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Let's get this straight. Merle Haggard SINGS "Okie From Muskogee" but he is not THE "Okie From Muskogee". Nevertheless, this is the record that put the honky in honky tonk. Merle sure pretended to not like hippies back in '69, and story has it he even refused an invitation to produce Gram Parson's GP album on the basis that Gram was just another damn dirty hippie. Of course that's just a story – Merle simply didn't fancy himself a producer. Okie From Muskogee is pretty much the definitive portrait of the Hag at his most reactionary, and if the ignorant politics of the title track gives us a few goosebumps along the way, it's well worth it to hear him perform some of his best tracks at the very peak of his career. Besides, what's an outlaw if he doesn't scare you a little? Many of the great ones are here, including "Mama Tried", "No Hard Times", "In the Arms Of Love", "If I Had Left It Up To You", "White Line Fever", "Blue Rock", "Okie From Muskogee", and a medley of "Swinging Doors", "I'm A Lonesome Fugitive", "Sing Me Back Home", and "Branded Man".

The complete collection of Hag's 60s singles at Capitol – with some of his most legendary songs – along with some equal treasures that just didn't hit as big on the charts! It's a pretty tightly-focused set that starts with the formative, Bakersfield honky tonk-honed style of the earlier singles and segues pretty early to his popular and creative peaks as both a performer and songwriter! That smoky smooth voice is as great as it would ever be during this period, and he really starts showing his storytelling excellence on these songs, too. To this day, Haggard doesn't get the credit he deserves for his empathetic songcraft – and many of his best songs are in this set! 28 tracks in all: "I'm Gonna Break Every Heart In Can", "Falling For You", "Swinging Doors", "The Bottle Let Me Down", "Silver Wings", "Branded Man", "Sing Me Back Home", "The Fugitive", "You'll Never Love Me Now", "If I Had Left It Up To You", "Someone Told My Story", "I Take A Lot Of Pride In What I Am",

One of the great early Merle Haggard records with The Strangers – and a classic that swung open all kinds of doors for Hag and all honky tonk legends to follow! The barroom laments come into full bloom on this record, with the unvarnished honky tonk style that Hag helped define, though done with just enough Capitol polish, courtesy of the great and legendary producers Ken Nelson and Fuzzy Owen. It contains uber-classic "The Bottle Let Me Down" plus the equally great title track, plus comparably overlooked album classics like "I'll Look You Over", "The Girl Turned Ripe", "No More You & Me", "I Can't Stand Me", "No More You And Me" a great version of the Tommy Collins classic and Bakersfield Sound bedrock "High On A Hilltop","Shade Tree (Fix-It Man)".

The first great, label-spanning compilation of great 50s & 60s tracks by a variety of artists with some little in common in some cases, but share at least one unbreakable bond – they recorded these tracks with the incredible James Burton on guitar! It's got fiery, pivotal rockabilly Dale Hawkins and Bob Luman, pop takeover numbers by Ricky Nelson, rustic charisma from Lee Hazlewood, benchmark honky tonk from Merle Haggard, harmony country rock from Buffalo Springfield and much more – including numbers credited to James Burton himself and with Ralph Mooney. Includes "Susie-Q" by Dale Hawkins, "Red Hot" by Bob Luman, "Cannonball Rag" by James Burton, "Blood From A Stone" by Ricky Nelson, "A Child's Claim To Fame" by Buffalo Springfield, "Swamp Surfer" by Jimmy Dobro, "Someday, Someday" by The Shindogs, "Just For A While" by Carol Williams, "Tryin' To Be Someone" by David & Lee and more.

A dream come true for all of us who ever loved the incredible songs of Kris Kristofferson at the peak of his craft – his late 60s and early 70s publishing demos – never before released versions of some of his best songs ever in the raw, unvarnished mode we always longed for! It's amazing stuff, including many tracks that would go on to be Kristofferson standards – numbers that got a little too clean and glossy on some of his own LPs and as recorded by others, which is what makes this compilation such a revelation. A genuine coup for our friends at Light In The Attic and a presentation of some of our favorite songs of the era by anyone – done raw and real, the way we always wanted to hear them! The set's produced by Mark Linn, who is responsible for the excellent Karen Dalton archival releases on the Delmore label, and he does similarly great work for Kris. It includes an excellent booklet with reminiscences by Dennis Hopper and Merle Haggard, full lyrics and notes from Kristofferson – plus rare photos and liner notes by Michael Simmons. Includes "Me And Bobby McGee", "Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends", "Smile At Me Again", "Border Lord", "Just The Other Side Of Nowhere", "Slow Down", "If You Don't Like Hank Williams", "When I Loved Her", "Billy Dee", "Getting By, High And Strange" and more. 16 tracks in all.

The best secular soul work in years from Candi Staton – and the first album in decades that recalls the strength and raw power of her early work on Fame Records! The set was done in Nashville with a rootsy, earthy feel – and a fair bit of country soul touches in the mix – an approach that takes us back to the Sound Stage Seven sound of the late 60s, and which is carried off here perfectly, with just the right balance to avoid the hoke or hype that such a session might fall into. Tracks include some great originals by Candi – "I Sing A Love Song To You", "In Name Only", and "How Do I Get Over You" – as well as versions of Will Oldham's "His Hands", Merle Haggard's "You Don't Have Far To Go", and Charlie Rich's "You Never Really Wanted Me".