Jimmy Rabbitt "...And Renegade" (Capitol, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Waylon Jennings)
A decent Commander Cody-ish set, though nothing amazing, really. Not sure what the story was on this guy, but he seems like a bar-band singer who lucked out and got a record contract somehow. Plus, he seems to have been pals with Waylon Jennings -- ol' Waylon not only produced this album, he also plays geetar and whoops along on a tune or two -- and that's nothing to sneeze at. Mostly, these guys seem to have had their hearts in the right place, covering folks like Delbert McClinton, David Allan Coe and Alice Stuart, though neither Rabbitt or his band were really able to cut loose on this album... I suspect they were just too intimidated by the studio scene, and wound up playing it safe when they should've gotten a little wild. This is okay, but it ain't gonna make a big difference in your life...
Bonnie Raitt -- see artist profile
Leon Redbone -- see artist discography
Jerry Reed - see artist discography
Riley "Grandma's Roadhouse" (RCA, 1970)
Honkytonker Gary Stewart was a sideman for this obscuro hippie-soul/country-rock outing, playing in a small band led by singer Riley Watkins. It's fun stuff, with a rough-and-ready proto-Southern rock feel that Stewart's fans will recognize from his later records. Watkins is kind of iffy singer, but the music is still fun. Originally released as a vanity pressing, this has seen the light of day in the reissue renaissance of the post-millennial digital era. Worth checking out, particularly if you're a Gary Stewart fan.
The Roches - solo, duo & trio
Rockcastle River Company "From Maine To Texas With..." (Rockcastle, 1976)
Linda Ronstadt - see artist discography
The Rosslyn Mountain Boys "The Rosslyn Mountain Boys" (Adelphi, 1977) (LP)
This DC-area country-rock/boogie band worked the Mid-Atlantic country-folk scene for the better part of a decade, and recorded a few albums and played a bazillion gigs (not counting the occasional reuinion gig...) The band sported several several ex-rockers and nurtured some country pickers who would later make a go of it in Nashville. Steel player Tommy Hannum, who had played with Emmylou Harris in her pre-Gram Parsons folk days, and who went on to be a notable session player in the '80s and '90s, is one of the most notable bandmembers, at least from a country perspective: he gets some sweet licks in on a tune or two. This debut album is uneven but charming; I remember hearing the best songs off it getting airplay on KFAT, back in the days before "alt-country" existed... It's work checking out, if you ever run across a copy, though you shouldn't make any heroic efforts...
The Rosslyn Mountain Boys "Lone Outsider" (Schitzophonic, 1982) (LP)
By the time this album came out, they'd pretty much worked the kinks out of their performing style... The steel playing, in particular, is pretty sweet, and undeniably true to country roots... There are several nice songs on here, although nothing really reaches out and grabs you -- that's probably mostly due to the modest production values... Nothing sounds bad, but the music lacks immediacy. Nonetheless, this is a nice document of one of the East Coast's great also-ran twang bands
The Rosslyn Mountain Boys "Different Skyline" (Sosumi, 2006)
Peter Rowan - see artist discography
The Rowans "The Rowans" (Asylum, 1975)
At the same time that he as rededicating himself to hardcore high lonesome material with Muleskinner and Old & In The Way, newgrass pioneer Peter Rowan made forays into the pop market with his brothers, Chris and Lorin. Some longtime fans are wildly devoted to this rock-oriented material, but it may make Rowans twangier truegrass fans cringe. Still, this debut album includes a version of Rowan's signature song, "Midnight Moonlight" (albeit with drums and other poppy arrangements) and may appeal to folks who like, say, old Poco albums, or early Eagles. If you cherish musical crossovers just because they are crossovers, or are really into 1970s country-rock, then by all means check this one out -- it's certainly the strongest of the Rowans albums from this time period. But really, most folks won't be missing much by skipping this one altogether.
The Rowans "Sibling Rivalry" (Asylum, 1976)
The Rowans "Jubilation" (1977)
I probably still have this LP floating around somewhere, on some hidden shelf in the back corners of Chez Sixpack... It's not a great record, although I'm sure it must have its fans. In order to justify the shelf space the disc took up, I brainwashed myself into having a soft spot for one song, the delicate acoustic-pop ballad "Love's Secret Sighs," which is Peter Rowan's most distinctive contribution on here. By and large, though, the tortured disco-folk of the rest of the record is pretty much like the other Rowans albums -- nice in theory, but not really something you need to go back to anytime soon.
Leon Russell "Hank Wilson v.2" (Leon Russell Records, 2001)
Leon Russell "Hank Wilson v.4: Rhythm & Bluegrass" (Leon Russell Records, 2001)
"Hank Wilson" was an alter-ego created by roots crooner Leon Russell back in the late '70s, sort of an outlaw/oldies singer who allowed him to indulge his preference for classic country, even while Nashville coasted into "Rhinestone Cowboy" terrain. Now the gag continues, and the new Hank Wilson albums have become straight-up country cover albums, packed with oldies like "I'm Movin' On," "Wabash Cannonball" and "Oh Lonesome Me." Volume Four of this series is a collaboration with the New Grass Revival, adding a bluegrass twist added to the mix. The great thing is that these records are a lot of fun... Russell really has a command of this material, and an understanding of how to make it work. If you have an yen for old-time country music, then you might get a real kick out of these records.
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 "R."
