David Parmley & Friends "What We Leave Behind" (Pinecastle, 2001)
A nice, sweet, low-key set of gospel songs and philosophical tunes reflecting on the shadows of life, as the daylight dims. The "and friends" include bluegrass luminaries such as Ronnie and Del McCoury, Aubrey Haynie and others. Nice, thoughtful album.

Dolly Parton "The Golden Streets Of Glory" (RCA Victor, 1970)

Dolly Parton "Precious Memories" (Blue Eye, 1999)
An all-gospel offering, mostly with standards such as "Farther Along," "Precious Memories" and "Power In The Blood."

Dolly Parton "For God And Country" (Welk Group, 2003)
Y'know, when Dolly decides to get cornball, she really can go all-out like nobody else... With an occasional super-perky, barbershoppish "River Boat"-style chorus bounding up behind her, Dolly sings some swell religious tunes, reprises a few WWII-era military oldies, and pays homage to all that is apple pie-licious about America, yet with a definite nudge and a wink. There are plenty of Parton originals as well, some of older vintage, others that comment on the current day. The most direct (and most dicey) of these is her version "Gee Ma, I Wanna Go Home," where Dolly updates the Eddie Cantor-style stage patter with a bunch of one-liners about Saddam Hussein and Iraq... Of course, it's all redeemed when she cracks a joke about the generals rushing to pin a medal on her ample bosom, referring to her own super-famous boobs as "Shock & Awe." (Only Dolly could pull that joke off... or, maybe Jay Leno...) Admittedly, if you're not on her wavelength on this one, your jaw will drop in disbelief at the over-the-top patriotic, jingoistic presentation... But even if you don't quite agree with her political slant, taken as camp, this is an amazing album. Likewise, if you take it at face value.

Stella Parton "Appalachian Gospel" (Raptor, 2003)

Johnny Paycheck "Gospeltime In My Fashion" (Little Darlin', 1967)

Johnny Paycheck "Jesus And The Outlaw" (Little Darlin', 1979)

Johnny Paycheck "The Gospel Truth: The Complete Gospel Sessions" (Koch, 2005)
Wow... this is a really good record. This CD gathers together all of the gospel material recorded by country roughneck Johnny Paycheck during his tenure at the Little Darlin' record label. When he recorded his first gospel album in the late 1960s, Gospeltime In My Fashion, Paycheck was notorious for his goofy, over-the-top, morbidly-themed novelty songs; after he hit the bigtime with hits like "Take This Job And Shove It," he became known as one of country's biggest party-animal wildmen, and the quality of his work plunged in direct proportion to the amount of intoxicants he indulged in... But when it came to religious material, Paycheck really delivered. The 'Sixties stuff is quite lively and heartfelt, and even his later sessions in 1979 were pretty vigorous and convincing (even though this was arguably at the creative nadir of his commercial career...) This is a very strong and generously programmed collection, gathering material that has been out of print for decades... Well worth checking out!

Stu Phillips "Have A Nice Day" (Paragon, 1976)

Webb Pierce "Country Church" (Decca, 1956)

Webb Pierce "Bound For The Kingdom" (Decca, 1959)
A hip gospel album, simultaneously bluesy and whitebread, this features vocal arrangements by Anita Kerr, and Webb's standard-issue swingin' beat behind half the tunes. It's silly but fun. The songs range from feelgood Public Domain material such as "He's Got The Whole World In His Hand" to a slew of chestnuts by Albert E. Brumley.

Webb Pierce "Bow Thy Head" (Decca, 1963)
No bones about it, this is Christian country. But like the best gospel performers, Webb infuses the material with enough feeling to make it tolerable even to the most agnostic earlobes. The arrangements are wimpy, and the backing chorale rather bland, but Webb's voice is perfect for the material: irksome enough to get your attention, and soulful enough to draw you in.

Webb Pierce "Faith, Hope And Love" (Skylite, 1979)
This gospel LP is a sad coda to Webb's career as a solo artist, with backup by doe-eyed Carpenteresque young-uns... The material is mostly old chestnuts, gussied up with dated, third-string indie country arrangements, the worst of which is a manic rendition of Hank Williams' "I Saw The Light." The title track is a kitschy, longwinded recitation track which is probably the highpoint of the album. Honestly, this album isn't anything to lose sleep trying to track down.

Ray Price "The Old Rugged Cross" (K-Tel, 1993)

Ray Price "Gospel" (K-Tel, 2003)

Ray Price "Faith" (Columbia, 1960)

Ray Price "This Time, Lord" (Myrrh, 1974)

Ray Price "How Great Thou Art" (Word, 1978)

Ray Price "Revival Of Old-Time Singing" (Step One, 1986)

Charly Pride "Did You Think To Pray" (RCA Victor, 1971)

Charly Pride "Sunday Morning" (RCA Victor, 1976)

Hick Music Index