Category Archives: Fifties Country

Cheatin’ Country Tales

There are a handful of common story threads that run through classic country songs. I’m not talking about trucks, beer the ‘merica that seems to have overwhelmed modern so-called country with autotune and synth pop. The heartbreak of cheating situations that were among the most common storylines in the Golden Age of country at a time when family unity was of paramount importance. It was country music’s frank portrayal of infidelity that offered a counterpoint which was both relatable and controversial. Cheating songs became a central theme, reflecting the complexities and emotional intensity of love, betrayal, and heartbreak. Dave will share as many as will fit in two hours in this week’s episode with early tearjerkers from Kitty Wells, The Louvin Brothers, Billy Walker, Bonnie Owens and George Jones. There will also be the very best of the classics from Charley Pride, Dolly Parton, and Loretta Lynn to take us into the 70s and beyond. . .

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Hank Williams Your Cheatin' Heart 24 Greatest Amazon
3Patsy Cline Your Cheatin' Heart 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection – Classic Patsy Cline Amazon
4Charlie Walker Cheaters Never Win 1952-1958 (Warped 5230) Amazon
5Billy Walker One Heart's Beatin' One Heart's Cheatin' 1949-1952 (Warped 4960) Amazon
6Hank Thompson I Find You Cheatin' on Me 1946-1949 (Warped 4660) Amazon
7Lee Elliott Cheaters Never Win Country & Western Nuggets Amazon
8Jerry Lee Lewis She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye The Definitive Collection Amazon
9Sanford Clark A Cheat Chills & Fever: The Dot Records Story 1955-1962 Amazon
10The Rockin' Saints Cheat On Me Baby That'll Flat Git It, Vol. 6 (Us Decca, Vol. 2) Amazon
11Bonnie Owens How Can Our Cheatin' Be Wrong 1968-1971 (Warped 6947) Amazon
12The Louvin Brothers While You're Cheating On Me Close Harmony [Disc 4] Amazon
13Kitty Wells Cheated Out of Love Lonely Street/Dust On the Bible Amazon
14Kitty Wells Cheatin's a Sin The Complete Country Hits Amazon
15George Jones The Window Up Above George Jones The Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection Amazon
16Loretta Lynn You Ain't Woman Enough Loretta Lynn Legendery Country Singer Amazon
17Billie Jo Spears The Cheating Kind Country Greats #2 Amazon
18Crystal Gayle Talking In Your Sleep Superstars Of Country: Easy Loving [Disc 1] Amazon
19Dolly Parton Jolene Dolly [Disc 3] Amazon
20Charley Pride Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger Golden Age of Country Volume 4: Honky-Tonk Man [Disc 1] Amazon
21Gary Stewart She's Acting Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles) Superstars Of Country: Good Ol Songs [Disc 2] Amazon
22Del McCoury Cheater's in the Soup 1975-1976 (Warped 7553F) Amazon
23Ricky Skaggs Don't Cheat In Our Hometown [Album Version] Country Gentleman: The Best Of Ricky Skaggs Amazon
24T.G. Sheppard Last Cheater's Waltz Contemporary Country: The Late '70s Pure Gold Amazon
25Moe Brandy I Cheated Me Right Out Of You Contemporary Country: The Late 70's – Hot Hits Amazon
26Moe Bandy It's A Cheating Situation The Late '70s Amazon
27John Prine With Dolores Keane It's A Cheating Situation In Spite Of Ourselves Amazon
28John Anderson She Just Started Liking Cheatin' Songs Anthology Amazon
29Dale Watson Cheatin' Heart Attack Cheatin' Heart Attack Amazon
30Mickey Gilley My Baby's Cheatin' On Me Boppin' By The Bayou – Made In The Shade Amazon
31Dwight Yoakam King of Fools Reprise Please Baby: The Warner Bros. Years Disc 2 Amazon
32Porter Wagoner The Cold Hard Facts of Life The Essential Porter Wagoner Amazon
33Emmylou Harris The Last Cheaters Waltz Songbird: Rare Tracks & Forgotten Gems Disc 1 Amazon
34Kenny Rogers Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town 20 Great Years Amazon
35Kitty Wells Hey Joe Cheatin's a Sin Amazon

Also Rans 1956

The charts for the year 1956 were overtaken by Elvis. No question. There were a few others that illuminated the jukebox namely Fats Domino, Webb Pierce, Little Richard, and The Platters. Rock ‘n roll’s impact swept the floor with most burying some fairly incredible performances in it’s wake. Call it an avalanche. Call it a mudslide. Call it what you like. As I began to assemble a show looking at the top of the charts for the year, I found that starting at the bottom and working my way up was a revelation. Whether it was country, rhythm & blues, rock ‘n roll or pop…there were some delicious also-rans that I could not ignore so chose to ignore the Top 30 and focused today’s show on the so-called losers below the waterline of the Top 40. And what a joy it was! We’ll hear from some of them including Big Joe Turner, The Dells, LaVern Baker, Clyde McPhatter, Carl Smith and Kitty Wells in today’s show. I hope you’ll find some time, morning, noon or night, to listen in.

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2The Ernie Freeman Combo Jivin' Around, Part 1 Blowing The Fuse: 1956 Amazon
3Bo Diddley Pretty Thing Blowing The Fuse: 1956 Amazon
4Chuck Berry Too Much Monkey Business Johnny B. Goode-His Complete 50's Chess Recordings Amazon
5Big Joe Turner The Chicken and the Hawk Big Joe Rocks Amazon
6LaVern Baker I Can't Love You Enough Rock & Roll Amazon
7Clyde McPhatter Seven Days Rock & Roll Amazon
8Chuck Willis Juanita I Remember Chuck Willis / The King Of The Stroll Amazon
9Chuck Willis It's Too Late Blowing The Fuse: 1956 Amazon
10The Clovers Devil or Angel Doo Wop Box Disc 2 Amazon
11The Dells Oh What A Nite The Vee-Jay Story [Disc 1] Amazon
12The Moonglows See Saw Dancin' And Romancin' In The 50s And 60s [Disc 1] Amazon
13Little Willie John Home At Last Fever: The Best Of Little Willie John Amazon
14Ray Charles Lonely Avenue Ray Charles – 93 Essential Tracks Amazon
15Otis Williams & His Charms Ivory Tower Rhythm & Blues 1952-1959 – Music Sampler, Vol. 2 Amazon
16The Five Keys Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind Doo Wop Vocal Group Greats Amazon
17The G-Clefs Ka-Ding Dong Gems from the Columbia Vaults, Pt. 1 Amazon
18Clarence "Frogman" Henry Ain't Got No Home Chess New Orleans [Disc 2] Amazon
19Sil Austin Slow Walk Great Instrumental Hits Of The 50s-80s (10 Songs) Amazon
20Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra With Eddie Heywood Canadian Sunset Magic Moments: Best Of 50's Pop (Disc 2) Amazon
21June Carter Cash Juke Box Blues Keep on the Sunny Side: Her Life in Music Disc 1 Amazon
22Eddy Arnold You Don't Know Me Warped 5543 – Eddy Arnold – 1955 Amazon
23Webb Pierce Teenage Boogie All Hits! [Disc 2] Amazon
24Johnny Horton 093-Honky Tonk Man Columbia Records' 125th Anniv. Amazon
25The Louvin Brothers Cash On The Barrelhead Capitol Country Music Classics Amazon
26Kitty Wells The Lonely Side of Town The Complete Country Hits Amazon
27Sonny James The Cat Came Back Singles Amazon
28Marty Robbins I Can't Quit (I've Gone Too Far) The Essential Marty Robbins: 1951-1982 Amazon
29Porter Wagoner Tryin' to Forget the Blues The Essential Porter Wagoner Amazon
30Tennessee Ernie Ford That's All Masters 1949-1976 [Disc 3] Amazon
31Hank Thompson I'm Not Mad, Just Hurt Most Of All Amazon
32Sanford Clark The Fool Chills & Fever: The Dot Records Story 1955-1962 Amazon
33Choir / Faron Young / Hubert Long Turn Her Down The Complete Capitol Hits of Faron Young (1 of 2) Amazon
34Carl Smith Wicked Lies Kisses Don't Lie Amazon
35Wanda Jackson I Gotta Know Rockin' With Wanda [US Bonus Tracks] Amazon
36Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers/Jimmy Wright The ABC's of Love The Doo Wop Box, Vol. 2 Disc 2 Amazon
37The Chordettes Born To Be With You Four By Four – Girl Groups Amazon

Let’s Duet

Country duets have been a hallmark of the genre and this week we’ll spend a couple of hours sampling some old, some new, some sappy and some without peer. From Rose and Buck to George and Tammy, we’ll be spending time with some real down home pairings singing songs of loose talk, booze, suspicion, holding on to what you’ve got and a whole lot more. There’s a range of topics beyond that and most involve cheatin’, lovin’ and fightin’…just what you’d expect from the base. The pairings are not necessarily all husband and wife as we’ve got a few that go beyond that rail like Dwight and Buck, the Hanks, and Waylon and Willie. Tune in Friday morning for a countrified, if not rarified, journey with some classic country duets.

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2John Prine/Iris Dement In Spite of Ourselves In Spite of Ourselves Amazon
3John Prine With Melba Montgomery Milwaukee Here I Come In Spite Of Ourselves Amazon
4Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash Jackson Classic Country Great Duets [Disc 1] Amazon
5Johnny Cash & June Carter It Ain't Me, Babe Carryin' on With Johnny Cash & June Carter Amazon
6Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash Girl From The North Country Country Music: A Film By Ken Burns – The Soundtrack [Disc 2] Amazon
7Buck Owens & Rose Maddox Loose Talk Classic Country: Great Duets [Disc 2] Amazon
8Buck Owens Under Your Spell Again (Duet With Dwight Yoakam) Hot Dog Amazon
9Buck Owens/Dwight Yoakam Streets of Bakersfield Reprise Please Baby: The Warner Bros. Years Disc 1 Amazon
10Dwight Yoakam/Sheryl Crow Baby Don't Go Reprise Please Baby: The Warner Bros. Years Disc 2 Amazon
11Emmylou Harris & The Band Evangeline Duets Amazon
12Linda Ronstadt I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You) (w/Emmylou Harris) Duets Amazon
13Emmylou Harris & Gram Parsons Love Hurts Duets Amazon
14k.d. lang (with Roy Orbison) Crying Recollection CD 2 Amazon
15Hank Williams & Hank Williams, Jr. There's A Tear In My Beer Fifty Years Of Hits – Vol 10 Amazon
16Patsy Cline & Jim Reeves I Fall To Pieces [Album Version (Manufactured Duet)] Remembering Amazon
17Alison Krauss/Gillian Welch I'll Fly Away O Brother, Where Art Thou? Amazon
18Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Please Read The Letter Raising Sand Amazon
19Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys RCA Country Legends [Disc 2] Amazon
20Waylon Jennings & Jessi Colter Suspicious Minds Classic Country: Great Duets [Disc 2] Amazon
21George Jones & Tammy Wynette We're Gonna Hold On Classic Country: Great Duets [Disc 2] Amazon
22Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton The Last Thing On My Mind Dolly [Disc 1] Amazon
23Ashley Monroe You Ain't Dolly (And You Ain't Porter) [Duet with Blake Shelton] Like A Rose Amazon
24Ray Charles & Willie Nelson Seven Spanish Angels The Many Sides Of Willie Nelson [Cd 3 "Duets"] (1992) Amazon
25Marty Stuart This One's Gonna Hurt You (For A Long, Long Time) 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best of Marty Stuart Amazon
26George Jones/Merle Haggard Yesterday's Wine [Duet] The Essential Merle Haggard: The Epic Years Amazon
27John C. Reilly & Angela Correa Let's Duet Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Deluxe Edition] Amazon
28Dottie West Duet with Don Gibson There's A Story (Goin' Round) The Essential Dottie West Amazon
29Randy Travis Happy Trails (Duet With Roy Rogers) Heroes & Friends Amazon

Ladies of Rockabilly

Sweatin’ with the oldies…that’s all we can say. This week’s Deeper Roots focuses on both the vintage and the contemporary performances by women who took on the rockabilly mantle. While a male-dominated genre, particularly when the boys (and record companies) were chasing the next Elvis, gave us hundreds (thousands?) of gyrating hips and raw rock in the form of pounding piano, thrashing guitar and duck tails, there was barely enough room for the ladies. But we’ve made some room on this morning’s show where we’ll be featuring the likes of Wanda Jackson, Janis Martin, Laura Lee Perkins and a bevy of brash rocking women from the early days of rock ‘n roll. We’ll do our best to balance the show with late breakers of the rockabilly kind:  Kim Lenz, Linda Gail Lewis, Imelda May and Rosie Flores are some of the contemporary sounds we’ll be hearing from on this September morning. Tune in for a wild two hours…guaranteed.

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Patsy Cline Stop, Look And Listen Grady Martin Amazon
3Brenda Lee Little Jonah (Rock On Your Steel Guitar) Grady Martin Amazon
4Joyce Green Black Cadillac Wild Streak, Vol. 1 Amazon
5Mimi Roman Little Lovin' 100 Rare '50s Rockabilly Tracks Amazon
6Laura Lee Perkins I Just Don't Like This Kind Of Lovin' Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story Amazon
7Laura Lee Perkins Oh La Baby Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story Amazon
8Maddox Brothers & Rose The Death of Rock 'n' Roll Classic Rockabilly Amazon
9Janis Martin Drugstore Rock 'n' Roll Classic Rockabilly Amazon
10Janis Martin Will You Willyum Grady Martin Amazon
11Wanda Jackson There's A Party Goin' On Queen Of Rockabilly Amazon
12Wanda Jackson Let's Have A Party Queen Of Rockabilly Amazon
13The Collins Kids Party 100 Rare '50s Rockabilly Tracks Amazon
14The Collins Kids I'm In My Teens 100 Rare '50s Rockabilly Tracks Amazon
15Ann Jones Hi-ballin' Daddy Hillbilly Bop 'n' Boogie: King/Federal Roots of Rockabilly 1944 – 56 Amazon
16Barbara Pittman Sentimental Fool The Best of Sun Rockabilly, Vol. 2 Amazon
17Sparkle Moore Rock-a-Bop Classic Rockabilly Amazon
18Jean Chapel I Won't Be Rockin' Tonight Classic Rockabilly Amazon
19Charline Arthur Hello Baby Big "D" Jamboree, Gals Of The Amazon
20Charline Arthur Burn That Candle Welcome To The Club Amazon
21Robert Gordon Hot Dog! That Made Her Mad (feat. Rosie Flores) Rockabilly for Life Amazon
22Rosie Flores & The Talismen I've Got A Right To Cry So Sad Amazon
23Kim Lenz & the Jaguars Howl at the Moon The One and Only Amazon
24Kim Lenz Bury Me Deep Slowly Speeding Amazon
25Kim Lenz & the Jaguars Rock & Roll Guitar The One and Only Amazon
26Ronnie Wood with his Wild Five Rock 'n' Roll Music (featuring Imelda May) Mad Lad: A Live Tribute to Chuck Berry Amazon
27Imelda May Big Bad Handsome Man Love Tattoo Amazon
28Samantha Fish It's Your Voodoo Working Chills & Fever Amazon
29Linda Gail Lewis, Slim Jim Phantom & Danny B. Harvey Diggin' My Way out of Hell Diggin' My Way Out Of Hell – Single Amazon
30Linda Gail Lewis Rocking My Life Away Hard Rocking Woman Amazon
31Robbie Fulks & Linda Gail Lewis Boogie Woogie Country Gal Wild! Wild! Wild! Amazon
32Van Morrison & Linda Gail Lewis Let's Talk About Us You Win Again Amazon
33Tammy Lynn & Myles High Good Rockin' Tonight Turn My Music On Amazon
34Tammy Lynn & Myles High Sweet As My Baby Turn My Music On Amazon
35Wanda Jackson Mean Mean Man Rocket In My Pocket Amazon
36Wanda Jackson Long Tall Sally Queen Of Rockabilly Amazon
37Wanda Jackson Two Shots (feat. Elle King and Joan Jett) Encore Amazon
38Janis Martin My Boy Elvis Loud, Fast & Out of Control: The Wild Sounds of the '50s [Box] Disc 1 Amazon

Two Glasses Joe

We’re heading on over to the Alibi Room, or Red’s Recovery Room, or whatever your local watering hole might be named and we’ll be doing so with the idea that the hair of the dog is what’s in order this Friday morning, recalling if we can the previous night’s bar hop celebrating country music’s favorite songs of cigareets, whiskey and wild wild women. Songs about whiskey and the glasses on the bar where stories and faces go from long to bright as the jukebox fires up. We’ll hear some classic songs from Webb Pierce, George Jones, Roger Miller and Merle Haggard alongside some contemporary sounds from the late Bill Staines, Chris Stapleton, and Dale Watson, all celebrating Johnnie Walker, Jim Beam, and Maker’s Mark…alongside a little bit of scotch and rye…neat or on the rocks. The honky tonk joints we’ll visit will likely have sawdust on the floor and a well-worn bar. Tune for the very best from the past century with your host, Dave Stroud, on KOWS Community Radio.

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Cal Smith The Lord Knows I'm Drinking 20 Hits Amazon
3Ernest Tubb Two Glasses Joe Ernest Tubb: The Definitive Collection Amazon
4[dialogue] …People Condemn Whiskey… Heartworn Highways Amazon
5Johnny Bush Whiskey River Country USA 1972 Amazon
6Dale Watson Whiskey or God Blackjack Amazon
7Merle Haggard The Bottle Let Me Down The Lonesome Fugitive: The Merle Haggard Anthology 1963-1977 [Disc 1] Amazon
8Bill Staines Rye Whiskey Joe Just Play One Tune More Amazon
9Misisipi Mike Wolf Whiskey Warm and Mellow The Cold Hard Facts of Mike Amazon
10Marty Stuart/Travis Tritt The Whiskey Ain't Workin' Compadres: An Anthology of Duets Amazon
11Willie Nelson Whiskey River Shotgun Willie Amazon
12Chris Stapleton Tennessee Whiskey Traveller Amazon
13Tex Ritter Rye Whiskey High Noon Amazon
14Merle Haggard I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink 20 Hits Amazon
15Webb Pierce There Stands The Glass 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of Webb Pierce Amazon
16Jerry Garcia & David Grisman Whiskey in the Jar Shady Grove Amazon
17Blue Mountain Little Stream Of Whiskey Roots Amazon
18Osborne Brothers Hey Hey Bartender 1963-1965 (Warped 6361) Amazon
19Dale Watson Hair Of The Dog A Collection Of Drinking Songs Amazon
20Dale Watson Wine Don't Lie A Collection Of Drinking Songs Amazon
21Roger Miller Chug A Lug 20 Hits Amazon
22Hank Thompson Scotch And Soda A Collection Of Drinking Songs Amazon
23George Jones Tennessee Whiskey Legendary Country Singers Amazon
24Hayes Carll Knockin' Over Whiskeys Trouble In Mind Amazon
25The Bootleg Honeys Little Whiskey Paint It Red Amazon
26Emmylou Harris Bottle Let Me Down Pieces Of The Sky Amazon
27Joe Ely Whiskey And Women And Money To Burn New Country January 1995 Amazon
28Red Ingle & His Natural Seven Cigareets, Whiskey and Wild Wild Women (Smoking) Bob Dylan Presents: Radio Radio, Theme Time Radio Hour, Vol. 3 Amazon
29Jerry Lee Lewis It Was The Whiskey Talkin' (Not Me) A Half Century Of Hits: Rockin' My Life Away [Disc 3] Amazon
30David Luning Whiskey Bottle Just Drop On By Amazon
31Hank Williams Jr. Whiskey Bent And Hell Bound Contemporary Country: The Late '70s Pure Gold Amazon
32Asleep at the Wheel Chug-A-Lug (feat. Huey Lewis) King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller Amazon
33Chris Stapleton Whiskey Sunrise Starting Over Amazon

Streets of Bakersfield

It was Nashville West but with a decidedly more amount of midwestern flavoring. Bakersfield was the terminus of most of the migrant traffic from the dust bowl where the hope for a better life was not always fulfilled. So many landed square on the Central Valley and for those who grew up it became a whirlwind post-war prosperity that was familiar: oil drilling, agriculture, almond orchards, cattle raising, and a transportation industry to support it. Those who were raised on country swing and the classic country sounds coming out of Nashville were lucky given Bakersfield’s proximity to the studios of Hollywood and Los Angeles. We’ll hear from many of them, digging into the early years of Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Tommy Collins, Wynn Stewart and a host of other performers who made that blend of rough country, trucking songs, and honky-tonk swing what it would become.

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Buck Owens Streets of Bakersfield All-Time Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 Amazon
3Bill Woods & His Orange Blossom Playboys Have I Got A Chance With You Swingbillies Amazon
4Joe Maphis & Rose Lee Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music) Swing West 1: Bakersfield Amazon
5Jean Shepard with Ferlin Husky A Dear John Letter Swing West 1: Bakersfield Amazon
6Bud Hobbs Louisiana Swing Defining Country Music – The Sounds of Bakersfield Amazon
7Billy Mize Who Will Buy the Wine Billy Mize and the Bakersfield Sound (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Amazon
8Rose & The Maddox Brothers Why Don't You Haul Off & Love Me Maddox Brothers & Rose Amazon
9Alvadean Coker We're Gonna Bop The Other Side of Bakersfield, Vol. 1; 1950s & 60s Boppers and Rockers from 'Nashville West' Amazon
10Tommy Collins What'cha Gonna Do Now? Swing West 1: Bakersfield Amazon
11Ferlin Husky I Feel Better All Over The Other Side of Bakersfield, Vol. 2; 1950s & 60s Boppers and Rockers from 'Nashville West' Amazon
12Bonnie Blue Bell & Leon Reach & Chic Adams Band Let's Go The Other Side of Bakersfield, Vol. 1; 1950s & 60s Boppers and Rockers from 'Nashville West' Amazon
13Billy Mize Solid Sender The Other Side of Bakersfield, Vol. 1; 1950s & 60s Boppers and Rockers from 'Nashville West' Amazon
14Bill Carter I Wanna Feel Good The Other Side of Bakersfield, Vol. 2; 1950s & 60s Boppers and Rockers from 'Nashville West' Amazon
15Johnny Bond Three Or Four Nights The Other Side of Bakersfield, Vol. 2; 1950s & 60s Boppers and Rockers from 'Nashville West' Amazon
16Herb Henson Goodbye, Baby, Goodbye The Other Side of Bakersfield, Vol. 2; 1950s & 60s Boppers and Rockers from 'Nashville West' Amazon
17Wynn Stewart Playboy Come On – Gonna Shake This Shack Amazon
18Buck Owens Hot Dog (with Danny Dedmon) The Other Side of Bakersfield, Vol. 1; 1950s & 60s Boppers and Rockers from 'Nashville West' Amazon
19Buck Owens The Key's In The Mailbox Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard Amazon
20Buck Owens Love's Gonna Live Here Buck 'Em: The Music of Buck Owens (1955-1967) Amazon
21Buck Owens Together Again The Very Best Of Buck Owens, Volume 1 Amazon
22Ferlin Husky Six Days on the Road Defining Country Music – The Sounds of Bakersfield Amazon
23Red Simpson Truck Drivin' Man The Best of Red Simpson: Country Western Truck Drivin' Singer Amazon
24Red Simpson The Highway Patrol Swing West 1: Bakersfield Amazon
25Bonnie Owens Just for the Children's Sake Warped 6534 – Bonnie Owens – 1964 – 1966 Amazon
26Bobby Austin Apartment #9 Swing West 1: Bakersfield Amazon
27Merle Haggard Okie From Muskogee Capitol Collector's Series Amazon
28Merle Haggard And The Strangers Mama Tried (2006 Digital Remaster) Hag: The Best of Merle Haggard Amazon
29Dallas Frazier California Cotton Fields Singing My Songs Amazon
30Abe Mulkey Packed Up And Shoved Off The Other Side of Bakersfield, Vol. 2; 1950s & 60s Boppers and Rockers from 'Nashville West' Amazon
31Wynn Stewart It's Such A Pretty World Today Swing West 1: Bakersfield Amazon
32Wynn Stewart Donna On My Mind California Country Amazon
33Buck Owens Act Naturally The Buck Owens Collection (1959-1990) [Disc 1] Amazon
34Merle Haggard & the Strangers Please Mr. D.J. Swing West 1: Bakersfield Amazon
35Buck Owens Streets of Bakersfield [With Dwight Yoakam] The Buck Owens Collection (1959-1990) – Disc 3 Amazon
36Maddox Brothers & Rose The Death of Rock 'n' Roll Classic Rockabilly Amazon

Classic Country Covers

It may be Friday the 13th, but we won’t be bothered with the superstitious. Instead, we’ll go with traditional and popular country nuggets as our topics with some couplings of contemporary and vintage. We’ve gathered a collection of modern country covers from the likes of Rosanne Cash, Solitaire Miles, Charley Crockett, Chuck Mead and others and we’ll be coupling them up with originals and favorites from the distant past. Merle Travis, Red Foley, Hank Williams, and The Louvin Brothers take the stage from a dream-filled past. We’re celebrating country classics from fifties, sixties and seventies and having fun doing it while kicking back. You don’t need to be wearing pretentious boots and hats to appreciate the easy sway of classic country … you just need to close your eyes and appreciate the performances … well, unless you’re driving.

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2The Band Long Black Veil Music From Big Pink Amazon
3Rosanne Cash Featuring Jeff Tweedy Long Black Veil (Feat. Jeff Tweedy) The List Amazon
4Lefty Frizzell Long Black Veil Columbia Country Classics, Vol. 3: Americana Amazon
5Johnny Bond Goodbye Old Paint Standard Transcriptions Amazon
6Pharis and Jason Romero Goodbye Old Paint A Wanderer I'll Stay Amazon
7McKinley James Who Will The Next Fool Be Who Will The Next Fool Be (Single) Amazon
8Charlie Rich Who Will the Next Fool Be Sun Ballads 1953-62 Amazon
9Johnny Cash We Must Believe In Magic The Adventures Of Johnny Cash Amazon
10Matt Urmy We Must Believe in Magic (feat. Cowboy Jack Clement) Out of the Ashes Amazon
11The Malpass Brothers Hello Walls The Malpass Brothers Amazon
12Willie Nelson Hello Walls Mr. Record Man – The Early Singles As & BS Amazon
13Henson Cargill Skip a Rope Skip a Rope Amazon
14Charley Crockett Skip A Rope Music City USA Amazon
15Kevin Russell Are You Teasing Me Plain Dirt Fashion Amazon
16The Louvin Brothers Are You Teasing Me Capitol Country Music Classics Amazon
17Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys Anytime Nipper's Greatest Hits – The 40's Vol 2 Amazon
18Chuck Mead Anytime You Don't Know Me: Rediscovering Eddy Arnold Amazon
19Dirty Cello Sixteen Tons I May Not Be Perfect Amazon
20Merle Travis Sixteen Tons Hot Pickin' [Disc 1] Amazon
21Spade Cooley & His Orchestra feat. Tex Williams Crazy 'Cause I Love You That's What I Like About The West Amazon
22Solitaire Miles Crazy Cause I Love You Susie Blue and the Lonesome Fellas Amazon
23Whitney Rose There's A Tear In My Beer Heartbreaker of the Year Amazon
24Hank Williams & Hank Williams, Jr. There's A Tear In My Beer Fifty Years Of Hits – Vol 10 Amazon
25Solitaire Miles I Hear You Talkin' Susie Blue and the Lonesome Fellas Amazon
26Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys I Hear You Talkin' The Tiffany Transcriptions Volume 1 Amazon
27Hank Williams You're Gonna Change Fifty Years Of Hits – Vol 11 Amazon
28Tom Petty You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave) Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute Amazon
29Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys Settin' The Woods On Fire Back At The Quonset Hut Amazon
30Hank Williams & The Drifting Cowboys Settin' The Woods On Fire Steelin' It: Steeling The Mood Amazon
31Red Foley Tennessee Border Tennessee Saturday Night Amazon
32Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys Tennessee Border Back At The Quonset Hut Amazon
33BR5-49 The Price of Love This Is BR549 Amazon
34The Everly Brothers The Price of Love Walk Right Back: The Everly Brothers on Warner Bros. Disc 2 Amazon

Loretta & Jerry

This past October, we lost a couple of very important ties to two whose stars shone bright in both the Golden Age of Country and the Golden Age of Rock ‘n Roll. We’ll take on a dual tribute to the passing of Loretta Lynn and Jerry Lee Lewis. The torch has surely passed but their fire burned white hot as their stars rose, both sharing controversy and almost overnight fame. They also continued to perform into their later years, teaming up with songwriters and performers who were relevant to new generations, but true to their core calling. Our first hour take time to visit Loretta Lynn’s humble but no-nonsense storytelling and the second hour will take us into the whirlwind of unapologetic badassness that was Jerry Lee Lewis.

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Loretta Lynn You Ain't Woman Enough Honky Tonk Girl: The Loretta Lynn Collection [Disc 1] Amazon
3Loretta Lynn Coal Miner's Daughter (Recitation) Still Woman Enough Amazon
4Loretta Lynn Coal Miner's Daughter Country Music: A Film By Ken Burns – The Soundtrack [Disc 1] Amazon
5Loretta Lynn,Margo Price One's On the Way (feat. Margo Price) One's On the Way (feat. Margo Price) Amazon
6Loretta Lynn & Jack White Portland Oregon Van Lear Rose Amazon
7Loretta Lynn The Pill Loretta Lynn Legendery Country Singer Amazon
8Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty After the Fire Is Gone Decca Country Classics 1934-1973 Amazon
9Ernest Tubb & Loretta Lynn Answer The Phone (w/ Loretta Lynn) A Tribute To A Legend Amazon
10Ernest Tubb/Loretta Lynn Thanks a Lot Legendary: It's Been So Long, Darling Amazon
11Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly Honky Tonk Girl: The Loretta Lynn Collection [Disc 3] Amazon
12Loretta Lynn She's Got You Loretta Lynn Legendery Country Singer Amazon
13Loretta Lynn Success I Got A Woman : Gems From The Decca Vaults [Disc 1] Amazon
14Loretta Lynn This Old House Van Lear Rose Amazon
15Loretta Lynn First City Loretta Lynn Legendery Country Singer Amazon
16Loretta Lynn Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind) Honky Tonk Girl: The Loretta Lynn Collection [Disc 1] Amazon
17Loretta Lynn In the Sweet Bye and Bye All Time Gospel Favorites [Disc 1] Amazon
18Jerry Lee Lewis/Jimmy Page Rock and Roll Last Man Standing Amazon
19Jerry Lee Lewis Crazy Arms All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology (Disc 1) Amazon
20Jerry Lee Lewis End Of The Road Bob Dylan – Radio Radio – Theme Time Radio Hour Volume Four [Disc 4] Amazon
21Jerry Lee Lewis Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On A Half Century Of Hits [Disc 1] Amazon
22Jerry Lee Lewis Great Balls of Fire Red, White & Rock Disc 1 Amazon
23Jerry Lee Lewis High School Confidential Sun Recordings Greatest Hits Amazon
24Jerry Lee Lewis Breathless All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology (Disc 1) Amazon
25Johnny Cash & Jerry Lee Lewis & Carl Perkins I Saw The Light (With Jerry Lee Lewis & Carl Perkins) The Survivors Amazon
26Johnny Cash & Jerry Lee Lewis & Carl Perkins Whole Lot Of Shakin' Going On (With Jerry Lee Lewis) The Survivors Amazon
27The Million Dollar Quartet You're the Only Star in My Blue Heaven The Million Dollar Quartet: 50th Anniversary Special Edition Amazon
28Jerry Lee Lewis What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out Of Me) The Definitive Collection Amazon
29Jerry Lee Lewis Somewhere Over the Rainbow The Oxford American Southern Sampler 1999 Amazon
30Jerry Lee Lewis Milkshake Mademoiselle Good Old Summertime Amazon
31Jerry Lee Lewis Bad Moon Rising Mean Old Man Amazon
32Jerry Lee Lewis Wild One 18 Original Sun Greatest Hits Amazon
33Bruce Springsteen/Jerry Lee Lewis Pink Cadillac Last Man Standing Amazon
34Jerry Lee Lewis Big Blue Diamond Southern Roots Amazon

Workin’ Man Blues

We’ll be spending two hours on a century of hard work, little pay, striking it rich as well as failing to do so. Songs about working the mines, panning in the mother lode, welfare and pittance wages, as well as the country sounds of Merle’s Working Man Blues. Plenty to keep us reflecting on a lifetime of keeping afloat knowing full well that you can’t take it with you. Not necessarily money for nothing and kicks for free but we’ve also got songs about blowing it all on a Saturday night. Join us for music from Johnny Horton, Wynn Stewart, Tex Ritter, Merle, Hazel Dickens, Roy Orbison and a cast of the very best of performances from the past century here on Sonoma County Community Radio.

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Tex Williams Money Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974) Amazon
3Howard Vokes The Miner Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974) Amazon
4Tex Ritter A Working Man's Prayer Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974) Amazon
5Doc Watson Dream of the Miner's Child 1964-1965 (Warped 6411F) Amazon
6Loretta Lynn Coal Miner's Daughter Coal Miner's Daughter Amazon
7Merle Haggard And The Strangers Workin' Man Blues (2006 Digital Remaster) Hag: The Best of Merle Haggard Amazon
8Lyle Lovett Working Too Hard My Baby Don't Tolerate Amazon
9Slaid Cleaves Working Stiff Unsung Amazon
10Perry Tonightus And The Heart Burn Living On The Welfare Check Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974) Amazon
11Buck Owens Waitin' In Your Welfare Line The Very Best Of Buck Owens, Volume 1 Amazon
12Johnny Paycheck Take This Job And Shove It Superstars Of Country: Easy Loving [Disc 1] Amazon
13Roy Orbison Working for the Man The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison [Monument] Amazon
14Brennen Leigh North To Alaska Too Thin To Plow Amazon
15Mudcrutch Six Days On the Road Mudcrutch Amazon
16Wynn Stewart Another Day, Another Dollar California Country Amazon
17The Westport Kids You Kaint Take It With You Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974) Amazon
18Billy Parker It Takes A Lot Of Money Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974) Amazon
19Bobby Barnett Workin' Man Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974) Amazon
20Arlie Duff Money Hungry Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974) Amazon
21Faron Young I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night 1953-1956 (Warped 5455) Amazon
22Al Clauser & His Oklahoma Outlaws I Ain't Lazy Baby I'm Just Tired The Best Of Western Swing Amazon
23Jim Nesbitt Working All My Life Cash-A-Likes Amazon
24Marty Stuart Hard Working Man Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions Amazon
25Dick Curless I've Been Working On the Railroad A Tombstone Every Mile (7CD Set) CD3 (1950-1969) Amazon
26John Prine & Mac Wiseman Saginaw Michigan Standard Songs for Average People Amazon
27Dolly Parton 9 To 5 Dolly [Disc 4] Amazon
28Laurie Lewis And The Right Hands Working Girl Blues (Featuring Andrew Conklin, Alice Gerrard, Tom Rozum & Patrick Sauber) The Hazel and Alice Sessions Amazon
29Tom Waits Heigh Ho Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards [Disc 3] Amazon
30Lee Dorsey Working In A Coal Mine Soul Mine Amazon
31Johnny Horton North To Alaska Columbia Country Classics, Vol. 3: Americana Amazon
32The Dwarf Chorus Heigh-Ho Classic Disney, Vol. II: 60 Years Of Music Magical Amazon
33Adriana Caselotti Whistle While You Work Bob Dylan – Radio Radio – Theme Time Radio Hour Volume Four [Disc 2] Amazon

Country Crossovers

Country music started genre-life out as something different. Searching for a term more palatable than simply ‘folk’ or, more so, ‘hillbilly’, or ‘western’ music, music industry marketing found the term ‘country’ or ‘country and western’ a much smoother alternative. It softened the fiddle and accordion sounds and, at the same time, tempered the fears of human de-evolution through cultural disappropriation. Although what passes for country music today is more a caricature of itself, the Golden Age of country, running through the decades of the fifties, sixties and the early seventies built a solid foundation with some of the great songwriters and performers that weren’t from the big east and west coast hubs. And their music would often be heard ‘peeking through’ the pop charts in a big way, reinforcing the notion that it was, and always had been, a common cultural denominator. Our show this week features some of the very greatest of the latter. Join us!


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