Bill Anderson -- see artist discography

Liz Anderson -- see artist discography

Matraca Berg -- see artist profile

Gary Burr "Matters Of The Heart" (Lifesong Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Tim Geelan & Lee Yates)
Originally from Connecticut, singer Gary Burr joined the Top 40 country-rock band Pure Prairie League in the early '80s, taking over for Vince Gill, when Gill started his Nashville career. Burr also made it big in Nashville, becoming a very successful songwriter, with dozens of songs recorded by numerous artists... Before it all, though, came this poppy late '70s album, recorded in New York, before his hitmaking days.

Shawn Camp -- see artist discography

Henson Cargill -- see artist discography

Jenny Lou Carson "The Chin-Up Girl" (BACM, 2007)
One of the most successful songwriters of the WWII era hillbilly scene, Jenny Lou Carson (nee Virginia Lucille Overstake) was also one of the first female country stars. Carson started out in a family trio with two of her sisters, billed as the Overstake Sisters, and as "The Little Country Girls"; she also recorded under the pseudonym of Lucile Lee, and finally as Jenny Lou Carson, the name where she found her greatest fame. Carson wrote numerous hits, including "You Two-Timed Me Once Too Often," "Let Me Go, Lover," and "Don't Rob Another Man's Castle." This disc gathers her recordings as a solo performer, mostly with sentimental songs like "I L-O-V-E You" and "I Feel Like Crying Over You," but also with spicier novelty songs such as "I Married A Mouse Of A Man..." Rare recordings from an artist best remembered as a composer... Nice nostalgic material!

Wayne Carson "Life Lines" (Monument Records, 1972) (LP)

Buzz Cason "Hats Off To Hank" (Palo Duro Records, 2007)
(Produced by Buzz Cason & Parker Cason)
A rambling, discursive, roots-rock set from craggy-voiced veteran songwriter Buzz Cason, a Nashville old-timer who formed one of Music City's first rock bands, back in the 1950s and has been plugging away ever since. This album echoes the weather-worn, stream-of-consciousness style of JJ Cale or maybe even someone more crotchety, like Jim Dickinson, with a dose of geezerly discontent and anger fueling some of the songs. These aren't pop songs, or even conventional-sounding country or blues -- they ramble and detour all over the map, and I'll be danged if I can really tell you what half of them are about. Personally, I'd go for a little pruning down and editorial control, but folks who like weird, swampy, unusual stuff might get a kick out of this... File it along with Swamp Dogg, Hasil Adkins, Chip Taylor and Guy Clark. Not bad company, depending on your taste!

Bill Caswell "Love Lost And Found" (Flying High Records, 1980)

Guy Clark - see artist discography

Jack Clement - see artist discography

Hank Cochran - see artist discography

Tommy Collins - see artist discography

Paul Craft -- see artist discography

Howard Crockett "Out Of Bounds: The Johnny Horton Connection" (Bear Family Records, 2007)
Songwriter Howard Hausey is best known as the guy who gave Johnny Horton some of his biggest hits -- "I'm A Honky-Tonk Man," "Ole Slew Foot," "Whispering Pines," and several others. He took the stage name Howard Crockett and tried to make it himself as performer, but his legacy is mostly one of obscure singles and a few "soundalike" recordings (when an otherwise anonymous singer tries to cash in on the success of a more famous artist by copping their sound; Hausey specialized in Johnny Cash-ish numbers...) Naturally, he's got a cult following in Europe, and they've finally given their hero his due, with this generously-programmed set of demos, one-offs and oddities. There's lots of material here in the cornball "historical" and folk-country vein that was popular during the Kennedy era, and some catchy honky-tonk as well. I wouldn't say Hausey was a great singer, but on some of the straight-ahead country tunes he does sound pretty rugged and nice. This is a fairly ephemeral release, mainly of interest because of the Johnny Horton connection, but for folks who groove on the obscure, it certainly has its charms. As with all Bear Family releases, it's got the best sound quality and copious archival documentation.... Certainly worth checking out.

Rodney Crowell -- see artist profile

Melvin Endsley "I Like Your Kind Of Love" (Bear Family Records, 1992)
Endsley wrote the super-bouncy singalong classic "Singin' The Blues," a big 1950s hit for both Marty Robbins and Guy Mitchell. Sadly, his own version of his signature tune isn't included on this disc, though plenty of similar recordings are. Following the success of "Singin' The Blues," Endsley had an all-too-brief whirl on Nashville's wheel of fame, but after a wild couple of years, interest in his songs completely evaporated. These demo-y tracks on this album aren't the best country records ever, but they are charming, and some are quite good. Endsley wasn't really much of a performer, and as a composer was perhaps a bit formulaic, but it's always nice to hear songwriters cover their own material.

Danny Flowers - see artist discography

Dallas Frazier - see artist discography

Nanci Griffith - see artist discography

Tom T. Hall - see artist discography

John Hartford - see artist discography

John Hiatt - see artist discography

Larry Henley "We Gotta Start Lovin' " (Viking Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Lee Hazen & Ernie Winfrey)
A rare solo set by Nashville songwriter Larry Henley (1937-2014) a guy with a wildly successful career in both the pop and country markets. A Lone Star native, Henley was the son of hillbilly country singer Helen Timms, who sang on border radio stations near their hometown of Odessa, Texas. In his teens he got into rock and rockabilly and hit the road to become a big rock star. That first go-round left him broke and discouraged, but a move to Nashville in the early 'Sixties where he landed in the orbit of Music City power broker Wesley Rose and his Hickory Records label; still working in a pop-rock mode, Henley formed a band called the Newbeats, whose 1964 debut was sizeable hit. Henley recorded and toured both solo and with the Newbeats, though gradually inched more solidly into the country music camp, forming a publishing company/label of his own with his business partner Johnny Sharp. They both plugged away in the '70s and '80s, with Henley scoring perhaps the biggest hit, "Wind Beneath My Wings," which became a pop and country standard, recorded by Bette Midler, Gary Morris and many others. He's still working in a pop-oriented mode here, but Nashville fans will want this on their radar as well.

Larry Henley "Piece A Cake" (Capricorn Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Slate & Neil Wilburn)
Somewhat strained 'Seventies soft rock/AOR, with backing by a lot of studio heavyweights, including some Nashville country pickers, and the third-tier Capricorn soft-rock band Fallenrock, who were a Henley-Slate project. Not for the faint of heart.

Harlan Howard -- see artist profile

Dave Kirby "Singer, Picker, Writer" (Dot Records, 1973) (LP)
The lone solo album by the late Dave Kirby (1939-2004), who was one of Nashville's most sought-after session guitarists in the 1960s and '70s, and had written several extraordinarily successful songs as well. It turns out he wasn't half bad at singing a tune, either. Oh, sure, he had the same sort of rough-edged dorkiness as, say, Roger Miller or Harlan Howard, but he wore it well, and a whole lot of personality comes through on these sessions, which were produced by Pete Drake. This album starts off with a folkie rendition of one of his best-known songs, "Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone," and slides into other songs from his repertoire, more off the beaten track, but no less engaging. Many of Kirby's songs are more like rough outlines, deft, evocative phrases lined up with catchy choruses -- like many songwriters of his era, he mined his own particular turf, mainly songs about drifters who were nostalgic for the comforts of their backwoods Southern homes. The sentiments of "San Antone" are repeated in "Streets Of Chicago" and "Alabama Sundown," while other songs like "I Wish I Didn't Have To Miss You" take a more interpersonal tack. Kirby didn't score any chart hits off this album, but for fans of 'Seventies country, this one's a gem.

Dave Kirby "I Got Here As Fast As I Could" (Self-Released, 2006)

Dave Kirby "Is Anybody Going To San Antone?" (Heart Of Texas Records, 2008)

Kostas "XS In Moderation" (Liberty Records, 1994)
(Produced by Val Garay & Kostas)
Although he was born in Greece, songwriter Kostas Lazarides certainly made a name for himself in American popular music. Starting with the 1989 Patty Loveless #1, "Timber, I'm Falling In Love," he cut a wide swath through the Nashville music machine, penning numerous Top 10 hits, and bazillions of songs on albums by artists such as Wynonna Judd, Brooks and Dunn, Tracy Byrd, The Dixie Chicks, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, The Mavericks, Jo Dee Messina, George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, and others. This is his sole album as a performer, recorded at the peak of his fame, with backing vocals from Patty Loveless, the artist whose career probably most benefited from his work. This is his lone solo album, and though it didn't make a dent in the charts, it's a true testament to his power as a songsmith... and, surprisingly, as a relatively rootsy performer, putting a catchy country backbeat on tunes like "She's So Lonely" and "Blame It On Your Heart." He did have kind of a thin voice, which is why I suppose he didn't really go for a recording career-- but actually, after a few tunes, I found myself really enjoying the way he sounds. It's interesting to hear his versions of songs that other artists recorded... Too bad he didn't include more of the big hits, but this is still a swell showcase for his work. A nice album, definitely worth checking out!

Kostas "Paradise Valley" (Recording Edge Records, 2006)

Kostas "That's My Ocean" (Recording Edge Records, 2006)

Kostas "Kostas Songs" (Recording Edge Records, 2009)

Kris Kristofferson -- see artist discography

Jerry Max Lane -- see artist discography

Red Lane "The World Needs A Melody" (RCA Vctor, 1971)
(Produced by Ronny Light)
An interesting -- and unusual -- item from the countrypolitan/sunshine country days. I think this was the only album from songwriter Red Lane, who was best known for penning Merle Haggard's hit, "My Own Kind of Hat" and "Miss Emily's Picture" for John Conlee. Those hits were a long way off from this early album, though: he had more modest hits in the late '60s with folks like Waylon Jennings and Dottie West. This disc is kind fun, though, and has a distinctive sound, with an almost folk-scene acoustic feel that probably sounded pretty close to the demos he cut for his own songs (although the tracks have various levels of arrangements and added instruments). Lane's delivery sounds like a mix of early Merle Haggard and old Jerry Reed, not too robust or too gimmicky in either direction, but you can hear the similarities. All the songs are Lane's original work, including a collaboration with Wayne Kemp and two songs co-written with Hank Cochran. It's all pretty good, and surprisingly low-key and un-flowery for the era; the only bum note comes on the novelty song, "The Courtroom," which is a creepy, sexist song about a woman who falsely accuses a preacher of raping her, but the case gets thrown out when it is disclosed that the good Reverend "got so shot up back during the war/that he couldn't even take him a wife," and the naughty girl is duly reprimanded. But I guess that's just a product of its time... Not a song to remember, but not one to worry much about, either. Overall, this is a nice record, and a good document of an artist not well-remembered these days. One footnote: Lane toured and recorded with Haggard in the early '80s, and continued to write hits well into the decade.

Jim Lauderdale - see artist discography

John D. Loudermilk -- see artist discography

A. J. Masters "Back Home" (Bermuda Dunes Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Hinds, Billy Sanford & A. J. Masters)
A commercially successful Top Forty songwriter, Californian Arthur John Masaracchia (1950-2015) had modest success as a performer, landing a handful of singles into the back forty, including several from this album. Over the decades, many of his songs were recorded by Nashville stars, including Jennifer Hanson's "Half A Heart Tattoo." The studio musicians here included Lloyd Green, Mark O'Connor, Billy Sanford, Bobby Thompson and Glenn Worf -- as far as I know, this was Masters' only album, although he released a bunch of singles, also on the Bermuda Dunes label.

Bob McDill - see artist discography

Eddie Miller "Eddie Miller's Songwriting Secrets" (Hall Of Famer Records, 19--?) (LP)
A posthumously released album, where Eddie Miller -- composer of "Release Me" and "Thanks A Lot" -- shares some of his songwriting tips.

Roger Miller - see artist discography

Melba Montgomery - see artist discography

Willie Nelson - see artist discography

Mickey Newbury -- see artist profile

Paul Overstreet - see artist discography

Buck Owens - see artist discography

Dolly Parton - see artist discography

Leon Payne -- see artist discography

John Prine - see artist discography

Curly Putman "The Lonesome Country Of Curly Putman" (ABC Records, 1967) (LP)

Curly Putman "Curly Putman's World Of Country Music" (ABC Records, 1969)
(Produced by Paul Cohen)

Curly Putman "The Lonesome Country Of Curly Putman/Curly Putman's World Of Country Music" (Omni Recordings, 2013)
A re-release of two albums that Nashville songwriter Curley Putman recorded for the ABC label, 1967's The Lonesome Country Of Curly Putman and Curly Putman's World Of Country Music, from 1969. Putman is best known for composing "The Green, Green Grass Of Home," a big hit for Porter Wagoner in 1965 that went on to become a country standard. He also co-wrote classics such as Tammy Wynette's ""D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today," possibly the weepiest George Jones song ever. Like a lot of songwriters, Putman enjoyed only marginal success as a performer -- he had a couple of singles from his first album that almost cracked the Top 40, but not quite. Nothing charted off of the sleepily-arranged second album, but that was okay -- the hits kept coming anyway, and Putman's name pops up all over the place on many excellent '70s albums. Here's a chance to hear him singing his own stuff... if only they'd been able to add a few of his stray, non-album singles as well!

Curly Putman "Write 'Em Sad: Sing 'Em Lonesome" (2010)

Lawrence Reynolds - see artist profile

John Riggs "Bluejeans & Country Ways" (JRM Records) (LP)
Cool souvenir album from Nashville-based songwriter John Riggs... Although he wasn't a smash hitmaker, Riggs had an impressive track record at selling his songs to many bona fide Nashville stars, and placed several in the Top Ten. This album features his own versions of songs that were recorded by folks such as Dave Dudley, Stonewall Jackson, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Marty Robbins, Hank Snow, Mel Street, Conway Twitty and Don Williams. Unfortunately, the liner notes don't give much insight into where or when this record was made, but if you're a fan of songwriters performing their own material, you might want to track this one down.

Schuyler, Knobloch & Overstreet "SKO" (MTM Records, 1986)
The trio of Thom Schuyler, J. Fred Knobloch and Paul Overstreet, three successful songwriters, combined in a would-be supergroup. After recording this album, Overstreet went on to a very successful solo career...

Schuyler, Knobloch & Bickhardt "No Easy Horses" (MTM Records, 1987)
(Produced by James Stroud)
A fairly horrific pop-country outing by an odd sort of modern country supergroup... As individuals, the trio of Thom Schuyler, J. Fred Knobloch and Craig Bickhardt each had successful careers as top Nashville songwriters... Teamed together, they managed to not exactly integrate their hitmaking skills and savvy as merely overlay them atop one another: this disc is so heavily overproduced and glossy, so packed with hooks, hooks, hooks and hackneyed themes that you could almost believe that each man was assigned to make their own musical tracks for the various songs, and producer James Stroud just played each tape at the same time. There's never a quiet moment, or a particularly reflective feel to the entire album. It just feels so contrived and manipulative, so factory-made and so removed from anything gritty or emotionally direct, it's hard to get into. Nonetheless, that didn't stop them from scoring a few modest hits with this disc, most notably "Givers And Takers," which cracked the Top Ten. Also of note is "American Steel," a patriotic song that laments the decline of American industrial power.

Thom Schuyler "Brave Heart" (1983) (LP)

Thom Schuyler & Craig Bickhardt "Precious Child" (Warner Brothers, 1993)
A dramatic, gospel-themed nativity album recorded with Schuyler's former SKB bandmate, Craig Bickhardt...

Thom Schuyler "Prayer Of A Desperate Man" (2008)

Whitey Shafer - see artist discography

Shel Silverstein -- see artist profile

Hal Southern "You Got A Man On Your Hands" (Sand Records, 1965) (LP)
Hillbilly songwriter/sideman Hal Southern (aka Hal Clark) struck gold in the 1940s when he penned the novelty classic "I Dreamed Of A Hillbilly Heaven," which became a huge hit for Eddie Dean, Tex Ritter and others... Southern moved to Los Angeles in the early 'Fifties and was part of the whole West Coast country scene. He also got bit parts in some TV shows (mostly westerns) and cheapo "hillbilly" movies...

Hal Southern "Mr. Hillbilly Heaven" (El Dorado Records, 1971) (LP)

Chip Taylor - see artist discography

Mack Vickery "Live At The Alabama Women's Prison" (Bear Family Records, 1970/2008)
A gender-flipped send-up of the fabled Johnny Cash prison concert albums: the cover art shows Vickery striding in front of a cell full of love-starved female convicts. Pretty goofy, but there is some great music on here. Mack Vickery was a successful songwriter with a background in the same Sun Records scene that brought fame to Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, and went on to pen hits for '70s outlaws and '80s neo-trads alike. Vickery wasn't much of an album artist, though he did also release a string of singles, some of which charted, though obviously most of his success came through the versions cut by his better-known buddies.

Mack Vickery "Greatest Hits, Volume One" (Bear Family Records, 1970/2008)
Wondering which hits Mack Vickery wrote? This disc includes a few that might turn your head: "I'm The Only Hell My Momma Ever Raised," which was a big one for Tanya Tucker, the Jerry Lee Lewis anthem, "Rockin' My Life Away" (and his more notorious, less radio-friendly "Meat Man") and "Cedar Town Georgia," a murder ballad Vickery co-wrote with Sammi Smith which was a minor hit for Waylon Jennings. There are also songs like "Brass Buckles" and "A Cardboard Pillow," as well as "Honky Tonk Wine," which was one of Mickey Gilley's best songs of the '70s. Vickery may have only had middling success as a chart artist, but as a songwriter, he really kicked some butt.

Cindy Walker - see artist discography

Billy Edd Wheeler -- see artist profile

Marijohn Wilkin - Marijohn Wilkinsee artist profile

Hank Williams - see artist profile

Lucinda Williams - see artist discography

Jimmy Work "Making Believe" (Bear Family Records, 1993)
Like many Southerners, songwriter Jimmy Work headed up to Detroit looking for work during the Second World War, and was lucky enough to land a gig singing on a local radio station. A prolific composer, Work made his mark both as a hillbilly singer and as a songsmith, eventually racking up a couple of Top Ten hits and penning several songs that became some of the biggest hits of a generation. His biggest success was "Making Believe," which was recorded by Kitty Wells at the height of her fame (and revived by Emmylou Harris in the 1970s); he also wrote "That's What Makes The Jukebox Play" (a hit for himself, and later for Jimmie Skinner) and "Tennessee Border," which was recorded by several top stars in the early '50s. This 2-CD set, which reprises two LPs that came out in the '80s, gathers nearly fifty of his recordings from 1945-59, nearly all of them songs written by Work himself. Compared to the rollicking honkytonk and hillbilly boogie artists of the time, Work's style is smooth and subdued, but it's undeniably real hillbilly music (not countrypolitan) and the softer approach fits his modest vocal talents. If you're on the right wavelength, this is pretty sweet stuff, and a rare chance to hear the entire career of a country craftsman, pretty much from start to finish. Recommended!

Hick Music Index