The Adkins Family "Saturday Nite With The Adkins" (Eye Recording Studio, 1978-?) (LP)
A charmingly retro, totally unpretentious set of good, old-fashioned sentimental country by a family band from Lookout Mountain, on the Georgia side of the Tennessee state line. Visually, this looks like a bluegrass album, but the group only features guitar, bass and drums, and the repertoire is heavy on country tunes, rather than mountain music. They cover a lot of newer material, stuff like the Kendalls hit, "Heaven Is Just A Sin Away," Larry Gatlin's "I Don't Wanna Cry," "I'm Not That Good At Goodbyes," and "Standard Lie Number One," which was originally a single by Stella Parton. Perhaps of more interest are the older songs, including weepers like "Thought I Heard You Calling My Name," and the Jimmy Work/Louvin Brothers classic, "Making Believe." The band included several Adkinses -- Buddy Adkins on guitar, Kathy Adkins (piano), Lila Adkins (vocals), Terry Adkins on electric guitar -- along with lead singer Judy Oliver, Nikki Oliver (bass), Tena Marable (backing vocals) and drummer Rick Parker. I'm not sure if this was the band's first album, though they recorded several others, mostly gospel releases, including some from the 1980s.

A. M. Delivery "A. M. Delivery" (A. M. Delivery, 1976) (LP)
With their banjo-mandolin-autoharp lineup this Atlanta, Georgia band was more of a bluegrass/newgrass group, but they covered folks like Billy Ed Wheeler, Herb Pedersen and Merle Haggard, so they'd probably fit into a broader "twang" category as well...

Bill Anderson -- see artist profile

Tony Arata "Changes" (MCA/Noble Vision Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Don Tolle)
This was the first album by Top Forty songwriter Tony Arata, a native of Savannah, Georgia who headed out for Nashville and eventually became an inductee in the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Although Arata had marginal success as a recording artist, he flourished as a composer, placing several songs with stars of the 1990s top country scene, most notably the "The Dance," which was the second #1 single for Garth Brooks, back in 1990. Arata is backed on this album by a solid Nashville crew, including Sonny Garrish, Terry McMillan, Don Potter, Mark Casstevens, Gary Prim on piano, and a young James Stroud on drums.

Tim Arkansaw "Entertainment Is The Thing" (Astumhill Records, 19-?) (LP)
Born in Alabama, Tim Arkansaw was an African-American country singer who worked throughout the South, eventually settling in Atlanta Georgia, where he became an arts educator in the city's public school system. On this album he's singing "town and country," according to the liner notes. Apparently Arkansaw was kind of a jack-of-all-trades, doing a gig at a Polynesian-themed restaurant called Dobb's House Luau, in Memphis, as well as traveling to Europe, Asia and Africa to perform. He recorded another Astumhill album, though that one was full of sailing songs, so the country thing might not have been his main gig.

Leon Ashley -- see artist profile

Back Alley Bandits "Back Alley Bandits" (London Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Chips Moman & Dan Penn)
One of those odd, only-in-the-'Seventies kinda albums, this is a mix of (some) twang along with amorphous AOR and echoes of Muscle Shoals soul... The band hailed from Atlanta, Georgia and got caught in the orbit of Southern soul auteur Dan Penn, who produced this album and provided two songs. with most of the others written by lead singers Larry Bowie and Thetis Sealey. The sounds are far-flung, though, and this doesn't really hold together that well as an album -- it veers from decently mellow alterna-twang ("Rainbow And A Pony") to fairly dreadful, loose-knit pop meanderings, including several numbers with female lead vocals that seems to take their cues from Linda Ronstadt or (to a lesser degree) Joan Baez. Larry Bowie I like as a lead singer -- Thetis Sealey and Penelope Webb, much less so. Anyway, there are a couple of songs on here that have a nice, legitimately country feel, though not so much that I'd say you gotta go run out and find this record right away. Might be of more interest to Dan Penn's fans than to us country folk.

Bob Bakert "Bob Bakert" (Shoppe Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Bakert & Dick Roberts)
Amateurish, uneven, but certainly authentic late-'Seventies DIY... A guitarist and songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia, Bob Bakert proclaims on the back cover that "this album was made so these songs would not be forgotten," which sounds simultaneously naive and grandiose, but I understand the sentiment. He's backed by members of a local twang band called Mountain Fever, who recorded an album of their own the year before -- steel player Dick Roberts and bassist Frank Locklear anchor the sessions, and one of the album's better (and more country sounding) songs, "Cactus Woman," features backing vocals from their bandmate, Pete Guthrie. It's an odd mix of styles: there are a couple of decent country-rock tunes where Roberts shines as a steel player with tonal depth -- the songs are not quite radio-ready, but definitely in tune with the times. The album is dominated by a brace of singer-songwriter-ish numbers that recall Bakert's early years as a folk singer; Paul Siebel or Townes Van Zandt come to mind, though these songs make Bakert sound a somewhat fragile, if not nervous about being in front of the mic... a bit brittle, even. On the other hand, there's some pretty good guitar playing, with Bakert showing fluency in several styles -- later on he would explore jazz guitar and even started his own magazine, Jazz Guitar Today. His vocals were a little wobbly, but the fretwork was solid. There are also a couple of horrendously bad, awkward rock numbers, vaguely power-poppish, but manic, thinly arranged and poorly produced. The album ends on a slightly embarrassing note, with the pinched, sourpuss lyrics of "Bedroom Thing" where the singer morosely pouts about an errant girlfriend who's now going out with the "wrong" guy: oh sure, he's all hot and has a successful rock band, but can he offer you real love the way I can, and not just hot sex and cool parties? It's the kind of mopey poetry best left in your three-ring notebook at home, but somehow this one made onto wax. Anyway, as far as our indie-twang explorations go, this album does have its moments... Well, maybe I'm being a little too mean here... Some of the twangtunes are worth a spin, but you might have to poke around to find them.

Razzy Bailey -- see artist profile

Banks & Shane "Who Is It?" (Oblivion Records, 19--?) (LP)
An odd mix of bluegrass and jugband/Dixieland novelty songs, mixing spunky picking with goofy comedy routines, and an eclectic repertoire that ranges from Kenny O'Dell and Bob Dylan to bluegrass oldies such as Don Reno's "Dixie Breakdown," and the anti-billiards tongue-twister "Trouble In River City," from the film "The Music Man." These clean-cut longhairs became fixtures on the Atlanta, Georgia scene, playing at all kinds of venues (several tracks on this album were recorded live at a venue called Joe's Bar & Grill, in Atlanta...) and eventually starting up a restaurant of their own, and recording about a dozen albums over the years. The original group featured Paul Shane on vocals and guitar, Burgess Banks on banjo, Rick Waters on mandolin, along with a bunch of others... The humor's pretty strained, but they sound like they were having a lot of fun.

Banks & Shane "Live At Symphony Hall" (Oblivion Records, 19--?) (LP)

Bear Creek "Bear Creek" (Le Fevre Sound, 1976) (LP)
A long-lost band from Georgia, playing mostly bluegrass(?) as well as a cover of Dylan's "Simple Twist Of Fate." Anyone have more info about these folks?

Amy BeVille "Amy BeVille" (Pyramid's Eye Recording Studio, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Stabile & Lee Peterzell)
Though originally from Signal Mountain, Tennessee, songwriter Amy BeVille settled down in Georgia where she became a well-respected guitarist, as well as an ordained minister and a highly successful organic farmer, raising seedlings by the truckful for sale across the region. Along the way, she played gigs with some of the best roots musicians of the '70s and recorded this album which mixes original songs with some interesting cover tunes. This includes a cover of Ronnee Blakley's "Tape Deck In His Tractor" and Bobby Charles' "Tennessee Blues" along with a slew of original material, although much of it looks pretty folkie. There's no pedal steel or fiddle, though Ed Cullis plunks the banjo and BeVille adds some sweet licks on guitar. Not sure when this came out, but it looks late '70s/early '80s...

Bill & Don "...Sing Songs Of The Lonesome Road" (Mission Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Tommy Floyd)
Although this gospel record was recorded in Nashville, the bluegrass-country duo of Bill Keefer and Don Shaw were, I believe, from Georgia, probably somewhere near Savannah. This is strictly off-the-radar, amateur musicmaking, notable for the wealth of original material, about two-thirds of the songs credited to either Keefer or Shaw, with backing by fellow Georgians Junior Perry (lead guitar), Homer Tew (rhythm guitar) and Glenvis Tyre (fiddle and mandolin) a local musician from Wayne County, south of Savannah. This album looks late '60s, though its possible it's from the early '70s, though it's hard to pin down exactly.

Joyce Brookshire "North Georgia Mountains" (Foxfire Records, 1977) (LP)
An unusual album, more folkie than country, really, but with an interesting backstory that merits inclusion here... This was produced by the Foxfire organization, a nonprofit cultural group run by high school students in North Georgia and based in Rabun Gap, ... It was best known for its magazine and several companion books; they also started a music project in 1976, publishing song lyrics and culminating in this album, which included contributions from several regional musicians. Ms. Brookshire wrote all but two of the songs on this album; she had previously had a couple of her songs published in the Foxfire journal and was tapped by the organization to record a full album. There are also two songs from Ron Short of Stone Gap, Virginia, "Wintertime In The Mountains" and "Going Home," with Mr. Short also singing and playing on the album. The full lineup of musicians included Joyce Brookshire on lead vocals, Rebecca Bryant (vocals), Richard Carpenter (drums), Pam Durban (guitar), Ronnie Evans (rhythm guitar), Court Johnson (dobro and guitar), Rich Kirby (mandolin), Joy Nanney (piano), George Reynolds (bass and guitar), Ron Short (fiddle, guitar and vocals) and John McCutcheon on banjo, fiddle, guitar and piano. (I believe this was the same John McCutcheon who was a folk-scene headliner during the 1970s... Rich Kirby also played on one of his albums around this same time... McCutcheon and Kirby both recorded for the Kentucky-based June Appal label, as did Ron Short, who recorded his own album in 1981.)

T. Graham Brown - see artist discography

Tommy Brown "With Guitar In Hand -- Tommy Brown Sings" (Brown Records, 19--?) (LP)
An obscuro-unknown from Lizella, Georgia singing country standards such as "Anytime," "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," "Gentle On My Mind," "Oh, Lonesome Me" and "Release Me," as well as his own song, "Wrong Side Of Her World." Hard to pin down the date on this one, but guessing from the early countrypolitan cover songs (and the typography) I'd say maybe early '70s, maybe 1970-ish. As always, additional info is always welcome!

Tommy Brown "The Best Of Tommy Brown" (Top Records, 19--?) (LP)
Once again, mostly cover tunes, along with a version of his song, "Wrong Side Of Her World."

Boudeleaux Bryant "Boudleaux's Bestsellers" (Monument Records, 1963) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Foster, Bill Porter & Tommy Strong)
A set of easy-listening instrumental versions of classic Bryant compositions (and a few less well-known numbers) with arrangements by Tupper Saussy and Bill McElhiney. The musicians aren't identified, though I'm sure they included a slew of Nashville studio pros...

Boudeleaux Bryant & Felice Bryant "A Touch Of Bryant" (CMH Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Singleton)
Two of the greatest pop and country songwriters ever, singing their own stuff in a super laid-back session... The Bryants did find themselves in the odd position of approaching their own material well after it had attained "oldies" status and particularly on classics such as "All I Have To Do Is Dream," "Bye Bye Love," and "Rocky Top," they ran the risk of sounding like cover artists when compared to the zippy hit recordings. To be honest, these Nashville sessions are really pretty goopy, and while I am generally a fan of hearing songwriters perform their own material, the Bryants both sounded pretty old on these tracks... It's not disastrous, by any means, but the arrangements are snoozy and lack the manic energy the Bryants showed on this early Hickory Records singles. Mostly of academic interest, I suppose.

The Bryte Show "The Bryte Show" (Doorknob Records/Bryte Records, 1980-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Kennedy & Bill Vorndyke)
Born in Georgia, singer Judy Gore (aka Judy Bryte) was one of those folks whose big break was always just around the corner. In Bryte's case, this lasted for well over a decade. First boosted in the late '60s by actress-singer Kaye Stevens, she toured for over a decade, ping-ponging between the Midwest, Vegas and Nashville, with long stints at clubs in Saint Louis and Detroit. Bryte made an appearance on the Mike Douglas show in 1970, performed on the Grand Ole Opry in '72, and cut her first single in 1974, the Jimmy Bowen-produced "Standing On The Promises (You Made)" on Opryland Records. Although she seems to have plugged away steadily and got some buzz going time after time, Bryte found few opportunities to record, cutting additional singles in 1978 and '80, and finally this album, which seems to have been cut circa 1980-82, when she was playing shows in Printer's Alley and at the Opryland Hotel. In the late 'Seventies, Judy Bryte recruited two "sisters" to sing harmony and beef up her act, working first in a duo with Kathy Bryte, then adding Sally Bryte to form the trio that sings on this album. The set includes a bunch of country stuff, though it's mostly remarkably old-fashioned country stuff, oldies and classics like "Crazy," "Me And Bobby McGee," "Mountain Dew," Rocky Top," "Stand By Your Man," along with a few also some pop and AOR covers such as Toni Tennille's "Do That To Me One More Time," Jim Croce's "Operator." The backing band included George Allen (guitar), Russ Hicks (pedal steel), Roger Morris (keyboards), Less Timm (drums), Baron Wolfe on bass. Ms. Bryte seems to have settled down around Panama City, Florida where as late as 2016, she was singing at Mickey Gilley's club; she also wrote a play based on the life of country pioneer Minnie Pearl, called "Beneath The Hat," which premiered in Panama City in 2016. As far as I know, this was her only full LP.

Buster Byrd & The Studio South Band "Panama City Nights" (Southwind Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Howard Lovett)
Despite the Panama City reference in the title, this group was from Georgia, with their album recorded in Dublin, GA... The band includes keyboardist/guitarist Steve Rogers, banjo plunker Trent Howard, steel player Gary DiBenedeto, and guitar picker George Miles... Their repertoire was mostly original material, with songs written by Byrd, Rogers, and others, with tunes including "Good Ol' Fashioned Cowgirl," "Hooked On Country Music," "Bury Me Face Down" and "Love Is Filled With Emotion." There were a few cover tunes, too, including Smokey Robinson's "My Girl" and Bobby Womack's "I Used To Love Her" (both probably by way of the Stones) and one by Stephen Bishop, along with not one -- but two -- songs about Panama City, both written by Steve Rogers.

Willis Caswell & The Crimson Cowboys "Willis Caswell And The Crimson Cowboys" (Par Music International, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Mickey Moody, John Patterson & Huey P. Meaux)
An oddball album of so-bad-it's-good(ish) country comedy spoofs by a fella named Bob Carr (d. 2008) performing in the guise of uber-Bubba persona of Willis Caswell. Throughout most of the 1970s, Mr. Carr was a drive-time "morning zoo" radio deejay on WQXI-FM in Atlanta, Georgia, and created the character of Willis The Guard (an opinionated, redneck-y security guard) back in 1973. This album was built around the parody song "Drive My Truck," and was originally pressed as a souvenir of the WQXI radio show, although it got enough traction during the CB-radio craze that he made appearances on country-themed TV shows and elsewhere. Most of these half-spoken songs have trucking themes, including the single, "Drive My Truck," as well as "Great Biloxi Back Up" and "Buford Triangle," as well as his cover of Dave Dudley's "Six Days On The Road." Other gems include tracks such as "You Scarred My Soul," "PBR's & Peanuts," and "Redneck." This has its moments, but the guy was no Earl Pitts.

Jack Waukeen Cochran "The Lonesome Drifter" (Rollin' Rock/Rondelet Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Ronnie Weiserat)
Born in Georgia and raised in Mississippi, Jack Cochran was a rockabilly pioneer who originally went by the name Jackie Lee Cochran. This Southern boy worked on radio and at country gigs like the Big D Jamboree and like a lot of kids in his generation, Cochran first played honkytonk and hillbilly bop, but really caught fire when rockabilly music came around. And like a lot of other guys, he rode the wave for a while but found it rough going when the rockabilly scene died down. Cochran got a day job and retired from music for over a decade, but he lucked out and caught the ear of the rockabilly revivalists in Europe, and made several albums in the '70s and '80s. The songs on this album are all Cochran originals, except for two written by hillbilly bopper Dub Dickerson... Dunno who the most of the guys in the band were, but my eye was certainly caught by Ray Campi on bass...

Confederate Railroad "Confederate Railroad" (Atlantic Records, 1992)
(Produced by Barry Beckett)
One heck of a debut disc by this rollicking, Georgian good-ole-band. They're mining a lot of the same territory as Hank Williams, Jr. -- the whole unrepentant Southern bubba schtick -- but with so much more vigor and vitality that it's hard not to be lured in by their rock-tinged neo-outlaw tunes. Singer Danny Shirley brings to mind Russell Smith of the Amazing Rhythm Aces, and the band also has a similar approach, bringing Southern rock-isms into a mainstream, hook-driven medium with admirable success. The opening track, "She Took It Like A Man," is a flawless outlaw novelty tune, and also has some of Shirley's richest, most George Jones-like vocals. Ultimately, these guys are a bit too commercial for me, but at least they have real blood 'n' whiskey coursing through their veins: there's a vitality here that you don't hear that much in modern Nashville... So more power to 'em!

Confederate Railroad "Notorious" (Atlantic Records, 1994)
(Produced by Barry Beckett)
Predictably, after such a strong effort coming out the gate, Confederate Railroad followed up with this tepid, overly produced, overly safe outing, where the lead vocals and guitar seem sluggish and overly deliberate, while the harmony vocals edge towards Shenandoah-ish formula. It's just so commercialized and tame, without an authentic wild moment or clever twist to be heard. Songs like "Redneck Romeo," "Hunger Pain" and "Elvis And Andy" are just plain sad, compared to spark they showed on their first disc. Now they just sound like Travis Tritt: an ungainly graft of neutered, contrived, watered-down Southern Rock and completely predictable commercial country. Too bad. They started out so good.

Jerry Corbitt "Corbitt" (Polydor Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Daniels)
The first solo album by Jerry Corbitt, co-founder of the folk-rock band The Youngbloods... There's some twang in here for sure, but this is definitely a hippie rock record, with special emphasis on the "hippie" and the "rock" parts... Some lyrics get prophetic and countercultural (more like pro-hippie cheerleading, rather than preachy) and some of it's pretty spacey and oblique, though some songs are fairly focussed. The musical end is uniformly strong, mixing thumping, grungy, plangent blues with Memphis-style R&B and an undercurrent of old-fashioned country... Listening to this, you can really pick out which elements of the Youngbloods sound came from Corbitt, as opposed to his folkier cohort, Jesse Colin Young. Given his own solo set, Corbitt really indulges his inclination towards heavy rock and electric blues, though with some creative production twists that give this an acid-soaked feel on a tune or two. Charlie Daniels, who was Corbitt's closest collaborator for many years, is mostly in the background on this one, though there are parts where you can spot his signature sound, particularly when he plays some funky country riffs of the mandolin. If you're looking for country-rock, there's not a whole lot on here, but if you're generally just into hardcore hippie music, this is a pretty solid record.

Jerry Corbitt "Jerry Corbitt" (Capitol Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Charlie Daniels)
A funky, rootsy rock album with Georgia-born Jerry Corbitt delving into a heavy Muscle Shoals vibe, with strong influences from CCR, Van Morrison and The Band... The studio crew included fiddler Buddy Spicher who, through the magic of multi-tracking, provides his own little string section on a couple of tunes, Corbitt's Youngbloods brother Jesse Colin Young plays on a couple of songs, and producer Charlie Daniels chimes in on various instruments. The most country-sounding track comes courtesy of Lloyd Green, who adds typically flawless pedal steel on "Till You Come Back Home Again," while "John Deere Tractor" takes sort of a tongue-in-cheek look at rural themes. I suppose the most interesting aspect of this album is the participation of country-rocker Charlie Daniels: he had produced one of the Youngbloods albums in '69 and went on to record several albums with Corbitt. This disc tilts back towards boogie-rock and swampy Southern rock territory, but mostly in a good way -- maybe more for classic rock buffs than country fans, but worth checking out either way.

Cross Fire Country Ltd "I've Goy My Dreams" (Phyte Brothers Recordings, 1989-?) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Phyte & Randy Phyte)
A little-known twangband from Sautee-Nacochee, Georgia, with original songs by lead singer Reed Lovell... The band also included Harold Allison on bass, Nick Beatty (drums), Linda Blackburn (vocals), Ricky Blackburn (lead guitar), Stanley Lovell (keyboards), and Ricky Thomas on guitar. Anyone know more about these folks?

Johnny Darrell -- see artist profile

Don Dimick "A Song To Sing" (Sahara Records, 1972-?) (LP)
Dimick recorded on a Savannah, Georgia label... This album includes covers of "Crying Time," "Release Me," and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," etc., as well as the title track, which was written by Buddy Alan suggesting some sort of connection to Buck Owens...

Don Dimick "The Wonder Of It All" (Emerald Records, 19--?) (LP)

Joe Dougherty "Rollin' On Down The Road" (Winged Victory, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Dougherty & Peter Mercure)
Self-released country stuff from Marietta, Georgia, near Atlanta... The liner notes say it's a mix of "country, rock, gospel and blues," but that's about all I've got on this one... for now.

Ben Dover & Tennessee Tucker "Carpetbaggers" (Road Apple Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Rick Snyder)
Despite the jokey band name (Ben... Dover... get it? get it??) the Atlanta, Georgia duo of Rick Snyder and Pat Coletta made some great, soft-edged Southern rock/country rock, as heard on this self-released debut record, which I believe was their first (and only?) release. Apparently the group was quite popular in the late '70s, and their approach was pretty straightforward, with a nice mix of rock guitars and country steel. The album is packed with great material, and not the parade of crass jokes you might imagine. The uncredited backing band was quite strong, and though this has the unpolished production sound of an uber-indie album, the arrangements and performances are high caliber, basically at the same level as the bands they were emulating. Fans of the various Capricorn label bands, or of groups such as the Marshall Tucker Band and the Outlaws will probably love this record; there's also a hint of soft-rock artists like Jim Croce, as heard on tracks like "Gypsy." All in all, a very strong indie album, worth tracking down and deserving of reissue.

Pete Drake -- see artist profile

Ric Edwards & The Bee-Liners "Introducing The Fabulous Ric Edwards" (Stop Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Drake & Scotty Moore)
All cover tunes and no originals from the otherwise obscure Ric Edwards, a Georgia native who formed a band called The Bee-Liners while serving in the Air Force. The group stayed together after he and the other members were discharged, cutting this album at Stop Records in Nashville, which was crypto-custom label run by steel guitar whiz Pete Drake. The band included his wife, Jackie Edwards on bass, along with Bob Coffey on drums and Dave Hern on banjo, saxophone and steel guitar. The repertoire features no less than three Kris Kristofferson songs (including the inevitable covers of "For The Good Times" and "Me And Bobby McGee), two from Merle Haggard ("Mama's Hungry Eyes" and "Okie From Muskogee"), one each by Dallas Frazier and Tom T. Hall, and a few flash-in-the-pan hits from the likes of Kent La Voie, Cam Mullins and Don Rawlins. As far as I can tell this was the only record by Mr. Edwards (or The Bee-Liners) but it seems like a nice snapshot of an average, unassuming early 'Seventies country cover band.

Jimmy Exley "Sings His Favorite Songs" (Voice Of Country Records, 19--?) (LP)
A devoted amateur musician, Mr. Exley owned a lumber company in Cylo, Georgia, but loved to play country music, and at some point got a chance to perform at the Grand Ole Opry... Despite the generic-sounding album title, it actually looks like the "favorite songs" on here are tunes that Exley wrote himself... I'm not sure of the date on this album, but I'm guessing late 1960s, maybe as late as 1970, '71. Apparently Mr. Exley passed away in 2013, and as far as I know, this was his only record... Anyone have more info about this one?

Skip Folse "Panama Jack" (Metan Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Bordonali & Joe Wilson)
I'm not entirely sure about this one; it seems more like a folk-pop thing, with no steel guitar or fiddle, although Nashville session player Mark Casstevens picks guitar. A keyboard player, Louisiana native Norman ("Skip") Folse seems to have been a protege of (the late) singer-songwriter Jim Croce -- he covers a couple of Croce's tunes,"Workin' At The Car Wash Blues" and "Walkin' Back To Georgia" and most of the songs were from Croce's publishing company, Blendingwell Music, which Folse wrote for as well. Other composers credited include Bob Corbin and Joey George, rounded things out with a cover of Tom Waits's "Looking For The Heart Of Saturday Night." Folse suffered some kind of health setback in the early '80s, which required him to learn how to play guitar left-handed, and to move away from Hammond organ and rely on a MIDI player and pre-recorded backing tracks for his live performances. He also moved to Atlanta at some point, where he specialized in throwing raunchy concerts and dance parties at weddings, bachelorette parties, and the like. Not sure when this came out, but it was certainly after Croce's death in 1973... I'm guessing sometime between 1975-77 or so.

Footloose "Music In The Air" (Footloose Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Raines & Gerald Gibson)
A country boogie/Southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia with a slew of originals written by singer/guitarists Gerald Gibson and Gary Raines...

Footloose "Country In The City" (Mudhen Records, 1981) (LP)

Wally Fowler/Various Artists "Wally Fowler And His Music City Jubilee" (Nashwood Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & Jack Smith)
One of the original movers and shakers in the Nashville music industry, Georgia-born Wally Fowler (1917-1994) wrote hundreds of songs, established his own record label, and, perhaps most significantly, founded the Oak Ridge Quartet southern gospel group way back in 1945, the group that would eventually evolve into The Oak Ridge Boys, one of the most popular country acts of the 1970s and '80s. Fowler performed on countless radio or TV shows over the years, was an Opry cast member and formed his own musical revues, including the gospel-oriented All Nite Singing concerts, which were held at the Ryman Auditorium in the 'Fifties and 'Sixties. He later created his own Music City Jubilee, which had earlier incarnations, but opened its doors as a bandstand venue in 1981. This 2-LP set commemorates the short-lived Jubilee, which seems to have lasted a couple of years and showcased a number of younger unknowns. The musicians on this album included vocalists Rick Baird, Chip Huffman, Mark McCauley, Jana Smith and Tim Smith, backed by a house band called the Tennessee Valley Boys, which was comprised of veteran producer-guitarist Gene Breeden, along with Ben Brogden (bass), Gary Smith (piano), Jack Smith (dobro and steel guitar), Steve Taylor (drums) and Phil Watson on guitar. To be honest, the album is a bit underwhelming. The material is fine but the production and the performances are resolutely generic, in keeping with the squeeky-clean production style of the times. Not surprisingly there are quite a few tracks that mimic the then-dominant harmony vocals sound of groups such as Alabama and The Oak Ridge Boys (a style that Fowler helped pioneer) while the Jana & Tim Smith duet delved more into ballads. Fowler sings as well, but he just sounds old and out of touch. I'm not sure how long exactly the Music City Jubilee persisted; there appears to have been a road show that staged concerts as far afield as Oklahoma, and the TVB band released a single in '84, an Oak Ridge-y, half-secular love song called "Lo And Behold" that got some traction on the charts. One of the Jubilee's later performers, Jimmy Ponder, recorded a solo album called Every Drop Of Water after moving to Branson, Missouri for a gig at Silver Dollar City.

Free And Easy "Free And Easy" (Encore Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by J. W. Crisp)
Five guys, mostly covering country and pop hits, including a few oldies. They seems to have had a particular soft spot for the Eagles, covering both "Lying Eyes" and "New Kid In Town," which coincidentally helps date this undated disc as coming out around 1977, when the Hotel California album was riding high on the charts. The group included multi-instrumentalist Joe Carpenter on banjo, mandolin and steel, John Carlton (keyboards), Sam Grant (bass and guitar), Larry Lagrone (percussion) and Jamie Walden on guitar. Walden co-wrote the original song that kicks the album off, "Monday Means Memphis," though this appears to be the record's only original number. Not sure where these semi-shaggy youngsters were from, although they recorded at the Perfection Sound studios in Smyrna, Georgia and closed their album with a cover of "Rainy Night In Georgia," so they were probably from the greater Atlanta area.

Terri Gibbs - see artist discography

Curtis Gordon "Play The Music Louder" (Bear Family Records, 1998)
A hillbilly who started boppin', Georgia native Curtis Gordon 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.

Evelyn J. Greene "You Got What It Takes To Take What I Got" (Pledge Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by William H. Alexander, Victor Alsobrook & Terry Crisp)
A very-indie country set with some gospel-oriented material and a whole slew of originals, about half of them written by producer William H. Alexander, with several others from Louisiana songwriter Cooper W. Brewer. This looks to be a songwriter's set, with Ms. Greene tapped to demo the material. She remains a mystery, alas -- a lot of Evelyn Greenes in the phone book, as it turns out. Ditto with the unknown musicians backing her, although steel player Terry Crisp seems to have been involved, as this was recorded at Perfect Sound studios, his family business, based in the Atlanta suburb of Smyrna, Georgia, and the best indications are she was from Georgia as well.

Michael 'Bo' Griner "Takin' The Chance" (Blue Horizon Records, 1982-?) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Bob Barnhill & Gene Rice)
Hailing from Quitman, Georgia, singer Bo Griner had been in both secular and gospel bands, had left the music business and come back to it before traveling to Nashville to cut this disc, which is packed with songs he wrote. Although he clearly had Top Forty aspirations, he never really made the leap to Nashville, and headed back to Atlanta, where he played hotels and clubs and whatnot. Several Nashville "usual suspect" studio guys are backing him here, with Hoot Hester and Mark O'Connor playing fiddle, Hargus Robbs on piano, Hal Rugg playing steel guitar... For Top Forty fans, the big wow here is the presence of one song written by a friend of Griner's, future chart-topper Travis Tritt, whose "Spend A Little Time" closes out Side Two of this album, and may actually be the first one of Tritt's compositions to make it onto wax, several years before Tritt himself broke through in 1989. Mr. Griner later moved to St. Augustine, Florida, playing local club dates around Jacksonville and environs.

The Harmontettes "Listen" (Perfection Sound Studios, 19--?) (LP)

The Harmontettes "Sing Special Requests" (Perfection Sound Studios, 19--?) (LP)

Toby Hise "Heroes And Lovers" (Rountree Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Toby Hise, Ray Ruff & Phil York)
This is an album that tells a story. Georgia honkytonker Toby Hise traveled all the way to Garland Texas and over to Hollywood, California to record this album... All but three of the songs seem to be from his own Shogun Music publishing company, with a couple more originals rounding the album out. And the story seems to be one of heartbreak, with songs such as "I Hear A Sad Song," "Let's Forget About Right Or Wrong," "She Just Simply Gave Up" and, finally, "I'm Gonna Miss Her." There's also a little bit of more generic, less lovelorn cowboy stuff, ("All American Rodeo Hero") but mostly this seems to be a big breakup album. No info on the studio crew(s) though, alas, but there is plenty of twang!

Randy Howard - see artist discography

Larry G. Hudson "I Just Wanna Be Me" (Aquarian Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Drake & John Hart)
Hailing from Macon, Georgia, Larry Glynn Hudson (1948-2020) was a barber-turned-songwriter who headed over to Nashville with his band, the Stylists, to try his luck in the top forty market. Although a couple of the guys from the actual band play on this album, mostly it's packed with Music City hired guns such as Tommy Allsup, Buddy Harman, steel players Bobby Black and Paul Franklin, Hargus Robbins and the like. The Stylists themselves are pictured on the back, and a couple get musician credits as well -- Larry Hudson and his kid brother Dennis Hudson on drums, Steve Hinson, Jimmy Locke, Paul McIntyre, Jana Salter and Ken Woodward on piano and organ. The album was a showcase for some of Larry Hudson's original work, featuring three of his songs, "Here's To You," "The One I Love's At Home," and the title track, "I Just Wanna Be Me." Not sure of the exact release date on this one, but Hudson seems to have released a string of singles on Aquarian from 1974-76, including a cover of a song by labelmate Razzy Bailey and other material from this album, so my guess would be around '75 or '76.

Larry G. Hudson "From The Heart" (Mercury Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Greene & Skip Lane)
All that work in Nashville seem to have paid off for Larry Hudson, who cut this major label album shortly after his indie sessions in the 'Seventies. His leg up seems to have been signing with Willie Nelson's semi-indie imprint, Lone Star Records, which had an unusual deal where they fed new artists to Mercury and other labels; Hudson released a couple of singles on Mercury-Lone Star in '78 and '79, before switching over to the main Mercury label. No overlap of songs between these two albums, with a greater emphasis on original material here. While this album failed to catch fire, Hudson -- who used to joke about "cutting hair before he ever cut any records" -- also set up shop as a hair stylist in Nashville, and was said to have been a barber to stars such as Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. After his stint in Nashville, Hudson returned to Macon and continued to record and perform locally, notably cutting some sessions at Paul Hornsby's Muscadine Studios back in the early '80s. He died in 2020 after getting struck by a vehicle while he was walking along an off-ramp on the I-75 highway, a tragic end for a well-like local musician.

Mary Kay James "Sweet Lovin' Time" (Avco Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Allen Reynolds & Garth Fundis)
A very nice, very understated set of country heartsong ballads... This appears to be the only full LP by Ms. James, a fine singer from Atlanta, Georgia who bore a strong vocal likeness to Loretta Lynn, and was a very confident and compelling performer. The band and studio crew is basically the same cadre that backed Don Williams on his first few albums, including producers Garth Fundis and Allen Reynolds, who would go on to be dominant figures in the country-pop sound of the 1990s, but here were plugging away as young'uns at the Jack Clements studios in Nashville. They also sing backup and play on some of the tracks, along with guys like Danny Flowers and Jimmy Colvard, as well as seasoned A-list studio pros such as Lloyd Green and Buddy Spicher... This record was at least partly a songwriter showcase: Allen Reynolds wrote or co-wrote over half the songs, including one composed with Don Williams; there are also a couple of penned by Williams' longtime collaborator Bob McDill, and the album as a whole feels similar to Williams's own gentle, unhurried folkish-country sound. And that's high praise in my book: this is the kind of record I delight in discovering, nice from start to finish. Mary Kay James also released a fair number of singles on various labels, including some off this album with non-album B-sides. James didn't click as a solo star -- she sang at the Opry, and moved briefly to Columbia Records, then over to Gusto by the decade's end, and seems to have quit show biz around 1980. Later she performed and recorded with some gospel and contemporary Christian bands. This old album is a nice memento of her secular career, though!

The Lee Jessup Band "We Sing Our Songs" (Back Porch Productions, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Howard Lovett)
A hardworking, outlaw-oriented twang'n'roots band from around Macon, Georgia. Back in the late 1970s, the Lee Jessup Band played in a local live venue called The Swampland Opera, located in the tiny town of Toomsboro, near Jessup's hometown of Dublin. The band was made up of Lee Jessup on lead vocals and guitar, Danny Mayo (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Gary Mayo (percussion), Mark Owens (guitar), Doug Rogers (bass) and Donny Screws on drums.

The Lee Jessup Band "The Last Cowboy Singer" (Back Porch Productions, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Howard Lovett)

The Lee Jessup Band "This Old Highway" (1989) (LP)

Johnie - Trudy - Bill "The Best Of Country" (Gale Records, 19--?) (LP)
Oh! That would be Midway, Georgia's Johnie Tyler, his wife Trudy Tyler and picker/singer Bill Clark, who each have several spotlight numbers, along with one husband wife duet, with the Tylers singing a cover of the 1963 George Jones/Melba Montgomery hit, "We Must Have Been Out Of Our Mind." Not a lot of info about these folks, though the Tylers had released a couple of singles before this album came out, which are mentioned in the liner notes: he wrote and recorded an original called "Dear Mom," which was backed by a duet rendition of "Crying n My Pillow," which she had a single with "I Only Saw The Best Side Of You" and "One Step At A Time." Alas, none of those songs are included here, but maybe that just means they'll be added to the reissue of this album, in the country music utopia of the future. No date on this disc, but I'd guess it was a late '60s/early '70s outing. They are backed by a refreshingly local band: Harold Carpenter on drums, Morise Hall (guitar), Frank Mock (steel guitar), and Georgia old-timers Leon "Bibb" Morris on steel, and Jessie Wainwright playing piano and steel.

The Joplin Family "Not My Will But Thine" (Nor-Vel Records, 1966-?) (LP)
Truly twangy country gospel by a family band from Ringgold, Georgia, led by singer-composer William Leon Joplin (1932-2001) and his wife, Mary Frances Brockman Joplin (1927-2015) who were joined by a band called The Trutone Trio, who are not mentioned in the liner notes, or by their names. As with many private-press gospel records, there's no release date and little online documentation, though I think this was their first album, and the group may not yet have included their daughter Faye, who is credited on later records. This lineup may have lasted several years, based on a plug for a local show in Butler, GA at the start of 1969: the article claims that "these groups have made several LP albums," but this is the only one I've seen so far. Anyway, if you're looking for Southern Gospel with real country twang, this disc's a doozy, packed with fancy guitar pickin,' ala Chet Atkins and Merle Travis. Also notable is the wealth of original material, including seven songs penned by Leon Joplin, as well as a few public domain tunes, an old Jimmie Davis song ("Crown Of Thorns") and a lively version of Albert Brumley's "I'll Fly Away." Nice stuff!

The Joplin Family "Boast Not Thyself Of Tomorrow" (Rymar Records, 1967-?) (LP)
The second album by the Joplin Family, with separate billing for singer-guitarist Jim Owens, who eventually married daughter Faye Joplin, and got separate billing on a couple of their albums. The group is pictured as a quartet on the back cover, though several other musicians are listed as playing on the studio session, including John Miles (piano), Curtis Center (drums), Jerry Hood (rhythm guitar), J. D. Howard (bass), and Robert Henson on guitar. Along with a number of public domain and other cover songs, the album showcases two more Leon Joplin originals, "The Unwanted Savior" and the title track, "Boast Not Thyself."

The Joplin Family "Glad Day" (Ranel Records, 19--?) (LP)
Once again Leon and Mary Frances Joplin are joined by their daughter Faye and her now-husband, Jim Owens, as well as guitarist Robert Henson, another longtime collaborator from their hometown crowd. According to the liner notes, this was their third album, and came out in at least two different editions, one without and one with a cover photo -- one including a picture also singles out Jim Owens as a soloist. The musician credits are interesting, though, as the text of the liner notes mentions a local piano player, nineteen-year old Cindy McRoy, although she doesn't also appear in the list of session musicians; my guess is that the Joplins had one lineup for their studio recordings, and another that played at their local shows. The musicians on this album include the Joplins, along with Jim Owens, Faye Owens, Virginia Davis (piano), John Edwards (drums), Jerald Hood (rhythm guitar), J. D. Howard (bass), and Robert Henson on guitar. Also appearing is their younger daughter Debbie into the band, who made her recording debut on this album, singing lead on one track, "Glory, Glory To The Lord."

The Joplin Family "The Joplins" (Joplin Family Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Elmer Cole & Lee Peterzell)
This is a much later recording than the Joplin Family albums above, made in the early 1980s by the looks of things. (The liner notes mention the band having been together for 22 years, but gives no specific dates...) The main group is a quintet of singers: Frances and Leon Joplin, along with daughters Debbie and Faye, and Faye's new husband, Troy Dyer, who contributes a couple of songs. There are also two originals credited to Mr. Joplin, "In A Vision" and "Savior Saved By Grace." Longtime collaborator Cindy McRoy plays piano alongside a studio band that included bass player John Chancey, James Goss (rhythm guitar), Lari Goss (piano), Roni Goss (bass), session player John Rich on lead guitar and steel, and a couple of different drummer, Bruce Hayes and Rick Parker. This may have been the group's last record: Mrs. Joplin's obituary mentions the family band being around for thirty years, indicating that they retired from performing sometime in the early-to-mid- 1990s, several years before Mr. Joplin passed away.

Alan Keaton "Lookin' Back" (Bowman Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Wright & Courtney Sisk)
Dunno much about this fella, but one point of interest with this album is that over half the songs were penned by Razzy Bailey, who was just on the cusp of conquering the country Top Ten a year or so later... Bailey was from Alabama, but spent some time playing gigs in Georgia, so maybe that's where he met this guy from Atlanta. Bailey doesn't perform on this album, and as far as I can tell, the musicians were locals from Keaton's own band: Dan Halloway on banjo, Gary Ruffin (bass and guitar), Stan Ruffin (drums), Tony Shannon (keyboards) and Silvie Tucciarone on pedal steel. Keaton was a Georgia native, and worked mainly in Atlanta: his main gig was headlining at a venue called the West Texas Dance Club, owned by Walter Page. It sound like Keaton, as many before and after, finally got chewed up by the music business, and retired from the scene in 1992. As far as I know, this was his only album of secular country, but after a born again moment in '93 he started writing Southern gospel material.

E. G. Kight "Flying High" (Muscadine Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Hornsby)
Born and raised in Dublin, Georgia, singer-guitarist E. G. (Eugenia Gail) Kight wound up delving deep into Chicago-style electric blues, and subsequently seems to have scrubbed this country-flavored debut album from her online profile... There's a bit of a southern rock vibe as well: producer Paul Hornsby, of Capricorn Records fame, also plays guitar and blows harp on this disc.

Mike Kirby "Mike To Mike" (T.E.M. Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Arr & Mike Kirby)
A pretty solid set with a funky countrypolitan vibe similar to Charlie Rich... Although this LP came out on a Nashville indie, Mike Kirby appears to have been from Augusta, Georgia where he worked as a deejay and music director at radio station WGUS. Kirby's recording career was tightly intertwined with that of fellow Augustan, Terri Gibbs, and for a while they followed similar trajectories. They shared songs, producers, and were on the same label, dating back to the mid-1970s, when Kirby co-produced Gibbs's first studio sessions, a set that was later released as an album after she broke through as a Top Forty star. Gibbs gave co-composer credit on her demo sessions to Dave Hensley, later the program director of WGUS, who contributes liner notes to this album. (Is that confusing enough for you? No? Well, let's keep going...) The TEM label was run by C. Ted Kirby -- who I think was Mike Kirby's father -- and several of the tracks on this album were originally released as singles dating back to 1974-76, around the same time as the Gibbs demos. Mike Kirby also recorded a couple of Terri Gibbs's own compositions, though those are not included here. The rest of the album seems to have been a songwriter's demo, with four songs credited to Ed Perry, and a few random others, including a song by Mel McDaniel, whose career had recently taken off, and one by producer Billy Arr, a Nashville insider who also helped produce Terri Gibbs' 1975 sessions. There are two tracks credited to Nashville tunesmith Don Devaney -- one of them, "You Got To Love Your Baby," was from a 1976 Kirby single, two years before Devaney broke through when his song, "Someone Loves You Honey" topped the country charts in '78. I couldn't track down what happened to Kirby after this; he may have gone back to Augusta and moved into the gospel scene (like Terri Gibbs) but I really couldn't pin it down. Sadly, the session players aren't listed on this album, so it's not clear whether it was cut in Nashville, or in Augusta, with local musicians.

Lisa Lawalin "New Moon Rising" (Monument Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Foster)
Posted mostly as a warning. A super-slick 'Seventies set produced by Fred Foster, with a bunch of Nashville and Memphis studio heavyweights, but the repertoire is pretty strictly rock and pop material, with songs from Carole King, The Bee Gees, Beach Boys, some soul oldies from Motown and Atlantic. A couple of tunes from Linda Darrell and Frank Dycus perhaps qualify this as country, but just barely. Ms. Lawalin was a former Miss Georgia (1972) but this album seems to have been the extent of her forays into show biz.

Brenda Lee -- see artist profile

Robert Lee "Escapade" (Home Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Ben Keith & Robert Lee)
Dunno what the story was on this country-rocker from Georgia, but he sure had some high-powered friends... Roots music superpicker Ben Keith produced the album and co-wrote some of the songs, backed by a roster of studio musicians that included Jody Payne and Mickey Raphael from Willie Nelson's band, Muscle Shoals keyboardist Spooner Oldham, Flying Burrito brother Chris Ethridge on bass, Mylon LeFevre, and even bluesman Paul Butterfield (credited on "telephone"), to name a few. Lee mixes rock'n'twang with a folkie sensibility, placing Woody Guthrie's "Deportee" alongside his own "Burrows And Burlap Sacks" (an homage to Latin American drug smugglers... I think he meant "burros") This album was partly recorded in Georgia, and partly at the Bearsville studios in upstate New York, but certainly wherever he was hanging his hat, this guy seems to have been at the center of roots-music Americana, circa '79.

The Lewis Family - see artist discography

Roy Lewis "Gospel Banjo" (Canaan Records, 1972) (LP)
The first solo album by "Little" Roy Lewis, of the fabled Lewis Family gospel group... Mighty fine picking, for sure, though I prefer the vocal numbers with the full band.

Elaine Love "The Story Of Love" (Music City Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Clarence Selman & Chuck Haines)
Although this looks like a pretty low-rent custom-indie LP, ya gotta admit Elaine Love had potential. A husky-voiced singer with a blues-mama undercurrent that anticipated the early-'80s successes of gals such as Gus Hardin, K. T. Oslin and the Judds, Elaine was a powerful, emotive vocalist, though her talent seemed a bit raw and underdeveloped... You get the sense that with a stronger, more seasoned producer shaping her performances, she might of really had a shot. Backed here by a Nashville-adjacent studio crew she belts her way through five self-penned originals on Side One, including the salty though rather rambling "Working In A Honky Tonk Bar," a semi-feminist, slice-of-life, working class manifesto which one presumes is autobiographical. Side Two includes a bunch of cover tunes, ranging from the disco hit, "I Will Survive" and obscure numbers by Arlo Guthrie and Rupert Holmes to a twanged-up rendition of the vocal standard oldie, "Glory Of Love." She had a lounge gig at the Best Western motel in Americus, Georgia at the time she cut this disc, and the liner notes inform us that Tom T. Hall saw her there and took interest in her career; you can sense what a powerful live performer she may have been, especially on a good night when she was feeling comfortable and relaxed. Her foray into studio recording could have been better -- although the cover songs go well, she seems a little nervous around her own songs and her phrasing wobbles and occasionally falls flat, although the band -- which included pro pickers Leo Jackson and Fred Newell on guitar, and drummer Jerry Kroon -- really seem lively and engaged. With more time in the studio and a little editorial help, this charming set could have been a doozy.

Bill Lowery "Tennessee Valley Mandolin" (Davis Unlimited Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Davis & Bill Lowery)
Though born in White County, Tennessee, fiddler Bill Lowery (1928-2014) spent most of his life in Georgia, where he moved to way back in 1957. As seen in this album, though, he still identified as a Tennessee fiddler, and frequently played in the regional styles he grew up with... Mr. Lowery became friends with the legendary old-timey/folk-blues duo of Kirk and Sam McGhee, and performed with them at the Grand Ole Opry.

Bill Lowery "The Bald Headed Mandolin Picker" (Davis Unlimited Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Davis & Bill Lowery)
Mr. Lowery is accompanied here by Jim DeFriese (guitar), Ed James (banjo) and J. P. James on bass... Love the self-effacing album title!

Bill Lowery "God Be With You Until We Meet Again" (Davis Unlimited Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Steve Davis & Bill Lowery)
Billed as the final recordings of old-timey pioneer Sam McGee, this sesssion from August, 1975 is a real back-to-basics country gospel set, showcasing many of the sweetest, most sentimental songs in the genre: "Farther Along," "Life’s Railway To Heaven," "S-A-V-E-D," "Where The Roses Never Fade," and many others. Mr. McGee sings lead on over half the album, with Bill LOwery singing on a couple of tracks, both duets with guitarist Jim DeFriese. Also on board from Lowery's previous album is bassist J. P. James... A very low-key gospel album... no muss, no fuss.

Ray Mac "Her Unexpected Good-Bye" (Dixie Press, 197--?) (LP)
A complete and absolute mystery disc. I mean like, there is no information about this album anywhere -- not even here! Ray Mac (and I'm sure that's a stage name or nickname) seems to have been from Dallas, Georgia, a town just west of Atlanta. There are not credits or date on this album, and no label name either, though some teeny-tiny print on the back cover gives an address for the Dixie Press, in the Atlanta suburb of Mableton, GA, and an art credit for Roy Wadsworth, whose 2003 obituary mentioned that he was a manger at a printing company. And that's it. This seems to be a mix of covers and originals, though again, there are no credits, so it's hard to say much on that score, either. Anyone know anything about this guy?

Johnny Mack & Albert Coleman "It Might Have Been" (BAI Records, 196--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Richards)
Pianist-singer Johnny Mack had a fairly thin voice, strongly reminiscent of Bill Anderson, and a brisk touch while tickling the ivories that lent itself to the breezy lounge vocals of the Sinatra era. His main claim to fame came in 1970 when he was tapped to record the "country version" of the Miller Beer theme song ("if you've got the time, we've got the beer...") though since there's no mention of it here, this album probably came out earlier, in the mid-to-late-'Sixties. He's backed here by bandleader Albert Coleman, the director of the Atlanta Pops Orchestra who did some big band work, as well as some stuff with Chet Atkins. This bluesy pop vocals set includes a few legit country songs such as "Crazy," "Funny How The Time Slips Away," and "Long Black Veil," but it's meant as more of a swanky crooner set, methinks. The BAI label seems to have been Johnny Mack's own imprint, with both this album and the later 'Seventies disc below giving his home address in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, Georgia. (Oddly enough, BAI stood for "British American International" I'm sure there's a story there somewhere...) Not really a country album, but definitely country adjacent.

Johnny Mack "Kristofferson In The Joints" (Tibbits Printing Company/BAI Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Terry Crisp & Paul Jarvis)
This stripped-down set of all-Kris Kristofferson covers was apparently cooked up while Johnny Mack was playing a gig at the King Of The Road club in Nashville, though it was recorded at steel player Terry Crisp's family studio, Perfection Sound, over in Smyrna, Georgia. In the liner notes he says it was during the sessions for his Miller Beer ad that he came up with the inspiration for this album, although there seems to have been a long gestation period: about half the songs trace back to Kristofferson's 1974 LP, Spooky Lady's Sideshow, and according to some sources, the Perfection studio didn't open until '76. The backing here is pretty minimal, a small live combo featuring Mack on piano, accompanied by bass, drums and guitar. Sadly, the guys in the band aren't listed, though I suppose some scholars of the old Atlanta music scene might be able to identify them from the photos.

Lester Maddox "God, Family, And Country" (Lefevre Sound Records, 1971-?) (LP)
(Produced by James Goss & Pierce LeFevre)
This gospel album was part of arch-segregationist Lester Maddox's charm offensive after he left the Georgia governor's mansion in the early 1970s... (The phrase, "God, Family, And Country," was Maddox's campaign slogan for a number of rallies he held throughout the early 'Seventies.) On this album, Maddox lectures, sings and whistles, sandwiching in fundamentalist hymns such as "I'll Fly Away" and "He Touched Me," between whatever political points he wished to make at the time. He's backed by the Goss Brothers bluegrass band, which was affiliated with Myron LeFevre's family-run recording studio; southern gospel stars Hovie Lister & The Statesmen Quartet also provide vocal support. The liner notes portray Maddox as a self-made man from humble beginnings, a guy who took all sorts of working-class jobs before opening his own store (the infamous Pickrick restaurant, where he refused to comply with a court order to serve black customers, and menaced nonviolent integrationists with axe handles...) Not one to shy from the issues of the day, in his liner notes Maddox also offered this pearl of wisdom to help bridge the divide in the hippie-era Generation Gap: "I never took a trip on drugs and got turned on for crime, anarchy, drugs and immorality because I took a trip down the aisle of my church in 1932 and got turned on for God." Groovy, man. Far out. Anyway, I'm not criticizing the choice of musical material, but you could probably find other versions of these same songs which might come from singers better suited to offer a message of Christian brotherly love...

Eddie Middleton "Eddie Middleton" (Epic Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Mickey Buckins & Sonny Limbo)
Soul-flavored country-pop, with kind of a Joe Stampley vibe... Although Georgia native Eddie Middleton (1947-2021) made a few waves with this album, he never really broke into the commercial country business, and turned towards gospel music instead. He became an ordained minister and worked for a dozen years as a vocalist in the Christian pop band NewSong, which won Dove awards and other industry accolades. Mr. Middleton fell into poor health in later years, ultimately being felled by double pneumonia brought about by a Covid-19 infection. He had cut singles dating back at least as far as 1970, though this was his only secular album, an amiable set packed mostly with cover tunes like "After The Lovin'," "Midnight Train To Georgia," country oldies like "Four Walls," "Born To Lose" and "All For The Love Of A Girl," and Joe South's "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home." It's nicely produced and he had an appealing, charismatic presence -- fans of slick 'Seventies soul-country crooners like Joe Stampley, Mack Davis, or Bill Crash Craddock might wanna check this one out.

Pate Morris "Old Mountain Fiddling" (Wes Sound Shop, 1981) (LP)
A farmer by profession, Pate Morris (1931-2010) was a bluegrass and old-timey fiddler from McDuffie County, Georgia who played on the radio in Augusta back when he was young, and cut at least one single back in the early 'Sixties, a version of Ott Stephens' rollicking "Fiddle Twist." Mr. Morris played at festivals and on tour, including in his later years after he retired. Tragically, he was shot and killed outside his home in Thomson, GA by a nephew who pled insanity at his murder trial and sentencing.

Pate Morris "Fiddling Request Tunes" (Wes Sound Shop, 198-?) (LP)

Mountain Fever "Mountain Fever" (1972) (LP)
This super hippiedelic band from Georgia was different from the Brainerd, Minnesota band that came a decade later... Their set list included a few originals sandwiched between some of the best longhair roots-music tunes of the era: Michael Nesmith's "Some Of Shelly's Blues," "Helplessly Hoping" by CSN, "Mr. Space Man" by the Byrds, and Dan Hicks' sardonic classic, "How Can I Miss You (When You Won't Go Away?)." They also threw in some country and bluegrass oldies -- "Uncle Pen" and Hank Thompson's "Six Pack To Go." Pretty classy, if you ask me!

The Ogeechee Outlaws "...Featuring Outlaw Man" (Rene Records, 19--?) (LP)
A '70s indie-twang band from Savannah, Georgia, led by Butch Ricker, the Outlaws were originally formed in 1974 by Ricker and his brothers, Kenny and Mike, along with lead guitarist R. J. Bielfeldt... Mostly, if not all, cover songs, including tunes such as "Already Gone," "Ridin' My Thumb To Mexico" and "Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life." Not sure how they wound up recording for a label in Nebraska, but I'm sure it's a good story.

Mary Padgett "Queen Of Bluegrass" (Atteieram Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Carl Queen & James Padgett)
The husband-wife duo of songwriter-guitarist James Padgett and singer Mary Padgett met while she was a member of a gospel group called the York Family Singers, from Summerville, Georgia, which was booked on a package tour along with a band that he was in... Eventually they married, she left the family band and joined her husband in the commercial world of secular country and bluegrass. They cut a few singles under her name, as well as this album, with backing from a youthful progressive 'grass band called the Bluegrass Generation, which included Gary Looper on mandolin, Jim Mundy (guitar), Frances Mundy (bass), Ronnie Partin (banjo), Jimmy Ross (dobro) and James Padgett on harmonica and guitar. The album includes a couple of songs composed by Mr. Padgett (as did all of her singles) along with sentimental favorites by Bill Anderson, the Louvin Brothers and others, even the inevitable cover of "Rocky Top." The duo Padgett continued to perform together at bluegrass festivals and whatnot for much of the 'Seventies, including a second album recorded for the Atteieram label, listed below.

Mary Padgett "I'll Sing At Your Wedding" (Atteieram Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by James Padgett)

The Pell Brothers "Something Old And Something New" (Sonora Records, 1970-?) (LP)
(Produced by Grover Dunn & John Currance)
Rough-and-ready bluegrass gospel by a family band from Georgia (with family roots somewhere in Pennsylvania, I believe...) The Pell Brothers were Dallas Pell (banjo), Wayne Pell (mandolin) and Windell Pell on guitar, along with bassist Rick Templeton. The driving force behind the band was Windell Pell (b. 1947) who wrote most of their material and went on to become a pastor at the Restoration Family Worship Center, in Peach Bottom, PA, and has continued performing music the whole time. The Pell Brothers have recorded at least a half dozen albums, and Windell also formed a group called Blue Grass And Truth, which may mainly be a branch of his ministry. (Note: these fellas aren't to be confused with an earlier duo from the '60s also called The Pell Brothers, East Coast country twangsters who were also known as "the Brooklyn Hillbillies.")

The Pell Brothers "He Laid His Mighty Hands On Me" (Pell Brothers Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Linneman)
A similar lineup the Something Old album above, with Dallas Pell on banjo, Donald Pell (drums), Wayne Pell (mandolin) and Windell Pell playing guitar... Though not dated, the back cover mentions Something Old as their previous album... And just to keep us on our toes, there are two contact addresses, one in their home state of Georgia and another in Baltimore, Maryland; guess the family members moved around a lot.

The Pell Brothers & Dorothy Jo Hope "Daddy Was An Old Time Preacher Man" (Pell Brothers Records, 1972-?) (LP)
Here's a cool one. You might recognize the title track, which was a Top Ten hit for Dolly Parton in 1970... It was co-written by Dolly and her aunt, Dorothy Jo Hope (1929-2008) who also wrote "Daddy Come And Get Me," a gothic country novelty number that Dolly included on another album the same year, with many more to follow. Dorothy Jo was the daughter of Reverend Jake Owens, whose Pentecostal church was one of the first places where Parton performed in public, and she remained a big influence on her niece over the course of years, including a long stint as a performer at the Dollywood amusement park. About half the songs on here were composed by Dorothy Jo, with three other originals by Windell Pell, notably his "Working Like A Truck For The Lord." I'm not sure how many other recordings Dorothy Jo made, though she worked as a composer under a variety of names, penning both secular and religious material.

The Pell Brothers "The Georgia Boys" (Pell Brothers Records, 1977) (LP)
Another swell, super-authentic set from this Georgia-born family band. All the songs on this album were penned by guitar-picking brother Windell E. Pell.

David Pengelly "Puts It All Together" (API Atteiram Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by David Pengelly)
Guitarist David Pengelly was born in Rochester, New York, but moved to Atlanta, Georgia after a stint in the Army... This was his first LP and highlights a mix of hip 'Sixties folk material (songs by Fred Neil, Tom Rush and Donovan) alongside oldies such as "She Taught Me How To Yodel" and Leroy Van Dyke's "The Auctioneer." There are also a couple of originals by Fred Sebastian, and one tune, "This Little Song," credited to Pengelly.

David Pengelly "David Pengelly" (Shannon Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Jarvis)
Guitar picker and banjoist David Pengelly plays country classics, new stuff and instrumentals, backed here by a full band, presumably of his fellow Georgia locals. The set includes Leroy Van Dyke's "Auctioneer," "Mr. Bojangles," "I've Been Everywhere," Al Anderson's "I Just Want To Have You Back Again," and a multi-song "Dixie Medley" which seems to have been Pengelly's big showstopper.

David Pengelly "Recorded Live" (Shannon Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by David Pengelly)
On his third album, Pengelly plays mostly solo, with second guitar and banjo on a couple of tunes. This set was recorded live December 5, 1976 at the Cove Lounge in the Marriott Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia.

David Pengelly "Everyday Dream" (Shannon Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by David Pengelly & Dick Roberts)
This one finds Dave Pengelly backed by a full band and includes a lot of familiar tunes: "The Auctioneer," "Mister Bojangles," "Dixie," "Dueling Banjos," etc.

John Penney & The Sunshine Express Band "Georgia Lady" (Muscadine Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Hornsby)
Not to be confused with New England honkytonker John Penny, South Georgia's John Penney started his country music career in the early 'Seventies, after a stint in the Marine Corps... He led his group for over a decade before cutting this LP and enjoyed modest success on its release. Packed with original material, this was one of several albums produced by the Macon, Georgia-based Muscadine label with producer Paul Hornsby, best known for his work on the southern rock scene, with Capricorn Records, and as a member of the Charlie Daniels Band. As with other Muscadine albums, the musicians are a mix of the artist's own band (in this case, Gary Mixon on bass, Bill Nesbitt playing keyboards, David Royle on lead guitar, and drummer Craig Shugart) and studio musicians provided by the label, notably Randy Howard (fiddle) and David Irwin (steel guitar). Although Penney generated some buzz regionally, he kept his day job running his own construction company, and mostly gave up his country career in the early 1990s. Penney later returned as a Christian country artist, recording several albums of gospel twang while working as pastor of his local church.

Johnny Porrazzo "The Country Side Of Johnny Porrazzo" (Demand Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Porrazzo, Bruce Freeman & Babe Williamson)
A keyboard player and vocalist, Johnny Porrazzo recorded two albums at the same time, this set of country covers and another of contemporary Christian music with at least one original song written by Porrazzo, with a mostly-different backing band, although both albums came out on the same custom label. A couple of years later he swung a major-label record deal and released an album of early-'Eighties pop-rock, and doubtless other discs that I am unaware of... This album was recorded in Hollywood, Florida, although Porrazzo seems to have been from Atlanta. The songs are mostly contemporary, 'Seventies pop-country hits -- "For The Good Times," "Please Mr. Please," "Snowbird," some Kris Kristofferson tunes, and the like.

Patti Powell "...Sings Bob Gallion" (Wise Records, 1971-?) (LP)
Originally from Georgia, singer Patti Powell 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. Though she cut several singles, starting back in '68, this was her first album and possibly her only solo set, a showcase for a slew of original songs penned by Bob Gallion. Typically, on their albums she only sang in duet numbers, while Gallion headlined with several solo tracks, so it's a treat to hear her singing on her own for this session.

Patti Powell & Bob Gallion "Together And Alone" (B&P Records, 1975-?) (LP)
Mostly a collection of duet performances, drawn from their long string of singles...

Patti Powell & Bob Gallion "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. Both Gallion and Powell were apparently till cast members of the WWVA Jamboree when this album came out...

The Tony Pritchett Band "The Tony Pritchett Band" (Encore Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Terry Crisp & The Tony Pritchett Band)
Folk-tinged country, or country-flavored folk? This band from Smyrna, Georgia had a nice, mellow sound... Kind of reminds me of Harry Chapin, though maybe with a bit more grit, including some very subtle pedal steel that plays nicely off of Pritchett's distinctive vocals. The studio musicians seem to have been all drawn from Pritchett's own band: Tony Pritchett on vocals and guitar, his brother(?) Tim Pritchett (bass, guitar and mandolin), as well as Tony Cason (guitar), David Gould (dobro and harmonica), Ivory Jack (organ and piano), Phil Johnson (banjo and steel guitar), David Ray (drums), and Jay Smith on guitar... About half the songs are Tony Pritchett originals, with two others contributed by David Gould, and one apiece from Debbie Pritchett, Peggy Pritchett and a fellow named John Jarrard (1953-2001) a Georgia local who had a successful early 'Eighties career as a Nashville tunesmith, placing songs with Top Forty acts such as Alabama, Mickey Gilley, Louise Mandrell, Mel McDaniel, Don Williams and others. Tony Pritchett continued to play locally and recorded a few singles later on, but this album seems to have been his magnum opus.

The Railsplitters "In Dixie" (Marbil Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bill Turpin, Scott Long & Fred Perkins)
This group from Georgia was led by fiddler Everett Clackler (1921-2015), who was born in Clanton, Alabama and later moved to Georgia, eventually settling in the town of Warner Robins, where he owned a business called Kissing Cousins. Mr. Clacker was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall Of Fame, and worked in a variety of bands, including his own Melody Makers (while still in Mobile), the Railsplitters, and a group called the Claude Hicks Vocal Band, in the 1990s. The Railsplitters were together for much of the 1970s and '80s, with a lineup that included Clackler on fiddle, Billy Bumpers (bass), Gene Griffin (drums), Garland Thornton (rhythm guitar), and Jeff Walker on lead.

Beau Randall "Beau Randall Records Presents..." (Beau Randall Records, 196-?) (LP)
A mega-barebones self-released LP, with all songs written by Mr. Randall... Plainly labeled as a demo set, it has absolutely no graphics, and a plain-old blank back cover. Raphael Beauvais Randall, aka Beauvais M. Randall, aka Beau Randall (d. 2003), was originally from New Orleans but moved to Decatur, Georgia probably right around the time this disc came out. According to his obituary -- which doesn't mention music at all -- Mr. Randall worked at The Atlanta Journal for forty-three years, and as near as I can figure, this album came out right around 1960, when some of the songs were copyrighted. He gives a New Orleans mailing address (maybe he was still using his family's address?) but very little other info. No date, no info about the musicians or producer, and nary a photo of the artist. A WWII veteran, he was probably about forty when this was made, though that's really just a guess on my part.

Jerry Reed - see artist discography

Randy Roe & The Renegades "Bottom Of The River" (Sincere Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Joel Johnson & Ted Pitts)
I wasn't able to track down much biographical information about Vernon A. ("Randy") Roe, though he seems to have lived around Augusta, Georgia and performed regionally, including in South Carolina, where this album was recorded. He put out at least one single under his birth name in the early 'Sixties, with a band called Vernon Roe And The Cherokees, though later he adopted the "Randy Roe" stage name. According to this album's chatty liner notes (written by Opry emcee Grant Turner), Mr. Roe tried his luck in Nashville for a few years, then moved again, and was doing gigs in Augusta, Georgia around the time this album came out. His band included his wife, Louise, on bass and their eleven-year old son Rocky on drums, with outside help from Mike Stirling on lead guitar, and legendary local steel player Bill ("Lefty") Joiner, who was also known for his fiddling. There was at least one single attached to this album, though it included a track called "You Were Right And I Was Wrong," which is not included here. Many of the songs here are Roe's originals, along with some written by his wife.

David Rogers -- see artist profile

James Rogers "Live At Saddles" (Commonwealth Recording Group, 19--?) (LP)
Guitarist James Rogers lived in Tennessee, though he may have had Georgia roots, and he cut this album while playing a gig at the Saddles restaurant in Richmond, Virginia. The repertoire includes some country stuff, such as "Silver Saddles," "American Trilogy" and "Tennessee," though also a few showcase guitar songs such as a medley of Mason Williams' "Classical Gas" and "Malaguena."

James Rogers "Night At the Tivoli" (Producers Incorporated, 1985) (LP)
This seems to be the same guy, although by now he had a home address in Rock Spring, Georgia... This was a live set, recorded at the Tivoli Theater, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with a backing band that included David Brooks (synthesizer), Billy Reynolds (drums), Dennis Talley (banjo and guitar), and Greg Throstle (steel guitar). It's only partially country, with a medley of "Rocky Top" and "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," as well as some patriotic stuff and odd pop songs and standards. Some of the same material from his previous LP reappears here, such as "Malaguena" and a version of the '70s novelty number, "Toad Suck."

Rosebud "Are Ya Crackin'?" (Nightmare World Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by N. Cole Harrison)
Mostly bluegrass and western swing covers by this longhair band from Atlanta, Georgia... The group included Rocky Hutchens on banjo, John Kornhauser (vocals), Buck Peacock (lead guitar), Jim Tolles (bass and fiddle), and drummer Charles Wolff. Kornhauser and Peacock led another edition of the band which made the album below (not sure which record came first) and there are some interesting connections between Rosebud and some other groups. Buck Peacock was previously in the trailblazing bluegrass group New Deal String Band, while Jim Tolles (who also called himself "Cactus Jim") was in an early 'Seventies lineup of Goose Creek Symphony, playing on one of their albums in '72. Drummer Charles Wolff probably had the most prolific recording career, playing on a number of albums, but most notably was a member of the new wave rock group The Brains, which made several records, circa 1978-82. This is a fairly groovy album, with perhaps-predictable covers of "Dueling Banjos" and "Rocky Top," but also some kookier tunes like "Jug Band Music" and zippy tunes such as "Take Me Back To Tulsa." There might be a couple of originals as well ("On My Way Home"?, "Talk To Me Oh Lonesome Heart"?) but I couldn't find composer credits to confirm this theory... The lineup on the By Request Only album is markedly different, but definitely the same band.

Rosebud "By Request Only: Take His Money And Throw Him Out" (Warped Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Hoban & Jack W. Traver, Jr.)
Recorded live at Muhlenbrink's Saloon in Atlanta, Georgia... I'm not sure what year this album came out, but the Muhlenbrink's venue closed in 1979... So presumably it was sometime before then... Lotsa hippie humor in the liner notes (as on the first album) so there's that layer of historical grooviness as well...

Herb Ryals "Country Lovin' Album" (Rymon Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Shockley)
A self-released set from Albany, Georgia, with all of the songs composed by Mr. Ryals... Best known as a soul music songwriter, Ryals also had success as a white soul/pop vocals artist, with a number of moderately successful singles in the 1960s and was, methinks, mostly dabbling in country for this album. Ronnie Light plays guitar, with Willie Rainsfield on piano and Larry Sasser on pedal steel, and a trio of gal backup singers that included Ginger Holladay. The songs are all Ryals' originals, including "How Should I Spend My Time," "Mind, Make Some Sense" and "You're Not Getting Older."

Eddie Sanders "Three Days In Nashville" (API/Atteiram Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Carl Queen & Gordon Reid)
I cannot tell you the story behind this one, but it seems to be a memento of a journey Georgia-based singer Eddie Sanders took to Music City, most likely just to make this album, though it's possible he also had some live music gig there as well... At any rate, if Mr. Sanders his own band back home, he didn't bring them with him, but rather booked time at Reid Enterprise Sound Studio in Hendersonville, backed by a high-powered bluegrass-y combo that included Kenny Baker on fiddle, Josh Graves (dobro), Gordon Reid (banjo) and Joe Stuart triple-threating on bass, guitar and mandolin. Nice lineup. The repertoire was all cover tunes, including a fair chunk of public domain oldies -- "Salty Dog," "Fireball Mail," "Precious Memories, et.al. as well as a cover of the then-current country hit, "Lucille." What can I say? I'm a sucker for records with "Nashville in the title.

Larry Sasser "Sassy Country" (Step One Records, 1990) (LP)
(Produced by Kevin McManus, Ray Pennington & Larry Sasser)
Originally from Gainesville, Georgia, steel player Larry Sasser worked in Nashville as a session player and, like all good steel guitarists, when the chance arose, he cut his own instrumental album. Plenty of Nashville pickers on this one -- Hoot Hester, Bunky Keels, Fred Newell and others -- and a nice mix of standards and originals, including the opening track, "Sassy Frassin," along with three others penned by Sasser. It's possible this was his only full album, though he played on quite a few albums by other folks.

Scissors Band "You Make My Dreams Come True" (Brylen Records, 1982) (LP)
Although the Brylen label had some chart success in the early-'80s, during the last gasp of country indies, this band from Signal Mountain, Georgia seems to have slipped between the cracks. Nothing charted from this covers-heavy LP, featuring lead singer Dave Cacrino on songs like "Fancy Free," and "Old Flame." Try as I might, I couldn't find much info on these guys. Anyone?

Thomas Scott "Pure And Simple" (200 South Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Blount, Glen Blount & Glen Griffin)
Truth in advertising: this is, indeed, about as pure and simple a set of old, old-school country as you could possibly find, one guy, one guitar, and a lot of great old songs. Scott's repertoire draws heavily on Depression-era material, tunes such as "Knoxville Girl," "Put My Little Shoes Away" and "Evening Train," including some regional(?) permutations of well-known themes, such as his "Tear Drops In The Snow." His performances are haunting: the guitar work is evocative but restrained, while his vocals have a world-weary, almost traumatized tone. The album was released on an uber-indie private press label in West Palm Beach, Florida, while there is speculation that Mr. Scott was actually from somewhere in Georgia. Either way, it would be great if someone could reissue this record -- I'm sure Gillian Welch's fans would be delighted!

Tommy Scott -- see artist profile

Sebastian & Tom "Some Of It's True, Some Of It's Fake" (Atteiram Records, 197-?) (LP)
A live recording of a folkie/twangy duo from Atlanta, performing at Hearth & Pendulum, a nightclub located in the four-block "Underground Atlanta" neighborhood, a section of the city center that was all but obliterated by overpasses in the early part of the 20th century, then redeveloped and reimagined in the early '70s as an entertainment and retail district, a hip experiment that fell apart within a few years when Georgia loosened the state's liquor laws (and new bars opened elsewhere) and the district went into decline. (The city eventually took over a large swath of the Underground to construct new government offices, though in the following decades various initiatives have rejuvenated the district with varying degrees of success...) Anyway, these two dudes, Sebastian and Tom Haskett, had a shaggy longhair vibe, and a bunch of original songs, all credited to Sebastian. I'm not exactly sure where they were from, or if they were perhaps brothers, though there seems to have been an effort to bill "Sebastian" as a mononymic artist. Any info is welcome.

Don Shane "Ask Me To Walk Away" (Boll Weevil Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bernie Vaughn & J. R. Williams)
An all-original set by the otherwise unknown songwriter Don Shane, who the liner notes tell us was from somewhere in Georgia. This album was recorded in Nashville, backed by a studio band that included Boll Weevil labelmate J. R. Williams and his bassist Bill Farrar, as well as Nashville pros Joe Edwards (playing guitar and fiddle) and Bunky Keels (on piano.) All the songs are credited as Don Shane originals, and he also released at least one single on the Boll Weevil label, with two songs that do not appear on this album, "Just One More Time" and "Wine Over Mind." Not exactly sure when this album came out, but judging from the label's Discogs entry, it was probably sometime around 1976-77. This is actually a pretty solid album, with Mr. Shane credibly working in the style of hard country crooners like Gene Watson and George Jones... not earth-shattering, but pretty solid.

Joe Shinall "...Sings About Love, About Life, About Living" (API-Atteiram Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Carl Queen & Joe Shinall)
Singer Joe Shinall of Cartersville, Georgia packed his first (and only?) album with original material... A couple of cover tunes, a few by other writers, but mostly it's all his material. Looks like he went to Nashville to cut these sessions -- at least the studio crew was packed with Nashville heavies such as Jimmy Capps, Dave Kirby, Weldon Myrick, Dale Sellers, Jerry Shook, et.al.

Gerald Smith "The Georgia Quackerjack" (Mark Five Recording Studio, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Pee Wee Melton)
A novelty performer from Statesboro, Georgia, songwriter Gerald Smith was the son of local country singer Shorty Smith, who led his band, The Pea Pickers, for over forty years, giving his son a leg up into the music business. Gerald Smith broke through as a guest performer on the Hee Haw TV show, where he did an oddball "Quackerjack" routine -- not singing in a Donald Duck voice, but rather using his hands and cheeks in sort of a kazoo-like or harmonica-ish style to produce a rapid-fire quacking noise, heard here on several tracks. This album features a lot of original material, including tunes by Mr. Smith and his partner Richard Thorpe, who penned the title track, which was also licensed to Mercury Records and released as a single in 1977. Other fowl-sounding numbers include "Ain't It Ducky," "Lord Love A Duck" and "Foggy Mountain Quackdown," with plenty of Smith's weird vocalizing. After plugging away as a comedian, Smith moved to Nashville in 1985 and found work a staff songwriter, penning hits and album tracks for stars such as George Strait and Collin Raye, who took Smith's song, "Every Second," to #2 on the charts, and most notably Lorrie Morgan, who hit number one in 1992 with "What Part Of No Don't You Understand." Smith found further success as a Christian country singer and was still performing locally in the 2010's, with new material like "Quacking For Jesus." There's no date on this disc, but I'm guessing it was from 1976 or '77, since the 1977 "Quackerjack" single lists the same producer, Pee Wee Melton, who also played lead guitar and dobro on this LP.

Joe South "Classic Masters" (Capitol Records, 2002)
A handy 12-song summation of the hippie-era recording career of songwriter Joe South, a twangy, soul-drenched pop genius from Atlanta, Georgia who wrote a remarkable string of radio hits, ranging from Lynn Anderson's "Rose Garden," one of the defining moments in the 'Seventies countrypolitan scene, to the thunderous hard rock anthem, "Hush," which put the band Deep Purple on the map. South's own versions of these songs are markedly different than the hits -- his "Rose Garden" is cluttered and compact, while his "Hush" is wildly funky and fun. Also included here are "Games People Play," a top Pop hit for South himself in 1969, as well as "Walk A Mile In My Shoes," which was one of his few actual country entries, and several lesser well-known gems from his back catalog. It's more rock than country, but still funky and down home, and worth checking out to see how these great songs found their genesis.

Southern Crescent "Georgia On A Fast Train" (API/Attiram Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by John Major)
This bluegrass band from Atlanta was one of several groups using the name "Southern Crescent" in the early 'Eighties, the others being from South Carolina and Virginia. This band's lineup included Ned Bridges, Phyllis Bridges, Joel Cordle, Jay Richardson, and Steve Welsch. It almost seems like these different bands should get together for a "reunion" show or a family picnic sometime...

Ott Stephens/Various Artists "On The Road" (Design Records, 1962-?) (LP)
One of those cheapo-label albums that looks like it's an LP by a big star (in this case trucker icon Dave Dudley) though in fact it's padded out with leftover material by lesser lights... This kicks off with two mediocre, miscellaneous early 'Sixties tracks by Dudley, followed by four songs each by Georgia-born Ott Stephens and Pete Pike, a late 'Fifties/early 'Sixties hopeful from Virginia, an unabashed Webb Pierce imitator whose career path is a little indistinct. The Ott Stephens tracks date back to his 1961 stint on the Georgia-based Peach label, an early project of country producer Slim Williamson, who later started Chart Records with Stephens as his business parter. Stephens also released several singles on Chart, and also co-owned some radio stations with Williamson, though these early tracks were where that relationship began. The Pete Pike songs date back to 1955, when Pike was recording for Decca's Coral label; all four tracks were also included on Pike's 1960 Audiolab LP. The tunes by both Pike and Stephens have their charms: Stephens had the more robust voice, though he sometimes struggles to stay in synch with the band, while it's real hoot hearing Pike approximate the vocal styles of Webb Pierce and Hank Locklin (as well as their groovy 1950s hillbilly sound.) Maybe deceptively packaged, but mostly pretty good. Ott Stephens continued to record through the end of the 1960s, eventually deciding to concentrate on his radio career... Although he left behind enough material for a full-length retrospective album, this LP (which has come out in many different editions) has for decades been his only non-single release.

Doug Stone -- see artist profile

Sugar Creek Band "Hopped The Train" (Muscadine Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Hornsby)
Southern-rock'n'twang from Macon, Georgia... The group included Tony Elmore on guitar and vocals, Jimmy Harpe (piano), Glen Hutchison (bass), Ronald Johnson (guitar) and Jimmy Kelly on drums -- they had been together for several years before cutting this disc in '82, with help from pianist Paul Hornsby, known for his work at the Capricorn label, and as a member of the Charlie Daniels Band. Hornsby plays on some tracks, and provides a studio crew that adds a little oomph, including Randy Howard of fiddle and mandolin, and David Irwin playing steel. This album is packed with original material, all written collectively by the band. As far as I know this was their only album, though the group performed together for years.

Frank Taylor "F.T. Sings E.T." (Savannah Records, 1984) (LP)
An earnest tribute to Ernest Tubb, sung by a guy from Georgia who had previously recorded a string of singles on Chart Records (and a few other smaller labels) dating back to the early 1960s. Not a lot of info on this guy, though apparently this was his only full LP.

Ronnie Thompson "Macon's Mayor Ronnie Thompson: Here I Am" (Starday Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bud Hobgood & Louie Innis)
I have no idea what kind of closed-door back scratching took place in the making of this album by the venerable Starday label, although it should be said that it wasn't entirely a vanity project. Georgia politician Ronnie Thompson, Macon's first-ever elected Republican mayor, was also an accomplished country singer who had started his career in the late 1950s and cut several singles before veering into a career in politics. Elected in 1967 on a wave of anti-civil rights backlash, Thompson was known as a "law and order" mayor and wound up well to the right of President Nixon, who he frequently criticized as being too squishy and compromising. But I guess the guy could sing... This album has a lot of country standards -- four songs by Hank Williams and one by Merle Haggard, along with two originals by Thompson himself, "Room Full Of Emptiness" and "Downtown Country Girl," and a rendition of the gospel standard, "Just A Closer Walk With Thee." There's also some soul music on here, including a version of "Dock Of The Bay" (Thompson was an Otis Redding fan) and two songs by producer Bud Hobgood and his songwriting partner Judy Russell: Hobgood was tight with soul king James Brown, who Thompson claims to have been a friend of in the album's effusive liner notes. Sure... just as long as no one tries to go on strike, everything should be just fine.

Travis Tritt - see artist discography

Kin Vassy "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?" (Mad Bird Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Lelan Rogers & Mike Settle)
Probably best known as a songwriter, Georgia-born Charles Kindred Vassy (1943-1994) started out in the pre-fab folk-pop band the Back Porch Majority, then he joined the Kenny Rogers' hitmaking country-pop band, the First Edition. Vassy collaborated with Rogers over the years although he also recorded some solo singles in the early '70s, as well as this full-length LP. Backing him are several members of the LA country-rock elite, including on-again/off-again Burrito Brothers John Beland and Thad Maxwell, as well as former First Edition-er Mike Settle. With the Kenny Rogers pedigree, this one could have gone either way -- theoretically, it's possible for this to have been a hidden country-rock gem, but alas, no. This is a horrifically over-the-top, overly orchestrated, super-cheesy soft-pop mess, one of those records where the artist is trying to show off their chops, and just doesn't know when to stop. Just awful. I mean, if you really dig Dave Loggins or Seals & Croft, you might get a kick out of this album, but don't count on it. Interestingly, although Vassy was known as a songwriter, most of these tracks are from other composers, including a couple by producer Mike Settle, and only a couple by Mr. Vassy, "Let's Be Alone Together" and "How I Wish You Were Here." For twangfans, the most interesting track would probably be his cover of Red Lane's "One Foot In The Gravel," which is given a gooey, soft-pop gloss, but remains a great song. The album's title track cracked into the Country Top 100, though later singles a couple of years later would briefly bring him into the Top 40. After a successful career as a composer and producer, Kin Vassy died young in 1994, felled by lung cancer.

Norman Wade - see artist discography

Jimmy Walker "Swamp Country" (Swamper Records, 1966) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Grammer, Guy McColsky and Bill Brock)
Hailing from Waycross, Georgia, Jimmy Walker penned eight out of twelve songs on this album, which is rounded out with other songs by Billy Grammer, Harlan Howard, and Sheb Wooley, who wrote the title track. Walker also released several singles, and did work on some films shot at the Okefenokee Swamp Park, including the lead track on this album, a song called "Swamp Country" from a 1966 movie of the same name. Other fen-tastic tunes include "Ballad Of Okefenokee," "Down In The Okefenokee," and "The Legend Of Skull Lake," as well as some plain, old mopey country love songs.

Sammy Walker "Song For Patty" (Folkways Records, 1975) (LP)
'70s singer-songwriter Sammy Walker was originally from Georgia but moved up North and became a NYC folkie and protege of folk legend Phil Ochs. This was his first album, and shows him perhaps a little to much under Och's philosophical sway, penning the strident title track about Patty Hearst and her violent sojourn with the radical-Left SLA; political material defines much of the rest of this album -- along with the inflammatory album art -- but nothing else stands out quite as starkly as that, with the closest runner-up being "A Simple Hour Operation," a quiet weeper about reproductive health issues. The benign ghosts of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan cast long shadows on this earnest-folkie debut, with Ochs himself singing harmony on a couple of tunes and producing the record. Like Ochs, Walker branched out stylistically, and his next two records on the Warner label were much lusher and more expansive... though this stark acoustic set has some surprises as well.

Sammy Walker "Sammy Walker" (Warner Brothers, 1976) (LP)

Sammy Walker "Blue Ridge Mountain Skyline" (Warner Brothers, 1977) (LP)

Sammy Walker "Songs From Woody's Pen" (Folkways Records, 1979) (LP)

Sammy Walker "Misfit Scarecrow" (Ramseur Records, 2008)

Vic Waters "Living This Kind Of Life" (Silver Jingle Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Michael, Al Pachucki & Vic Waters)
Originally a member of an early '60s Florida frat-rock/blue-eyed soul band called The Impacs, Georgia-born Vic Waters went on to lead his own band, Vic Waters & The Entertainers, which cut a couple of groovy, late 'Sixties soul singles with Dan Penn as their producer. (The Entertainers repertoire included a funky though politically iffy, James Brown-styled novelty number, "I'm White, I'm Alright," though it should be noted that Waters had earned the right to pen an answer song to "Say It Loud": he and his band landed a gig as the house band at one of the Soul City nightclubs owned by James Brown in the late 'Sixties.) Somewhere along with the way in the 'Seventies, he got into a country kick and made his way to Nashville to cut this set of rough-edged novelty numbers, with backing from plenty of Music City's top session players, including David Briggs, Weldon Myrick, Troy Seals, Buddy Spicher and others... Waters kept playing regionally for decades to come, though he slowed down in the 2010s due to health problems... Outside of his early R&B origins, this oddball album is probably his magnum opus.

Waycross Express "Waycross Express" (MSG Records And Advertising, 1983) (LP)
Country covers by a bunch of guys living in or around Waycross, Georgia, a tiny rural town in the south end of the state, just above the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The idea seems to have been to cash in on the vocal harmony trend then popular in the Top Forty scene, but the Waycross Express vocal quartet -- Reggie Driggers (bass), Terry Pinder (lead), Ralph Walker (tenor) and Mike Walker (baritone) -- really don't gel, and a couple of the guys showboat in ways that their voices don't quite support. Alabama or the Oak Ridge Boys, they were not. Fairly solid picking, though, even if the arrangements are sometimes a bit cheesy... The driving force of the band was pedal steel player Wendell Dixon, along with Terry Pinder on rhythm guitar, Walt Pinder (bass), Tommy Ponsell (lead guitar) and Bill Tolbert III, on drums. I think this album is all cover songs, although they do seem to have tried recording some original stuff a few years later, releasing at least two singles on a couple of small indie labels. I'm not sure how long this group was together -- this seems to have been their only album, and as far as I can tell, aside than drummer Bill Tolbert, none of them played in any other bands, at least not on record.

Barry West "The Lonesome Cowboy" (Hickory Flats Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Don Bryant & John Farley)
A set of all-original material from Georgia-based songwriter Barry West, with most of the songs written by Barry West, along with one each by producers Don Bryant and John Farley, and others by Patty Covert and Nancy Matthews, Bill and David McCollum, all of them represented by the same publishing company, Hickory Flat Music-BMI. Titles include tunes like "Hide 'N' Go Cheat," "Nothing Between Here And Heaven," and "I'm Back In A Barroom Again." The musicians include Barry West on lead vocals with backing by Mark Bramlett (banjo), David Irwin (steel guitar), David Leonard (bass, guitar and keyboards), Wallace Reed (lead guitar) and fiddler Bob Stewart. Anyone know more about these folks?

Wheatridge "Down Home" (Atteiram/API Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Duron Davis & William Thrasher)
This rootsy group from Atlanta, Georgia was originally a trio, featuring John Curry on bass and guitar, Darrell Henderson playing guitar and dobro, and Don Stewart on banjo and guitar. As the liner notes inform us, they mixed folk, bluegrass, rock and country, with heavy nods towards Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, also covering material by Bob Dylan, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mike Nesmith, Rual Yarbourough, and the then-psychedelicized Dillards. No original material, alas, but that changed on their next album, below. Apparently they played live at a place called P.J. Kennys, though I'm not sure how big a swath they actually cut on the rock-oriented music scene of "Underground Atlanta." They stuck with it, though, and made at least one other record...

Wheatridge "Wheatridge" (Sweetwater Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Fred Carter, Jr.)
Not sure when this disc came out, though I'd guess around 1977 or so... The band's lineup had changed, with John Curry dropping out and the group that traveled to Nashville including Darrell Henderson on guitar, Don Stewart (banjo, guitar and piano), Terry Ryan (banjo and mandolin), Gary Stone (drums), and Dennis Mitchell playing bass. (If they persuaded producer-engineer Fred Carter, Jr. to add a few guitar licks, they woulda been pretty psyched...) When the band made their first album in '72, it was all well-chosen cover songs, but this time around they concentrated on their own material, written by Henderson and Stewart, with the sole exception being a version of Steve Young's "Seven Bridges Road," presumably showing the influence of the Eagles and the Top 40 country-rock scene. The lead vocals are shared by various guys in the band, who switched around on various instruments as well.

Mack White "Let Me Be Your Friend" (Commercial Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Mack White, Don Powell & Finley Duncan)
It took Georgia-born Floridian Mack White a long time to put this record out... Working for Nashville's Wesley Rose, he released a string of reasonably successful singles, with nine songs charting on Billboard between 1973-77, including three that cracked the Top 40. This album gathers those singles and a few other songs, including four Mack White originals as well as two by the writing team of DeWayne Orender & Don Powell, and several others represented by the Acuff-Rose publishing company... There's even a version of Fred Rose's "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain." No info on the studio musicians, but it's a good bet there were a lot of "usual suspect" Nashvillers there... Cliff Parman is listed as an arranger, and may have done a little picking as well. This is a weird record, though. White teeters between soft-spoken countrypolitan crooning ala Bill Anderson and multiple attempts to project an Elvis-ish, Tony Joe White swamp-soul vibe; in both modes he relies on wildly over-the-top, super-cheesy arrangements -- cheesy even for the genres. Mack White sustained his momentum for a while, but slowly slid into the Back Forty and then off the radar, with this record probably representing the peak of his career. .

Mack White "Lonely In The Crowd" (Commercial Records, 1982) (LP)

White Water Junction "White Water Junction" (198-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Gilmer)
This commercially-oriented band from Calhoun, Georgia formed in 1978 and played together through the early '80s. Multi-instrumentalist Travis Stephens was their main songwriter, with additional material provided by steel guitarist Sammy Watkins, bassist Kenny Seabolt and Deborah Pearson. They played regional gigs at nightclubs in Chattanooga and Atlanta, opening for Nashville stars such as Charley Pride, and despite this album's funky, lo-tech artwork, they were aiming at a very glossy, contemporary, Top 40 pop-country sound. Not sure when this record came out, but I'm guessing around or after 1983, when apparently they were at their peak. It certainly has the airy, synthy sound of the times.

Ray Whitley & The Six Bar Cowboys "Back In The Saddle Again" (BACM, 2002) (CD-R)
I don't know if cowboy singer Ray Whitley (1901-1979) ever recorded a full album during his lifetime, but he did cut a respectable string of singles, dating back to the early 1930s, many of which are gathered here. Whitley was born in Atlanta, but made his way out west where he found work singing on the radio as well as acting in a string of B-westerns, and later made some TV appearances. A few familiar oldies on here -- "Green Back Dollar," "Back In The Saddle Again," "Wah Hoo" -- but far more tracks that are pretty obscure, such as "Come On Boys We're Ridin' Into Town," "Mist Around The Prairie Moon Tonight," "Just A Little Cough Drop" and "You're Barking Up The Wrong Tree Now." Fans of the old-time singing cowboys may want to check this one out...

Ricky Whitley "Sit Down Job" (Major Label Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Stan Dacus & Ricky Whitley)
A fun, raggedly album with a wealth of original material from this Atlanta, Georgia twang-auteur... There's a lot of stylistic variety on here, with Whitley hammering out a sizzling jump blues tune at the start, then sliding into some more relaxed acoustic twang as the album goes on. In an odd way, he kind of reminds me of much later artists such as Drive By Truckers and Ryan Bingham, kind of a post-modern redneck hipster vibe, with songs about drinking and hanging out, and a definite Southern feel. Except for one song about someone acting like a monkey (which while not actually racist, still has some uncomfortable undertones...) this is pretty strong material -- laid-back, but soulful and sincere, and definitely worth a spin. Of interest to fans of older, more traditional twang, in the liner notes Whitley dedicates the album to Thomas P. Darby, of the Depression-era bluegrass/old-timey duo Darby & Tarleton, who he says was his uncle(!) Now those are some real country music roots!

Little Brad Williams "Elvira" (Perfection Sound Incorporated, 1982-?) (LP)
(Produced by Terry Crisp)
I'm not, generally speaking, a big fan of "kiddie" records, though I suppose it's pretty cool for the families to have these mementos of their kid's precocious talents. According to the liner notes, five-year old Little Brad Williams performed his first song, "Just A Little Talk With Jesus," when he was just twenty month old(!) and made his big debut in 1982, singing at Georgia's Mountain Fair Youth Variety Show, which led to several local bookings and even some touring. Although this album is mostly secular material -- "Elvira," "Old Flames," "Truck Driving Man" -- about half of it is made up of gospel classics and at some of his shows he was backed by the veteran southern gospel group The Sego Brothers & Naomi, so his family was probably plugged into the country gospel scene. His father, Ricky Williams, plays piano on this album, along with James Childers on banjo and guitar, Cid Manley (lead guitar), Garland Nash (steel guitar), Randy Scoggins (drums) and Wayne Smith on bass. The Williams family address is given in Alpharetta, Georgia, though many of the musicians may have been booked by the Perfection Sound studio in nearby Smyrna, where this set was recorded. Dunno if Brad Williams continued to perform music or to record later in life, but I gotta admit this is an impressive effort from such a little kid!

J. R. Williams & The Boll Weevils "Live In Atlanta, Georgia" (Boll Weevil Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Cary Cabe & Bill Farrar)
This live album was a souvenir of a club gig at the Nevada Lounge, in Atlanta, Georgia. Multi-instrumentalist Jimmy R. Williams was a seasoned backup player who worked in touring bands for stars such as Mel Tillis and Tex Ritter; the Boll Weevils appear to have been Ritter's road group, taking side bookings in Florida and Vegas during the off weeks. The band included Cary Cabe on lead guitar, Bill Farrar (bass), Roy Peterman (steel guitar), Timmy Snyder (drums), and J. R. Williams on banjo, fiddle, saxophone and guitar(!) Amid standard early 'Seventies lounge covers such as "Ruby" and "American Trilogy," there were a lot originals here, with most of the album written by Williams, including numbers like "Don't Fight The Feeling" and "My Side Of Hell," as well as one tune by Roy Peterman, "Lonely Sort Of Blue." Along with all the country twang, these guys also let their hair down and played a little southern R&B with Williams showing off his saxophone chops on the instrumental, "Funky," which was also released as a single. Boll Weevil seems to have been his own label, with some additional singles that aren't included on this album, and Williams producing a number of other artists over the years. Although the label was centered in Nashville, Williams may have been based in Florida, as he worked for Mel Tillis and the liner notes were by a deejay in Orlando.

Jeff Willis "Going Places..." (Brandwood Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Ansley Fleetwood, Al Gore, Gene Rice & Bill Vorndick)
An indie twang set with top forty aspirations, recorded by a fellow who was nicknamed "The Pavo Kid," after his hometown in Georgia. He headed over to Nashville to cut this album, which seems to have involved several sessions, packed with various heavy hitters and a few more obscure musicians... I couldn't find any songwriter credits, but I think this album is packed with original songs (admittedly with familiar themes) including tunes like "If I Could Make A Livin' Lovin' You," "The Saddest Happy Hour" and "George Jones, Jack Daniels, And Me" (another entry in my list of George Jones tribute songs...)

Jeff Willis "Let Me Be A Witness" (2005)
According to a local newspaper story, Jeff Willis had long since given up on his dreams of country music stardom when he started working on this gospel set. A long-since settled down family man running his own storage company, Willis still enjoyed singing and was encouraged by his friends to make another album. Unfortunately, the project coincided with a throat cancer diagnosis, and while his treatment was successful, the experience certainly strengthened his sense of purpose, making the idea of salvation feel much more immediate and personal. No info on the sessions, alas.

Billy Wilson & The Country Boys "Live At The Georgia Mountain Fair" (API/Atteiram Records, 1973-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Abel & Carl Queen)
Manic, rugged live performances by a rowdy, ragged redneck band performing at the Georgia Mountain Fair in Hiawassee, GA, sometime around 1973... As an emcee, Billy Wilson has a slightly nervous, speedy vibe, but an appealing good-ole-boy authenticity when he sings... Likewise his band has a warts-and-all feel that makes this record kind of cool -- they're solid musicians but are definitely not too slick or polished, and almost sound on the edge of disaster. The musical star is lead guitarist Jackie Little, a youthful, rock-influenced hotshot picker who gets in some sizzling riffs and splits the lead vocals right down the middle with Billy Wilson; also noteworthy is steel player Billy Nickleson, who employs an unusually aggressive, almost violent approach which harkens back to the early years of western swing, and definitely went against the grain of the smooth production style of the countrypolitan era. While the whole record forms a nice snapshot of a working band, highlights include a couple of their wilder numbers, notably their versions of "Knock Three Times" and "Folsom Prison Blues," which combine their hard-country roots with a garage-rock explosiveness. A cool mix of styles which encompassed classic honkytonk twang as well as early 'Seventies hits such as Conway Twitty's "Hello Darling" and Merle Haggard's reactionary anthem, "Okie From Muskogee." Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Larry Jon Wilson - see artist discography

The Woodchucks "The Cactus Club Presents The Woodchucks" (Atteiram Records, 19--?) (LP)
A memento of an Atlanta nightclub gig by The Woodchucks, an ad hoc band anchored by country-billy singer Chuck Atha (d. 2004, age 72) who grew up in Fulton County and became something of a Georgia country music legend. Mr. Atha formed his first band way back in the late 1940s, playing live shows in tiny rural towns like Braselton and Dacula while performing on the radio in nearby Decatur. He cut his first records in the 1950s, scoring regionally and nationally with uptempo country-billy singles such as "Oh Boy!" and "Oooh-eee (What You Do To Me)" that have frequently popped up on rockabilly collections over the years. He went on to record a string of rock and country singles stretching over several decades, including a political novelty song recorded in support of George Wallace's 1972 presidential campaign. Although he worked with several future country stars -- notably a young Jerry Reed -- at some point Mr. Atha gave up on playing music for a living and worked as an appliance repairman for over a decade before landing a steady slot playing at the Silver Saddle Club, where he led the house band for over two decades, starting in 1974. Right before that, he had a gig at an Atlanta bar called The Cactus Club, which sponsored this souvenir album, in a band that also featured gal singer Gail Stanley. As far as I know, this was the only Woodchucks record, and possibly Mr. Atha's only LP as well. It's pretty good, actually -- wish my copy wasn't so scratchy. It sounds like something from 1966 or '67, with heavy debts to Marty Robbins and George Jones, but since they cover songs such as "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" and "For The Good Times," it's definitely an early 'Seventies offering.

Trisha Yearwood -- see artist profile

Steve Young -- see artist profile

Various Artists "THE GEORGIA MOUNTAIN FAIR, INC -- COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS" (Hiawassee Sounds, 1965-?) (LP)
(Produced by The Georgia Mountain Fair)
A large ensemble cast performs on this fifteenth-anniversary album of the Georgia Mountain Fair, a folkloric venue founded back in 1950 in Hiawassee, GA. I dig the history, though the material on this album is pretty standard-issue old-timey stuff, tunes like "Forked Deer," "Leather Britches" and "John Hardy." The Fair continues to this day: check out their website for more info. (Note: this appears to be the same set that was released on the Cartwheel label.)

Various Artists "THE GEORGIA MOUNTAIN FAIR, INC -- COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS, v.2" (Hiawassee Sounds, 196--?) (LP)
(Produced by The Georgia Mountain Fair)

Various Artists "THE GEORGIA MOUNTAIN FAIR, INC -- COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS, v.3" (196--?) (LP)
(Produced by The Georgia Mountain Fair)

Various Artists "THE GEORGIA MOUNTAIN FAIR, INC -- COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS, v.4" (Hiawassee Sounds, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Howard Cunningham)

Various Artists "GREETINGS FROM GEORGIA -- THE PEACH STATE" (Bear Family Records, 2004)
Perhaps the weakest disc to date in this curious, geographically-themed country series... Using non-hick stuff like Frankie Laine's version of "Georgia On My Mind" and Dean Martin "Watermelon Time In Georgia,' or Jim & Jesse's stilted take on "Sweet Georgia Brown" was an unfortunate way to start things off (c'mon... aren't there like a zillion great western swing versions of "Sweet Georgia Brown" that could have been used instead??) In general, the material on this album tends towards the slower, folkier end of the production spectrum., and lacks a lot of the zip and punch that other albums in this series display... There are a few oddities and rarities here, notably Carl Mann's socially-themed "Marching Through Georgia," although overall I wasn't wowed by the musical end of this one...

Various Artists "SWAMPLAND OPERA SOUVENIR ALBUM" (Swampland Opera Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Roy Melton)
This mega-local variety show was located in Toomsboro, Georgia, a postage-stamp township just east of Macon, and was sponsored by radio station WKOG, in nearby Gordon, Georgia, which was just a smidge closer to Macon. The show started out as an informal outdoor jam session in the summer of 1975, but found a permanent home when winter came; led by Joe Boone, Jr., the Swampland Opera renovated an old dry goods store into a live music dancehall, which opened in April, 1976. Remarkably, the venue operated through the year 2000, and initially broadcast a four-hour weekly show every Saturday night on WKOG. Not long after the opera show closed, most of the town property was sold to a developer who hoped to turn it into a tourist attraction; a few years later they put it back on the market after failing to get the project off the ground. This album came out in the second year of the Swampland Opera's existence, and featured several local acts, including a group called the Country Gentlemen, as well as Bud Criswell, Lee Jessup, the Railsplitters, Jackie Stripling, and Jack Walton. Of these artists, Lee Jessup was the most successful, releasing at least two LPs in the early '80s; Jackie Stripling released a single (also through the Swampland Opera) billed as The Jackie Stripling Family.

Various Artists "WORK, PRAY, SING AND SHOUT" (Avon/Wrangler Records, 1962) (LP)
A budget-line reissue compilation that gathers some cool, twangy, old-school bedrock country gospel. The artists are Albert Avery, The Black Rock Quartet, The Edmond Sisters, Jimmy Howell, the duo of Bruce Jones and Millard Pressley, and L.G. Sweat -- a hopelessly obscure group, to be sure! Or are they? God bless the internet, and 45cat.com in particular for sketching out a few dots and letting them get connected. Turns out almost all these artists were from Georgia, and recorded for the unfortunately-named Ralph Raper, who operated a gospel label in Demorest, Georgia, in the rural northern end of the state. He created a variety of imprint names: Gospel Jubilee, Gospel Time and Sunlite; these tracks originally appeared as late-1950's singles on those labels, although how they were licensed to Wrangler remains a mystery. The big exception was singer Albert Avery, who contributes the album's title track, "Work, Play, Sing And Shout." Avery grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio but appears to have moved to New York immediately after graduating from high school in 1952: the following year he became a functionary in the Salvation Army and devoted his life to the organization. Avery recorded at least one album of his own, and doubtless numerous singles such as this one. In the 1970s Avery broke through, relatively speaking, recording some Salvation Army music that gained attention nationally. I'm not sure if his track on this album was also released by the Georgia label, but it's a strong possibility.

Hick Music Index