Jerry Jack Adams "In Seattle At The Flame" (Flame Records, 197--?) (LP)
A live recording, with covers of pop and country standards such as Freddy Hart's "Easy Lovin'," Tony Orlando's "Knock Three Times," "Joy To The World," etc. There's no info on the plain white album cover, but from the repertoire, I would have guessed this is an early-to-mid '70s release -- maybe '73, '74? -- although I've also heard that Adams only lived in Seattle for a few years in the late '70s/early '80s before moving to Alaska. Anyone out there have more solid information about this album?

Jerry Jack Adams "On The Road" (Worm Records, 19--?)
An indie twangster from around Seattle, Washington, with a fairly curious album. The artwork shows the band as a quartet of '70s longhairs, being "hassled" by a state trooper (and being bundled off into his patrol car on the back cover...) The bandmembers look like they might have been Kurt Cobain's older cousin's buddies, or something like that -- pretty shaggy with plenty of lumberjack plaid. But despite the hippie-ish look and the rebellious imagery, the music is pretty straightforward, sincere, old-school country crooning, in the tradition of Jim Reeves or Jim Ed Brown. It's for-real country-pop ballads, not done ironically or cynically in any way, but really played and sung with surprising resonance and a real "old man" vibe. Adams has a classically deep country voice, and shares lead vocals with a couple of band members -- a guy and a gal only identified by their first names, Bill and Merlaine. Sadly, there are no songwriter credits, but I'm pretty sure this is all original material and again, it's right in the country mainstream, albeit a little old-school even for the times. (I'm not totally sure when this record came out... Late '70s, early '80s maybe? Anyone know for sure?) At any rate, this is definitely worth checking out, particularly for obscuro-country fans who don't think you have to take the genre as a joke.

Jerry Jack Adams "Jerry Jack Adams" (ABM Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Adams & Larry Nefzger)
A pretty plausible bid for commercial success with confident, manly vocals, expansive post-countrypolitan pop-country arrangements and solid backing by a local band called Boothill. At least that's the picture painted by the ornate opening track, "Dixie Girl," and most of the LP's first side. Side Two gets a little wobblier and sounds more strained on sluggish ballads like "Let Me Say I Love You," a duet with Boothill's gal singer, Dana. A mousy-voiced, sorta-country cover of Exile's 1978 pop hit "Kiss You All Over" doesn't help, and the record devolves into a better-than-average locals-only indie disc, rather than a record that could break out nationally. Adams starts to get his steam near the album's end, particularly on the weeper, "Can You Find It In Your Heart," one of four tracks penned by Adams himself. But the frantic closing number, "Open Up My Heart," seals the deal... Still, even though they couldn't sustain the high-end production values that kick this disc off, it's a pretty strong private-press outing, packed with original material by local artists. Highlights include two songs penned by Merlaine Krause, "Dixie Girl" and "The Lights Are Going Down" -- Ms. Krause wrote several fine country songs over the years, though I'm not sure if she was in any bands herself. Unfortunately, the folks in Boothill are only identified by their first names, Buddy, Chris, Dana and Danny, but they acquit themselves well, and if anyone has more info about the group, I'm all ears

Ron Adams "I Loved You, I Proved It" (Ripcord Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Blaine Allan)
A honkytonker who lived in Helena Montana as well as Wanatchee, Washington, Ron Adams recorded several albums at the Ripcord studios and seems to have had ties with other artists in that orbit. On this album, he mostly sang cover tunes -- stuff like Waylon's "Good Hearted Woman" and John Conlee's "Rose Colored Glasses," but there are a few originals as well, including the title track, "I Loved You, I Proved It" which is credited to C. O. Buddy Collinsworth, and "Out Of Hurt And Into Love With You," which was written by Adams. Too bad these old Ripcord records don't have release dates on them, though! I'm guessing this one's from around 1979, based on the Conlee song... Wish I could tell for sure!

Ron Adams "Ron Adams" (Portland Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden)
This album is notable for its wealth of original material -- only one song by Ron Adams ("Rodeo") but two are by Benny Tibbets (who also recorded at Ripcord) and several more by someone called A. Branco. Branco's tunes include enticing titles such as "Space Age Rebel," "Nashville Girl" and "Hurt Worse Than Any Song I've Ever Heard." Adams is backed by the Ripcord house band, including Gene Breeden on lead guitar, and Terry Crisp playing pedal steel.

Ron Adams "The Dividing Point" (19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden)
Mr. Adams seemed to enjoy recording original tunes by his fellow Northwestern country auteurs. This album includes four songs by Ken Wesley, including a version of "Heartache Remover," which was the title track of Westley's own album. Not sure who recorded it first, though!

Gerry Andal "Country... Just For The Heck Of It" (Aura Cee Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden)
A country covers album from the Pacific Northwest, recorded at the Ripcord Records studio, though not officially part of their catalog. A Saskatchewan native, Gerry Andal went to college in Seattle and eventually settled in the area, where he first owned a car dealership and then went into the restaurant business, partly as a way to have a place he could play music. Of special interest here is his thank-you in the liner notes to R. C. Bannon, who loaned Andal his band, Freedom, as backup musicians for this album. In the early '70s, Bannon was working as a DJ and bar singer in Seattle, before moving to Nashville in 1976; guitarist John Hoag followed Bannon to Nashville and wound up working in Louise Mandrell's band. Oh! Anyway, back to Gerry Andal: I'm not sure exactly when this album came out, but I'd guess somewhere around 1973-74, around the time Andal was hosting the first of a series of local TV shows. The album includes several Kris Kristofferson songs (including the inevitable "Me And Bobby McGee") along with stuff like "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Everybody's Talking At Me." By all accounts, Andal -- who passed away in 2011 -- was a really nice guy who loved playing county fairs and was very active in the community.

Gerry Andal & Pat Roberts "Country Northwest" (Aura Cee Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by B. D. Bassett & Aaron Linburg)

Cheryl Arnold "Something Special" (Morgan Enterprises, 198-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bonnie Guitar)
A protege of pop/country star Bonnie Guitar, singer Cheryl Arnold was from Washington state, living on a ranch just north of Seattle, where she raised German shepherds, rode her Morgan horses and worked as an animal rights advocate. She apparently led a band called Blue Mariah, and was associated with Seattle school superintendent Donald Steele, who recorded an album of his own around this time, and who contributes liner notes for her LP. All but one of the songs on this album were written or co-written by Bonnie Guitar, including two that Arnold co-wrote, "Mason Dixon Line" and "When The Lights Go Down." A notable exception is her cover of Melvin Endsley's classic "Singin' The Blues," which was a hit for Marty Robbins back in '56. As far as I know, this was her only album.

Penny Baker "God's Country" (Award Records, 1978) (LP)
In the early 1960s, "Texas Penny" Inman was on her way up in the country music world, having cut a single called "Cry Baby Heart" for the California-based Emmy Records label, and touring with Buck Owens just as his star was rising. According to an article reprinted on the back of this album, however, she found life in the alcohol and drug-fueled world of the honkytonks too draining, and finally realized that her love of music wasn't enough to sustain her. She got religion, got married, and moved up north to Tacoma, Washington where she renewed her country music career, this time as an evangelical Christian songwriter. Penny Baker recorded numerous albums, usually tucking a few of her own originals into the repertoire, and several of her songs were recorded by other gospel artists, such as gospel yodeler Buzz Goertzen. I think this was her first album.

Penny Baker "Country Roots" (Award Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Biff Collie)
The liner notes on this album tell us that her father Franklin Inman was a yodeler, while her mother, Gladys, performed on the radio in Baytown, Texas, and that Penny joined them on the air while very young. Sadly, there's no info about the musicians backing her, though Biff Collie's name popping up as producer sure caught my eye!

Penny Baker "The Old Country Church" (Penny Baker Ministries, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Penny Baker & Gary Duckworth)
Baker sings and plays piano on a set once again rich in original gospel material. She's backed by a local band that includes Leroy Briggs (steel guitar), Charlie Lee (drums), Roy Martin (guitar), and Paul Richardson on bass and synthesizer.

R. C. Bannon "Have Some R.C." (Aura Cee Records, 1976-?) (LP)
A lesser light in the glossy early '80s Nashville scene, R. C. Bannon had a few minor hits and recorded a handful of major-label albums, but is perhaps best remembered as the guy who married Barbara Mandrell's sister, Louise, and recording a bunch of duets with her. Bannon was born in Texas, but moved to Washington state in the 'Sixties, and for several years he sang in clubs around Seattle. When this indie album was released in the mid-1970s, Bannon was still a struggling local, looking for that big break. It was recorded at the legendary Ripcord Records studio, but released on Bannon's own one-off Aura Cee label. All of the songs but two were Bannon originals, with covers of "Proud Mary" and "Delta Dawn" being the exceptions. Two tracks were recorded in Bakersfield, at the Buck Owens Studios, with Owens protege Mayf Nutter producing the session.

The Bluegrass Band "The Bluegrass Band" (Smoggy Valley Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Dennis Coats)
Not to be confused with the Rounder Records powerhouse, The Bluegrass Album Band, this scruffy quartet from the Spokane, Washington played a lot of bluegrass and country-rock/country-folk covers -- tunes by Bill Monroe, one by Gib Gilbeau, "Ramblin' Man" by the Allman Brothers, Steve Goodman's "City Of New Orleans" -- and also recorded a couple of original songs by banjo picker Dennis Coats, "Fiddlin' Round" and "Another Cowboy Song." It's an eclectic mix that certainly earns them a mention in the hippiebilly annals. Sadly, the copy of this album I saw was too thrashed to pick up, but I'm sure it'll float my way again sometime... Anyone have more info about these folks?

The Borderline Band "The Borderline Band" (B-Line Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Lanson & The Borderline Band)
Eight original twangtunes by a four-piece band out of Puyallup, Washington, led by guitarist Darrel Krueger, a guy who'd been part of the SeaTac music scene since the mid-1960s, playing in a string of rock or country bands, often with many of the same guys. On this album he's joined by Pat Bohle on drums, Tom McCollum (piano and vocals), and Jeff Samples (bass, mandolin and vocals). The Borderline Band was formed around 1982, though all four of these guys were also in a group called The Uptown Country Boys, along with guitarist Dave Harmonson, bassist Ken Parypa, and John Samples. This is the main cast of a dizzying string of groups, including a rock band called Sky Boys (who made an album) and a mid-'Seventies twangband called Road Apple, which I think did not. The odd part comes around 1979 when Seattle twangster Jim Finneran released a single that credits a group called the Uptown Country Boys as his backing band, though both tracks seem to be off an LP that includes none of the musicians in the 1982 group of the same name. Your guess is as good as mine. (Info about all these bands -- and more! -- courtesy of The Pacific Northwest Bands webpage, which also delves into Krueger's hippie-era rock bands. Thanks!)

Loretta Brank "This Is Loretta, Volume One" (1975) (LP)
(Produced by Allen P. Giles)
A championship fiddler from Winlock, Washington, Loretta Brank started playing music at age nine, and had already won or placed in numerous state and national championships from 1970 to 1975. She learned the fiddle from her dad, as well as the mentorship of the legendary Texas fiddler Benny Thomasson, who taught her much of his repertoire. Ms. Brank had just turned fourteen years old when this album was recorded, having already earned thirty-five trophies in less than five year's time, including a junior-juniors division victory over a neophyte Mark O'Connor at the 1973 competition in Weiser, Idaho. Brank later moved to Nashville where she played with old-timers like Charlie McCoy, and spent several years touring with Deana Carter. This album is mostly full of standards such as "Jole Blon," "Leather Britches" and "Sally Goodin," with a couple of more obscure tunes in there as well. Of interest to bluegrass and old-timey fans is Washington state native Molly Mason on guitar, along with bassist Larry Edwards and Roger Maddy on mandolin; I believe Ms. Mason is the same old-timey artist who teamed up with Jay Ungar, while Mr. Maddy went on to record a couple of albums of his own a few years later.

Marc Bristol & The Okie Doke Band "This Feelin' " (King Noodle Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Marc Bristol & Steve Babcock)
Ah, the sounds of pre-grunge Seattle, back when flannel was just flannel, and hippies roamed wild in an irony-free landscape. This album is from a guy who lived in the Seattle suburb of Duvall, Washington (which was probably a lot more rural back then than it is now...) and it's a great example of pure, goofy, amateurish "private press" recordmaking... It's more folkie-oriented than the stuff I like, but there is a little bit of country twang in here, with some fairly unsophisticated lap steel and dobro from Marty Lepore, who went on to become a mainstay of the Seattle-area bluegrass scene. For his part, Bristol plays harmonica and guitar as well as some washboard, wood saw and even a bit of kazoo, which gives you a sense of the whimsical quality of a lot of this album... There's banjo and mandolin in here as well, and the bluegrass-y parts are probably the best. This has a strong feel of an album made by a bunch of friends, though maybe not the best pickers in the world... There's not much on here that really caught my imagination, but it's definitely an authentic DIY relic... Apparently Bristol wrote a column for the old hippie bible, The Whole Earth Catalog, some of which he, ahem, recycled into a book called Homegrown Music. Anyone know more about these folks?

Gordon Calcote "Going Home For The Last Time" (Custom Records, 1967-?) (LP)
Singer Gordon Calcote was one of the rare cheapie label artists who got proper credits on the budget-line albums he recorded... Like many country singers in the days of yore, Calcote had a day job in radio, at first as a deejay on stations such as KAYO-AM in Seattle (where he was on air in the early '60s) and later as a program director and station manager various stations in Southern California, where he was probably working when he started recording for the Custom label. And the thing is, he was also a pretty good singer - rugged, robust, but also working in the suave, sophisticated style being pioneered by Glen Campbell at the time. A good mix of manly honky-tonk and the nascent countrypolitan sound that was starting to come into vogue... and all on an under-the-radar, fly-by-night label. Definitely worth a spin!

Gordon Calcote "Folsom Prison Blues" (Custom Records, 1968-?) (LP)

Gordon Calcote "Galveston And Other Pop Country & Western Favorites" (Crown Records, 1969-?) (LP)

The Cascade Mountain Boys "Loggin' And Lovin' " (Ripcord Records, 197--?) (LP)
Not all the records made for the Ripcord label are related to the logging industry, but the ones that are can be a real hoot. This band, centered around songwriters Carl J. Klang III and L.W. Looney, was much more youthful and outlaw-ish than Ripcord stalwart Buzz Martin, but judging from their lyrics, they also felled their fair share of timber. A lot of great forestry-themed tunes on here, including "Brute Force And Ignorance" (what you need to succeed as a logger), "The High Lead Loggin' Song," "Loggin' And Lovin'," and "Let's All Help The Logger Sing The Blues." There are also several tracks that delve into the economics of the logging life -- "That's When It's Unemployment Time" -- and about the lifestyle itself, as on "Monday Morning Hangover Blues." Side Two of the album kicks off with the rock-tinged "Paycheck To Paycheck," the only track written just by Klang rather than the duo... It sounds very different from the rest of the record and I suspect it came out as a single first, and was successful enough that Klang and Looney got the chance to record an entire album. Most of the songs are way more country, and there's plenty of nice, melodic twang on here -- it's a fun, funny record. Great novelty material, but a fun record musically, as well. Anyone know what year this came out? I'm guessing 1977, '78... somewhere around there. (Footnote: later on, Klang apparently became a radical, far-right, anti-federalist Christian libertarian, writing songs like "Wheresoever Eagles Gather (The Ballad of Randy Weaver)" in honor of the 1992 Ruby Ridge shootout, "Get A Grip On Immigration" and -- I kid you not -- "It's All An Evil Rotten Conspiracy." I think I liked his stoner-logger days better...)

Claudette "I'm Depending On You, Lord" (Heartstone Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Renie Peterson, Fred Cameron & Wayne Hilton)
Though mononymic on the front cover, gospel singer Claudette she reveals her full name -- Claudette St. James Dykstra -- on the back. At least... I think that's her full name: she also recorded as Claudette Dykstra Sterk on other albums. Anyway, Mrs. Dykstra hailed from Bellingham, Washington and recorded several records over the years. This one was recorded in Nashville and kicks off on a relatively twangy note before settling into a more sedate southern gospel style. There's a tiny hint of Loretta Lynn in her voice, but it doesn't last for long. The studio band was not all usual-suspect A-listers, though it includes lead-and-steel guitar picker John Rich, who did a lot of session work for various studios. All the songs were written by Irene (Renie) Peterson, also of Bellingham, who in addition to owning Heartstone and several other indie labels was also the president of the Jimmy Murphy Fan Club (which if you ask me, is about as cool as it gets!) Not much here for country fans, though a perfectly respectable gospel album.

Claudette (Dykstra Sterk) "Country Gospel Gold And New" (Heartstone Records, 197--?) (LP)

Alias James Cody "UFB: Unidentified Flying Burrito" (Sourdough Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by James Cody & Cal Woods)
Well... okayyyyy, then... Let's just start by quoting the liner notes. "James Cody (Alias) true name unknown... Raised in Montana. Not a member of the Flying Burrito Bros (except in his heart and in his music)." So, suffice it to say Mr. Alias James Cody had a very specific course of action in mind, and was probably unreasonably stoned when he came up with (and executed) his plan. Even odder than his using "Alias" as his first name, or him trying to sneak into the Burrito Brothers fold by donning country-rock camouflage, is the minor detail that this album sounds very little like the Burrito Brothers to begin with. The first few tracks are just plain bad rock music, of the late-1970s variety -- not catastrophically or legendarily bad like the Shaggs, or even intentionally bad like the Fugs, but more like generic-rock-guitar-and-toneless-vocals bad. To be fair, there's a case to be made that he wasn't much worse of a singer than Gram Parsons, so perhaps he's undeserving of my teasing on that account, but I would still caution twangfans about this one -- other than the languid, Byrds-y "Yukon Rose," the country stuff isn't all that compelling. While some country touches do kick in -- a banjo, some pedal steel -- for the most part this disc lands smack dab in mediocre-DIY-rock territory. Alias Cody can be credited for his perseverance and his apparent awareness of his own musical limitations, but he wavers between full commitment to trying to get some Doctor Demento-style novelty-song traction or having his songs taken seriously. I suppose this is historically interesting and probably has some kind of legendary, so-good-it's-bad, uber-ironic hipster collector-nerd reputation (especially since it was recorded in late-'70s Seattle) but this is just a little too wobbly-sounding to hold up to sustained inquiry. Definitely an only-in-the-'Seventies kinda thing, though!

Micki Collins "Don't You Know?" (Twinkle Records, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Dennis Collins & Frank Stearns)
An uber-indie early-'Seventies outing by a cheerful-looking young gal from Spokane, Washington... The liner notes indicate that Collins came from a family of musicians, though no solid details are provided... Possibly the album's producer, Dennis Collins, was her dad? Anyway, the album is packed with not-quite-country material penned by Mr. Collins and various family members, with about half the tracks being originals... And, well, look, I'll be honest with you guys: this is pretty terrible. It's the kind of record that the make-fun-of-other-people people fantasize about when they go crate-digging in the private-press scene. I mean, sure, there's much worse to be found, but nonetheless there's an undeniable Florence Foster Jenkins vibe going on here, mostly around Ms. Collins husky middle-aged sounding vocals, as well as her half-spoken delivery, yielding cringeworthy results on covers such as "My Way" and the old Stevie Wonder hit, "For Once In My Life," delivered in an odd blend of coffeehouse folk and throaty bad lounge singing. Other covers include early 1970s hits such as Gene McClellan's "Snowbird" and "Tie A Yellow Ribbon," which was a huge hit for Tony Orlando & Dawn in 1973... The album's originals teeter on the edge of acceptability, though the record's real gem may be "Dreams That Die," with a concluding chorus that strongly parallels Lily Taylor's "Joe Lies," from the movie Say Anything. Anyway, you know I'm not big on making fun of the people who actually summoned the wherewithal to make one of these records, but this particular disc does seem maybe a little, I dunno... exploitative? Misguided? There's no date on this album but despite her super-'Sixties miniskirt-and-gogo-boots clothing ensemble, the cover songs probably place this recording around 1973-74. A guitarist herself, Ms. Collins is backed by Dennis Collins and on guitar, Larry Collins playing bass and Tom Kelly on drums. Schadenfreudelic.

James Curley Cooke "Gingerman" (First American Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Bruce Buckner & Doug Schauer)
Originally from Wisconsin, James Curley Cooke (1944-2011) started out as a bluesy rocker, most notably as a founding member of the Steve Miller Band back in 1967 (later playing guitar on a few tracks on some albums during Miller's mid-'Seventies creative peak.) Curley Cooke also co-founded a Milwaukee-based white blues/hippie boogie band called A. B. Skhy, which recorded a couple of fairly solid major-label albums in 1969 and '70, then broke up a few years later. Cooke eventually made his way out to Tacoma, Washington and like many of his plaid-clad contemporaries he drifted into country and country-rock territory, as heard on this solo set, which featured contributions from local folks like singer Annie Rose and steel player Chris Middough, as well as keyboardist Ben Sidran, another former Wisconsinite and Steve Miller alum. Though there's a definitely country vibe on this album, Curley Cooke became best known as a blues player, and established a blues-based music program for kids in the Seattle school system. This was his only solo album, though he recorded several collaborative records in years to come.

The Country Bugs "Walk Me In The Sunshine Of Your Love Love Love" (Country Bugs Records, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden)
Not a ton of info on this early '70s band, other than that they were from the Pacific Northwest, and did a weekly show on radio station KABM, in their hometown of Longview, Washington. They also worked with singer Roosevelt Savannah, at least on a few live gigs around 1973. The Country Bugs were a family band made up of four siblings, fourteen-year old Shanna O'Connor, her younger brother Shawn (who seems to have been the group's lead guitarist) and two other boys who went unnamed in the liner notes. Their dad, William O'Connor (1928-2011) seems to have been the driving force behind the group, co-composing a couple of the instrumental numbers with Shawn, and helping to get the album produced. Mr. O'Connor played a variety of instruments in local country and bluegrass bands, though I don't think he was a recording artist himself. . It's worth noting this LP's connection to the Ripcord Records studio: in addition to Gene Breeden producing the album, his right-hand man Ellis Miller is credited as co-composing the title track, "Walk Me In The Sunshine Of Your Love," which was also released as a Portland Records single under Shanna O'Connor's name, along with "You Got What It Takes To Be Sunshine," which is included here as well. Ms. O'Connor later moved to Nashville, where she owned and operated her own beauty salon for many years before retiring in 2018

Country Comfort "Meanwhile Back At The Farm" (Upwright Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by James M. Devine)
A country covers trio from Seattle, Washington, featuring brothers Larry Wright (on guitar and banjo), Rick Wright (drums, piano, guitar and pedal steel) and Larry's wife Trudy, on bass. I'm not sure if they multi-tracked these sessions so they could play all the instruments, or whether they had some studio musicians to fill things out, but the song selection is great -- a ton of singalong songs such as "Day Dreams About Night Things," "Rainy Day Woman," "Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," "Honky Tonk Man," and of course yet another version of "Me And Bobby McGee" (in case anyone's keeping track...) The liner notes inform us that the Wright brothers had been performing together for years before cutting this album, working in their family band as kids on local SeaTac TV and radio venues, namely KTNT's "Bar-K Jamboree" and KOMO's "Evergreen Jubilee" -- and the Wrights thank "Jubilee" host Jack Roberts as one of their patrons. Not sure if they made any other records, though this one was pretty groovy.

The Crystal Mountaineers "...Visit McNeil Island" (Stacka Records, 1971-?) (LP)
(Produced by Shelley Abbott & Paul Birch)
For some reason, the authorities thought it would be just dandy for a bunch of teenagers to come and sing for the convicts at the Washington state prison on McNeil Island. I mean, nothing bad happened, and I'm sure everyone had a hoot, but it still seems a little odd. In the wake of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison record, playing at McNeil became kind of a rite of passage for country singers in the Pacific Northwest, and this is one of several concert albums made at the notoriously grim facility. The Crystal Mountaineers was an all-teen from Enumclaw, Washington, with siblings Dale Bates and Holly Bates as the lead singers, and drummer Mark Hotton singing on "Bad Moon Rising" and "Tiger By The Tail." The bass player, Roger Johnson, was the only non-singer in the band, though he could hold a beat, and that's all that matters. The repertoire is all pretty standard late 'Sixties/early 'Seventies stuff, cover songs like "Almost Persuaded," "Okie From Muskogee," "Snowbird" and "You Ain't Woman Enough." The album kicks off with an original written by Dale Bates, "Little Boy Blues," but other than that, it's all about respecting their elders. The Stacka label also put out a lot of country singles, as well as an album by Butch Paulson; from the typography it looks like it was one of several imprints associated with Ripcord Records, although sadly there are no producer credits, so I can't pin it down for sure. There's no date on the disc, either, but Holly Bates' version of "Snowbird" places this as most likely a 1970 or '71 release.

Carol Cuff "Time" (Accent Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Scott Seely & Nick Mandola)
I think songwriter Carol Cuff was from the Pacific Northwest, although this early '80s album was recorded in California and gives no information on her whereabouts at the time. At any rate, back in the 1970s, a few of Cuff's songs turned up on albums by artists in Washington state, which is why I think she was from around there. And they are well-crafted songs... The trouble with this album, though, is that while she was a good tunesmith, Ms. Cuff was not the world's greatest singer -- indeed, she had trouble keeping in tune most of the time, which may be one reason that she didn't make a record of her own until she'd been on the scene for over a decade. It's a pity, too, because there really are some good songs on here, notably the country weeper "It Really Doesn't Matter," though sometimes it's hard to tell because the musical flubs can be distracting. The liner notes are entirely devoted to her lyrics, with no info about who was in the studio band... And their performances are a mixed bag as well -- sometimes they're pretty solid (particularly the pedal steel) though much of the time they seem to be just going through the motions, if not playing fairly broadly in a half-joking manner. On the whole, though, this is a credible and heartfelt effort by a true amateur -- Ms. Cuff was definitely dedicated to her music and had a feel for old-fashioned country heart songs. I'd be hard pressed to really recommend this record, but I still admire the spirit in which it was made.

Bruce Darty "Right Back Where I've Always Been" (Ripcord Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden)
A nice one! Robust honkytonk music in a set that's mostly cover tunes -- songs by Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Johnny Horton and Waylon Jennings, done in an updated but still rootsy 'Seventies country style. Darty (his name is really spelled "Daugherty") is a good singer, with a deep voice and a major Merle Haggard influence... There are also two originals on here, the lovelorn title track, "Right Back Where I've Always Been," which sounds like a demo for a Merle Haggard album, and on Side Two the more novelty-oriented "You're The Only Weed (In The Garden Of My Heart)", which is a less successful song, but still nice to have original material on an album like this. As far as I know, this album and the single which accompanied it are the only records that Darty recorded... Anyone know for sure? Strong, uptempo accompaniment by Gene Breeden and his crew, which included Danny Breeden and Ripcord Records VP Ellis Miller on bass and guitar. Fun stuff! (BTW - I'm only guessing at the release date: Darty covers "It's All In The Movies," which was a Merle Haggard hit in '76, so the album could have come out later than that... As always, any additional info would be welcome.)

The Ellison Family "From Marysville, Washington" (19--?) (LP)
The family members are not listed by name, but I assume this is the same country-gospel family group as below. The Ellisons seem to have been caught up in the sprawling West Coast indie-twang gospel scene that included folks such as Jerry Shook and Dwayne Friend from California's great Central Valley, who did session work for amateur bands up and down the Pacific Coast.

The Ellison Family "The Ellison Family" (Vision Records, 196--?) (LP)
A family gospel band who appear to have done some performing on the evangelical circuit, the Ellison Family included Richard Ellison (Spanish guitar), Leana Ellison (accordion), Mike Ellison (bass) with additional backing on steel guitar by Don Parks. They played old-fashioned country gospel, slow, doleful material reminiscent of early Roy Acuff or Gene Autry (or even Hank Williams). The album notes don't say where they were from, but they seem to be the same group as listed above, on this album recording on the Vision label, with a mailing address in Lakewood, CA, where label founder Wayne Walters lived before moving up towards Stockton, and later to Nashville. There was also a gospel-funk band called the Ellison Family, who shouldn't be confused with these folks.

Jim Finneran "The Road Ain't No Place For A Lady" (Sea Port Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Neil Rush, Tex Hughes & Jim Finneran)
Sort of post-hippie country from featuring lanky Pacific Northwest local John Finneran, who also appeared on Wild Bill Oscher's Montana Power album... I'm not sure where Finneran was from; possibly SeaTac, as the label was located in Federal Way, near Tacoma, although a Montana connection seems likely as well. Co-producer Neil Rush, who also performs on the album, was Merrilee Rush's husband and manager in the 1960s, and a revered regional mover and shaker on the Seattle scene. Other musicians include Bill Bernard, Larry Fox, Doug Heath, pitching in on a pretty sincere set of modern-day country songs.

Will Franklin "I Get High On Country Music" (Seatac Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Will Franklin)
I really wanted to like this one -- I mean, I get high on country music, too, and I loves me a good novelty song -- but the fact of the matter is, this is pretty rough going, musically speaking. Well, vocally, really... Mr. Franklin booked a high-class Nashville studio band for these sessions, including Kenneth Buttrey, Jimmy Capps, Weldon Myrick, Jerry Shook, Pete Wade and others, but I found these tracks a little hard to listen to. I think the songs themselves might be kinda good, but I'm not entirely sure. I have to go back and give this one another fair shake sometime. Not 100% positive where he was from, either -- some sources say Kentucky, but the label name (SeaTac) suggests the Pacific Northwest. Anyway, despite best intentions and plenty of twang, this one's a bit, um, iffy.

Eddy Fukano "Eastside, West" (Dot Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Vaughn)
Born and raised in Tokyo, singer-actor Eddy Fukano (1938-2018) cut a few folk-country recordings in Japan before heading East to build his career, making his American debut in Honolulu, then moving briefly to Los Angeles before booking various lounges gigs, mostly in the western US. He had made some records back in Japan, and landed a major-label contract in 1968, producing this album and a couple of singles for the Dot label. The discs were accompanied by a big publicity push, though he never quite broke through into the mainstream market. Mr. Fukano also made a cameo in the 1969 hicksploitation feature film, From Nashville With Music, and he seems to have made a few live performances on TV as well. He eventually settled down in Seattle, Washington where he made at least one single produced at Ripcord Studios, although I'm not sure how active his performing career was in later years.

(Johnny Galvin &) The Pioneers "By Request" (Fathom Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Kearney Barton)
The Pioneers were a honkytonk band from Oak Harbor, Washington (just north of Seattle) led by guitarist Andy Stevens, who is credited as arranger on this album. They're backing local lad Johnny Galvin, who sings a couple of his own originals, "I Tell Myself A Lie" and "Secret Meeting Place," in addition to a full course of Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard tunes, some Hank and Buck, and (of course!) a version of "Green Green Grass Of Home." Galvin released another album on Fathom, with more of his originals.

Johnny Galvin "Will It Rain Today" (Fathom Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Galvin)
Great, mopey, broken-hearted honky tonk hard country, with delightfully forlorn vocals. West Coast legend Tommy Collins wrote some cheerful liner notes for this album, recalling some gigs he played with Galvin up in the Pacific Northwest, so that certainly got my attention. Although Collins talks about playing at a bar in Oregon, it looks like Johnny Galvin was actually from around Spokane, Washington... This album is mostly cover songs, but with some tasty choices, such as the Bonnie Owens song, "Somewhere Between," which was on a Merle Haggard album in 1967... There's also another inevitable rendition of "Me And Bobbie McGee," as well as three originals written by Galvin.

General Store "Off The Shelf" (Ripcord Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Blaine Allen & Ellis Miller)
Another Ripcord offering. This band from Seattle, Washington seems kind of rock-oriented, but twangy. The lineup featured Carlos J. Dominguez on bass, Brian Dunn (synthesizer and mellotron), Allan T. Flaa (lead guitar and steel), David Philip Haynes (drums), and Judy Walker on piano and vocals.

Sally Dawn Green "This Mother's Child" (Andy Stevens Productions, 1988-?) (LP)
(Produced by Andy Stevens)
A straightforward set of country ballads -- including a hefty dose of the classic Patsy Cline repertoire -- by an otherwise obscure gal from Marysville, Washington. This appears to be very much a private release, with little record of it online, and also little information about Ms. Green, who I don't think was a professional performer. She is backed by producer-arranger Andy Stevens (on bass and guitar), along with Kenny Alvers (lead and steel guitar), Lee Haley (lead and rhythm guitar) and an undetermined cohort of other musicians who are not named in the liner notes. In addition to Patsy Cline oldies such as "Crazy," "I Fall To Pieces," and "Walking After Midnight," she covers classics such as "After The Lovin'," "Fool Number One" and "San Antonio Rose"; it's possible the title track, "This Mother's Child," might be original to this album, though there are no composer credits, so I'm not totally sure... Also no release date, though some sources say it's from 1988, which looks about right, possibly a few years later.

Bonnie Guitar "Dark Moon" (Bear Family Records, 1991)
In her way, Bonnie Buckingham (aka Bonnie Guitar, 1923-2019) was an iconic, groundbreaking female performer and musical entrepreneur. Hailing from Seattle, Washington, she moved to Los Anglees in the late 1950s and found work as a session guitarist, notably for Abbott Records, and the Fabor Records label, which also released her first solo recordings. She also cracked into the Nashville studio scene and is featured on numerous pop and pop-vocals albums; she also had considerable success as a solo artist in her own right. In addition, she was a pioneering DIY-er, starting her own record label (Dophin/Dolton records, which she sold after a few years), all of which was pretty remarkable for a gal in the Eisenhower/Kennedy era. As a musician, however, particularly as a country musician, I find her pretty underwhelming, pretty much epitomizing the snoozy, lethargic pop sound of the time. This collection showcases a bunch of her early stuff (though not necessarily her biggest hits...) Doesn't do much for me. There are also a bunch of original albums, but they strike me as too "pop" to list here... Even though she charted as a country artist, there's precious little twang to be heard in her work.

Caroline Hansen "All Because Of God's Amazing Grace" (Ripcord Records, 197--?) (LP)
Southern gospel from way up North... I'm not sure exactly how country this album sounds, but it's on the Ripcord label, so that's good enough for me. Ms. Hansen was from Vancouver, Washington and probably sang in her local congregation, as seen in the liner note testimonial by her pastor, David Synder. No musician or producer credits, alas.

Ted Hanson & Country Express "Tribute To A Queen" (Cherrywood Studios, 1975-?) (LP)
Guitarist Ted Hanson and bassist Dave Shaul were both from Wenatchee, Washington, a middle-sized town east of Seattle, and first formed their band after returning home from doing military service abroad, in different branches of the armed forces. They seem to have taken their band all over the country -- Reno, Nashville, Texas, and even a long stint up in Alaska. Somewhere along the line they recruited teenage singer Jackie Kadow, who sings on this album and later married Hanson. The repertoire includes some cool country covers, like "Rainy Day Woman" and "Most Beautiful Girl In The World," in a setlist that seems to have been made in honor of wimmin in general... Dunno what became of the band, but the Hansons wrote at least one children's book together, and Ted Hanson made a career as a saddle and boot leathersmith.

Grady Harris "...And The Modern Country" (Ripcord Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden)
Far out! If you like twangy country music -- and I mean really twangy country -- you will love this record. Originally from around Sylva, North Carolina, singer Grady Harris moved to the Pacific Northwest in the late 1950s, playing venues in Washington state such as the Longview Elks Club and the Kelso Legion Club... This album is all cover songs, with classics from the songbooks of Dave Dudley ("Six Days On The Road"), Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and Marty Robbins, with interesting additions of two(!) songs by Stoney Edwards and a version of Chip Taylor's great "Clean Your Own Tables," which places this album at least as post-1973. And it's awesome. The lead guitar is pure twang-twang-twang, unapologetically plangent and playful, and Harris' vocals are a treat as well, reminiscent of Roger Miller in some ways, but not at all novelty oriented. Really: this is a great record. Wish I'd had the chance to see this guy play live, back in the day!

Dave Harry & Bonnie Harry "Welcome To My World" (A-Live Sound Records, 197--?) (LP)
A kooky-looking mix of country and lounge oldies, ranging from "Stardust" and "Chime Bells" to "She Taught Me To Yodel" and "Welcome To My World." And yes, not only does Dave Harry squeeze the accordion (while Bonnie Harry plays synthesizer and drums) he also yodels on a tune or two. This duo from Alderwood Manor, Washington are joined by a few other locals -- Becky Purdue on bass, Dave Purdue on lead guitar, Dick Gordon on banjo and fiddle, as well as a couple of saxophonists to round things out. As far as I know, this was their only album...

Irene Hatfield "August Rain" (Rex Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Clinton J. Smith)
An independent country singer from Washington state... This includes the songs "Silly Little Fight" and "The Anniversary (Of The Day You Said Goodbye.)" All but one of the songs were written by J. Jones, who is also credited as the "A&R" man for the album.

Shorty Holloway "...Fiddles Back Up And Push" (Big Sound Records, 1973) (LP)
Although this is a fiddling album, the back cover features a photo of Alden "Shorty" Holloway (1925-2013) posed with a badass double-necked electric guitar, ala Joe Maphis. Like Maphis, Holloway was a hotshot picker and multi-instrumentalist, proficient on guitar, violin, banjo, mandolin and steel guitar; he also specialized in explosive, rock-adjacent instrumentals, as heard in a string of earlier singles, including many released on his own Big Sound label, based in Richland, Washington. Mr. Holloway was born in Arkansas but built his career in the Pacific Northwest, where he led his own band, The Prairie Ramblers, with singles dating back at least as far as 1951. Apparently the Ramblers weren't backing him on this album: the liner notes credit Mr. Holloway as the lone musician, so he may have multi-tracked some of the tunes, such as "Boogie On Guitar," etc., though it's also possible some of the tracks may have originally come out as singles. A teamster by trade, Mr. Holloway worked on big energy projects such as the Alaskan oil pipeline, and at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, which manufactured most of the plutonium used in America's thousands of nuclear weapons. This is the only LP of his I've seen so far, though some of his older recordings pop up on rockabilly compilations from time to time... Although I've seen this album listed as coming out in 1968, the "Rite number," indicates it was manufactured in 1973.

Bob Homan "Beaming All Over" (HEB Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Kearney Barton)
Originally from Tifflin, Ohio, honkytonker Bob Homan moved around and performed on a number of Midwestern radio stations in the 1950s, before moving permanently to Yakima, Washington in 1959. His first music job in the area was playing on the Bert Wells cowboy show on TV station KIMA, Yakima; Homan also had a regular live gig at the Alaska Corral Club. Homan self-released a handful of singles before recording this first album, and led his band or played solo for years and decades to come. He was active in a range of local events and performed at community events well into his seventies and eighties...

Bob Homan "Phases Of Love" (HEB Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Lee Furr & Bob Morris)
Homan brought in some high-power twang for this one... None other than the Buck Owens band, the circa 1969-70 Buckaroos, with Don Rich, Doyle Holly and J. D. Maness are in the studio crew, with Buck adding liner notes in praise of Mr. Homan. About half the songs on here were co-written by Bob Homan, including one composed with Jerry Pruitt, as well as two written with Cecilie "Tillie" Clifford (1924-2015), a Yakima housewife who took up songwriting as a hobby.

Manuel Huffman "...And The Deliverance Mission Blue Grass Band" (West 235 Main Records, 1978) (LP)
A bluegrass-gospel album recorded in Spokane, Washington. The liner notes purport to be an interview in which Utah Philips talks to mandolin player Manuel Huffman about his life. Huffman says he was born in 1910, talks about his early years working in the Idaho logging camps, where he drank to excess and became an alcoholic. Huffman describes about how his boozing dragged him down until he finally got religion, and how a chance meeting in a local record store led to the formation of this band, and to recording this album with a few younger musicians... Whew! Talk about authenticity!

Jef Jaisun "Brand New Rose" (Virgin Vinyl Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Jef Jaisun & Rick Fisher)
Wow, this is like super hippie-dippy spacey longhair stoner stuff... Not exactly country, but, well, close enough that we can add it here. Why not! Jef Jaisun -- with his long, scraggly beard and scraggly, long hair, his leather cloak and big round glasses -- was definitely what you'd call a super-hippie. Jaisun (ne Jeff Jassen) grew up in Seattle and did student radio in high school, back in the Kennedy era, but by the Summer of Love, he was living down in Berkeley, and living the high life. Jaisun found eternal fame with his 1969 stoner novelty number, "Friendly Neighborhood Narco Agent," a rambling acoustic rag from 1969 full of tall tales about pot busts; he'd been playing the song around town for a couple of years before he laid it on wax at the same studio Country Joe & The Fish used for their earlier, similar material. Jaisun was definitely working in that same groove, the neo-retro-acoustic-satiric style as Country Joe, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, The Holy Modal Rounders and the like... The song soon made it into heavy rotation on an early incarnation of "The Dr. Demento Show" and still echoes around the ether to this very day. Almost a decade later he cut this full LP, having moved back to Seattle, where the hippies were even more super-groovy and back-to-nature. The album opens on a country note, with the twangy, uptempo "Iggy's Tune ('46 Oldsmobile)" featuring not just the zippy pedal steel guitar of Chris Middaugh, but also some clanky washboard percussion, courtesy of Marc Bristol, another Pacific Northwest super-hippie who made a semi-country record of his own a few years later. Although the music lapses into a slightly more, um, folkie direction, complete with lots of horns, there are several songs that have a twangy feel, particularly the nanny-state anthem, "Gonna Hold Out 'Til My Food Stamps Come," a boogie-rock novelty tune calculated to drive guys like Orrin Hatch nuts. Unfortunately, Jaisun seemed determined to move on from his narco roots, and didn't include his old hit on this new disc, but they certainly were of a piece. He also moved into photography as his primary artistic outlet, notably snapping pix of blues and jazz artists... If you're up for it, he tells his side of the Dr. Demento saga on his website.

Michael Jay & Friends "An Evening At Sourdough's" (Country Northwest Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Hartman & Michael Jay)
This disc is a memento of Michael Jay Clothier and his band Whistlestop's residency at Sourdough's Lounge, a nightspot in Federal Way, Washington (sandwiched between Seattle and Tacoma). Not a ton of info about this band -- they originally formed around 1975 and went through several lineup changes, with Michael Jay the one constant member. I think this was the group's only album, though they made at least one single as well, issued the following year on the same label.

Jim 'N' Gary "New Faces" (TNS Records, 19--?) (LP)
A countrypolitan lounge duo on a label from Seattle... It's all all cover songs, early '70s stuff like "Help Me Make It Through The Night," "Me And Bobby McGee," "Never Ending Love Song," and "Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line" as well as some pop/AOR hits like the dreadful "Me And You And A Dog Named Boo" and Neil Diamond's "Song Sung Blue." Alas, their last names are not given, nor any indication of where they were from. Country gal Susan Raye contributed the liner notes, saying she'd worked with the duo in the previous year -- maybe they were in her band?

Jim & Shirley "Night Time In Seattle" (Topaz Records, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Kearney Barton)
This disc from Seattle, Washington is the very epitome of a custom-printed vanity album, with married couple Jim and Shirley Taylor singing a few of their favorite contemporary songs, as well as their own composition, "Night Time In Seattle," which doubtless they hoped would become known as a hometown anthem. This disc may be a bit questionable from a twangfan's perspective, with a dash of country amid more soft-pop/lounge-y vocals. Still, along with covers of Kui Lee, James Taylor and the Bee Gees, they play some Kris Kristofferson and Hoyt Axton, along with Billy Craddock's "Rub It In," so they can join the country club. There's no date on the disc, but the autographed copy I've seen had a handwritten date of June 20, 1973, so at least we know it precedes the one below. Anyone out there know more about these folks? I'd love to hear their story.

Jim & Shirley "Sea Of Love" (Tareco Records, 1974) (LP)
As with their previous album, this is the very epitome of a custom-printed vanity album, with married couple Jim and Shirley Taylor singing a few of their favorite contemporary songs. It was clearly kind of a family Christmas card kind of album, with photos on the back of her horseback riding and him golfing... The repertoire includes some country-ish stuff, like "Country Roads," "Horse With No Name," "Snowbird" and "Tie A Yellow Ribbon," while on the poppier end of the spectrum, there's more dubious soft-pop material such as David Gates' "If," Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and "Killing Me Softly." I dunno if I'd call this one a "good" record, but it's definitely very, very Seventies!

Rick Johnson "Gold Fever Blind" (Mountain Ghost Music, 1984)
(Produced by Rick Johnson & David Lange)
Really a pretty dreadful album, particularly if Mr. Johnson's bearded, denim-clad image made you think maybe he was an indiebilly rebel of some kind. The album opens with an uptempo though decidedly mellow country-rock song, "Until It's Told," which has kind of a Firefall-ish soft-rock feel... But Johnson quickly descends into a morass of gooey, slick, goopily-produced soft-folk tunes, none of which has a particularly distinctive feel, and certainly nothing that appealed to me as a twangfan. Apparently Rick Johnson hailed from Tacoma, Washington, and the musicians on this album seem to have all been Pacific Northwest locals, including producer/keyboardist David Lange, Chris Middaugh (pedal steel), Chris Jeffrey (lead guitar), Martin Martindale (lead guitar), Maureen May (backing vocals) and others. All the songs are originals, and one song includes a saxophone (which should have been a warning sign!) Surprisingly little comes up about this album on the interwebs, but the album seems to have been widely distributed, at least on the West Coast. Not my cup of tea, but maybe '80s folk fans will find something to celebrate here.

Paula Kay "Wish I Were Sleeping In Your Arms Tonight" (Seann Records, 1976) (LP)
Although biographical info is hard to come by, Paula Kay Miller seems to have been from the Pacific Northwest, having recorded a single for the Ripcord-related Vanco label before cutting this full LP on her own. Her Vanco single included the novelty song, "Seann, Seann, The Leprechaun," which one assumes was where she came up with the name for the label, and also identifies her as "one of the Reynolds Sisters," though that also proved to be a hard thread to run down. Sadly, the backing musicians are not identified, though the composer credits are informative. Along with a small, eclectic selection of cover tunes, there are a couple of compositions by the songwriting team of Bucky Jones and Royce Porter, and four originals credited to Ms. Miller: "Freedom Seeking Girl," "Sleeping In Your Arms Tonight," "You Bring The Want To Out Of Me" and "You've Got a Woman Tonight." But, sadly, she had one of those names that proves all too common when you try to look 'em up on the interwebs, so the details of her story remain elusive.

Sandra Kaye & The New Breed "On The Road" (1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Van Auken)
This plucky West Coast covers band featured lead singer Sandra Kaye, who hailed from Washington state, along with a couple of brothers from San Jose, California and a guitar picker from Grand Junction, Colorado... The New Breed included Ms. Kaye on vocals, piano and synthesizer, Russ Twitchell (guitar), Lenny Van Auken (drums) and Ron Van Auken on bass. The liner notes say the group had been together for nine years before they cut these two late-'Seventies LPs, and Lord knows that they sounded like in their garage band days. Though they definitely had a country vibe, but also dipped deep into the main wellsprings of hardcore '70s soft-pop and anthemic AOR... In addition to the outlaw classic "Luckenbach, Texas," and some "girl" country songs from the likes of Crystal Gayle and Billie Jo Spears, they tackled the Doobie Brothers (a cluttered version of "Long Train Running"), Dave Loggins ("Please Come To Boston") and the Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" and "Life In The Fast Lane" by the Eagles, for all you hard rock fans. Perhaps more horrifically they also covered Bachman Turner Overdrive's "Let It Ride" and "Daytime Friends," by Kenny ("Sauron") Rogers. Nobody's perfect. Anyway, they seem to have recorded these two albums pretty much at the same time, so this really is a snapshot of a working twang band...

Sandra Kaye & The New Breed "Queen Of The Silver Dollar" (1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Van Auken)
Well, you sure can't fault her for groovy song selection... Ms. Kaye hones in on a more country-oriented sound and really wears her heart on her sleeve with a bunch of songs drawn off albums by Emmylou Harris ("C'est La Vie"), Dolly Parton ("Jolene") and Linda Ronstadt ("Love Is A Rose") as well as a couple of Bob McDill tunes, and the Marie Osmond hit, "Paper Roses." She also covers Fleetwood Mac ("Say That You Love Me") as well Morris Albert's super-cheesy lounge standard, "Feelings," though we'll give her a pass on that one... Not sure what became of this band, though the following year Ms. Kaye landed a contract with Door Knob Records, a Nashville indie that was able to get about a half dozen of her singles placed in the back end of the Billboard country charts. Not sure if they ever released an album's worth of that work, though.

Joe King & Wanted "Just Passing Through" (King J Records, 1982) (LP) (Produced by Joe King & Dave Raynor)
Hailing from Seattle, Washington, songwriter Joe King cut this album with a local band called Wanted, sharing the lead vocals with Wanted's guitarist Tim Harris. The full band included multi-instrumentalist David Cahn, steel player John "Chip" Fossa (1947-2020), Tim Harris (lead guitar), Tim Hileman (drums) and Ron McDonald on bass -- a later edition of his band was known as the Infamous Lost Posse, although I'm not sure how much of the lineup remained in place. Anyway, this record is all original material, most of it written or co-written by Joe King, including a couple penned with A. J. Hartman, who continued to collaborate with King for several years. There are also two tunes by Tim Harris ("Faded Old Love Letters," "Wanted") and one by Tim Hileman (a Merle Haggard tribute called "Old Hag," with Hileman as the lead vocalist) that are arguably the strongest material on this album... This is certainly a much better album than the follow-up, Stories, which featured Joe King as the primary artist, and illuminated his weakness as a singer. This album is a little uneven, but worth checking out, a nice portrait of an aspiring local band, with several interesting songs and some nice picking, particularly the steel work, which has some pretty groovy textures to it. Worth a spin!

Joe King "Stories" (King J Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Earl E. Owens, Wayne Carson & Joe King)
Most of this album was cut in Nashville, though some of it was recorded at the Music Source studio in Seattle, Washington, with producer Dave Raynor. Like his previous album from the same year, this disc is packed with original material, though this time around several of the songs were co-written by Wayne Carson, as well as a few co-written with bluegrasser Ronnie Reno. King provides most of the other songs, with two co-composed with a guy named A. J. Hartman, who had worked with King on his first album. To be honest, this ain't all that great, and I suspect what happened was King had a parting of the ways with the guys from Wanted, then headed to Nashville and hire a studio band so he could do everything his own way. He seems to have been aiming for some kind of random novelty song hits, but his limitations as a singer -- both in tone and timing -- hopelessly tank the effort. A few of the songs are okay, but I suspect most folks would enjoy this album ironically, in a so-bad-it's-good, nudge-nudge, wink-wink kinda way. I don't want to be all mean about it, but honestly this is kinda hard to listen to. (By the way, does anyone know if he was the same Joe (E.) King, the country-music listening "redneck" Democrat who got into Seattle-area politics in the '80s and served for six years as the Speaker of the House in the Washington state legislature? Seems like kind of a stretch, but you never know...)

Lance Romance "The Image I Portray" (Macola Records, 1980)
(Produced by Lance Romance & Tom Martin)
Founded in 1971, this country/rockabilly group from Enumclaw, Washington was a stalwart of the pre-grunge Pacific Northwest indie scene, sort of Spokane's answer to the Commander Cody Band... The lineup on this album includes Dave Harmonson (lead guitar), Ron Kincaid (rhythm guitar), Keith Parmenter (drums), Larry Pigott (bass), J. C. Rieck (piano) and Gary Thorsen on steel guitar. They toured regionally, making it down to California a time or two, and stayed together until the early '80s, with a string of reunions thereafter. This album includes a bunch of cover songs and possibly(?) a few originals: "Love Letters And Long Distance Calls," "Standing In The Rain," as well as the beautifully-named "You Didn't Walk Out on Me (You Just Beat Me To The Door)."

Lavender Country "Lavender Country" (Gay Community Social Services Of Seattle, 1973) (LP)
A groundbreaking album on the conceptual level, this may be less satisfying to many country music fans... Four years after the Stonewall riots, Seattle's gay liberationist Patrick Haggerty (1944-2022) dreamt up the satirical contours of the world's first openly queer country record and made it a reality, singing tunes like "Back In The Closet Again" to a simplistic roots-music backing -- plinky piano, rough-sawed fiddle, a dash of pedal steel. The instrumental virtuosity isn't there, but the passion and political conviction comes through loud and clear -- a gay lib landmark, and another piece of the '70s countercultural mosaic. The album found a new audience decades later in the 2010s, with a digital-era reissue and acclaim for Mr. Haggerty's groundbreaking work coming from younger LGBTQ fans, including national tours and new recordings... Mr. Haggerty passed away about a month after suffering a stroke while flying home from a show in Oakland, California, which is certainly a bittersweet coda to a remarkable musical career. [Check out his New Your Times obituary for more...]

Floyd Leaton "In Nashville" (LSI/Leson International Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by George Lewis)
Something of a mystery disc... A Washington state native, Floyd L. Leaton (1942-1977) made the trek from Bellingham to Nashville to record this album, booking time at the LSI Studios, where he was backed by a (sadly unidentified) crew of studio pickers under the direction of owner/producer George Lewis. The set is about half covers, half originals, with a trio of Mr. Leaton's own tunes -- "I'd Been Away Too Long," "The Prowler" and "My Friend In The Bottle" -- balanced by versions of Lobo's "Me And You And A Dog Named Boo," Merle Haggard's "White Line Fever," Johnny Paycheck's 1971 hit, "Don't Take Her, She's All I Got," and a spin at the Buck Ram doowop oldie, "Only You." The album ends with a remake of the bluegrass/western swing chestnut, "Salty Dog," re-imagined here as a CB-er novelty number about a too-gabby radio operator who goes by the handle of... yup! you guessed it: Salty Dog. I could find very little information about Floyd Leaton online. He may have done some limited public performing in the Pacific Northwest, though this seems to have been his only recording, and he died the year after this album was made, at a mere thirty-three years of age. Any additional information is welcome.

Dottie Lee & The Nite Lites "...Present Roy Country" (Stacka Records, 1972-?) (LP)
A live show recorded at Roy Rodeo Hall, in Roy, Washington, featuring singer Dottie Lee and her band, which included her husband, steel guitar player Larry DeRocher, and their son Dennis DeRocher, who played bass. It's an honest portrait of a working country band -- they weren't awesome or super-original, but they were honest and sincere. She had kind of a homespun, old-school Kitty Wells-ish sound, while the pedal steel work is actually quite nice, particularly on his version of Lloyd Green's showcase instrumental, "Greenblue." No year was given in the liner notes, but judging from the cover songs -- stuff like "Joy To The World," "Kiss An Angel Good Morning" and "Help Me Make It Through The Night" -- it was clearly an early '70s outing, probably from 1972 or '73 at the latest. The DeRochers also performed together as the NorWesterners, recording at least one album under that name, on the Ripcord label.

Penny Lew "Country With A Flair" (Penny Lew Records, 1982) (LP)
A female country artist from Washington state... She mostly sings covers of Hank and Lefty classics, along with several originals: "Have A Ball," "Washington Is Home Sweet Home To Me" and "Harry (Of Mount St. Helens)." She's accompanied by Ron Stevens on guitar and pedal steel.

The Linder-Lawson Band "The Linder Lawson Band" (Greatheart Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Art Nicklaus)
This country-rock trio from Shelton, Washington featured Roger Lawson on piano and vocals, Peggy Linder on drums, and Randy Linder playing guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin and harmonica... (Sounds like Randy was really busy!) All the songs are Linder-Lawson originals, with a strong sense of twang and good, earthy vocals... The group had its roots in a high school/college band called Lynx, which was formed in 1971 when members of the Lawson family merged with three of the Linders (including various older brothers who later dropped out...) An article in the local paper, The Shelton-Mason County Journal, noted that the Linder's grandfather, Hayes Davis, was a well-regarded regional musician who played musical saw and piano in the Skokomish Valley back in the early 1900s, so these folks had some legit rural roots. The band seems to have played mostly locally, with a lot of shows in '78, but less of a footprint after that... (Note: producer Art Nicklaus was a middle-aged guy who also recorded an album of his own on the Greatheart label, the previous year... not a lot of info about him, though.)

Sam Little "Fruit Tramp" (Road Runner Records, 19--?) (LP)
An early album by folkie-twangster "Singing" Sam Little, a professional truck driver who worked in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska and lived up in Cook, Washington... On later albums he honed his image as a country trucker and most of his later records are trucker-themed. This one includes a wider range of material, including songs such as "Auction Barn," "Big Country Show," "The Gospel Singer's Reward" and "Big Country Show."

Sam Little "Kamakazi Trail" (Comet Records, 1976) (LP)
A lot of trucker tunes here, though also some topical stuff, songs such as "Evel Knievil" and "George Wallace," which I ain't heard yet, though I sure do wonder if it was pro, or con. Also pretty curious about the one called "Drifting Construction Workers..."

Neil Livingston "Pedal Steel Guitar Excellence" (Excel Music, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Harvey Gilkerson & Bob Waits)
A pedal steel player from Spokane, Washington, Neil Livingston was an acolyte of steel legend Noel Boggs, and formed his own band back in the early 1950s, playing shows in the Pacific Northwest before landing a gig in 1956 playing on The Louisiana Hayride, way down in Shreveport. He headed home after a few years and according to the liner notes, helped come up with the steel riffs on Charlie Ryan's original version of "Hot Rod Lincoln." This album has a more conventional slant, mixing pop covers and country tunes, with some of the more contemporary material including "Green Onions," "Ode To Billy Joe," and "September Song." It seems to have been a promotional album for "Excel" steel guitars, which may have been Livingston's own brand(?) since an address is given in Cheney, Washington for both the album and the guitars. The backing band includes Vince Tayon on lead guitar, Paul Valsvig (bass), Bill Watson (drums) and David Winslow playing piano. Livingston also did a fair amount of session work, notoriously backing rockabilly pioneer Frank Starr on his acid-rock-tinged gospel album, recorded with the Wilson-McKinley Jesus Rock Band in 1972. (They misspelled his first name "Niel," an error which has been perpetuated on multiple platforms...) I'm not sure if he cut other albums under his own name, though this disc's a doozy.

Dewey Long & The Longsmen "Meet The Longsmen" (Vanco Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Jay Andy Thompson)
This Pacific Northwest family band was made up of Okie transplant Dewey Long and his sons, John Long (on lead guitar) and Rick Long (bass), along with drummer Chris Ellenberger, who also sings harmony on this album, and sang lead on a couple of cuts on the following LP. Dewey Long had genuine-sounding rural vibe, with vocals shift from Bill Anderson-ish crooning to more rugged twang, and a tremendous amount of self-confidence that radiates throughout this album. He had recorded a few singles before this, notably for the Washington-based Big Sound label, around 1968-69 and either recycled or re-recorded several of those songs on this album. Anyway, this is a great record. The set is straight-up honkytonk for the most part, including covers of "White Lightning" and Dallas Frazier's "I'm So Afraid Of Losing You Again," as well as several originals published by Dewey's own Long Autumn Music: "I Must Be Going Out Of My Mind," "No More You," "One More Time" and "You Gotta Live It Right." There's also an unidentified piano player, probably a guy from producer Gene Breeden's house band, who lets loose with some jazzy tangents -- similarly the lead guitar by John Long goes off in some surprising directions, most notably on the break in "Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line," where he crafts an inventive solo that is, literally, like nothing I've heard in any genre of music; he also delivers some surfy riffs which suggest having played in a garage band or two before joining the Longsmen. No date on this album, but the jocular liner notes by local radio deejay Frank Kennedy mention an appearance at a Fan Fair-like event in Nashville in 1969, and Kennedy passed away in '71, so if we split the difference, 1970 seems like a reasonable guess. The Longs seem to have lived somewhere in the rural areas outside of Spokane, possibly around Omak, Washington, where their second album was recorded.

Dewey Long & The Longsmen "I've Still Got My Baby On My Mind" (General Records, 1975) (LP)
Though his first album had a wealth of original material, this one is heavy on cover songs, including contemporary hits and crowd-pleasers such as "Amos Moses," "City Of New Orleans," Bobby Bare's "Marie Leveaux," "Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," as well as rock chestnuts like "Blueberry Hill" and CCR's "Proud Mary." There are no composer credits, but the title track, "I've Still Got My Baby On My Mind," seems to be an original, and the album kicks off with a track called "Dedication To C.D. Townsend," in honor of a fellow Pacific Northwest country singer who also recorded on the Big Sound label back in the late 'Sixties. Pretty much the same band, too, with Mr. Long sharing the spotlight with the other guys singing lead on a track or two. They had an unfortunate penchant for novelty songs (Mr. Long's version of "Marie Laveaux" is a bit painful, for example) and some aesthetic choices are questionable as well: he loved to croon, which all very well and fine, though maybe not on a song like "Whiskey River"(?) Good snapshot of a scrappy local band, staying true to their dreams.

Lorraine & The Country Gentlemen "Brandin' Iron Presents..." (Brandin' Iron Records, 19--?) (LP)

Lorraine & The Country Gentlemen "By Request" (Charter Records, 1973) (LP)
Mostly country covers by a youthful quartet from the Seattle-Tacoma, Washington area... Lead singer-bassist Lorraine Van Sickle had a regular gig at an old Seattle bar called the Branding Iron and also performed on a local TV station (Channel 13) backing a guy named Grover Jackson in the early 1970s. Her band included her husband, Skip Van Sickle, steel player Joe Brignone and drummer Terry Hildreth. The repertoire on this album is mostly cover songs, with a tilt towards popular hits of the early '70s such as "Teddy Bear Song," "Polk Salad Annie," "Tie A Yellow Ribbon," "I Believe In Music" and -- of course -- "Me And Bobby McGee." The album also includes one song by another local artist, Carol Cuff, who was friends with the band and who recorded an album of her own several years later. Many years later, Ms. Van Sickle resurfaced as Lorraine Hoyle, owner of the Lady Luck's Cowgirl Up, a steakhouse with a country music vibe, up in Spanaway, WA.

Lorraine & The Country Gentlemen "Just Drivin' " (Peace Arch Recording, 1981-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Duckworth)
This album's from much later, in the early 1980s, with covers of two John Conlee songs, 1978's "Rose Colored Glasses," and 1980's "Friday Night Blues," as well as Johnny Lee's hit, "Lookin' For Love," which was also from 1980. She had changed up her band as well as her name, now going by Lorraine Redding, with Chet Richardson on lead guitar and Mike Shannon playing drums. The repertoire is pretty much all covers. though the title track, "Just Drivin'," may have been an original, though there were no composer credits on the album. Tacoma old-timer Ray "Shotgun Red" Hildreth contributed liner notes, giving a nod of his hat towards the old days when they worked various gigs together, and when his son Terry was in her band.

Heidi Lyons "Come On Home" (Sounding Post Records, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Heidi Lyons & Gene Breeden)
An indie album from the Seattle-Tacoma area, though Ms. Lyons recorded at Gene Breeden's Nashville studio, with Breeden on lead guitar, Terry Crisp on steel, Don Thompson playing rhythm guitar and banjo, and the Callaways singing backup. This seems to be an early '80s album: the liner notes are by a DJ from KMPS ("Kountry Music Puget Sound") AM-FM, which "went country" in 1978, and the set list includes a Vern Gosdin song, "What You Think Is Fair," which he recorded in 1982. The rest of the record is mainly cover songs, stuff like "My Baby Thinks He's A Train," "Walk Right Back," a couple of Patsy Cline covers --"Walking After Midnight" and "I Fall To Pieces." Two songs, which were Lyons originals, were also released as a single: "Come On Home" and "Country Touch."

Roger & Janice Maddy "The Place Of My Dreams" (Voyager Records, 1979) (LP)

Roger & Janice Maddy "Become As Little Children" (SPBGMA/John's Recording Studio, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Maurice Killenbeck)
A real gem. This independently-released set of sweet, melodic old-timey/bluegrass tunes features the husband-wife duo of Janice and Roger Maddy who, as far as I can tell were originally from Washington state (where this album was recorded) but moved to Iowa to be closer to family, and where they performed regularly at folk and bluegrass festivals. They dig deep into the sweeter side of the music, with a heartfelt sound that fans of Jim & Jesse, the Stanley Brothers and the Blue Sky Boys should appreciate. To my ears, she had the more rural-sounding voice, although they harmonized nicely and their repertoire is perfect. Most of the songs are covers or traditional material, including a nice version of Don Helms' "Sweet Little Miss Blue Eyes," and the Maddys add a few new songs to the genre, including the sentimental "Memories Of Mother," which they co-wrote, and two more that are credited to Roger Maddy, and one track, "Dakota Jane," that was composed by their fiddler, Craig Keene. The picking and fiddling is quite good, including some slick licks from banjoist Dan Young, although this isn't really the drag-racing kind of bluegrass, but rather the more sentimental, old-fashioned style... Which, by the way, I totally love. This album is definitely worth looking for!

Roger & Janice Maddy "Become As Little Children" (CD Baby, 2003)
Though I discovered the Maddys on vinyl, I was surprised -- and quite pleased -- to see that this old stuff is also available on CD. This disc includes the music from both of the albums above, Become As Little Children and The Place Of My Dreams. Sweet!

Jim Manning "...Sings For Charity" (Ripcord Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Ray Eldred)
One of the few Ripcord records that we've got a firm release date for -- an April, 1976 show notice in a local paper mentioned its recent release -- this is also a slightly mellower, more folk-oriented album. Washington native Jim Manning wrote three of the songs on this disc, including "Just One More Time," "Sweet Leander" and "For Charity," which was dedicated to his daughter. (He later wrote another song for his second girl, "Mandy.") The album also includes covers of '70s hits such as "Rhinestone Cowboy," "Mr. Bojangles," Jim Croce's "Bad Bad Leroy Brown," Kris Kristofferson's "For The Good Times," and even Erroll Garner's "Misty."

Candy Martin "Meet Candy Martin: The Man With A Thousand Voices" (Ripcord/Vanco Records, 1976) (LP)
Hailing from from Vancouver, Washington, singer Candy Martin specialized in celebrity imitations... This album had one side of original songs, while the other is a medley of imitations of various country stars -- Webb Pierce, Roy Acuff, et. al. Apparently he made an appearance on Hee Haw sometime before this album came out...

Marty "Introducing Marty" (Choice Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden)
Another obscuro offering from the Pacific Northwest, recorded at the Ripcord studios. I think this guy's name was actually Thomas A. Martin: there's one song on here credited to that name, "What You Alone Gave Me," a song he had previously recorded as a single in 1973, along with "Since I Bought My Guitar." This version is a re-recording, but it's still the standout among the usual set of bar-band cover songs, stuff by Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, et. al. Marty's backing band, the Drifting Shadows, were from Spanaway, Washington, a tiny town near Tacoma, though Mr. Martin was originally from Charlotte, SC... The Drifting Shadows were apparently really guitarist Hank Little's band, but they backed Martin for this album, with Martin's wife, Bettye, providing some backup vocals. For his second record he had a different band, also packed with locals from the Tacoma, Washington twang scene.

Marty "Smooth Country" (Choice Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Maurice Killenbeck)
Another mystery disc, which was recorded at All-World Productions, in Tacoma, Washington... On his second album, Martin sticks mostly to cover songs, with one original from his old drummer Dave Estes ("Easy Does It") and a slew of oldies and '70s hits, stuff by Bob Wills, Jimmie Davis, Charlie Rich, Kris Kristofferson and others, stuff like "Behind Closed Doors," "One Day At A Time," and "Help Me Make It Throught The Night," along with oldies and pop standards such as "You Are My Sunshine," "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy" and "Cab Driver." Brand new band, too, with lead guitar by Doyle Woodard and Tacoma legend Ray "Shotgun Red" Hildreth on pedal steel... Marty is pictured on the back, and looks middle-aged, maybe about forty years old, and I'm guessing he didn't have a band or perform live. This album was dedicated to his father, who passed away in August, 1976, and the liner notes were addressed to his mother -- I think he basically made the record for her.

Barbara McKenzie & Wendell McKenzie "Meet Barbara And Wendell" (Cascade Records, 1968--?) (LP)
(Produced by Don Sneed, Sr.)
The McKenzies were a married couple who also performed in a group called The Husbands & Wives, along with Gene and Pam Brown. The liner notes tell us that when they made this album they were holding down a gig at a place called Lee & Andy's Frontier Bar in Ketchikan, Alaska, though they seem to have been from somewhere in the Pacific Northwest; this album came out on the Sneed Family's label, which was based in Spokane, Washington. The material is mostly of fairly mainstream 1960s provenance, hits like "The Bottle Let Me Down," "Break My Mind," "Gentle On My Mind" and "Paper Mansions." Though most of their material was contemporary to 1967, they also covered Leapy Lee's "Little Arrows" and Tammy Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E," which were hits in '68. Unfortunately, there's no information on the musicians who backed them here, though it seems likely that a Sneed or two were involved. A single of "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" was broken off of this album, but released under Mrs. McKenzie's name.

Paul Midas Show "Held Over" (Tribal Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Stephens & Dan Breeden)
This one was recorded at the fabled Ripcord studios in Washington state, with vocals by Mr. Midas who was presumably a local, billed as "...a full-blooded Yakima Indian... and proud of it!" There are a bunch of classic country covers and a couple of rock oldies, including a version of "Proud Mary," as well as one original song, "Just Loving You," written by producer/guitarist Ron Stephens.

Reino Moisio "Reino Sings From Napoli To Nashville" (Trans-Western Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Tommy Allsup)
A public school music teacher in the Tacoma, Washington school system, Reino Alfred Moisio (1934-2012) moonlighted producing commercials for radio and TV, as well as cutting a handful of records, including this curious album. It's a bilingual set, mostly showcasing lesser-known country songs, but also three Italian-language songs -- "Ho Ho Bambolina Bella," "Solo Per Ti" and "Ti Prego Ritorna" -- mysteriously credited to "Mineo." No information about when this came out, or who performed on the sessions, although apparently it was partly recorded in Nashville, and partly in Washington state. He recorded at least one other album, but not of country material.

Donna Morey & Ron Miller "I Got You, You Got Me" (Charter Records, 197--?) (LP)
Sadly, this '70s vanity album doesn't include any background info about either Donna Morey or Ron Miller, nor about their backup band or when and where these sessions took place. It's possible that Ms. Morey was the same Donna Morey who owned a country bar in Seattle called the Buckaroo, but I couldn't find any info to confirm this. Anyway, it's a nice record, with Miller & Morey one of the many early 'Seventies duos who dreamt of being the next Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. Miller's a competent, efficiently masculine singer, but the more emotive Morey is the one in the spotlight. Sometimes she's a dead ringer for Lynn Anderson, sometimes she sounds a little more like Loretta or like Donna Fargo -- overall, her performances feel a bit too controlled, self-conscious perhaps, but she was pretty solid, although when she and Miller harmonized she would shift into a lower register and while they sound good, there's not as much differentiation between their voices as you might be used to in country duets. I liked this record, though: it's not earthshaking, but it's earnest and authentic. It just is what it is. Most of the songs are covers, but the title track, "I Got You, You Got Me," may have been original to this record. The song is credited to composer-producer Ricci Moreno and I suspect that he may have actually been the producer for this album, though again there are no liner notes to verify this...

Mountain Air Band "Take A Little Of My Song" (Mountain Music Productions, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Huber)
A very-indie country band from rural Eatonville, Washington, due south of Tacoma. The group included songwriter Kerry Cyrus on banjo, lead guitar and lead vocals, Greg Berry (harmonica), Jake Jacobson (piano), Brian Kast (drums and lead vocals), Dave Kast (bass) and Bobby McKinney on guitar and lead vocals). The album opens with a jaunty cover of Henry Strzelecki's and closes with a version of "Cottonfields," but otherwise is an all-original set, with one song, "Special Friend," credited to Bob McKinney and all the others to Kerry Cyrus (including one co-written with Brian Kast.) Among the originals are "She Just Wants A Good Time," "They Don't Make Love Like They Used To," "The Love In Her Heart Is Almost Gone," "Country Disco," and "Tomboy Song," which was previously released as a single, under Kerry Cyrus's name...) Indeed, many of Cyrus's songs on this album date back to the early 1970s, and he had previously released at least two singles under his own name. Cyrus may have been in a band or two before this, though Mountain Air seems to have been his biggest musical project. Not sure how much these guys played live, although they were together for a few years... There's a news article from 1986 about the band (with a slightly different lineup) playing live on radio station KJUN,1450-AM, so they were together for at least a couple of years after this album came out... The article mentions that a second album was in the works, with the band planning a trip to Nashville, to have former Washingtonian Gene Breeden produce them; not sure if that album ever got made though...

Bruce Mullen "Especially For You" (Dixie Records, 1977-?) (LP)
Commercially-oriented indie country with what looks like connections to some Nashville publishing houses -- this album includes songs by Sonny Throckmorton, Ronnie McDowell, and other Music City pros. Although he settled down in Washington state, Bruce Mullen's career took him all over the place. Starting out as a youthful rock'n'pop artist in the late 1950s, he became a protege of Bonnie Guitar, with whom he co-wrote "Auctioneer Love," a novelty number that edged into the Billboard back forty in 1974 (and is reprised on this album.) Mullen had a long-standing, multi-decade gig playing at at old-west theme park called Buckskin Joe's, in Canon, Colorado, and similar venues throughout the mountain states and southwest. Around 2007 he and his wife Betsy shifted into religious material, and have released several albums worth of country gospel over the years.

Johnny Mullins "She's A Cheater Too" (Puget Sound Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden, David Frizzell & Shelby Singleton)
This was the first album by indie-honkytonker Johnny Mullins, and it looks like it took him a little while to get it made... Three separate sessions were recorded in Bakersfield, Nashville and Vancouver, Washington's Ripcord Studios, including some lead guitar by Dennis Payne. I'm pretty sure Mullins himself was from Washington state -- this record label was in Snoqualmie, Washington and his fan club had an address in the tiny nearby town of Packwood. All but three of the songs on here are Mullins originals, with others offered by producer Shelby Singleton and some other off-the-radar dudes. Mullins had some success as a songwriter, composing one of Larry Booth's early singles.

Johnny Mullins "...Featuring Honky Tonk Fever" (Sound Track Records, 197--?) (LP)

The Naramors "Our Most Requested" (Acame Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by C. G. Martin)
A husband-wife team, Dean and Anne Naramor were apparently based in Washington state, though the liner notes mention that they had earlier worked up in Alaska. Not a lot of info about these two, outside of a couple of show notices from 1969 that place them doing a lounge act at the Silver Spur casino in Carson City, Nevada, working in a trio with a guy named Doug Cecil, who was billed as the group's leader. That act featured their "modern country" approach, which blended country material and a harmony-oriented swing-vocals sound, presumably modeled on folks like Lambert-Hendricks-Ross. A newspaper blurb mentions that Anne Naramor played piano, organ and clarinet, while Dean Naramor worked on bass and drums. No info about any other musicians playing on this ultra- low budget album, though I'd assume that if they were still working with Doug Cecil, they would have given him a credit as well.

Rojay North "Keep On Singin' (And Other Thoughts)" (Cherry Pie Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Rojay North)
An oddball custom-country set from Rojay North, a robust and determined singer from Spokane, Washington whose previous album from 1977, Punch Mellow, is a famously horrendous white soul set with a slew of truly terrible tunes sung in the styles of brothers-from-another-mother Barry and Tony Joe White. A few years later, though, and Mr. North switched gears to try his hand at twang. All these tunes were written by North, with a few co-credited to Joe Gibson. While they sound equally forced and more than a little iffy, I gotta confess, country music was a better fit than soul. In real life, North was a former TV and future B-movie actor named Robert J. Youngs, who had moved up to Washington after spending most of the 'Sixties and 'Seventies knocking around LA. Both of his albums were produced at a studio in Hollywood, though his country set is perhaps understandably the lesser-known of the pair. This is worth checking out, though North is one of those folks that it's difficult not to be snarky about, particularly when the back cover of his record reads like the turntable version of Bambi Meets Godzilla, with Rojay's name plastered across all the credits. There's no mention of the other musicians involved, though one assumes Joe Gibson was doing some of the picking, as he's credited with the arrangements. At least one of North's songs was covered elsewhere, a tune called "Looking For Love" was recorded by Swiss country singer John Brack. (Note: There is a particularly mean-spirited post about Rojay North on the Yowp blog which is devoted to the old Hanna Barbara cartoons; I dislike the jaded tone, but it is pretty informative.)

Kenny O "Kenny O" (Rhinestone Records, 1982-?) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Gibson & Jack Logan)
Not quite sure what to make of this one... Mr. O largely remains a mystery: he recorded parts of this album in Spokane, Washington and parts in Nashville, so I'd assume he was from Washington state, even though he gives a mailing address in Tennessee. This album is packed with originals, with all but two songs credited to "Kenny O" (his full name not given, alas) with one of the remaining tracks penned by Mack Sanders. The backing musicians are not listed (sigh) contributing to the overall unknowability of the project. Clarification is welcome.

One Hand Clapping "Skidum, Skidum Doo-Wah" (One Hand Clapping, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Michael Leary & Red Erickson)
An eclectic roots/jug/string band led by songwriter Richard Blakley ("Red") Erickson a guitarist originally from Northern California who was living near Seattle when he recorded these albums. The group previously appeared on the 1973 Club Zayante compilation album recorded in Santa Cruz, California, and years later thanked their old homies at freeform country station KFAT-FM in Gilroy... Trading one hippie enclave for the next, One Hand Clapping set up shop in Washington, and became a fixture on the late 'Seventies Pacific Northwest. Erickson later retired to Texas, and passed away in 2008 at age 66.

One Hand Clapping "Second Hand Clapping" (Thunder Oak Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Red Erickson)
An even odder offering from these shaggy West Coasters, a grandiose, gospel-inflected, over-the-top, oddball boogie-rock/roots cabarettour de force -- a bold statement, but a bit muddy and somewhat perplexing. I found it hard to focus on the lyrics, impassioned as they were, and the only song I could tell you what it's about it the album's closer, "Waiting For Gas," which is one of those topical 'Seventies tunes complaining about the "energy crisis," but even this one is problematic, as the vocals are delivered in a faux-Black, "urban" argot while this was a decidedly white band. Oh, well. Most of the songs were penned by Red Erickson, with a couple by co-vocalist Richard Dean, with backing by an all-local Washington state band, including Don Abernethy (guitar), Kim Cory (backing vocals), Richard Dean (keyboards and synthesizer), Red Erickson (lead vocals and guitar), Bobby Nachtsheim (saxophone), Kirk Tuttle (drums), and Mark Willett on bass... Most of these guys don't seem to have worked in other groups, though there is one notable exception: one of the backing vocalists was Stephen Whynott, a Pacific Northwest who had his own career as a pioneering New Age/World Music guitarist, and had released a couple of solo albums by the time this album came out; his involvement with One Hand Clapping may have been fairly minimal, though.

Joe Pancerzewski "The Fiddling Engineer" (Voyager Recordings, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Phil Williams & Vivian Williams)
An old-timey fiddler from Enumclaw, Washington, backed by the Tall Timber String Band, a Seattle-based bluegrass group. Mr. Pancerzewski was born in 1905 in rural North Dakota and started out playing at local dances, then moved to Seattle as a teen, where he worked in regional dance bands. By the mid-1920s, he was playing vaudeville shows with banjoist Loren Cotton, a friend of Eddie Peabody, but eventually got a day job working on the railroad in the late 1920s, a job he kept until retiring in the '60s. He was the 1971 Washington State Champion fiddler, which led to recording this album later that year.

Butch Paulson & The Rebel Breed "Live At The Circle" (Stacka Records, 1969) (LP)
A Seattle, Washington rocker who is fondly remembered for the smoking-hot, super-silly 1961 rockabilly novelty number, "Man From Mars," Butch Paulson led several bands (or at least, he changed his band names frequently...) His rock'n'roll vibe drifted towards twang in later years, as heard on this swinging 'Sixties set, recorded on a tiny local label that was home to several other PNW country bands... In addition to covers of current hits by Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings, he dips into hippie-pop hits such as Donovan's "Sunshine Superman" and Joe South's "Games People Play," as well as the seemingly-inevitable version of "Proud Mary." Paulson shares the spotlight with the guys in his band, giving solo numbers to Jay Dee Hoag and Wes Shope; very democratic all around.

Butch Paulson "Definition" (Young Country Records, 1974) (LP)

Ron Pedersen "Ron Pedersen" (A&R Record Manufacturing, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Dean Narramore)
Fun, scrappy country twang from the Pacific Northwest. Not to be confused with the '70s jazz/standards pianist of the same name, country singer Ron Pedersen was originally from Forks, Washington, and worked as a logger for many years before settling down in Spokane. Fittingly, he covers a couple of songs by Buzz Martin the singing logger -- "Settin' Chokers In The Rain" and "Whistle Punk Pete" -- although this seems to album have been recorded outside of the orbit of Ripcord studios. Pedersen also wrote about logging, in "Timber Beast," one of four Ron Pedersen originals, with two of these co-written with P. M. Paquette, and two others with Jerry W. Brown. One track, "Puget Sound," is a classic regional pride tune, though with an idiosyncratic, outlaw-ish feel. The backing band seems to have been all locals, with multiple guitarists, keyboard players, etc. on different tunes, including Alan Flaa and Guy Stacey both playing dobro and steel guitar, and Bob Buell on bass and guitar. Pedersen apparently led his own band for several years, though I don't know how far back he career spanned.

Charley Peltier "Authentic Country" (Empire Records, 197--?) (LP)
Not a lot of info about this one... According to the liner notes, Peltier was a young-ish guy in his thirties with a taste for old-fashioned twang from the 1920s and '30s, covering oldies by Gene Autry, Jimmie Davis, Carson Robison and Jimmie Rodgers, along with a couple of his own originals, "Goin' Back To Montana" and "Singin' A Song Of The Prairie." Apparently Mr. Peltier was from around Spokane, Washington, and was backed by local picker Gary Williams on Hawaiian steel guitar, and Williams also wrote the amazingly uninformative liner notes, notes which remained unaltered in a European reissue by Folk Variety Records, an early precursor to the Bear Family label. Williams is also known for his work as a gospel singer, recording several albums under his own name, though here he plays a strictly background role.

The Pioneers "By Request" (Fathom Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Kearney Barton)
This band from Seattle, Washington was led by guitarist Andy Stevens, who is credited as arranger on this album. They're backing local lad Johnny Galvin, who sings a couple of his own originals, "I Tell Myself A Lie" and "Secret Meeting Place," in addition to a full course of Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard tunes, some Hank and Buck, and (of course!) a version of "Green Green Grass Of Home." The Pioneers also backed singer Bob Taylor on a subsequent album on the Fathom label; Taylor adds his own song, "Lonely Teardrop," to this disc. Galvin released another album on Fathom, with more of his originals. (Note: the inner label mistakenly gives the label address as being in Oak Harbor, Michigan, which has led to some confusion about where these guys were from: it's really Oak Harbor, Washington, just north of Seattle.)

Phil Randoy "Phil Sings" (Randoy Corporation/Topaz Records, 19--?) (LP)
The very epitome of a "private press" vanity album, this set of folkie tunes pops up from time to time as a "country" record, though for the most part methinks twangfans can pass on it. Seattle, Washington amateur troubadour Phil Randoy covers some interesting material, including three songs by John Prine and a version of Kris Kristofferson's "Jesus Was A Capricorn," but most of the songs were from artists such as John Denver, Kenny Loggins, Don McLean and Buffy Sainte Marie -- mainstream folkie-AOR types given a stripped-down acoustic homage. However, Randoy's low-impact renditions don't really add much to any of these songs... He was earnest and well-meaning, and there's a picture of him singing at a grade-school assembly, but nothing on here really catches fire. There are also two original songs written by Randoy, "Voice" and "Mirror," again both in an earnest folk style... No date or recording info on this one, but I'd guess it's a 1974-76-ish affair, maybe even a little earlier.

Leni Re'nae "Singin' My Songs" (K-Ark Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by John Capps)
Originally from a French-Canadian background, Leni ReNae (who spelled her name a few different ways) was living in Blaine, Washington around the time this album came out... How she hooked up with the Ozark-based K-Ark label is anybody's guess. The set list is mostly not original material. dominated by versions of chestnuts like "Columbus Stockade Blues," "Johnny One Time" and "Louisiana Man," as well as several Kris Kristofferson covers, "Help Me Make It Through The Night," "Me And Bobby McGee," and "Sunday Morning Coming Down," which indicate an early 'Seventies release. There are a few songs that might have been originals, but more research is required...

Leni ReNae "Cold Denver Rain" (K-Ark Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by John Capps)
The apostrophe in her name on the previous album was probably a typo: it's spelled "ReNae" on this album, as well as on all of her singles. This album includes three songs written by Leni Renae, as well as one from producer John Capps. Also worth noting, she additionally recorded at least one single for the Ripcord-related Vanco label, out of Vancouver, Washington.

Tim Rock "Backseats, Bedrooms & Bars" (Starbuck Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Brado, Mimi Fitzgerald, Tim Rock & Jim Wolf)
A mellow, six-song country-rock EP by Tim Rock, featuring plenty of rootsy tunes, including two songs by Hearts & Flowers founder Larry Murray ("Headed For The Country" and "Mama Lu"), a version of Billy Joe Shaver's "Black Rose," a tune from Donnie Fritts and a couple of originals by Tim Rock and his guitar player Bill Hayes. Rock was a record producer from Seattle's mid-'70s rock scene, known for his work as an audio engineer at a studio called the Music Farm; as far as I know this was his only album.

Rocky & Hal "Hoot 'En-Naughty" (T Records, 19--?) (LP)
Raunchy country comedy, recorded live at a venue called the Wintergarden in Bellingham, Washington. Rocky and Hal -- who don't give their last names -- play banjo and guitar on a set that is proudly proclaimed as "Definitely not suitable for radio broadcast: ADULTS ONLY." The duo apparently worked out of both Spokane, Washington and Lewiston, Idaho... thanks to The Northwest Music Archives for info on the other albums, listed below.

Rocky & Hal "Action After Midnight" (T Records, 19--?) (LP)

Rocky & Hal "Act III" (T Records, 19--?) (LP)

Gene Rucker "Ring Her Bell... And Nashville Picker" (Chantel Records, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden)
Rootsy twang from the Pacific Northwest... Mr. Rucker was from Washington state, and availed himself of the services of Vancouver, WA expatriate Gene Breeden's Nashville studio, with a familiar studio crew including Gene Breeden, Terry Crisp, Benny Kennerson, Geno Keyes and Bruce Watkins, to name a few... Intriguingly, all of the songs on here were written or co-written by Idaho songwriter Dale Miller (who also recorded with Breeden and his buddies). Two songs feature lyrics by Verna Hodgson, an otherwise obscure figure in the musical world -- my guess is she was from Idaho as well. One thing I'm curious about: this album has a catalog number that indicates earlier releases on the Chantal label, though the only other one I've seen mention of is a single from this album... Anyone know anything about that?

Rural Delivery "R. D. Breakdown" (HARC/Horizon Audio Recording Company, 1982) (LP)
A self-described newgrass band from Washington state, noteworthy here for recording (yet another) cover of "Friend Of The Devil," along with "Ghost Riders In The Sky" and tunes by country folks like Gene Autry and Hank Thompson. Most of these guys aren't familiar to me, though Rick Ahrens went on to play in a bunch of lesser-known bands.

Don Sampson "American Songs" (Revolver Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Don Sampson)
While living in Hoodsport, Washington, country-folkie Don Sampson rounded up some primo talent, including super-picker Frank Reckard of the Emmylou Harris Hot Band, and drummer Don Heffington (who was also playing with Emmylou, and later co-founded the band Lone Justice). This was Sampson's first album, and he would continue to work with many of these same musicians, including the backing singers, for several years. He later went by his full name, Don Michael Sampson, and has re-released this album and others under that name.

Don Sampson "Coyote" (Revolver Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Don Sampson)
This one's more on the folkie side of the spectrum, but with enough country twang to merit notice here... Recorded in LA, this album boasts a studio crew of considerable heft, with Frank Reckard and Don Heffington rejoining Sampson in the studio, as well as Bill Keith playing on a couple of tunes, and a rhythm section that included a pre-Chris Isaak Roly Salley on bass. I gotta admit, Sampson doesn't quite do it for me as a vocalist, but he sure did roll with the right kinda folks.

Roosevelt Savannah "Everything's Coming Up Rosey" (Roseway International, 1976-?) (LP)
One of the notable African American country singers to come in the wake of Charley Pride's national success, Roosevelt Savannah hailed from Seattle, Washington and recorded his lone LP at the fabled Ripcord studios in nearby Vancouver, WA. He had cut a few singles earlier, including an early version of "Pretty Girl, Pretty Clothes, Pretty Sad" on the semi-major GRC label, but chart success wasn't in the stars, although he really plugged away for a few years in the early '70s. This album is mostly made up of cover tunes, including some gospel and stuff by Marty Robbins and Hank Williams. There's also another version of "Pretty Girl, Pretty Clothes," as well as one called "The House I Live In (That's America To Me)," a patriotic number that might place this (undated) album as a Bicentennial release.

Larry Schacher & Melody Funk "First Time Out" (Ripcord Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Blaine Allen & Gene Breeden)
I'm not sure exactly how country this is, but it came out on Ripcord Records, so that's reason enough to keep it on the radar. Aside from a Randy Newman song and a couple of Harold Arlen covers, this album is mostly original material written by either Larry A. Schacher or Melody F. Funk (with several songs co-written by Eric Funk). Mr. Schacher appears to have grown up in tiny, rural La Grande, Oregon while Ms. Funk may have been from Enumclaw, Washington, though at some point they were drawn into the orbit of metropolitan SeaTac... Larry Schacher became a Christian music artist, though this is a secular set, with Eric Funk on bass and drums, Melody Funk on vocals and bass, Larry Schacher playing piano (and a couple fo other instruments), producer Gene Breeden chiming in on guitar and a few other friends and relations such as Fred Schacher, who adds a few banjo riffs. Not sure if this couple played live shows, but if I get more information, I'll let you know.

Gail And Denny (Secord) "Grand Ole Opry Dream" (Full Circle Records, 1982-?) (LP)
(Produced by Van Barker & Bobby Bradley)
A middle-aged couple from the rural suburbs near Seattle, Washington, Denny and Gail Secord both came from musical families, with Ms. Secord's parents not only playing in local bands but also running a bar called the Wagon Wheel, while Mr. Secord's dad was a popular dancehall fiddler. The Secords led their own band for many years, with backing from locals such as fiddler Jerry Critchfield. They first formed a group called Country Express back in 1976 when they were living in Port Ludlow, with her fiddling prowess (and super-fab go-go boots!) as the main attraction. In 1981 they won a talent contest sponsored by the National Grange Association, and not long after that traveled to Nashville to record this album, with backing by guitarist Greg Gilbraith, Hal Rugg on steel guitar, pianist Mike Shrimpf, and others. They played some standards, with a hefty dose of tuneful heartsongs by Hank Snow and his generation -- "You're The Reason," "It Don't Hurt Anymore," "Bumming Around," "Time Changes Everything" -- as well as instrumental showcases such as "Chime Bells," "Draggin' The Bow" and "Orange Blossom Special." The title track, "Grand Ole Opry Dream," may have been an original. The Secords continued to perform locally for many, many years, with Ms. Secord retiring in 2009 (but Denny continuing to play) and their son, Denny Secord Jr., later forming his own group, the Luck of the Draw Band.

Shannondoah "Ideas And Rhymes" (Blue Heron Records, 1977) (LP)
Recorded live at Eastern Washington University, in Cheney, Washington...

Shannondoah "Take Yer Time Leavin' And Hurry On Back" (Fat Chance Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Frank Stearns & Dave Ellsworth)
An eclectic acoustic band from Spokane, Washington, Shannondoah was led by singer-guitarist Ben Staley, with additional vocals from Shannon Staley, Rick Singer playing percussion, Kevin Svenson on bass, and Don Thomsen playing fiddle, mandolin, and dobro. The repertoire includes a few interesting cover songs, like their version of Gordon Lightfoot's "Go My Way," though most of the songs are Staley originals.

Shotgun Red "...Goes To McNeil" (Valentine Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Val Valentine)
Not to be confused with Ralph Emery's Nashville felt puppet sidekick Shotgun Red, Washington state country picker Ray Hildreth (aka Shotgun Red) was a local TV host and bar owner who played with a variety of local bands. He was born in Monroe, North Carolina back in 1932, but made Tacoma his home for most of his life. This album was "recorded live" at McNeil Island penitentiary, and features a buffed-up edition of Hildreth's band, the Cornshuckers, with Ray Austin on drums, Buddy Swint (bass), Jimmy Webb (pedal steel), Ty Willard (guitar) and Dale Wilson on fiddle, as well as several guest vocalists. Shotgun Red only sings lead on two tracks, sharing the spotlight with other locals, including Lonesome Jim Sawyer, Cole Shelton and Edward Swint, who also contributes his own original song, "Living In The Twilight Zone." Two other originals ("Billy Belew" and "Get The Gravy Hot") come from Oren Reeves, who doesn't play on this album but did record a single or two under his own name. Perhaps most notable is guest singer Lorraine Schwebs, another Tacoma local who frequently performed live with Hildreth over the years, and who also led her own band, the Country Gentlemen, which included Shotgun Red's son, drummer Terry Hildreth. Bass player Buddy Swint also cut an album of his own and remained in Hildreth's orbit for several years, as did several of these pickers, who were probably the house band at his bar, the Cloud 9 nightclub. Several of these guys also cut singles for the same local label, Wasp Records, in the early 'Seventies, and doubtless backed each other on various sessions. As far as I know, this was Shotgun Red's only full album..

Silver Mountain "On The Snake River Special" (Ripcord Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Blaine Allen)
This self-identified "newgrass" band from Seattle covered some rock stuff ("Friend Of The Devil") and added a little pedal steel into their sound, courtesy of session player Ron Stephens, who was connected to the Ripcord Studios network. These are lively, cheerful performances of songs they clearly loved, kicking off with oldies like "I'm My Own Grandpaw," "Life's Railway To Heaven" and Bob Wills's "Milk Cow Blues" before shifting into originals written by bandmembers Willy Ehrmantraut, Terry Enyeart and Greg LaRoy. A fun record from an era before pure professionalism and super-slick production took over the bluegrass world. Best of all, this is one of the few Ripcord LPs I've come across that has an actual date on it -- the album illustration was signed and dated -- providing a rare opportunity to figure out when the rest of them came out. Whoo-hoo!

Betty Jean Sites "A Heart Full Of Country" (Budro Records, 19--?) (LP)
There's very little information about Ms. Sites online, though she seems to have cut a wide swath through the Pacific Northwest country scene in the early 1960s. Recording both as "Bettie" and "Betty" Sites, she made quite a few singles for Bobby Wooton's Seattle-based GRC label between 1964-71, as well as a '63 single for the Jerden label along with Linda Sites, who I'd guess was her sister, and she even had a major-label release when her own song, "Number Two Girl," was picked up by Dot Records in 1966. That track is one of many that are collected on this LP -- indeed most of the tracks first came out as 7-inch singles, and I assume these are the original versions.

Skyboys "Skyboys" (First American Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Scott Boyer, Jeff Cox & Ovie Sparks)
Seattle's answer, perhaps, to the Flying Burrito Brothers, Skyboys was a far-flung, stylistically diverse country-rock band which held together from 1973-82, a large ensemble that included several musicians who went on to solo careers. This lineup included drummer Pat Bohle, Dudley Hill (1948-2005) (guitar and vocals), Tom Kell (guitar and vocals), Ken Parypa (bass), Scott Smith (guitar and piano), Leon Waldbauer (guitar) and vocalist/organ player Gaye Winsor, who had kind of an Emmylou Harris-meets-Juice Newton vibe. Other alumni included folksinger Linda Waterfall, who played bass and sang harmony in an earlier lineup (Skyboys apparently recorded an as-yet-unreleased album prior to this disc, as well as a string of singles bth before and after...) Like a lot of country-rockers, the group was a little all over the map, banging away at uptempo folk-rock twang as well as indulging in a sappy J. D. Souther-ish AOR ballad or two. Steel player Chris Middaugh was a Pacific Northwest stalwart who appeared on a number of other folks' albums; Linda Waterfall became a mainstream folkie, and lead singer Tom Kell seems to have made a go of it both as a top forty and rock artist, before settling into the contemporary folk scene a few years later. This was the only official Skyboys album, though their earlier, rawer recordings from around '77 were pretty dynamic and deserve re-examination and reissue at some point, having resurfaced on YouTube a while back. Worth checking out.

The Sneed Family "Meet The Sneed Family" (Cascade Records, 1967-?) (LP)
Not to be confused with the southern gospel group of the same name, the Sneed Family band hailed from Spanaway, Washington and was formed by patriarch Don Sneed back in 1952, originally with sons Danny, Donnie and Les, who each became successful musicians in their own right. The group toured regionally throughout the Pacific Northwest, as well as into Canada, California, and apparently even a stint in Las Vegas. This album features Donnie and Les Sneed on lead vocals, as well as their sister Suzie, who sings "Don't Kid Me" and "The End Of The Week." There are also a couple of non-family members, Marvin Cave, who sings on two tracks, and Bill Goodman, who is spotlighted on an instrumental version of "Danny Boy." This disc is packed with original material, including songs credited to Marvin Cave and Danny Sneed, as well as three by Lonnie Coleman and a couple by Dale Noe. Over the years, the Sneed Family also cut numerous singles for the Cascade custom label, including a few "solo" discs by Donnie Sneed, Les Sneed and Suzie Sneed. The siblings eventually branched out on their own: Danny Sneed was a well-regarded steel player; Donnie Sneed headed for Branson, and Les Sneed was the most successful of them all, working for Top Forty country stars such as Tommy Cash, Donna Fargo and Barbara Mandrell. There was a second edition of the family band that came together and cut a few singles in the early '80s calling themselves The Sneed Brothers. The family's connection to fellow Pacific Northwesterner Lonnie Coleman is notable: in addition to the songs on this album, they recorded several other Coleman tunes on their singles.

Stan & Doug "Honey/Little Green Apples" (Golden Crest Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Dan Doyle & John Swenson)

Stan & Doug "Yust Go Country And Western" (Golden Crest Records, 1971) (LP)
One of many examples of an apparently popular comedy subgenre satirizing the Scandahoovian accents that persisted for many decades in regions populated by Swedish, Danish and Norwegian pioneers, mainly around the Great Lakes. In this case, it's "The Swede-Hearts of Song," Stan & Doug, aka Stan Boreson (1925-2017) and Carl Douglas Setterberg (1918-1973), two broadcast professionals from Seattle, Washington who concocted this act in the late 'Sixties. The duo didn't work exclusively in the country genre -- indeed their earlier albums were angled more towards pop and American standards. At any rate, this disc does tilt towards twang, with with parodies of country hits such as Jim Webb's "Honey Come Back" (Scandanized to "Hulda Come Back"), "Cattle Call" (transformed into "Hulda's Good Swedish Meat Balls"), as well as an update of a Charley Pride classic ("Is Anybody Going To Michigan?") etc., etc., etc. There are also some Boreson-Setterberg originals, and a couple of curious inclusions, such as Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin' At Me" (you can guess how that went, yah?) and a cover of Tom Lehrer's "The Hunting Song." The McKenzie brothers would be proud. As would Yorgi Yorgenson!

Don Steele "Let's All Pull Together" (1983) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Sherrill)

Don Steele "Renegade Heart" (Catholic Community Services, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Rick Johnson & Dennis Knutson)
A Seattle-area school superintendent who had recorded an earlier album that raised money for school scholarships, Dr. Don Steele got Willie Nelson to pitch in on this album, which includes a song called "Thank You, Willie." Willie sings along on a version of "Healing Hands Of Time." This album was a benefit for Seattle's Catholic Community Services, a charitable organization that worked with homeless youth.

Buddy Swint "My Secret Love" (Ripcord Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Harry Axson & Buddy Swint)
Charles Swint (1938-2011) was originally from Augusta, Georgia, but lived most of his life in Tacoma, Washington, where he played bass and guitar for bandleader and bar owner Ray Hildreth (aka Shotgun Red). As far as I know, this was Swint's only album, a mixed set of cover songs and originals, sung by a semi-shaggy, muttonchoppy bunch of youngsters... One of Swint's idols seems to have been Marty Robbins, with covers of "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife," as well as "Mountain Of Love" and "Unchained Melody." There are several originals published either by Ripcord Music or Central Songs, with two songs credited to Buddy Swint, "A Few Short Hours" and "You're Unfaithfully Mine," and others including "I've Got A Lot Of Things," and "Billy Balew," presumably written by members of the band. Swint's brother Edward was also a songwriter and musician, playing in the orbit of Shotgun Red, although apparently not on this album. The backing band for this album included Don Floyd on bass, Mike French (drums), and Steve Junion (piano).

The Talley Hos "Meet The The Talley Hos!" (Charter Records, 197-?) (LP)
I'd be willing to bet there was a lot of good-natured ribbing at various Talley family events over the years regarding this album... "Hey, let's put on that record you guys made when you were twelve years old... again!!" Well, actually, there was a wider age range than that -- this group included four brothers, Bill Talley (age 16), Don (14), Frank (12) and Audie (11), along with gal singer Lori Norris, who sings lead on four tracks. They cut this album under the auspices of the folks at Ripcord Studios in Vancouver, Washington, which used its Charter imprint for custom-label recordings that were even more "private" than the ones that came out on Ripcord itself... It's possible that owner Gene Breeden or some of his studio players backed the kids on this album, though they may have played all the instruments themselves -- alas, the liner notes don't include musician credits. The Talley Hos were a family band that had previously released a single, "Down Fall Of Me"/"Country Sunshine," though sadly neither song was included on this covers-heavy set. And, if the truth be told, this isn't really a record you need to run out and find in a hurry -- the musicianship is fine, but the vocals are iffy: they really do just sound like a bunch of kids. Still, it's a nice snapshot of some regular folks, in this case teens and pre-teens, putting themselves out there and making a record filled with music they enjoyed. Just for fun. And, yes, the kitsch-loving irony patrollers among you may get a genuine kick out of hearing Norris crooning away on "Let Me Be There" and "Me And Bobby McGee," or Bill Talley tackling Johnny Paycheck's "Don't Take Her (She's All I Got)." Go on, enjoy yourselves -- I'm sure the Talley kids have been taking it on the chin for years!

Bob Taylor & The Pioneers "Break My Mind" (Fathom Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Kearney Barton)
A country singer from Oak Harbor, Washington (just north of Seattle), Bob Taylor's band included local musicians such as Rey Brown (bass), Dave Darragh (piano), Andy Stevens (guitar) and Lanny West on drums. They stuck more or less to contemporary material, covering songs such as "Break My Mind," Joe South's "Games People Play," a couple of Waylon Jennings song, some Merle Haggard and the like. There are also a couple of original tunes penned by Taylor and Stevens, "I'd Take You Back Again" and "Losin' You's A Thing I Can't Forget," which were released together as a single. Apparently the Pioneers also released an earlier album on the Fathom label, By Request, though this was under the band name, without Taylor as the spotlight artist.

Gary Tonkin "Presenting The Modern Country Sounds Of Gary Tonkin" (Music City Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Shockley)
Originally from Seattle, Washington, singer Gary Tonkin performed extensively while stationed abroad in the Air Force during the early 1960s, and formed his own band when he got back stateside. Tonkin played in a band called the Bitter Creek Canyon Band while living in Flagstaff, Arizona... This album was recorded in Nashville with a band that included Gary Tonkin on rhythm guitar, Frank Bernard (lead guitar), Glen Decker (bass) and Gary Toothaker (drums). The album is mostly cover tunes, along with a few originals such as Gary Tonkin's "Hey You" and Frank Bernard's "Big Fool Of The Year" and "Early Morning Sadness." Tonkin was a fairly schmaltzy performer, in sort of a Glen Campbell-ish mode, although he covers some more robust material -- songs by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. He also covers Rod Hart's "Arizona Morning," a nod towards his days in the desert.

The Top Hands "Visit Anderson Island" (Shiloh Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Dave Dixon)
The house band at the Casino Club in Everett, Washington, the Top Hands played regionally in Washington and Oregon and had been together for three years at the time they made this album. Recorded at the fabled Ripcord studios, this disc is noteworthy for its wealth of original material: all the songs were co-written by bassist Paul Stoffel and an old-timer named Johnny Grange who was pals with (but didn't perform in) the band. The lead vocals were split between Stoffel, drummer Jack Martin and lead guitar Frank Hurley. (I'm not 100% sure yet, but I believe this is the same Frank Hurley who later recorded his own album, I Like Honky Tonks, in 1980...) Anyway, none of them were great singers, and the band was also kind of bar-band average, but they were dedicated and totally into it, so that counts for something. Also, even though all the guys came from other places -- Colorado, Florida, Montana and Tennessee -- there are several Pacific Northwest regional-pride songs, including "I'm In Seattle, Baby" (which constantly references Fresno, California) and "Anderson Island," which literally sings the praises of the southernmost large island in the SeaTac waterways. Not a great record, but charmingly local, for sure.

The Trio From REACH "Memory Lane" (Voyager Recordings, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Phil Williams & Vivian Williams)
An odd little album made by three Seattle-area musicians who played golden oldies at retirement homes and hospitals in the Seatac area... Bassist Stan Cole, guitarist and banjo picker Stan Guernsey and pianist Thelma McKibben volunteered as part of a program sponsored by the REACH nonprofit, which was founded in 1971. They were joined on this album by fiddler Barbara Lamb, who made a mark for herself as a bluegrasser, as well as a couple of other local musicians. The repertoire spans Dixieland and western swing, as well as cowboy tunes and a dapple of Antebellum oldies. It's not an earthshaking record, by any means, but it certainly has its charms.

Tukanon "Tukanon" (Cross Road Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Speer)
A country-rock band from Seattle, Washington with kind of a slick, early-'80s look... Maybe a little more on the "rocker" side of things...

The Twangbabies "Winnebago Weekend" (Velvetone Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Chris Bruya & Peter Karl)
A good-natured group from Ellensburg, Washington doing kind of an Austin Lounge Lizards kinda thing, playing country parody songs such as "You Show Me Where And I'll Show You How," "Daylight Cheatin' Time" and "She Tells Me It's Something In My Background, But I Think That It's Something In My Genes." The most twang in the band comes from picker Tom Bourne, who plays banjo and mandolin, while the rest of the band plays less rural instruments -- keyboards and whatnot -- but no fiddles or steel guitar.

The Twilighters "Country Our Way" (Vanco Records, 196--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Gibson & Rick Keefer)
Currently a mystery record... This seems to be a frat/rock band from the Pacific Northwest, "going country" just for fun on one album. The album was recorded at Gibson Studios in Vancouver, Washington and features liner notes by Larry Huston, who says he was in the band when it formed nine years earlier... whenever that was! The songs are all cover tunes, country oldies and other hits. As always, any information is welcome!

The Vogt Family "Footprints Of Jesus/All Aboard" (Praise Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Vogt Family "Back Home" (Praise Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Irene Carter)
A family band from Pomeroy, Washington with Bud and Ruth Vogt joined by their three children, Bill, Jan and Jon. Jon plays piano and several non-family locals backing them, including lead guitar by George Palmer, some steel guitar from Lee Knight, and Ken Fuller playing the Hammond Organ. The Vogts were not professional musicians -- from the looks of the cartoony cover art, they were an actual farming family -- but they did play some infrequent shows around Spokane and Seattle, playing mainly gospel music.

The Whiskey River Crusade "Introducing..." (Portland Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ellis Miller)
I was a little disappointed this wasn't a gospel record (with a name like that...) but it's always fun to find another album made in the orbit of Ripcord Records. The singers were Dave Dixon, Rod Ham and Don Spivey, taking turns singing lead vocals, with Ham being described in the liner notes as their leader. Dixon worked as a studio musicians and engineer for Ripcord Studios, and the rest of the guys on this album were Ripcord regulars -- guitarist/steel player Gene Breeden, Ellis Miller, pianist Gene Keyes, and Don Turner on lead guitar. The repertoire on this album is all cover songs, with country stuff by The Eagles, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings and various oldies augmented by rock tunes by The Beatles and Little Richard, with probably the most obscure song on here being Will Miller and Jimmy Snyder's "Take Her Flowers," which was originally demo-ed by Snyder around 1970. I'm not sure if the Crusade was a real band or not, though some version of this group backed a guy named Ray Yeager (who probably wasn't the same guy who played drums the Atlanta Rhythm Session) on an ultra-indie PNW single, and they may have done some locals gigs in the early 'Seventies. There's no release date, but their cover of "Tequila Sunrise" means this came out sometime around or after 1973.

Billy Wyatt "On Dreams Alone" (Manaoa Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by James B. Shaw & Benny Kennerson)
Dunno the story on this fellow, though I was drawn to this album for several reasons... First off, I noticed he covered a couple of songs from cult fave Harlan Sanders, and secondly Mr. Wyatt recorded part of this album at the Buck Owens Studios in Bakersfield (which is often a good sign) with the rest of the record cut in Nashville. Lastly, Doyle Grisham is on board as a picker and arranger, and he can be an omen of good things to come. Billy Wyatt appears to have been from the Pacific Northwest, providing an address in Wapato, Washington, and he cut several singles as well as this album; he may be the same Billy Wyatt who released a CD in 1999 called When A Cowboy Dreams At Night, though that's not 100% for sure. This seems to have been kind of a songwriter's demo set: in addition to the Ray Sanders tunes, there are two songs penned by Carl Gardner, and four co-written by producer James B. Shaw along with other aspiring songwriters.

Various Artists "COLLECTOR'S ITEM: SONGS FROM THE TAVERNS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST" (Last Minute Record Company, 1975) (LP)
Although this isn't all strictly "country" stuff, there is plenty of twang in here, including a bit of '70s-style rockabilly retro. Includes artists from Portland, Seattle and Vancouver BC, such as the Cement City Cowboys, Rose & the Dirt Boys, Lance Romance and the Holy Modal Rounders-affiliated avant-nutkiks, Les Clamtones. Sounds pretty groovy!

Various Artists "TENINO OLD-TIME MUSIC FESTIVAL" (Voyager Records, 1973) (LP)
A selection of concert performances by various fiddlers, guitarists, banjo plunkers and whatnot, selected from the first few years of the Tenino Old-Time Music Festival, an event started in Washington state by the local Tenino Lion's Club. This appears to be the first album devoted to the festival, with performances from three previous years -- 1970, '71 and '72 -- mostly by regional artists in Washington and surrounding states. The artists are all "regular folks," though a few also recorded albums of their own, including Joe Pancerzewski, Loyd Wanzer and Bill Yohey, and many were active in championship fiddling and other musical contests throughout the 1960s, 'Seventies and 'Eighties. (Personally I'm most curious about The Harmonicops, a trio of police officers -- Centralia, Washington police chief Kenny Payne and officers John Ritchey and Joe Hatfield -- who played together for about fifteen years and who participated in several years of Tenino festivals, though they never made an album of their own...) There were even some barbershop vocal quartets that took part, so clearly this was hardly strictly an "old time" stringband event... According to the liner notes on a later album, the festival was originally conceived as an antidote to the rock'n'roll scene, and in particular it was a direct response to an earlier hippie-rock event, the massive 1969 "Sky River Rock Festival And Lighter Than Air Fair Part II," a Woodstock-style three-day blowout which was held on an old cattle ranch north of Tenino, with over forty thousand people attending to see headliners such as Country Joe & The Fish, The Steve Miller Band, and the like. A bunch of the local folk freaked out about the event and filed unsuccessful lawsuits to stop it from happening. Even if the chaos many feared never quite materialized, a lot of people did seem to have maybe just a little too much fun, but the sky did not fall... The following year, however, local fiddler Neil Johnston organized the first Tenino Old-Time Music Festival, and the even ran annually for several decades, at least up until 2019, with old battle lines softening and plenty of longhairs coming to the old-timey shows as well...

Various Artists "TENINO OLD-TIME MUSIC FESTIVAL: 1973-1974" (Voyager Records, 1975)

Various Artists "TENINO OLD-TIME MUSIC FESTIVAL: 1975/1976/1977" (Voyager Records, 1977) (LP)

Various Artists "TENINO OLD-TIME MUSIC SHOW: MEMORIAL ALBUM #4" (Old Timer Music, 1982)

Hick Music Index