Doye O'Dell "Bath Tub Blues" (Binge Disc, 2001)

Doye O'Dell "If Tears Were Gold" (BACM, 2005)

The Oklahoma Wranglers "Hillbilly Rhythm" (BACM, 2007)
Wow - this one's a revelation! The Oklahoma Wranglers were an early nom de hick for the Willis Brothers, an also-ran hillbilly band who I primarily know from their many repackaged albums on the various Starday/Gusto imprints. Over the years I've tried out a few of those old LPs, all with material of an indeterminate 1950s/1960s origin, and I always found them to be a bit dispirited and workmanlike, with a palpable air of their own long-exhausted self-awareness of their second-rate status. This disc, though, goes back to the days when they were still having fun, a great collection of hillbilly novelty songs, punctuated with some fine, rough-edged heartsongs and weepers. These recordings, dating from 1947-50, come from major labels such as Coral and RCA Victor -- the sound quality's great, and the music is a real hoot. Definitely worth checking out! (By the way, if you can find it, The Golden Age Of The Willis Brothers, a collection on Cattle Records, comes from the same era, and is worth tracking down as well...)

Okra All-Stars "The Okra All-Stars" (OKra, 1994/Innerstate, 1998)
Another gorgeous album by High Sheriff Ricky Barnes and his crew. Dave Schramm, Hank McCoy and Jeb Loy Nichols team up with Barnes to cook up one of the warmest, most listenable alt-country albums ever made... Plenty of great cover versions such as Buck Owens' "I Wouldn't Live In New York City," John Anderson's "Wild and Blue," Merle's "Shade Tree Fix-It Man," and Prince's "Purple Rain" (beating the Derailers out by about six years!). Of course, it wouldn't be a Ricky Barnes masterpiece without at least one Louvin Brothers song, in this case a sweet, sweet version of "Don't Laugh." Several other highlights here, especially the mega-bummer "Big Mistake," "Falling Fast," and "Let's Build A Bridge", which has one of those charmingly intricate, old-timey music box melodies of the sort that the Carter Family specialized in. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. And kudos to Innerstate Records for having the good taste to reissue this oldie but goodie!

Old & In The Way - see my Bluegrass section

The 101 Ranch Boys "Melody Roundup With The 101 Ranch Boys" (Binge Disc, 2004)
A nice set by a little-known western outfit that originally hailed from Kansas City, Kansas. Led by guitarist George Long, the Ranch Boys plugged away in the 1930s, moving from station to station, and eventually fell into the orbit of Gene Autry (who they backed on tour) and other cowboy singers such as Smiley Burnette and Johnny Bond. They weren't big stars, but their fiddle-and-steel-tinged sound was quite pleasant, with genial vocals to match. A nice set of rare recordings, definitely worth checking out, if you're into the style.

Gene O'Quin "Boogie Woogie Fever" (Bear Family, 2000)

Jimmie Osborne "Hills Of Roan County" (BACM, 2005)
(Available exclusively through the British Archive of Country Music specialty label.)

Vernon Oxford "Keeper Of The Flame" (Bear Family, 1995)
In commercial terms, Vernon Oxford was a marginal figure during the 1960s when he recorded for the RCA label, but to fans of real-deal honktonk music, he's a cherished secret, one of those guys -- like Ernest Tubb or Hank Locklin -- with a notably imperfect voice who sings with such conviction and simplicity that he brings each song alive. This 5-CD set is probably a bit much for the casual country fan, but it certainly does justice to the legacy of this underrated hard country crooner. This set spans 1965-82, gathering material from his RCA years right on through his tenure on the independent Rounder label, with plenty of other harder-to-find songs on there as well. To hear a more modest sampling of his RCA years, you could track down a copy of the single-disc best-of listed below, but the Rounder albums are still out of print and as for the other material... well, forget it: this is the only place you'll find it, outside of a long, exhaustive eBay binge. Oxford's vocals are an acquired taste, but once you get the bug, you'll be a fan.

Vernon Oxford "Let Me Sing You A Song" (Westside, 2000)
A generously programmed single-disc set collecting some of the best (and rarest!) material Oxford recorded for the RCA label, back in the 1960s... There are some wildly catchy, raspy hillbilly tunes and a few others that may be a little harder to get into... Overall, though, this disc of obscure, underrated material will be a real eye opener for country fans who are looking for cool new oldies to dig into. While some may lament the absence of his later RCA work from the 1970s (which was more commercially successful), these early honkytonk gems all fit together and are of a piece. Oxford's penchant for hard-hitting, soul-crushing cheating songs and barroom weepers makes this one fine little record... Recommended!

Vernon Oxford "If I Had My Wife To Love Over" (Rounder, 1979) (LP)

Vernon Oxford "His And Hers" (Rounder, 1980)
(Produced by Bob Ferguson)
One of Oxford's later albums, cut for Rounder in the early 'Eighties, with a slew of Nashville studio cats (Pete Drake, Weldon Myrick, Pig Robbins, Buddy Spicher, et al.) signed on as backup musicians. Even with all the heavyweight hired guns on board, Oxford keeps it country, with a simple, understated set of pure, sweet honkytonk. It's not flashy or powerful, but it'll win you over with its understated approach, and Oxford's ability to really believe in what he's singing. Not a dazzler, but a gem nonetheless.

Vernon Oxford "A Better Way Of Life" (Rounder, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Ferguson)
An outstanding country gospel album, with a hard, honkytonk edge that so precious few of these modern Christian country records are able to hold onto. Oxford sings from the heart, and the band plays with conviction and bite. The songs are mainly standards -- "Dust On The Bible," "An Unclouded Day," etc. -- but there are also several fine new songs as well, such as the title track (written by Oxford himself) and "Lord, I've Tried Everything But You," which starts the album off on a very high note. Whether you're a religious-minded or a secular country fan, this one is worth checking out.

Vernon Oxford "Keepin' It Country" (Rounder, 1982)

Vernon Oxford "The Shadows Of My Mind" (Classic, 1996)

Vernon Oxford "...Sings Gospel, Country & Bluegrass" (Oxford-Corbin Records, 2006)

Vernon Oxford "I Love To Sing" (Bear Family, 2007)

Bonnie Owens - see artist discography

Buck Owens - see artist discography

Dusty Owens "Swingin' And Rockin' Western Style" (Binge Disc, 2002)
Great stuff. If you're looking for unknown, authentic, totally kickass honkytonkers from years gone by, you should go out of your way to track down this German collector's-edition disc... These old Columbia recordings aren't likely to get reissued aboveboard anytime soon, and more's the pity for hard country fans here in the States... Midwesterner Dusty Owens had a great personality, mixing energetic hillbilly nuttiness ala Little Jimmy Dickens or Porter Wagoner with a deep reservoir of heartsong soulfulness. This album has fewer songs on it than most Binge Disc releases -- sixteen tracks from 1953-57 -- but every one of them is a winner, with great lyrics and musical backup that included Nashville hotshots like Chet Atkins, Lightning Chance, Don Helms and Buddy Spicher. What's best about this set, though, is the infusion of "new" songs into the honkytonk canon -- nearly all of the songs were written by Owens himself, and none of them are songs the average country fan would know about, outside of this fine release. This is a record I can listen to over and over... I think you'll like it, too!

Dusty Owens "... Sings Once More" (Admiral)
I have no info about this one, other than it exists. Not sure when the tracks were recorded, but judging from the album title, I'd suspect it came pretty late in the game... Maybe in the 1970s?

Hick Music Index