i've never really enjoyed country music. i like to hear Johnny Cash, i guess, but none of it ever wrecked me like all my other favorite artists.

i went to Nashville this past weekend and just might have fallen in love with old country. at Robert's Western World on Broadway ~ just a couple doors down from Tootsie's, which is fairly famous, i guess, and where my brother-in-law shook Hank Williams Jr.'s hand and called him a "great influence on his life" Sunday night ~ i saw a band called Brazilbilly. they've got a 70+year old fiddler who played with Patsy Cline and Bill Monroe, among others. they've got a really good rhythm section and the lead singer (and part-owner of the club) connects pretty well to the audience. but their main weapon is their guitarist, a guy by the name of Chris Casello. he played with abandon like he was conjuring up all the best rockabilly guitarists of the 50's and early 60's. i haven't been hit this hard by a musician since Robert Pollard.

i saw three or four other bands that, while not as great as Brazilbilly, did connect with me. one, the Don Kelley Band, had a guitarist that actually quoted Hendrix's "Third Stone From The Sun." while possibly a flashier or more dextrous guitarist, he didn't hit me quite as hard as Casello did two nights before.

anyway, i'm bound to pick up compilations by Hank Sr., George Jones, Buck Owens, Buck Owens, perhaps some more Cash, Marty Robbins and a few others.

what albums and artists do all of you like out there in the old country (and perhaps rockabilly) genre? any similar stories of revelation?

Make sure to check out collections of these too:

Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Buddy Holly, Woody Guthrie, and Glen Campbell.

Also make sure to get at the very least, the song "Jolene" by Dolly Parton if you won't go for the whole album.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Will the Circle be Unbroken album.
The First John Prine album.
And start at the beginning of Merle Haggard's career and move forward. I've got his first ten albums so far, and they're all fantastic, can't beat them.

if you can find this similar set that was out in the US about 10 years ago it's a great jumping off point for classic country...

Time Life Classic Country

Webb Pierce is vastly underrated. There's one of those "20th Century Masters" comps out that can be had for about 6.99 if you can find it. Great Hank Sr. styled stuff, but with an almost darker edge.

Roberts Western World is great fun, hands down my favorite bar when I visited Nashville. As far as classic country, if you look at Robert's sign outside it says "Home of BR5-49"; and BR5-49 is another great "classic" country band. They're a newer band (been around for about 15 years), but they play old school country with a small punk rock twist. Their EP "Live At Roberts" is probably their best recorded effort.

re: John Prine

i'm pretty sure i've heard that record some time ago. i remember it being pretty good. i'll look into it again.

thanks for the comments so far. keep 'em coming.

His first two solo albums are great.

I'd also recommend Prine's "Bruised Orange" album. Great stuff.

Here's a link to a page Sid Hartha put up (at least I think it was him) with a rockabilly mix I made a while back.

Norton's Rockabilly Mix

The first track is by Charlie Feathers -- someone you should definitely seek out. I have a 2-disk set of his stuff I can send your way if you're interested. Let me know.

Hey, Bobandbob, how you been?

There was a really good country thread earlier this year, and you might wanna check this out:
http://soundopinions.org/forum/index.php?s...&hl=orville

This is probably the only country thread on Sound Opinions I've seen where everybody mainly stuck to COUNTRY music, not some alt-country or almost-country or damn-near country or pretending-to-be-country act like Wilco or Ryan Adams or some such foolishness, but the REAL DEAL (Buck Owens, Porter Wagoner, John Anderson, etc.). Should answer any questions...

i've been good ~ great, actually. got married on June 29th. went to Alaska and Vancouver for a couple weeks in July.

i come to the SOMB practically every day, but i don't post much. with all my attention diverted elsewhere, it's been hard to get into anything the last few months...well, years, even. i'm sure a couple hundred great releases have slipped through my fingers the last couple years, but that's fine.

i'll have to check that thread out. thanks!

Norton ~

i'm all over that. Feathers was one of the guys i was looking into last night as a possible purchase. him and Johnny Burnette. i'll send you my new address in a little while. thanks in advance!

Cool. Here's the set I have ...

Yes, definitely check out Norton's rockabilly set - very nicely compiled.

just a little report, for anyone interested:

George Jones ~ phenomenal. i got the 2-disc set "Spirit of Country" record from 1994 or something. just great stuff.

Tom T. Hall ~ Definitive Collection. also, pretty awesome. not a rocking country artist, but a good storyteller.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band ~ Will The Circle Be Unbroken ~ great record! some really hot playing on the first 10 tracks of disc 2.

Charlie Daniels Band ~ 16 Greatest Hits. a hell of a lot better than i thought it would be, given the era that it was recorded in.

Hank Thompson ~ an old-timer (early 50's?). after the first couple of goofy tracks, a really great record. surprising. some of the instrumentals sound fairly jazzy.

Porter Wagoner ~ no sir, didn't care for him.

Marty Robbins ~ not as good as i thought he would be, but some of this is pretty cool.

Buck Owens ~ Greatest Hits volume 1 ~ some pretty hot shit, here, too!

Chet Atkins ~ the first disc of his Essential 2-disc set doesn't sound all that essential, yet, but i like what i hear.

so, this is going pretty well. it's not quite Radiohead, but...

EDIT:

Merle Haggard ~ Hag: The Best of Merle Haggard. well, this shit is pretty awesome, right here!

EDIT 2:

and, of course, Hank Williams, Sr. ~ i'm enjoying all of these, too.

Dave Dudley is someone who hasn't been mentioned yet, great stuff, Cash-ish, he had a big hit w/ Six Days On The Road and did alot of ass-kickin' trucker country stuff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Dudley

Also, definately take a look at early Carl Perkins. He started more country, and then tiptoed the country/rockabilly line for a while. "Picture Show" is an early favorite, and then you can get into his more rockin' stuff like "Put Your Cat Clothes On."

Hopefully soon I will have a demo for you too Bob, my latest project is in this style, and we have an excellent hollow-body playin' thumb pick abusin' lead guitarist.

What the best place to start with Hank Williams? I don't think I have any idea what his music sounds like.

40 Greatest Hits

^ Every song on that is a classic of American music.

Start here: hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=ETIL5X7T

That Time/Life series is pretty amazing. Sounds just like Jess' classic country mp3. I would also recommend Johnny Horton, and if you like Tom T Hall, you're gonna love Roger Miller.

BTW, if you're walking through the bluegrass as well, please listen to the late Bill Monroe, and the living legend, Mr. Ralph Stanley.

Amazing songs. Amazing stories.