Cosmic Americana – From Hank to Parsons

Welcome to my personal history of Country music from post-war hit making through to Gram Parson’s game changing Cosmic American Music and then on and through to the Outlaw movement featuring Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and others until we conclude by examining the No Depression alt-country movement with such pioneers as Son Volt, Giant Sand, Wilco and others.

So, saddle up and hang on….and as ever there will be lots of great music…and if you have any suggestions the get in touch with me at keith@gnetradio.com

Hank Williams – “I’m a Long–Gone Daddy” – “Moanin’ the Blues” – 1948

In many ways it all started here. With Hank Williams. Born Hiram “Hank” Williams in Alabama in 1923. Williams was a hit song-writing machine who reportedly leant to play guitar from African-American blues musician Rufus Payne. 

After winning an amateur talent contest, Williams began his professional career in Montgomery in the late 1930s playing on local radio stations and at area venues such as cinemas and bars.

From very on in his career, his alcoholism made him unreliable, he was fired and rehired several times by radio stations. In addition to his battle with bottle, he also struggled with back pain and substance abuse.

Williams died on New Year’s Day 1953 at the age of 29, his heart failing in the back seat of a car in West Virginia whilst being driven to a concert in Canton, Ohio. Despite his relatively brief career, he is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century.

His influence does indeed loom large and most of the artists we will hear this evening and throughout this short series would have recorded or performed his material.

“I’m a Long-Gone Daddy” was released in 1948 on MGM Records and became his second top ten hit.

Flat and Scruggs – “Foggy Morning Breakdown” – Single– 1949

Flatt and Scruggs were an American bluegrass duo. Singer and guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs.

The duo are generally regarded as being one of the premier bluegrass groups in the history of that genre.

Formed the 1948, the duo recorded and performed together until 1969.

Flatt and Scruggs were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985.

“Foggy Mountain Breakdown” is a bluegrass instrumental and was written by Earl Scruggs and first recorded on December 11, 1949.

It is a standard in the bluegrass repertoire. The 1949 recording features Scruggs playing a five-string banjo. 

It is used as background music in the 1967 motion picture Bonnie and Clyde, especially in the car chase scenesand also in many other films and television programs, particularly when depicting a pursuit scene in a rural setting.

The Stanley Brothers – “Man of Constant Sorrow” – Single – 1950

The Stanley Brothers were another bluegrass duo of singer-songwriters and musicians, made up of brothers Carter Stanley and Ralph Stanley.

Ralph and Carter performed as The Stanley Brothers with their band, The Clinch Mountain Boys, from 1946 to 1966. Ralph kept the band name when he continued as a solo artist after Carter’s death, from 1967 until his own death in 2016.

Ralph’s career received a big boost with his prominent role on the very successful soundtrack recording of the 2000 feature film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which featured the traditional song “Man of Constant Sorrow” which is the song that I have chosen to include here.

Lefty Frizzell – “Don’t Stay Away (Until Love Grow Cold)” – “Listen to Lefty” – 1951

Lefty Frizzell – “Never No Mo’ Blues” – “Songs of Jimmy Rodgers” – 1952

William Orville “Lefty” Frizzell was an American country and honky-tonk singer-songwriter.^[1]

Frizell is known as one of the most influential country music vocal stylists of all time. He has been credited as influencing prominent country singers like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Roy Orbison, and Willie Nelson. 

Frizell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982 as well as the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In his prime, hewas the first artist to achieve four songs in the top ten on the Country Music Billboard charts at one time. “Lefty” went on to have even more success, releasing many songs that charted in the Top 10 of the Hot Country Songs charts as an artist and songwriter. 

After successfully combating alcoholism, he died of a stroke at age 47 in 1975.

Hank Snow – “The Bill is Falling Due” – “Just Keep A’ Movin’” – 1955

Hank Snow – “I Don’t Hurt Anymore” – “Country Classics” – 1956

Clarence Eugene “Hank” Snow was a Canadian country music guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on the Billboard country charts between 1950 and 1980. 

Snow wrote the usual songs about a wide range of topics including joy, freedom, travel, anguish, and love and his work was often inspired by his personal experiences, such as his childhood in a small town in rural Nova Scotia. This gave hismaterial a convincing authenticity.

He personally experienced extreme poverty, abuse, and physically punishing labour during the Great Depression. However, his mother encouraged him to pursue his dream of becoming an entertainer and the number of high-quality releases over the decades and a sure vindication of her judgement.

Patsy Cline – “Never No More” – Single – 1958

Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley) was one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century and she was one of the first country music artists to successfully cross over into pop music.

Cline had several major hits during her brief eight-year recording career, including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart.

The 1961 single “I Fall to Pieces” became her first number one after which Cline was severely injured in a car accident, which caused her to spend a month in the hospital. After she recovered, her next single, “Crazy“, also became a major hit.

 Tragically, On March 5, 1963, she was killed in a plane crash along with country musicians Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins and manager Randy Hughes, during a flight from Kansas City, Missouri, back to Nashville.

Kitty Wells – “Sweeter Than Flowers” – “Lonely Street” –1958

Kitty Wells – “Cold, Cold Heart” – “Heartbreak USA” – 1961

Kitty Wells (born Ellen Muriel Deason), known professionally as Kitty Wells, was a pioneering female country music singer. 

She broke down a barrier for women in country music with her 1952 hit recording “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels“, which also made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts and turned her into the first female country superstar. 

Wells is the only artist to be awarded top female vocalist awards for 14 consecutive years. Her chart-topping hits continued until the mid-1960s, paving the way for and inspiring a long list of female country singers who came to prominence in the 1960s.

In 1976, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wells’ success and influence on country music earnedher the title “Queen of Country Music”.

The Louvin Brothers – “Knoxville Girl” – “Tragic Songs of Life” – 1959

The Louvin Brothers – “The Great Atomic Power” – “Weapon of Prayer” – 1962

The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin.

The brothers wrote and performed country, bluegrass, and gospel music. Ira played mandolin and generally sang lead vocal while Charlie played rhythm guitar and sang supporting. 

It was The Louvin Brothers contributed to the popularity of close harmony singing in country and country-rock.^[1]

After scoring a string of hit singles in the late 1950s and early ’60s, the Louvin Brothers broke up in 1963 due in large part to Charlie growing weary of Ira’s various addictions and often reckless behaviour. 

Ira died in a traffic accident in 1965 and Charlie died of cancer in 2011.     

They were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. 

Rolling Stone magazine ranked the Louvin Brothers number four on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.

George Jones – “Life to Go” – “Sings White Lightning” – 1959

George Jones – “You’re Still on My Mind” – Single – 1962

George Glenn Jones was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter who achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is was known for his distinctive voice and phrasing. 

He served in the United States Marine Corps and was discharged in 1953. In 1959, Jones recorded “Life to Go”,which we shall hear this evening. The song was actuallywritten by The Big Bopper (Jiles Perry Richardson Jr.) who perished in a plane crash along with Buddy Holly, Richie Valen and others. The song “White Lightening launched Jones’ career as a singer. 

We also here his 1962 version of “You’re Still On My Mind” written by Luke Daniels.

Jones is frequently referred to as “the greatest country singer”and had more than 160 chart singles to his name from 1955 until his death in 2013.

Years of alcoholism affected his health which in turn led to his missing many performances, earning him the unfortunate nickname “No Show Jones.”

When Keith Richards is asked about artists that influenced him, he often mentions George Jones as does Elvis Costello. 

Willie Nelson – “Things to Remember” – Single –  1960

An artist that requires no real introduction. Nelson has released towards a hundred albums and at the age of 92 continues to do so.

This evening, I am playing a very short track that Nelson recorded back in 1960. Willie will of course play a huge part in the ensuing episodes of this series.

Buck Owens – “Above and Beyond” – Buck Owens – 1961

Buck Owens – “My Everlasting Love” – Buck Owens –1961

Alvis Edgar “Buck” Owens Jr. was the frontman for The Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music chart. 

He pioneered what came to be called the Bakersfield sound, named in honour of Bakersfield, California, Owens’s adopted home and the city from which he drew inspiration for what he preferred to call “American music”.

The Bakersfield sound is a sub-genre of country music developed in the mid-to-late 1950s in and around Bakersfield.

Bakersfield is defined by its influences of rock and roll and honky-tonk style country, and It was also a reaction against the slickly produced, orchestra-laden Nashville sound, which was becoming popular in the late 1950s. The Bakersfield sound became one of the most popular and influential country genres of the 1960s, initiating a revival of honky-tonk music and influencing later country rock and outlaw country musicians, as well as progressive country.  

Flatt and Scruggs – “Go Home” – Single – 1961

Another single from our bluegrass heroes; this single was released in 1961 and got to number 12 in the Country charts.

Conway Twitty  – “Tower of Tears” – Portrait of a Fool – 1962

Conway Twitty  – “Turn Around” – Portrait of a Fool – 1962

Harold Lloyd Jenkins, better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene. Nowadays, Twitty is best known as a country music performer. From 1971 to 1976, Twitty received a string of Country Music Association awards for duets with Loretta Lynn. 

Twitty was inducted into both the Country Music and Rockabilly Halls of Fame recognising his versatility and ability to adapt to changing times.

Here his with two tracks from an early 60s album that still shows the signs of his Rockabilly roots.

Loretta Lynn – “Blue Kentucky Girl” – Blue Kentucky Girl – 1965

Loretta Lynn – “Fist City” – Fist City – 1968

Loretta Lynn began singing in local clubs in the late 1950swas a huge Country star. She later formed her own band, the Trailblazers which included her brother Jay Lee Webb. 

Blue Kentucky Girl is the fourth studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released in June 1965.

I also feature the lead track from Lynn’s 1968 album Fist City. The song was written by Lynn herself.

Merle Haggard – “Please Mr DJ” – Strangers – 1965

Merle Haggard – “Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down” – Swinging Doors – 1968

Merle Ronald Haggard was a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in country music, he was along with Buck Owens, a central pioneer of the Bakersfield sound.

With a career spanning over five decades, Haggard had 38 number-one hits on the US country charts, several of which also made the Billboard all-genre singles chart. 

But Haggard had anything but a soft start to his career. In 1956, he got married but he was plagued by financial issues soin 1957, he tried to rob a Bakersfield bar, but was caught, convicted and sent to the Bakersfield Jail.

Then, in February 1958 after an escape attempt he was transferred to San Quentin Prison. There Haggard learned that his wife was expecting another man’s child, which one can imagine, caused him considerable stress. He was fired from a series of prison jobs, and planned to escape but was dissuaded by fellow inmates.

In 1960 while at San Quentin, he attended a Johnny Cash concert at the prison, where Cash sang “Folsom Prison Blues“. This had a profound influence on Haggard who, upon his release later that year, set out to forge a career as a singer-songwriter.

In 1972, after Haggard had become a country music star, then-California governor Ronald Reagan granted him a full and unconditional pardon for his past crimes.

Just like that…

Waylon Jennings – “What Makes a Man Wander” – Folk Country – 1966

  Waylon Jennings – “Baby, Don’t You Be Looking In My Mind” – Leavin’ Town – 1966

Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a huge star and was considered one of the pioneers of the outlaw movement in country musicalong with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, David Allan Coe and many others.

His part in that movement will be examined in our next episode.

Jennings started playing guitar at age eight and performed live at fourteen on KVOW radio, after which he formed his first band, the Texas Longhorns. 

Jennings left high school at age sixteen, determined to become a musician, and worked as a performer and DJ in Arizona.

In 1958, Buddy Holly arranged Jennings’s first recording session, a cover of Jole Blon, and hired him to play bass. Jennings gave up his seat on the ill-fated flight in 1959 that crashed and killed Holly, J. P. “the Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens.

It is said that upon hearing that his bandmates had given away their plane seats, Holly joked, “Well, I hope your ol’ bus freezes up again.” Jennings jokingly replied, “Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes.”

Gene Clark with The Godsin Brothers – “Echoes” – Gene Clark with The Godsin Brothers  – 1967

Released in January 1967, Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers is the debut solo album by the American singer-songwriter Gene Clark.

The album was his first effort after his departure from The Byrds in 1966. Unfortunately for Clark, it was released almost simultaneously with the Byrds’ Younger Than Yesterdayalbum.

The album is now seen as a classic and features highly in all polls and discussions around 60s Country music.

Willie Nelson – “Go Away” – The Party’s Over –  1967

Taken from a mid-period album, the track “Go Away” is quite a gem. Of the album the critic Jim Worbois enthused, “The title track sums up this album perfectly. This is one of those records that sounds incredible at 2 o’clock in the morning when one is feeling reflective after a busy night.” 

An album that is quite over-looked nowadays but well worth seeking out.

Johnny Cash – “Folsom Prison Blues” – Fulsom Prison Blues – 1968

Johnny Cash – “(There’ll Be) Peace in The Valley” – At San Quentin – 1969

Two tracks from the phenomenally successful “Prison” albums that Cash released in the late 60s.

After his 1955 song “Folsom Prison Blues“, Cash had been interested in recording a performance at a prison. His idea was put on hold until 1967, when Columbia Records putproducer Bob Johnston in charge of recording Cash’s material. 

Cash had by 1968 controlled his drug abuse problems, and was looking to turn his career around after several years of limited success. Backed by June Carter, Carl Perkins, and the Tennessee Three, Cash performed two shows at Folsom State Prison.

Johnny Cash at San Quentin is the 31st second live “prison” album and was recorded live at San Quentin State Prison on February 24, 1969, and released on June 16 of that same year. 

The album was nominated for a number of Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and won Best Male Country Vocal Performance for “A Boy Named Sue” – an awful song that seemed to be played on the radio every day for years…

The Godsin Brothers – “There Must Be a Someone” – Sounds of Goodbye – 1968

The Godsin Brothers first album after splitting with Gene Clark. Sounds of Goodbye, released in 1968, would be the duo’s only album together. 

It was a groundbreaking effort that somehow slipped from view almost straight away. Our featured track “There Must Be a Someone”, one of the first country rock standards and a good enough reason to buy this album. 

Dillard & Clark – “Train Leaves Here This Morning” – The Fantastic Expedition of  – 1968

Dillard & Clark – “Corner Street Bar” – Through the Morning, Through the Night – 1969

Clark’s debut solo album, Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers, had been a commercial failure. After the dismissal of David Crosby from the Byrds, Clark had rejoined his previous band, but after performing only three shows, he left the tour due to his anxieties and fear of flying. He then signed with A&M Records and began sessions for his debut album on his new label with instrumentalist Douglas Dillard. 

Bernie Leadon (a future Eagle) co-wrote six of the songs and also performed on the album. Due to Clark’s refusal to tour, a short series of shows at The Troubadour in L.A. was the only promotion for the album and, as a result, it too was a commercial failure.   

The Byrds – “Hickory Wind” – Sweetheart of The Rodeo –  1968

And with this fabled album, we move into the classic era of so-called Cosmic American Music.

Sweetheart of the Rodeo is the sixth studio album by the American rock band the Byrds, and was released in August 1968 by Columbia Records.

Recorded with the addition of country rock pioneer Gram Parsons, it became the first album widely recognized as country rock as well as being a seminal progressive country album.

Parsons fused the rock capabilities of The Byrds and the older more conservative elements of Country music – as we have heard throughout this episode.

The Byrds had occasionally experimented with country music on their four previous albums, but Sweetheart of the Rodeo represented their fullest commitment to the genre up to that point. 

The album was responsible for bringing Parsons, who had joined the Byrds in February 1968 prior to the start of recording, to the attention of a mainstream rock audience for the first time. Thus, the album is an important chapter in Parsons’ crusade to make country music fashionable for a young audience. 

The Byrds – “Dime Store Truck Drivin’ Man” – Dr Byrds& Mr Hyde – 1969

We finish up at the end of this first episode with another slice of Byrd’s Cosmic country rock.

The song comes from The Byrds’s Dr Byrds and Mr Hyde album continues to pay homage to the country greats but less so than on Sweetheart of The Rodeo.

Gram Parson’s had flown the nest – but in episode we re-connect with Gram and follow where this Cosmic Cowboy takes us….