If That Ain't Country

In this week's episode we're remembering an extremely popular regional act who almost broke the big time save for a few noble family decisions: Rem Wall & The Green Valley Boys. The host of a long-running TV show out of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Rem Wall made some great honky tonk during his years with Glenn Records (Hammond, IN) and later Columbia. Poised to enjoy national success, Wall opted to stay put and lived out his career as a big fish in a relatively small pond. His recordings tell the tale of a man who had "it" as much as the next guy on the Nashville hit list so let's get digging into this week's box o' 45s!

In this week's episode we're featuring Kentucky's Hugh X. Lewis' fourth album for Kapp Records: "Country Fever" (1968). A high school buddy and his songwriting chops lead him to Nashville in 1963 and after Paul Cohen signed him to Kapp, Lewis cut some super material through our feature album's release (which was his last for the label). Lewis' wrote or co-wrote nine of his fifteen charting singles so it's no surprise his hand is prolific on "Country Fever" (particularly the B-side) and it's a better album for it.

In this week's episode we're featuring an album from the wonderful Ray Pillow: "Even When It's Bad It's Good!" (1967). From Lynchburg, Virginia and a Grand Ole Opry favourite for more than fifty years, Pillow's rich and smooth baritone drew comparisons to Dean Martin over his long career. And though he hailed from Virignia, folks often thought he was Texan for his love of country shuffles. Our feature album delivers in spades and proves Pillow's back catalogue is well worth digging into.

In this week's episode we return to Canada for a fresh new release from Winnipeg's Sean Burns: "Lost Country" (2023). After some spitballing with guitar slinger and buddy Grant Siemens, Burns' came up with the idea of recording an album of all-Canadian, mostly unknown country covers and it came together quickly. Recorded and released in between gigging as part of Corb Lund's band, "Lost Country" is delivered with bravado, swagger and reverence all at the same time. If hearing good material for the first time is up your alley, Sean Burns' "Lost Country" will be too.

This week it's all gals! More than just Dolly, it's three hours of the very best female voices of traditional country, honky tonk, bluegrass and western swing and nothing but.

In this week's episode we're featuring an ultra-rare slice of 1969 honky tonk from a West Virginian stationed in West Germany after his service: "Most Requested Country Songs" by Pat Patterson. An enigmatic character to say the least, we let the music do the talking as Patterson's lilting yet attention-grabbing honky tonk vocal demands your time. Recorded Stateside with the best players money could buy, the one LP that Patterson ever released has been on my radar (unsuccessfully) for almost a decade and has finally become widely available thanks to the obscure hard country reissue specialists at Sweet Mental Revenge Records out of Sweden. Superb stuff, a real treat to play it this week in full. Purchase it yourself at rodgerwilhoit.bandcamp.com!

In this week's episode we're featuring an unreleased album for Capitol Records recorded from 1973 by Oklahoma's Stoney Edwards: "The Land Of The Giants". A collection of songs paying tribute to the giants of country music as the title suggests, the project was shelved in the face of the '73/'74 oil embargo and never revisited (at least by Capitol). That situation somewhat sums up Edwards' career - an incredibly talented singer and picker with country credentials oozing from every note, this Seminole, Oklahoma native's life was plagued with bad luck and unfortunate events. We'll dig into Edwards' intriguing back story this week, unearth a good number of gems from his back catalogue and remember one of the few black country singers to ever score a chart hit this side of Charley Pride. Essential listening.

In this week's episode we're turning the spotlight on Texan Sonny Burns' second attempt at recording success during the years 1959-1968. What little information there is on Burns' career usually centres on his association with George Jones while at Starday Records: it's country music folklore that Burns famously missed (what turned out to be) a hit duet session with The Possum and stymied his own career in favour of bourbon and women. However, after resurfacing in 1959 on TNT Records out of San Antonio, the early 60s saw a reunification with Pappy Daily at United Artists and Burns' lay down some of the finest honky tonk music of the decade, albeit with some added sheen as compared to his Starday material. '59-'68 produced some sensational sides for Sonny Burns and this week we run through a tonne of 'em, thirteen hardcore honky tonk nuggets in total. Dig it!

In this week's episode we're featuring an album from Austin-based outfit The Derailers from the peak of their power: "Full Western Dress" (1999). Riding thousands of road miles as well as the rise in the Americana and alt-country radio scene, The Derailers Bakersfield-infused honky tonk saw them gain strong regional and national success, though it never translated into widespread mainstream radio airplay. A special musical connection and combination between joint frontmen Tony Villaneuva and Brian Hofeldt equated in tight harmonies and catchy, jangly, twangy country music pleasing fans of the hard stuff from coast to coast. The majority of the album was written by the band and earworms are plentiful as Buck & Don - er, Tony and Brian - looked to take it to the next level with their second outing on Sire Records in "Full Western Dress". Quality material!

In this week's episode we're featuring a 1985 album for family band The Whites: "Whole New World". When family patriarch and lynchpin of the group Buck White decided to rejig his band, he needed only look across the dinner table for what became The Whites: daughters Sharon White on guitar and Cheryl on bass along with Buck himself on mandolin (and whatever else needed playing) made the nucleus for this family act's most successful years. Enlisting all-star help in Jerry Douglas on dobro and Ricky Skaggs on fiddle, The Whites took their gorgeous harmonies and pioneered an ever-so-slightly swinging traditional country/bluegrass mash up which appealed to audiences for decades. The fact that nine of the ten tracks from this week's feature album were included in this episode proves "Whole New World" is an absolute delight and just the tip of a top notch and brilliantly selective disography.

In this week's episode we're featuring a relatively rare lead vocal performance from Kentucky fiddleman Hoot Hester: "On The Swingin' Side". Stints with local Louisville-area bluegrass bands lead to work with legendary road bands including Jerry Reed and Mel Tillis' Statesiders, the latter an outfit which Hester relished his time in for it's professionalism. Fellow Statesider alum Paul Franklin appears on "On The Swingin' Side" to help Hester and an all-star cast through a solid album of covers (Bob Wills pops up, naturally) and some great Hester originals, showing us fans that years before The Time Jumpers, Hester was ready to stretch out on vocals and swing!

In this week's episode we're featuring some unearthed West Coast country on the hitherto-unknown Howdy Glenn from our friends at Omnivore Recordings: "I Can Almost See Houston: The Complete Howdy Glenn" (2023). Glenn's place in country history is significant enough given that he was a black country singer based in California, but add to that fact that Howdy Glenn was a working firefighter for the City Of Inglewood, that he was once signed to Warner Brothers Records AND was nominated for an ACM Award, and you've got some serious intrigue. A full-throated, dynamic and charismatic performer, exactly why Glenn's catalogue remained buried until now is the subject of this week's show and also proved a great opportunity to play some solid 70s country even the most ardent country historians had never heard before.

WARNING: Country music nerdity alert! Well, no more than usual I suppose.. Anyway, this time it's something a little different! An unedited chat with music historian and author Scott B. Bomar ("The Bakersfield Sound", "The Byrds: 1964-1967") ahead of his latest project: "I Can Almost See Houston: The Complete Howdy Glenn" set for release on Omnivore Records on Jan. 20, 2023. Audio episode to follow, but this was a fantastic opportunity to pick the brains of Bomar who does for a living what most of us country nerds dream of. His work on the previously unknown Howdy Glenn is going to be fantastic, take a listen to the behind-the-scenes chat.

In this week's episode we're featuring the music of one of The West Coast's most popular club draws in Missouri's Gene Davis. Davis tripped over to The Golden State in '53 and his go-getter attitude, tasty guitar licks and solid country vocal saw him hired almost immediately. Establishing himself and The Gene Davis Band (later The Star Routers) as one of the most in-demand acts on the booming LA & SoCal club scene, Davis appeared alongside the area's big names on TV shows, radio and of course on stage: in no uncertain terms helping to lay the groundwork for what is now known as The Bakersfield Sound. Somewhat of a trendsetter in more ways than one, Davis' time at the legendary Palomino Club and the dazzling list of names who passed through his employ over years is testament enough to the man's musical talent and his output (though not a national hitmaker) is worthy of this week's airtime.

In this week's episode we're featuring a delightful compilation on Johnny Dollar (yes that was his real name), put out in 1982: "Down Life's Highway". Despite the vague album artwork and even more general liner notes, don't be fooled: this is a quality ten song collection of solid (mostly long forgotten) honky tonk gold. Every single song on this album was originally recorded for Chart Records between 1968-1971 (in this reviewer's opinion, Dollar's strongest career output) and there are no duds to be found. High-energy honky tonk with plenty of truck driving tunes, there's a lot of Del Reeves to Dollar's material but the latter remains a lot more obscure outside of rockabilly and hardcore country fans. Take a trip "Down Life's Highway" with Johnny Dollar and enjoy some cracking traditional country music laced with clever, catchy writing and Lloyd Green's steel guitar work.

In this week's episode we're featuring the one album release for dobro-maestro Randy Kohrs and his short-lived band The Reel Deal: "Now It's Empty" (2003). Produced by the Iowa native in his own Slack Key Studio, "Now It's Empty" was mostly recorded without overdubs using Royer, Vintage RCA and Fostex ribbon microphones to emulate a 1950s feel. With several originals fitting the mould beautifully, well-chosen covers from the George Jones catalogue, James O'Gwynn and a couple from Stonewall Jackson slide into that old school vibe nicely and Kohrs bluegrass-suited tenor lead vocal gives a strong foundation on which to lean. Production remained understated yet twangy and with steel guitar from the sensational John Hughey (still sounding magnificent even in his late 60s), "Now It's Empty" is a solid album that went under the radar at the time and is worth a re-listen.

In this week's episode we're featuring the debut album for Beaumont's George Dearborne: "Old Brown Bottle" (2020). Make no mistake though, this is not Dearborne's first rodeo. Embedded in the area music scene during the 70s and 80s, Dearborne met a teenage Mark Chesnutt when he himself was only a few years older. Years later, Dearborne and his renowned band "Branded" would become the house act at the Beaumont's legendary low-slung honky tonk Cutter's - a position held by Chesnutt only a few years prior. Nashville didn't work out for Dearborne however, and he gave music away for 22 years, picking it up again in 2016 and reforming "Branded" with new and all-star personnel. Fast making a name for himself around the Lone Star State, "Old Brown Bottle" is a welcome debut for traditional country fans who enjoy straight ahead country shuffles with a good sense of fun. The best pickers money can buy appeared on "Old Brown Bottle" and you can hear the quality with every track. Highlights are numerous: the steel guitar intro from Mike Johnson on "One More", Wes Hightower's blending with Dearborne's lead vocals on "A Fire That Just Won't Burn" and two Ray Price shuffles are obvious standouts.

In this week's episode we once again opened up the request lines to the members of our Traditional Country Tragics Facebook group for an all-request show! Requests came in from all over the USA and further afield, including cuts from Porter Wagoner, Faron Young, Slim Dusty, Daryle Singletary and plenty of curve balls. You made the playlist this week and I've got to say that you all have great taste. Cheers!

In this week's episode we're showcasing the country roots of revered Memphis-born rocker Eddie Bond: digging into Bond's back catalogue for some forgotten hard country magic and featuring a self-released LP from the 70s in tandem - "Caution: Eddie Bond Music Is Contagious". Bond's early influences were undoubtedly country and his time with The Snearly Ranch Boys before forming his own band The Stompers cemented those influences. Initially The Stompers themselves were essentially a country and western band with rockabilly overtones, taking in some legendary talent by the mid 50s including iconic steel guitarist John Hughey. But when rock 'n' roll hit Eddie Bond jumped on board, recording a slew of rockers (mostly for Mercury) between 1955-1957. Rediscovered twenty years later in the midst of the European rockabilly revival, Bond remains mostly remembered today for those rockabilly cuts but this week we're showcasing the hard country side this week of one of the few rockabillies actually born and bred in The Home Of The Blues.

In this week's episode we're featuring a Conway Twitty album taken from smack dab in the middle of his hard country years (approx. 1965-1975): "Darling, You Know I Wouldn't Lie" (1969). Turning again to his go-to hardcore country lyricist Wayne Kemp (an old running mate from his days in Oklahoma City), Twitty scored his third consecutive Top 5 hit with the cheating-themed title track. A further exploration in song of Harlan Howard's "Life Turned Her That Way" theme presents itself on "Bad Girl", promptly followed by the corresponding "Bad Man". Interesting to note both tracks written by Twitty himself, who also added a dynamite hard country shuffle to round out Side A of the album in "Table In The Corner". Even the filler from this period in Conway's career is top-notch: a cover of Tom T. Hall's "Ballad Of Forty Dollars" rips as much as the original and even though it's hard to top a George Jones vocal, the Owen Bradley/Decca arrangement and production on "When The Grass Grows Over Me" and "Window Up Above" makes for superb listening. Quality stuff!

In this week's episode we're featuring Melba Montgomery's complete Nugget Records sessions from the year 1962. Shortly after having spent almost four years touring with Roy Acuff's roadshow and marginally before being snapped up by United Artists, Melba was offered a chance to record for Lonzo & Oscar's newly-relocated Nugget Records in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The result was ten sides which have largely been forgotten by country fans who focus instead on her duets with George Jones and UA solo material. Ten hard country nuggets (pun intended) all of which feature Shot Jackson on dobro and Buddy Emmons on steel. The two co-founders of the legendary Sho-Bud steel guitar company help push these Nugget recordings on a young, fresh and distinctive Melba Montgomery to the heights of honky tonk gold. Superb listening.

In this week's episode we're featuring a dynamite outlier from the late 60s career of Jim Ed Brown: "Bottle, Bottle" (1968). A lot of Brown's full-length albums of this era were on the slicker side and hard country gems were a little elusive. However, "Bottle, Bottle" is a full-on dive into the hard country side of the spectrum, dripping with the steel guitar of Pete Drake. Looking and sounding typically dapper, Jim Ed Brown's silky smooth vocal sounds right at home on a country shuffle (of which there are several), songs of loving and leaving and the necessary barroom laments (with a name like "Bottle, Bottle", it's expected). The likeable Arkansan cut just enough of this kind of material on this album to have this reviewer wanting to take a second look at Brown's catalogue to see what else has been missed. A-class.

In this week's episode we're focusing on Allstar Records, a part song-poem part legitimate commercial label operating between 1953-1966 in Houston, Texas. Aside from his song-sharking tendencies, Allstar's founder Daniel James Mechura no doubt had his eyes set on recording hit country music, frequently hiring above-par backing musicians to back up Allstar's roster of artists. And that roster is all the evidence you need to see that Allstar was a legitimate commercial music operation - the talent and track records from the likes of Wiley Barkdull, Jerry Jericho and Eddie Noack (all of whom recorded for Allstar) speaks to that. In fact, we've got the microscope on the sensational hard country output of Eddie Noack on Allstar this week (1962-1966): releasing ten songs with the label during that period (many self-penned), Noack continued his Texas honky tonk ways, including a stylistic nod to the super successful Buck Owens formula on several. Noack had a long and diverse career but he was sounding honky tonk ready at Allstar!

In this week's episode we're featuring an off-the-beaten-path slice of the neo-traditional era from Larry Boone: "One Way To Go" (1991). Boone's songwriting prowess was his main claim to fame, but with a solid country vocal, movie star good looks and three albums for Mercury and two for Columbia (including this one), Boone had his chances at solo stardom. It's mostly the era that's on the table this week: a time when country was country and the world wasn't so complicated (full disclosure: your host was a kid in the early 90s). Let the fiddle punctuation of Rob Hajacos, the dobro touches of Jerry Douglas and the ethereal steel guitar of Paul Franklin ease you into an enjoyable and nostalgic three hour trip back to 1991 this week with Larry Boone and "One Way To Go".

In this week's show we're featuring a later career album for longtime Opry staple and country music fixture Little Jimmy Dickens: "Country Music Hall Of Fame" (1984). The front cover indeed depicts the moment Dickens was inducted to the Hall Of Fame after four years of nominations; a plaque tucked under his arm while being greeted on stage by Barbara Mandrell and trying not to shed a tear. For a man so long in country music, Dickens was best known for his Opry appearances, razor sharp wit and for being simply a "part" of the industry. Most fans could recognise his name but Dickens' own catalogue remains overlooked. We change that this week with "Country Music Hall Of Fame": the album Porter Wagoner called Dickens' best-to-date and an appropriate slice of the 4'11" "Tater" - his versatility and sterling treatment of a good country song is on full display. From the showstopping tearjerker "Raggedy Ann" and the peppy "She'll Party At The Drop Of A Hat" to the lovelorn "Holding On To Life", Dickens' place as "part of the Opry furniture" hides a very long and fascinating career and a voice that didn't seem to age.

In this week's episode we're featuring the debut full-length album for Texan Summer Dean: "Bad Romantic" (2021). Born in Clay County, Texas and country as a dirt clod, there's been a lot of living in the three or more years between Dean's first EP "Unladylike" in 2016 and "Bad Romantic": growing comfortable in herself and her situation served as inspiration for many of the album's tracks (six of which Dean wrote or co-wrote). Seems to this reviewer that the first half of the LP could have been done in consultation with Waylon and Haggard, and Dean's Texas dancehall roots are showing on the second; Jess Meador's rising fiddle intro from "Hey Mister" recalls in no uncertain terms the very best of Johnny's Bush's material. Well chosen covers from modern day songsmiths Simon Flory and Brennen Leigh match beautifully with contributions from Leona Williams and Linda Hargrove, all tied together with Dean's vocal, wonderfully worn around the edges: honest and working class. A sterling shuffle in "Three Timin' Game" follows on from "Distracted" (dripping in co-producer Kevin Skrla's steel) and Hargrove's "Blue Jean Country Queen" seems to fit Dean like a glove. Summer Dean fills a gap in the greater roots music scene nationwide with "Bad Romantic": a lack of good ol' hardcore Texas country music, heavy on the attitude, fiddle and steel. And I'm sure glad about it.

In this week's episode we're featuring a 2002 independent album whose name says it all from Missouri's Leland Martin: "Simply Traditional". Born into an impoverished family with eight siblings in the ironically named Success, Missouri, Leland Martin learned how to pick the guitar early on and wound up working some pretty rough venues with his younger brother as teens. Following his marriage at seventeen, Martin took a job at a sawmill and later as a truck driver, picking music on the weekends and building a loyal following around the area. A brief stint as lead guitarist with Freddie Hart in the early 80s revealed that a musician's life on the road wasn't for Martin, but it took another fifteen years before his first album materialised. IGO Records took a chance on the 45-year-old in 2002 and "Simply Traditional" received enough of a response for a series of follow-up albums. "If I Had Long Legs (Like Alan Jackson)" was a fun, who's-who of 90s country (and also a minor chart hit); Wanda Vick's melancholic dobro punctuates the big-rig themed "Stone Cold Fingers" (a topic Martin knows something about); the steel-dreched wordplay of "Freddie's Hart" was enough to have Martin's one-time boss join in on duet vocals. An excellent independent album from Leland Martin warrants the spotlight this week on "Simply Traditional".

In this week's episode we've got a magnificent snapshot of the talented United Artists country roster: "A King & Two Queens" (1964). Initially conceived as a soundtrack-centric label in conjunction with it's film wing, United Artists Records later expanded to jazz and rock and roll. Furthermore, when the legendary Pappy Daily moved from Mercury/Starday to United Artists in 1962, he brought George Jones with him. Also along for the ride was the newly-signed Melba Montgomery and Judy Lynn, both fresh to UA in 1963 and 1962 respectively. Even though "A King & Two Queens" is a compilation of previously released material, pretty typical for the era, it feels slightly more cohesive in that each artist has four cuts and they rotate evenly throughout the LP. But more importantly is the quality of the material: straight ahead fiddle-and-steel honky tonk with no messing around. A snapshot of the small but mighty country roster at United Artists in 1964.

In this week's episode we're featuring a 1973 album from Porter Wagoner: "I'll Keep On Lovin' You". Porter was churning out three or four LPs a year for RCA at this point, his TV show was still as popular as ever and his duets with Dolly Parton were about near their commercial peak. The Grand Ole Opry star maintained a superb level of consistency in his traditional country output and does again here on our feature album. Buck Trent's electric banjo is front and centre on "Can You Tell Me" as is Porter's easy style of recitation (this reviewer is a sucker for those) on "Through The Eyes Of A Blind Man". And despite any working or personal differences that came after 1973, Wagoner was not too proud to use Dolly Parton's prodiguous skill as a writer on this album, cutting four from Dolly's pen including a couple of gems in "Jasper County Law" and "Talkin' To Myself". Like many Opry stars of the past, Wagoner doesn't get a whole lot of love in conversations about country music these days but as we'll discover, his back catalogue is absolutely worth exploring.

In this week's episode we're featuring the final album in Johnny Russell's six short years at RCA Records: "Here Comes Johnny Russell" (1975). A big man with a big heart and a big voice, Russell turned to songwriting in his mid-teens (mostly out of necessity) and in 1959 scored a B-side on Jim Reeves monster "He'll Have To Go". Russell's "In A Mansion Stands My Love" got the attention of Chet Atkins and it was that relationship which bore fruit many times over for the talented Mississippi entertainer. "Act Naturally" from Russell's pen proved highly lucrative when Buck Owens and a slew of others cut it in 1963 onwards, and he was soon hired to The Wilburn Brothers' Surefire Music where he worked for a number of years. Like many performers however, Russell wanted to sing - growing frustrated at his lack of opportunities he even moved back to California for a time before Atkins finally put him on RCA in 1971. Recognition in the form of several hits songs came Russell's way and his output over six years remained consistently strong. "Here Comes Johnny Russell" is an enjoyable listen and worthy of a feature this week.

In this week's episode we're traveling back to the mid-80s and remembering the two year, two album period where Reba McEntire could have staked her claim as the pre-eminent female voice of country's new traditional movement. Our feature album this week is 1985's "Have I Got A Deal For You", which continued Reba's sensational start for MCA Records (following up "My Kind Of Country" (1984)). Speaking of that period in her career in a later interview, Reba said: "I wanted steel guitar. I wanted fiddle. I didn’t want the orchestra coming in and playing on my songs. I wanted more country songs." And a move from Mercury to MCA saw that desire come to fruition - albums with well-selected songs dripping with steel guitar from Weldon Myrick and playful fiddle licks from fiddle maestro Johnny Gimble were hallmarks of Reba's material at this stage. As the new traditional movement really kicked into gear, however, McEntire's sound drifted further towards the pop charts and by the end of the decade 1985's "Have I Got A Deal For You" was ancient history. But what a history - let's explore!

In this week's episode we're cherry-picking the best hard country cuts from our twin feature albums on Roy Drusky: "Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2" [1965, 1968]. Blessed with a heckuva radio voice, when Drusky's baseball dream didn't materialise he found work as a DJ at several stations before coming to prominence as a songwriter. Hits with Faron Young and others in the late 50s eventually lead to a contract with Shelby Singleton's Mercury outfit in 1963. Seen largely as Mercury's answer to Eddy Arnold, Roy Drusky's smooth baritone fell firmly into the country crooner category; a subgenre out of favour with country fans today (a fact which might explain Drusky's relatively obscurity despite his success). However, with a keen ear for a good country song, Roy Drusky cut a number of great traditional country songs during his 60s heyday and we'll pull 'em out for ya this week!

In this week's episode we're jumping in the semi and travelling north to get our twang on with Winnipeg's Sean Burns & Lost Country. One of only a handful of traditional country acts playing that city, Burns and the band stayed busy in 2020. In between lockdowns they managed a Bakersfield EP and our feature album this week: an all big rig affair on "We Gotta Lotta Truckin' To Do" (2020). Anchored by Burns' unique and in-your-face delivery (bending notes within an inch of their lives), Lost Country race through a familiar-yet-fresh set of 13 truckin' covers (including one original). Leaning on the legends of this high-energy subgenre, renditions of songs made famous by Dave Dudley, Red Sovine, Del Reeves, Dick Curless and The Willis Brothers will keep your eyes wide and on the road. Recorded at their home away from home in the historic Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club in Winnipeg, "We Gotta Lotta Truckin' To Do" is a twangalicious and infectious slice of Sean Burns & Lost Country live and we couldn't help but include the whole dang thing in this week's show.

Red Steagall maintains that he was twenty-five years old before he knew anything other than mesquite trees, buffalo grass, barbed wire and Bob Wills. But after a move from his Texas Panhandle home to Hollywood in 1965, Steagall learnt quickly. During twenty years in the music business he worked with many of the biggest artists, producers, songwriters and musicians in country history. From running the West Coast office of United Artists Records to pitching songs to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin with Jimmy Bowen as part of Amos Publications, Steagall learnt the ropes from the business end. His own solo career never reached the heights it should have and though he might not be a national household name, Steagall's western swing-infused country music catalogue remains sorely overlooked: from a box of 45RPM singles, this week's show is a deep dive into Steagall's cavernous body of work and a chance to re-discover "Texas Red".

Gifted with perfect pitch, technique and vocal control, Dawn Sears remains a criminally underappreciated country talent. There were few voices in recent memory quite like Sears': every time she opened her mouth to sing, you could see her soul. This week it's a stack of Dawn Sears at her country best - from two major label albums, one independent a couple with western swingers The Time Jumpers, Sears' career is thoroughly worth revisiting.

Big, bright, bold, vivid, colourful and appealing - it could only be a Starday album! And that's what we've got this time for another piece of bonus content this week - usually exclusive to our Patreon members - it's called "COVER TO COVER", where we take a great traditional country album and play it right the way through, from front to back, in order and in full. And trust me when I say it's music you won't hear anywhere else - we specifically check to make sure our COVER TO COVER albums aren't on Spotify before featuring! Aside from the regular show, we'll be doing COVER TO COVER at least once a month for our Patreon members at any level and intermittently I will be releasing a COVER TO COVER episode as a podcast to you here, but for the most part, this feature is intended as a piece of bonus content - so enjoy! This time we go cover to cover on a typical Starday album for The Willis Brothers: "Road Stop: Juke Box Hits" (1965). The unmistakable high hillbilly harmony of The Willis Brothers found at home at Starday and they enjoyed their biggest hits in the early 60s, including (as on this album) plenty of cleverly-written uptempo novelty material.

In this week's episode we're featuring the first of three albums compiled on the sensational Curtis Potter on Heart Of Texas Records: "Them Old Honky Tonks". Plucked from a budding career in Abilene in his late teens, Potter joined Hank Thompson's legendary Brazos Valley Boys as frontman and bass player and released his first solo album on Hank T.'s own label (Dot) in 1971. A working relationship with legendary producer and songwriter Ray Pennington began in about 1974 at RCA, but by the mid 80s Potter found himself without a contract. Initially co-founded by Pennington with the intention of giving Curtis Potter a home to record at, Step One Records was formed in 1984 and in those mid 80s, Potter and Pennington were busy in studio. The majority of that material, for whatever reason, remained unreleased until Pennington handed it over (with his blessing) to Potter, who sought to have it released at Heart Of Texas Records. Transferred untouched from the original reel-to-reel tapes, "Them Old Honky Tonks" became the first of three compiled albums from Potter's mid 80s time at Step One on Heart Of Texas: heavy on the honky tonk shuffles and heavy on twin fiddles and steel guitar. Curtis Potter, as a student of the "Ray Price school of singing", is in fine voice on this collection - unearthed from a period when Potter and Pennington were making some of the finest hard country music never heard until now.NB. Big thanks to Justin Trevino for the help in compiling this episode!

In this week's episode we're featuring an album from the commercial peak of singing cowboy Chris LeDoux: "Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy" (1992). LeDoux's talent with a cowboy song earnt him a loyal fanbase and impressive sales as an independent artist over 22 albums in the 18 years to 1990. However, legitimate national stardom eluded him until a young Garth Brooks namechecked his idol in "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" in 1989. Though radio barely allowed him a "hit", LeDoux's fanbase only continued to grow on the back of his signing with Liberty/Capitol as well as his relatable and sometimes high-energy material and stage show. Despite pyrotechnics and coast-to-coast touring, LeDoux remained a humble, down-to-earth and sometimes shy family man who's inspiration for music remained in the sport of rodeo, his wife, kids and life in The West.

In this week's episode we're featuring a killer all-original album from classic country torchbearer Dale Watson: "Whiskey Or God" (2006). After stints in Houston, Los Angeles and Nashville, Watson ended up in Austin, Texas around the time a record deal with Hightone came to fruition in the mid 90s. Over the next decade or so, Watson established himself in that city as a very popular draw and around the world as a staunch traditionalist whose music hails back to a time when Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash ruled the airwaves. The five or six years leading up to "Whiskey Or God" were tough for Watson - his girlfriend's sudden passing in 2000 was the catalyst for a particularly rough stretch - and there was even very serious talk about giving up music for good. Thankfully, Watson was able to turn it around and "Whiskey Or God" proved he hadn't missed a beat. Fourteen all-original and sensationally twangy tracks made it exceptionally hard to narrow down the playlist for this week's show: highlights incude a handful of two-step floor fillers like "Sit, Drink And Cry" and "It Hurts So Good"; a cut later found on the "Truckin' Sessions" trilogy twangs to perfection on "No Help Wanted" and the cajun fiddle and Watson's Lone Stars rip through the infectious "I Ain't Be Right, Since I've Been Left". "Whiskey Or God" is just another Dale Watson album. They're all that good.

In this week's episode we're featuring the third album from one of the neo-traditional movement's shining lights: Holly Dunn's "Across The Rio Grande" (1988). In this reviewer's estimation, the late 80s saw only a handful of female country voices making honest-to-goodness roots-inspired country music, of which Dunn was one (another being Patty Loveless); and on this, her third album and final for MTM Records, Holly Dunn took on a much bigger production role. "Across The Rio Grande" was a mostly stripped-down affair compared to Dunn's previous offerings - there was barely an electric instrument to be seen (except maybe a bass, according to Dunn). There's some excellent songwriting with her brother Chris Waters as well as a couple of chart singles which did well enough, but the real strength lies in the heartfelt delivery of album cuts including the tender (and poignant, given Dunn's untimely passing) "On The Wings Of An Angel" and the yearning "Just Across The Rio Grande". A fine textured and multi-layered album from one of the neo-traditional era's finest young talents.

Howdy hard country fans! I thought it was time to release another piece of bonus content this week - usually exclusive to our Patreon members - it's called "COVER TO COVER", where we take a great traditional country album and play it right the way through, from front to back, in order and in full. And trust me when I say it's music you won't hear anywhere else - we specifically check to make sure our COVER TO COVER albums aren't on Spotify before featuring! Aside from the regular show, we'll be doing COVER TO COVER at least once a month for our Patreon members at any level and intermittently I will be releasing a COVER TO COVER episode as a podcast to you here, but for the most part, this feature is intended as a piece of bonus content - so enjoy! This time we go cover to cover on the one and only album Johnny Paycheck ever recorded for the short-lived Certron Records. After legendary producer Aubrey Mayhew's Little Darlin' Records went bust in 1969, he scrambled to keep the operation going and partnered with Certron Corporation, bringing a chunk of his roster and his signature hard country sound with him. It didn't last long though, and Paycheck's "Again" is one of the final original era examples of the Little Darlin' Sound that traditional country fans have come to love.

In this week's episode we're taking a long overdue dive into the sophomore album from California young gun Jesse Daniel: "Rollin' On" (2020). Co-produced by A-class steel man Tommy Detamore, this album rips right out of the gate. An all-original project, this collection is packed with punchy, catchy and relatable writing and rarely lets up on the high-energy twang - the reaction to "Rollin' On" reflects how well put together this album is. Indeed, excellent sales and streaming stats got the attention of plenty of industry players, but Daniel remains proudly independent on his own imprint Die True Records. With harmony vocals and several co-writes from Daniel's partner Jodi Lyford, highlights are plentiful: the colourful story of "Champion"; the clever metaphor of "Mayo And The Mustard"; a road-trip in song on "Tar Snakes" and the wistful ode to Daniel's hometown of Ben Lomond, CA in "Son Of The San Lorenzo". One full listen will be all it takes to understand why "Rollin' On" was at or near the top of so many "Best Of 2020" lists. Simply superb.

In this week's episode we're featuring the debut of Tennessean David Wills: "Barrooms To Bedrooms" (1975). Wills, only 23 years old at the time, was taken under the wing of Epic labelmate Charlie Rich who produced this project (as well as his second album, rushed out in the second half of '75 to capitalise on "Barrooms To Bedrooms"). Apparently driven by a desire to give back and help Wills get a leg up in country music, four Charlie Rich compositions ended up on the final product, handled wonderfully by the natural country baritone of David Wills. An accomplished writer and multi-instrumentalist himself, Wills' interpretation of jukebox-ready originals like "There's A Song On The Jukebox", "The Barmaid" as well as the Rich-penned "Sittin' And Thinkin" and "My Mountain Dew" are remarkably strong for a man who seems to have disappeared as a recording artist post-1990. A hard country debut so solid that even Rich (perhaps jokingly) admitted jealousy at Wills' ability to interpret a country song.

In this week's episode we're featuring the studio version of an event which became an Austin, Texas institution: "Happy Birthday Buck: A Texas Salute To Buck Owens" (2002). When a couple of accomplished Austin-area musicians in Casper Rawls and Tom Lewis started kicking around the idea to hold a Buck Owens birthday party, they didn't think anyone would show up. It was mostly just an excuse to pick on some Bakersfield Sound and have some fun. But on August 12, 1992 (Buck's 63rd birthday), the legendary Continental Club was a full house and the event was so popular that Buck Owens Birthday Bash became an annual event. Over 25 years, Buck's Birthday Bash attracted local musicians and legends alike, and this week's feature album commemorates ten years with a stack of names (some regular Birthday Bash attendees, some just admirers) covering Owens' hits, from the big ones to the lesser known gems - with contributions from David Ball, Rick Trevino, Rosie Flores, Jim Lauderdale, Libbi Bosworth, Jeff Hughes, Ray Benson and one very special guest who made Buck's 1995 Birthday Bash one for the history books!

Welcome back to 2021! To get us going this year, we're releasing a recent piece of bonus content, usually exclusive to our Patreon members - it's called "COVER TO COVER", where we take a great traditional country album and play it right the way through, from front to back, in order and in full. And trust me when I say it's music you won't hear anywhere else - we specifically check to make sure our COVER TO COVER albums aren't on Spotify before featuring! Aside from the regular show, we'll be doing COVER TO COVER at least once a month for our Patreon members at any level and intermittently I will be releasing a COVER TO COVER episode as a podcast to you here, but for the most part, this feature is intended as a piece of bonus content - so enjoy! This time we go cover to cover on Mel Street's final full-length, original studio album of his career: "Country Soul" (1978). A hardcore country traditionalist, "Country Soul" contains plenty of cheating songs (Street's forte) as well as his last Top 10 hit. Country gold!

I'll admit that in the past I've generally not counted myself much of a fan of Christmas music. But in the last few years, I guess I've become less Grinch-y and so when the opportunity to take part in an all-vinyl episode of a popular local radio show, I jumped at the chance! Actually, I borrowed my wife's classic country Christmas vinyl collection (with thanks!), ditched my hardline traditionalist stance (for an hour), embraced the greater classic country genre and with host Leigh Wood, we got to play some classics, some novelties and a whole bunch of classic country Christmas music on The KUAF Vinyl Hour. We swapped the fiddle and steel for jingle bells and lush Christmassy choruses, but it was heaps of fun. Maybe you'll enjoy it too! Merry Christmas! - WR [Originally aired on KUAF 91.3FM Fayetteville, Arkansas on Saturday 19th December, 2020].

PART TWO OF TWO: 2020 has been an awful year for everybody. But for country music, this year seems to have been especially devastating. I can't remember a year where so many country icons have been taken - it seems like we've barely had the time to mourn the passing of one country star when another one has passed. It's been utterly exhausting for me to wrap my head around, personally. But the loss of Charley Pride in December of 2020 was different. Pride was a giant of the genre, no doubt about it, and all his trailblazing aside, Pride's buttery vocal and most of his catalogue fit our format down to a T here at "If That Ain't Country". His was a big loss indeed. And so, I thought it fitting to re-release an archival episode of the show which originally aired in February of 2019. Bear with my presenting style if you can (we're always learning, but even more so back then haha): the music enclosed on "From Me To You" is typically excellent. An icon remembered this week on the show - I hope you and yours are staying safe! And despite it all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! - WR

PART ONE OF TWO: 2020 has been an awful year for everybody, no doubt about it. But for country music, this year seems to have been especially devastating. I can't remember a year where so many country icons have been taken - it seems like we've barely had the time to mourn the passing of one country star when another one has passed. It's been utterly exhausting for me to wrap my head around, personally. But the loss of Charley Pride in December of 2020 was different. Pride was a giant of the genre, no doubt about it, and all his trailblazing aside, Pride's buttery vocal and most of his catalogue fit our format down to a T here at "If That Ain't Country". His was a big loss indeed. And so, I thought it fitting to re-release an archival episode of the show which originally aired in February of 2017. Bear with my presenting style if you can (we're always learning, but even more so back then haha): the music enclosed on "The Incomparable Charley Pride" is stellar. An icon remembered this week on the show - I hope you and yours are staying safe! And despite it all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! - WR

In this week's episode we're featuring music exclusively from the fiercely independent and staunchly traditional Heart Of Texas Records. Based in the small town of Brady, Texas (the city nearest to the geographical center of the state, hence "Heart Of Texas"), Heart Of Texas Records is the only label (this reviewer knows of) which focuses exclusively on fiddle and steel guitar-driven traditional country music. Like Starday Records before it, Heart Of Texas Records has become a destination for up-and-coming country traditionalists as well as another chance for country stars of yesterday, giving a slew of legends a home to be heard on record once again. We'll feature a stack of music from the Heart Of Texas Records impressive catalogue and we'll also attempt to tell the story of a young Brady DJ and promoter who's passion for tradition helped establish the most important organisation in existence in the 21st Century for fans of hardcore country music.

In this week's episode we're featuring a 1969 album from prolific songwriting and singing talent Liz Anderson: "Country Style". After relocating from North Dakota, The Andersons moved to Southern California and by the end of the decade, demand was growing for Liz Anderson's songwriting. She'd routinely host many of The West Coast's greats in her living room for picking parties and song pitching opportunities and those connections paid off with her first real hit as a songwriter coming in 1961 when Del Reeves cut "Be Quiet Mind". She was an instrumental part of Merle Haggard's early career (Liz Anderson's "(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers" proved the inspiration for The Hag's band name if you need any further proof of Anderson's importance), and Chet Atkins signed her to RCA in 1965. Liz Anderson enjoyed a few hits while at that label but was too often pushed towards fluffy semi-novelty material for sustained success. And while Anderson didn't possess the down-home twang of Loretta or the hurting of Tammy Wynette, to this reviewer's ears she did have some of Kitty Wells' plaintive stylings and her everywoman vocal is right at home on "Country Style".