Country Grab Bag – Part 3

In the summer of 2001 I relocated to Northern Virginia where I started listening to other forms of country music and taking home lots of country CDs from the local public library. Exploring the roots and branches of country music became a full time hobby and my collection of country music grew quite large (though I was more into songs than albums).

John Denver

Some years later, on a cold, snowy evening in Northern Virginia, some friends and I ducked into a little tavern to escape the elements and inside we found a DJ spinning country music and people wearing cowboy hats, smiling, and dancing. The music sounded heavenly and made me feel like I was home with family while my companions were amazed at my knowledge of every song and artist. It felt good to belong. Here are even more of my favorite country songs I’ve accumulated over the years. Enjoy!

Johnny Cash

01. Johnny Horton – “Honky Tonk Man” (1956)
02. George Jones – “Cup of Loneliness” (1959)
03. John Prine feat. Iris DeMent – “In Spite of Ourselves” (1999)
04. Waylon Jennings – “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line” (1968)
05. Skeeter Davis – “The End of the World” (1962)
06. Johnny Cash – “I Hung My Head” (2002)
07. John Denver – “Take Me Home, Country Roads (Live)” (1974)
08. John Denver – “Rocky Mountain High (Live)” (1974)
09. John Denver – “This Old Guitar (Live)” (1974)
10. Loretta Lynn – “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (1970)
11. Marty Robbins – “Devil Woman” (1962)
12. The Byrds – “Old Blue” (1968)
13. Glen Campbell – “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” (1967)
14. Linda Ronstadt – “Desperado” (1973)
15. Jim Reeves – “In the Misty Moonlight” (1964)
16. Johnny Cash – “We’ll Meet Again” (2002)
17. Glen Campbell – “Rhinestone Cowboy” (1975)
18. Kenny Rogers – “Lady” (1980)

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Johnny Cash – “Hurt"

Country Grab Bag – Part 2

Although I grew up in New York, my earliest childhood memories include country music. During the late ‘70s and early ‘80s some country songs became crossover hits and were popular all over the radio. This was before America's airwaves became so segregated and it was still possible to hear soul, pop, rock, and country all on the same station. I rediscovered country music in my late teens after taking home Hank Williams and Johnny Cash CDs from the local public library and was surprised to find their music and attitude fit in nicely with my punk heroes. Here are more of my favorite country songs I’ve collected over the years. Enjoy!

Patsy Cline

01. Crystal Gayle – “Talking in Your Sleep” (1978)

02. Townes Van Zandt – “Pancho and Lefty” (1972)

03. Johnny Cash – “Big Iron” (2002)

04. Mary Chapin Carpenter – “Stones in the Road” (1994)

05. Kenny Rogers & Kim Carnes – “Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer” (1980)

06. Marty Robbins – “They’re Hanging Me Tonight” (1959)

07. Tammy Wynette – “Stand by Your Man” (1968)

08. Patsy Cline – “Crazy” (1961)

09. Hank Williams – “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” (1949)

10. Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton – “We’ve Got Tonight” (1983)

11. John Denver – “Calypso” (1975)

12. Patsy Cline – “Walkin’ After Midnight” (1961)

13. Johnny Lee – “Lookin’ for Love” (1980)

14. Asleep at the Wheel feat. Dixie Chicks – “Roly Poly” (1999)

15. Lone Justice – “Ways to Be Wicked” (1985)

16. Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys – “You’re Drifting Away” (1953)

17. Lucinda Williams – “Which Will” (1992)

Kenny Rogers

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Country Grab Bag – Part 1

Country has many sub-genres including country pop, cowboy, bluegrass, country gospel, new country, and honky-tonk; outlaw country, urban cowboy, western swing, alt country, country rock, and country-folk. Yet all country music- whatever it's called- aims to do three things: pay homage to tradition, tell it like it is, and give the people their money’s worth. Here are some of my favorite country songs I’ve acquired over the years. Enjoy!

Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner

01. Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton – The Last Thing on My Mind (1967)

02. Tennessee Ernie Ford – “Sixteen Tons” (1955)

03. Conway Twitty – “Slow Hand” (1982)

04. Charlie Rich – “I Take It on Home” (1972)

05. Alison Krauss & Union Station – “I Don’t Know Why” (1992)

06. Kenny Rogers and The First Edition – “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In” (1968)

07. Patsy Cline – “I Fall to Pieces” (1961)

08. Johnny Cash feat. The Carter Family – “(There’ll Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me)” (1962)

09. Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson – “Pancho and Lefty” (1983)

10. Joe Ely – “The Road Goes on Forever” (1992)

11. Rosanne Cash – “Seven Year Ache” (1981)

12. Porter Wagoner – “Committed to Parkview” (2007)

13. Tammy Wynette – “I’m Only a Woman” (1968)

14. Kenny Rogers – “Long Arm of the Law” (1980)

15. Alison Krauss & Union Station – “The Lucky One” (2001)

16. Porter Wagoner – “Highway Headin’ South” (1974)

Alison Krauss

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Forever Country

All Is Groovy

Growing up Catholic in New York I was surrounded by all kinds of music including my parents’ ’60s and ‘70s record collection. When I was a kid I asked my mom if Simon & Garfunkel were Jewish. “Well, maybe ethnically,” she responded before trying to explain how the message of S&G’s music was much bigger than any one religion. Mom was right. Take “Bridge Over Troubled Water” which is now considered to be one of the greatest gospel songs ever written. A little Jewish boy from Queens wrote “Bridge Over Troubled Water” but does knowing this fact dilute the power and spirit of the song for Christians? After all, a little Jewish boy from Nazareth founded Christianity.

I am not comparing Paul Simon to Jesus, but Simon- like Bob Dylan- was a Jewish folkie who discovered how to tap into the eternal and touch the souls of Christian and non-Christian listeners alike. No doubt Paul and Artie recorded lots of duds in their day and that’s why for me Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits stands as their finest testament. Times have changed (good luck finding any timeless folk songs among today's Top 40 hits) but instead of lamenting why there aren’t more songs like “Bridge Over Troubled Water” perhaps we should take solace in the fact that such songs are still there for the listening. Here are my favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs. Enjoy!

01. Simon & Garfunkel – “Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall” (1966)

02. Simon & Garfunkel – “Bleecker Street” (1964)

03. Simon & Garfunkel – “The Sound of Silence” (1965)

04. Simon & Garfunkel – “The Boxer” (1969)

05. Simon & Garfunkel – “At the Zoo” (1968)

06. Simon & Garfunkel – “America” (1968)

07. Simon & Garfunkel – “The Only Living Boy in New York” (1970) 

08. Simon & Garfunkel – “Blues Run the Game” (1965)

09. Simon & Garfunkel – “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)

10. Simon & Garfunkel – “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) (Live)” (1970)

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The Harmony Game

Monterey Pop

Alt Country!

There are many shades of country music and the sub-genre known as alt-country is still the new kid on the block. Most alt-country founders are not much older than me and grew up listening to both punk and country music. They don’t see much difference between Johnny Rotten and Johnny Cash but because of background and geography these alt-country artists sound much more country than punk. For me, punk and alt-country are natural allies in that both musical genres aim to keep things real and simple only to discover reality is anything but simple- and maybe Bob Dylan and Paul Westerberg were onto something. I don’t have any favorite alt-country albums- none have ever been able to hold my attention from start to finish- but here are some of my favorite alt-country songs. Enjoy! 

The Bottle Rockets

01. The Bottle Rockets “1000 Dollar Car” (1995)

02. Whiskeytown feat. Alejandro Escovedo – “Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight” (1997)

03. Drive-By Truckers – “Carl Perkins’ Cadillac” (2004)

04. Uncle Tupelo – “I Wanna Be Your Dog” (1990)

05. The Handsome Family – “So Much Wine” (2000)

06. Son Volt – “Windfall” (1995)

07. Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band – “Pilgrim” (1999)

08. The Avett Brothers – “Go to Sleep” (2007)

09. The Bottle Rockets – “Indianapolis” (1997)

10. Old 97’s – “Big Brown Eyes” (1997)

Old 97's

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