The "twangcore" and "Americana" boom of today owes a large debt to the shaggy twangers and no-hit wonders of yesteryear -- this section looks at the hippiebilly and stoner bands and a few odd, random artists from the 1960s, '70s and early '80s, back before there was anything called "alt-country." This page covers the letter "H."
Tom T. Hall - see artist discography
Lawrence Hammond "Coyote's Dream" (Takoma, 1976) (LP)
Linda Hargrove "Music Is Your Mistress" (Elektra, 1973) (LP)
Linda Hargrove "Blue Jean Country Queen" (Elektra, 1974) (LP)
Linda Hargrove "Love, You're The Teacher" (Capitol, 1975) (LP)
Linda Hargrove "Just Like You" (Capitol, 1976)
Giving a hint of her later interest in Christian pop, Hargrove included a stunning gospel tune, "The Only Man-Made Thing In Heaven Are The Scars On Jesus' Hands..."
Linda Hargrove "Impressions" (Capitol, 1977) (LP)
Linda Hargrove "A New Song" (Fig Tree, 1981)
Linda Hargrove "Greater Works" (Threefold Productions, 1989)
Linda Hargrove "One Woman's Life" (Panacea Productions, 2005)
A collection of recordings spanning the decade from 1995-2005
Emmylou Harris -- see artist profile
John Hartford -- see artist profile
Hearts And Flowers "The Complete Hearts And Flowers" (Collector's Choice, 2002)
This generously programmed 2-CD set gathers together two hippie-era albums (and a hefty dose of outtakes) from California's long-lost, legendary and lamented country-psychedelic band, Hearts And Flowers. The two albums, Now Is The Time For Hearts And Flowers (1967) and Of Horses, Kids, And Forgotten Women (1968) are both goofy and glorious fun. The band was a fixture on LA's sprawling rock scene, pals with the Byrds and all the rest, but they never quite clicked commercially and these 35 songs are the sum total of their in-studio career. Charmingly, the two albums both start with the same song, a brief self-celebratory intonation, "Now Is The Time," written by the band's founder, Larry Murray. Their second album included Bernie Leadon (a future founding member of the Eagles) and a more accessible, though no less silly pop-folk sound, not unlike the more lofty material by the Byrds. This collection is a great time capsule, though in some ways the music was rather visionary, like what Gram Parsons might have made had he been a bit more playful. Anyway, if you like hippie-era freak folk, and are also looking into the roots of the early '70s country rock scene, this is definitely worth checking out.
John Hiatt "The Open Road" (New West, 2010)
Dan Hicks -- see artist profile
Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen "At Edward's Barn" (Rounder, 2010)
A nice, unpretentious live set, with two old country-rock/bluegrass/Americana veterans playing straightforward acoustic versions of classics from the Southern California roots-music scene of the 1960s and '70s. The repertoire includes familiar faves by the Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Hillman's old Desert Rose Band, and an old Louvin Brothers tune or two. There's something gratifying about hearing these guys introducing a song like "Wheels" and matter-of-factly remembering when and why it was written. It's particularly nice to see Pedersen in the spotlight again: if they'd included a version of "The Hey Boys," that woulda been fun, too. If you're a fan, you'll get a kick out of this album.
Larry Hosford "AKA Lorenzo" (ABC/Shelter, 1975) (LP)
A classic! This fella was a fixture in the hippie country scene in Santa Cruz, way back when. He's one of the great alterna-country MIAs, and the songs from his two classic albums just scream out for a single-CD reissue. This album, in particular, is packed with great tunes, including "Taking Applications," "Kings and Queens" and "Wimmin's Got Me Swimmin" ("...in a pool of tears/my baby's got me started, but she won't shift my gears...the lights on Lover's Highway all say stop/if I had another beer, I'd pop its top"). Hosford was one of the '70s great country songsmiths, easily on a par with Harlan Howard's work in the late '50s and 1960s. With a wily understanding of the craft of the novelty song, mixing clever couplets with slice-of-life asides. Combined with his distinctly un-slick hick vocals, it's a winning package.
Larry Hosford "Cross Words" (ABC/Shelter, 1976) (LP)
The gag with this album is a series of short acoustic bookends, crossword puzzle clues to words a relationship on the skids ("fight," "goodbye," "the end", etc...) In addition, there are several great Hosford originals, though the writing is a little bit denser than on the first album, and only a couple that are just plain outright catchy toe-tappers. A shame his Okie-billy ode, "Salinas" never made it onto LP, too.
Larry Hosford "Right On Time" (1995)
(Produced by Beans Sousa, Jim Matteson & Larry Hosford)
Larry Hosford "Windjammin' " (Windjammer, 2000)
Well, it looks like Hosford isn't exactly as "M.I.A." as once believed... Turns out he moved back to Santa Cruz and holds down a regular gig as the house band at a local bar. I'm not as into this album as the classic discs above -- the production is too poppy and detracts from his otherwise still-groovy songwriting. But old fans might wanna check this out... Hopefully some day we can also get his Shelter material back in print! (PS - here's a link to Hosford's website: larryhosford.com)
Larry Hosford "High On Livin' " (Hoe Maid, 2007)
Santa Cruz, California's legendary alt-country pioneer Larry Hosford is still keepin' it real, recording kooky songs with his signature sense of humor. This disc, which was originally recorded in 1987, is classic Hosford country: playful, willfully goofy, steeped in old-school country but clearly anchored in the present-day, this is real-live DIY twang, just as all his other records have been. This may mainly appeal to long-time fans, but if you count yourself among that number, you'll definitely want to pick this disc up, not just for "new" gems like "Ben Henry" and "February Weather," but also because Hosford has added newly-remastered bonus tracks from his notorious, long out-of-print 45, which has the hilariously un-PC "Salinas" (a huge KFAT classic, back in the day...), backed with the still-uncomfortable "Hitchhiking In Guyana," about the Jonestown massacre. It's worth it for "Salinas" alone, but it's also a nice signpost to check out the earlier work of one of alt-country's elders. (Available through Hosford's own website, www.larryhosford.com, where you can also get a better sense of his unique, self-effacing sense of humor.)
Hot Tuna "The Best Of Hot Tuna" (RCA, 1998)
A 2-CD set showcasing the best of this hippie-era acoustic blues/jug band supergroup. One of the finest pickers of the uber-hippie scene, guitarist Jorma Kaukonen came to fame as a member of Jefferson Airplane, but began to chafe as the Airplane became more exclusively an electric-psychedelic band. The acoustic-oriented Hot Tuna was his answer, at first just a side project/spinoff band, and then a force to be reckoned with on it own. This generously programmed collection has a bunch of their best songs, including a slew of old blues tunes covered in Kaukonen's inimitable style -- "Candy Man," "Hesitation Blues," "Keep On Truckin' " and others -- as well as some sweet instrumental numbers such as the Leo Kottke-esque "Water Song." Although Hot Tuna had some psychedelic and boogie-band tendencies, it's their more subtle, delicate side that really set them apart from many of their drugged-up, clompy contemporaries. This is a great overview of these sometimes-neglected hippie-era old-timers. Recommended!
The Cornell Hurd Band - see artist discography
