Going Up The Country, Baby Don't You Want To Go?

In a previous post I spoke of how my love of country music was formed by listening to 60's and 70's top 40 and album oriented rock (AOR) stations of the day. I never listened to country radio back then. In this post, I'd like to tell you about the songs, artists, and even whole albums that have influenced my love of country music to the point where I hardly listen to anything else. It is my hope that those of you who have never heard these artists, songs or albums will be inspired to seek them out and those who have will be inspired to go back and revisit them.

Songs

• Make The World Go Away - Eddy Arnold: That smooth voice and the lush arrangement just melted me.
• Green, Green Grass of Home: I knew the Tom Jones version.
• It's Only Make Believe - Conway Twitty: I know it's before my time, but I have many memories of hearing it from my terrace in the mid 60's. Couples would dance to it each afternoon in Brighton Beach Baths even though the song was more than 10 years old then. Great songs never age.
• Kiss An Angel Good Morning - Charley Pride: what a catchy chorus!
• Hey Good Lookin' - Hank Williams: This is before my time too, but I have fond memories of my dear Aunt Paulie (may she RIP) singing it to me as a child. I wonder how she learned it?
• Delta Dawn - I knew Helen Reddy's version before Tanya Tucker's.
• Stand By Your Man - Tammy Wynette: Who didn't know this song at the time?
• Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson: Important life lessons with a catchy tune learned in 3 minutes! Priceless!
• The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA - Donna Fargo: I wanted a skippity do-da day too!
• Harper Valley PTA - Jeannie C. Riley: adult content!
• Ode to Billy Joe - Bobbie Gentry: A whole story told around the supper table! (pass the biscuits, please)
• Help Me Make It Through The Night - I knew Sammi Smith's version before I had ever heard of Kris Kristofferson.: I wanted someone to take the ribbon from my hair too!
• Me And Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin: again, before I knew who Kris was. But then I found out! Freedom's just another word for 'nothin' left to lose' - heavy, man!
• Act Naturally - The Beatles: I didn't know who Buck Owens was, but I loved the song! There was hope for me to make it in the movies too!
• King of The Road - Roger Miller: Another staple on pop radio back then, it was just ingrained in your brain.
• Honey - Bobby Goldsboro: so sad!
• For The Good Times - Ray Price: TMI for such an impressionable age! Again, not knowing Kris K. wrote it...
• Little Green Apples - O.C. Smith: (this took some research!) How did he know that it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summer time?, that's what I wanted to know! Oh, I get it! He was being sarcastic! A major lesson in writing for this 5th grader!
• Let Your Love Flow - The Bellamy Brothers: Free love, man! (don't you think Big Kenny should re-cut this?)

Artists and their songs

• Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings - individually and together as The Highwaymen: too many songs to name, but do yourself a favor and give yourself a (re)education on the basics of Outlaw Country. If I could have ridden off into the sunset with them, I surely would have!
• Glen Campbell - Ahh, the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, now that was good TV right there! (and the Johnny Cash Show and Hee Haw as well. I learned a lot about music on those shows): By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Galveston, Wichita Lineman, Rhinestone Cowboy
• John Denver - I just loved him! Gone too soon... : Annie's Song, Take Me Home Country Roads, Rocky Mountain High, Thank God I'm A Country Boy, Leaving On A Jet Plane (I can't recall who's version I knew first.. his or Peter Paul and Mary's), Sunshine On My Shoulders
• Mac Davis - he was so cute!: Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me, I Believe In Music
• Melanie (Safka) - hippie dippy, but not psychodelic... I'm not sure if any of today's artists would cite her as an influence, but I think she qualifies as worthy of inclusion: Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma, Brand New Key, Lay Down/Candles In The Rain, Beautiful People, Peace Will Come
• Ray Charles - needs no explanation! : I Can't Stop Loving You, Georgia On My Mind
• Ray Stevens - I thought his songs were so funny and smart.. only later did I realize his connection to Shel Silverstein, the author of my favorite book, The Giving Tree. (it's all one big circle, isn't it?) Came to find out Shel also was a songwriter, go figure, lol! RIP, Shel. : Everything Is Beautiful, Guitarzan, The Streak
• Jerry Reed - I loved the humor and the general vibe of his stuff : When You're Hot You're Hot, Amos Moses, East Bound And Down
• Crystal Gayle - loved her and her hair!: Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue?, Talkin' In Your Sleep
• Kenny Rogers (with and without The First Edition) - I just loved him.. still do! : Something's Burning, I Just Dropped In To See What Condition Your Condition Was In, Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town, Lucille, The Gambler, Coward of the County, You Decorated My Life, Lady, Through The Years, She Believes In Me, We've Got Tonight (with Sheena Easton), Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer (with Kim Carnes) I could probably list his whole catalogue but I'm sticking with songs that I heard on the radio until the early 80's
• Allman Brothers - now we get into Southern Rock which AOR radio played a LOT of, thank God... almost made me ashamed to be a Yankee! I said ALMOST! LOL : Midnight Rider, Ramblin' Man, Sweet Melissa, Blue Sky
• Marshall Tucker Band - Can't You See, Heard It In A Love Song
• Charlie Daniels Band - such fiddle playing! They didn't teach me to play the violin like that in school, darn it! :The Devil Went Down To Georgia, Long Haired Country Boy
• Lynard Skynard- the ultimate! When that plane went down, a little piece of us all died too : Sweet Home Alabama, Gimme 3 Steps, Free Bird, What's Your Name?
• Bob Dylan - his country sound.. in my opinion, his best stuff.. : everything from Nashville Skyline
• Country-Rock Artists and their songs/albums- these artists and songs/albums are what I remember and cherish most from my teenage years. They are still a big part of my life.:
• Linda Ronstadt- Albums: Don't Cry Now, Heart Like A Wheel, Prisoner In Disguise, Hasten Down The Wind
• Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: Mr. Bojangles, Will The Circle Be Unbroken
• The Eagles: their 5 albums released from 1972-1976: The Eagles, Desperado, On The Border, One Of These Nights, and Hotel California
• It should be noted that many country/folk/rock groups influenced bands like The Grateful Dead and Creedence Clearwater Revival, who I also listened to. Also, the lineup of many of those bands were quite incestuous.. members flitted from one band to another quite readily and frequently. These are some other bands and artists of the day who I would consider to have shaped my love of country music and who would, in my opinion, get airplay on country radio today if their songs were to be released now. I urge you to check them out, or revisit them:
• Buffalo Springfield
• Poco
• The Byrds
• Crosby, Stills and Nash (with and without Neil Young)
• New Riders of the Purple Sage
• The Flying Burrito Brothers
• Gram Parsons
• Emmylou Harris
• Jackson Browne
• and most especially, James Taylor.. although I know he is not from the California genre.. He holds such a special place in my heart that I will leave his contribution to my country enlightenment for another post. But I will say this.. nearly 30 years after first hearing him he was responsible for a very huge "ahh ha" moment in my musical evolution, and in fact, in my life...

I hope I have inspired you to look back into your own musical past. If you haven't visited that place in a while, I urge you to. It's highly worth the trip.