowa to record this album at the Kajac studios. The songs are all originals, with backing by some folks from the Iowa bluegrass/folk scene -- singer Cathy Bishop, guitarist Lenny Hudson, Bill Ober playing mandolin, Jim Phinney on dobro and bass, and drummer Rich Richmond.

Sherwin Linton -- see artist discography

Jim Lovell "Teardrops In My Heart" (Circle B Recordings, 19--?) (LP)
A plainspoken solo set of western (cowboy) songs by one of the Circle B Cowboys from Rapid City, South Dakota's Circle B Ranch... This album looks more modern than the old Circle B Cowboys records of the '60s and '70s... Possibly it's from as late as the early '80s(?) though apparently it came out on 8-track tape as well, so it couldn't have been much later than that. Lovell is a deep-voiced singer with limited range but plenty of heart. Not a standout for the genre, but satisfying and sincere. Lovell apparently also worked with Buddy Meredith (below) a local deejay who also had some success outside the state with some singles he cut for Starday Records.

Maverick Brand "Falling In Love" (19--?) (LP)

Thurmon McKinney "Once I Wrote A Song" (MCW Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Figlio)

Buddy Meredith "Sing Me A Heart Song" (Starday Records, 1963-?) (LP)
(Produced by Tommy Hill)
A Navy veteran from Rapid City, South Dakota, Buddy Meredith threw himself into a country music career after he got his walking papers... He worked in radio as a deejay on KRSD, Rapid City, and also had a weekly gig on TV station KOTA, Iowa City. After cracking into the Billboard country charts in 1962, with the song "I May Fall Again," Meredith recorded a string of singles, including a few for Starday Records, and several more for Bobby G. Rice's indie label, Rice Records. This LP may have been his only full-length album; the liner notes by Don Pierce provide a brief snapshot of Meredith's career up until '63, although he continued to record until the end of the decade, and even made a go of it in Nashville for a while. This disc includes three songs written by Meredith, along with Lowell Sterling, a longtime member of Meredith's band, the Dakota Cowboys. Although he lived and worked in many places, he's primarily remembered as a South Dakota musicians, and in 2008 was inducted into the state's Country Music Hall of Fame.

Buddy Meredith "Buddy Meredith's First Stop" (Stop Records, 1971) (LP)
Most, if not all of these songs first came out as singles on Rice Records and other indies, as well as at least one single for the Stop label ("Accidental Touch") that came out around the same time as this LP. I'm not sure if they are the exact same recordings, though there are a number of Stop albums by other artists that basically seem to be compilation albums collecting old 45s, so it wouldn't be unprecedented. On the other hand, Buddy Meredith also seems to have re-recorded and re-released several of his songs, carrying the same tunes to different labels, or repeatedly floating them as singles with different B-sides, etc. This disc includes two early Tom T. Hall tunes, and Tom T seems to have been a particular favorite of the novelty-friendly singer (or vice versa)... My favorite of these may be "Flat Top Beer," which is a boozy ode to the invention of pull-off tabs (known in my neck of the woods as "pop tops," a marvelous invention for folks in a real hurry to down a brewski, but a real pain in the rear end for environmentalists: when I was a kid these pop tops literally littered the landscape, and we used to gather them and string 'em together. (Yes, I'm that old.) Anyway, a nice set of rarities from an amiable twangster. The liner notes also mention Meredith's sidekick, a guy name "Stringbean," who apparently was not Stringbean Akeman, from the Hee Haw TV show, but rather a pal of his from back in Rapid City.

New River Train "New River Train" (Oglala Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Larry D. Zierath & Wes Homner)
Freshly-minted bluegrass twang from a South Dakota/Iowa band, recorded over a period of years between 1976 and '79...

Grant Rader "Grant Rader" (Jomar Records, 19--?) (LP)
Old-time fiddling by an old-timer in the orbit of the Hebron, South Dakota studio operated by the Tibor Brothers. Several Tibors also back Mr. Rader, including Francis Tibor on drums, Gerard Tibor (piano), Harvey Tibor (steel guitar), Kurt Tibor (bass), and Larry Tibor on guitar.

Buddy Red Bow "BRB" (First American Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Dik Darnell)
A singer, composer and actor, Warfield Richards "Buddy" Red Bow (1948-1993) was a Lakota tribal member who grew up on the Pine Ridge reservation in Red Shirt, South Dakota, near Rapid City. In his teens he decided to become an actor, and landed a part in the 1962 classic, How The West Was Won, followed by a few other small roles in years to come; he additionally scored the soundtrack to the 1972 documentary, Hard Rider. After serving in Vietnam as a Marine, Red Bow focussed on his musical career, crafting an canny mix of country and Native American musical themes. Though this album includes a few cover songs, it's mostly his own originals, with tracks such as J.D. Loudermilk's "Indian Reservation," Red Bow's own "Indian Love Song" and "South Dakota Lady." The musicians include Buddy Red Bow on vocals and guitar, with Bud Abbott (bass), John Bergeron (piano), San Bressard (guitar), Billy Cox (guitar), Dik Darnell (synthesizer), Jimmy Ibbotson (guitar), John Macy (pedal steel), Jimmy Thompson (drums), and others.

Buddy Red Bow "Journey To The Spirit World" (Tatanka Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Dik Darnell)
Along with a reprise of his song, "Indian Love Song," this album pursues strong cultural themes and includes several songs with political themes addressing the economic hardships imposed on first nation people, the vanishing frontier, as well as spiritual quests and the relationship of indigenous people to the natural world. The electrified music is slightly manic and rock-influenced, but still fits comfortably into the country music vibe of the times, with stylistic callbacks to outlaw icons such as Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, and most notably to Billy Joe Shaver, whose vocal style is a lot like Red Bow's. Though the arrangements may be a little hard-edged and brash, the lyrics are evocative and heartfelt; definitely worth a spin.

Buddy Red Bow "Black Hills Dreamer" (Tatanka Records, 1995)
(Produced by Dik Darnell & Mark Derryberry)

Red Willow Band "Red Willow Band" (Lost Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Chris Gage & Hank Harris)
South Dakota's answer to Asleep At The Wheel, the Red Willow Band blended country, bluegrass, blues and western swing, often led by their fiddlers, but with strong backing by the rest of the band, which included sleek pedal steel and a versatile piano work from Chris Gage, one of the band's two lead singers, along with Hank Harris They produced two fine albums and toured extensively between 1974-82, and like many regional bands have reunited frequently over the years.

Red Willow Band "Note For Note" (Lost Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Barry "Byrd" Burton)
On their second album, RWB traveled to Nashville to record at the Jack Clement studios and stretched out into more ornate pop and jazz stylings, but only on a tune or two -- there's still plenty of great honkytonk and western swing material. A couple of songs feature surprising approximations of more contemporary commercial country sounds -- not enough for them to crack into the charts, but another opportunity to show the band's musical chops and stylistic breadth. All in all, even with the fancy stuff added into the mix, this album was pretty similar to the first, and worth checking out as well. They were a really good band!

Red Willow Band "Way Back When: A Compilation" (Moonhouse Records, 1999)
This handy-dandy CD gathers the songs from the RWB's two long-out-of-print albums, Red Willow Band and Note For Note, a fun, comprehensive collection with good sound quality and a wealth of strong original material. Unfortunately, there are no significant liner notes, nothing to give the story of the band itself, but the music is pretty impressive. Chris Gage compiled the disc, and decided to mix the two albums together, so the more country-sounding tracks from the first album are peppered into the later stuff from '78.

Rocky Mountain Oysters "Oyster Stew" (Barnstorm Records, 1980) (LP)

Marlys Roe "All The Way" (Dellwood Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Link Wray)
Singer Marlys Roe started her musical career while still living in South Dakota, as the lead singer of a local rock band called the Talismen, where Roe credibly emulated the sultry pop-soul sound of Dusty Springfield... She recorded a couple of late 'Sixties singles for ABC Records, a major label deal that generated some buzz, but not enough to make it on the national scene. (Although her early singles definitely weren't country music, she did get to work with producer/pianist Glen D. Hardin, who later helped anchor the Emmylou Harris Hot Band...) Marlys Roe later married drummer Jerry Kroon, a fellow South Dakotan who made his way to Nashville and became a prolific session musician. Relocating to Music City, Roe also got into the country scene, cutting a couple of singles for GRC and later this album, which is often referred to a "tax scam" record, though it could also more charitably be called a demo disc, featuring a brace of tunes by Bobby Bond, Don Cook, and Mitch Johnson... (Thanks to the Bad Cat blog for providing some background info on Ms. Roe's biography...)

Bill Schott "Country Fever" (Sentry One Records, 1985-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Schott & Mick McTee)
This handsome young fella from Aberdeen, South Dakota kinda reminds me of someone... Let's just flip the record over to the back cover and -- oh, yeahhhh...!! -- Man, he sure looks like Elvis! And sure enough, that was Bill Schott's claim to fame: starting around 1980, he worked steadily as an Elvis imitator, apparently working regional venues and entering numerous Elvis-a-like competitions. This croony country set ends with a Presley tribute track, though the rest of the tracks draw from many other sources, with countrypolitan ballads, some George Jones material, a little "Green, Green Grass Of Home..." Recorded at a studio in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, this features backing by Barry Carlin on keyboards, Scott Tait (bass) and Scott Wenner (steel guitar), backing vocals by Tammy Carroll, Cindy Johnson and Pam Quance, and a lead guitarist named John Hammond, who might have been the fabled blues/folk picker doing some session work, or maybe just another guy with the same name. As far as I know, this is Mr. Schott's only album, though he has led several bands over the years, including the Fuzzy Dice and the Beachcombers, so he may have self-released a CD or two.

D. J. Small "D.J. Small" (Bullet Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Jimmy Darrell, Lonny Night, Tom Nudge & Harold Shedd)
Indie twang from Watertown, South Dakota... Not a lot of info about this fella, though I think his first name may have been Dan. The songs are all originals by Mr. Small, recorded in separate sessions -- some tracks at Sound 80 studio in Minneapolis, and some in Nashville. The musicians are not identified, although he does thank Jan Arden, a fellow South Dakotan who was active throughout the 'Seventies, and who recorded an album of his own in '79.

Suns Of The West "At Work" (Sunburst Records, 1974) (LP)
Brothers Neil and Terry Bagaus started their country-rock band as teens -- formed in 1969, the group was originally called the Sons Of Country and featured the Baugus brothers along with a long string of bandmembers, locals all. Neil and Terry were born in Milbank, South Dakota, and later moved out west to Aberdeen where they lived when they cut this disc, changing the band's name as well, which was probably wise since half the musicians on this recording session was female. In addition to Neil Bagaus on rhythm guitar and Terry on bass, the lineup also featured Kim May playing lead guitar and Jenni Blocker on piano -- Blocker would stay with the Suns for several years and also played and sang on their second (and last?) album. The band was, in all honesty, pretty clunky and amateurish, but they seem to have had fun, and made a go of it, traveling as far afield as Kansas City and Minneapolis (where this album was recorded.) In 1977, Neil Bagaus and Jenni Blocker traveled to Nashville and recorded an album as a duo, with Bagaus going under the name Neil Wayne; he later made a career managing privately-owned railroad lines and seems to have retired to Florida.

Mona Taylor & Dusty "On The Wings Of The Wind" (Stop Records, 1967-?) (LP)
A husband-wife duo from the northwestern plains, and beyond. Dusty Taylor was originally from Canada, though he grew up in Idaho, while Mona Taylor from South Dakota. This is one of several remarkably obscure LPs put out by the well-connected Stop label, in addition to the slew of singles by equally unknown artists.

The Town And Country Swingers "The Town And Country Swingers" (197--?) (LP)
A no-frills country covers band from White, South Dakota first formed to fill in at some locals dances held at the town high school back in November of 1969. The group was led by organist Arthur Graslie (1925-2004) a local banker and civic leader who later had a city park dedicated in his name. Mr. Graslie, who also taught music at the local college, played organ, while the rest of the band included Scott Bursing on drums, accordionist Betty Kjelden (1925-2003), Charles Lang (banjo and guitar), and Norm Smith (violin) and vocalist Mike Murphy, who all appeared on the subsequent album (below) along with vocalist Bev Balo. The group was unpolished and genuinely amateurish, particularly the unruly drumming by teenager Scott Bursling, though honestly the rest of the group was pretty shambolic as well. And I mean that in a good way: if you want to hear what a truly amateur, "real people" group sounds like, these folks should fit the bill. Charming, though maybe you wouldn't add them to that many mix tapes.

The Town And Country Swingers, With Mike And Bev "Something Old, Something New" (IGL Records, 197--?) (LP)
This is basically the same band as on the album above -- Scott Bursing (drums), Art Graslie (organ), Betty Kjelden (accordion), Charles Lang (banjo and guitar), and Norm Smith (violin) -- with the addition of singer Bev Balo, billed as part of the duo "Mike and Bev," along with Mike Murphy. The liner notes inform us that the group's territory included western Minnesota, eastern North Dakota, so up around Fargo and Grand Forks, I would imagine. The repertoire is all country cover songs except for the album's opener, "Swingers Waltz," which was credited to the group's leader, organist Art Graslie

Neil Wayne & Jenni Blocker "Two For The Road" (Safari Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Charles Fields & Johnny Howard)
A trip to Nashville resulted in this album by South Dakotans Jenni Blocker and Neil Bagaus (aka Neil Wayne) who had previously been in an amateur band called the Suns Of The West, which played several county fair-type events and talent contests but never really cracked into the professional country scene. The Suns recorded an album in 1974, though as far as I know, these were the only two records they made...

Hick Music Index