Woah. Great recommendations and a huge tool. I’m subscribing. 🤟😁

Great stuff!!! The great thing about collecting classic country is that it is easily available at thrift stores! I've got hundreds of classic country records and I've never spent more than a dollar on them! I'm constantly having to tell myself "no more country records"... but i still find one here and there that I've just gotta have! My old band Filthy Few recorded our album at the same studio where Convoy was recorded!

I appreciated your video. My collection is over 10000 lps,eps 45s, 78s, early scrapbooks- 95 percent near mint. I have early King lps, originals pressings and releases of Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Reno and Smiley, Carl Smith, Carter Family, Roy Acuff, George Jones, Eddy Arnold, Flatt and Scruggs, Uncle Dave Macon, Johnnie and Jack, Faron Young, Johnny Cash, Hank Willis, Molly O Day and countless more. It is an extremely high quality collection . It also includes more obscure bluegrass on Rich r Tone and Blue Ridge label 78s as well. I take a scholarly approach to the history of country from the 20s to 70/80s. So I enjoy when others have a similar interest.

Jerry Jeff Walkers early albums are so exceptional, at the early point in his career he was probably one of those artists that you mentioned that was on the fringe of country and singer songwriter like Townes van zandt.

I love my classic country vinyl of old Johnny Cash, The Killer Jerry Lee Lewis and Merle Haggard. Great stuff! Of course I love old Hank W and Hank Snow and many others as well! Great video!! Keep doing them please!

In my best Step Brothers impersonation, “Did we just become best friends??!! YEP!!” Brother, I never in a million years knew you had so much country music knowledge! I really enjoyed this video and we need to hang out MUCH MORE OFTEN. Thanks for making my night. Billy-

damn you've really got me going down the old country rabbit hole now ahaha great video man i love hearing people talk about good music it always gets me so excited to listen

Dude, you had me cracking up with the David Allen Coe comments. "Be VERY careful." I wasn't. I found those songs you warned about and unfortunately I can't listen to him anymore. Lol.

The Health & Happiness Shows by Hank Williams is among the greatest country recordings ever made

Ive always liked slim dusty. Absolute Australian icon. I would be interested in knowing how popular he was stateside. Thanks for the great video ❤

Cool video, Robert. I often pick up cheap older country albums hoping for a win. This gives me more to look for. I recently spun that Marty Robinson collection on CD (purchased for 50 cents). So many good songs. I live for such pleasant surprises.

Great video. I'm a Nashville musician who has worked with a few of the people you mentioned on the video. One of the artists you mentioned is and has been my main gig for the last 28 years and still going. Thank you.

A lot of great country artist to get started on!

Excellent, excellent overview! I've always enjoyed Country but lately have become very interested in exploring more. Loved this!

Great video. Grew up on so much of these cats. Gotta them get on vinyl. Yes deeper dive on the legends.

It's funny you made the comment about CW McCall because he was 100% a character played by a guy who never saw the inside of a truck and originally conceived him for an advertising campaign

Enjoyed your video. I have collected country music for over 60 years. You should look into some of the country music that is considered collector items sometime. Albums by Moon Mullican, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Bluegrass from people like the Stanley Brothers, Reno & Smiley, Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs. Those are some excellent examples of classic country before it really went "main stream". Thank you so very much for the video.

My parents weren't into much country, so most of my exposure to classic country was 70s country radio that the school bus driver always had on. I've recently picked up some country after avoiding it for a long time, and I'm finding that greatest hits comps serve pretty well for folks like Kenny Rogers and Mel Tillis. A rekkid I got recently that I really like is Hank Thompson's "Songs For Rounders". It has the original version of Cocaine Blues and he put together this album of gritty songs because he wanted to record Cocaine Blues and it had no chance of being on the radio in the late 50s, so he just did a whole album of those songs. I don't have anything else by him and I have a feeling I got his best.

Hi Robert great video. That 40 greatest of Hank Williams is excellent every song is a gem. The Johnny Cash ring of fire is supposed to be a hits record but doesn't have that many hits but every song is excellent. Hank Snow anything with "moving on" "Millers cave" or "rumba boogie" on it more recently anything Allan Jackson from the 80s. Like you said with country greatest hits records are often best.

My favorite was always Lynn Anderson. I have all her albums from her first "Ride, Ride, Ride" to her last "Bridges". I always liked the female singers including Janie Fricke, Crystal Gayle, Patty Liveless, Suzy Bogguss, Pam Till is and more.

Would love a deep dive on Nelson, Parton, Jennings, and Cash. I've been making my way through your back catalog and you do a good job of entertaining and informing. Thanks for doing it! Would love more concert experience videos too.

Funny enough, when I got into classic country, beyond Merle Haggard and Waylon (btw it was a slow descent). I listened to Willie's first album on Liberty and it didn't catch my attention at the time. However, when I became more fascinated with nashville sound, reverb and all that a lightbulb went off and suddenly Liberty and RCA era was my favourite Willie. Even now, I would more likely put on that time period than later Nelson (still great stuff). But the diversity he put out, whether it was for the suits or what Chet thought was selling, he did well in my book!

That was pretty incredible.

I purchased a used double album copy MGM Hank's Greatest Hits Vol I for 2.50 and although it was one of the rechanneled for stereo mixes I picked it up anyway. When I got home I had discovered that the double vinyl Volume II was also in there. I think I made out pretty well!

You're right on about Willie's albums all sounding different. The fans were so hungry for his music at the outset of the 80s, that we all kind of turned a deaf ear to the changes in production quality, beginning with the huge success in the wake of Always On My Mind (1982). He kept that Chips Moman guy in studio for most of the 80s output, along with what amounted to the 'Wrecking Crew' of Nashville--the guys backing the Highwaymen on tour. I guess Moman was hired on in '77 for the Waylon & Willie album, though it didn't really resemble that 'echo chamber' sound of later records (Always On My Mind, Take It To The Limit, City Of New Orleans, The Highwaymen, etc.). But again, there wasn't enough Willie--even though he was 'everywhere'--so no complaints from me back then. But in retrospect, looking back on records like Waylon's 'Black On Black', one can see how Moman's style (studio echo and keyboard overload, weird song selection) permeated too deeply, imo. Not saying the hits were bad necessarily ("Just To Satisfy You", the Waylon & Willie II; Pancho And Lefty singles were fun) just over-produced in retrospect. The albums that reflect Willie's own production methods still hold up today, in my opinion: records such as The Sound In Your Mind, To Lefty From Willie, Willie Sings Kristofferson, San Antonio Rose, Tougher Than Leather, The Troublemaker, Red-Headed Stranger, and of course Willie & Family Live, Honeysuckle Rose, Me And Paul, and Over The Rainbow. (Rainbow had a jazzier, Django Reinhardt style, but very acoustic and stripped down, no frills production; Johnny Gimble tears it up on fiddle). I have to say "kudos" for mentioning Lacy J. Dalton (who I saw opening for Willie in 1980) who had a great voice. IMO, she fell in with a slick Nashville producer, Billy Sherrill, which didn't do her any favors. She had a raw, soulful voice which didn't mesh well with slick production--though A&R people might disagree. She came from a folk/blues/psychadelic Bay Area scene originally, but was very well-positioned vocally for a career in Country. She all but disappeared by the early '90s. Also, for mentioning the Truck-Driving Country sub-genre....the two biggies for mer were the two reds: Red Sovine and Bakersfield's own Red Simpson. No trucker lp collection is complete without the Roll Truck Roll vinyl album. There's also a superb Red Simpson collection on CD titled, "The Best of Red SImpson: Country Western Truck Drivin' Singer", put out by Razor & Tie. Highly recommended!

I loved the CB craze songs. Remember CB Savage and The White Knight?

I love Patsy Cline! I have some of her records and cds! I am trying to look for her 1956 or 1957 Record called” Patsy Cline” I think that’s what it’s called

Was looking into re-creating my old Willie albums from the 70s, and was shocked to see 'The Red Headed Stranger' album in VG++ condition is one of his most expensive used records. So many great records. Incidentally, a must-listen IMO, is 'Willie & Family Live' (1978). His band never sounded as tight as this unit, with two drummers, and guest appearances by Johnny Paycheck and Emmylou Harris. Classic stuff!

Great Video! Love me some tawdry!! Take Care.

Days that the new 'pop' country was really important to me, fall 1977. College working on my drawings (architecture school, and no, I did not become one) late night, Chicago, listening to WBAP and other clear channel AM. Started buying up what I could get in my LP buying years really starting more in 1979. The 'Outlaws', Commander Cody, HW Jr., DAC, Dolly, Charlie Daniels, C.W. McCall, Gatlin Bros, Jerry Jeff, DDudley etc. truckin' songs., Oak Ridge Boys, Bellamy Bros, Don Williams filled the airwaves. A few buys based on some hot 'cowboy' ish covers.

It was fun even a year later

'Hank Jr getting to politcal later on' - subscribed!

Great video!!! But I just want to mention how about Sylvia who had great hits like "Nobody"

Very comprehensive. Marty Robbins wss from Arizona. You left out the wacky Ray Stevens. Kenny Rogers morphed into a country crooner who had a massive female fanbase. Didn't see Joe Stampley. who was a leading seller of the 70's & 80's. Don Williams started out as a folk singer with Pozo Seco Singers. Willie Nelson's "Stardust" was the template for Linda Ronstadt's "What's New."

I've noticed that for those who aren't heavily into country music, Johnny Cash, Merle, Willie, EmmyLou Harris are safe bets. I'm wanting to find videos of people that go deeper than that

'16th Avenue' is one of the greatest song written in any genre by Lacy J. Dalton. Songwriters nailed it.

Good lord, man! 🍆 Subbed.

Are you familiar with the channel CosmicVinyl? REALLY good channel also from St Louis!

The soundtrack is Hank Jr. not Sr. Just saying.

Thanks for the lesson in country music listened to anything growing up but it was johnny cash right from the start especially hits volume 1 then came the prison albums after that parents bought me bayou country ccr lp was hooked on rock though appreciate country as the years go by

Johnny Horton deserves more love

I'm not a fan of simulated stereoSounds so false My dad played country music i absorbed it as well.He liked Hank Williams,Hank Snow,Charly Pride,Patsy Cline,Merl Haggard He didn't really like Johnny Cash,he reckoned that Cash sang in a monotone. He did have something about him though. Is what they call Country music actually Country or poppy crossover.

This is an GREAT video but classic country should be listen to on 78RPM. I Can only prove myself when you have listen to one yourself. So soft and calm sound. Lefty Frizzell & Hank Williams on 78s is better then new baked pizza... Anyway. Great video pal :)

Where's Porter and Stony & Wilma Lee?

Forget the simulated stereo, what about the added string section? This is why 24 Greatest Hits sucks. 40 Greatest Hits, from 1978, has every song on 24 Greatest Hits (except for Honky Tonkin), and there's no added overdubs. Music on Vinyl did an excellent 180 gram pressing of 40 Greatest Hits.

If buying Hank Williams Sr. Avoid the Hank With Strings albums.

The Outlaws record isn’t very good? It’s an after thought kinda thing? It’s only the first country record to sale a million copies.