Jan Howard country music discography (DJ Joe Sixpack's Guide To Hick Music)

Singer Jan Howard was a major Nashville star of the 1960s, notably as Bill Anderson's duet partner, and as a notable solo artist. She originally broke into the West Coast country scene, traveling to California with her then-husband, songwriter Harlan Howard, where she recorded a few song demos before being noticed by West Coast star Wynn Stewart, who she sang with in the late 1950s and 'early '60s. Howard hit the big time in 1966 with her single, "Evil On Your Mind" and was hired by Bill Anderson to perform on his television show - their partnership lasted through 1972, and in 1971 she became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, where she has performed for over four decades. Here's a quick look at her work...

Discography - Best-Ofs

Jan Howard "Stars Of The Grand Ole Opry: Jan Howard" (First Generation, 1988)
(Produced by Pete Drake)
It's pretty amazing that Jan Howard, who had a pretty good run on the country charts during the 1960s and early '70s, was for years only represented on CD by this humble collection of recordings from the '80s, when her star had pretty well fallen. Pete Drake and the fellows at his studio did their best to back Howard up, but by this point she's dragging a bit, and this is a rather sluggish record. The wry "Life Of A Country Girl Singer" is cute, but also not top-notch. Admittedly, Howard was never a very dynamic singer, but it's still pretty sad that for anyone wanting to hear old hits like "Bad Seed" and "The One You Slip Around With," this set of mediocre re-recordings is their only option.

Jan Howard & Wynn Stewart "The Very Best Of" (Varese Sarabande, 2004)
This much-welcome reissue gathers several smokin' 1958-61 singles, originally out on the Challenge and Jackpot labels. Although it overlaps a few tracks on other recent Wynn Stewart retrospectives, its crowning glory is a look at the formative work of Jan Howard, an artist whose core work -- her late-'60s sides on the Decca label -- remains out of print, despite several big hits in the '60s and early '70s. Howard was generally a mid-tempo ballad singer, so these rollicking early recordings may come as a real eye-opener for fans of classic country and the Nashville Sound... She had some real fire in her! Too bad they couldn't also sandwich in some stuff from her brief stint on Capitol (around '63), but I think fans will be grateful nonetheless to hear these great old tunes in fine, bright, digital sound. Recommended!