DeFord Bailey—The only full-length CD available of this harp man’s music is Revenant’s The Legendary DeFord Bailey: Country Music’s First Black Star. It doesn’t include his older recordings (check the From Where I Stand set for a couple of those), but it has some impressive performances from the mid-1970s. Bailey also displays his banjo abilities on Country Music’s First Black Star.
Cortelia Clark—Nothing on CD, but try to find the Grammy-grabbing Blues In The Street: By Nashville’s Authentic Original Street Singer somewhere on vinyl.
Merle Haggard—Best not to mess with single discs at first, because they’ll only leave you wanting more. Start with the Down Every Road boxed set and use it as a guide to further explore decades of classic Hag.
Jesse Winchester—Anthology, released on Essential Records, offers loads of wonder.
Chapter 7
Conway Twitty—You don’t need anything at all except the multi-disc Conway Twitty Collection, which holds all the good stuff.
Loretta Lynn—The Honky Tonk Girl boxed set is the best place to start, though it omits some of Lynn’s finest work. MCA’s Country Music Hall of Fame album is a cheaper, still-enjoyable option.
Johnny Paycheck—’Ol Mr. “Take This Job and Shove It” lived a hard life and died a hard death, but he left us better music than the spiteful, sexist “All-American Man” described earlier in the pages of this book. Paycheck’s singing style was nothing short of revolutionary, and his 1960s recordings were both wild and great. For non-believers, a Country Music Hall of Fame collection called The Real Mr. Heartache: The Little Darlin’ Years should provide a good measure of education.
Chapter 8
Dolly Parton—Dolly wins the modern-day Roy Acuff award for “important artist most undeservedly denied proper CD reissue treatment.” Practically none of her early albums are available on CD, and the best collection out there is the slight, two-disc The RCA Years: 1967–1986. Parton’s recent bluegrass albums on Sugar Hill Records find her in fine voice and performing with top-notch players.
John Prine—It’s all good, but debut album John Prine is the place to start. After that, move directly to Great Days: The John Prine Anthology, then to 1991’s Grammy winning The Missing Years, then to a sweet acoustic retrospective called Souvenirs.
Shel Silverstein—Bobby Bare’s Lullabye’s, Legends and Lies album is the place to find “Rosalie’s Good Eats Café,” but there’s a CD reissue of Shel’s Where the Sidewalk Ends album that captivates both children and adults.
Chapter 9
Willie Nelson—Even without a truly representative boxed set, there’s plenty of great Willie Nelson material out on CD. A recent Sugar Hill Records collection called Crazy: The Demo Sessions is highly instructive, but it’s best to start with the classics: Yesterday’s Wine, Shotgun Willie, Phases and Stages, Stardust and Red Headed Stranger are musts.
Doug Sahm—The most complete, most revealing collection of Doug Sahm music is found on Rhino Records’ 22-song The Best of Doug Sahm. It’s a hoot.
Guy Clark—Any of Clark’s work is worth hearing, though 1999’s underwhelming Cold Dog Soup is assuredly the runt of the litter. Clark’s most impressive, necessary album is probably his first: 1975’s Old No. 1 remains a classic, and Clark’s live sets still draw an inordinate amount of songs from that tremendous debut.
Chapter 10
Marshall Tucker Band—Any album recorded in or before 1977 (especially The Marshall Tucker Band, Where We All Belong and Searchin’ For A Rainbow) is substantial, and The Best of the Marshall Tucker Band: The Capricorn Years is the motherlode. This music wears exceedingly well.
Charlie Daniels—1975’s Fire On The Mountain is a blast and is possibly Daniels’ best album, even considering the fact that Daniels turned down George McCorkle’s song “Fire On The Mountain” that ultimately became an FM radio hit for the Marshall Tucker Band. As for collections, try The Ultimate Charlie Daniels Band.
The Allman Brothers Band—There’s so much great stuff in this catalogue, but the ultimate, if-you-can’t-have-but-one album is certainly At Fillmore East, where dearly departed guitar legend Duane Allman shines the brightest.
Chapter 11
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band—Okay, number one is Will The Circle Be Unbroken. Number two is Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. III. Number three is the oft-overlooked but nonetheless brilliant Stars & Stripes Forever. Number four? Well, that’d be Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. II.
Linda Ronstadt—When Frye Gaillard wrote Watermelon Wine, it seemed Ronstadt might end up as a true hipster legend of country music. As it turned out, she ceded her space to Emmylou Harris (though Ronstadt’s influence is unmistakable to anyone who listens to a Trisha Yearwood record). Still, Ronstadt albums including Heart Like A Wheel and Hasten Down The Wind are necessary listening for country-lovers.
Emmylou Harris—Where to start? Well, there’s nowhere to start, and, seemingly, nowhere to end. Harris’ country music career is akin to Jimmy Stewart’s existence in It’s A Wonderful Life: Things would be really different, and really bad, had she not come around. Anthology: The Warner/Reprise Years and Portraits offer a sampling, but Harris is an album artist. Roses in the Snow is a lovely bluegrass album, Angel Band is the best Gospel album that has ever been recorded (no, seriously), and Elite Hotel defines the sound now known as alt.country. My personal favorite is Blue Kentucky Girl, though the atmospheric Wrecking Ball is superb, as are At The Ryman, Cowgirl’s Prayer, Luxury Liner and Red Dirt Girl. Start wherever you like: You’ll never finish.
Chapter 12
Vince Matthews—Good luck finding a copy of the Kingston Springs Suite album (I never have). The Hank Williams Jr. recording of “On Susan’s Floor” can be found on Hank Williams Jr. and Friends (highly recommended) and on Living Proof: The MGM Recordings 1963–1975. Good Vince Matthews stories may be heard upon entering Nashville and contacting Billy Ray Reynolds. Sadly, Vince himself has now died.
Epilogue
Barry & Holly Tashian—Aside from the Barry & The Remains stuff (best left for another, more rock-oriented work), the best place to start is probably 1994’s Straw Into Gold, which includes a gorgeous rendition of Jack Clements’ “I Know One.”
Gail Davies—The first female artist to take control of record production duties in Nashville, Davies lacks neither for talent nor for fighting spirit. 1978’s Gail Davies is a fine album, with “Grandma’s Song” and other hits included in its selections. Where is a Woman to Go, from 1994, is harder to find but is a tremendous, edgy album. More recently, Davies’ Live at the Station Inn finds her in a bluegrassy context that suits her always pleasing voice.
Garth Brooks—Like the Tashians’ Straw Into Gold, Brooks’ self-titled debut also holds a nice version of Cowboy Jack Clements’ “I Know One.” No Fences, Ropin’ the Wind and Scarecrow (possibly his swan song, as Brooks is now semi-retired) are also good choices.
Trisha Yearwood—Hearts In Armor holds “Walk Away Joe” as well as a cool version of Jamie O’Hara and Kieran Kane’s “Oh Lonesome You,” but if you only own one Yearwood album, it should be 1993’s The Song Remembers When, with songwriting contributions from Hugh Prestwood, Rodney Crowell, Willie Nelson, Matraca Berg and others. Check out the Berg-penned, album-ending “Lying to the Moon” for proof of Yearwood’s blend of vocal power and subtle emotion.
Patty Loveless—Start with 2001’s Mountain Soul, a bluegrass-inflected gem, then move to When Fallen Angels Fly, which was among the best country albums of the 1990s.
Suzy Bogguss—Aces, a more-than-solid album from 1991, provides the best springboard to an appreciation of Bogguss’ full-bodied vocals. The album includes the Cheryl Wheeler-penned title track, a thrilling version of Ian Tyson’s “Someday Soon” and a charged-up take on Nanci Griffith’s “Outbound Plane.” Simpatico, a low-key and poppy duet album with the legendary Chet Atkins, is another good one.
Radney Foster—His work with duo partner Bill Lloyd in Foster & Lloyd was a rockin’ forerunner of the Americana movement, and Foster’s solo albums are also quite intriguing. Start with Del Rio, Tx, 1959, a 1992 effort that included hits “Just Call Me Lonesome” and “Nobody Wins” and also held album track gems like “Went For A Ride,” the old west tale of a black cowboy. Are You Ready For The Big Show? and Another Way To Go are also worth looking into.
Kathy Mattea—Untasted Honey, Walk The Way The Wind Blows and Willow In The Wind are all good collections of songs (hits and otherwise), and Mattea’s rich vocals are appreciably soothing on any of her albums.
Steve Earle—1988’s Guitar Town is considered a Nashville classic, but Earle’s later efforts (particularly 1995’s Train A’Comin and 1996’s rock-tinged I Feel Alright) hold up as well. If Earle’s rough, emotional voice and fondness for edgy soundscapes proves too much, try 1999’s bluegrass album The Mountain, recorded with the Del McCoury Band. In any incarnation, Earle’s songs make his music worthy of study and appreciation.
Lyle Lovett—Begin at the beginning, with Lovett’s self-titled MCA debut. That one features waltz-time beauty “If I Were The Man You Wanted,” loping cowboy story “Farther Down The Line” and the indescribably beautiful “Closing Time.” Later albums found Lovett recording with a jazzy big-band, but his voice is always heard to best effect in spare settings. Recorded in 1998, Step Inside This House is a heartening tribute to Lovett’s songwriting predecessors, including Walter Hyatt, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and Texas genius Eric Taylor (come to think of it, let’s recommend Taylor’s Scuffletown and Resurrect albums both as indicators of Taylor’s influence on Lovett and as brilliant works in their own right).
Nanci Griffith—Griffith’s Once in a Very Blue Moon and Last of the True Believers albums, both produced by Jim Rooney, are filled with fine songs (most from Griffith’s pen) and tremendous musicianship from players including steel guitar legend Lloyd Green and fiddle virtuoso Mark O’Connor. Griffith’s shift to major label MCA found her shifting from a folksy sound and delving into harder-edged country with the Lone Star State of Mind and Little Love Affairs. The live, mostly-acoustic One Fair Summer Evening album is also a winner, as is Other Voices, Other Rooms, in which Griffith and a bevy of guests pay tribute to forerunners (a la the Dirt Band’s Circle series).
Alan Jackson—’Ol Easy Al gets better with each passing album. Drive, a country-to-the-core effort that includes the wonderful title song and the much ballyhooed “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” is the best place to start. Under the Influence, Jackson’s tribute to songs popularized by heroes like Gene Watson and Merle Haggard, is also a good choice.
Dixie Chicks—Start with Home, an all-acoustic album produced with singer Natalie Maines’ steel guitar-paying daddy, Lloyd. That one has winning songs penned by Bruce Robison, Darrell Scott and others.
Buddy Miller—Some folks think Miller is Nashville’s best electric guitar player, and others call him Music City’s most soulful singer. Either count is easy to argue but hard to dismiss. Any of Miller’s solo albums come highly recommended, though the recent Midnight & Lonesome may be the best place to begin. Listen for significant contributions from singing/songwriting wife Julie Miller.
Lucinda Williams—Buy ’em all, and buy ’em quick. Williams’ style is decidedly atypical and profoundly emotional, and every album offers uncommon depth of feeling and some unexpected musical flights. Car Wheels On A Gravel Road (1998) is considered her masterpiece right now, but everything else should (must?) be heard as well. Emmylou Harris, Jim Lauderdale and plenty of others will tell you that Williams is a songwriter of consequence with an unforgettable voice.
Jim Lauderdale—Though not explicitly mentioned in Watermelon Wine’s epilogue, Lauderdale’s unusual yet accessible artistry and close ties with Emmylou Harris (she’s a constant supporter and an occasional duet partner), Buddy Miller (he played in Jim’s band for years and still collaborates with him), Lucinda Williams (Lauderdale was once in her band, and sang harmony vocals on several of her albums), The Dixie Chicks (they’ve recorded his songs) and others makes Lauderdale impossible to leave out of this listeners’ guide. He’s penned hit songs for numerous Top 40 country acts, yet his most powerful works have been his own albums. Pretty Close to the Truth (1994) and Hummingbirds (2002) are fine examples of his penchant for adventurous melodies and well-grounded arrangements, and two duet albums with Ralph Stanley (I Feel Like Singing Today and Lost in the Lonesome Pines) prove that Lauderdale is as at home with mountain music as with California-accented country.
Matraca Berg—The smoky-voiced singer-songwriter’s Lying to the Moon debut album is hard to find in its original format, but 1999’s Lying to the Moon & Other Stories combined that worthy effort with some additional tracks from later in her career. Sunday Morning To Saturday Night, issued on now-defunct Rising Tide Records, is a sure-bet if you spy it in a used CD bin somewhere. Berg also contributed one of the most affecting numbers on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 3 album, writing and singing the lovely “Oh Cumberland” in a duet with Emmylou Harris. The third Circle album, by the way, also includes some brilliant work by Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakam, Alison Krauss, Iris DeMent, Sam Bush, Tom Petty and Willie Nelson, among many others.
Marshall Chapman—Some of Chapman’s classic songs, including “The 90s Is the 60s Turned Upside Down,” co-written with Gary Nicholson, and her signature, “Good-bye Little Rock And Roller,” appear on her 1991 release Inside Job on Tall Girl Records.
Si Kahn—Kahn has recorded 12 albums over the course of his distinguished folk-singing career. The most recent, Threads, is one of his best, but also difficult to acquire since it was recorded and released by Double Time Music in Switzerland. Other classic Kahn recordings include the 1989 I’ll Be There on Flying Fish Records and the 1994 New Wood on Philo.
Index
Song and Album Titles
(Album titles in italics)
“50, 000 Names” 15
A
“A Rose and a Baby Ruth” 60
“A Showman’s Life” 184
“Abilene” 60, 102
Aces 198
“Ain’t It Funny How Time Slips Away” 127
“All American Man” 111
“All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down” 12
“All My Trials” 82
All–time Favorite Country Songwriter 191
“Amazing Grace” 32
American IV: The Man Comes Around 190
American Recordings 190
“American Trilogy, An” 95, 174
Angel Band 196
“Anna, I’m Takin’ You Home” 126
“Another Neon Night” 105
“Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?” 11, 188
At Fillmore East 196
At Folsom Prison 190
At San Quentin 190
At the Ryman 196
B
“Ballad of Harry Simms, The” 55
“Ballad of Ira Hayes, The” 69
“Battle Hymn of the Republic” 81
“Best of All Possible Worlds, The” 79
Best of Bobby Bare, The 189
Best of Doug Sahm, The 195
Best of Merle Travis, The 189
Best of the Marshall Tucker Band: The Capricorn Years 195
“Blame It on the Stones” 191
Blessed Are 192
“Blowin’ in the Wind” 68, 69, 80
“Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” 128
Blue Kentucky Girl 196
“Blue Suede Shoes” 144
Blues in the Street 95, 193
“Bob” 172
“Boulder to Birmingham” 163
“Bring It on Home to Me” 91
“Buddy, Won’t You Roll Down the Line�
� 27, 50
“Busiest Memory in Town” 168
“Busted” 78, 89
“Bye Bye Love” 148
C
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road 200
“Catfish John” 13, 96
Charley Pride: RCA Country Legends 193
“Cold, Cold Heart” 37
“Coming of the Roads, The” 53, 189
Complete Country … Western Recordings 1959–1986 192
Complete Hank Williams, The 188
Conway Twitty Collection 194
“Country Bumpkin” 100, 117
Cowgirl’s Prayer 196
“Crazy” 127
D
“Dance, The” 179
“Dark as a Dungeon” 51
“Death of Edward Hawkins, The” 49
Del Rio, Tx, 1959 198
“Desolation Row” 72
“Desperados Waiting for a Train” 140
“Detroit City” 58
“D–I–V–O–R–C–E” 99
“Dixie” 81
Doc Watson: The Vanguard Years 189
“Don’t Come Home a’Drinkin’” 16, 108, 109
“Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” 68
“Don’t Touch Me if You Don’t Love Me, Sweetheart” 24
“Donald and Lydia” 122
Down Every Road 193
“Down from Dover” 106
“Down on the Farm” 46
Dr. Ginger Blue 189
“Dreadful Memories” 55
Dreaming My Dreams 188
Drive 199
Dueling Banjos 192
E
Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends 192
“Early Morning Rain” 60
Elite Hotel 196
Essential Jimmie Rodgers, The 189
Essential Johnny Cash 1955–1983 190
Essential Roy Acuff, The 187
Essential Skeeter Davis, The 187
F
“Fairy Tale” 90
“Family Way, The” 101
“Feelin’ Single, Seein’ Double” 163
Watermelon Wine Page 19
