[bobbyb5]

First of all I'd like to apologize for using that stupid Donny and Marie Osmond song for the title of this topic. But I just thought it was kind of funny.

This topic is probably just for people like me who mostly listen to rock and other kinds of popular music, but they either don't like country or just aren't really into it. But they have a few country songs that they really love. When I was a kid I listened to oldies radio all the time and in those days they played all the songs from the country charts that had crossed over onto the pop charts and became pop hits. Those are about the only country songs I knew. So the question is: what are your favorite country hits of all time even though you're not a country fan. These are the ones I think are most awesome, and are just great records by any standard. what are YOUR favorite ones?

Guitar Town. Steve Earle
Help Me Make It Through the Night. Sammi Smith
Behind Closed Doors. Charlie Rich
Polk Salad Annie. Tony Joe White
Seven Year Ache. Rosanne Cash
Ring of Fire. Johnny Cash
One's on the Way. Loretta Lynn
Happiest Girl in the Whole USA. Donna Fargo
Mr. Bojangles. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Ode to Billy Joe. Bobbie Gentry
Diggin Up Bones. Randy Travis
Harper Valley PTA. Jeannie C. Riley
Satin Sheets. Jeanne Pruett
I Can Help. Billy Swan
Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me. Mac Davis
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. Lynn Anderson

[911Turbo]

i listened to dwight yoakam for awhile (10 years ago); guitars and cadillacs, etc....
for me, it was okay but he was unable to convert me over to country.
it was a nice change!!

Patsy Cline. Amazing songwriter and voice.
My wife and me still listen to her even today on long long drives.
She truly is brillant.

[Tha1ChiefRocka]

You've done a lot of assuming of whether, or not I like country city boy.

Anyways, I've got you covered


Once Upon A Rhyme by David Allan Coe


King Of The Road: The Genius Of Roger Miller by Roger Miller


Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs by Marty Robbins


Dreaming My Dreams by Waylon Jennings


Old Five And Dimers Like Me by Billy Joe Shaver


The Silver Tongued Devil And I by Kris Kristofferson


Shotgun Willie by Willie Nelson


Sawmill by Mel Tillis

To save space I'll just name off some of the other greats;
Ernest Tubb
Stonewall Jackson
Buck Owens
Charley Pride
George Jones (So many good albums)
and Don Williams who just recently passed

[911Turbo]

also listened to anne murray.
not sure. is she country?

[Romanelli]

Some nice choices here. But from a pretty small window in time, they all are. There is some really great stuff out there from much more recent times...just stay as far away from mainstream Nashville as you possibly can.

Lots of alt-country that will appeal to those who are more on the rock side, for sure.

Here is some of what you may been missing since the 80's:

Jason Isbell Listen to anything he's recorded in the last decade since going solo in 2007. Maybe the best current songwriter out there right now.

Lucero A Memphis band with some great songs, a growly voice, and some mean guitar.

The Steeldrivers: Two albums: The Steeldrivers and Reckless. These feature Chris Stapleton pre-Traveler (which I find to be a huge disappointment)...but with this awesome band, he's a monster.

Trampled By Turtles - Bad name, great band. Check out pretty much anything they've done.

Whiskeytown - Especially Strangers Almanac. Ryan Adams in a more controlled environment, great songs.

Ryan Adams - Be careful which albums you pick...but you can't go wrong with Heartbreaker and Cold Roses.

Uncle Tupelo - Jay Farrar (Son Volt) and Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) started here. This is the definition of alt-country. Anodyne is their best work.

Son Volt - Sometimes a little tough to get through...but all of their albums have great rewards.

Wilco - Especially the first two albums...after that, they veer away from alt-country.

Also, check these artists out:

Alison Krauss And Union Station
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Guy Clark
Robert Earl Keen
James McMurtry
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Reckless Kelly
Justin Townes Earle
The Be Good Tanyas
Ryan Bingham
Blue Mountain
The Brothers Comatose
Lucinda Williams
The Wailin' Jennys
Drive-By Truckers
Chris Hillman
Old Crow Medicine Show
Chris Knight
Rank And File
Turnpike Troubadours


...I could go on and on and...
_________________
I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history

[bobbyb5]

You've done a lot of assuming of whether, or not I like country city boy.

Anyways, I've got you covered.

You've got the right era. This was the last era where I found you were likely to hear the most knockout classic country hits.
For me, it hasn't happened since. Wish I would have mentioned Roger Miller though. He had at least two of them. And Charley Pride Buck Owens Marty Robbins George Jones all had several also.

[bobbyb5]

[cestuneblague]

This thread is a total sausage fest.



Oklahoma Lottery by Karen Jonas


Start Here by Maddie & Tae


Crazy Ex-Girlfriend by Miranda Lambert


Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind) by Loretta Lynn


Genuine Negro Jig by Carolina Chocolate Drops


Heartbreaker Of The Year by Whitney Rose


Reckless Burning by Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter


Highway Queen by Nikki Lane


Like A Rose by Ashley Monroe




Furnace Room Lullaby by Neko Case & Her Boyfriends


Down To Believing by Allison Moorer


Goodluck Man by Carson McHone


Blue Horse by The Be Good Tanyas

Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard


Begonias by Caitlin Cary


The Trouble With The Truth by Patty Loveless


Broken Things by Julie Miller

and of course


Same Trailer Different Park by Kacey Musgraves


There you go, most of these are rock-ish country, so have fun

[JOSweetHeart]

^^^ I love that album from Patty Loveless!

[Fischman]

I actively detest country: all eras, all styles, all sub-genres (with the exception of some bluegrass).

I grew up in country-land amid people who's family trees don't fork. I will forever associate this mind-numblingly simple music with people who are dead from the neck up.

That said, there are a few exceptions.

I love Glen Campbell. His last album of all new, original music, Ghost on the Canvas (2011) is brilliant from end to end. And while he's deservedly famous as a vocalist, he could do things on a six string that rival the best of rock's greatest guitar wizards.

Speaking of wicked good country guitarists, Jerry Reed also fits that bill. And a fun-loving, good-hearted kick in the pants he is as well. I can stomach him pretty easy.

Although he was capable of so much more, Chet Atkins is usually listed as country, and he's a master picker who has influenced many great guitarists across virtually all possible genres.

Very few could keep up with the above, but one who could was the incomparable Roy Clark. When he set aside the hee-haw nonsense, dude could positively rip. A master indeed.

On the ladies' side, in spite of the twang, Patsy Cline was definitely something special. Other than that, not much of note other than country has some real lookers among its ladies.