The Farmer Boys "Flash Crash And Thunder" (Bear Family, 1991)
DOUBLE TRIPLE WOW. If you want to find out where The Dave and Deke Combo copped their schtick from, this is the place. Early members of the Bakersfield scene, the Farmer Boys helped set the pace for folks like Buck Owens and Wynn Stewart, who would come down the pike a little later. This disc covers the Farmer Boys brief relationship with Capitol Records, which lasted from 1955-1957. It includes high-powered, hot-pickin' hokey cornball novelty classics such as "Yearning, Burning Heart," "Lend A Helping Hand" and "I'm Just Too Lazy." These guys may have been on the periphery of hard country fame, but their old records sure hold up nicely, especially with all the hot pickin' and nasal twang. Highly recommended.

Hugh & Karl Farr "Hot 'N' Bluesy Fiddle/Guitar And Twin Guitar Duets: 1934-1940" (Interstate Music)
Wow. The Farr Brothers were the backup pickers who added the musical punch to many of the best old recordings of the Sons Of The Pioneers, and of Pioneers alumnus Gene Autry. Left to their own devices, they knocked out a slew of great instrumentals, like the ones on this disc. The surprising thing is how completely jazzy these tracks are. If you like old recordings from the likes of Django Rinehardt, or Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti's duets, then you owe it to yourself to check this disc out. It's hot and sweet, and very listenable.

Jimmy Lee Fautheree "Found The Doorknob" (Ecco-Fonic, 2004)
Telecaster guitar pioneer Jimmy Lee Fautheree, who was in the rockabilly-tinged 1950s country duo of Johnny & Jimmy, came back to the studio for this rockin' gem, with accompaniment from six-string wizard Deke Dickerson. It's a rock-solid set, entirely satisfying and fun. Recommended!

Dick Feller "Dick Feller Wrote" (United Artists, 1973)
(Produced by Larry Butler & Larry Lee)
Songwriter Dick Feller spent a big chunk of the '60s working in the background of Nashville's country scene, playing in the bands of Mel Tillis, Skeeter Davis and Warner Mack, working as a guitarist and bandleader When he finally broke out if the pack and went solo, it was as an outlaw-ish, novelty oriented songwriter, providing early '70s hits to Jerry Reed, Johnny Cash and others. Success as a writer led to a recording career, and several elegantly produced albums, each packed with understated alt-country gems. What few hits he had as a songwriter haven't held the public imagination over the years -- I think "Uncle Hiram and The Homemade Beer" and Jerry Reed's version of the anti-automobile anthem, "Lord Mr. Ford" may just about cover it. Still, these two albums have some truly charming gems on them, and Feller's acoustic guitar work is nothing short of dazzling. With several Nashville cats in the studio band, these songs often hit a nice stride, and though Feller is hardly what you'd call a great singer, he's really, really likeable. Part of the charm is the improbability of a craggy-voiced fellow like Feller making records -- and much of it is the quality of the songs. "Money, Trouble and Love," "Let It Ride," and "Goodbye California" are catchy and clever... Hopefully someday the folks who own the rights will come up with a retrospective disc that does him justice... Until they do, try to track these old LPs down... they're definitely worth the search.

Dick Feller "No Word On Me" (Elektra-Asylum, 1974)
(Produced by Larry Butler)

Dick Feller "Some Days Are Diamonds" (Elektra-Asylum, 1975)
(Produced by Larry Butler)

Terry Fell "Truck Driving Man" (Bear Family, 1993)

Terry Fell "Get Aboard My Wagon" (BACM, 2005)
Another fine set of hillbilly songs... This disc replicates a fair amount of that's on the old Bear Family set, about half the songs. But even if you have the old collection, this still offers a bunch of "new" tunes that are pretty high calibre. Recommended!

The Flatlanders - see artist discography

Floyd Flowers "Since You Moved Out, I Moved Her In" (Pick Your Team edition) (Hologram/CBUJ, 2006)
A fine honkytonk novelty song... with thirty-two different versions, one for every team in the National Football League! Now, I don't know anything (at all) about professional football, but I know a good novelty song when I hear one, and this little ditty certainly qualifies. It's about some poor slob who moves the TV back into the living room after his old lady leaves him. He cranks the tube up, opens a few brews and kicks back to watch his favorite team (you pick!) kick off. Man, they don't make records like this anymore... Or do they??

Flying Burrito Brothers - see Gram Parsons discography

Red Foley "Hillbilly Fever In The Ozarks" (Bronco Buster)
So, here's the big secret: despite the acres of tepid pop-gospel albums he recorded in the 'Fifties and 'Sixties, Foley was actually a GREAT country singer way back when he was starting out. When struggling to remember when Foley was fun, most folks can only conjure the politically dodgy (but super-catchy) "Tennessee Saturday Night", which is indeed a great song, but only the tip of tale... This CD collects some great radio transcription performances , recorded with a crack band featuring guitarists Grady Martin and Jimmy Selph, along with Bud Isaacs on steel amd Tommy Jackson playing fiddle. 1954-55 is a little late in the game for Foley, but this CD sticks strictly to the hillbilly rhythm style, and leaves the slushy pop stuff where it belongs. Highly recommended! Also check out the Hillbilly & Western Rhythm disc below, which features a bunch of rare, early studio recordings on the Decca label.

Red Foley "Hillbilly & Western Rhythm" (Bronco Buster)
More great stuff from Red Foley's late-'40s heyday. This CD reissues twenty tracks from Red's prime postwar recordings on the Decca label, as well as a few transcription recordings made during the War. Foley's pop potential is readily apparent: he has a smooth voice that never wavers or strains, and a mellow approach that stands at odds with the rowdy joshing-around that other country stars strived for at the time. He also had a way of singing a novelty sone so that it sounded like a weeper, and a sense of how to play around the beat that helped subtly accentuate the bouncy rhythms, much like Bing Crosby, the king crooner of the day. Unfortunately, this last knack was what Foley really lost when he embraced the Nashville Sound -- his sense of bounce and his sense of style. So if you want to check out an Opry star before he lost his edge, check this out.

Red Foley "Country Music Hall Of Fame Series" (MCA, 1991)
A tasty sampler of Foley's best years, from 1944-1953, when the pop-oriented country crooner took over the role of emcee on the Grand Ole Opry. This disc is mercifully light on the gospel schmaltz which later would become the sole focus of his career, including instead tracks like the un-PC but catchy-as-all-getout "Tennesee Saturday Night," duets with Ernest Tubb and Kitty Wells, and "The Sugarfoot Rag," with hot picking by guitarist Hank Garland. A nice slice of Nashville history.

Red Foley "Stay A Little Longer" (Jasmine, 2000)

Red Foley "Chatanoogie Shoeshine Boy: 1944-1953" (Edsel, 2002)

Red Foley "Chatanoogie Shoeshine Boy" (ASV, 2002)
Same title... and a lot of the same great music!

Red Foley "Old Shep -- The Red Foley Recordings: 1933-1950" (Bear Family, 2006)
This 6-CD box set digs extraordinarily deep into Foley's early years, compiling all of his recordings up through 1950, including a ton of stuff that has never been reissued since it first came out decades ago... Plenty of prime material for fans to chew on for years to come.

Red Foley "Sugarfoot Rag" (Bear Family, 2006)
In the 1940s and early '50s, Red Foley was at his commercial peak, specializing in romping, rollicking, upbeat tunes, bluesy numbers and hillbilly boogie novelty songs, along with a slower honkytonk number here and there, and a gospel tune or two. This disc is a first-rate collection of his peak years, a 30-track smorgasbord with some stuff that'll be familiar to fans of true-blue hillbilly music, as well as quite a few surprises. There is, of course, his big hit, "Tennessee Saturday Night," which is explicitly racist, but still one hell of a fun, catchy tune, as well as the lively "Sugarfoot Rag," the song that cemented guitarist Hank Garland's reputation as one of Nashville's leading session men in the 1950s. There are plenty of stylistically repetitive boogie tunes and a few lame covers of songs that were hits for other artists, such as his poppy version of "Night Train To Memphis," sung as a duet with Roberta Lee. Then there are the pleasant surprises, such as the blistering rockabilly cooptations that start and finish this disc, particularly his version of "Crazy Little Guitar Man," which again featured Garland at the helm... There's also the surprisingly soulful, rich harmony vocals of "A Wonderful Time Up There," a gospel tune featuring Zeb Turner and the "Log Cabin Quartet," drawn from Foley's first backup band in the 1940s. Foley's duets with R&B legend Cecil Gant are a revelation: Foley loved to ham it up with a faux-black vocal cadence; hearing him actually sing alongside an established blues singer (rather than just cop his style) is interesting... It's not either of their best work, but it ain't bad, and it lends some weight to Foley's cred as a blues singer. By the start of the '60s, Foley had pretty much run out of creative juice, and he was never able to find his footing in the slick production style of post-hillbilly Nashville... But these early recordings show how dynamic and versatile he was, tackling a wide range of material, some of it awesome, some of it lame... It's about as good an introduction to his work as you're ever likely to find. Recommended.

Red Foley "Tater Pie" (BACM, 2005)
(Available through the British Archive of Country Music website.)

Red Foley "Yodeling Radio Joe" (BACM, 2005)

Red Foley "Sings Gospel" (BACM, 2005)

Rocky Bill Ford "His Complete Recordings" (BACM, 2007)
You'd be hard-pressed to find a country singer more rough-hewn and chunky-voiced than "Rocky" Bill Ford, who worked as a barber in Houston and recorded a couple dozen tracks between 1950-56. Ford had a pretty limited vocal range -- think Ernest Tubb with a slight hiccup -- but he sang with conviction, and carried these songs emotionally, particularly when sounding forlorn and forsaken was a plus. Ford had a couple of great (and surprisingly direct) drinking songs to his credit: "Beer Drinking Blues" and "Blowing The Suds Of My Beer," both of which were covered by the more robust and more successful fellow Texan, Big Bill Lister. Initially, Ford wrote a lot of his own material, later he did more cover tunes, and apparently he even took a stab at rockabilly in the late 'Fifties, although the only trace of these efforts seems to be a (very fun) single on Starday, with two thumping sizzlers, "Mad Dog In Town" and "Have You Seen Mabel." Although he wasn't the most dynamic singer, Ford still made some fun records... A nice retrospective of a very obscure hard-country old-timer.

Wally Fowler "ThatÕs The Last Straw" (BACM, 2005)

Texas Ruby And Curly Fox "A Memorial Tribute" (Binge Disc)
Rare mid-1940s recordings from one of the Grand Ole Opry's mainstay duos. Uptempo lost-love songs galore, along with hot fiddle breakdowns by Curly Fox (who started his career in the Skillet Lickers string band, and kept the old- timey flavor alive.) Ruby's intensely masculine voice is a bit unnerving -- she sounds like a nineteen year old boy auditioning for the band -- but the material is priceless. The musicianship is particularly high on these recording, mostly from old Columbia sessions, as well as a few Opry airchecks. You can't find this stuff anywhere else, so track this one down.

Kinky Friedman "Sold American" (Vanguard, 1973)
Kinky Friedman "Kinky Friedman " (1974)
Kinky Friedman "Lasso From El Paso" (1976)
Ole Kinky tried really hard to be as much of a pain in the ass to as many people as possible back in the '70s... and he did a pretty good job of it! A brash assault on the redneck ramparts of country music, Friedman arrogated a chunk of hick music history all to himself, in his persona as "The Texas Jewboy." Classic Kinky tracks include 1974's "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore," wherein a modern Member Of The Tribe mops up the barroom floor with his redneck opponent, and "Get Your Biscuits In The Oven (And Your Buns In The Bed)," which in the late '70s so offended the feminist community of Santa Cruz, California, that they mounted a boycott campaign against the legendary hippie country station, KFAT, which cheerfully responded by playing the song morning, noon and night. Mr. Friedman is currently working as a mystery writer and is not, contrary to popular belief, enrolled in the Federal Witness Protection Program.

Lefty Frizzell "Look What Thoughts Will Do You" (Columbia Legacy, 1997)
Throughout the early 'Fifties, Lefty Frizzell was the great country vocalist, and although he himself idolized blues yodeller Jimmie Rodgers, it is no exaggeration to say that Frizzell is the vocal template that most modern country music is based on. From Dwight Yoakam and George Strait to any number of silly "hat act" pretty boys, Lefty's warmth and husky timbre, along with his stylized bluesy curlicues, is the model that the boys today base themselves on. He was also a collossal chartbuster during the '50s and '60s, racking up one hit after another without losing any of his hard country rootsiness. This 2-CD collection is probably the most accessible (and affordable) Lefty collection imaginable, packed to the brim with great tunes such as "If You've Got The Money Honey, I've Got The Time," "Always Late," "Shine, Shave, Shower" and others, including several previously unissued tracks that are also top-notch. In glorious Mono, this is one of the single best country reissues ever. Highly recommended.

Lefty Frizzell "Life's Like Poetry" (Bear Family, 1992)
A twelve -- yes, you heard me right: twelve -- CD box set, covering just about though not quite all the music ever recorded by this honkytonk immortal. The last three discs are comprised of unreleased, non-studio tracks -- demos and radio airshots -- that further cement Frizzell's legend as the hard country singer without compare. If you can afford it, this is a treasure trove.

Lefty Frizzell "Songs Of Jimmie Rodgers" (Columbia, 1951)
Although countless male country singers were influenced by Lefty's bluesy vocal style, Frizzell himself came from the generation when "singing brakeman" Jimmie Rodgers was king. This early album tips its hat towards the past while pointing the way towards the future -- as fine a set of honkytonk music as you'll ever hear.

Lefty Frizzell "That's The Way Love Goes: The Final Recordings Of Lefty Frizzell" (Varese Sarabande, 1997)
Lefty's final, dispirited recordings, made for the ABC label in 1972-74, after Columbia unceremoniously dumped him, reveal a mature and mournful performer. He rises to the occasion, despite alcoholism and depression, and nails several of these songs with unexpected emotional power. Many of his Nashville contemporaries softened their sound and coasted into the twilight years of their careers, but in his way, Frizzell remained pure. Headed for an early grave, he still sang with heart and put himself -- as much as he could muster -- into all of these tunes. Worth checking out.

Raymond Froggatt "Cold As A Landlord's Heart" (Castle, 2003)
Here's an odd one. In the mid-1970s, English rocker Raymond Froggatt was instructed by his label to "go country," presumably because his previous spacy psychedelic meanderings weren't selling that well... As Froggatt confesses, he didn't have any innate interest in country music, or much experience playing it, but he did as he was told, and the results were quite nice. In 1978 he went to Nashville to record Southern Fried Frog, an album that has become a minor cult classic of British alt-country... I didn't have high expectations for this 2-CD set -- which includes copious examples of both his rock and 'billy sides -- but I picked it up on a lark, and now I am quite delighted at the discovery. To his credit, Froggatt took the work seriously, and discovered what many rockers fail to recognize: country is an exacting art form, one that demands real craftsmanship and feeling, both of which he was able to develop as he explored the format. While there are few outright "classics" on here, several songs snuck up on me, and are tunes that would work well in sets of either classic or alternative twang. The rock stuff is a little less enthralling, but if you wanted to give this guy a fair shake, this collection will really fill the bill. Worth checking out.

Robbie Fulks - see artist discography

Hick Music Index