The Alabama State Troupers "Road Show" (Elektra Records, 1972)
Mixing blues and country roots with deep gospel, rock and folk, producer Don Nix included Depression-era blues legend Furry Lewis in this far-ranging roots-music landmark...

Larry "Jinx" Alexander "Riverboat Man" (Private Stock/Demon Records, 1972/1989) (LP)
(Produced by David Johnson)
I really don't much about this guy -- the liner notes on the album are pretty cryptic, and I wasn't able to find any info about him online. As near as I can figure this was sort of a "field recording" conducted by David Johnson for the Private Stock label, where he traveled to Mississippi and met and recorded Larry Alexander, who was a bluesy swamp-rock oddball who sounded pretty similar to Tony Joe White and Larry Jon Wilson. This is a cool, kicked-back, swampy Southern album -- kind of surprising it's so far off the radar... But that's the '70s for you! Hotshot superpicker Travis Wammack plays guitar (and banjo!) and that's always a treat. Originally released in 1972.

George Ates "George Ates" (Southern Biscuit Records, 1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Don Barrett & James Stroud)
More of a warning rather than a recommendation on this one... Though described elsewhere as "southern rock," this is actually a set of gooey, overly ornate, late-'Seventies soft-rock/AOR, with kind of a Leo Sayer-meets-Don Henley vibe. I know: I was also fooled by the presence of co-producer James Stroud, who later became a 1990's Nashville mover-and-shaker, but this is decidedly not a twang album, just a work-for-work gig Stroud did while still learning the ropes. And, sure, George Ates was born in Jackson, Mississippi, but this ain't no Allman Brothers record. Twangfans can pass on this one.

Earl Ball "Love Of The Common People And Other Country And Western Favorites" (Custom Records, 1968-?) (LP)
A cheapo, budget-line album by piano player Earl Poole Ball, who was working in LA at the time, playing at the Palomino Club as well as performing on the Cal's Corral TV show. Originally from Mississippi, Mr. Ball is one of those artists who, even if you didn't know who he was, has nonetheless been on your radar for years, playing on a ton of cool albums over the years. He started his career as a teen in the late 1950s, then moved to LA in the early 'Sixties, where he did a lot of odd small gigs, some of which turned out to be historic. Earl Ball played in the original lineup of Gram Parson's short-lived International Submarine Band, as well as in some version(s) of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and on the fabled Sweethearts Of The Rodeo sessions. He backed Wanda Jackson on one of her lives albums, played on a few Buck Owens tracks, turned down a gig in Elvis Presley's TCB Band, and made his way to Nashville where he worked throughout the 'Seventies as a producer and engineer during the countrypolitan era. His most high-profile and longest lasting gig was touring with Johnny Cash from 1977-97. Oh! And he also wrote "Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line," Waylon Jennings' greatest-ever song, which in my book is enough to put up statues of the man in all fifty states. Like a lot of the guys in the ever-changing Palomino house band, Earl Ball got roped into cutting one of these thankless, nondescript, semi-anonymous soundalike albums, in this case built around the 1967 hit, "Love Of The Common People," which had already been covered by a bunch of artists, including country star Waylon Jennings. The rest of the songs seem to be originals, and although there are no songwriter credits, I'd imagine a few if not all were written by Mr. Ball. In the late 1990s, with all that under his belt, he moved to Austin, Texas, where he snugly fit into the robust local scene, running his own band as well as the alterna-twang supergroup, Haybale, which also includes dudes like Dallas Wayne and Redd Volkaert. (Don't believe me? Check out his Wikipedia page, which blew my mind as well.)

Moe Bandy -- see artist profile

Lonnie Barron "In Memorial To Lonnie Barron: Country Music Star" (Crown Records, 1963) (LP)
Although sometimes referred to as the "Michigan Elvis," Lonnie Barron (1931-1957) actually grew up in Mississippi and while he definitely had a rock'n'roll flair, he was much more of an unreconstructed country boy, as heard on this budget-line collection. Barron hit the airwaves and the country charts in the mid 1950s, after he was discharged from the Air Force and settled down in Marine City, Michigan. He'd already built up a regional following in the Midwest and was a rising star on the national stage when he was shot to death in his home early in 1957, apparently by a jealous husband whose wife was a fan of the hillbilly star. This disc collects several of Barron's recordings for the Sage & Sand label, whose catalog was absorbed into the Crown Records cheapo empire. It's great stuff, though the sound quality is a little iffy -- some tracks have popped up on various compilations over the year, though this seems to be the most readily available source of Barron's work. It's not clear that all the tracks are by Barron, though: fiddler Casey Clark played on Barron's earliest singles and apparently licensed Barron's masters to Crown in the early 'Sixties, along with some of his own material. Singer Evelyn Harlene cut a few sides with Clark that were released on Sage Records after Barron's death, although I don't think she actually worked with him, and her tracks seem to be added to pad out the LP, as per usual with Crown's ever-sketchy productions.

The Bars Ferry Band "Bars Ferry Band" (Kar Wood Records, 1984-?) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Maddox & The Bars Ferry Band)
Wasn't able to find out much info about these guys, a twangy bar band from Tupelo, Mississippi who were the house band at a place called the Niteliter Bar. The group included Johnny Wigginton (vocals and guitar), Jim Roby (vocals, steel), Tommy Horton (drums), Dean Koon (vocals, rhythm guitar), Jimmy Kreson (keyboards), and Gary Chandler (bass) with backup vocals by the Shoal Sisters (Muscle Shoals studio pros Ava Aldridge, and others) along with the Cates Sisters... Apparently Jim Roby was still playing gigs around Tupelo as late as 2000 or so...

Ben, Dana & Home Cookin' "Sweet Country Lady" (197--?) (LP)
Jackson, Mississippi's Ben Marney and his wife Dana formed their dup in the early 'Seventies, and had a gig playing the Playboy nightclub circuit for several years, also releasing a single on the Playboy Records label, "Oh Mama," which cracked into the Top 100 in 1973... The Marneys must have learned the ropes during that stretch, since they opened their own club -- Marney's -- in 1977, settling in as regional entertainers on the Jackson scene. I think this was their first LP; other recorded were released under his name.

The Bibletones "The Mississippi Sound Of The Bibletones" (Morning Star Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Eddie Crook & Kevin McManus)
A long-running gospel group from Mississippi, the Bibletones were founded in 1957, and like many southern gospel bands they have gone through innumerable changes in their lineup. These mid-'Eighties albums caught my eye because of the participation of some heavyweight studio pickers from the country world, notably guitarist Bruce Watkins and pedal steel whiz Terry Crisp, as well as producer Eddie Crook on keyboards. Not sure who the vocalists were (they aren't identified) but this lineup seems to have

The Bibletones "A Southern Tradition" (Morning Star Records, 1985) (LP)
Another country-flavored set, this time with guitar by Greg Galbraith and pedal steel courtesy of Doug Jernigan... Of course the group cut a bazillion records over the years, and you'd have to trawl through a bunch of southern gospel websites to piece it all together... I'm mostly just interested in these discs because of the pickers who were backing them...

Karon Blackwell "Live In Concert" (Blackland Records, 1977) (LP)
Singer Karon Blackwell was from Ellisville, Mississippi, though she and her husband, comedian Marty Allen did extensive touring and lounge gigs in Vegas and elsewhere... This is a double LP, mainly with covers of '70s countrypolitan hits, a few honkytonk oldies ("Jambalaya") and a couple of Motown and pop standards, stuff like "Shop Around" and "Impossible Dream." The second disc is almost all gospel, including a longer gospel medley, although most of the other songs are secular.

Blue Smoke "Mississippi Maserati Breakdown" (Mansion Records, 1988)
This is pretty late in the game, but this indie album from Bill Turner and his band Blue Smoke seems so retro that I'd say it deserves mention here, rather than in the modern Americana genre. The band's slick-yet-amateurish sound reminds me a bit of Rockpile,

Eddie Bond "Sings Greatest Country Gospel Hits" (Philips International/Advance Records, 1962-?) (LP)

Eddie Bond "My Choice Is Eddie Bond" (Country Circle Records, 1966-?) (LP)
The first secular LP by singer Eddie Bond (1933-2013), a pioneering rockabilly star from Memphis, Tennessee. Bond is perhaps most famous for being the guy who told a teenage Elvis Presley not to quit his day job when Elvis auditioned for a gig with Bond's band, back in 1954. That anecdote naturally overshadows a lot of Bond's own accomplishments and career, but even though he had limited success at the time, Bond was later lauded by rockabilly fans and his early stuff is available in various collections. Also like many first-generation rockabilly artists, Eddie Bond turned to country music when the rock'n'roll scene died down, and recorded a few LPs in the early '70s that were pretty twangy and rural. According to the liner notes by deejay Jim Wells, of KWAM, Memphis. this was Bond's first album, and though there's no date on it, it seems to be a mid-1960s release, with covers of songs such as "Big Boss Man," although most of the record seems to be original material written by Bond, including a few tunes he'd been performing locally since the 1950s. Among the juicier titles are "Double Duty Loving," "Only One Minute More," "Someday I'll Sober Up." No info on who was backing him up, though, alas.

Eddie Bond "...Sings Favorites" (Millionaire Records, 19--?) (LP)

Eddie Bond "Caution: Eddie Bond Music Is Contagious" (Tab Records, 1972) (LP)
The title track to this album, "Caution," was also released as a single on the Stax label's imprint, Enterprise Records, leading to a subsequent album tied to the release of the Buford Pusser biopic, Walking Tall.

Eddie Bond "The Legend Of Buford Pusser" (Stax/Enterprise Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Jerry Chesnut, Jack Clement & Eddie Bond)
For those of you not around in the early 1970s, when the movie Walking Tall was in theaters -- or in constant re-runs on TV -- let me fill you in on the backstory. Buford Pusser was the hardass sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, fictionalized in numerous films and TV shows as an incorruptible, indestructible good ole boy tank of a man, who cleaned up the Tennessee border of the so-called Dixie Mafia, despite numerous attempts to kill him. Indeed, in real life Mr. Pusser was shot and stabbed on several occasions, and during one assassination attempt, his wife was shot and killed, an incident which some say transformed the already-volatile lawman into a remorseless vigilante. The fictional versions of his life were generally fetishistic glorifications of manly retribution and violence, with the portrayal of Pusser as an unstoppable law-and-order reformer making Walking Tall roughly into the redneck equivalent of Serpico. Country singer Eddie Bond claims to have been one of Pusser's deputies, and he really throws himself into this concept album which is loosely based on Pusser's career. The album is packed with jaunty, uptempo, Jerry Reed-esque redneck tunes, as well as a few honkytonk weepers and gospel songs that are sort of shoe-horned into the project. He's got a good band backing him, and though they aren't identified on the album, it's probably safe to assume that more than a few were from the Stax/Muscle Shoals studio scene.

Eddie Bond/Various Artists "A NIGHT AT THE EDDIE BOND RANCH" (Tab Record Company, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Eddie Bond)
Another obscuro-oddity from Memphis, Tennessee... Ex-rockabilly country singer Eddie Bond did apparently have his own ranch, out on West Mitchell Road... Whether it was a live music venue, a recording studio, or what, I'm not sure, but regardless, this is kind of a fun little album. By and large, the participants seem to have been real, live good old boys, charmingly unpolished, amateur musicians, dudes with thick rural accents and a relaxed, down home vibe. By and large they're kind of indistinguishable (although one guy sang with a lisp, which is kinda cute) though a couple of them had rather colorful names, such as Cousin Bo-Jack and Major Pruett, along with the more prosaic Dale Beaty, Bobby Davis, Leon Griffin and Wilford Ray. The backing band, The Stompers, was a rock-solid country crew, with plenty of steel guitar for those who like that kinda thing. Standing out from the pack was gal singer Sandi Stevens, who sounds quite a bit like Skeeter Davis on her lone number, "Tonight I'll Celebrate." Bond steals the show with a remarkable divorce/breakup song, "I'm Free," while Cousin Bo-Jack (Bobby) Killingsworth plays two songs, one at the end of each side of the original LP. Apparently it was Killingsworth who introduced Eddie Bond to lawman Buford Pusser, leading to Bond recording the hit single, "The Ballad of Buford Pusser," which doubtless helped with a few payments on the old ranch, and probably helped finance this album. Anyway, good stuff here.

Eddie Bond "...Sings Carl Smith" (Balser Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Russ Balser)
A tribute to Carl Smith? Dude, I'm in.

Jimmy Buffett - see artist discography

Johnny Carver -- see artist profile

Hank Cochran -- see artist profile

Jack Waukeen Cochran "Swamp Fox" (Rollin' Rock Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Weiser)
Born in Georgia and raised in Mississippi, Jack Cochran (1934-1998) 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, though he lucked out and caught the ear of the rockabilly revivalists in Europe, and made several albums in the '70s and '80s. This disc was recorded in Hollywood, California, with stripped-down backing from fellow revivalist Ray Campi on bass and drums (love the sound of his primitive, un-textured percussive slaps!) as well as Campi's pianist Jimmie Lee Maslon tickling the ivories on a version of "Money Honey." There may be some other folks on here as well, though they aren't mentioned in the liner notes... The songs are almost all Jack Cochran originals, though there are several nods towards the classic Black blues scene with covers of Arthur Crudup, Richard M. Jones, Jesse Stone and Muddy Waters. Although writing about rockabilly isn't one of my big career goals, I do dig the minimalist, lo-fi rural vibe on this mega-back-to-basics set. Pretty groovy.

Jack Waukeen Cochran "Rockabilly Legend" (Rollin' Rock Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Weiser)
Another down-and-dirty, no frills set, with Jack Cochran playing multiple instruments, though Ray Campi is on board playing bass once more, along with drummer Steve Clark and Steve Fodor on piano, both members of Campi's late 'Seventies/early 'Eighties band. All the songs are Jack Cochran originals, and the vibe is pretty darn DIY.

Jack Waukeen Cochran "The Lonesome Drifter" (Rollin' Rock/Rondelet Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by John Goines & Dusty Wakeman)
Once again, the songs on this album are all Cochran originals, except for two written by hillbilly bopper Dub Dickerson... This appears to be Cochran's last collaboration with Ray Campi, who's sitting in on bass, along with Jim Durbin on drums, steel player Dave Pearlman, and Rip Masters on piano. Cool, daddy-o!

Jack Waukeen Cochran "Jack Waukeen Cochran" (Sunshine Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by John Goines & Dusty Wakeman)
Mostly a rockabilly set, but the kind of country-based rockabilly that includes a pedal steel player in the mix... The lineup on this album includes Jack Cochran (lead vocals and guitar), Dan Freedman (bass), Charles Kobrinsky (piano), Dave Pearlman (steel guitar), Rick Reynolds (drums) and Mark Weller on lead guitar, and a whole slew of backup singers. Cochran also cut an album in '85 for the folks at Ace Records, but that one looks a little too slick for me...

Brenda Cole "Country Lover" (Melody Dawn Records, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Brenda Cole)
A concise set of would-be mainstream Top Forty country, with backing by Glen D. Hardin on piano and other top-flight studio musicians. The song list is about half originals, along with covers of classics such as "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," "Stand By Your Man" and "You Gave Me A Mountain." Born and raised in in Biloxi, Mississippi, Ms. Cole started her country career early in life, performing at Brenda Smith at NCO clubs while under the watchful eye of her dad (who was in the Air Force.) She came to the attention of legendary Nashville producer Billy Sherrill, and cut a handful of tracks with him while she was just thirteen years old, back in 1974. One of her singles was a version of Kinky Friedman's song, "There Is A Place," while she also recorded one of her own songs, "Midnight Flight To Frisco," the following year, in 1975. Although she eventually moved into Christian music, she was still working in a secular, commercial mode in the late '80s when she cut this disc.

The Country Express "Live At The Sli-Lou Club" (M&L Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Byran J. Johnson)
A pleasantly rough-sounding live record by a seedy-looking band whose lead singer/emcee Gary McKean had a pretty abrasive approach which included a few odd, inappropriate comments that might raise an eyebrow or two. These fellas from Picayune, Mississippi were definitely good ole boys, though a few were show-biz vets who'd played regionally in New Orleans and environs. The set was recorded at the Sli-Lou Club, a mid-sized country dive in Slidell, Louisiana that was opened in 1974 by Donna and Jack Catlett, but doesn't seem to have been open very long (there's no trace of it online, as far as I can tell...) The label address, however, was in nearby Picayune, Mississippi, just a few miles across the border, where most if not all the bandmembers resided. The band included Sid Brady on steel guitar, brothers David McKean (lead guitar) and Gary McKean (bass), Jerry Slade (lead guitar) and Bill Suckow (drums), and Wayne Varnado on bass. Steel player Sid Brady was an old-timer who had been in rockabilly star Joe Clay's band, while Wayne Varnado appears to be related to hillbilly-era musicians Charles Varnado and "Smilin' Eddie" Varnado, who fronted a band in the 1940s called the Red Wagon Boys, and later started a mini-opry called the Pearl River County Hay Ride. located in Picayune. Sid Brady also released a single or two under his own name back in the early 'Sixties, though I'm not sure if any of these other guys -- or this band -- made any other records. Anyway, this is a nice snapshot of a real-deal, hyperlocal country bar-band with a very redneck feel... Definitely worth a spin!

Doc Kirby & Co. "Doc Kirby & Co." (Playboy Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Kenneth Christian & Ray Harris)
Good'n'greasy, weird, unruly, swampy Southern rock with some good, hard riffs, rough edges and a good sense of humor. This is more of a rock/boogie record, but there's also a definite element of twang... Fans of Joe Cocker might like this, particularly with the growling, uneven vocals. From Mississippi, apparently... No one actually named Doc Kirby in the band, but definitely a lot o company, including a few relativel well-known folks: Steve Carter (drums), Larry Morgan (organ and piano), Bob Pieczyk (bass), Mike Reeves (drums), Merle "Red" Taylor (fiddle) and Smith Vinson on guitar, as well as a brass section provided by the Muscle Shoals Horns. Probably a made-in-the-studio band, thrown together by some clever Playboy exec.

Fuzzy Buffer "Copesetic" (Malaco Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Tommy Couch and Gerald "Wolf" Stephenson)
One of those kooky, crazy, only-in-the-'Seventies albums... This bizarrely-named band from Greenville, Mississippi was led by singer-songwriter James K. Wright, sharing some creative space with fellow composer Will Hegman, who contributed three songs, but apparently doesn't perform on the album. All the other songs are credited to Wright, who was lead vocalist, albeit with a rather... idiosyncratic voice. I guess he's working in that discursive, slightly-geeky-regular-fella, plainspoken folkie ouvre, same as guys like Steve Goodman and Larry Groce. The opening salvo on Side One definitely puts this disc on the radar as "country," although there's an AOR undercurrent that suggests, I dunno... maybe John Denver going on an outlaw bender. They seem to have been aiming for a New Riders Of The Purple Sage/Greezy Wheels vibe -- the tough-talking, hard-drinkin' macho hippie schtick, full of snappy, cynical asides, and a fair amount of genuine twang. Alas, the record quickly shifts into a soft-rock/folk-pop direction, some of it maybe even as dense and self-consciously artful as Harry Chapin or Nilsson. Anyway, the country vibe gives out about a third of the way in, but it's definitely there. Interesting studio band, too, including some of the folks hanging around Malaco at the time, notably bassist Vernie Robbins and drummer (and future Nashville star producer) James Stroud, who was still learning the ropes in the early '70s. A guy named Billy Dear adds lap steel guitar, along with fiddler Mickey Davis, and Carson Whitsett on keyboards, while Wright yields something called a "guitarlele." I liked the country bits.

Dale Gallagher "Kinda Country" (Dale Records, 1977) (LP)
An all-original set of (kinda) country tunes by Hazlehurst, Mississippi's Dale Eugene Gallagher (d. 2018) a local amateur musician whose day job was as a basketball coach and phys ed teacher. Not a lot of info about him online; apparently he also played bass in a band led by a guy named Al Hurt, who also had a similarly low profile. One of the songs on this album, "Lord Knows I Tried," was on an earlier split single that came out in 1975 on the Jackson, Mississippi-based Suede Records, with Gene Baker billed on the single's flipside, probably the same Eugene Baker who plays piano on this album.

Mickey Gilley -- see artist profile

David Grace "Lover, Fighter, Wild Bull Rider" (Independent Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Clyde Potts & Bill Grace)
A pleasantly rough-edged, back-to-basics country set, with covers of several Merle Haggard songs, along with some Waylon & Willie outlaw material, and a slightly odd cover of Moe Bandy's "Bandy The Rodeo Clown" (isn't that kind of, um, a rather specific reference?) Anyway, I'm not 100% sure, but I think David Grace was a rodeo rider himself, or at least he looks pretty comfortable posing by the stocks inside the pen pictured on the front cover... He may also be the same musician David Grace who was performing at various rodeo events as recently as 2011-12, though this particular album seems to be pretty unknown. Also mysterious are the musicians backing him -- the back cover had a very simple, blocked out template with a giant blank rectangle in the middle which (I'm just guessing) was supposed to have some kind of personalized liner notes, but maybe somebody missed their deadline? Anyhoo, Mr. Grace had a deep, manly voice -- believably country, though his delivery is pretty stiff. The band were good as well, though nothing dazzling. As far as I can tell the songs were all covers with the possible exception of "Sunday Kind Of Feeling," which is a throwback to the early 'Seventies-era countrypolitan stud-muffin songs about getting laid in the morning; it may be the material covered under the "D&B Publishing" notice below the otherwise uncredited song titles. No date on this disc, either, though it sure looks early '80s, possibly late '70s. The only other clue is a credit for a western wear shop in Prentiss, Mississippi, which apparently provided Mr. Grace's jeans, boots, and big old brass buckle. Not an earthshaking album, but definitely down to earth.

Ogden Harless "Volume One: It Ain't Country" (Cypress Records, 1986) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Plummer & Dru Lombar)
The debut album by self-proclaimed drifter, William Hardy ("Ogden") Harless (1949-2015) a honkytonk crooner who grazed the back end of the Top 100 several times in the late 1980s. Ogden Harless started out in music as a teen, leading a country band called the Honky Tonk Heroes in his hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, before joining the Army and serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. After he got out, he moved to Florida and plugged away for years until he was finally signed in the mid-1980s, releasing a string of singles and several LPs, with his biggest single pegging out at #64 in the charts. Here, he's backed by a local Jacksonville band, including keyboardist Eugene Baker, Bill Crist (guitar), Doyle Dykes (banjo and guitar), Joe English (steel guitar), Chet Gibson (steel guitar), James Holmes (fiddle and mandolin), Dru Lombar (bass, guitar and keyboards), Larry Nader (bass), and Steve Ness on keyboards. The overlapping musician credits suggest this album was a long time coming, with sessions that spread out over a long period of time... but the results are kinda nice. Though he's definitely a lanky, weatherbeaten old-timer with a hard country core, Harless stuck to a pretty mellow, low-key mode -- fans of Don Williams should dig his discs.

Ogden Harless "Deal Me In" (Doorknob Records, 1987) (LP)
Following his success on the Florida-based Cypress label, Mr. Harless signed with Doorknob Records, one of the last notable Nashville indies, and they were able to push him into the national charts, with the single "I Wish We Were Strangers" topping out at #64 in Billboard -- the highest chart entry of his career. This album yielded three other charting singles, "Down On The Bayou," "Somebody Ought To Tell Him That She's Gone" and "Walk On Boy," though these were all strictly Back Forty tracks. Harless also got to work with some tp Nashville talent, including bandleader Charlie McCoy and some of his crew.

Ogden Harless "No Last Refrain" (Mountain Stream Country, 1989) (LP)
Following his stint in Nashville, Ogden Harless started his own studio back in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, producing his own albums as well as opening the studio up to other regional artists... He wasn't able to build up the same mojo that got him onto the charts, but at least he owned the means of production. One track off this album, "Together Alone," squeaked into the charts, peaking at #92 in late 1988, leading to this album, though not to bigger successes on the Mountain Stream label. Harless kept plugging away, though, and opened his studio up for private press artists in the area. Although he set up shop in his native state of Mississippi, he also kept roots in Florida, passing away in Woodville, FL at age 65.

Ogden Harless "Now I Know" (Mountain Stream Country, 1989) (LP)
(Produced by Ernie Winfrey)
This album was apparently never officially released, though promo copies seem to exist in the wild. I confess I am eager to hear it, especially with covers of classics such as "Swingin' Doors," "Lovin' Her Was Easier Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again" and "Amanda" (a nod to Don Williams, perhaps?). There are also a few gospel tunes on here, notably "Amazing Grace" and Kris Kristofferson's "Why Me Lord," pointing perhaps to a new path in his career. Anyone with a copy to spare, feel free to swing it my way!

Faith Hill -- see artist profile

Ginger Houston "Country Just For Fun" (198--?) (LP)
I couldn't track any info down about this one... Ms. Houston looks like she was a middle-aged gal, possibly a lounge singer who decided to record a few country classics, stuff like "Release Me," "Your Cheatin' Heart," and "You're Looking At Country." Her backing band included Timmy Avalon on steel guitar, and he seems to be a younger dude who played in various Mississippi bar bands, as well as fiddler Mickey Davis and bassist Jerry Puckett, both of the band Union Kun-Tree, which also had roots around Jackson, MS. So, I'm guessing Ms. Houston may have been from that neck of the woods as well. The album also looks like it was recorded in the 1980s, or possibly even in the '90s. Anyone know more about this gal?

Carl Jackson -- see artist profile

Benny Kennerson "Benny Plays Your Favorites" (19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Louis Swift)
Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, pianist Benny Kennerson (1948-1999) made his way to Nashville and played on a fair number of albums -- and, one presumes, probably played a lot of live gigs as well. Kennerson backed super-indie country singers such as Wayne Perdew, as well as higher-profile bluegrass sessions with Vassar Clements, as well as on some uber-indie gospel records. This is an album of country-flavored piano instrumentals, including tunes like Floyd Cramer's Nashville-Sound pop hit, "Last Date," which kinda defined the genre. Includes some original material by Kennerson, as well as covers of old Hank Williams songs, and the like... Not sure who all plays on this album, though as far as I can tell it was the only one Kennerson recorded under his own name.

Chris LeDoux - see artist profile

Ben Marney & Homecookin' "Life's A Whole Lot Easier" (Southern Biscuit Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Wolf Stephenson & Ben Marney)
A locals-only project from Jackson, Mississippi, with lots of original material and local pickers. Marney also recorded a few singles for Summit and Playboy Records, as well as several LPs. This one's pretty good overall, thumpy, Waylon-esque, longhair-ish stuff with some decent novelty numbers and kinda sloppy but ambitious production. Marney covers several outlaw classics, stuff like "Desperado," "Texas When I Die" and Kris Kristofferson's "If You Don't Like Hank Williams," as well as his own "Cowgirls," "Disco Go To Hell," "Jack Daniels" and "Rich And Good Lookin," which is an album highlight. Side One ends with an odd entry, "Outlaws," in which he declares his opposition to the outlaw scene, insisting that his music is just as good as them there outlaw singers, and he doesn't drink or do drugs (though all those beer bottles on the front cover tell a different story...) Anyway, this is a noteworthy album from the era -- the only really bad part are the three tracks showcasing "gal" singer Pat Vivier, particularly "I'm Going Home," a bombastically pretentious, overblown poetical number which is really painful to listen to... On Side Two, Marney's "Circle," a song about his grandmother dying, is also pretty goopy and overdone, but the simpler, twangier stuff that surrounds these tracks mostly makes up for it.

Ben Marney "Wine, Women And Song" (Southern Biscuit Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Dino Zimmerman)

Ben Marney & Homecookin' "Old Outlaws" (Marney Media Group, 2015) (LP)

Danny Mathis "...And The Gentleman" (DavCo Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by J. C. Davis & Danny Mathis)
I always feel sorry for private-press artists who got their albums back from the pressing plant with typos on them... This was back in the buyer-beware days before you could send things back and get a refund... and before Sharpies were invented, so your options for correcting dumb errors were pretty limited. I'm pretty sure there was more than one gentleman in the band, or at least there were five other musicians: Jay Davis (lead guitar), Ronald Davis (drums), Mark Gibson (drums), Earl McGlawn (bass) and Danny Robinson on piano... Near as I can figure, this was not Mr. Mathis' own band, but rather the house band for the short-lived Davco Records label, headquartered in Pascacoula, Mississippi, a band that was called The Davis Brothers on other DavCo releases. The liner notes inform us that Danny Mathis was from Bay Springs, Mississippi and had released an earlier single in 1974, also on DavCo. Mathis had fairly, um, modest vocal powers and seems to have been a belated teenpop balladeer, rather than an actual country singer. He was apparently aiming for a James Darren/Paul Petersen sound, though hindered by a plodding sense of rhythms and a voice that could perhaps be described as falsetto monotone. Not to sound mean or anything, but this really wasn't the greatest record ever, and though the Davis lads (and their band) were also pretty rudimentary, they were game and did their best to back him up. Also in the mix was a gal named Lora Mathis singing backup -- not sure what the relationship may have been.

Rick McWilliams "Down The Line" (WKM Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Eugene Foster)
This album is partly a tribute to country yodeler Jimmie Rodgers, who was a not-too-distant relative of Mississippi-born singer Rick McWilliams... His grandmother, Elsie McWilliams, was Jimmie Rodgers' sister-in-law and longtime musical collaborator, having formed a band with Rodgers in 1920, she went on to write or co-write over three dozen of the songs he recorded. Mr. McWilliams gives his granny a shout-out in the liner notes, noting her induction into the songwriter's hall of fame, and that she had recently turned 89 years old; she passed away at 89 later that year. There are several songs from the Jimmie Rodgers canon on here, as well as a couple written by Rick McWilliams as well as a couple by Bruce Brooks, and a few scattered cover tunes, such as a version of John Denver's "Back Home Again" and Bobby G. Rice's "You Lay So Easy On My Mind."

Price Mitchell "Mr. Country Soul" (GRT Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Dick Heard & Nelson Larkin)

Price Mitchell "The Best Of Price Mitchell" (Sunbird Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Dick Heard & Nelson Larkin)
Mississippi-born Price Mitchell specialized in slightly twangy pop-country covers of poppy R&B oldies, stuff like the Motown standard, "I Can't Help Myself" or Lloyd Price's "Personality," which was his biggest chart single. Although "Personality" cracked into the Top 30, for the most part Mitchell met with middling success, and it's the obscuro countrypolitan stuff that's actually the most interesting material. This album is a repackaging of his Mr. Country Soul album, previously released on the GRT label, and includes a couple of Earl Conley songs, as well as one by Jim Chesnutt.

James O'Gwynn - see artist discography

Orion - see artist discography

Arno Pace "Arno Sings And Yodels The Songs Of Raymond E. Hall And Arno Pace" (Pace & Hall Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Arno Pace)
A fascinating set, uniting Mississippi-born singer Arno Pace with songwriter Raymond Edward Hall, an Oklahoma blues yodeler who had several of his songs recorded by Jimmie Rodgers, including "T.B. Blues," "Gambling Polka Dot Blues," "Take Me Back Again," among others. Hall also wrote a tune called "Moonlight And Skies," a grim ballad that describes the robbery gone wrong that led to Hall's lifetime conviction and incarceration in Texas's notorious Huntsville state prison, where he spent most fifty-five years, before earning a pardon in 1976. After his release, he met Mr. Pace at a Jimmie Rodgers Day celebration in Meridian, MS, where the two struck up a creative partnership that led to this album, which includes a dozen songs apparently co-written together, still in the old yodeling blues style. Mr. Pace had his own musical career dating back the Great Depression: working as a radio deejay and live musician under the stage name Slim Pace, he first held down slots on local stations in Mississippi, then got a prestigious gig at station WWDC, in the nation's capitol, where (according to this album's liner notes) President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was among his many fans. Not sure when this album came out, but 1980 or thereabouts is a good guess, since the liner notes also inform us that Hall and Pace had met one another three years earlier.

Gene Poag, Jr. "Fightin Little Judge" (Country Clips Records, 197-?) (LP)
Mississippi-born Francis Eugene Poag, Jr. (1940-1998) grew up in Macon, Mississippi and worked for the National Weather Service, following stints in college and the Vietnam War-era Navy. A meteorologist by training, Poag also worked as a bush pilot in Alaska, a "storm chaser" and public speaker for the NHS. He served in NHS offices Tampa, Jacksonville and Honolulu offices, though as a sideline Mr. Poag played music gigs across the country. He was a prolific songwriter, and at one point put his civil service career on hold for a year to tour with country star Mel Tillis, who apparently sang a few of his songs. Ultimately, Mr. Poag was a family man, and the music career didn't quite stick, although he was hopeful enough to record an entire album of all-original material. There are some promising song titles, including "Automobile And A Loving Heart," "Inflation And Recession (Is Slowly Killing Me)," "Telling Talking And Thinking," the Waylonesque "Mangy, Mean And Mad," and my personal favorite, "Six Hundred Dollar Six Pack." He also recorded some topical songs, including a 1974 single called "Sick And Tired Of Watergate" and he co-wrote "Tootsie's Wall Of Fame" with Bob Terry, a novelty song about Tootsie Bess and her fabled Nashville nightclub, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. As far as I know, this was his only album, although he also released at least a couple of singles.

Charley Pride - see artist discography

Dusty Rhodes "Rosin Dust" (Dungeon Recording Studio, 198--?) (LP)
(Produced by Pat Shikany)
A former child prodigy and championship fiddler from Missouri, old-timer Perry Hilburn "Dusty" Rhodes (1920-2005) was a popular regional performer who had quite a career. He and his brothers Slim Rhodes and Speck Rhodes formed their own "Rhodes Show," and even hosted a TV program; Mr. Rhodes made some waves in Nashville and found success as a songwriter. Perhaps most significantly he got his daughters, Donna and Sandra, into the music business, where they excelled as backup singers -- first in Nashville and then in Southern soul scene, in the fabled Rhodes-Chalmers-Rhodes trio. Sandra Rhodes appears as a guest musician, picking guitar on this instrumental album, while her husband Charlie takes the spotlight playing saxophone on a version of "Jackson." Also backing Mr. Rhodes is his wife Dot, who plays both acoustic and electric lead guitar, and banjo picker Don Thompson who was a stalwart member of the Ozark mini-opry scene in the late 'Seventies and early 'Eighties. Not sure if this was the only Dusty Rhodes album, but he and his brothers also recorded numerous singles, dating back to the early 'Fifties.

Jesse Rodgers "Yesterday's Winner Is A Loser Today" (Astro Records, 1973) (LP)
A younger cousin of 1920s country pioneer Jimmie Rodgers, Jesse Otto Rodgers (1911-1973) was born in Waynesboro, Mississippi and followed his cousin into the music business, recording dozens of 78rpm singles in the 1930s and '40s, although mid-career he shortened his name to "Rogers," and continued recording and appearing in acting roles for decades to come. Assembled in late 1972, just before Mr. Rodgers passed away, this privately produced souvenir album was one of the first collections to examine his career. It only gathers eleven of his tracks cut for RCA Victor, back in the day, but if you want a bigger representation of his work, the generously-programmed BACM disc below includes two dozen tracks of the same vintage.

Jesse Rodgers "Songs Of The Hills And Plains" (BACM, 2009) (CD)

Charlie Ross "The High Cost Of Loving" (Accord/Town House Records, 1982) (LP)
In the late 1960s, Mississippi-born Charlie Ross was a rock-pop musician, scoring a few minor hits with the band Eternity's Children, and he continued to record as a solo artist in the early '70s. He finally "went country" mid-decade, and had similar success on the Country charts, with a 1976 remake of one of his pop songs, "Without Your Love" proving to be his biggest hit, peaking at #13, after the original version was in the Pop charts earlier that same year. This album followed, though he wasn't able to match his earlier successes, and Ross went back into broadcasting, with this album being his swan song as a performer.

Gene Simmons "Drinkin' Wine: The Sun Years, Plus" (Bear Family Records, 2006)

Gene Simmons "Catahoula Cur Dog" (Deltune Records, 1984) (LP)
Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Southern twangster Gene Simmons (1933-2006) was a 1950s rock'n'roll veteran who recorded for Sun Records in its late 'Fifties heyday, back in the era of Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. Simmons later the R&B oriented Bill Black Combo and signing to Black's label, Hi Records as a solo artist, scoring a Top 15 hit with the novelty song, "Haunted House." Like many rock pioneers, Simmons found fame fleeting and slipped back into obscurity as popular taste shifted towards other shiny objects. By the time he recorded this indie album, Simmons was living in Louisiana and had established himself as a successful country songwriter, placing tunes with artists including Barbara Mandrell and Gene Watson; one the last songs he sold was "Indian Outlaw," an early Top Ten hit for Tim McGraw.

Mack Allen Smith "The Delta Sound" (Redneck Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Mack Allen Smith, Billy Herbert, Larry Rogers & Johnny Vincent)
A native of Carroll County, Mississippi, singer Mack Allen Smith (1938-2022) was a first-generation rock'n'roller who formed his first band back in 1956, and kept his rock flag flying twenty years later. This album is a combination of new and vintage material, with most tracks recorded at a Memphis session in 1975, bolstered by archival material dating back to 1962-63. Tons of classic rock covers, including songs such as "Blue Suede Shoes," "Flip, Flop And Fly" and "Maybelline," as well as a few newer tunes, notably the then-popular Creedence Clearwater classics, "Lodi" and "Proud Mary." Not a lot of overtly country material, though he fixed that on his subsequent album, Delta Country (below).

Mack Allen Smith "Delta Country" (Checkmate Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Mack Allen Smith, Billy Herbert, Larry Rogers & Johnny Vincent)
Smith's most country album, with a couple of random rock oldies like "Don't Be Cruel," though mostly material drawn from a wider range of roots music sources, including songs like "Rag, Mama, Rag," from The Band and "I See The Want To In Your Eyes," from the Gary Stewart songbook. Most of the songs are Smith's own originals, pursuing mopey themes such as "I'm Not Drunk, I'm Just Drinking," "Angel Face, Body Full Of Sin" and the supremely forlorn "If I Could Only Get One Hit." Tell me about it, man! Like many of Smith's albums, this one was a long time coming, with tracks drawn from several different sessions, though for the opening tracks there's a striking overlap with Jerry Jaye's backing band, with Butch Carter (piano), Danny Hogan (bass), Ronnie Scaife (guitar) and Perry York (drums) playing on several tracks -- some of the same guys who played on Jaye's twangy 1976 album, Honky Tonk Women Love Redneck Men.

Shaffier Smith & The Tempos "All These Things" (Jay Town Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Dale McGee & Tommy Couch)
A mix of country and soul from some clean-cut, young white guys from southeastern Mississippi... Shaffier Glenn Smith (1936-2018) doesn't seem to have been a professional musician -- he was a sign painter by trade, and he had a fairly iffy voice -- but he led this band for a while during the early 1970s, and they had pretty eclectic tastes. The Tempos included Shaffier Smith on guitar, as well as Bobby Joe Smith (lead guitar), Don Pittman (piano), Ronnie Rogers (drums), Larry Tidwell (steel guitar), and Wayne Thomas on bass, with additional vocals by a gal named Celeste Shirley. Living just above New Orleans, they tapped into Louisiana R&B from the Nevilles, as well as rock oldies from Lloyd Price and Wilbert Harrison, as well as some deep Texas soul, as heard in their (oddly low-key) cover of "If You're Looking For A Fool." There's some country stuff in there as well, songs by Merle Haggard and Jean Chapel, as well as some "rootsy" material in the middle, such as Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett's "Never Ending Song Of Love," as well as one original from Mr. Smith, "She's My Woman," a Charlie Rich-flavored white soul tune that is an album highlight. The record builds strength as it goes along, along with as the impression that Shaffier Smith had an intriguing vocal similarity to Freddy Fender. The album closes on a surprising note: his cover of John Denver's "Country Roads," which may be the best cover version of this song I've heard. Not sure of the date on this album, but from the song selection I'd guess it came out in 1972 or thereabouts.

Warren Smith "Call Of The Wild" (Bear Family Records, 1990)
A super-rural Mississippi rocker who is best known for his 1956 rockabilly classic, "Ubangi Stomp," Warren Smith went on to do country records, but it never really went anywhere. The oddest thing about these discs is how the label discounts Smith's early '60s recordings in the "Call of the Wild" liner notes -- basically, they say his country stuff sucked. I couldn't disagree more: there's a fun, loping Texas shuffle backbeat on here that you've just got to love. If anything, his earlier recordings when he was a rocker (the other disc) are a bit thinner, and he wasn't really a rocker for long. One thing about Warren Smith, though -- he didn't sound like one of those skinny, greasy-haired rockabilly teens. Hardly. Sounds more like someone who would wrap a tire iron upside your head in a truck stop parking lot, if you looked at him funny at the counter. These discs aren't top-flight material, but they're certainly worth checking out.

Warren Smith "Classic Recordings" (Bear Family Records, 1992)

Warren Smith "The First Country Collection Of..." (Liberty Records, 1961) (LP)
(Produced by Joe Allison)
A much tamer Warren Smith tries his hand at mainstream country, with a distinctly honkytonk vibe throughout... Half the songs are Harlan Howard tunes, including standards such as "I Fall To Pieces" and "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down," with the rest of the songs coming from folks like Johnny Cash, Don Gibson, Fuzzy Owen and Wayne Walker... The no-frills, hard-country playlist suits Smith's style well, as he eases into a comfortably masculine, pleasantly robust style that recalls kings of the genre such as Carl Smith and Faron Young. The record isn't very original, but it does sound great. Perhaps the most interesting (and least well-known) song is "Take Good Care Of Her," a forlorn, you-can-have-her lost-love weeper. Two of the singles hit the Top Ten in '60 and '61, but continued success eluded him, and he slid off the charts within a few years. Too bad: with more originals sent his way, he could have done really well. (Note: the songs on this album were reissued as part of Bear Family's Call Of The Wild CD, listed above.)

Warren Smith "The Legendary Warren Smith" (Lake Country Records, 1977) (LP)

Rosemary (Stovall) "Rosemary" (Country Life Records, 1976-?) (LP)
Songwriter Rosemary Stovall was the sister of Raymond McLain, patriarch of the McLain Family bluegrass/old-timey band, a family group that recorded and toured prolifically, using their home in Kentucky as their base of operations. Rosemary, who lived in Jackson,Mississippi, contributed numerous songs to their repertoire, some of which spread out into the wider bluegrass world. As far as I know, this was her only album, released on the McLain Family's label.

Joyce Street "Tied Down" (The Numero Group, 2023) (LP)
Country-rock singer Joyce Street was certainly what used to be called a plugger: in several right places at several right times, she failed to click as a recording artist, but never let go of the dream. Born in the Mississippi backwoods, Street moved around quite a bit and was working in LA during the first flush of the early 1970s West Coast country-rock scene, and was in Austin at the height of the outlaw movement. She released a bare handful of singles, spread out over many years, material that is gathered on this generously-programmed, lovingly assembled album, as well as a number of demo tracks she recorded over the years. Highlights include the anthemic "California You're Slippin," which she wrote after living through the big 1971 Los Angeles earthquake, which is included in both its demo and studio versions -- and the equally catchy "Life Ain't Worth Livin' (If I Can't Have You)," which kicks the album off. The archival album is admittedly uneven -- if we're being honest, Street was not the most powerful or consistent vocalist, but she radiates sincerity and creative drive, and emerges as a compelling figure. You can understand why she didn't make it in the music business, but can also see how she easily could have, given the right opportunities and a little more luck. She certainly had a real rural vibe, with an almost Loretta Lynn-like authentic twang, tempered by a Emmylou Harris-ish hip-chick cool. The research and release of such a lavish album for such an obscure artist is just as quixotic as her career -- but it's right up my alley, as a champion of the unknowns, and I'm certainly not complaining. I can think of quite a few other artists I'd be thrilled to get similar treatment.

Kay Summers "...Sings Nashville Greats" (Autumn Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bobby Sikes)
Piano player Kay Summers was playing a lounge act in Biloxi, Mississippi when she went to Nashville to record this set, playing in a stripped-down trio with studio pros Roy Huskey on bass and Will Ackerman on drums... There's no date on this, but the repertoire is all covers of mainstream country songs of 1950s/mid-'60s vintage, along with a couple of Kris Kristofferson covers... So... maybe 1972-75-ish?

Haydon Thompson "Here's Haydon Thompson" (Kapp Records, 1967) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Cohen)
A 'Fifties rockabilly pioneer taking a brief fling at mainstream country success... Singer Haydon Thompson grew up on a Mississippi farm, and cut his first single back in 1954, while still a teenager, and was one of the first generation of artists to record for the Sun Records label. According to the liner notes on this album, Thompson made his way up to Chicago where he worked as a bus driver, all the while nurturing a dream of continuing his career in music. The country thing didn't work out -- this was his only album for Kapp -- but like many '50s rockers, he got a second wind thanks to the European rockabilly revival, with reissues and later recordings galore... I think this was his only full-on country album, though. [Note: His first name is sometimes spelled as "Hayden." Same guy.]

Hayden Thompson "Rock-A-Billy Gal: The Sun Years Plus" (Bear Family Records, 2008)

Smith Vinson "One Time For The Cow" (Playboy Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Harris & Kenneth Christian)
A nice, laid-back set of bluesy, acoustic Southern folk-rock featuring Tupelo, Mississippi guitarist Smith Vinson, who was also featured on other Playboy albums by David Lee Daniels, Tim Tutor and in the band called Doc Kirby & Co. The songs are relaxed and mellow, easygoing, whimsical tunes by a guy who clearly just liked kicking back and picking out tunes. Nothing dazzling, but totally enjoyable, sort of a mix of David Bromberg and Jonathan Edwards. It's also cool that the backing musicians all seem to be locals, instead of the usual-suspect studio crews of the era. I don't know much else about this guy, other than that he was part of the Mississippi longhair music scene back in the '60s and early '70s. Anyone have more info about him?

Travis Wammack "Travis Wammack" (Fame Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Rick Hall)
Born in Walnut, Mississippi 'way back in 1946, guitarist Travis Wammack was primed and ready for the 1950's rock'n'roll explosion, cutting his first single at age eleven(!) and he quickly emerged as a hotshot electric guitarist roughly in the same mold as dudes like Link Wray or Lonnie Mack. He cut a few hit singles in his teens, and soon found work as an in-demand studio musician for Fame Studios, Hi Records and other southern sound houses. He also played on the rockabilly circuit, most notably in a decade-long gig as the band leader for Little Richard's touring group. Maybe he's a little more in the southern/hard rock camp, but there's definitely some overlap with the twang sounds we know and love. This album is, unsurprisingly, packed full of Muscle Shoals and LA studio hotshots, notably guys like Clayton Ivey, George Soule and -- for country fans -- steel player Leo LeBlanc. Tons of curiously-selected rock and pop cover tunes here, and a few more contemporary tunes from folks like Dennis Linde. It ain't really country, but you still might want to check it out.

Travis Wammack "Not For Sale" (Capricorn Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Rick Hall)
Funky, swampy southern rock with driving power chords and tight, soul-ish arrangements melded to a few metal-ish runs that have a vaguely Led Zep feel... But this is also definitely very rootsy, very southern material, and a fine example of the groovy, rootsy style popularized by the folks at Capricorn Records. As on his previous album, Wammack picks some quirky songs to cover -- pop tunes like "I Forgot To Remember To Forget," "A Lover's Question," and a surprisingly intense version of the twee UK oldie, "You've Got Your Troubles," from the Fortunes. This set is a little heavy-sounding for me, but 'Seventies rock, rockabilly and southern rock fans should dig it.

Travis Wammack "A Man... And A Guitar" (Phonorama Records, 1982) (LP)

Various Artists "MAKIN' SURE IT'S MASONITE" (1975) (LP)
This one comes to us courtesy of industrial-musical maven Steve Young (co-author of Everything's Coming Up Profits) who of course had a couple of country-flavored convention cavalcades to recommend. This disc was a souvenir of mid-1970s sales meeting held in Laurel, Mississippi, home of the Masonite empire. This apparently features several company employees playing parody versions of country classics, with new lyrics that sing the praise of everyone's favorite hardboard product. It's an awesome album, apparently intended for the company's entire workforce, not just the salesmen and executives. There are songs recognizing salesmen, promoting workplace safety, and several tunes giving recognition to specific employees and divisions of the company. Although many melodies are generic country riffs, several tracks are parodies of chestnuts such as "I Saw The Light," "Yellow Rose Of Texas," "Wabash Cannonball" -- the album highlight may be "Maintenance" (a song about the support team) sung to the tune of Olivia Newton-John's, "Let Me Be There." The music is brisk and pleasantly twangy, featuring fiddler Lloyd Boone, Grover Clark (rhythm guitar), J. D. Brooks (drums), Stan Hutchison (bass) and Bruce McCraw on lead vocals. A recent college graduate in his mid-20s, McCraw was a solid hillbilly singer with a voice much like Dwight Yoakam; by 1980 he was a plant supervisor who performed in several local bands in his off hours, and also acted in plays staged by the Laurel Little Theater. I'm not sure if the other guys were all also Masonite employees: fiddler Grant Lloyd Boone (1927-2012) was a locally recognized musician who lived in nearby Moss, Mississippi, while guitar strummer William Grover Clark was listed as a claimant in a worker's comp case filed against the Masonite company, sadly, for hearing loss caused by the heavy machinery.

Various Artists "PARCHMAN FROM THE INSIDE" (Mississippi Department Of Corrections, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Wendell B. Cannon)
Mississippi's state penitentiary, also known as "Parchman Farm," was a brutal place for anyone incarcerated there, though there was one bright spot, the prison's band program, which was started in 1960 as a steam valve for inmates who wanted to either hear or play some music. Parchman had a long history of musical recordings, dating back to the 1930s when inmates such as bluesman Bukka White recorded there, as did several female inmates whose performances were saved by the Library Of Congress. The more modern program was run by Wendell B. Cannon (1933-1996) a white rockabilly singer who (according to the stupendously informative That's All Rite music blog) was given the job as a political appointment after working on the gubernatorial campaign of Ross Barnett. Cannon held the post for many years, and under his guidance Parchman fielded two semi-professional bands, a country group (called the Insiders) and an R&B band known as the Stardusters -- made up of trustee inmates who met Cannon's standards. These bands played both inside and outside the prison walls, performing at county fairs and regional festivals, as well as recording albums such as this one, which was apparently recorded at the Malaco Records studio in Jackson. Like many Southern prison recordings of the 1970s, this album featured both "white" (country) and "black" (blues and soul) music -- a rare example of integration in a notoriously racist state. The set list included contemporary soul hits such as "Lean On Me" and "I'll Take You There," as well as country and folk tunes like Freddie Hart's "My Hang Up Is You," Tom Paxton's "Last Thing On My Mind" and gospel oldies such as "Peace In The Valley," which closes the album. I know of two Parchman albums from this era, although I suspect there were others... any additional info is welcome!

Various Artists "THE PARCHMAN SOUND" (Mississippi Department Of Corrections, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Wendell B. Cannon)
Another set moving from country to funk, and back again... the country soloists include Dewey Hopkins, Ray Walters and Wendell Cannon...

Hick Music Index