The
Amazing Rhythm Aces were one of the finest country rock bands of the Seventies.
The band played its country rock with a large dose of the blues and under the
leadership of singer/guitarist Russell Smith scored a hit with “Third Rate
Romance” in 1975. That song can be found on the band’s excellent debut album, “Stacked
Deck” (1975).
The band’s
sophomore album, “Too Stuffed to Jump” (1976), was another fine effort with the
track, “The End is not in Sight” as the album’s highlight.
Woody Guthrie was the most important figure in the history
of American folk music. Guthrie was more than a singer and musician. He was a
real-life incarnation of John Steinbeck’s character of Tom Joad from the Grapes
of Wrath and a committed left-wing political activist.
Guthrie was born in Okemah,
Oklahoma in 1912. When he was 14
he began playing the guitar and harmonica and learned the English and Scottish
folk songs from the parents of his friends. Despite being a bright student,
Guthrie dropped out of high school and started busking on streets. When he was
eighteen his father called for him to come to Texas to attend school, but Guthrie spent
his time busking and reading in the library.By 1930, Guthrie joined thousands of other “Okies” (Oklahomans) who were
migrating to California to search for work and
escape the “dust bowl” drought that plagued Oklahoma.
In California,
Guthrie worked odd jobs, and by the end of the thirties, he had managed to land
a job playing folk and “hillbilly” music on the radio. At this time he would
write the songs about his experiences during the dustbowl era migration to California that would
later become his legendary collection of dustbowl ballads. In 1936, he would
begin to perform at communist party events in California, and although he never joined the
party, he would later be tagged as a communist.
By the 1940s, Guthrie was in New York
City, and his “Oklahoma
cowboy” nickname and reputation endeared him to the leftist folk music
community in the city. He would record his album, “Dust Bowl Ballads” (1940)
for the Victor Records in Camden,
New Jersey, shortly after his
arrival. The album has long been hailed as a superb document of an episode of
American history told by a man who lived it. Guthrie would also record for Alan
Lomax of the Library of Congress, singing and speaking about his adventures of
the dust bowl period of ten years before.
Guthrie would land another radio job in New York, this time as the host of the “Pipe
Smoking Time” show which was sponsored by a tobacco company. He also appeared
on CBS radio on the program, “Back Where I Came From”. He managed to get a sopt
on the show for his friend, the legendary black folk singer, Huddie “Leadbelly”
Ledbetter. By 1941, Guthrie was off to WashingtonState
to write and perform songs about the construction of Grand Coulee Dam in the
employ of the American Department of the Interior. Guthrie wrote 26 songs for a
film which was to be produced about the project, but the film never came to
fruition. The songs, “Pastures of Plenty” and “Grand Coulee Dam” would become
well known nonetheless.
In 1944, Guthrie met Moses Asch of Folkways Records for whom
Guthrie would record hundreds of songs including the first recording of perhaps
his best known tune, “This Land is Your Land”. Folkways would later release
these songs in various collections.
By the mid 1950s, Guthrie’s health was deteriorating with
the onset of Huntington’s disease. He was eventually bedridden in BellevueHospital, and in 1960 was visited by a
very young and awestruck admirer, Bob Dylan.
The Byrds are among the greatest bands in
the history of American pop music. The band is the original folk-rock outfit
and was the first band to play country-rock. Pioneered by folk singer turned
rocker, Roger McGuinn, the Byrds saw many lineup changes throughout the years,
but despite the turnover of musicians, the band always produced original and
inspired music. Originally called the “Beefeaters,” the Byrds formed in early
1964 with members, McGuinn on guitar; David Crosby on guitar; Gene Clark on
guitar; Michael Clarke on drums; and Chris Hillman on bass.
The Byrds “jangly” sound was derived from
McGuinn’s 12-string Rickenbacker guitar. This trademark sound was in full
evidence on their first album, “Mr. Tambourine Man” (1965). The album opens
with the title track, a rocking hit version of the Bob Dylan classic. Dylan
songs would be covered often by the Byrds and be infused with that unmistakable
Byrds sound.
The Byrds next recorded the very solid,
“Turn, “Turn, “Turn” album in 1965. The title track of this album also became a
big hit.
Two excellent albums came next: “Fifth
Dimension” (1966) and “Younger than Yesterday” (1967) spawning hits with “Eight
Miles High” and “So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star,” respectively.
It was at this point, seemingly at the peak
of the band’s commercial and critical success, when Gene Clark and David Crosby
departed to pursue solo careers. For their next project, “The Notorious Byrd
Brothers” (1968), the band was reduced to a trio. No matter it seems when the
listening to the result-a brilliant album of stunning experimental music. The
album is inspired from start to finish, especially on numbers like, “Draft
Morning,” “Wasn’t Born To Follow,” “Natural Harmony,” and “Get to You.”
Now a trio, the Byrds added new members,
country-hippie Gram Parsons from the International Submarine Band and the
superb country guitarist Clarence White. With the overt country influence of
its new members, the Byrds produced the first true country-rock album, the
excellent “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” (1968). Parsons soon left the band to form
the Flying Burrito Brothers.
The Byrds had reached the peak of their
creative powers and would continue to record until 1973, but only the
“Untitled” album released in 1970 would approach the heights they achieved in the
Sixties.
The Delmore Brothers were one of the most
important and influential acts from the early days of country music. The duo
consisted of the brothers, Alton
and Rabon Delmore, a pair of guitarist/vocalists who helped to pioneer the
country music genre with their melding of gospel music, folk, and the blues.
The brothers were born into poverty in Elkmont,
Alabama.
The Delmore Brothers made their first
recordings for Columbia Records, in 1931, and produced “I’ve Got the Kansas
City Blues” and “Alabama Lullaby.” The duo continued to record until 1952, when
Rabon Delmore died of cancer.
During their run, the Delmore Brothers
recorded some of the all-time classics of country music including, “Blow Yo’
Whistle, Freight Train,” “When It’s Time for the Whippoorwill to Sing,” “Freight
Train Boogie,” and “Blues Stay Away from Me.” The latter tune would be covered
by later rockabilly performers Gene Vincent and Johnny Burnette, while “Freight
Train Boogie” has been called the first rock and roll recording by some
pundits.
John Prine was one of the best of the folk-flavoured
singer/songwriters that emerged alongside Neil Young and others in the early
Seventies. Prine, who is still active today, is one of the wittiest songwriters
of the singer/songwriter clan. When he appeared on the scene in the early Seventies,
he was designated by some writers as a “New Dylan,” an up and coming singer/songwriter
with talent and integrity reminiscent of the young Dylan.
Prine was born in Maywood,
Illinois, in 1946, and following a stint in
the US Postal Service, became involved in the Chicago folk scene of the late Sixties. A
chance meeting with pop singer Paul Anka led to a chance to record, and his
brilliant debut album, “John Prine” was released in 1971. Prine's debut was a
superb collection of topical songs that included, “Sam Stone,” a tale of a drug-addicted
Vietnam veteran, “Hello in
There,” a song about the neglect of the elderly, and “Paradise,”
a plea for the conservation of nature.
Prine's sophomore effort, “Diamonds in the
Rough” (1972) was another fine work with solid songs such as the title track
and “They Ought to Name a Drink after You,” all delivered with spare accompaniment.
“Sweet Revenge,” an album that rivals Prine's terrific debut album as his best
release, followed in 1973. Sweet Revenge was another superb collection of folk
and country-inflected songs, this time with the support of a larger studio
band. Highlights from this one include, “Christmas in Prison,” “Please Don’t
Bury Me,” “Dear Abby,” and “Mexican Home.”
Prine's next few albums saw him exploring a
more rock-oriented sound fleshed out by a backing band that included electric
guitar, bass, and heavy drums. The effect was partially-successful on solid
releases such as “Common Sense” (1975) and “Pink Cadillac” (1979). “Bruised Orange,” an excellent
release from 1978, was a return to his simpler folk sound.
The Eighties was a quiet period for Prine
from a recording standpoint. He recorded a few studio albums, but nothing of
note.
In 1991, however, Prine was back with a
vengeance. With the help of fellow musicians and admirers such as Bruce
Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt and Tom Petty, he recorded another classic, “The
Missing Years,” a brilliant folk-rock album brimming with top notch songs such
as “Picture Show,” “Great Rain,” “The Sins of Memphisto,” and the title track.
Despite being recently sidelined with
throat cancer, Prine continues to tour and record often brilliant albums. His most
recent classics are “In Spite of Ourselves” (1995) and “Fair and Square”
(2006).
Kate and Anna
McGarrigle are sisters from Montreal,
Quebec, Canada,
who in 1975 formed a folk duo and went on to write and record some of the best
contemporary folk music of the last 30 years. The musical McGarrigle family
grew as Kate married folk singer, Loudon Wainwright and bore him musical
children, singers Martha and Rufus Wainwright.
The McGarrigles
appeared on the music scene in 1976 with the release of their classic debut
album, “Kate and Anna McGarrigle,” a superb collection of songs ranging from
folk and blues to gospel all sung with the McGarrigle sisters’ trademark tight
harmonies. The album’s highlights are the songs “Mendocino” and “Heart like a
Wheel,” with the latter tune becoming a hit for Linda Ronstadt. The song, “Go
Leave” is for Kate’s husband Loudon Wainwright, with whom she had a famously
difficult marriage.
The
McGarrigle’s follow-up release, “Dancer with Bruised Knees” (1977), was another
fine effort that like the debut album, included several songs sung in French.
The McGarrigles
have continued to record fine albums, and the best of their more recent
offerings are “French Record” (1981), “Love Over and Over” (1982), “Heartbeats
Accelerating” (1990), and “Matapedia” (1996).
Little Feat was formed in Los Angeles, California,
in 1969, by guitarist/songwriter Lowell George and bassist Roy Estrada. Both
men were former members of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. The original
lineup was completed with the addition of Richard Hayward on drums and Bill Payne on keyboards.
Their first two albums were “Little Feat”
(1971) and “Sailin’ Shoes” (1972). The albums were critical successes but
failed by commercial standards.
The band broke up during 1971-72, but reformed with new members, Paul Barrere
on guitar and Sam Clayton on percussion. Roy Estrada was replaced on bass by
Kenny Gradney. The first album featuring the new lineup is the classic, “Dixie
Chicken” (1973). The album is widely-hailed as their best ever and its tighter,
funkier sound is thanks in large part to its new members.
The band produced two more excellent
efforts with “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” (1974) and “The Last Record Album” (1975).
Apparently Barrere and Payne needed to relieve Lowell George of much of his
songwriting duties due to George’s escalating drug use.
Despite their increased popularity, Little Feat would never enjoy broad
mainstream success. The concert tours that Little Feat embarked upon in the
late Seventies rendered the material for the double live album “Waiting for Columbus” (1978).
Lowell George disbanded Little Feat in 1979
and embarked on a solo career. He died shortly thereafter of a heart attack the
same year. Little Feat’s final album with George, “Down on the Farm,” was
released after his death, in 1979.
Carl Perkins, born in Tipton, Tennessee,
in 1932, is one of the fathers of rock and roll music. Perkins started his
career playing country music and then became a rockabilly performer when that style
gained prominence on the strength of Elvis Presley’s first recordings with Sun
Records. Perkins also recorded for Sun Records with Presley, Johnny Cash and
Jerry Lee Lewis as label mates.
Perkins recorded his first single in 1955,
and in 1956, he recorded his classics, “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Honey Don’t.”
The former tune would become a rock standard and be recorded by a plethora of
artists including Elvis Presley. The latter song would be covered by The
Beatles in the early Sixties. By the Sixties, Perkins had returned to country
music.
Among Perkin’s classics recordings are the
following albums and compilations: “Dance Album of Carl Perkins” (1958), “Whole
Lotta Shakin’,” (1958), “Original Golden Hits” (1970), and “Original Sun
Greatest Hits” (1986).
Perkins, one of the true gentlemen of rock
and roll and country music, died in 1998.
Little Richard was probably the most
flamboyant of the early fathers of rock and roll. Richard’s flamboyance, which
usually manifested itself in colorful clothing and animated behavior, also
found expression through Richard’s claims that he had invented rock and roll
music. Nevertheless, he was a singer, pianist, and songwriter of the highest
order, and one of the most influential figures in rock and roll history
Richard was born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, Georgia,
in 1932. He started his career as an R&B singer/pianist, making his first
recording in 1951 with the single, “Taxi Blues,” for RCA. Richard recorded
several more singles before he scored his first big hit with “Tutti Fruitti” in
1955. The next year, 1956, would see Richard record a slew of hits including
the classic songs, “Long Tall Sally,” “Slippin’ and Slidin’,” “Ready Teddy,”
and “Rip it Up.”
In 1957, a full-length album of Richard’s
songs would appear, “Here’s Little Richard,” one of the first rock album
masterpieces. The album contained all of Richard’s hit singles up to that point
and other fine tracks. Another classic album would follow in 1958, with “Little
Richard,” featuring the classic songs, “Keep-A-Knockin,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,”
“Lucille,” and “The Girl Can’t Help It.” Richard’s popularity and fine piano chops
helped to position the piano as an important instrument in early rock and roll.
In the Fifties, Richard disappeared from
the pop music scene as quickly as he had appeared, turning to bible studies at
a theological college. He would record only gospel music for the next four
years. Little Richard eventually returned to rock and roll and is still active
today.
David Allen Coe, born in Akron, Ohio,
in 1939, along with Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard, helped to pave the way
for a country subgenre of music called “outlaw country.” The subgenre featured
longhaired, denim-wearing heroes like Coe who embraced and expressed a
rule-breaking philosophy of life.
Coe, like Merle Haggard, came by his outlaw
image honestly. Both Coe and Haggard did lengthy stretches in prison prior to
the start of their music careers. Coe’s debut album, released shortly after his
release from prison, is a bluesy masterpiece. The album was titled,
“Penitentiary Blues.” With songs like “Cell 33,” Dear Warden,” and “Death Row,”
the album is musically and lyrically riveting.
Coe released many fine country albums
during the Seventies including, “The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy” (1974),
“Longhaired Redneck” (1976), “Texas Moon” (1977), and “Tattoo” (1978). In 1975,
Coe scored a major country hit with a cover version of Steve Goodman’s, “You
Never Even Call Me by My Name.”
Lewis’s musical journey started in his
hometown of Ferriday, Louisiana, where he was born on September
29, 1935. Lewis was a cousin of television evangelist, Jimmy Swaggart and country
singer Mickey Gilley. Lewis studied the piano from the age of ten, and his
mother enrolled him in a bible college in Texas.
According to a famous story, Lewis was thrown out of the school on his first
day for performing a raucous version of “My God Is Real”. It is stories such as
this one and Lewis’s fervent performances that earned him the moniker, “The
Killer.”
At 21, Lewis auditioned for Sun Records, and Sam Phillips signed him as soon as
he heard the tape of the audition. His first single, “Crazy Arms,” was a minor
hit, and. Phillips believed that Lewis could become another Elvis Presley.
Accordingly, Phillips poured out money for the promotion of Lewis’s follow-up,
“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.”
The record was banned on many radio stations across America, but it went to be a huge
hit on the country, R&B and pop charts. His next single, “Great Balls of
Fire,” became his trademark song, and another release, “Breathless,” made for
three huge Lewis hits in a row. In the meantime, Lewis was also gaining a
reputation as a live performer unequalled in intensity.
Lewis had secretly married his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown, the
daughter of his bass player and uncle, J.W. Brown. While on a trip to England, the British press found out about the
marriage and ripped him to shreads, causing Lewis to retreat to the U.S. His career
went into rapid decline as a result. Smash Records signed Lewis, and he began
recording country music in his own style, and due to the label’s bargaining
with country music disc jockeys, Lewis became a star again.
After overcoming a series of personal problems with drugs and alcohol and a
divorce from Myra Gale, Lewis became one of the first inductees to the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986. In 1989, Lewis was the subject of the film, “Great
Balls of Fire,” which told his life story. Lewis re-recorded all of his old
hits for the film, and has continued to record and play live since.
Several fine compilations of Lewis’ early
hits are available, including the three-volume, “Original Golden Hits” (1969)
and “Original Sun Greatest Hits” (1983).
Charlie
Poole was one of a handful of individuals recording country music in the days
before The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers made the music popular in the late Twenties.
Poole and his band, “The North Carolina Ramblers,” were one of the most popular
and prolific of the “hillbilly” bands to record in the mid-Twenties. Traditional
country was rich and colorful, and Poole was one of the best from its early
days.
Poole was
born in Eden, North Carolina, in 1892. He was a banjo player, and he and his
band, the North Carolina Ramblers, made their first recording, “Don’t Let Your
Deal Go Down.” in 1925. Poole wrote songs that reflected the harsh realities of
life for the southern poor and his own struggles with alcoholism, a disease
which would eventually kill him.
Songs
such as "You Ain't Talking To Me," “Can I Sleep in your Barn Tonight Mister,” “Take a Drink on Me,” and
“All Go Hungry Hash House” paint vivid pictures of that life. Poole even
dabbled in the political arena with his classic, “White House Blues.”
Several
compilations exist with these songs and many more.
Johnny
Cash, originally from the cotton country of Kingsland, Arkansas, began his
career in music in Memphis, Tennessee as a rockabilly performer with Sam
Phillip’s legendary Sun Records label which had among the musicians on its
roster, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
Cash recorded
his first single, “Cry, Cry, Cry,” in 1955, His first major hit, “I Walk the
Line,” followed in 1956. These early singles would be collected with others on
his debut album, “Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!” (1956). In the
late Fifties, Cash would switch to country music and record a number of classic
songs including, “Big River,” “Ring of Fire,” “Give My Love to Rose,” “A Boy
Named Sue,” “Long Black Veil,” and “I Still Miss Someone.”
In the
late Sixties, Cash recorded two live albums in prisons, “At Folsom Prison”
(1968) and “At San Quentin” (1969). The tremendous popularity of these albums
led to a successful TV variety show which was canceled after only two seasons.
Both albums have been described as two of the best live albums of music recorded
in the 20th century.
In 1971,
Cash recorded the album, “Man in Black.” The title track would later be
attached to Cash as a title of sorts. Cash’s career was in decline, however,
and the rest of the Seventies would be lean in terms of hit recordings. The
mid-Eighties saw Cash return to prominence with the outlaw country group, “The
Highwaymen,” but solo success continued to escape him. In 1986, Cash entered
The Betty Ford Clinic for addiction to painkillers.
In 1994, Cash teamed up with producer Rick Rubin, and recorded an album of
mostly cover songs, “American Recordings.” The album introduced Cash’s music to
a whole new generation of fans. Three more critically acclaimed volumes of American
Recordings would follow.
Cash had been sick with diabetes for several years, but he still managed to
record the fourth American Recordings album which was released in 2002.Cash
succumbed to diabetes the following year.
The
Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers are the two artists most responsible for the early
development of the country music industry. Before them, the folk music of the
Appalachian region of the United States was folk music played by locals for
their own amusement, and it remained a regional art form. The music was casually
referred to as just “Hillbilly Music.” The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers
were not the first country artists to record, Charlie Poole, Ernest Stoneman,
Eck Robertson and others had made recordings before them, but Rodgers and the
Carters turned hillbilly music into pop music.
The
original Carter F
amily consisted of the sisters, guitarist Maybelle, and lead
singer Sara, and occasional back-up singer A.P., Sara’s husband. The family
hailed from Clinch Mountain, Virginia.
The
Carter Family first recorded in Bristol, Tennessee for record producer, Ralph
Peer, in 1927. They were paid 50 dollars for each song they recorded. Among
those songs were “Wandering Boy” and “Poor Orphan Child” which Victor released
as a single in the fall of 1927.
The next
year, 1928, saw the Carter Family in the Victor studios in Camden, New Jersey,
where they recorded their classics, “Keep on the Sunny Side,” “Can the Circle
be Unbroken,” “Wildwood Flower,” “River of Jordan,” and many others. They were
not paid for these recordings, but were promised royalties based on sales. By
1930, the Carter Family had sold over 300, 000 records in the United States.
Not only
are these recordings historically significant, they are aesthetically pleasing,
too. The Carters were a great string band that displayed technical brilliance
and perfectly sung harmonies. Mother Maybelle was a brilliant guitarist who
invented a guitar picking technique that was adopted by scads of country
guitarists in subsequent years.
The Carter Family is one of the most important artists of the 20th century, and
they must be heard by anyone who wishes to understand the development of
American popular music. The best compilations of the Carter Family’s classic sides
include the following releases: The Original and Great Carter Family” (1962),
“In the Shadow of Clinch Mountain” (2000), “Wildwood Flower” (2000), and
“1927-1934” (2002).
In 1968,
Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman were members of the Byrds and with their band
had recorded the classic album, “Sweetheart of the Rodeo,” the first official
“country-rock” album. Parsons and Hillman left the Byrds shortly after and with
Chris Ethridge, a bassist, and “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow, a steel guitar player,
formed the Flying Burrito Brothers, the band that would spread the gospel of
this new genre.
The band
would produce a brilliant debut album, a decent sophomore album and then
Parsons would be gone to pursue a solo career leaving Hillman to continue the
band without him.
In 1969,
that brilliant debut, “The Gilded Palace of Sin,” was released. The album was a
soulful synthesis of rock and country featuring aching vocal harmonies and
atmospheric pedal steel work by Pete Kleinow. The album contained the
unforgettable tracks “Christine’s Tune,” “Sin City,” “My Uncle,” and an utterly
original take on the soul classic, “Dark End of The Street.”
The next
year, 1970, saw the release of the follow-up, “Burrito Deluxe,” a solid
offering with standout tracks, “Wild Horses,” “God’s Own Singer,” and “Older
Guys.” In 1971, the Burrito Brothers, minus Parsons, released a fine album,
“The Flying Burrito Brothers” featuring a fine version of “White Line Fever”.
The band
continued to release albums throughout the Seventies with Hillman as the sole
original member, but nothing they did even came close to their great debut.
Bill
Monroe is among the most important figures in the history of country music, and
it was Monroe who almost single-handedly invented bluegrass music. He is known
as the “Father of Bluegrass,” and the music bears the nickname of his home
state, Kentucky, the “BluegrassState.”
Monroe was born in Rosine, Kentucky,
in 1913.
Bill Monroe
was one of the finest mandolin players in country music, and it was his mastery
of that instrument that has made the mandolin a mandatory part of every
bluegrass band. Monroe’s
love of the blues and gospel music and his high-pitched singing became signature
elements of the bluegrass genre and would later become a requirement of the
genre.
Bill
Monroe and his long time backing band, the “Bluegrass Boys,” recorded songs
that are now bluegrass and country music standards such as “New Mule Skinner
Blues,” “Heavy Traffic Ahead,” “Uncle Pen,” “In the Pines,” “Working on a
Building,” and “I Saw the Light.”
Monroe wrote and was the first to record the
classic song, “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” which would later become one of Elvis
Presley’s first hits with Sun records during the emergence of rock and roll. In
recognition of his influence on early rockers, Monroe was inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame in 1997.
Monroe died in Springfield,
Kentucky in 1996.
Monroe’s
best recordings include the albums, “Knee Deep in Bluegrass” (1958), “Bean
Blossom” (1973), “The Essential Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys 1945-1949”
(1992), and “The Music of Bill Monroe from 1936 to 1994” (1994).