A Birth of Country 3
A You Tube History of Music
Country Western Music
Featured on this page loosely in order of first recording or record release (as possible):
Carl Sprague Gene Autry Red Foley Roy Rogers Bob Wills Moon Mullican Hank Snow Ernest Tubb
Jimmy Wakely Spade Cooley Merle Travis Eddy Arnold Tex Ritter Chet Atkins Cowboy Copas
Hank Thompson Hank Williams Sr. Minnie Pearl Hank Garland Slim Whitman Jimmy Dickens
Don Gibson Webb Pierce Jim Reeves Kitty Wells Lefty Frizzell Ray Price Grady Martin Buck Owens
Marty Robbins Carl Smith Roy Drusky Porter Wagoner Patsy Cline George Jones Jerry Reed
Conway Twitty Kenny Rogers Mel Tillis Glen Campbell Dolly Parton Loretta Lynn Johnny Paycheck
Charlie Rich Dottie West Roy Clark Charlie Daniels Waylon Jennings Merle Haggard Willie Nelson
Eddie Rabbitt Connie Smith Hank Williams Jr. Charley Pride Cal Smith Don Williams Tammy Wynette
Not on this page? See history tree below.
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Gene Autry
Roy Rogers & Dale Evans
Moon Mullican
Ernest Tubb
Spade Cooley
Eddy Arnold
Chet Atkins
Hank Thompson
Minnie Pearl
Slim Whitman
Don Gibson
Jim Reeves
Lefty Frizzell
Grady Martin
Marty Robbins
Roy Drusky
Patsy Cline
Jerry Reed Hubbard
Kenny Rodgers
Glen Campbell
Loretta Lynn
Charlie Rich
Roy Clark
Waylon Jennings
Willie Nelson
Connie Smith
Charley Pride
Don Williams
Donna Fargo
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The two incipient branches of country western are bluegrass (not called that at its first) and folk, out of which its third major vein developed, that of the "cowboy" with which country western has been identified ever since. Carl Sprague is among country western's first cowboys. His first recording, 'When the Work's All Done This Fall' ('Bad Companions' flip side), sold 900,000 copies in 1925. Carl Sprague 1925 When the Work's All Done This Fall Country became "country western" due largely to Gene Autry in Hollywood. Autry first recorded in 1929 and later did a rendition of 'Blueberry Hill' (which can be found at the bottom of the page at A Birth of Rock & Roll). Gene Autry 1929 Gene Autry 1942 Balladeer Red Foley released his first single, 'Life is Good Enough for Me' with 'Lonesome Cowboy' B side, in 1933 ('Life Is Good Enough For Me' unfound). With Foley country western gained stride as a genre that could be taken seriously. Red Foley 1933 Red Foley 1944 Red Foley 1947 Red Foley 1950 Red Foley 1950 Red Foley 1950 With Hank Garland Composition: Hank Garland Red Foley 1951 Alike Autry, Roy Rogers also enjoyed a huge Hollywood career. Like many of the country musicians on this page Rogers got his his start in radio. The Sons of the Pioneers, of which Rogers was a founding member for about four years, began to form in 1933. Among the first songs Rogers recorded with them was 'Tumbling Tumbleweeds' in 1934, after which he shot to the stars, appearing on film for the first time the next year. Included below is the famous theme song to the Roy Rogers Show first going on air in 1951, written (also sung) by Rogers' second wife Dale Evans (Frances Octavia Smith). Roy Rogers 1934 Roy Rogers 1936 Roy Rogers 1940 Roy Rogers 1951 Fiddler Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys heard a natural swing in country western and pushed the envelope, also adding brass on occasion. Wills released his first single in 1935 (one of those sides, 'Spanish Two Step', below). Bob Wills 1935 Bob Wills 1938 Later Hollywood version Bob Wills ? Pianist Moon Mullican worked in a variety of musical genres including blues, jazz and rock n roll. He began working clubs as a teenager in 1926 but didn't record until 1936 (that first release unfound). He came to national attention in 1939 upon recording 'Truck Driver's Blues' with the Texas Wanderers, later forming his own band, the Showboys, in 1945. ('Truck Driver Blues' is considered to be the first recorded trucking tune.) Moon Mullican 1939 Moon Mullican 1940 Moon Mullican 1946 New Jole Blon (New Pretty Blonde) Moon Mullican 1949 Moon Mullican 1950 Hank Snow made his first recordings in 1936, upon a brief period in radio. But he wouldn't perform at the Grand Ole Opry until 1950. Hank Snow 1936 Hank Snow 1936 Hank Snow 1950 Hank Snow 1962 Originally a folk musician, Ernest Tubb first recorded as a result of visiting Jimmie Rodgers' widow, Carrie, for an autographed photo. (Rodgers had died of tuberculosis in 1933 at but age 35.) A friendship developed and Carrie helped Tubb acquire a contract with RCA to record a couple tributes to Jimmie in 1936 ('The Passing Of Jimmie Rodgers', below, and 'The Last Thoughts of Jimmie Rodgers', unfound). Neither song was popular, so Tubb and RCA parted ways. Tubb next landed a contract with Decca, which record label was more patient, as not until Tubb's sixth recording with Decca did he strike oil, exceeding 400,000 copies of 'Walking the Floor Over You'. He would perform at the Grand Ole Opry two years later (1943), the same year he put together his famous band, the Texas Troubadours. (One of the finest guitarists in the country music business, Leon Rhodes, also a Troubadours member, can be heard in selections of Tubb below.) Ernest Tubb 1936 Ernest Tubb 1940 Ernest Tubb 1941 Ernest Tubb 1946 Ernest Tubb 1954 Ernest Tubb 1957 Ernest Tubb 1958 Guitarist Jimmy Wakely formed a trio in 1937 with Johnny Bond and Scotty Harrell. His first recording, 'Cimarron Roll On', occurred the same year, as well as his first film role ('Saga Of Death Valley' starring Roy Rogers). Jimmy Wakely 1939 Jimmy Wakely 1948 Jimmy Wakely 1948 Jimmy Wakely 1949 With Margaret Whiting Jimmy Wakely 1951 Swing fiddler Spade Cooley could well hold his own, until something went unthinkably wrong. He may have released his first recording, 'Tell Me Why', in 1941 (unfound). But, with a career that was nothing to despise behind him, Cooley murdered his wife in an exceedingly violent manner two decades later in 1961. He would die eight years later of heart attack after giving a concert on prison furlough, with one year left of prison time. Spade Cooley 1945 Spade Cooley 1946 Spade Cooley 1946 Spade Cooley 1947 Merle Travis, among the big dogs of guitar, could be listed in A Birth of Folk as well. He first recorded with Grandpa Jones 1943, calling themselves the Sheppard Brothers (unfound). Not much later Travis joined the Marines for a brief period, after which he released 'Cincinnati Lou' in 1946. Merle Travis 1946 Merle Travis 1946 Merle Travis 1947 Merle Travis 1947 Merle Travis 1947 Merle Travis 1951 Merle Travis 1951 Merle Travis 1953 Merle Travis 1955 Released 1956 Merle Travis 1958 Merle Travis 1959 Merle Travis 1968
Eddy Arnold broadened the appeal of country western music, taking it into the popular genre. His first recording in 1944, 'Mommy Please Stay Home With Me' went nowhere, but he released a number of chart makers during his career of sixty years. Eddy Arnold 1944 Mommy Please Stay Home With Me Eddy Arnold 1945 Each Minute Seems a Thousand Years Eddy Arnold 1946 Eddy Arnold 1966 Eddy Arnold 1967 Please Release Me and Let Me Go Eddy Arnold 1971 Tex Ritter, another country musician strongly associated with Hollywood, first recorded in 1944 with 'Jingle, Jangle, Jingle'. He later performed 'Do Not Forsake Me' for the movie 'High Noon'. Tex Ritter 1944 Tex Ritter 1948 Tex Ritter 1952 Guitar player Chet Atkins should have recorded 'I've Been Everywhere' as he defies category, playing everything from classical to folk to jazz to rock to what is that? So we let his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in 1946 - with Red Foley - check the country western box (flip a coin between "sort of" or beyond). Atkins also first recorded in 1946 ('Guitar Blues', below), but didn't strike gold until his release of 'Mr. Sandman' in 1955. Atkins would become one of the most highly regarded guitarists in the world. Chet Atkins 1946 Chet Atkins 1955 Chet Atkins 1968 Chet Atkins 1971 Live performance 1978 Chet Atkins 1978 Composition: Chubby Wise Live performance Chet Atkins 1978 Live performance (Lloyd) Cowboy Copas was performing on radio at the age of fourteen (about 1927). He got his big break at the Grand Ole Opry in 1943, then made his first recording, 'Filipino Baby', in 1946. (More Cowboy Copas in A Birth of Rock & Roll.) Cowboy Copas 1946 Cowboy Copas 1955 Cowboy Copas 1961 Hank Thompson was discharged from the navy in 1946. He didn't skip a beat with the successful release of his first recording the same year ('Whoa Sailor'). Hank Thompson 1946 Hank Thompson 1948 Hank Thompson 1948 Hank Thompson 1949 Hank Thompson 1952 Honky tonk guitarist Hank Williams Sr. began writing songs in 1937 but didn't record until 1946 when he landed a six-song contract with Fred Rose. Four of those first recordings are below, with the later release in 1952 of 'Honky Tonk Blues'. William's astounding career was cut short when he died of a drug overdose at the age of only 29. (More Hank Williams Sr. in A Birth of Rock & Roll). Hank Williams Sr. 1946 Hank Williams Sr. 1946 Hank Williams Sr. 1946 Hank Williams Sr. 1952 Comedian Minnie Pearl recorded her first single in 1947: 'In The Shadow Of The Pine' A side, 'On Top Of Old Smokey' B side. Minnie Pearl 1947 Minnie Pearl 1947 Minnie Pearl 1954 With Grandpa Jones Minnie Pearl 1957 Minnie Pearl 1957 Minnie Pearl 1957 Minnie Pearl 1966 Phenomenal jazz guitarist Hank Garland got his start in country music at age fourteen, joining Paul Howard's Georgia Cotton Pickers with whom he played at the Grand Ole Opry. Garland first recorded at age eighteen (1948: 'This Cold War With You' and 'I'll Never Slip Around Again', neither found). At age nineteen Garland's career got a major boost upon composing 'Sugarfoot Rag' and recording it with Red Foley for release in 1950 (under Red Foley above; an instrumental version by Garland below). Garland was a popular session guitarist, perhaps most notably with Elvis Presley. In 1961 he released a couple of jazz albums: 'Jazz Winds From a New Direction' and 'Velvet Guitar'. See A Birth of Jazz 7 for more Hank Garland. Hank Garland 1950 Hank Garland 1950 Later performance Yodeling guitarist Slim Whitman first recorded in 1948 with 'I'm Casting My Lasso Toward the Sky'. But it would take four more years for Whitman to release material that would put him on the charts. Slim Whitman 1948 I'm Casting My Lasso Toward the Sky Slim Whitman 1952 Slim Whitman 1952 Slim Whitman 1953 Slim Whitman 1956 Slim Whitman 1964 Slim Whitman 1965 I Love You More Than Yesterday Guitarist Little Jimmy Dickens began his career in radio in the thirties. More than a decade would pass before he landed his first recording contract in 1949. Little Jimmy Dickens 1949 Asleepin' At the Foot Of the Bed Little Jimmy Dickens 1949 Take an Old Cold Tater and Wait Little Jimmy Dickens 1950 Little Jimmy Dickens 1954 Little Jimmy Dickens 1965 May the Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose Among Don Gibson's first recordings in 1949 are 'Automatic Mama' and 'Cloudy Skies', below. Don Gibson 1949 Don Gibson 1949 Don Gibson 1957 Don Gibson 1957 Don Gibson 1961 Don Gibson 1961 Don Gibson 1967 Don Gibson 1973 Don Gibson 1979 Live performance Honky tonk guitarist Webb Pierce got his professional start in radio in 1947 with his wife Betty. They each pursued separate recording contracts in 1949 with 4 Star Records ('I Heard Her Call My Name', among their first recordings below), then got divorced in 1950. One could assume Webb's much greater success to be a factor, but I wasn't there. (More Webb Pierce to be found at A Birth of Rock and Roll.) Webb Pierce 1949 Duet with Betty Pierce Webb Pierce 1955 Webb Pierce 1955 Webb Pierce 1955 Webb Pierce 1957 Webb Pierce 1961 Much like Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves expanded his country beginnings toward the popular genre, first recording in 1949 with 'My Heart Is Like a Welcome Mat'. Jim Reeves 1949 My Heart Is Like a Welcome Mat Jim Reeves 1961 Jim Reeves 1962 Jim Reeves 1962 Jim Reeves 1962 Jim Reeves 1965 Have I Told You Lately That I Love You Kitty Wells married Johnnie Right and became one of his Harmony Girls in 1949. Her first record releases were also that year. Kitty Wells 1949 Kitty Wells 1949 Don't Wait The Last Minute To Pray Kitty Wells 1952 It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels Kitty Wells 1954 With Red Foley Kitty Wells 1992 It was 1950 when Lefty Frizzell released his first single ('If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time' with 'I Love You In a Thousand Ways' B side), the same year he first took the stage at the Grand Ole Opry. Lefty Frizzell 1950 If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time Lefty Frizzell 1950 Lefty Frizzell 1959 Lefty Frizzell 1963 Guitarist Ray Price was yet another country musician who got his start performing on radio (KRBC in Abilene, Texas). Price' first recording in 1950 ('Jealous Lies') is unfound for this history. Ray Price 1951 Ray Price 1951 Ray Price 1954 Ray Price 1961 Extraordinary jazz guitarist Grady Martin was also a country western musician (perhaps best known in association with Red Foley) who liked to mix the two genres together. Martin got his professional break early, performing regularly for WLAC radio in Nashville at age fifteen. Several years later he put together a band called the Slew Foot Five and made his first recordings (1951), 'San Antonio Rose', below, among them. (More Grady Martin in A Birth of Jazz 7 and A Birth of Rock & Roll.) Grady Martin 1951 Grady Martin 1952 Grady Martin 1959 Composition: Marty Robbins Buck Owens began his recording career in 1951 as a session guitarist for Capital Records in Hollywood. He released his first single in 1956 ('Down On the Corner of Love' with 'Right After the Dance' B side). The next year he experimented with the releas of a rockabilly record ('Hot Dog') under the pseudonym Corky Jones before returning to country western and a stellar musical career. Guitarist Don Rich plays fiddle on Orange Blossom Special below. Buck Owens 1956 Buck Owens 1956 Buck Owens 1957 Buck Owens 1961 Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache) Buck Owens 1966 Buck Owens 1966 Buck Owens 1966 Buck Owens 1966 Fiddle: Don Rich Buck Owens 1989 Marty Robbins, who played both guitar and piano, began his musical career in Phoenix. He first recorded in 1951 with 'Love Me Or Leave Me Alone', but didn't strike ore until 1959 with 'El Paso'. He would later become a race car driver. Marty Robbins 1951 Released 1952 Marty Robbins 1959 Marty Robbins 1959 Marty Robbins 1959 Carl Smith played in his first band at age fifteen, then landed a spot on radio a couple years later. But it would be several years before his first recording in 1951 at age 24. Carl Smith 1951 Carl Smith 1951 Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way Carl Smith 1951 Carl Smith 1975 Live Performance Carl Smith 1995 Live performance with Carlene Carter Crooner Roy Drusky first stepped on stage at the Grand Ole Opry in 1953, the same year he released his first recording, 'Such a Fool'. Roy Drusky 1953 Roy Drusky 1960 Roy Drusky 1965 Roy Drusky 1965 With Priscilla Mitchell Porter Wagoner, guitarist, was a butcher in Springfield, Missouri, when he and his first band, the Blue Ridge Boys, began doing radio spots. He released his first single, 'Company's Coming' in 1954. Porter Wagoner 1954 Porter Wagoner 1956 Porter Wagoner 1961 Porter Wagoner 1966 Porter Wagoner 1970 Porter Wagoner 1972 Television performance with Dolly Parton Patsy Cline first recorded in 1955 with 'A Church, A Courtroom & Then Good-Bye'. She would become a huge country western star with melodies like 'Crazy' (written by Willie Nelson). Sadly, Cline's stellar career was sliced short when she was killed in a plane crash in Tennessee, only thirty years of age. Patsy Cline 1955 A Church, A Courtroom & Then Good-Bye Patsy Cline 1957 Patsy Cline 1957 Patsy Cline 1961 Patsy Cline 1961 Patsy Cline 1963 If You've Got Leavin' On Your Mind Guitarist George Jones had been, for a time, country western's bad boy with a lean for alcohol-inspired misbehavior. On the other hand, briefly after serving one tour with the Marine Corps he released his first single, 'Why Baby Why' (1955) and never worried how he'd pay the rent again. George Jones 1955 George Jones 1962 Live performance George Jones 1965 Live performance George Jones 1967 George Jones 1980 Live performance Phenomenal guitar picker Jerry Reed (Hubbard) recorded his first song, 'If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise' in 1955 at age eighteen (unfound). He recorded another in 1955, unissued at the time, but below. Reed's marriage to Priscilla Mitchell in 1959 lasted to his death in 2008. Jerry Reed 1955 Jerry Reed 1959 Jerry Reed 1969 Jerry Reed 1969 Jerry Reed 1970 Jerry Reed 1973 Jerry Reed 1975 Live duet with Chet Atkins Jerry Reed 1977 Live performance Jerry Reed 1982 Live performance Though Conway Twitty first recorded in 1956 he didn't release his first country album, 'Conway Twitty Sings', until 1965. The list below begins with that album, another early trucking tune, 'Truck Drivin' Man'. (Several of Twitty's earlier recordings, including his first, 'Just In Time', can be found at A Birth Of Rock n Roll.) Conway Twitty 1965 Conway Twitty 1967 Conway Twitty 1969 Conway Twitty 1974 With Loretta Lynn Conway Twitty 1976 Kenny Rogers was more a popular singer strongly associated with country than a country singer. His debut recordings below were in 1957 when he was a member of the Scholars, a doo wop group. Kenny Rogers 1957 Side A Kenny Rogers 1957 Side B Kenny Rogers 1978 With Dottie West Kenny Rogers 1979 With Dottie West Kenny Rogers 1983 Kenny Rogers 1985 Live performance with Dolly Parton Guitarist Mel Tillis was a successful songwriter before before he began performing, not recording until 1957. 'Juke Box Man', below, is among the four tunes he recorded that year. Mel Tillis 1957 Mel Tillis 1970 Mel Tillis 1978 Mel Tillis 1979 Glen Campbell's first recordings in 1958, 'Dreams for Sale' and 'I Wonder', are unfound for this index. So we begin with his second recordings in 1966, 'Valley Of Death' and 'Turn Around Look At Me'. Glen Campbell 1961 Glen Campbell 1961 Glen Campbell 1967 Live performance Glen Campbell 1967 Glen Campbell 1968 Dolly Parton produced her first recording, 'Puppy Love', at age 13 in 1959. Her second recording, 'It's Sure Gonna Hurt', followed in 1962. In 1965 she released her first album, 'Hello, I'm Dolly'. Dolly Parton 1959 Dolly Parton 1959 Dolly Parton 1962 Dolly Parton 1965 Dolly Parton 2008 Loretta Lynn produced her first recordings in 1960. Among those three 'New Rainbow' is unfound for this history. Loretta Lynn 1960 Loretta Lynn 1960 Guitar: Grady Martin Loretta Lynn 1966 You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man Loretta Lynn 1968 Live performance Loretta Lynn 1970 With Johnny Paycheck one might arbitrarily place a bridge from early country western to a new era. With Paycheck country western arrives to a tone that has thrived ever since: outlaw. Paycheck got his major break with George Jones (not precisely an angel himself). He recorded his first song, 'Miracle Of Love', in 1960 as Donny Young (unfound) and enjoyed a quarter century of phenomenal success, until 1985, when he was convicted of assault with a pistol and spent nigh two years in prison before resuming his career. Johnny Paycheck 1964 Johnny Paycheck 1965 Johnny Paycheck 1967 Don't Monkey With Another Monkey's Monkey Johnny Paycheck 1967 Johnny Paycheck 1972 Johnny Paycheck 1977 I'm the Only Hell Mama Ever Raised Johnny Paycheck 1977 Johnny Paycheck 1978 Johnny Paycheck 1978 Charlie Rich recorded his first album, 'Lonely Weekends with Charlie Rich', in 1960. Charlie Rich 1960 Charlie Rich 1973 Charlie Rich 1973 Dottie West released her first recording, 'Angel On Paper', in 1960 as well. Dottie West 1960 Dottie West 1968 Dottie West 1968 Dottie West 1973 Dottie West 1974 Live performance Dottie West 1977 Dottie West 1981 Guitarist Roy Clark made his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry at age seventeen. The next year he released his first single, 'Texas Twist' flip side. The year after that Clark released his first album, 'The Lightning Fingers Of Roy Clark', a televised version below. He and Buck Owens would become hosts of the television show, 'Hee Haw', in 1969. Roy Clark 1961 Live performance Roy Clark 1961 The Lightning Fingers Of Roy Clark Roy Clark 1961 Roy Clark 1961 Roy Clark 1961 Roy Clark 1961 Live performance with Joe Pass Roy Clark 1961 Live performance Roy Clark 1987 Composition: Chubby Wise Live performance Fiddler and guitarist Charlie Daniels first recorded in 1961: 'Robot Romp', unfound. Nor is Daniel's second recording in 1966 found for this history. So examples of Daniels below begin with his first album recorded in 1970, titled simply 'Charlie Daniels'. Daniels was more country southern than country western, with an appreciation of bluegrass and rock. Charlie Daniels 1975 Charlie Daniels 1978 The Devil Went Down To Georgia Charlie Daniels 1989 Among Waylon Jennings first recordings (1961) are 'Another Blue Day' and 'Never Again' (both below). Jennings had a proclivity toward alcohol, then speed (amphetamines), then cocaine, the latter via which he dwindled the fortune he'd made by the time he decided to lose it. Of note to this history is Jennings recording of an album in 1976 with Willie Nelson called 'Wanted! The Outlaws', something defining the stage to which country western had arrived by that time. Waylon Jennings 1961 Waylon Jennings 1961 Waylon Jennings 1964 Waylon Jennings 1966 Waylon Jennings 1978 With Willie Nelson Waylon Jennings 1978 With Willie Nelson Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys Waylon Jennings 1990 Merle Haggard, another among the outlaws with a huge influence on country western, had been in and out of detention centers (including escape) for several years since age fourteen (first shoplifting, then robbery) before he was able to cut a record that saved him. (His first recording in 1962, 'Skid Row', didn't go far. But his second recording, in 1964, 'Sing a Sad Song', went national in a big way.) Merle Haggard 1962 Merle Haggard 1964 Merle Haggard 1967 Merle Haggard 1969 Though the most trouble with the law Willie Nelson ever saw was an IRS matter due as likely to complicated tax code as anything else, and though he is loved for his heart-moving melodies, he is another of the outlaw breed with an enormous prestige in the country western industry. Nelson produced his first recordings in 1962 ('Touch Me' unfound, though 'Willingly' below). Willie Nelson 1962 With Shirley Collie Willie Nelson 1973 Willie Nelson 1980 Angel Flying Too Close To the Ground Willie Nelson 1980 My Heros Have Always Been Cowboys Willie Nelson 1980 Willie Nelson 1982 Willie Nelson 1982 Eddie Rabbitt's career didn't bust out the gate until the latter seventies, currently beyond the scope of this history. But he released his first recordings in 1964 ('Next to the Note' and 'Six Nights and Seven Days', unfound for this history). Those recordings went nowhere and Rabbitt spent the next decade working dead-end jobs while trying to build a living as a songwriter, to some success, then released 'You Get to Me' in 1975 which at least put him on the charts. A couple years later he recorded the theme song to the film 'Every Which Way But Loose'. Eddie Rabbitt 1975 Eddie Rabbitt 1978 Eddie Rabbitt 1978 Eddie Rabbitt 1979 Live performance Eddie Rabbitt 1990 In 1964 Connie Smith released 'Once a Day' which found her at the very top of the charts first swing. Connie Smith 1964 Connie Smith 1964 Connie Smith 1969 Connie Smith 1969 Hank Williams Jr. was something of an outlaw himself. Like Jennings, drugs and alcohol were less recreational than a lifestyle for Williams. (His father, Hank Williams Sr., had died young of a drug overdose when Jr. was three years of age.) Of especial note in William's life was a suicide attempt in 1974, followed the next year by a fall of nearly 500 feet while climbing Ajax Peak in Montana. Though injured severely, Williams survived to pursue a very successful career. Williams began performing at about age eight, and made his recording debut in 1964 with 'Long Gone Lonesome Blues'. Hank Williams Jr. 1964 Hank Williams Jr. 1970 Hank Williams Jr. 1984 Hank Williams Jr. 1990 Hank Williams Jr. 2009 Charley Pride wasn't the only black country western musician, but he was preeminently popular from among them. His first release, 'The Snakes Crawl At Night', occurred in 1966. Charley Pride 1966 Charley Pride 1966 Charley Pride 1966 Charley Pride 1966 Charley Pride 1966 Charley Pride 1966 Charley Pride 1966 Charley Pride 1966 Cal Smith was a rough kind who rode both saddle and truck before releasing his debut album, 'All The World Is Lonely Now', in 1966. Cal Smith 1966 Cal Smith 1973 Cal Smith 1974 Country musician Don Williams (whose first performance was at age three) pursued folk music at first, he and Lofton Kline forming a trio with Susan Taylor called the Pozo-Seco Singers which premier release was 'Time' in 1966. Don Williams 1966 Pozo-Seco Singers Don Williams 1974 Don Williams 1982 Live performance Original release 1978 Tammy Wynette was another country western giant who produced a phenomenal amount of popular material over the years. Wynette had been fighting a war against poverty since childhood until she first recorded in 1966, 'Apartment No. 9', below. Tammy Wynette 1966 Tammy Wynette 1968 Tammy Wynette 1976 Donna Fargo was a high school English teacher before releasing her first three songs in 1967, two below. Donna Fargo 1967 Donna Fargo 1967 Donna Fargo 1972 Happiest Girl In The Whole U.S.A. Donna Fargo 1991 Live performance The seventies would see the rise of talents such as Asleep At the Wheel and Reba McEntire. But with Emmylou Harris we bring this history to a pause, she releasing her first album, 'Gliding Bird', in 1969. Emmylou Harris 1969 Emmylou Harris 1969 Emmylou Harris 1969 Emmylou Harris 1977 Live performance Emmylou Harris 1978 Live performance Emmylou Harris 1995 Emmylou Harris 1995
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Carl Sprague
Red Foley
Bob Wills
Hank Snow
Jimmy Wakely
Merle Travis
Tex Ritter
Lloyd Cowboy Copas
Hank Williams Sr.
Hank Garland
Little Jimmy Dickens
Webb Pierce
Kitty Wells
Ray Price
Buck Owens
Carl Smith
Porter Wagoner
George Jones
Conway Twitty
Mel Tillis
Dolly Parton
Johnny Paycheck
Dottie West
Charlie Daniels
Merle Haggard
Eddie Rabbitt
Hank Williams Jr.
Cal Smith
Tammy Wynette
Emmylou Harris
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A Birth of Country 1: Bluegrass
A Birth of Country 3: Country Western
A Birth of Jazz 2: Swing Era 1: Big Bands
A Birth of Jazz 3: Swing Era 2: Song
A Birth of Jazz 4: Modern 1: Saxophone
A Birth of Jazz 5: Modern 2: Trumpet - Other Horn
A Birth of Jazz 6: Modern 3: Piano
A Birth of Jazz 7: Modern 4: Other Instrumentation
A Birth of Jazz 8: Modern 5: Song
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