Tonight in a bar alone I'm sitting...

If I were sent to a deserted island and was told that, for music, I could bring only the complete catalogs of two artists, I'd probably pick two Bobs: Dylan and Wills. Each has a catalog that is deep, varied, and capable of holding up well after repeated listens.

(If a third artist were offered, I might take Miles, but that would mess up the Bob theme. Which two or three artists' catalogs would you take?)

The point is that the Texas Playboys' music is near and dear to my heart. Tonight's post features two great versions of one of my favorite Bob Wills' songs, which also happens to be about drinking, at least indirectly:

Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys – Bubbles In My Beer (buy album)

One more time:

Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys – Bubbles In My Beer (buy album)

Drink it all in... With a beer, of course.

Favorite Country Artist Results, Nos. 15-11

The "best damn fiddle player in the world" is only the 13th most favorite country artist according to your votes.

Today’s batch of artists…

11. Loretta Lynn
12. Buck Owens
13. Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys
14. The Louvin Brothers
15. Dolly Parton

Today’s batch of songs…

This one really captures Loretta’s feisty attitude:

Loretta Lynn – Fist City (buy album)

And this one really captures the Bakersfield sound:

Buck Owens – I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail (buy album)

Here’s one from Bob Wills’ last recording session:

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys – That’s What I Like ‘Bout The South (buy album)

This Louvin Brothers’ tune later became a hit for Emmylou:

The Louvin Brothers – If I Could Only Win Your Love (buy album)

Maybe the best of Dolly’s many melodramatic hillbilly hits:

Dolly Parton – Coat Of Many Colors (buy album)



Is anybody out there?

Give Me Your List, Please!

I'm taking a break.

I'll be back in a month or so. Until then I’ll still be posting a few tracks over at Star Maker Machine and occasionally updating the sidebar here.

While I'm gone, you can check here for some great stuff on other blogs.

Now for the real purpose of this post: I love lists. I made one (below) and I want to see yours.

Please submit a ranked list of your top 10 favorite country artists/bands of all time. (Feel free to include explanations of your choices if you wish, or even an mp3 link, but all that's required is a ranked list.)

When the lists start coming in, the Classic Country Research Department here at STWOF will begin crunching the numbers. Then, after a month or so, I'll return with a highly entertaining and informative post about the results. It should be fun! And the more submissions the better, so let’s set a new record for the number of comments here.

Who’s eligible? Any country artist or band. (If in doubt, check AMG to see if the artist or band in question fits into any of these style categories. Feel free to include bluegrass, country-folk, country-rock, and alt-country performers. Note, however, that if you pick a performer who only occasionally dabbled in country styles, like Bob Dylan for instance, your vote should be based only on that artist’s country material. No extra credit for Like A Rolling Stone.)

I’m looking forward to reading your lists. Here’s mine (for the moment):

1. Hank Williams. No explanation necessary. He set the rules for all who followed.

Hank Williams – Jambalaya (On The Bayou) (buy album).

2. Tom T. Hall. A little high you say? Maybe. But this project is not about an objective view of accomplishments. It’s about individual favorites. Tom T. Hall’s funny and insightful songs really get me.

Tom T. Hall – The Year That Clayton Delaney Died (buy album).

3. George Jones. That voice. Nobody can deliver a country song like the possum.

George Jones - A Girl I Used To Know (buy album)

4. Merle Haggard. George had the voice. Merle had the attitude and he wrote a ton of brilliant country songs.

Merle Haggard – I Can't Hold Myself In Line (buy album).

5. Johnny Cash. The Man in Black might be the most enduring of the 1950's pop artists (including Elvis Presley). Cash made his name and his best material in 1950’s, but his legacy was sealed by the great work he did in the 1990’s. A true giant.

Johnny Cash – Drive On (buy album).

6. Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys. No music makes me happier than western swing. Bob’s band wrote the book on that style.

Bob Wills – Bring It On Down To My House (buy album).

7. Gram Parsons. The kid with a big trust fund wasn’t the greatest live performer, but he was also an innovator and a great songwriter responsible for an impressive number of classic tunes in his short life.

Gram Parsons – Brass Buttons (buy album).

8. Townes Van Zandt. I’m a sucker for Texas-based songwriting geniuses.

Townes Van Zandt – To Live Is To Fly (buy album).

9. John Hartford. See here for the explanation.

John Hartford – Back In The Goodle Days (out of print)

10. Buck Owens. Love that Bakersfield sound.

Buck Owens – Act Naturally (buy album)

Some more contenders for my list: Patsy Cline, The Flatlanders, Lefty Frizzell, Jason & The Scorchers, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Monroe, Willie Nelson, Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Tubb

I'm looking forward to reading your top ten lists!

More rose songs... (Updated!)

Yesterday's post on For The Sake Of The Song told the unfortunate story of a man under a court order to buy 124,000 roses for his wife. After reading the post I was surprised to find 47 different rose songs on my i-pod. No other flower comes close, not even "flower" itself.

Flower = 24
Daisy = 5
Lily = 4
Blossom = 4
Orchid = 3
Tulip = 1
Dandelion = 1
Violet = 1

Obviously the rose is a popular symbol--especially in country songs. Maybe it has something to do with the thorn? Anyway, here are eight more "rose" songs with a country flavor:

Waylon Jennings - Black Rose (buy album).
Here's one from my all time favorite country LP. Waylon sings Shaver.

George Jones - Wine Colored Roses (buy album).
A classic George Jones weeper. "When she sees the wine-colored roses, they'll tell her I'm still on the wine." Do ya think?

Merle Haggard - I Threw Away The Rose (buy album).
Hag's cautionary tale about the perils of social drinking.

Bob Wills - San Antonio Rose (buy album).
This version comes from Bob Wills last album, a feel-good reunion with the old Playboys in the early 1970s.

Bill Monroe - My Little Georgia Rose (buy album).
Here's a good one from the father of bluegrass.

Patsy Cline - A Poor Man's Roses (Or A Rich Man's Gold) (buy album).
Patsy faces a tough choice: Love or money.

Emmylou Harris - Roses In The Snow (buy album).
I just love Emmylou.

Lucinda Williams - Like A Rose (out of print).
Here's one from Lucinda's superb (and out-of-print) self-titled album. If you are a fan of songwriting, this one's a must have.

UPDATE! – Thanks to suggestions from Brendan, Cato, and Robert, here are three more great rose songs:

The Kinks – Rosemary Rose (buy album).
This one comes from the deluxe three-disc version of The Village Green Preservation Society, which is probably one of my top five albums of all time. GET IT!

Neil Young – Love Is A Rose (buy album).
Linda Ronstadt had a hit with a cover version of this tune.

Nick Lowe – The Rose Of England (buy album).
I just love this song. Nick Lowe knows how to write a catchy pop tune.

[Check sidebar for more mp3s.]

Good Timing! - Merle's Tribute To "The Best Damn Fiddle Player In The World"

Good things happen when you pay hommage to the King of Western Swing. Today, when I got home from work I was greeted by the new arrival, by mail, of Merle Haggard's 1970 tribute to Bob Wills, appropriately called A Tribute To The Best Damn Fiddle Player In The World.

So consider this an extension of this afternoon's Western Swing post. Take it away Hag:

Merle Haggard - Right Or Wrong.

Merle Haggard - Take Me Back To Tulsa (buy album).

I especially like Merle's laid back vocal on the first tune and the fiddle playing on the second. A lot of the Playboys played on this record and its release apparently triggered a resurgence of interest in Western Swing. Maybe this post will do the same...

Here's a more proper album review.

Have a good night!

Ding Dong Daddy & Mean Mean Mama

Music used to be whole a lot more fun!
Case in point are these two Western Swing classics:

Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys - Ding Dong Daddy (From Dumas) (buy album) (1946)

The Light Crust Doughboys - Mean Mean Mama (From Meana) (buy album) (1940)

The Bob Wills' tune comes from Volume 3 of the Tiffany Transcriptions. For the un-initiated, the Tiffany Transcriptions is a famous ten-volume collection of radio recordings. The sound is clear and the band is lively. It's the best place to start your Bob Wills' collection.

My favorite is Volume 3, which highlights the jazzier side of the Playboys' sound. Read the AMG Review. You can listen to "Basin Street Blues" (also from Volume 3) in my previous post.

If you're looking for a starter Bob Wills' record, I'd suggest getting Volume 2, which is the "Best Of" the Tiffany Transcriptions. The song "Cherokee Maiden," which is currently posted in the sidebar, comes from this volume.

Some of the later volumes of the Tiffany Transcriptions are out of print, but you can download them all, DRM-free HERE. If you like Western Swing (and, c'mon who doesn't just a little bit?) this is great news!

Now read about The Light Crust Doughboys.

After listening to these songs, I wondered how far it would be to travel from Dumas to Meana. Problem was I couldn't find a town called "Meana" anywhere on the map. (I'm not from Texas, so maybe one of my Texas readers can enlighten me about the location of Meana?) The closest I could find was Bastrop, Texas, which used to be called "Mina". It's 600 miles from Dumas to Bastrop (formerly Mina). Considering the distance, it seems unlikely that the Ding Dong Daddy would meet up with the Mean Mean Mama. This is probably a good thing. Otherwise, somebody might have to write a song called The Big Bad Baby (From Bastrop).

If you're interested in exploring the genre beyond Bob Wills, I highly recommend purchasing the 4-CD box set called Doughboys, Playboys, and Cowboys which usually sells for less than $30.00. (buy album).




To learn more about Western Swing, check out this blog: Western Swing on 78.

Setting The Woods On Fire Hype Mix!

This week my blog was added to The Hype Machine. I knew traffic would go up, but I was surprised by how much.

So, to welcome all my new readers (and give you an idea about what's going on here), I present the Setting the Woods On Fire Hype Mix!

SIDE A - Country/Folk
Gram Parsons – Return Of The Grievous Angel (buy album)
Johnny Paycheck - Georgia In A Jug (buy mp3 album)
Townes Van Zandt - To Live Is To Fly (buy album)
The Country Gentlemen - Fox On The Run (buy album)
Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys - Basin Street Blues (buy album)

SIDE B - Rock/Jazz
Thelonious Monk - In Walked Bud (buy album)
The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset (buy album)
Big Star - The Ballad Of El Goodo (buy album)
The Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait (Tim Version) (buy album)
Uncle Tupelo - Whiskey Bottle (buy album)

CD Only Bonus Tracks (from the patron saints of this blog)
Hank Williams – I Can't Help It (buy album)
Tom T. Hall - Don't Forget The Coffee Billy Joe (buy album)

Liner Notes: STWOF is currently in the middle of a series called "Those Jangly Eighties." (See the bottom of the sidebar for links to these posts). Once that wraps up, I'm going to start the search for the next Tom T. Hall. Also in the works is an Introduction to Jazz series, but that's a ways off.

Thanks for checking in!

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P.S. If you're looking for music, don't forget to check Elbows too. They've had STWOF on board from the start.

Writer's Block, Part 2 - Fred Rose

Today's post is about a true giant in the world of country music: Fred Rose. He was one of the first three men inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. (The other two were none other than Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams). He penned the classic song that provides the title to this website, along with many other tunes made famous by Hank Williams. And he was the first person in the music industry to "discover" Hank Williams' talent, athough he originally hired Hank for his songwriting talents not as a singer.

Beyond discovering Hank, Fred Rose was a key figure in molding Hank's recording career. With country star Roy Acuff, he formed the hugely successful music publishing company Acuff-Rose Music. Finally, as an A&R man for MGM records, Rose oversaw recording sessions by Williams and other iconic country artists such as Bob Wills and The Louvin Brothers.

Learn more about Fred Rose at All Music Guide, Country Music Hall of Fame, and Wikipedia. Read about the special relationship between Fred Rose and Hank Williams here.

Now enjoy some fine Fred Rose compositions...

(1) The title track to this website:

Hank Williams - Setting The Woods On Fire (buy album).

(2) A perfect country song:

Hank Williams - Mansion On A Hill (buy album).

(3) A song Hank made autobiographical:

Hank Williams - I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive (buy album).

(4) A classic Bob Wills number about a boy who couldn't stop eating:

Bob Wills - Roly Poly (buy album).

(5) Another Bob Wills favorite:

Bob Wills - Deep Water (buy album).

(6) One of the greatest country songs of all-time:

Willie Nelson - Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain (buy album).

(7) Another interesting version of the same tune:

Zeitgeist/The Reivers - Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain (out of print).

(8) And, finally, here's one not by Fred Rose, but about him:

Uncle Tupelo - Acuff-Rose (buy album).

[See Writer's Block, Part 1 - Harlan Howard.]

Repeat After Me Kids

My kids are three and five years old and I've taught them a lesson that I think will serve them well for the rest of their lives. It goes like this:

I ask: What's the best kind of music?
They yell: COUNTRY MUSIC!
Then I ask: What's the best kind of country music?
They yell: TEXAS country music!

And we live in Michigan.... So it's kind of hard to figure out how this happened, but who's complaining? Here are three proofs that I'm sending the kiddos in the right direction.

Exhibit 1 - A cautionary tale of Willie Nelson's adventures on the road with drummer Paul English in the early 1970's: Me And Paul (buy).

Exhibit 2 - The title track from Waylon's Jennings' 1973 masterpiece Honky Tonk Heroes, featuring the songs of Billy Joe Shaver: Honky Tonk Heroes (buy). (Check back for more about this album in a future post.)

Exhibit 3 - The biggest hit from The King Of Western Swing: San Antonio Rose (mp3) (buy). (Note: If you are going to own only one Western Swing album--???--the logical choice would be "The Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 2," on which this track appears. )

What about alt-country (whatever that is)?

I realize that the site has been REALLY old fashioned lately. Not a bad thing, necessarily, but just in case you want to hear something recorded during your lifetime, check out Psalm 102(buy), Texas alt-country from the band San Saba County off their 2006 release "It's Not The Fall That Hurts."

And, finally, here's some really great "old" Texas alt-country from The Old 97's 1997 album "Wreck Your Life," which is my favorite of their records: Victoria (buy).