Jac Holzman Presents Dylan’s Circle
Andrew Smith Elektra Records 603497813575 Curated by Jac Holzman and music historian Dr. Ted Olson to celebrate Elektra Records’ 75th anniversary, Dylan’s Circle showcases Bob Dylan alongside a variety of influential Elektra artists, including Fred Neil, Tom Paxton, and Judy Collins. This special collection honours the creativity, collaboration, and friendly rivalry that defined these artists, […]
Much More to the Hank Williams Story
Andrew Smith A review of A Psychological Biography Of Hiram “Hank” Williams, Volumes I, II and III by Paul R. Nail, Ph.D. Since Hank Williams’s passing roughly seventy years ago, he has remained a prominent figure in country music history, and his tumultuous life and early death still fascinate authors and fans alike. Over the […]
The Rich-R-Tone Folk Star Story: Appalachia On Record 1946-1954
Andrew Smith Bear Family BCD17549 (12-CD box set) The German Bear Family company has produced some excellent multi-CD sets of country music over the past few decades, though sadly, Bear seems to have ceased releasing new box sets—that is until now, with this collection, which lives up to the high standard of its predecessors, and […]
Steve Young – Stars In The Southern Sky
Steve Young Stars In The Southern Sky Omnivore Recordings OVCV-554 3-CD set with 40-page booklet Produced by Stephen Powers and Ted Olson A review by Andrew Smith Steve Young (1942 – 2016), a pioneer of “Southern Music”—which encompasses country rock, Americana and the “Outlaw” movement—is best known for his songs Lonesome, On’ry and Mean […]
Carl and Pearl Butler
Andrew Smith Crying My Heart Out Over You This CD was released by Bear Family in 1993, and I’ve had it since then, but after listening to it again, I decided it warrants a review, especially since Bear is now selling it at a bargain price. For hardcore, intense honky-tonk country music, Carl (1927-1992) and […]
The Hank Williams Connection
Andrew Smith This single, 33-track CD comprises versions of Hank Williams songs by other artists, ranging from hard-core country to rockabilly and popular (including big-band) music. Its release in late 2023 marked the centenary of Hank’s birth (on September 17, 1923) and, arguably, close to the anniversary of his death, purportedly on January 1, 1953. […]
Sanford Clark – Rocks
Andrew Smith This Bear Family 31-track CD highlights some of Sanford Clark’s output between 1956 and 1967 for their “Rocks” series. Best known for his hit, The Fool and a minor hit follow-up, A Cheat (both with guitar by Al Casey), Clark was a pleasant-voiced rockabilly and country performer who was associated for much of […]
Bill Carter – Ramblin’ Fever
Andrew Smith Bear Family have issued yet another interesting, budget priced, and fully documented double-CD set with this release. Bill Carter, its featured artist, recorded country and rockabilly music from 1953 until 1961. He was born in 1929 in Arkansas; his family moved to Oklahoma in 1937 and then California in 1943. He performed locally […]
Augie Meyers – High Texas Rider
Andrew Smith Augie Meyers features on another album in Bear Family’s On The Honky Tonk Highway series. Perhaps best described as “Texas Country,” tracks on this entertaining 26-track album run the gamut from anthems to Texas (Deed To Texas, Deep In The Heart Of Texas, Sun Shines Down On Me In Texas, High Texas Rider), […]
On the Honky Tonk Highway with Jeannie C. Riley
Andrew Smith “She was an excellent singer, a true singer, in the same league as Patsy Cline or Connie Smith in terms of range, clarity, and expressed feelings,” wrote Martin Hawkins about Jeannie C. Riley in the booklet accompanying this outstanding Bear Family reissue. “She was the real deal, a genuine country sounding singer but […]