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Posted

It's something that I never thought would happen, but I've become interested in early Country and Western music. About a year ago, on a whim, I purchased the Proper box on Ernest Tubb (please don't yell at me!) and I have enjoyed it ever since. The singing on the Tubb's box is wonderfull, and the man did write great songs. A couple of months ago I got the Hank Williams set, and, again, I enjoyed it. Now I'm wondering what are the ligit cds and box sets out there that I should be getting. I really, really don't like what's on country radio, and the era that seems to match my interest in up until the 1960s. So, let me have those cds recommendation that I really need!

Posted

I'd like to piggyback this request with an even more specific request. While you guys are thinking about Country and Western recordings, I'm looking for Country and Western recordings with vibraphone. I know Gary Burton went to Nashville in the late 1960s and recorded Tennessee Firebird. I've been told there were a few percussionists in Nashville before he got there that played sessions with vibes in the arrangement. If you can think of any while you are on this tangent, please throw them out there.

I tried before with a thread called "Nashville Vibraphone" and came up empty. Maybe throwing this in on a broader thread will help.

Unfortunately, I don't have any specific recommendations for you Matthew, but I do like that classic C&W sound! A lot of today's country sounds like a total de-rail to me too.

Posted (edited)

My recommendations are listed below (I haven't updated this list for quite a while).

The list is by no means complete, and many CDs are probably OOP.

Not included: Bluegrass, the Singing Cowboys, Johnny Cash, the Singer / Songwriters and Outlaws of the 1970s, and the New Traditionalists of the 1980s and 1990s.

OLD-TIME MUSIC

Various - White Country Blues: 1926-1938, A Lighter Shade of Blue - 2CD, Columbia

Various - The Bristol Sessions - 2CD, Country Music Foundation

Uncle Dave Macon - Travelin' Down the Road - County

Uncle Dave Macon - Go Long Mule - County

OR

Uncle Dave Macon - Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy - 9CD, Bear Family

Skillet Lickers - Old-Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs from North Georgia - County

Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers - Old Time Songs, 1925-1930 - County

Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers - Vol.2: Old Time Songs, 1926-1930 - County

Charlie Poole - The Legend of Charlie Poole, Vol.3: Original Recordings, 1926-1930 - County

Darby & Tarlton - Complete Recordings - 3CD, Bear Family

Carter Family - Country Music Hall of Fame - MCA

Carter Family - In the Shadow of Clinch Mountain - 12CD, Bear Family

Jimmie Rodgers - The Essential Jimmie Rodgers - RCA

OR

Jimmie Rodgers - The Singing Brakeman - 6CD, Bear Family

BROTHER DUETS

Various - Are You from Dixie - RCA

Blue Sky Boys - The Sunny Side of Life - 5CD, Bear Family

Delmore Brothers - Sand Mountain Blues - County

Delmore Brothers - Brown's Ferry Blues - County

Delmore Brothers - Freight Train Boogie - Ace (UK)

Louvin Brothers - Country Love Ballads / A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers - Capitol (UK)

OR

Louvin Brothers - Close Harmony - 8CD, Bear Family

WESTERN SWING

Milton Brown & the Musical Brownies - 5CD, Texas Rose

Bob Wills - The Essential Bob Wills - Columbia (1992 issue)

Bob Wills - The Bob Wills Anthology - Columbia

OR

Bob Wills - San Antonio Rose - 12CD, Bear Family

Billy Jack Wills & His Western Swing Band - Sacramento 1952-1954 - Joaquin

COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE 1940s

Roy Acuff - The Essential Roy Acuff, 1936-1949 - Columbia (1992 issue)

HONKY-TONK

Ernest Tubb - Country Music Hall of Fame - MCA

Ernest Tubb - The Definitive Hits Collection - 2CD, Collector's Choice

Ernest Tubb - Walking the Floor over You (1936-1947) - 8CD, Bear Family

Note: There are many more Bear Family Ernest Tubb boxes, but this one is the best in my opinion, and it has the original recordings, no remakes.

Floyd Tillman - Country Music Hall of Fame - MCA

Floyd Tillman - The Best of Floyd Tillman - Collector's Choice

Cowboy Copas - Tragic Tales of Love and Life - King

Hawkshaw Hawkins - I'm a Rattlesnakin' Daddy: The Anthology, 1946-1963 - Westside (UK)

Hank Thompson - The Capitol Collectors Series - Capitol

Hank Williams - Rare Demos, First to Last - Country Music Foundation

Hank Williams - The Complete Hank Williams - 10CD, MGM / Mercury

Webb Pierce - King of the Honky-Tonk: From the Original Decca Masters, 1952-1959 - Country Music Foundation

Webb Pierce - The Wondering Boy, 1951-1958 - 4CD, Bear Family

Ray Price - The Essential Ray Price, 1951-1962 - Columbia

OR

Ray Price - The Honky Tonk Years, 1950-1966 - 10CD, Bear Family

Note: Price's 1960s recordings heavily feature the so-called "Nashville Sound"

Kitty Wells - The Queen of Country Music - 4CD, Bear Family

Lefty Frizzell - Look What Thoughts Will Do - 2CD, Columbia

OR

Lefty Frizzell - Life's Like Poetry - 12CD, Bear Family

Carl Smith - The Essential Carl Smith, 1950-1956 - Columbia

OR

Carl Smith - Satisfaction Guaranteed - 5CD, Bear Family

Jean Shepard - Honky-Tonk Heroine - Country Music Foundation

George Jones - The Best of George Jones, 1955-1967 - Rhino (Starday, Mercury, United Artists and Musicor recordings)

George Jones - Cup of Loneliness: The Classic Mercury Years - 2CD, Mercury

George Jones - The Race Is On - Razor & Tie (United Artists recordings)

George Jones - She Thinks I Still Care (The United Artists Years) - 2CD, Razor & Tie

George Jones - A Picture of Me (Without You) / Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half As Bad As Losing You) - Koch (Epic recordings)

George Jones - Anniversary - Columbia (Epic recordings)

George Jones - The Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country - 2CD, Columbia

COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE 1950s

Moon Mullican - Showboy Special: The Early King Sides - Westside (UK)

Moon Mullican - Moon's Tunes: The Chronological King Recordings, Vol.1, 1947-1950 - Westside (UK)

Moon Mullican - Moonshine Jamboree - Ace (UK) (King recordings)

Moon Mullican - Seven Nights to Rock: More King Classics, 1950-1956 - Ace (UK)

Faron Young - Live Fast, Love Hard: Original Capitol Recordings, 1952-1962

Hank Snow - The Essential Hank Snow - RCA

Hank Snow - The Singing Ranger: I'm Movin' On, 1949-1953 - 4CD, Bear Family

Note: There are many more Bear Family Hank Snow boxes, but this one is the best in my opinion.

COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE 1960s

Porter Wagoner - The Essential Porter Wagoner - RCA

Porter Wagoner - The Thin Man from West Plains - 4CD, Bear Family

Porter Wagoner - The Cold Hard Facts of Life / The Carroll County Accident - Eagle (EU)

BAKERSFIELD

Wynn Stewart - California Country: The Best of the Challenge Masters - AVI

Buck Owens - Together Again / My Heart Skips a Beat - Sundazed

Buck Owens - I've Got a Tiger by the Tail - Sundazed

Buck Owens - Country Ballads - Sundazed

Buck Owens - You're for Me - Sundazed

Buck Owens - The Very Best of Buck Owens, Vol.1 - Rhino

Buck Owens - The Very Best of Buck Owens, Vol.2 - Rhino

Merle Haggard - Strangers - Capitol

OR

Merle Haggard - Strangers / Swinging Doors - Capitol (UK)

Merle Haggard - I'm a Lonesome Fugitive - Capitol

Merle Haggard - Branded Man - Capitol

Merle Haggard - Sing Me Back Home - Capitol

OR

Merle Haggard - Untamed Hawk - 5CD, Bear Family

Merle Haggard - Mama Tried - Capitol

Merle Haggard - Capitol Collectors Series - Capitol

Merle Haggard - More of the Best of Merle Haggard - Rhino

Edited by J.A.W.
Posted

Great list there, J.A.W. That should get you started, Matthew! ;)

No shame in listening to good ol' C&W. The new stuff you hear on the radio...that's something else entirely.

Hank Williams is definitely the place to begin, IMO. From there, you can pretty much go with anything on J.A.W.'s list. I can personally recommend anything by Ernest Tubb (as you already know!), Hank Snow, Hank Thompson, Bob Wills, Merle Haggard (there's a great 5-disc box on Capitol called 'Down Every Road')... Also, in regards to Proper - there's a box called 'Doughboys, Playboys and Cowboys: The Golden Years Of Western Swing' that's a great introduction to that music (especially for $20!).

Enjoy!

Posted

It's something that I never thought would happen, but I've become interested in early Country and Western music. About a year ago, on a whim, I purchased the Proper box on Ernest Tubb (please don't yell at me!) and I have enjoyed it ever since. The singing on the Tubb's box is wonderfull, and the man did write great songs. A couple of months ago I got the Hank Williams set, and, again, I enjoyed it. Now I'm wondering what are the ligit cds and box sets out there that I should be getting. I really, really don't like what's on country radio, and the era that seems to match my interest in up until the 1960s. So, let me have those cds recommendation that I really need!

My recommendation would be to stay away ^_^ !

Posted (edited)

Hans has already given you more than enought to begin with. I'll just add a few personal favorites that didn't make his list:

Old Time Mountain Guitar 1926-1931 (County)

Cliff Carlisle: Blues Yodeler and Steel Guitar Wizard (Arhoolie)

Roscoe Holcomb: The High lonesome Sound (Smithsonian Folkways)

Roscoe Holcomb: An Untamed Sense of Control (Smithsonian Folkways)

Gene O'Quin: Boogie Woogie Fever (Bear Family)

Johhny Paycheck: The Real Mr. Heartache - The Little Darlin Years (Country Music Foundation)

Stanley Brothers: Earliest Recordings - the Complete Rich-R-Tone 78's (1947-1952) (Revenant)

Stanley Brothers: Long Journey Home (Rebel)

Forgot a favorite ET:

Ernest Tubb: Live, 1965 (Rhino)

Edited by paul secor
Posted

My recommendations are listed below (I haven't updated this list for quite a while).

The list is by no means complete, and many CDs are probably OOP.

Not included: Bluegrass, the Singing Cowboys, Johnny Cash, the Singer / Songwriters and Outlaws of the 1970s, and the New Traditionalists of the 1980s and 1990s.

OLD-TIME MUSIC

Various - White Country Blues: 1926-1938, A Lighter Shade of Blue - 2CD, Columbia

Various - The Bristol Sessions - 2CD, Country Music Foundation

Uncle Dave Macon - Travelin' Down the Road - County

Uncle Dave Macon - Go Long Mule - County

OR

Uncle Dave Macon - Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy - 9CD, Bear Family

Skillet Lickers - Old-Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs from North Georgia - County

Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers - Old Time Songs, 1925-1930 - County

Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers - Vol.2: Old Time Songs, 1926-1930 - County

Charlie Poole - The Legend of Charlie Poole, Vol.3: Original Recordings, 1926-1930 - County

Darby & Tarlton - Complete Recordings - 3CD, Bear Family

Carter Family - Country Music Hall of Fame - MCA

Carter Family - In the Shadow of Clinch Mountain - 12CD, Bear Family

Jimmie Rodgers - The Essential Jimmie Rodgers - RCA

OR

Jimmie Rodgers - The Singing Brakeman - 6CD, Bear Family

BROTHER DUETS

Various - Are You from Dixie - RCA

Blue Sky Boys - The Sunny Side of Life - 5CD, Bear Family

Delmore Brothers - Sand Mountain Blues - County

Delmore Brothers - Brown's Ferry Blues - County

Delmore Brothers - Freight Train Boogie - Ace (UK)

Louvin Brothers - Country Love Ballads / A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers - Capitol (UK)

OR

Louvin Brothers - Close Harmony - 8CD, Bear Family

WESTERN SWING

Milton Brown & the Musical Brownies - 5CD, Texas Rose

Bob Wills - The Essential Bob Wills - Columbia (1992 issue)

Bob Wills - The Bob Wills Anthology - Columbia

OR

Bob Wills - San Antonio Rose - 12CD, Bear Family

Billy Jack Wills & His Western Swing Band - Sacramento 1952-1954 - Joaquin

COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE 1940s

Roy Acuff - The Essential Roy Acuff, 1936-1949 - Columbia (1992 issue)

HONKY-TONK

Ernest Tubb - Country Music Hall of Fame - MCA

Ernest Tubb - The Definitive Hits Collection - 2CD, Collector's Choice

Ernest Tubb - Walking the Floor over You (1936-1947) - 8CD, Bear Family

Note: There are many more Bear Family Ernest Tubb boxes, but this one is the best in my opinion, and it has the original recordings, no remakes.

Floyd Tillman - Country Music Hall of Fame - MCA

Floyd Tillman - The Best of Floyd Tillman - Collector's Choice

Cowboy Copas - Tragic Tales of Love and Life - King

Hawkshaw Hawkins - I'm a Rattlesnakin' Daddy: The Anthology, 1946-1963 - Westside (UK)

Hank Thompson - The Capitol Collectors Series - Capitol

Hank Williams - Rare Demos, First to Last - Country Music Foundation

Hank Williams - The Complete Hank Williams - 10CD, MGM / Mercury

Webb Pierce - King of the Honky-Tonk: From the Original Decca Masters, 1952-1959 - Country Music Foundation

Webb Pierce - The Wondering Boy, 1951-1958 - 4CD, Bear Family

Ray Price - The Essential Ray Price, 1951-1962 - Columbia

OR

Ray Price - The Honky Tonk Years, 1950-1966 - 10CD, Bear Family

Note: Price's 1960s recordings heavily feature the so-called "Nashville Sound"

Kitty Wells - The Queen of Country Music - 4CD, Bear Family

Lefty Frizzell - Look What Thoughts Will Do - 2CD, Columbia

OR

Lefty Frizzell - Life's Like Poetry - 12CD, Bear Family

Carl Smith - The Essential Carl Smith, 1950-1956 - Columbia

OR

Carl Smith - Satisfaction Guaranteed - 5CD, Bear Family

Jean Shepard - Honky-Tonk Heroine - Country Music Foundation

George Jones - The Best of George Jones, 1955-1967 - Rhino (Starday, Mercury, United Artists and Musicor recordings)

George Jones - Cup of Loneliness: The Classic Mercury Years - 2CD, Mercury

George Jones - The Race Is On - Razor & Tie (United Artists recordings)

George Jones - She Thinks I Still Care (The United Artists Years) - 2CD, Razor & Tie

George Jones - A Picture of Me (Without You) / Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half As Bad As Losing You) - Koch (Epic recordings)

George Jones - Anniversary - Columbia (Epic recordings)

George Jones - The Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country - 2CD, Columbia

COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE 1950s

Moon Mullican - Showboy Special: The Early King Sides - Westside (UK)

Moon Mullican - Moon's Tunes: The Chronological King Recordings, Vol.1, 1947-1950 - Westside (UK)

Moon Mullican - Moonshine Jamboree - Ace (UK) (King recordings)

Moon Mullican - Seven Nights to Rock: More King Classics, 1950-1956 - Ace (UK)

Faron Young - Live Fast, Love Hard: Original Capitol Recordings, 1952-1962

Hank Snow - The Essential Hank Snow - RCA

Hank Snow - The Singing Ranger: I'm Movin' On, 1949-1953 - 4CD, Bear Family

Note: There are many more Bear Family Hank Snow boxes, but this one is the best in my opinion.

COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE 1960s

Porter Wagoner - The Essential Porter Wagoner - RCA

Porter Wagoner - The Thin Man from West Plains - 4CD, Bear Family

Porter Wagoner - The Cold Hard Facts of Life / The Carroll County Accident - Eagle (EU)

BAKERSFIELD

Wynn Stewart - California Country: The Best of the Challenge Masters - AVI

Buck Owens - Together Again / My Heart Skips a Beat - Sundazed

Buck Owens - I've Got a Tiger by the Tail - Sundazed

Buck Owens - Country Ballads - Sundazed

Buck Owens - You're for Me - Sundazed

Buck Owens - The Very Best of Buck Owens, Vol.1 - Rhino

Buck Owens - The Very Best of Buck Owens, Vol.2 - Rhino

Merle Haggard - Strangers - Capitol

OR

Merle Haggard - Strangers / Swinging Doors - Capitol (UK)

Merle Haggard - I'm a Lonesome Fugitive - Capitol

Merle Haggard - Branded Man - Capitol

Merle Haggard - Sing Me Back Home - Capitol

OR

Merle Haggard - Untamed Hawk - 5CD, Bear Family

Merle Haggard - Mama Tried - Capitol

Merle Haggard - Capitol Collectors Series - Capitol

Merle Haggard - More of the Best of Merle Haggard - Rhino

Yep, that pretty well covers it.

Posted

Merle Haggard

Buck Owens

Hank Thompson

Louvin Brothers

Lefty Frizzell

Rose Maddox

Emmylou Harris

Dolly Parton

Waylon Jennings

Willie Nelson

Johnny Cash

Ernest Tubb is great. If you keep your eyes open, you can find alot of his old LPs cheap.

I have all of his BEAR FAMILY box sets, so what can I say?

Posted

I grew-up with country music. My Dad played it all the time when I was a kid. I remember many songs by Merle Haggard, Don Williams, and The Statler Brothers. I started listening to music at a young age. I remember my Dad's record albums from when I was five years old. Country music was all I knew till I was twelve years old. I 'know' country music. I understand it. I've had good times and good memories as a result of it. I appreciate the mood created by the music. Still, at certain times, the music touches my soul where in places where no other music can.

Tonight, I'm tired of the TV news. I don't feel like watching a movie. For something different I switched to CMT on my cable box. Brooks & Dunn is playing as I type these words. A song entitled 'That's What It's All About.' Their sound is following the country music formula perfectly. The song has a good sound and I understand its meaning completely. At the same time, unfortunately, the music seems, to me, sort of simplistic, overly predictable... and dumb.

I'm reminded of why I grew tired of country music and left it behind several years ago. I was happy to get the dog back, get the truck back, get the job back, and discover I'd never really spent time in prison.

Feck.

Posted (edited)

Nothing wrong with country music, as long as it's pre-CMT.

Another vote for the Louvin Brothers.

Pick up When I Stop Dreaming: The Best of the Louvin Brothers ASAP.

B000002Z94.01._PE17_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

It's a great introduction to one of the greatest vocal groups ever!

Watch out because this stuff is highly addictive...if you're not careful, pretty soon you'll be getting into the heavier stuff like Bluegrass or perhaps tomato wine. ;)

Edited by alejo
Posted

I recommend Bob Wills. Mr. Wills and I are still close. The countrified/Westernized version of jazz and swing.

Bob Wills had one of the best fiddle players of all time, Johnny Gimble, on his payroll. To my ears, Johnny Gimble ranks right there with Stephane Grappelli as one of the best violin players that ever was.

Posted

Senor Catesta-- if you can dig Buck (& the mighty Don Rich), there's a bunch of other HOT Bakersfield stuff for ya', before, during & slightly after peak-period Buckaroos (which is all reissued on Sundazed).

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll check it out.

Posted (edited)

I don't think this name's come up - Charlie Rich. I know, I know. But the Feel Like Going Home: The Essential Charlie Rich 2 CD set is just amazing, particularly the material recorded at Sun Studios. On NPR, Sam Phillips said the best song he ever recorded was Rich's Don't Put No Headstone on My Grave. Some songs get a little countripolitan at times but there's enough soul on the other material to even it out.

And Rich's last recording, Pictures and Paintings, made for a great swansong. Amazon's review follows:

On Pictures and Paintings, Charlie Rich got the chance before he died to make the jazz record he always had in him, though of course, this is Charlie Rich, so even when he's doing Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo," it's never just jazz. Always a singer's singer, Rich slides gracefully here - in the same song, sometimes even in the same phrase - from jazz and blues to pop and gospel, his gruff vocals straining, sighing, tearing, pausing, living in these songs until you'll swear you've lived them too. Backed by a swinging combo that includes his own Stan Getz-influenced piano, Rich is flawless throughout, whether he's laying down a definitive "Am I Blue" or revisiting his own "Feel Like Going Home." --David Cantwell

Edited by DTMX

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