Reverend Ray Anderson "Rev. Ray Anderson Gospel Trio - Richmond Dale, Ohio" (Gospel Recording Service, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Anderson)
A veteran hillbilly singer whose career stretched back to the 1940s, Ray Anderson (1924-2010) started out as a secular artist, cutting singles for Starday and other labels. He was born in West Virginia, and worked on the WWVA Jamboree, though later in life he settled down in Ohio. Anderson's topical novelty numbers, "Sputniks And Mutniks" and "Stalin Kicked The Bucket" are both often-anthologized Cold War classics, showcasing Anderson's style of lively, uptempo rockabilly-adjacent twang. He also played bluegrass, and was bass player for the Osborne Brothers band in a late 'Fifties lineup that also included Red Allen. At some point, Anderson got religion and became an ordained minister in the early 1960s, leading his own church in Richmond Dale, Ohio while starting the Gospel Recording Service, a combination studio and record label that documented numerous rural Midwestern gospel acts in the area. He released several singles and at least two LPs of his own on the label. (Thanks to hillbilly-music.com for their impressive forensic work on Anderson's career!)

Reverend Ray Anderson & Maxine Anderson "We're Almost Home" (QCA/Gospel Recording Service, 196--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Anderson)

Reverend Ray Anderson "Silver Bridge Disaster Memorial Album" (QCA/Gospel Recording Service, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Anderson)
This country gospel set memorializes the catastrophic collapse of a poorly-designed, poorly constructed bridge on the Ohio River, a disaster that killed 46 people on December 15, 1967. Anderson, who lived in nearby Richmond Dale, cut a single soon after the accident, a topical song that was included on this album, which came out the following year. The back cover of the album shows newspaper clippings about the disaster, though, alas, no info about the musicians on this album. Most of the songs were written by Ray Anderson, with three tracks credited to his wife, Maxine Anderson.

Ray Anderson "...With The Tennessee Mountaineers" (BACM, 2017) (LP)
This collectors' reissue CD-R gathers a bunch of Anderson's secular stuff from the 1950s, including novelty numbers like "Draft Board Blues," "Sputniks And Mutniks" and "Stalin Kicked The Bucket," as well as several tracks recorded with the Osborne Brothers, along with a gospel tune or two.

Bailes Brothers - see artist profile

Jane Benger "Something For Everyone" (Stage Four Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Donny Kees & David Martin)
Jane Benger hailed from Ansted, West Virginia and sang in the local church before making a go of it as a professional singer. She fronted a band called the New River Canyon Band that toured regionally and up in Canada a few times.... Benger wrote two of the songs on here: "Billie Lou" and "Smiling Through A Tear," while producer/pianist Donny Kees wrote "I Will Love You Every Morning." She also covers Jessi Colter's "I'm Not Lisa," as well as songs by Kris Kristofferson, Ray Charles, Kenny Loggins, The Beatles, and Errol Garner's "Misty." It's not all twangtunes, for sure, although the overall tilt seems to have been towards countrypolitan pop.

Jane Benger "Why Me Lord" (E Records) (LP)

Booger Hole Revival "Roll The Woodpile Down" (No Nukes, 1979)
Old-timey/bluegrassy/stringband stuff by a longhair band from Roane County, West Virginia... It's a nice album with fiddle tunes and backwoods oldies from artists like the Blue Sky Boys, et. al. as well as some good originals, too. They had just the right mix of twang and imperfection for me... Nice stuff!

Roger Bryant "The Roger Bryant Phonograph Record" (Carpenter's Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Carpenter & Michael Murphy)
A native of Logan County, West Virginia, Roger Bryant had real back-country roots, though he and dobro player Bill Carpenter didn't mind bringing the music into the (then)modern age on this twangy, acousticky set of all-original material. Songs include "Daytime Television," "Hillbilly In Florida" "Lock, Stock And Barrel," "I Walked Out On Baby's Love Tonight" and "Fair Weather Wife" along with a bunch of others, all written by Bryant. According to the liner notes, he got a college degree and started working as a teacher at his old, hometown high school, but decided to pursue a career in music instead... As far as I know, this was his first record.

Roger Bryant "Allegheny" (Americountry Records)
A native West Virginian, country songwriter Roger Bryant was the grandson of folk musician "Aunt Jennie" Wilson (1900-1992), a local banjo player and traditional singer who was a big hit at Southern folk festivals during the late 1950s and '60s. Bryant carried the family banner on several albums, including this one which mixes novelty material (like "Stomp That Cube," an anti-Rubik's cube novelty song) as well as some well-crafted country stuff, with a strong Merle Haggard influence. This album has surprisingly strong production for an uber-indie album... and he's a soulful performer. Definitely worth a spin!

The Butler Brothers "Sixteen Tons Of Bluegrass" (Carpenter's Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Carpenter)
The fellas were bluegrassers, for sure, but they played a lot of country covers, including the Statler Brothers hit, "Bed Of Rose's," Tanya Tucker's "What's Your Mama's Name," and (of course) the coal mining classic "Sixteen Tons." The group included Homer Butler on guitar, his brother Jerry Butler on mandolin, Jim Higgins (bass), DeWayne McCumbers (dobro), and Carl Selman on banjo. Homer Butler lived in Proctor, West Virginia; the album was recorded at a studio in nearby Sutton.

The Butler Brothers "Country The Way We Like It" (Programme Audio, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by David Scott)
Country and country gospel covers by ultra-obscuro bluegrassers Homer and Jerry Butler, who sang stuff like Sonny Throckmorton's "Middle Age Crazy," Ronnie Milsap's "Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends," and Dolly Parton's "Put It Off Until Tomorrow," as well as some Southern gospel like "Just For A Day" by the Rambos. This album was recorded at Programme Audio studios in Greenfield, Indiana, though Homer Butler's mailing address was in Proctor, West Virginia.

Castlemen's Run Country Grass Band "Live From Capitol Music Hall" (Mad Hatter Productions, 1980) (LP)
A longhair grass band from the Wheeling, West Virginia/Steubenville, Ohio area, performing live at the Capitol Music Hall in Wheeling. The set includes several original songs, along with covers of stuff like "Rocky Top" and other standards.

Stewart Clay "Live At The Ice House" (Rutbru Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by John Bruton & Richard Turrill)
A folkie set by a banjoman and guitarist from West Virginia, with a mix of folk-pop (Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain") mountain music ("Cripple Creek"), country covers ("The Auctioneer," "Long Black Veil") along with comedic material such as "If I Could Just Go Back And Know What I Know Now" and "The Ironic," a parody tragedy-ballad about an ironically-named ocean liner meeting with disaster in the "Specific Ocean." Clay started his career back in 1958, playing in the Perkins Family Square Dance Band, and here performs solo at a place called the Icehouse, in Pasadena, California. As far as I know, this was Clay's only album. (Reissued in 2012 on CD as Banjo! Live At The Lighthouse)

Ronnie Cochran "...Sings A Tribute To A Old Friend: Mel Street" (Vista Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Ronnie Cochran & Nelson Larkin)
A longtime resident and musical stalwart of Bluefield, West Virginia, Ronnie Cochran was best friends with Mel Street, a charismatic local singer who finally broke through to national fame after about a decade as a hometown hero in a group called the Swing Kings. The band included Mel Street as lead singer, along with Ronnie Cochrane on bass, drummer Donnie Goins (a member of the Goins Brothers bluegrass family), fiddler Ray Morgan, and steel player Buddy Pennington. They worked together for about a decade, including stints on local TV and radio shows, including as the house band for Cecil Surrett's long-running Country Jamboree, as well as Mel Street's own show, which he hosted for a few years before breaking through and moving to Nashville. Cochran backed Mel Street locally and on the road, though he was apparently was sidelined by a tour bus accident, and settled down back in Bluefield, where he continued to record and to help other aspiring singers in the studio; he also sang harmony vocals on several of Street's albums. This tribute was recorded in Nashville at an off-the-radar studio called RC Demos, with backing by Glenn Barber Jr. (drums), David Greely (fiddle), Vic Jordan (rhythm guitar), Stuart Keathly (bass), Roger Morris (piano), Gene O'Neil (steel guitar), and Cliff Parker (lead guitar). Ronnie Cochran also recorded some singles around this time, including one dedicated to the local West Virginia coal miners. As far as I know this was his only solo album

Dallas Corey "The History Of The American Revolution" (Chart Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Huffman & Cliff Williamson)
A gimmicky songwriter with a penchant for theme albums and topical tunes, Dallas Corey cut a few singles for the Chart label in the early 'Seventies as well as this patriotic/historical album which put him a couple of years ahead of the Bicentennial celebrations that swept America in 1975-76. (Mr. Corey also self-released a vinyl re-pressing in 1976 when the Bicentennial was in full swing and later reissued the album on CD in 2000, marketing it once again through the Sons Of The American Revolution, as well as the DAR...) The songs are mostly devoted to specific military battles ("The Battle Of Bunker Hill," "The Battle Of Brandywine," "The Battle Of Saratoga," et.al.) as well as to specific historical figures, such as military hero Francis Marion, who was the focus of Corey's single, "The Swamp Fox," which came from this album. No information about the musicians playing on this album -- a studio band, apparently -- although Nashville Edition vocal group is credited on the back cover. Dallas Corey was actually the stage name for Adolph Haven Connard III, which seems like an equally improbable monicker, though apparently real, according to both the Library Of Congress and family records in West Virginia. In addition to this all-American album and the pothead epic listed below, Corey also cut some Christmas music and a few topical tunes, like his rather odd 1979 single pairing novelty songs about Jimmy Carter and John Wayne. Perhaps not surprisingly, he seems to have become "born again" at some point and wrote several books devoted to apocalyptic evangelical Christianity, though he may have given up his music career by that time. I couldn't track down Mr. Corey's full biography, but a sibling's obituary noted that he had already passed away some time before 2019.

Dallas Corey "Dealer's Dream" (IMMCO, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Dallas Corey)
I saw the album title and thought of gamblers and card sharks, but it turns out he was talking about the other kind of dealer, the kind with rolling papers and bong pipes. And thus, an album packed with songs with such subtle titles as "Columbian Gold," "Sinsemilla Sally," and "In Search Of The Ganja." Pictured on the back cover with surprisingly short, early '80s hair and a well-groomed Kenny Rogers beard, Mr. Corey tells us in his rambling liner notes how he and his co-composer Bobby Welch "interviewed" several pot dealers and gathered "research materials" from them while making this album. Yeah, I bet. Anyway, this might not be the most country-sounding album ever, but it sure is 'Seventies! ...er, actually 'Eighties, I guess.

Country Limit Band "Introducing..." (Starr Records, 1976) (LP)
Not a lot of info about these guys. A band from Ravenswood, West Virginia with a plunky honkytonk piano and slightly geefy vocals, these fellas traveled to Columbus, Ohio to record at Jack Casey's Starr Records studio... They cover some oldies but goodies, such as Jim Ed Brown's singalong classic, "Pop-A-Top" and Red Sovine's "Phantom 309," and even mess around a bit with the surfin' standard "Wipeout." There may have bee a coupe of originals on here as well, though I'm not sure about that. Thanks to Waxidermy for hepping me to these guys.

Billy Cox "The Dixie Songbird" (Kanawha Records, 1967) (LP)
Charleston, West Virginia's old-timey troubadour Billy Cox (1897-1968) was a hillbilly radio performer whose style (and career) harkened back to the pre-honkytonk era of the Great Depression. Cox began singing professionally in 1928, and he worked on a variety of regional radio stations, including WOBU, Charleston. The front cover of this album features two photos of Mr. Cox: first, he's pictured in 1940 at the microphone of AM station WSEN, although this photo may be from near the end of his music career -- apparently he lost his mojo during the Depression, and retired from show business, later drifting from one job to another. The other photo is of a taciturn Mr. Cox in 1966, after he had been rediscovered by folkie musicologists and brought into the studio for these stripped-down sessions, which feature Mr. Cox accompanied only by harmonica and acoustic guitar. He'd been down on his luck for years, and living in poverty at the time, passing away in 1968, the year after this LP came out. It's a nice set of rugged, unpretentious recordings that echo the primitive twang of the 1920s and '30s, with humorous ditties about nagging women and alimony, boozing and prohibition, and even a few politically-themed songs, including a couple sung in praise of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who helped lift the country out of economic ruin during the prewar era. Billy Cox was credited with writing about 150 songs, including many that were re-workings of traditional or public domain themes. He's perhaps best known for popularizing the song "Filipino Baby," a tune that dates back to the Spanish-American War, but was revived as a WWII hit for honkytonkers such as Cowboy Copas and Ernest Tubb. (Although Billy Cox is sometimes cited online as a co-author with publisher Harry Von Tilzer, the original version was by C. V. Clark, with Von Tilzer's company giving Cox co-credit for the more modern version...) "Filipino Baby" is included here, along with other rough-cut gems such as "Alimony Woman," "Wino's Last Prayer," "The Jailer's Daughter" and "Rolling Pin Woman." Modern-day listeners may find this style too musically remote, but aficionados of chunky, declarative, old-timey music will find a wealth of history and authenticity in this disc.

Dean Del Ray "The Sounds Of A Man Alone" (Del Ray Enterprises, 1972-?) (LP)
(Produced by Howard Stewart & Dean Del Ray)
I'm pretty sure this is not the same Dean Delray who went from a career in 1990s jam band/hard rock into a career as a standup comedian... This Dean Del Ray, a lounge singer was from Clarksburg, West Virginia who was singing at the Sheraton Hotel when he cut this album in the early 1970s. It's mostly a bunch of oldies, stuff like "Chantilly Lace" and "Proud Mary," but also some country songs, such as "Four Walls," "For The Good Times" and "Muleskinner Blues." I'm guessing around 1972 on this one...?

Ernie Dunlap "Two For The Show: Ernie Dunlap The Double Sax Man" (Sunset Records, 1982) (LP)
Saxophonist Ernie Dunlap (1946-2019) grew up in Hurricane, West Virginia and was a musical prodigy, starting out on mandolin when he was six years old, although he soon switched to saxophone and became a local sensation (supposedly even subbing for an absent sax player one time when Bill Haley came to town...) In the early 1970s, after playing in garage bands and whatnot, he began practicing a trick performance style where he could play and harmonize on two saxophones at the same time, making him into sort of a country-jazz Rashaan Roland Kirk. He became known as "the double sax man" though he also did a bit of singing, as heard on his single, "I Knew I Loved You Before I Knew Your Name." He and his friend, country singer Dick Sargent, recorded an album together around 1975, which seems to have led to a couple of singles on the Cin-Kay label, and finally to this solo album, which concentrates on country-flavored material, but also dipping into pop/jazz standards, in the style of his idol Boots Randolph. Mr. Dunlap often performed with his wife, keyboard player Corba Dunlap, though he suffered a stroke around 2003, which sidelined him for several years. He returned to the stage about a decade later, though I think this was his only album.

The Flaherty Brothers Band "FBB" (Furry Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Kirk & Lowell Varney)
Brothers E. J. Flaherty and Paul Flaherty were from Charleston, West Virginia, though they recorded this album in Crum, West Virginia... Their "rural rock" repertoire includes covers of songs from the roots/country rock firmament: Rusty Weir's "Don't It Make You Wanna Dance," Little Feat's "Willin'," and Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth." There's also a healthy amount of original material, such as "Never Thought" and "Diane," written by Paul Flaherty, and two tunes by bassist Tim White -- "Jack And Ginger" and "Brand New Seed."

Gene And Joe & The Valley Troubadours "Sing Favorite Songs" (Seneca Records, 1965-?) (LP)
A brother duo who modeled themselves after bluegrass legends Reno & Smiley, Gene and Joe Winebrenner formed their first band in 1963. Early on, they won a local talent contest in Seneca, West Virginia, where they caught the attention of their idols... Reno & Smiley! The brothers were invited to join the cast of a local country program, "The Big Valley Barn Dance," on station WSVA-TV, in Harrisonburg. I'm not sure where they were from originally, but the Winebrenners certainly moved around a lot, as many country musicians did in the old days, finding berths at several radio and television stations over the years.

Gene & Joe "In The Big Country" (Major Label Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by John Major)
A more country-oriented album here, recorded for John Major's label in Waynesboro, Virginia sometime in the early 'Seventies. It's nice mix of original material (about half the album) and covers, including old-school honkytonk and heartsongs from folks such as Wiley Walker and Hank Williams, as well as a couple of newer, West-er, Coast-ier songs from Merle Haggard. The Winebrenners were living in Burlington, West Virginia when they cut this disc, and were backed by their band, The Country Kings, though alas the liner notes don't provide any names for the musicians.

Larry Groce "The Wheat Lies Low" (RCA-Daybreak, 1970)
Though he was born in Texas and paid his dues out on the East Coast and the West, singer-songwriter Larry Groce eventually moved to West Virginia in 1972, becoming a mainstay of the state's public radio network, and its acoustic music scene. This was Groce's first album of original material; previously, he had recorded a set of Christian Science hymns, with lyrics by Mary Baker Eddy.

Larry Groce "Crescentville" (RCA-Daybreak Records, 1972)

Larry Groce & The Currence Brothers "Larry Groce And The Currence Brothers" (Peaceable Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Michael Lietz & C. Randolph Naurt)
Listeners and fans who want to get a sense of Groce's roots music origins might get a kick out of this pleasantly twangy, all-acoustic album... A nice, straightforward set of traditional-sounding bluegrass, with a repertoire that mixed in plenty of "progressive" material, such as Dylan's "You Ain't Going Nowhere," the Johnny Cash oldie, "I Still Miss Someone" and Rodney Dillard's "The Biggest Whatever." The Currance Brothers were a family band from Randolph County, West Virginia who provided solid though unflashy accompaniment for the equally unhurried lead singer... The Currance Brothers went on to record a few albums of their own, though I think this was their debut LP.

Larry Groce "Junkfood Junkie" (Warner Brothers, 1976) (LP)
It can be hard not to be considered a "one-hit wonder," especially when your big hit blows up as huge as the title track to this amiable folk-pop outing. The bouncy, deliciously delivered song was a good-natured spoof of the growing "natural foods" movement of the 'Seventies, and it became one of the biggest radio hits of the Bicentennial, as popular with the hippie-hating "straights" as with the longhairs and liberals who if nothing else proved that they could take a joke as well as the next guy. It's funny, though, it never occurred to me, until just now, that Larry Groce might have actually written -- hell, he might even have sung -- other songs besides "Junkfood Junkie," and that he might actually deserve a spot in the '70s hippie-country pantheon. That suspicion is borne out by a cursory Google search which reveals that Groce was the founder of the venerable "Mountain Stage" radio show, which helped give national exposure to many to some of the biggest stars of the budding Americana and Adult-Alt music genre in the 1980s and '90s. Go figure. Heck, maybe some day I'll have to check the rest of this record out!

Larry Groce "Please Take Me Back" (MC Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Curb)
On what amounted to his major-label swansong, Larry Groce hooked up with hotshot producer Mike Curb for a smooth set of flowery folk-and-twang, backed by an impressive roots music studio crew. Ry Cooder plays on a couple of tunes, along with pedal steel players J. D. Maness and Sneaky Pete Kleinow, fiddler Richard Greene, a couple of guys on loan from the Emmylou Harris Hot Band (Emory Gordy and Glen D. Hardin) and Nick De Caro on accordion... Heck, they even got Melissa Manchester to sing harmony on a tune or two! For me, the most intriguing sideman was banjo picker and backup singer Rob Quist, a veteran of the regionally-based group, the Montana Band, who was probably playing with Groce at the time. Like Quist, Groce preferred the smalltown life, and sings of his happiness in a "Big White House In Indiana," along with other pastoral, rural inclinations. Most of this album is too wishy-washy for me, with pop-folk/singer-songwriter material reminiscent of Harry Chapin and Jim Croce, though the opening track, "Entertainment Nightly," is a satisfyingly twang-filled tune about "a great big star in a little beer joint," who doesn't mind pickin' and singin' far away from the LA and Nashville lights. Other tracks are mildly evocative, but that one's the real winner.

Danny Harrison "What I Feel In My Heart" (Deneba Records, 19--?) (LP)
Hailing from West Virginia, songwriter Danny Harrison (nee Danny Cousins) started out as a rockabilly singer, waxing the 1958 single, "Rock-A-Billy-Boogie," along with other 45s on a variety of labels. Mainstream success came when he penned "How Can I Write On Paper (What I Feel In My Heart)" which was recorded by Jim Reeves, leading to a string of other tunes recorded by Nashville stars of varying luminescence. His success was limited, however, and Harrison receded into the background, establishing himself as a regional performer along with his wife, Audrey. He played gigs on the WWVA "Jamboree," where he was a cast member in the early 1970s, and released several records on his own Deneba label, as well as one album by singer Darnell Miller. Harrison also cut a few singles for major labels such as Coral Records.

Danny Harrison "No One To Love Me" (Deneba Records, 1971-?) (LP)
(Produced by Joanne Combs & Michael Perry)
For this album, Harrison lined up an all-star studio crew, including guitarist Fred Carter, and a slew of studio pros such as Willie Ackerman, Junior Huskey, steel player Lloyd Green, pianist Hargus Robbins, et. al., who were in the orbit of Carter's label, Nugget Records. The songs are all Harrison originals except for a version of Kathy Dee's "Only As Far As The Door."

Danny Harrison "Jesus Is The One" (Deneba Records, 197--?) (LP)

The Heckels "Almost Heaven... West Virginia" (B & W Records, 1971-?)
(Produced by W. N. Snedgar & Jim Sutton)
The Heckels were a family band from West Virginia led by mandolin player William Isaac ("Pee Wee") Heckel (1932-2006),and his son, J. Thomas ("J-Bird") Heckel on bass. The group also included daughters Beverly and Susan, although they don't seem to have been on this recording. Here they're doing stringband versions of mega-oldies such as "Jimmie Brown, The Newsboy" and "Wooden Indian," along with covers of newer tunes like "Folsom Prison Blues," Merle Haggard's "The Fugitive," and of course, John Denver's "Country Roads." Pee Wee Heckel and his son are backed here by several guys including Bill Currance on mandolin and Harold Fogle playing steel I think these guys were drawn from the cast of the Wheeling Jamboree, as they play on a few other albums from this same label.

Bill "Hoss" Huffman "Spend Some Time With Hoss" (Kessler Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Rue Barclay)
A highly regarded guitar player (and fiddler) Bill Huffman was born in Fellowsville, West Virginia but headed out west in the late 1950s to try and make it it Hollywood. He was most successful as a country picker, apparently playing club dates at places like the Brandin' Iron in San Bernardino, and was working with producer Rue Barclay when he cut this disc, which I think was his only album. There's no date on it, but from the catalog number (K-7463) I'm guessing it was from 1974, sadly the same year that Huffman died of cancer. Most of the tunes are oldies and country standards, stuff like "Faded Love," "It Makes No Difference Now," "Roly Poly" and "Wild Side Of Life," while the most contemporary number was a version of Merle Haggard's 1972 hit, "Daddy Frank." It's a nice record, with plenty of instrumentals and some vocals as well, Huffman sounding, perhaps, a bit old before his time, but picking some sweet riffs nonetheless, with solid accompaniment from an unknown coterie of SoCal musicians -- pals of his who wanted to help Huffman make one last record that would be his legacy. In addition to playing acoustic and electric guitar, Huffman also showed off his fiddling skills, notably on the old-timey chestnut, "Ol' Joe Clark."

The Keplingers "Troubles On The Farm" (Bennett's Recordings, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Twyla Morrison)
Formed in 1980, The Keplingers were a bluegrassy family band from Moorefield, West Virginia, originally including brothers Billy Joe, Eddie and J. R. Keplinger and their bass playing sister, Connie Keplinger, who had dropped out of the band by the time this album, to be replaced by Joe Van Meter. The Keplingers were distant runners-up in several country talent contests, including the "Starquest '83" show in Wheeling, WV, and kept plugging away at local fairs and whatnot, even traveling to Kansas City to play the national Future Farmers Of America convention -- twice, in '83 and '84. Along with covers of tunes by the likes of the Easter Brothers, Herb Pedersen and Don Reno, this includes a couple of Keplinger originals, "Down In Old Smoke Holes" and the title track, "Troubles On The Farm." This seems to have been the group's only album.

Slim Lehart "The Wheeling Cat" (B-W Records, 1971-?)
(Produced by Jim Sutton)
Richard Edmund Hartley (b. 1935) was better known by his stage name, Slim Lehart. He was a longtime cast member of West Virginia's "Jamboree USA" country music revue (previously known as the "WVVA Jamboree") and performed there until the venue closed in 2005. Lehart grew up on a farm near Viola, WV and played in a family band until his teens, when he moved to Wheeling, joined the army and went to Korea. Back home, he pursued a music career, and auditioned for the Jamboree gig for years, finally getting on stage in the 'Sixties, and landing a permanent spot in 1970, after the show reorganized and changed its name. He earned the nickname "the Wheeling Cat" for his uninhibited stage presence, and wrote a song of the same name, which is the title track of this album. He' backed by some other Jamboree artists, notably Roger Hoard on guitar, Buddy Griffin on fiddle and Jerry Taylor playing pedal steel. In later years, Lehart led his own "Wheeling Feeling" variety show, performing as recently as 2017, although he had officially retired back in 2015.

Linda Lilly "This Is..." (Now Sound Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Deaton & Jim Cox)
Billed in the liner notes as "the greatest discovery from West Virginia since coal," Linda Lilly had early success as a child performer, including a television debut on a local TV show called the "Straw Hat Hoedown" and an appearance on the nationally syndicated talent show, "Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour." She eventually settled into a career in nursing, but continued to perform locally and to write her own material. There are a dozen originals included on this album, songs such as "(I Want A) Plain Old Country Boy," "Flatfootin', USA," "High On Love" and "Start At The Bottom." Ms. Lilly was backed by a studio band led by pianist/arranger Dan Vernon, along with Gene Davidson (guitar, fiddle and steel guitar), John Bohanon (drums), Mike St. Clair (bass) and Stuart Light on banjo.

Jimmy Lynch "Meet Little Jimmy Lynch" (1970-?) (LP)
Not to be confused with the African-American comedy artist nicknamed "the funky tramp," country singer Little Jimmy Lynch was apparently a dwarf, or, if you prefer, a little person, who hailed from West Virginia. According to the liner notes on his second album, Lynch performed frequently on WVVA's "Wheeling Jamboree," as well as other local radio and TV venues. He recorded at least two LPs of straightforward, old-school country music, including this album of (all) cover tunes, classics such as "Act Naturally," "Golden Rocket," and "Green, Green Grass Of Home," as well as more contemporary material like Waylon Jennings' "Come On Home And Sing The Blues To Daddy." Alas, Lynch remains a bit of a cipher with no historical record online that I can find thus far. Anyone out there know about this guy?

Jimmy Lynch "The Sounds Of The Country" (Lam Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Shockley)
Lynch traveled to Nashville to record this album at Tom T. Hall's studio, and cut this second(?) album with an unidentified studio crew... Some of the songs are covers, stuff like "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Four Walls," but others are originals, including "Change The Dirt" (credited to Roy M. Shockley) and "Love Knows No Distance" (written by Bill Quinn, Anthony Prince and Chuck Doze) which were probably provided by producer Mike Shockley for these sessions.

Karen Mackay "West Virginia Woman" (West Virginia Woman Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Allan Freeman, Marcia Ewell & Steve Hoffman)
A bluegrassy, old-timey set from multi-instrumentalist Karen Mackay, who plays autoharp, clawhammer banjo, dulcimer, fiddle and guitar, with modest backing by bassist Ralph Gordon and Dave Schneider on dulcimer. A lot of traditional tunes, with a tune or two from folks like the Carter Family or Stephen Foster, along with the title track, "West Virginia Woman," which is a Karen Mackay original.

David Morris & John Morris "Music As We Learned It" (Kidtown Traditional Records, 1969) (LP)
Brothers Davis and John Morris were born and raised in West Virginia, learning old-timey traditional music while still quite young, and as college-aged men they championed the unruly Appalachian style at a time when the bluegrass revival was moving towards the slicker, more flashy "progressive" style... They recorded this back-to-basics album in 1969, the same year they founded their own music festival, which was held on their family farm in Ivydale, West Virginia. They hosted the festival from 1969-72; a few years later it transformed into the Vandalia Gathering, with the brothers remaining active in traditional music for many years to come.

Mayf Nutter "First Batch" (Capitol Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Mayf Nutter)
Perhaps the weirdest thing about Mayf Nutter is that Mayf Nutter really is his name -- Mayfred Nutter Adamson, actually -- though his odd career trajectories are noteworthy as well. Born in West Virginia, Nutter started out as a rocker, playing lead guitar in Del Shannon's band, then hopped onto the folk bandwagon in the '60s, as part of the New Christy Minstrels, and finally into country, with a little help from Buck Owens Enterprises, which kind of had the run of Capitol Records in the early '70s. His first album has a slightly manic, try-anything-and-see-what-sticks feel to it, and with the exception of a few singles which were semi-hits in the Back Forty, nothing much came of it. There are some mildly desperate novelty songs, such as "The Litterbug Song" and "The Sing-Along Song," as well as his cover of Delaney Bramblett's pop smash, "Never Ending Song Of Love," which peaked at #57 on the Country charts. Mayf's real bread and butter came as an actor, with a string of minor roles on shows such as Gunsmoke, Charlie's Angels, and The Waltons. This album's kind of perky, but also strangely bland -- an example of an indie-ish oddball cutting an album for a major label, perhaps?

Mayf Nutter "Goin' Skinny Dippin' " (GNP Crescendo, 1976) (LP)

Tim O'Brien & Mollie O'Brien -- see artist discography

Ernie C. Penn "...Sings A Good Country Song" (B-W Records, 1972-?) (LP)

The Potomac Gentlemen "At Home" (1978) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Grayson)
Actually not a bluegrass group, despite the band name. This is some groovy acoustic-electric country-rock by a band from Moorefield, West Virginia, featuring singer and lead guitarist Rick Bergdoll, Jay Halterman on bass, Allen Kesner (lead vocals), Landon Ketterman (drums) and Andy White on rhythm guitar. The repertoire includes two originals by Kesner and Bergdoll ("Hitchin' South" and "Smoke Hole") as part of a mix of country, country-rock and country gospel songs spanning from John Denver and Albert E. Brumley to Hank Williams and The Allman Brothers, and even a version of The Bellamy Brothers hit, "Let Your Love Flow." The group seems to have been together playing local gigs for at least most of 1978 and part of '79, with Allen Kesner as the primary lead singer. This seems to have been a country-oriented side project for Rick Bergdoll, who was already in a local rock group called Astoria, and later became pastor at the Jordan Run Union Church, in nearby Maysville, WV, while continuing to play in a series of local bands. As far as I know, this was the only album by The Potomac Gentlemen, though they may have also released a single or two.

The Putnam County Pickers "...It's About Time" (Rose Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Al Shackman)
An eclectic quartet from Culloden, West Virginia, playing a blend of folk-country, bluegrass and swing-string too... The repertoire includes several songs by Rusty Wells, along with two each by Steve Hill and Ron Sewell, as well as a cover of Mike Williams's "Sad South Texas Blues." The bandmembers trade off on singing lead and playing various instruments -- switching on bass or guitars, etc. -- and generally seem to have been pretty democratic about the whole thing. The band was formed in 1974 and stayed together through 1981, with a brief detour as the "Stark Raven Band" before officially breaking up in the early '80s. This album made a mighty fine legacy!

Turley Richards "West Virginia Superstar" (CBS-Epic Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Bledsoe & Troy Seals)
Wow... I would never, ever in a million, bazillion years have guessed that an album like this -- with that picture of a dorky-looking, longhaired good-old-boy, a guy named Turley, for goodness sake! -- wouldn't be a country record. Instead, it's more of a whiteboy Southern disco-soul album, and a pretty good one at that. Originally from West Virginia, Richards was an ex-rockabilly singer from the late '50s who slid into soul and pop vocals, in sort of a Jackie Wilson-meets-The Righteous Brothers mode. This later record, despite being recorded in Nashville and despite the presence of country-affiliated artists like producer Troy Seals and Janie Frickie (who sings harmony), is more like an Atlanta Rhythm Section or Average White Band record. Oh, well. Can't win 'em all! But all of y'all who are into the whole retro-disco thing... well hey, you might want to check this one out.

Riverstreet "Riverstreet" (Rare Summer Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Summerfield)
More of a southern rock thing by this band from Charleston, West Virginia... The group was led by lead singer/guitarist Marshall Crowder, who wrote most of the band's original material. Other members included Fred Blackwell (lead vocals), Fred Lacy (drums), John Wiseman (bass), Bugs Workman (rhythm guitar) and Rosie Workman (vocals). Not totally sure how "country" to consider these guys, bu there was definitely some twang in the mix... Also worth noting that there are other bands called Riverstreet, including a late 'Seventies band from Georgia that was basically a straight-up hard rock group.

Lee Royal & The Sawdusters "Lunch Time At The Saw Mill" (Timber Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by John Dougan & John Busbice)
An all-original set of tunes penned by Lee Royal, of Elk Hork, West Virginia, who may be the same guy who put out a single or two a couple of years earlier... Interesting band, too, with Randy Boone on drums, Warren Hoover (pedal steel), Jerry Lundy (fiddle), Brian McAlexander (bass), Dick Walton (fiddle) and backing vocals by Janet Kammerer and Darlene McGaffin. I believe Jerry Lundy fiddled in Ted Lundy's bluegrass band, he also was in the Country Ham band, out in Oakland, California, while bassist McAlexander way back when played in the '70s country-rock band Timberline. Dunno much else about these guys, though I sure dig their vibe.

Dick Sargent "...Sings I Kissed An Angel" (Dana Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Logan)
Not to be confused with the actor who played Darrin on the TV show Bewitched, this Dick Sargent was a young guy apparently from West Virginia, though recording on a label from Sandwich, Illinois, a small town just outside of Chicago... He was at least partly backed by his own local band -- drummer Robert Casdorph, saxophonist Ernie Dunlap, and Pat Miller on bass and piano -- though the sessions were recorded in Nashville, so a few uncredited studio pros are also likely. The title track, "I Kissed An Angel," was his own original, while most of the album features cover songs such as "Behind Closed Doors," "Like Old Times Again," "Proud Mary" and "Rhinestone Cowboy," with the last songs possibly dating this one to around 1975 or '76. The liner notes say that Sargent and Dunlap grew up together in West Virginia, and Dunlap also recorded a few singles and at least one album under his own name, specializing in country-flavored material, but also dipping into pop/jazz standards. (Nicknamed "the double sax man," Dunlap did some Rashaan Roland Kirk-style trick playing, blowing two saxes at the same time...)

B. B. Secrist "Baby I'm Country (Just A Little Bit Rock And Roll)" (Fox Fire Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jason Hawkins, Frank Evans & Randy King)
Born in the tiny coal town of Winona, West Virginia, pianist B. B. Secrist served his time in the country scene, as heard on this album, which was recorded in Nashville with a studio band that included Paul Franklin (dobro and steel guitar), Greg Galbraith (guitars) and the Cates Sisters providing backup vocals. The 'Fifties rock influences heard here later expanded as Secrist narrowed his focus on a career as a cruise-and-lounge performer, hosting a Jerry Lee Lewis tribute show. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you...) Not sure when this album came out, but it sure looks early-to-mid-to-late-ish '80s...)

Bobby Shannon "A Trucker's Story" (Rebel Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Dick Freeland)
Good, old-fashioned misery ballads and tragedy tunes by a guy from West Virginia, backed by his band, The Coachmen. Although this came out on a fabled bluegrass label, there's plenty of legit country sounds here, including electric guitar and pedal steel -- the band includes Bobby Hall on drums Buddy Hubbard (rhythm guitar), Norman Madison (steel), Wayne Williams (lead guitar), Bob Wooley on bass, and Bobby Shannon on lead vocals. The song list includes weepers like "I Ain't Gonna Let The Thought Of You (Get Next To Me)," "Life's Darkest Day," "Daddy, Mama Won't Answer," "Useless," and the title track, of course. Several tracks came out earlier as late 'Sixties singles; this appears to be Shannon (and the Coachmen's) only album, although they did record a couple more singles that were released in 1971-72. I wasn't able to find much info about these guys -- Shannon was a pretty laid-back, low-key singer and the band delivers a solid but similarly understated performance, owing perhaps in part to their devotion to an antiquated country subgenre -- the tragedy song -- with roots in the Depression era. Anyone know more about this guy?

Jimmy Stephens & Joann Davis "We Might Not" (Pan Handle Records, 19--?) (LP)
Originally from Hartford, Connecticut, James F. Papillo (1929-2006) (aka Jimmy Stephens) settled in West Virginia and was a longtime cast member of the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree, performing on the show for over forty years alongside his wife, Joann Davis. They also performed regionally in New England and Canada, notably working USO tours at Thule Air Force Base, in Greenland. I'm not sure how many albums they made; the artwork for this one was also used on a gospel CD released many years later.

Mel Street - see artist discography

Teays Valley Boys "Pickin' And Singin' Bluegrass And Country" (Marbone Records, 197--?) (LP)
This band from West Virginia started in 1965 and though they were mainly a bluegrass group, they dipped into straight country material as well, and included some steel guitar in the mix. The group included Clarence Lewis (guitar, vocals), Jim Crace (mandolin), Bill Davis (bass), Kevin Coll (banjo), Tommy Davis (guitar), Ballard "Pop" Davis on steel guitar and Don Rowsey (fiddle) with about half the music written by various bandmembers, including "Murder Of Love" and "Now You are Gone" by Clarence Lewis, and a song called "Roll Truck Roll" credited to Jim Crace (although I woulda thunk it's the Red Simpson hit, from out Bakersfield way...) The covers include country oldies such as the Bob Wills standard, "Faded Love," and "When I Stop Dreaming" by the Louvin Brothers, as well as the ebullient bluegrass classic, "Are You Missing Me" from Jim & Jesse.

Bill Terry "People's Emotions: Songs By Bill Terry" (B-W Records, 1971-?)
(Produced by Jim Sutton)
An album of all-original material, with all songs written by Bill Terry. The album jacket doesn't have any info about where or when this was recorded, but he's backed by several guys who were in the orbit of the Wheeling Jamboree -- the West Virginia-based B-W label seems to have been connected to that revue somehow. Not sure if Bill Terry was connected to the show as well, of if B-W also did custom private pressings.

Chuck Thompson "Country Guitars" (ABC Records, 1969-?) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Carter, Jr.)
Easy listening, country style. The unusually chatty liner notes are pretty informative: Born in West Virginia, slick picker Chuck Thompson was a country music veteran who had toured with stars such as Rex Allen, Wade Ray and Tex Williams, most notably a six-year stint with Williams's Western Caravan, out on the West Coast, as well as rodeo gigs, and appearances on the Midwestern Hayride and the Grand Ole Opry. He'd moved back East by the time this disc came out and was working as a staff musician for the Baldwin piano company in New York City, and is photographed on this album modeling their current line of guitars. This set was recorded in Nashville, and though there's no info about the musicians backing him, I would imagine there's a good chance that producer Fred Carter threw in a few licks of his own.

Thunderhill "I'm Going Home" (Minco Records, 197--?) (LP)
This band from Keyser, West Virginia had been around for a long time before they cut this album... A few singles came out 'way back in the '60s, when -- as the Thunder Hill Singers -- they covered Marianne Faithfull's "As Tears Go By" (which is also included on this LP...) and several other folk classics. That early folkie trio featuring core members Jim Broome (lead vocals), Ed Jordan (lead guitar), and Jerry Marsh (on bass) released a few singles and later expanded to a full band, going into more of a country/country-rock direction. Although they were from West Virginia, the album's liner notes inform us that "the group is presently based at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland resort area," and toured regionally on the Eastern seaboard. The album includes covers such as "Peaceful Easy Feeling," "Good Hearted Woman," "Folsom Prison Blues," and "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home." Not sure of the date, but I'm guessing late '70s on this one...

Pudge Warfield "Pudge's Wild And Wonderful Flat-Top" (Alear Records, 1983) (LP)
This one's more in the bluegrass camp, but I'm a sucker for a goofy nickname... and c'mon... Pudge Warfield? And his manager, Big John Hougk? Can't help myself. Musically, this is pretty standard stuff, with pretty solid picking... Warfield is joined by Scott Brannon on rhythm guitar, banjoist Roger Dayley, Sam Glynn on mandolin, and Warren Reeder picking some mighty fancy dobro. A talented flatpicker, Mr. Warfield was from Martinsburg, West Virginia, and performed regionally, including numerous gigs in Maryland and environs.

Billy Edd Wheeler -- see artist profile

Various Artists "LIVE AT THE MOUNTAIN STATE ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR" (Nashville Live Recording Productions, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Roger E. Bryant, Vic Gabany & David Wright)
A locals-only bluegrass and old-timey set recorded live at a bicentennial cultural fair in Ripley, West Virginia. ...And by "bicentennial," I mean bicentennial: the concert was on July 4, 1976. Performers included Jimmie Currance on banjo, Russell Fluharty on keyboards, fiddlers Frank George and Glen Smith, as well as Aunt Jennie Wilson (1900-1992), who was the grandmother of guitarist Roger Bryant, who organized the show. Bryant recorded a few albums under his own name (see above) and created an annual "Aunt Jennie Music Festival," which had its roots here...

Hick Music Index