Bob Gallion "Out Of A Honky Tonk" (Bear Family Records, 2000)
Nice one. Kentucky-born, Ohio-raised Bob Gallion (1924-1999) was an odd kind of honky-tonker -- sometimes he sounded like Mickey Gilley, with a strong hint of Ernest Tubb's vocal roughness thrown in for good measure, other times he employed some Hank Williams twang. Though a little untamable (this disc is full of late '50s efforts to frame him in a "pop" or rockabilly context), Gallion had a very comfortable presence and a swinging feel to his work. This album gathers together all of Gallion's work for the MGM label, much of it co-written with his songwriting partner, Luke McDaniel, who was given a Bear Family retrospective of his own. Like a lot of early country stars, much of Gallion's recording career was limited to singles; he later moved to the Hickory label, where he released another string of fine hard-country singles, and eventually a full LP, which is listed below. Gallion also moved around a lot, going from gig to gig -- early on, he was a cast member of the "WWVA Jamboree," though he also enjoyed a stint on "The Louisiana Hayride" and worked as a country deejay in the 1960s. In 1968 Gallion met singer Patti Powell and recruited her as a member of the WWVA cast; they remained musical partners at least up through the mid-1980s. Anyway, this Bear Family set is a really good collection of cool classic country, with its toes just dabbling in the rockabilly and teen-pop tides. Special treats: Gallion's 1959 version of the Patsy Cline hit, "This Should Go On Forever," and the pathos-heavy divorce saga, "You Take The Tables, I'll Take The Chairs." Recommended!

Bob Gallion "Happy Birthday, My Darling" (Hickory Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Erdelyan & Wesley Rose)
Though signed to the Hickory label in the early 1960s, Gallion didn't get a full LP of his own until 1971... Most of the songs are his originals, including a couple co-written with Earl Sinks, while other tracks were penned by the likes of Harlan Howard, John Loudermilk, one by Lee Emerson (who wrote "I Thought I heard You Calling My Name") and even a couple by Helen Carter, of the fabled Carter Family line. No info on backing musicians, alas, though this album seems to have been cobbled together from various singles recorded over the course of the 'Sixties.

Bob Gallion & Patti Powell "Together And Alone" (B&P Records, 1975-?) (LP)
Gallion's longtime duet partner, Georgia-born Patti Powell had kind of a Loretta Lynn-meets-Kitty Wells hyper-rural vibe... She landed a spot on the "WWVA Jamboree" program in Wheeling, West Virginia, arriving as the protege of honkytonk songwriter Bob Gallion, who met her while working as a deejay in Atlanta, back in 1968. She started on the show around 1970 or '71 and the two performed on the Jamboree both as solo artists and as a duo, and they toured together at least up through the mid-1980s. Typically their records were mostly duets, with Gallion taking a few solo numbers, although she also recorded a solo album in 1971... made up of covers of songs written by Bob Gallion!

Bob Gallion & Patti Powell "Greatest Hits" (Gusto Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Tommy Hill & Mike Stone)
Though the songs overlap with earlier releases on singles and LPs, I think these are re-recorded versions, since the liner notes provide the names of a particular Nashville studio crew -- Jim Baker on steel guitar, Hayward Bishop (drums), Jack Eubanks (lead guitar), Tommy Hill (rhythm guitar), Tommy Jackson (fiddle), Bunky Keels (piano) and Hank Strzelecki on bass. Bob Gallion sings solo on over half the album, while Patti Powell accompanies him on four duet tracks.

Hank Garland - see artist discography

Red Garrett "Complete Hillbilly Collection" (Binge Discs, 2006)
A rugged singer, Garrett was also a bit, um... rough around the edges, too. This is hardcore hillbilly stuff, but its authenticity is tempered by Garrett's limitations as a singer, and by his apparent belief that he was the greatest country singer ever. True, he does some good imitations on "They Got Me Singing That Way" (although his Ernest Tubb is way more recognizable than his Eddy Arnold...) and he has a great, twangy band backing him, with sharp fiddle and crying steel guitar... But Garrett isn't quite in the class he thinks he is, and while this disc is a nice document of an obscure honkytonker, most of the material falls flat, including a high proportion of novelty songs that don't quite make the grade. I wound up keeping a handful of tracks in rotation with a bunch of other hillbilly stuff, but the rest I let go. If you're really into obscuro country oldies, there are some gems on here -- notably "Too Late To Plow Now, Baby" and "Long Gone" -- but also quite a few duds. Feel free to take your chances.

George & Earl "Better Stop, Look And Listen" (Bear Family Records, 2011)
A cool and much-welcomed reissue of a fab hillbilly record that I've had for years on vinyl, with new material added for the digital age... The 1950's duo of George McCormick and Earl Aycock only released about a dozen tracks together, all of which are included here, along with an equal amount from McCormick working solo. It's great hard country harmony, with an uptempo bounce that took the stolid sound of the Delmore Brothers and gave it a little extra pep. If you're a fan of the "brother act" sound that passed from the Delmores and the Blue Sky Boys, through to the Louvins and the Everly Brothers -- or if you just like good old-fashioned twang -- you'll definitely want to check this out as well... Great stuff!

Don Gibson - see artist discography

Rusty Gill & The Westernaires "Cowboy Songs Mountain Ballads" (BACM, 2002)
A delightful set of cowboy and western songs by Midwesterner Rusty Gill (1919-2008) an affable Midwestern crooner and regional performer originally from Saint Louis, whose career was based in Chicago, notably working at WLS radio station alongside gal star Louise Massey, whose band he borrowed for these recordings. Gill's relaxed vocal style was clearly modeled on the smooth style of big city stars such as Bing Crosby and Dick Haymes, but unlike Crosby, Gill's cowboy tunes weren't bogged down by corny pop orchestrations; there's plenty of sweet-sounding twang on here, provided by Gill's band, the Westernaires (a pseudonym for the Prairie Ramblers). This disc gathers together a bunch of high-quality radio transcription performances -- although the liner notes don't include information about the back-up musicians, there is a photo of Gill with a line-up of the Westernaires that included Wade Ray, so he may be on here as well. This is a great album -- Gill is a very robust, likable vocalist and the songs are all classics, played in a straightforward folk-country style, without as much of a jazzy influence as, say, Gene Autry's work of the same era. Highly recommended!

Mickey Gilley - see artist discography

Johnny Gimble - see artist discography

Jimmie Dale Gilmore - see artist discography

Curtis Gordon "Play The Music Louder" (Bear Family Records, 1998)
A hillbilly who started boppin', Georgia native Curtis Gordon (1928-2004) started out as a pure country hick in the early 'Fifties, but as the decade wore on, he became known as a rockabilly singer (and is remembered as a rocker by most retro fans...) Still, he was the kind of 'billy artist that makes it pretty clear how close country and rock originally were: this guy is a hick singer, pure and simple. This disc is a mix of his early work on RCA and his later, more jacked-up, rockin' stuff on Mercury. I admit, the rockabilly stuff doesn't do as much for me, but if you're into the style, you'll wanna check this one out... Just be prepared for a little extra twang.

Charlie Gore "Absolutely Free" (BACM, 2005)

Vern Gosdin - see artist discography

Claude Gray "Songs Of Broken Love Affairs" (Mercury Records, 1961) (LP)
A delightfully corny, richly robust set, the debut album by Texas baritone Claude Gray, with his two biggest hits, "I'll Just Have Another Cup Of Coffee (Then I'll Go)" and "My Ear Should Burn (When Fools Are Talked About)" and ten other tunes of equal caliber. The backup is pleasantly kitschy, with a treble-happy, echo-y steel guitar flitting about in contrast to Gray's deep, stolid vocals. It's nice stuff, kind of like the music Ferlin Husky might have made if he'd hung on to his testicles, rather than going all soft-pop so early on. There are a lot of swell, lesser-known tunes on here, such as John D. Loudermilk's "You Take The Table (And I'll Take The Chairs)" or his searing rendition of the old Johnny Bond weeper, "Your Old Love Letters." Nice album -- someone oughta reissue Gray's work on CD one of these days.

Claude Gray "Sings" (Decca Records, 1967) (LP)

Claude Gray "Best Of The Best" (Federal Records, 2002)

Claude Gray "His Very Best" (K-Tel Records, 2008)

Otto Gray & His Oklahoma Cowboys "Early Cowboy Band" (BACM, 2005)
Rough-edged material from a band that is widely regarded as the first professional "western" country band... Otto Gray (1884-1967) was actually born in South Dakota, but he was living in Ripley, Oklahoma in the 1920s when he took up the Sooner mantle, and took over a band previously billed as McGinty's Oklahoma Cowboy Band, and transformed it into a pioneering country band that broke out of its regional popularity into a nationwide prominence. The newly christened Oklahoma Cowboys toured nationally and notably included future hillbilly star Zeke Clements as one of its members. These recordings date back to 1926-31, with most of the tracks recorded for major labels like Victor and Okeh. The strengths of this disc are largely historical, with nods towards the old minstrel-show traditions -- Gray and his family (including his wife, "Mommie" Gray and son Owen) were all fairly crude singers, and the pacing on most tracks is a bit sluggish and slow. Still, it's pretty cool stuff... The material is bluesy, with covers of Leadbelly songs, Jimmie Rodgers-ish country yodels, and a lot of comedic material sung to a plunky, loping accompaniment; fans of the Cheap Suit Serenaders, Emmett Miller or the Hoosier Hotshots might really dig this. Highlights include a nice, gangly rendition of "I Had But Fifty Cents" and "The Terrible Marriage," which you'd think would be about flying rolling pins and lipstick on the collar, but is actually a clunky, longwinded early version of "I'm My Own Grandpa." There's also what was apparently the first-ever recording of the folk classic, "Midnight Special"(!) and a lively recording of "Who Broke The Lock On The Henhouse Door," complete with chicken squawks and a jovial chorus. Also some mild, casual racism, which was sadly indicative of the times. All in all, a nice snapshot of the primordial roots of country music.

Curly Gribbs "Sings His Original Country & Western Yodeling Hits From The 1940s" (Cattle Records, 1983) (LP)
Hailing from Staten Island, New York, singer Curly Gribbs was one of countless young men who idolized Jimmie Rodgers, and later learned to sing in a more "hillbilly" style, imitating radio singer Elton Britt, who was a featured vocalist in the Zeke Manners Gang. When Britt left to become a solo star, Gribbs was tapped to replace him, and sang lead on many of the band's singles, including an early version of "Sioux City Sue." This LP gathers most (but sadly not all) of the fourteen tracks he recorded for Signature Records, which were released from 1945-48. Backing him was a local (New York) band that included Vaughn Horton on steel guitar, and bandleader Roy Ross on accordion. The material is a nice mix of pop schmaltz, country heartsongs and cowboy ballads, all very in tune with the perky, uptempo music being made out West by folks like Spade Cooley and Merle Travis. Gribbs had a nice voice, a jovial, round-toned style that slipped into crooning, like many of the smoother country stars of the time. (Unfortunately, a few years after he recorded these tracks, he underwent throat surgery in 1950 that left him unable to perform anymore...) To date, this seems to be the only collection of Curly Gribbs recordings: be nice to hear the rest of the Signature songs someday, maybe even coupled with some of his earlier work with Zeke Manners. Maybe... someday...

Buck Griffin "Buck Griffin Sings" (London Records, 1961) (LP)
Hillbilly novelty tunes, with forays into rockabilly, and a lot of stuff that has kind of a sideways connection to rockabilly and pop. Texas-born Buck Griffin (1923-2009) wasn't exactly what you'd call a great singer, but he definitely had a rough-cut charm and plenty of energy... A bona fide, for-real hick, that's for sure! Plenty of great novelty songs, although the music can get a bit of lethargic. All of these tracks were recorded circa 1954-55 and first came out as singles on the Lin Records label, then were licensed to the Canadian branch of London Records, with this album coming out several years after the fact. Although this was a Canadian release, I'm not sure if Griffin toured in the north or not.

Buck Griffin "Buck Griffin Sings" (Domino Records, 1990) (LP)
The Euro-collector compilation is a strong companion to the original London Records LP above... There's a little overlap, but mostly this covers material from Griffin's old back catalog that didn't make the cut on the first go-round, with additional tracks that span 1956-62. Of course, the Bear Family CD is basically a combination of the two. It's all fun stuff.

Buck Griffin "Let's Elope, Baby" (Bear Family Records, 1995)
Good old Bear Family. This comprehensive, single-disc CD collection gathers all of Buck Griffin's most vital work from 1954-62, accompanied by plenty of archival documentation and a well-researched biographical essay. It's basically a combination of the two albums above, and much easier to find (or afford) than either of those discs. Griffin had a later string of indie singles from the 'Sixties that remain ungathered as of yet.

Nanci Griffith - see artist discography

David Grisman - see artist discography

Dewey Groom & The Texas Longhorns "The Last Of The Big Bands" (Longhorn Ballroom, 1966-?) (LP)
(Produced by Dewey Groom)
The Texas Longhorns were a long-lived Texas dance band, led for several decades by producer Dewey Groom. The group's career dates back to the 78 era, when they recorded for Imperial Records and other labels, though most notably for Groom's own Longhorn label, which was a powerhouse for regionally-produced traditional country. This disc is notable for its wealth of original material, including a slew of tunes from singer Clay Allen, who is described on the back cover of Groom's "second in command," as well as one each credited to lead guitar picker George McCoy and steel player Bobby Garrett. The Longhorn label was also the mid-1960s home for hotshot guitarist Phil Baugh, and though he's not in this lineup of the band, this album also features two songs by Baugh's musical partner, Vern Stovall. The music's groovy, but maybe even better are the brisk bios of all eleven guys in the band at the time, telling us both about the family men and the guys who liked to chase after gals, as well as the guys who had careers outside of the band.

Dewey Groom & The Longhorn Band "Souvenir Album #1" (Longhorn Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Dewey Groom & Jerry Abbott)
This album was made to be sold at Dewey Groom's dancehall, the Longhorn Ballroom, located in Dallas, Texas... This was a much smaller group than the old Longhorns band Groom led in the 1950s and '60s, just six guys who were the house band at the time, including steel player Junior Knight and lead singer Al Harvey, who gets equal billing on the front cover, and was probably the day-to-day leader of the band. Mostly covers tunes, fairly predictable stuff such as "Faded Love," "Jole Blon," "Six Days On The Road" and "Orange Blossom Special."

Dewey Groom/Various Artists "Longhorn 25th Anniversary Album" (Longhorn Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Dewey Groom & Keith Rust)
Dallas, Texas nightclub owner and country promoter Dewey Groom leads a band of younger musicians on a set recorded in honor of the Longhorn Ballroom's twenty-fifth anniversary. The Longhorn was built in the late 1950s as a home for western swing legend Bob Wills, and Mr. Groom managed it for about a decade before becoming the full owner in 1967. The backing musicians were presumably the early '80s house band, younger dudes who included Buddy Brady on fiddle, bassist Van Crane, Donnie LaValley on steel guitar, piano plunker Kenny Martin, Shane McCauley on drums and lead guitarist Curt Ryle. While Mr. Groom croons on some oldies ("Faded Love," et. al.) he mostly lets the spotlight fall on the young'uns, and this album is packed with original material -- six songs written or co-written by Curt Ryle, including two co-composed with Kenny Martin. They all take turns on vocals, recorded in the studio at Crystal Clear Sounds in Dallas. Not long after this was recorded, Oklahoma-born Curt Ryle headed for Nashville, where he found success as a sideman, songwriter and producer; some of his most successful tunes include "Storm In The Heartland," a mid-1990s single by Billy Ray Cyrus, and several songs recorded by Clinton Gregory.

Dewey Groom "...And His Texas Longhorns" (Binge Disc, 1988) (LP)
Texas singer and bandleader Dewey Groom was a major figure in the Dallas country scene of the 1950s and '60s. He scored a national hit in 1948 with the song "Butane Blues" and starred on local radio broadcasts. In the early 1960s he became the owner of a fabled Dallas music venue, the Longhorn Ballroom, which had previously been the home base for Bob Wills, before Wills decamped for California. Groom also started the Longhorn record label, which recorded some of Wills' later albums, as well as numerous locals and lesser-known country singers. This LP features a dozen songs recorded by Dewey Groom and his band between 1960-68, a nice mix of jaunty, Hank Thompson-esque western swing and beer-soaked honkytonk weepers. Included are a couple of obscure Willie Nelson songs from 1963 -- "Within Your Crowd" and "She Might Call" -- as well as a re-recording of "Butane Blues" from 1962. It's good stuff! Groom wasn't a slam-bang dazzling singer, but his laid-back, Ernest Tubb-like approach is solid and assured, and the songs are all great, real-deal old-school twang. Recommended!

Dewey Groom "1947-1953" (BACM)
These early recordings include the original version of "Butane Blues" and a bunch of other classic-sounding old honkytonk tunes. Other featured vocalists include Howdy Forrester and Georgia Slim.

Guilbeau & Parsons "Louisiana Rain" (Ace/Big Beat Records, 2002)
Gib Guilbeau and Gene Parsons were both stalwart members of the Southern California psychedelic country scene, with stints in the Burrito Brothers and the Byrds, as well as numerous other country-rock projects that dotted the landscape back in the 1960s and '70s. This disc gathers a trove of dimly-remembered 1967-70 work on Gary Paxton's independent Bakersfield International label, which served as a fermenting pot of the nascent hippiebilly sound... These guys'll sound instantly familiar to anyone who's grooved to Gram Parsons or the country-era Byrds, with the same whiny, wandering vocals and tentatively twang and slightly constricted pedal steel playing, and -- of course -- guitarist Clarence White anchoring the later sessions. Guilbeau, who had been working as a country and folk singer for over a decade before hooking up with Parsons, wrote almost all of the material and added a cajun flair to many of the songs, also writing plenty of spaced-out, searching lyrics. In country terms, it's not great material (though there are a few catchy tunes), but seen as a stepping stone into the bigger LA country-rock scene, this material is historically quite important. It's also pretty good for what it is -- just 'cause I have trouble getting into this kind of stuff doesn't mean you shouldn't check it out. If you're a Byrds fan, in particular, you're gonna love it.

Sid "Hardrock" Gunter "Songs They Censored In The Hills" (Seeco-Bronjo Records, 1958) (LP)
Birmingham, Alabama's hillbilly icon Hardrock Gunter (1925-2013) recorded prolifically for various small labels -- this was apparently his first full album, though he'd done a ton of singles beforehand. This is a mildly naughty set of risque (and not so risque) songs drawn from the folk and blues traditions. Apparently Gunter was a cast member of the WWVA Country Jamboree show and the "hook" of this album is that these are supposedly songs that he was forbidden to sing on the broadcast... Includes novelty tunes such as "Out Behind The Barn," "Right Key But The Wrong Key Hole," "Blood Shot Eyes" and "It May Be Silly (But Ain't It Fun?)." Shocking! Scandalous!!

Rock (Hardrock) Gunter "Popcorn Dancing For The Social Set" (Gee Gee Records, 1961) (LP)
Pretty much a straight set of country covers, big hits from big stars such as Red Foley, Marty Robbins and Hank Williams.

Rock (Hardrock) Gunter "The Music Of Hank Williams" (Heather Records, 1972) (LP)
An homage to honkytonk deity and fellow Alabamian Hank Williams, who was one of Gunter's country contemporaries, back in the early 1950s. By the time he released this LP, Gunter had pretty much retired from the music business, though obviously he still had plenty of twang to swang.

Hardrock Gunter "Boogie Woogie On A Saturday Night" (Charly Records, 1984) (LP)

Hardrock Gunter "I'll Give 'Em Rhythm" (Hydra Records, 1999)

Hardrock Gunter "That Bouncin' Man From Alabam" (BACM, 2019)

Hardrock Gunter "Bouncing, Rocking, And Rolling: 1950-1962" (Jasmine Records, 2020)

Jack Guthrie "Oklahoma Hills" (Bear Family Records, 1991)
Woody's cousin, Jack Guthrie (1915-1948) scored a huge 1945 hit with his version of "Oklahoma Hills," a song originally penned by Woody Guthrie. Although there's more than a hint of Gene Autry-ish "cowboy" music here. there's also a hefty dose of good, uptempo hillbilly boogie, and, predictably, several Oklahoma-themed follow-up songs, such as "Oakie Boogie," "Oklahoma's Calling," etc. This disc is well worth checking out, as are any of the Bear Family sets below. A former rodeo rider (and genuine Okie) Jack Guthrie had once been in a West Coast duo with Woody Guthrie during the Great Depression, and was serving in the Army during World War Two when "Oklahoma Hills" became a hit. After his demobilization, he enjoyed a brief burst of fame, touring as a solo artist for a couple of years before health problems brought him down. He was hospitalized for tuberculosis in the summer of 1947, and died about six months later near San Francisco. "Oklahoma Hills" sure is a great song, though, and a fine musical legacy.

Jack Guthrie "Milk Cow Blues" (Bear Family Records, 2001)

Jack Guthrie "When The World Has Turned You Down" (Bear Family Records, 2001)

Hick Music Index