Derroll Adams "Feelin' Fine" (The Village Thing, 1972) (LP)
A mix of traditionalist mountain twang and outsider folk by banjo plunker Derroll Adams (1925-2000) an Oregon-born troubadour who followed his pal Ramblin' Jack Elliott over to Europe back in the 1950s and wound up spending a hefty chunk of his life in the UK and Netherlands. This is only one of many albums he cut over a decades-long career, with a nice, laid-back feel, and modest backing by guitarists Wizz Jones and Roland Van Campenhout. No muss, no fuss, and a nice sense of unworried gravitas. Particularly notable here is the oddly structured "Oregon," a regional pride song of sorts, about the settling of his home state. Recommended.

The Alsea Hillbillies "Play Old Time Dance Music" (WDW Records, 1980-?) (LP)
True-blue, old-school, pre-bluegrass stringband music by a quartet from Alsea, Oregon, a few miles inland from the coast. Fiddler Bill Woolsey led this group, with his sons Frank and John playing guitar and banjo, respectively, and Frank Perkins on mandolin. A point of interest: Mr. Woolsey built his own fiddles!

Chuck Berger "New Country Sounds" (19--?) (LP)
Oh, dear. A whole album of cordovox country? I am skeptical, but if someone wanted to send me a copy, I'd be glad to check it out. Though great is my trepidation... Apparently Mr. Berger was from Portland, Oregon, or possibly Eugene..

Becky Bishop "First Shot... Live" (Grass Roots Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Lee Magid)
A mix of roots blues and twang from this Southern Oregon folkie... This album includes several original songs, including "Truckstop Waitress" and "This Ol' Man Of Mine" written by Bishop, along with oldies from Gene Autry, Ella Mae Morse and Joe Turner. The album was recorded at a studio in Santa Monica, California and released on a label from Malibu, though I'm not sure if Bishop was living in California at the time, or just went to LA to record. The backing band includes dobro playing by Louis Golper and fiddle by Brantley Kearns.

Fred Bornstedt & The Bunch Grass Band "Take Me Back To The Wallowa's" (Enterprise Distributors, 1980) (LP)
This album of cowboy music was recorded at the Enterprise High School band room, in Enterprise, Oregon, and features a bunch of local musicians, all Wallowa County locals, including Bornstedt's daughter, Dora Mae Bornstedt, playing bass.

Ted Boursaw "City Lights" (American Sound Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Cliff Ayers)
A singer from Portland, Oregon who traveled to Nashville to record this set... It's all cover songs, generally straight-up oldies honkytonk hits... "City Lights," "Whiskey River," "Slowly," "Saginaw Michigan," etc.

Jerry Bradley "Once More For The Good Times" (El Dorado Gold, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ed Glass)
A country singer from Medford, Oregon, with Gene Breeden on lead guitar, Terry Crisp playing steel and Phil Hurley on drums... The repertoire includes covers of Kris Kristofferson and Hank Williams, as well as what looks like three originals: "Oregon, I'm Coming Home" by Jerry Bradley, along with "We Never Ran Out Of Love" and "Whatever We Had" by Ken Wesley.

Buckboard "Buckboard" (CIS Northwest, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Kraig Hutchens)
This slickly-produced (but super-indie) country band from Bend, Oregon seems to have had some pretty legitimate Top Forty aspirations, with a brace of commercial-sounding original material penned by lead singer Kraig Hutchens, and solid picking by guitarist/steel player Van Coffey. The album opens with a couple of flashy uptempo numbers that showcase their guitars, notably a zippy rendition of Rossini's "William Tell Overture" that has a Bill Kirchen-esque/bar band feel, suggesting an affinity with hippie twangsters like the New Riders Of The Purple Sage, et. al. They quickly shift into more consciously commercial mode, with Kraig Hutchens going the honkytonk novelty song route on tunes like "Should I Go Home With Her," "Never Been To Jail" and "Home Away From Home," while Sandra Kaye Hutchens delve into raspy-voiced Bonnie Tyler-esque on heartsongs such as "Where Does Love Go" and "I Hear It's Warm In Texas," which she co-wrote with Kraig. In the early 1980s, Buckboard was one of the leading country bands in Portland, Oregon, and also played gigs down in Nevada, recording this album at a studio in Reno. Kraig Hutchens wound up going full-Nashville, joining Collin Raye's band on the road and in the studio; later he worked as a guitarist in the house band at Gene Breeden's Nashville studio.

Bill Carter/The Carter Singers/The Carters - see artist discography

Tide Cartwright "Tide Cartwright" (Cartwright Records, 1972) (LP)
A honkytonker from Myrtle Point, Oregon, Tide Cartwright packed this album full of original material, writing all all but two of the songs on here... Cartwright was originally from Arkansas but moved to Oregon while still a kid, and recorded at least one late-1950's single in a band with his sisters, known as the Cartwright Family. He also recorded a regional-pride single, "Keep Oregon Clean," which sadly is not included here. A couple of tracks from this album, "Ballad Of Rouge River" and "First Prize For Suspicion," were also released as a single.

The Clark Family Gospel Singers "I Wouldn't Miss It, Would You?" (Ripcord Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ellis Miller)
A family band from the Cottage Grove, Oregon singing an interesting selection of gospel tunes, including some definitely country stuff, covers of Kris Kristofferson, The Stanley Brothers(?) and T. Texas Tyler, as well as the Gospel Light Trio and Betty Edwards. Lead vocals are by Mom and Dad -- Jeanette Clark and Junior Clark -- with Mr. Clark playing banjo and guitar, along with Janet Clark on bass and Vermelya Clark on guitar. This was recorded at Ripcord Records' Vancouver, Washington studios; not sure if there are any original songs in the set.

Jim Cunningham "Songs For Lovin' Cheatin' And Truckin' On" (Ripcord Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Blaine Allen)

Dick Curtis "Well, Now..." (Dick Curtis Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Doug Gilmore & Randy Sharp)
A country comedy album featuring "Trooper" Dick Curtis, an actor who became a regional celebrity up in Oregon when he starred in a series of TV ads sponsored by Blitz Weinhard beer, in which Curtis the state trooper stops a big truck full of out-of-state Schludwiller booze and tells them to turn them wheels around, we don't need any of that foreign stuff here... The ads played on the cheerful proto-isolationism of Oregonians in the '70s and '80s, which was particularly aimed at Californicators coming up from the South. This is an odd album. Spinning the momentum of his celebrity into a music/comedy career, Curtis enlisted the aid of country-AOR writer/composer Randy Sharp, who wrote over half the songs on this album and presumably plays on it, too, as well as producing the sessions. Curtis is, in all honesty, a pretty awkward, ungainly vocalist, but he reminds me of other humorous singers with iffy voices, such as Don Bowman and Dick Feller, and the songs are generally fairly funny, certainly better than most of Bowman's stuff, which can be pretty blunt at times. Curtis mines similar territory, though, with songs complaining about automated vending machines, deadbeat ex-husbands and the like, but Randy Sharp and Doug Gilmore provide lively arrangements, and Curtis really gets into his performances, recitations and all. I wouldn't recommend this album for everybody, but folks who get into this style of cornpone humor -- as well as pro-Oregonian, regional pride webfoot types -- might get a real kick out of it.

Marty Davis "I'm Happy Every Day I Live... But These Nights Are Killing Me" (Ripcord Records, 19--?)
(Produced by Ray Eldred)
Marty Davis was a real-life Oregon cowpoke, a longtime fixture on the Pacific Northwest scene who served his time playing casinos in Vegas and Reno, toured with the rock-pop-oldies group The Diamonds, and later in life refashioned himself from a barroom balladeer into a western-style cowboy singer. This album is yet another disc without a release date from the Ripcord label, recorded some time in the late 1970s. It's all cover tunes, although the title track was co-written by Rose Maddox (who wrote the liner notes) along with her sister, Alta Troxel. Maybe Davis was in Rose's band at the time? Who knows? At any rate: portrait of a working musician -- Medford, Oregon, 1970-something.

Marty Davis "Country Feelings" (Marvan Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Cliffie Stone)
More cover tunes, mostly. Notable, though, are Carol Chase and Susie Allanson singing backup vocals, who both went on to become charting Country artists...

Marty Davis "Marty" (Marvan Records, 19--?) (LP)

Tommy Doss "...Of The Sons Of The Pioneers" (Bear Family, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by William E. Wiley)
Solo sessions by an erstwhile member of the Sons Of The Pioneers western band... Tommy Doss was born in Idaho and grew up in Oregon... He got his first big break in 1948, when western swing legend Bob Wills tapped him to replace estranged lead vocalist Tommy Duncan; Doss left the Texas Playboys after a few months, instead joining the band of Wills' younger brother Luke Wills, out in Los Angeles. His radio performances brought him to the attention of the Sons fiddler, Hugh Farr, who recruited Doss to replace another country legend, lead singer Bob Nolan, who temporarily left The Sons Of The Pioneers in 1949. Doss stayed with the band throughout the 1950s, before he finally quit touring with them in 1963 (although he did infrequently record with them in the studio for several years after that...) These tracks were from sessions Doss recorded in Hollywood, California in May, 1972. The repertoire leans more towards bluesy honkytonk and western swing material, the kind of stuff he picked up working with the Wills brothers, with some West Coast influences as well, including a cover of an old Wynn Stewart hit. With only eleven songs, this is a surprisingly short album for the Bear Family folks, but valuable for Sons fans, nonetheless.

Debbie Ettell "Tellin' Bedtime Stories" (Sand Island Records, 1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by J. R. King & Phil Kachaturian)
A folk-ish set of all-original material by Deborah Jean Hetrick (aka Debbie Ettell) who seems to have been from Eugene, Oregon, although the Sand Island record label was based in Honolulu, Hawaii, while the sessions were recorded in Los Angeles. The origin of this album was a 1979 single called "Big Duke - The Man," which was recorded in tribute to actor John Wayne, who died that year... The song is included here along with its B-side, "Brother Danny," and other tracks such as "Lady Trucker" and "Overdrawn Again," both credited to Ms. Ettell. Unfortunately the musicians in the backing band aren't identified, though it's possible they were ringers provided by the studio in Torrance, California where this very-West Coast set was recorded. Anyone know more about this gal?

Tom Everett "Porchlight On In Oregon" (RCA, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Errol Fox & Barney Keville)
A freak-folk oddity album, with true twang on several tracks provided by Eric Weissberg playing pedal steel and banjo, and David Bromberg on guitars and mandolin. Tom Everett was a classically-trained musician from Portland, Oregon who played cello in a regional symphony orchestra, then studied drama at the The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, after which he moved to New York to try and make it as an actor. Along the way, he had a folkie phase, playing gigs at the Gaslight Cafe and other venues. Success on Broadway and as a character actor in numerous films liberated Everett from his music career, though this album is a fine legacy of his early years... It is also a stylistic hodge-podge: there are a bunch of flowery chamber-folk arrangements with cellos and strings, as well as more stripped-down acoustic numbers featuring Everett on 12-string guitar... The songs are all weird, stoned, hippie-era meanderings, with the slower, more lyrical material edging into the artsy pretensions of the early, post-folk singer-songwriter scene, though there's also a surprising level self-awareness, with Everett approaching his own spaciness with a healthy dose of deflation and good humor. The uptempo twangtunes are best, accentuating the intentional levity in a way that brings to mind folk pranksters like the Holy Modal Rounders... Plus, there's some great picking! I wouldn't say this is a record that most people would want to listen to repeatedly, but it's definitely not a dud, either... Nice period piece, on the more esoteric end of the spectrum.

Marty Firstenberg "P.S. I Love You By Marty: In Memory Of Gloria Firstenburg" (1985-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Bradley & Gene Breeden)
Aw. This privately released album is a touching memento recorded by a guy whose wife died in an auto accident along the Oregon coast. The Firstenbergs were square-dancing enthusiasts who participated in and "called" events around Salem, Oregon in the late '70s and early '80s, as part of the Goodtimers dance group. She died in November, 1984, and not long after he booked time at a studio in Nashville and recorded a set of what I assume were some of her favorite songs, drawing mainly on country material, along with some pop tunes such as "PS, I Love You." Many selections are nakedly forlorn and mournful, such as covers of Merle Haggard's "Place To Fall Apart" and "What Am I Gonna Do," or Ken Wesley's "We Never Ran Out Of Love." The backing band included Gene Breeden on guitar and Doug Jernigan playing steel. Sad, but sweet.

Jeffrey Frederick & The Clamtones "Spiders In The Moonlight" (Rounder Records, 1977) (LP)

Jeffrey Frederick & The Clamtones "The Resurrection Of Spiders In The Moonlight" (Frederick Productions, 2007)
This is a digital-era reissue of Frederick's 1977 Spiders album, with a few bonus tracks added on...

Gary & Carol "Live" (Licorice Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Nieland)
A quintessential 'Seventies lounge act, featuring the duo of Gary Nieland (vocals, drums) and Carol Van Nordstrand (vocals, bass and organ) in a live set recorded April 17-18, 1975 at a Salem, Oregon venue called the Keg & Platter. The repertoire spans pop and soul songs such as "I Honestly Love You," "For Once In My Life" and "Mustang Sally," counterbalanced by a hefty chunk of country tunes, including Act Naturally," "Oh Lonesome Me" and "Stand By Your Man." None of it's really all that good -- Van Nordstrand is planted firmly in the spotlight, though Nieland was the better singer -- but it's also not all that awful. Just a couple of reasonably talented locals, living the dream.

Gold Rush "First Strike" (Gold Rush Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Oskay & Rob Perkins)
Amazingly enough, this bluegrass quintet from Portland, Oregon was not the same group as the Gold Rush who hailed from Colorado. Go figure. Anyway, Portland's Gold Rush featured Greg Baker on fiddle, Hugh McClellan (guitar, piano), Bob Misley (banjo), Monte Trautman (bass), and Loren Wolfford (mandolin, guitar). Wolfford contributes two original songs -- "Cowboy Clothes" and "New Log Cabin Home On The Hill" -- to an eclectic mix that includes Peter Rowan's pothead anthem, "Panama Red," as well as material by Bill Monroe, Townes Van Zandt, and Bob Wills. Misley and Trautman each add a tune to the mix, and the group re-works a few older, traditional songs as well, including the album's closer, a version of "Mama Don't Allow," which gives them all a chance to solo on an instrument or two. Dunno if these fellas recorded anything else, though I'm sure any confusion between the band name(s) surely didn't help... Pretty straightforward progressive grass, with a Hot Rize-ish feel, though also with a slightly jittery, galloping feel.

The Gospel Rangerettes "He Loves Me" (Rubytone Records, 19--?) (LP)
An adorable mother-daughter duo from Portland, Oregon. Elizabeth Van De Venter (1928-2009) and her teenage daughter Karen are backed by guitar picker B. F. "Lucky" Mason and fiddler Reverend Roy Sims. Most of the songs were composed by Mrs. Van De Venter, with some additional tunes coming from the Gaithers and Rambos, as well as one called "When The Storm Passes," written by Mosie Lister of the Statesmen Quartet. Mrs.Van De Venter was not a professional musician, and in the liner notes even demurs about her own guitar work, while Mr. Mason was a multi-instrumentalist from Tennessee who played banjo, bass, lap steel and mandolin, and who hosted a long-running "Shut In Club" radio show on KVAN, Portland. Mr. Sims also played several instruments and was a former rodeo rider who switched to circuit rider, evangelizing up in Alaska for a couple of years, and presumably in the Pacific Northwest as well.

Bill Goss "...Sings Jim Reeves" (Ripcord Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Blaine Allen & Gene Breeden)
A nice, low-key tribute to country crooner Jim Reeves, sung by a real-deal West Coast Okie. Bill Goss was born in Coweta, Oklahoma, but came out to California when he was a child, way back in 1936 during the Dust Bowl. Initially the Goss family lived in a tent, while his mother worked picking fruit, and later picked cotton. Goss grew up in the San Joaquin Valley, near San Jose, and it was here that he started out as a live performer, including a regular slot on Culver City radio station KFVD. Years later he moved up north, and was apparently living in Eugene, Oregon when he cut this album, which features backing by the Ripcord studio section: Blaine Allen (bass and rhythm guitar), Danny Breeden (drums), Gene Breeden (lead guitar), and Geno Keyes on piano and strings. It's mostly pretty charming, with a few rough edges... Although this album was a tribute record to his idol, country crooner Jim Reeves, Mr. Goss also released at least one single on Ripcord which included an original song, "My Divorce Day," with a cover of "Adios Amigos" as the flipside. According to Goss's bio, he composed "My Divorce Day" with Reeves in mind, and had successfully pitched the song to Reeves just before his death. Jim Reeves had told Mr. Goss he intended to record the song, but fate intervened, and after Reeves' plane crashed, the song sat on the shelf until Goss cut his single in 1980. Only one thing wrong about this album: it only includes cover songs, and leaves "My Divorce Day" out. Darn it.

The Grand Junction Band "The Grand Junction Band" (More-Onn Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Diamond & Gary Rowles)
A bluegrassy alterna-twang band from Bend, Oregon. These guys covered country oldies like "Rocky Top" and "Ghost Riders In The Sky" as well as country rockers such as CCR's "Bad Moon Rising," adding a snare drum into the mix, along with the acoustic instruments. The group included Bill Hardin on drums, Michael Jacobs (mandolin), Tim O'Haver (bass), Jim Stanton (banjo), guitar player Jerry West. I suspect several of the songs on this album are originals, although I couldn't find composer credits to confirm who wrote what... As far as I know, this was their only album, though a different group, the Grand Junction Country Band, was formed in Australia back in 1973 and released a few records as well.

John Grant "Fate Of A Rodeo Cowboy" (CIS Northwest, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Connolly & David L. Knapp)
Real-deal rodeo cowboy music from central Oregon. I'm not sure if Mr. Grant actually competed in rodeos, but he and his band certainly played on the bandstands in the regional rodeo circuit for many years. Grant originally called his group "Big John & The Rednecks," but updated his vibe and renamed the band John Grant & The Western Revue sometime around 2005... Since then this album has been retroactively available under that name. Anyway, this is a set of mostly original material penned by Grant; his second album, Cowboy's Paradise, is all originals. The songs are good and the band is solid, though it has to be admitted that Grant himself is not the strongest vocalist -- although he hits some Waylon-esque tones, his voice is fairly thin and he frequently teeters on the edge of falling out of tune, particularly in his lower register and on the slower tunes. Still, it's an impressive set of original material, with backing by fiddler Jo Booser, bassists Larry Brown and Tom Knapp, drummer Tom Love, and pedal steel player Tom Wills, who adds some of the album's best licks, filling in a lot of the space left by the lack of a lead guitar. Overall, a better-than-average private presser, definitely worth a spin.

John Grant "Cowboy's Paradise" (1987) (LP)

The Happy Hobo "Go Truckin' With The Happy Hobo" (Ripcord Records, 1978-?) (LP)
A professional trucker working up in the Pacific Northwest, George Gordon, aka The Happy Hobo, had driven for the Pacific Intermountain Express (P.I.E.) line nearly thirty years before cutting his first singles for the Ripcord label. That led to two full LPs, each packed with all-original material and some of the grooviest, most jargon-packed, more-CBer-than-thou liner notes ever written for the genre. Honestly, I have no idea what they say: "10-4, good buddy" is about as far as I got with that particular Berlitz course. But Mr. Gordon goes to great lengths to prove his trucker bona fides, and really digs deep into the lingo. At least four songs on this first LP also came out as singles, including "Lookin' For Smokey Bear" and "Teddy Bear In Heaven." Unusually for a Ripcord release, the producer/engineers aren't credited, though one would imagine the sessions involved label honchos Gene Breeden and Ellis Miller. All the songs are credited to Mr. Gordon, and the genesis of each track is explained at great length on the back cover. You gotta love it.

The Happy Hobo "Just A Gypsy Trucker" (Ripcord Records, 1979-?) (LP)
As on the first album, all the songs are original material, although there is one one song, "Smokey You're A Star" by Reid Holderby, that is not credited to Mr. Gordon; the others are all his own, including "Cowboys Are Truck Drivers," "Jippo" and "Liberated Truck Driver." Despite a concerted effort, I was unable to find a full biography for Mr. Gordon, though I imagine there are many tales to tell. He lived in Ontario, Oregon, but that's about all I could discover. (Note: a couple of tracks also came out on a Ripcord single, including "A Truck Driver Knows How A Lonely Heart Feels," which was also anthologized on a 1980 trucker compilation along with several other independent artists.)

Joni Harms - see artist discography

Jimmie Lee Holder "...And You" (Ripcord Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jay Andy Thompson)
Another fella from somewhere in the Pacific Northwest with an album on the fabled Ripcord label... The songs are all originals, and the album features liner notes from a couple of Portland, Oregon DJs and other fans... Born in Cisco, Texas, Jimmie Lee Holder was a successful songwriter, with several songs picked up by stars , including the title track of this album, "You," which was recorded by both Connie Smith and Rose Maphis. Holder left Oregon to work in Hank Thompson's band in 1972, then came back at some point to settle into the local scene. Unfortunately, the musicians backing him aren't identified, but the arrangements, and Holder's vocals, are all top notch. In addition to this album, he had at least one single on Ripcord, with material not featured here. Apparently Mr. Holder passed away in 2018; this may have been his only album. But it's a doozy!

Bill Hoy & Allspice "R Ranch Saturday Night" (All Spice Records, 1982) (LP)
Not much info on this country-lounge band, other than that they were from Medford, Oregon and dabbled in both twang and pop... Side One of the album was all country (oldies, from the '60s and '70s) while Side Two was more of a pop standards kinda thing -- songs like "Don't Get Around Much Anymore, "September In The Rain," and "I Left My Heart In San Francisco." The group included Bill Hoy, with Rick Arens, Bob Carlson, Shirley Collins and Rex Rice.

Michael Hurley & The Unholy Modal Rounders/Jeffrey Fredericks & The Clamtones "Have Moicy!" (Rounder, 1976)
(Produced by John Nagy)
A decidedly classic album, this rambunctious avant-twang set features the loose-knit conglomeration of folk-country auteurs in the Holy Modal Rounders, notably Jeffrey Fredericks, Michael Hurley and Peter Stampfel, whose intertwined musical paths converged when some of the East Coast-based Rounders moved to Oregon in the early '70s, and began jamming with Fredericks, whose kooky artistic sensibilities dovetailed with their own. This record was a favorite on "underground" radio, and was championed by rock critics, notably Robert Christgau, who proclaimed it a country record worthy of rock fans' attention. It's a weird record, too. I like it, but there are elements at play that make me uneasy, more to do with the people who praised it than with the music itself: I think there were folks like Christgau who saw it more as a shot against the bow in opposition to traditional country music, than as an album that both played with the genre's conventions and revered them. The songs and lyrics are clever and absurd, an almost Dadaist presentation -- brash, subversive, witty and reflective of the counterculture values that nurtured their art, with songs about sex and drugs, dodging landlords and ripping off utility companies. Some lyrics are just silly, like the cajun-styled "Surf Song" or "What Made My Hamburger Disappear" (both songs about food, with "Surf Song" taking a turn into the un-airable when the chorus describing what happens to food after it's digested...) and others are transgressive in a hundred little ways. The music reflects this as well: the Rounders were clearly virtuosi pickers, but they go out of their way to play sloppy, setting the tone, perhaps, for the "twangcore" bands on decades to come.

Michael John & Fancy Colors "I Take A Lot Of Pride" (Hooter Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Michael John & Ron Skog)
A very-private, folkie DIY offering from Salem, Oregon, with covers of classic by Dylan, Prine, Haggard, et.al. The budget-line production features a disc enclosed in ultra-minimalist packaging -- a plain white jacket with the front (and back) cover art pasted on by hand (and many extant copies where the artwork has long since fallen off...) Singer-guitarist Michael John grew up in Bakersfield and played in Southern California folk clubs, but joined the wave of migration northward during the hippie era wave, winding up in Oregon around the time he cut this album. He's joined by guitarist Ted Cloer, Jim Smith on bass and drummer Bill Terry, along with a fella named Ron Skog on synthesizer and a modest horn section that fills out the sound on a few tracks. The repertoire is a surprisingly surprising mix of folk, country and various brands of pop, from southern rock covers ("Fire On The Mountain") to disco (a weird version of "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing") and an appropriately cheesy but strangely sincere reading of "My Way," which closes the album. The vocals are uniformly good and well-recorded, if a bit too smooth, and overall his approach reminds me of the pop-country crossovers of Glen Campbell, particularly on his cover of Merle Haggard's "Take A Lot Of Pride." In other ways, the album sounds a little threadbare -- the instrumental backing has a very two-dimensional, almost monophonic, feel, though you could credibly argue that this enhances the album's DIY cred. Not a secret, hidden freak-folk gem, but certainly a very good 'Seventies lounge set. Worth a spin.

J. J. Jones "Right Down The Line" (I.R.C./Rex Recording Company, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by J. Jones)
Not a ton of info about this twang auteur from Portland, Oregon, though Rex Recording seems to have been his own label... In addition to this album, on which Jones wrote all but one of the songs, Rex also put out an album by singer Irene Hatfield, where all the songs were his originals, as was the case with another gal singer, Anita Morgan, who cut a single with Jones as her duet partner. Other Rex artists often shared the same publishing company, Klickitat Music, which presumably was Jones's own... but for all that, Jones remains a bit of a mystery, with a super-generic name that's a little impossible to track down. The liner notes on this LP were contributed by western music old-timer Wilf Carter (aka Montana Slim) suggesting a link to an older, more staid era a twang... No info on the musicians backing Jones on this album, or on any of the singles he released later on.

Rocky Jones "I'm Smokey Trucker" (Ripcord Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Ellis Miller)
Not to be confused with the fictional sci-fi serial character, space ranger Rocky Jones, this Portland, Oregon local banged out a few singles in the 'Sixties, and at least this one LP a few years later. Jones' novelty numbers made some waves in the regional charts, but little else is known about his career. He seems to have been pretty tapped into the Pacific Northwest country scene: in 1974, Billboard listed him as one of the musicians playing a benefit with Rose Maddox to help raise money to pay for her brother, Henry Maddox, to get dialysis treatment after a kidney transplant failed, and not long after that recorded this album with Gene Breeden, who was also on the bill. Along with a few classics ("Mule Skinner Blues," "Night Life") this album features four originals penned by Rocky Jones and one called "My Son," by Evelyn Guffy (who he'd been collaborating with since the early '60s). There's no info on the backing band, alas, but if I had to guess, it's probably Gene Breeden on guitar, along with his usual crew from Ripcord,

Doug Kindred "My First" (Garden Variety Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Doug Kindred)
A honkytonker from Eugene, Oregon, Doug Kindred wrote half the songs on here, including several co-written by Gus Gustafson... The album also includes some cover tunes that were frequent requests from fans... According to Kindred, the Oregon country scene took a big hit from the state's Liquor Liability Law -- which held bars and other businesses that serve liquor accountable for any alcohol-related accidents involving their patrons, and the downturn in the bar scene led him to retire from music. Come to think of it, even though I bet the new liquor laws were a drag for a lot of guys in Kindred's position, that old story sure would make a damn good country song.

Henry Kinsley "Never Gonna Stop Dreamin' " (Ripcord Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Blaine Allen)
Indie country from northeastern Oregon... Henry Kinsley's local music roots go back to his high school days, when he played lead guitar in a Wallowa County rock band called the ReActions, which was together from 1964 to the early '70s. Kinsley started working in the local mills, and shifted into a mellower style, getting into country music and recording this album sometime around 1979-80. The record features all-original material, with backing by the Ripcord Studios house band: Gene Breeden on guitar, Danny Breeden on drums, Ron Stephens playing steel, Blaine Allen on bass and Jeff Dean on piano... Tracks include the Kinsley-penned "Just A Rodeo Cowboy" and "Drug Store Caper King" as well as "Mind Games," a song that won a national songwriting contest sponsored by KFC, and was recorded by Brenda Lee as part of the prize. Kinsley tried to break into the business in Nashville, but eventually returned to the Pacific Northwest to start a family. In the 1990s, he and his wife opened a gift shop in Joseph, Oregon, which they ran for over twenty years; he played regional gigs with his own band for several decades, and recorded at least one self-released album in the late 1990s.

The Knox Brothers "This Kind Of Happiness" (Verla Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by J. A. Thompson)
Marion, Paul, Victor and Wayne Knox were a gospel quartet from Harrisburg, Oregon in the Willamette Valley... They recorded this set at the fabled Ripcord Studios, over in Vancouver, Washington -- other than that scant info, this one is a mystery to me.

The Krater Brothers "Singin' For Fun" (Flight 7 Records, 1965-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Connelly)
Born in Hobart, Oklahoma, the Krater Brothers grew up in Oregon and formed a gospel trio as young men... Thurm (bass), Jess (mandolin and guitar) and Jack (guitar) recorded this set at Pacific Northwest Sound Productions in Salem, Oregon, picking their way through a set of standards such as "Jordan River," "Pastures Of Plenty" and "Swing Down Sweet Chariot." (sic.) They also play a few more secular tunes, such as Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land." As far as I know, this was their only record.

James Lee "Country Goes To Town" (Mid-Columbia Records, 1976) (LP)
Twenty-three year old Salem, Oregon country picker James Lee worked lounges in Canada and the Pacific Northwest although he'd only been playing professionally for a couple of years when he cut this album at the Ripcord Studios in Vancouver, WA. It's about half cover songs, ranging from a Hank Williams oldie to pop-soul standards such as "Spanish Harlem." Lee is credited with writing one song, "Lovin' Life And Livin' Free," while there are also three originals by Andre Martel, who was signed to the J. J. Gold publishing company. (Not sure if that's the same J. J. Gold as the California country singer who recorded his own album a few years later...) The liner notes thank Daiv Cooper, Jess Ruggles and Randy Rush, who presumably backed Lee on the album, though who played what isn't explicitly noted.

Les & Sandy "A Time For Us" (Glacier Records 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Dave Dixon)
Les and Sandy Pollard appear to have been a husband-wife duo from the Pacific Northwest, although where exactly it's hard to say... They recorded at the Ripcord Studios in Vancouver, Washington, but the album's liner notes are by a Portland-based talent agent named Phil Downing, so they may have been from Oregon. Those liner notes are also interesting because they include an actual date on the letterhead -- December 3, 1976 -- which helps pin this release down a little bit, and also because Mr. Downing loudly sings the praise of the Pollard's "band," a group called Shiloh, which in this instance was the house band from Ripcord: producer Gene Breeden on guitar, his son Dan Breeden on drums, Geno Keyes (piano), Ellis Miller (bass), and Don Turner (rhythm guitar). (Breeden used the name Shilo/Shiloh on several projects, including after his move to Nashville...) At any rate, Les and Sandy seem to have made this album mostly for fun, and probably didn't have much of a public career themselves. The songs are all covers, with oldies and hits such as "Greenback Dollar," "I Can See Clearly Now" and "Mountain Of Love," and Kris Kristofferson seems to have been a particular favorite, with the Pollards covering three of his songs, including (of course) a version of "Me And Bobby McGee." As far as I know, this was the duo's only record.

Lewis And Clark "Mellow Memories" (North Wind Records, 1975-?) (LP)
This early 'Seventies Oregon album features singers Dean Lewis and Steve Clark taking turns singing country and lounge standards ranging from "Misty" and "Country Bumpkin" to oldies like Conway Twitty's early hit, "Only Make Believe." I'm not sure if these guys really had a proper duo -- they trade off on lead vocals and the backing musicians aren't listed and may well have been studio players rounded up by the label, which was located in Gold Beach, Oregon, way down the coast south of Eugene. No date on the disc, but it was probably about 1975 or so, judging by the songs they covered.

Ron Lloyd "New Moons 'N' Old Leather" (Deschutes Station Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Lanny Williamson & Priscilla Stanley)
An intriguing mix of old-fashioned western (cowboy) music, and a hazier sort of nature-and-the-frontier worship... Which I kind of mean literally. Ron Lloyd's earlier album from 1975 was an aquarian Christian outing, and he laces his 'Seventies-style cosmic wonder and awe into this album as well. Sandwiched in with covers of old Sons Of The Pioneers classics are Lloyd originals such as "Desert Pete," "Garden Of The Gods" and "Prairie Dreamer." Lloyd was from Eugene, Oregon and is backed here by some guys, including bassist Alan Reinoehl and drummer Bob Smith, who had been playing with Lloyd for years and had also recorded with him in his more overtly religious phase...Also on board are bluegrasser Larry McNeely on banjo, Rick Littlefield on guitar and mandolin, and others. In addition to Lloyd's originals, there's one called "Old Leather" that was written by Alan Reinoehl.

Ron Lloyd "Live With The Whole Fam Damily" (1982) (LP)
(Produced by Peter Lorinez & Archie Witheral)
A live album, recorded at Ahab's Whale, a bar in Spokane, Washington that later was renamed the Viking. The concert features Lloyd and his old cohort -- John Powell on guitar, bassist Alan Reinoehl, along with drummer Bob Smith, playing with kind of a weird cosmic, hippie jam-band vibe.. After the Ron Lloyd band folded in the mid-'Eighties, Powell and Reinoehl formed an oldies cover band called the Valley Boys.

Lodestar "Lodestar" (Flat Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Dixon, Paul Lemoine & Ellis Miller)
Hippie-folkie acoustic-electric twangalizing by an Oregon ensemble made up of Rolf Borchorevink (bass and guitar), Paul Lemoine (guitar), Jamie Luck (guitar), Gary Nolde (drums) and Don Williams (no, not that one) (guitar and piano). The presence of studio producer Ellis Miller made me wonder if this was another Ripcord Records-related pressing, and sure enough, it was recorded at the Ripcord studios (credited on the jacket as Portland Records; Miller's longtime collaborator Gene Breeden also sits in on pedal steel guitar for a track or two... This looks super-'Seventies, but probably came out around the same time as their other album. [Oddly, a much more clean-cut edition of the band put out a single in 1982, although the lineup had completely changed, as in, not a single musician overlapped with the original group. Paul Lemoine was still attached, though, so I guess Flat Records was his private label...]

Lodestar "This Oregon Country" (Flat Records, 1981-?) (LP)

Lothar "Just For You" (Ripcord Records, 1979-?) (LP)
Well, one thing you can say about this guy, Lothar Schuler: he sure liked to move around a lot. Born in Germany, he emigrated first to Canada, then to California, and eventually back north to Oregon, and was living in The Dalles when he cut this album at Ripcord Studios. The song selection is pretty strong, with tunes by Merle Haggard, Harlan Howard, Kris Kristofferson, Marty Robbins and others. About half the songs are ones he wrote himself, including "I'll Be Gone," "Love's Gonna Make It Alright," "My Reason For Living," and "Painful Love." Alas, no info on the backing band, but I we can imagine Gene Breeden and his pals were in the mix. According to the liner notes, Schuler did perform at locals rodeos and at some bars, but it's not clear how much of a full-time musician he may have been.

Cathy Lunsford "You Men At The Bar" (One Shot With A Bullet Records, 1975)

Cathy Lunsford "Cowgirl In The Wind" (Ricochet Records, 1981)
(Produced by Cal Scott)
An ambitious self-released set from an Oregon cowgirl who wrote all but two of the songs on here -- the exceptions being a version of "Stay All Night" and Paul Davis's "Ride 'Em Cowboy." This is a spunky album, the kind of record by the kind of artist you want to root for, although to be honest, it does have its flaws. She booked a big band, with full country instrumentation -- fiddle, pedal steel, the works -- but the mix is a bit thin. More importantly, Lunsford herself was maybe not the greatest singer ever, though she might grow on you: if you're a fan of rootsy '70s/'80s second-stringers like Gail Davies and Linda Hargrove, you might want to check this out as well. Apparently her song, "Longnecks And Chili," was chosen as the official song for a big Portland, Oregon chili cook-off sometime back in the 1980s. (Personally I'm more interested in the "longnecks" part of that equation...) By the way, the Jim Mills listed as banjo player is not the same heavy-hitting bluegrass picker who was in the Ricky Skaggs band for a bazillion years. There were two banjo pickers with the same name... go figure!

Larry Mahan "King Of The Rodeo" (Warner Brothers, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Snuff Garrett & Steve Dorff)
A fine novelty offering by six-time National Rodeo champion Larry Mahan, who didn't have a tremendous voice or anything, but still had the charisma and affability to carry these tunes and make 'em work. Includes a few great half-recited novelty tunes that might fit well on a Dr. Demento show: "Stunt Man," which laments the hardships of the Hollywood life, "Ha Ha," which sings the praises of getting bloodied up in dumb-ass barroom brawls, and "Rosie's Palace Of Pure Love And Fingertip Massage," which tells the tale of two drunk cowboys getting scammed at a Los Angeles brothel. They don't make records like this anymore. Snuff Garrett co-produced this disc, and some of the songs bear the stamp of his orchestral cowboy approach. Yeeee-hawhawhaw. (By the way, I believe this is the same Larry Mahan who had a longtime gig as a member of the Fall Rivers Wranglers, a "chuckwagon gang" at a dude-ranch in Colorado -- he was in the group for the first half of the 1970s, and returned for at least one album around 1980. He was born in Oregon, though!)

Buzz Martin "Where There Walks A Logger, There Walks A Man" (Ripcord Records, 1968) (LP)

Buzz Martin "A Logger's Reward" (Ripcord Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Gibson & Rick Keefer)

Buzz Martin "A Logger Finds An Opening" (Ripcord Records, 1970) (LP)

Buzz Martin "The Old Time Logger: A Vanishing Breed Of Man" (Ripcord Records, 1971) (LP)

Buzz Martin "The Singing Logger" (Ranwood Records, 1974) (LP)

Buzz Martin "Solid Gold" (Ripcord Records, 1975) (LP)

Buzz Martin "...And The Chips Off The Old Block" (Ripcord Records, 1976) (LP)

Billy McCoy "Introducing Billy McCoy" (Verla Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by J. Andy Thompson)
Radio deejay Billy A. McCoy was a fixture in Oregon's country scene for several decades, hosting the "Skip-A-Long Show" in Eugene for a couple of decades -- starting in 1950 -- before he cut this album. Originally from Henryetta, Oklahoma, he moved to the West Coast in the late 1950s and formed his own band in Oregon in 1969, with singer-drummer Linda Jackson and guitarist Ron Wise, and he also was a prolific songwriter, as seen on this album, which is all original material. He maybe wasn't that great a singer -- his plainspoken voice is nice enough, but the phrasing is a little rough. Still, this is a charming album, recorded at the Ripcord Records studios (where else?) but released on a local Oregon label. Lots of good songs with a true-country feel, and plenty of echoes of folks like George Jones, Buck Owens and other classic country stars... Highlights include "Little Earl Made The Big Time," a song about a local bus driver (with some nice local references) and "The Address Was Right," a real weeper about a guy who comes home from prison to find out that his gal wasn't really waiting for him, after all. McCoy might not have been a great singer, but he was a real country fan and put his heart into this album... Definitely worth a spin if you can track it down!

Billy McCoy "Walk On Man" (Verla Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden)
Another album released on the Ripcord-affiliated Verla Records label based in Albany, Oregon, an imprint which seems to have been co-owned by country singer Lonnie Coleman. He sings backup on this album, amid a studio crew populated by the Ripcord house band -- producer Gene Breeden on lead guitar and steel, his son Danny on drums, Gene Brown playing steel guitar, Gino Keyes on piano, Ellis Miller playing bass. There are also a few other fellas who were probably from McCoy's group, the Real McCoys -- Randy McCoy on bass, David Dixon and Danny Turner playing guitar, and DeWayne Wear on fiddle. As the liner notes inform us, these guys were playing at a Eugene nightclub called the Embers Club, where they had been the house band for eight years before cutting this album. Also worth noting, all the tracks on this album are original songs, most written by Billy McCoy, with one credited to Tide Cartwright, one to Lonnie Coleman, and one where Coleman and McCoy share the credits. No date on this one, alas, though the Library Of Congress lists several of these songs as having been registered in 1977, which may have also been the release date of the record.

Billy McCoy "Sunshine Lady" (Verla Records, 1979-?) (LP)
The liner notes mention that the Real McCoys were celebrating their tenth anniversary headlining at the Embers Club, which by my reckoning means this album came out in 1979 or '80, depending on the release date of the last one. They also mention some bandmembers by name -- Lonnie Coleman playing bass and drummer Jack Locke -- though apparently neither of them play on this album, which again relies on the veteran pickers at the Ripcord studio. An all-original set, with most of the songs co-written by Coleman and McCoy, including tunes like "Dear Merle," the twang-erotic "Wake Up My Love Again" and a patriotic number called "America My Country, America." McCoy also issued a short string of singles on the Verla label, including a couple of B-side non-album tracks... Just in case anyone is keeping track.

Billy McCoy "We Are Forever" (1997)

Billy McCoy "The Big Picture" (2006)

Glen McGuire "I'm An American" (Punkin Records, 19--?) (LP)
An American, you say? Hey, me too! Cool! Anyway, dunno much about this Pacific Northwest auteur, or have any info about who was backing him on this album, although from the look of the typeface and album layout, this was most likely produced and manufactured by the folks at Ripcord Records, and probably employed their usual studio crew of Gene Breeden, et.al. Mr. McGuire gives a POBox address in Weston, Oregon, a remote rural hamlet in the northeastern end of the state, not far from Walla Walla, Washington. The songs on Side One are all covers, including schmaltzy numbers like "Edd Tide" and a couple of Paul Anka tunes, while Side Two showcases five of McGuire's originals, many with a defiant tone, such as "I Don't Want Your Love," "They'll Never Take My Song," "I've Played The Game," "I Don't Care What People Say," as well as the title track, and finally one called, simply, "Mountain Song." I'm not entirely sure, but Mr. McGuire may have been related to Doug McGuire of the band called Friendship...

The McKinleys "Just Banjos" (MAC2 Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by David Dixon)
The father-son duo of John and Craig McKinley were from Portland, though they performed regionally for several years throughout the state. They get a little friendly assist on this disc from Robert Pettingell on bass... This was recorded at the Ripcord Studios, up in Vancouver, WA.

Muddy Bottom Boys "Slaughter On The Highway" (Grassroots Music, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Mike O'Rourke)
Huh. I wonder if these bluegrassers from Portland, Oregon got any residuals from the O, Brother, Where Art Thou movie... Nah: they were probably too nice to make a fuss over the band name. Folks from Portland are like that.

Muddy Bottom Boys "Howdy, Neighbor" (Grassroots Music, 1981) (LP)

Nevada Slim "Singing Songs Of The Wild West" (Rural Rhythm Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Uncle Jim O'Neal)
Born in Washington state, Dallas Turner (1927-2014) -- aka Nevada Slim -- grew up on a cattle ranch in Oregon, but dreamed of becoming a different kind of cowboy. In 1946 he headed south and got a job singing on one of the border radio behemoths and eventually formed a partnership with one of his musical idols, Cowboy Slim Rinehart. Turner became a nationally-known "western" singer, cutting several albums for Rural Rhythm, including this one, which appears to have been reissued at least a couple of times.

Peat Oden "The Country Gentleman -- By Request" (Poco Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Peat Oden)
Throughout the 1970s, Oregon country crooner Charles "Peat" Oden played local shows around the North Bend/Coos Bay area... He recorded at least one single as early as 1971 ("Shootin' The Bull/Headin' Home" on the Pampa Records, a label in Bakersfield) as well as this album, sometime later in the decade. I couldn't find much info about his, though -- he wrote some of his own material, but also played some cover songs, and was, I believe, also an enthusiast of historical railroad preservation... Other than that, another obscuro cipher in country music history. Any additional info is always welcome!

The Peptones "Rimrock Country" (B-Lee Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Blaine Allen)
A mostly-country set from a trio that played the Rimrock Lounge in Portland for several years before cutting this album. The group included Judy B., Mike Gangroth and Micki Lee, with help from a few musicians in the studio.

Gene Pullin & The Den-Vrees "At The Frontier Club" (Vanco Records, 1967-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & & Ellie Miller)
This was the first album by the husband-wife team of Gene and Patsy Pullin, who met and married in the Pacific Northwest, after Texas-born Mr. Pullin had moved out to Oregon, where he played guitar in Jimmy Patton's band and later set out as a solo artist. Patsy Pullin (nee Patricia Harrison, 1943-2018) was a gal from Alaska whose family had hereditary ties to several first nations tribes, and who later in life joined the Grand Ronde Tribal Council in Oregon. As her nickname suggests, she was a fan of the late Patsy Cline, and when she first met her husband, she persuaded him that his band "needed a woman singer," thus forming the Patsy & Gene duo, which went on to record three albums and an unknown number of singles. They were pals with singing logger Buzz Martin and had connections to the Pacific Northwest country scene, though they lived and worked for fifteen years up in Alaska. The Frontier Club was one of the venues they played at in Alaska, along with various bars and VFW posts, and on this live album they are backed by drummer Denny Moyes, bassist Barbara McKenzie, and Wendell McKenzie on bass, guitar and saxophone. The set list is heavy on songs that were hits in 1966 -- "Green Grass Of Home," Tammy Wynette's "Apartment Number Nine," Jack Greene's "There Goes My Everything -- which helps date this disc. Dnd not all of them were country: they also cover some R&B dance tunes, with a particular affinity for New Orleans soul tunes, including "Oop Oop Pa Doo," "Get Out Of My Life Woman," and "Land Of 1000 Dances."

Gene Pullin & Patsy Pullin "Pullin Together" (1968-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Gibson & Rick Keefer)
Although Patsy & Gene were based Ketchikan, Alaska for over fifteen years and performed mainly in the Anchorage area, they circled back to Vancouver, Washington to record at the Ripcord studios. This album, which I think was their second, was recorded with Bob Gibson, the original owner of Ripcord Studios, and sports liner notes from Ripcord's star artist, "singing logger" Buzz Martin; later the Pullins worked with Gibson's successor, Gene Breeden. The set list here continues the mix of solid hard country ("Break My Mind," "White Lightning") and more folk- and pop-oriented material such as "Let It Be Me" and "Malaguena," and Nancy Sinatra's "Something Stupid," which was a hit in '67 Later on, they leaned hard into the Patsy Cline sound, with Mrs. Pullin working as somewhat of a Cline impersonator. Unfortunately, the musicians in the backing band are not identified.

Gene Pullin & Patsy Pullin "Walking After Midnight" (1984-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & & Ellis Miller)
Though they give a home address in Anchorage, Alaska, the Pullins trucked back on down to Washington state to record with Gene Breeden at Ripcord Studios in Vancouver... The backing musicians aren't identified, but it's likely they were drawn from the Ripcord house band. Plenty of crowd-pleasing cover songs, including a version of the Patsy Cline classic, "Walking After Midnight" as well as oldies such as Dolly Parton's "Jolene," "Tippy Toeing," "I Can See Clearly Now," and "House Of The Rising Sun." They also showcase several tunes by PCN songwriters, including Ira Allen ("Hangin' On"), Walt Rogers ("Baby Let Me Tell You My Mind") and "Gold Fever" by Alaska's Henry Karhut (aka Hank Karr.) In Patsy Pullin's obituary they mention the couple recording three albums, which would make this one their last, although it's possible there are also several as-yet unidentified singles floating around as well. In 2003, Gene Pullin was in a major car accident, which largely sidelined him as a musician, though Ms. Pullin may have continued to perform informally for a while after that. (It's also worth noting that two of their children, son Denver Pullin and daughter Tracy Bing also sang in country bands, in Oregon and Nevada, respectively.)

Collin Raye/The Wray Brothers -- see artist profile

Bob Reinier "Me, Myself & I" (Ripcord Records, 1978) (LP)
Down-home twang from the Pacific Northwest. A singer from Salem, Oregon, Bob Reinier wrote four of the songs on here, including the title track, "Me, Myself And I," as well as "Is It Time Again," "This Bottle And This Old Guitar" and a gospel song called "The Path To His Mansions." He also covers a few newer songs, like James Joiner's "Fallen Star" and Bill Mack's "Drinkin' Champagne." The session was recorded at the Ripcord studios, with Gene Breeden playing steel guitar and leading a house band that included Gene Keyes on piano, Ellis Miller on bass and Blaine Allen singing backup.

Ron Rhodes "Down The Road" (Breeze Music, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Leon Forrest Caulkins)
These shaggy, hippie-lookin' Oregon dudes might have been the exact kind of guys that Kurt Cobain and his pals were rebelling against later in the '80s -- plaid-clad older brothers who wouldn't share their beers with those pesky little kids who wanted to borrow their guitars. Anyway, I'm not sure how country this was, but with tunes like "Country Woman" and a cover of Jud Strunk's "Daisy A Day," it's worth a whirl. This was recorded in Lincoln City, Oregon (on the coast, between Portland and Eugene) with David Franklin (lead guitar), L. F. Caulkins (bass and keyboards), and R. Jackson Smith on drums. Most of the songs are originals, with five songs written by Ron Rhodes, and four more penned by the otherwise obscure Gib Pelts, aka Gilbert Lee Pelts, who had been making music for a while: he filed a copyright on a song called "Baby It Will Be All Right," which dates back to 1972 (though it's not on this album...) Oh, and yeah, I know Nirvana weren't from Oregon... but you get my point, right?

Phil & Betty Richards "You're So Easy To Love" (P & B Records, 1979) (LP)
This husband-wife lounge duo from Portland, Oregon were not strictly country, but there's some twang in there, including covers of "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights," "Long Black Veil," and John Denver's "Back Home Again," although the rest of the record goes in a decidedly pop/pop vocals direction, with stuff like Bobby Goldsboro's "Pen In Hand," "They Call The Wind Mariah," etc. Most of the tracks are just the two of them singing and strumming, though on Side Two they are joined by a drummer named Dale Snyder.

The George Rodgers Trio "Favorites Of..." (Pheasant Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by William Beasley & Tom Sparkman)
This trio from Springfield, Oregon included singers George Rodgers and Cookie Cook, as well as pedal steel player Jimmie Kelley, who showcases his work on several original instrumental numbers -- "Patterns Of The Past," "Skipalong" and "Vile Inn Boogie." There are also covers of oldies by Cindy Walker, the Carter Family, and a version of Bill Mack's "Drinkin' Champagne," and some pop stuff, like Burt Bacharach's "Close To You." But, dang it! After I already made the decision not to make a Springfield-based Simpsons reference, I notice that there are two songs on here written by someone named Ralph Wigham(!) -- "If Only" and "Please Forgive Me." D'oh!!

The Walt Rogers Four "The Walt Rogers Four" (Walor Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Walt Rogers & Jay Andy Thompson)
Originally from Bascom, Florida, fiddler Walt Rogers settled down in Portland, Oregon after traveling around for years as a sideman in various bands. In 1969 he put together the Walt Rogers Four, with his fiddle backing three female singers, including his wife, Lorri Rogers, who had been his partner on the road throughout the early 'Sixties. The repertoire includes country chestnuts such as "Green Green Grass Of Home" and Kenny Rogers's "Just A Yodel For Me," but is more remarkable for the many rock and pop cover tunes, given inventive arrangements and buoyed by Walt Rogers' solid, sizzling fiddle. "Hitchin' A Ride," "Leaving On A Jet Plane," Jackie DeShannon's "Put A Little Love In Your Heart," and a couple by Creedence Clearwater, "Looking Out My Back Door" and "Proud Mary" show a with-it hipness that belies the geeky appearance of the band on the cover. One of the best tracks is his version of "Orange Blossom Special," a song that makes me involuntarily flinch when I see it on an album: Rogers puts his heart into his fiddling, getting a very soulful tone, while the drummer gets in some really cool, inventive licks. To be honest, the vocals are kind of uneven... I won't name names, but while Rogers and one of the gals are pretty good, the other half of the team have some pretty iffy moments. Regardless, this is a cool album from an accomplished and ambitious country lounge band, and a groovy document of the ever-rootsy Pacific Northwest country scene.

The Walt Rogers Four "Complete And Onabridge" (Walor Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Walt Rogers & Jay Andy Thompson)

Gary Rowles/Various Artists "This is Oregon Country" (Flat Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Rowles)
A historical and sometimes humor-filled celebration of the soggy state of Oregon, with songs such as "Oregon, My Oregon" and "Wet Oregon," which just about says it all.

Roy Royston "Roy Who?" (Starwest Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Roy Royston & Blaine Allen)
A native Oregonian, Roy Royston grew up in Eugene, moved to Portland and eventually to Longview, Washington, where did regional bar-band gigs starting in the early '80s at places like Hillman's and Scotties Lounge. This album was recorded at the legendary Ripcord Studios in nearby Vancouver, WA, and like his live act, it was a mix of rock oldies and country. It includes four songs written by Royston -- "Falling In Love (Doesn't Come Easy)," "Dancing To A Slow Love Song," "Quivering Lips" and "Stormy Weather" -- as well as covers of "Statue Of A Fool," "Unchained Melody," Jody Reynolds' teen tragedy classic, "Endless Sleep" and even a version of Dick Feller's "Some Days Are Diamonds." No info about when this album came out or who was backing him, alas.

The Sims Family "...Presents Country Gospel" (Spirit Arrow Productions, 19--?) (LP)

The Sims Family "...Presents Country Music" (Spirit Arrow Productions, 19--?) (LP)
A secular set from this old-timey family band from Philomath, Oregon. The group features Leroy Sims on fiddle, Shirley Sims on banjo and guitar, Steve Sims on guitar, along with Charley Francis on bass and J. R. Clark on banjo and guitar. The album is dedicated to Leroy Sims' grandfather, who came out west in the 1880s, and became a popular local fiddler in remote, rural Conconully, Washington. This album was recorded at Bradley Sound Company, Olympia, Washington...

The Sims Family "...Presents Singing Souls (Spirit Arrow Productions, 19--?) (LP)

The Sims Family "...Presents Fiddlin' Leroy" (Spirit Arrow Productions, 1981-?) (LP)

Solid Foundation "Learning To Lean" (Ripcord Records, 19--?) (LP)
A Christian trio from Grant's Pass, Oregon; on my radar because of the connection with Ripcord studios, though I haven't had a chance to check it out yet... Not sure how much twang was involved, though.

The Stagehands "Richard Presents The Stagehands... Plus Richard" (Barnyard Productions, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Richard P. Falterstack)
This is an unusual hybrid of a custom pressing and a song-poem album... Richard Falterstack was just a regular joe from Gold Mill, Oregon who apparently had the songwriting bug, and hired a bunch of local longhairs to be his "band," recording this set of all-original material, with all songs written by Mr. Falterstack. He sings on one track, "Happy Gardener," though otherwise seems to leave the performing up to the musicians. Included are Clyde Arnold (lead guitar), Jack Greenbach (drums), Ray Jensen (steel guitar), Larry McGill (bass, lead vocals) and Joy Mize (lead vocals).

Billy Tibbets "On A Highway Headed South Searching For Something" (Artists Revue Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden)
A construction worker and former rodeo rider from Oregon, Billy Tibbets recorded this album in Nashville at veteran Pacific Northwest producer Gene Breeden's Tennessee studio, with backing by steel player Terry Crisp, Bruce Watkins on bass, and Breeden playing lead guitar. Half the songs are Tibbets originals, including "Lovin' Could Come Easy," a tune co-written with Ruth Walker, who also contributes one called "The Cowboy And The School Marm." The rest of the record includes covers of David Frizzell, Porter Wagoner and Don Williams, and Jerry Fuller's "Something To Drink About." Not a ton of info about this guy online; he also cut a couple of singles, including one on the Vanco label, one of many imprints connected to Breeden's old Ripcord label.

Billy Tibbets "Cowboys And Pioneers -- A Tribute To The Old Oregon Trail: 1843-1993" (GBS Records, 1993-?)

Tom & Theresa "Carry Me Back" (Orygun Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Tom & Theresa Demarest & Rob Perkins)
Obscuro hippie folk from the Oregonian couple of Tom and Theresa Demarest, singer-guitarists who seem to have lived near Eugene, where this was recorded. They were not native Oregonians, but were really into the vibe of the region, as seen by their label name and enthusiastic liner notes, which wax rhapsodic about the state. The backing band really should have been called The Garys -- in addition to the Demarests on banjo, guitar and synthesizer, the group included Gary Nolde (drums and mandolin), Gary Sanders (bass), and Gary Wilkes on dobro playing on a maybe all-original set, mostly songs written by the Demarests, but also one by drummer Gary Nolde ("Who Are You") and others by folks such as Dammon Black, Jimmie Cox, Daniel Moore ("Give Me Wings (Oregon)"), Byron Walls. There might have been a Christian undercurrent to the album: there's one of those fish symbols hand drawn under their signature on the back cover, though none of the song titles explicitly mention God or Jesus, etc.

Dave West "The Shepherd Of The West" (Country Time/Rimrock Records, 19--?) (LP)
Guitar picker Dave West was originally from Missouri and (according to the liner notes) had worked with several big-name honkytonk stars, back in the day, including folks like Red Foley and Hank Williams. By the time he'd cut this solo set, Mr. West had settled down somewhere in Oregon.

Carol Ann Wheeler "The Joy Of Fiddlin' " (American Heritage Music Corporation, 1978) (LP)
Oregon state fiddle champion Carol Ann Wheeler first released this souvenir album on an indier-indie in 1978, though it was reissued the following year by AHMC.

Jack Worthington "The Jack Worthington Show" (NWI Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by David Mathew)
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, truck driver Jack Worthington went from singing along to old Hank Williams songs to forming a band called the Gearjammers, anchored by lead guitarist Bob Saloum and steel player Ron Stephens. He seems to have been a rather democratically inclined fellow, singing lead on only three of the tracks, while sharing the spotlight with Dick Carson, Dave Eberly, Linda Pullen, Jimmy Walker and other locals... The repertoire is all oldies and standards, stuff like "Six Days On The Road," "Wild Side Of Life," "Truck Driving Man" and "Little Ole Wine Drinker Me," as well as a couple of more pop/jazz oriented tunes such as "Harlem Nocturne" and "Yakety Sax." Seems like a pretty good-natured, unpretentious get-together all around... According to some reports, Mr. Worthington remained in Oregon and was still playing shows at local cafes and other venues near Coos Bay, as late as 2015... any info is of course always welcome!

The Wray Brothers Band "Cowboy Sangers" (CIS Northwest, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Messick & Dave Mathew)
This album is notable as the launching pad for the career of 1990s Top Forty star Collin Raye, an Arkansas native whose birth name was Floyd Elliot Wray. He was going by the name Bubba Wray at the time, and had apparently moved to Portland, Oregon with his brother Scott, who he performed with up until the decade's end. Though they started out as indie artists, the Wrays also took a fling at Nashville, recording a few singles for Mercury Records in the late '80s. This early album looks super-twangy and ultra-indie, but it's mostly pretty slick sounding, with a heavy debt towards the Eagles/ They do make a few nods at Asleep At The Wheel-style western swing and Johnny Cash-ish hillbilly twang (on the album's one cover song, a version of Jimmie Skinner's "Doin' My Time") but the smooth sound Raye would excel at a decade later is readily detected on this disc. The album's many originals include "Briars In Her Britches," "Country Sangers," "Country By-God Music," with Scott Wray being the main songwriter. It's country (poppy country) with a few goofy instruments in the mix -- Moog, synths, orchestra bells, woodblocks -- as well as a banjo and pedal steel, but it's also a solid album, a cut above most records made at this level. No surprise that Collin Raye made it big in Nashville, though one wonders why the brothers didn't make it as a duo.

Bill Yohey "Bill Yohey With Twenty Country Strings" (American Heritage Music Corporation, 197--?) (LP)
Banjo picker and multi-instrumentalist William Russell Yohey (1919-1991) was a stalwart presence on the upper plains and Pacific Northwest old-timey roots music scene, participating in numerous fiddling contests and whatnot, also recording as a solo artist and contributing tracks to several festival albums. Born in Nebraska, he later moved to McMinnville, Oregon and became a notable member of the Oregon Old Time Fiddlers Association, dating back at least as far as the early 1960s. Mr. Yohey played banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin, all of which are showcased on this album (with the total number of pluckable, strummable or bowable strings adding up to twenty!)

Bill Yohey "The Town And Country Side Of Bill Yohey" (American Heritage Music Corporation, 197--?) (LP)
On this album he showcases on side of "town" music -- pop standards such as "Glow Worm," "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "Sweet Georgia Brown" -- and one side of "country" material like "Anytime," "I Fall To Pieces" and "Love Letters In The Sand." One track, "Goodtime Waltz," was his own composition.

Various Artists "GARLAND RECORDS: PACIFIC NORTHWEST SNUFF BOX" (Sundazed/Rocket Beat Records, 2020) (LP)
A set of rare, hippie-era singles from the Oregon-based Garland label, which was better known for its rock/garage records. The tracks date from around 1968-72 and even include a few unreleased recordings by local rock groups in the label's orbit. The influence of California's nascent country-rock scene seems pretty tangible, in particular the sometimes-clunky hippie twang of the Byrds, along with the Buck Owens Bakersfield sound, and a hefty dose of slightly squarer-sounding country. Although the artists on this collection were pretty far-flung, the tracks sound a lot alike, and I suspect most of the singers were backed by a house band that was more rooted in rock rather than country music; some of the picking is sweet while sometimes it sounds pretty haphazard. In all honesty, this isn't the greatest country material, even of the "locals only" variety -- this collection oozes real-folks authenticity but few tracks really make you wanna crank up the volume. Several of the artists are familiar from elsewhere: rough-edged ballad singer Geronia Coyle (a guy) also released at least one other single on the legendary Ripcord label, as did the Cascade Sweethearts, who later recorded a full album along with Gene Keys from the Ripcord studios. (The cover photo on this album it taken from their old LP...) Overall, this disc may be mainly of academic interest, but it does capture a real slice of PNW musical culture.

Various Artists "LANE COUNTY'S GREATEST HITS" (Fireworks Discorporation, 1978) (LP)
(Executive producer: John Sharkey, Jr.)
It don't get more "locals only" than this! This is a folkie collection of songs by folks living around Eugene Oregon, some of them aspiring musicians, though most are just plain folks, such as Mapleton's Joyce Schoefeld, described as a 53-year old mother of nine(!) (...and God only knows where she found the time to sing!) Other performers include Willard "Scarecrow" Crockett -- a wild-looking, beardy guy who claims ancestry from Davy Crockett -- as well as St. Clyde Carroll, Stephen Cohen, Spencer Doidge, Beth Emmons, Emmy Fox, Randy Fulz, Jack Gabel, David Greene, Bret Malmquist, and the bands Leisure and Full Circle. Never heard of 'em? Me, neither! That's why I'm mentioning them here... The album is backed with local-pride songs such as "Lane County Is Where It's At" (by St. Clyde Carroll), "A Tribute To Lane County" (Joyce Schoefeld) and "Watching The Willamette Run" (David Greene) and was originally issued as a benefit for Easter Seals.

Various Artists "OREGON TERRITORY: NORTHWEST BLUEGRASS" (Grassroots Records, 1974) (LP)
A bluegrass collection with five scruffy uber-indie regional bands: Doctor Corn's Bluegrass Remedy, the Muddy Bottom Boys, Puddle City, the Sawtooth Mountain Boys and Tall Timber. Several of these bands also put out records of their own; musically this is okay, though not dazzling or earthshaking. A nice portrait of a few down-to-earth local twangbands, pretty much straightforward bluegrass with a few "progressive" touches, but nothing too out-there or innovative.

Various Artists "SONGS FROM THE TAVERNS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST" (Last Minute Record Company, 1975) (LP)
Although this isn't all strictly "country" stuff, there is plenty of twang in here, including a bit of '70s-style rockabilly retro. Includes artists from Portland, Seattle and Vancouver BC, such as the Cement City Cowboys, Rose & the Dirt Boys, Lance Romance and the Holy Modal Rounders-affiliated avant-nutkiks, Les Clamtones. Sounds pretty groovy!

Hick Music Index