We LOVE trucker country, and Dick Curless is one of our all-time favorites – a singer with a truly amazing voice, and one who's only remembered for the odd hit or two – but who has a hell of a lot more to offer! This package features all of Dick's recordings for Capitol/Tower in the 60s – an insane amount of tracks, plus unissued material – plus early work for Standard and Event, Tiffany material, and even some unusual radio performances from Korea! CD

The Bobbie Gentry groove gets kicked up a bit more than before – thanks to some larger arrangements that almost bring a funky country approach to her music – and which seem to give her voice an even more soulful setting than before! Bobbie's still got the charms of her earlier, more acoustic material – but she also seems to have set her guitar aside, to focus more strongly on her singing – with a mix of southern currents and soul that almost remind us a bit of Dusty Springfield at Memphis or Muscle Shoals. Yet the vibe is definitely Gentry's own – as some songs are her own, and the music has that overall sense of female power that always made her such a standout from some of the weepier singers in Nashville. Arrangements are by Don Tweedy and Hank Levine – and titles include "Natural To Be Gone", "Seasons Come Seasons Go", "Touch Em With Love", "Where's The Playground Jimmy", "Greyhound Goin Somewhere", and "I Wouldn't Be Satisfied". CD

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Wanda Jackson may look nice and sweet on the cover, but she's a raw rocker throughout on this classic Capitol album from early in her career – cut at a time when Jackson was drinking a brew that was equal part R&B, hillbilly, and early rock influences – all fused together in a wonderfully powerful groove – one that definitely fits her unique vocal approach! Wanda sings at a level here that really should have done permanent damage to her vocal chords – this raw, throat rasping mode that's instantly recognizable – and forever set the tone for all the later female rockers who might never have come later, had Jackson not opened the door! Titles include "Fujiyama Mama" – one of the most incendiary unsung rock and roll singles of all time – plus other great ones like "Rock You Baby", "Cool Love", "Honey Bop", "Baby Loves Him", "Mean Mean Man", "You've Turned To A Stranger", and "Hot Dog That Made Him Mad". CD features bonus tracks too! CD

A great tribute to one of the unsung heroes of country music – guitarist Don Rich, whose lead work and solos were such a big part of the Buck Owens records of the 60s! This package brings together both tracks recorded with Buck, and sides that have Don working with the Buckaroos – many of which have Rich singing along with his guitar, even if Buck is on board – and all of which are sparkling with the kind of "next generation" groove that Don used to help take the Bakersfield sound out of the postwar ghetto, and into the country mainstream. There's a really sparkling feel to most of this work – and together, the tracks have Rich presenting sounds that are really more dynamic and more inspiring than any of Chet Atkins music of the time. Titles include a never-issued version of "Guitar Pickin Man", plus "Hello California", "Down At The Corner Bar", "Chaparral", "Wham Bam", "Bossa Nova Buckaroo Style", "Aw Heck", "Number One Heel", "Sally Was A Good Ol Girl", "Out Of My Mind", "Take Care Of You For Me In Kansas City", and "Happy Son Of A Gun". CD

He may have dressed like a cowboy, but the great Tex Ritter was a crucial figure in helping to expand the sound of country music in the postwar years – and there's no better document of his genius than this great series from Bear Family! The box includes important early 78rpm material, and key early sides for Capitol Records – from a time when Tex was helping the west coast country scene really get going. As usual, the packaging is great – with a hefty booklet of notes and photos – and a massive amount of music, too! CD

Rare work from the great Tex Ritter – most of it never commercially available! The package brings together performances that Tex cut for Capitol Records' Transcription Service in the mid 40s – with help from west coast giants like Merle Travis, Johnny Bond, and Cliffie Stone! There's over 100 songs in all – including some World Transcriptions material – and the set comes with a big booklet of notes and photos too! CD

That's no typo in the title – as the unique phrase "Swingbillies" is a perfect summation of the set – which mixes together rare postwar work from the West Coast scene – cool cuts that are partly western swing, partly early country – and which almost stand as a precursor to the Bakersfield years to come! The music is all from the catalog of Modern Records – an imprint best known for R&B and blues, but one that also really had its ear to the ground for all the new sounds bubbling up in LA after the war – sounds that included a big influx of hillbilly styles that hit the coast in the hands of folks moving westward for jobs and success. Most artists here are relatively obscure, but their work resonates with qualities that both matches the big western swing stars of the period, and some of the excellent early country on Capitol Records – which might be a good comparison to the strength of this set. CD features 28 titles in all – and cuts include "You Just Wait & See" by Chuck Guillory, "Turn That Gun Around" by Rocky Morgan, "Those Wonderful Days With You" by Joe Bean, "I Knew That You Were Foolin All Along" by Jimmie Dolan, "Holiday For Guitar" by Jimmy Bryant, "The Honey Jump (part 1)" by Jody Webb, "Operation Blues" by Homer Clemons, "Big Texas #2" by Papa Cairo, "San Antonio Blues" by Cliff Bruner, and "My Heart Lied To Me" by Ted Shelton. CD

Most folks associate Buck Owens with Capitol Records – the label that catapulted him to fame in the 60s – but after that initial run with the company, Owens recorded briefly for Warner Brothers in the mid 70s – with really great results that made for some mighty special music! That famous Owens voice is still in fantastic form – but given maybe a more mature direction on some of the material – maybe informed a bit by changes in country music that were being wrought by singers like Waylon Jennings or David Allen Coe – who seem to inspire Buck to take on a bit more honky tonk at times, and move away from more familiar Bakersfield modes. This great set brings together all the work that Owens did for the label – the albums Buck Em and Our Old Mansion – plus a fair bit of singles that he issued at the same time too. 41 tracks in all – with titles that include "Hollywood Waltz", "We're Gonna Build A Fire", "Child Support", "When I Need You", "Hangin In & Hangin On", "Love Is A Warm Cowboy", "How Come My Dog Don't Bark", "Texas Tornado", "He Don't Deserve You Anymore", "You're Gonna Need A Doctor", "Streets Of Bakersfield", and "When I Need You". CD

20 years' worth of music by the great Jimmie Skinner – an artist who's been barely remembered today, and hardly touched by the reissue market – but whose work of the 50s was a great contrast to the rising sound of the Nashville scene! Jimmie's got a lot more grit in his presentation – and really takes country music back to its roots, while also delivering the music with the sort of punch it got in the postwar hillbilly years! Skinner's sound isn't rootsy – but stripped-down and sharp – captured here on recordings he did for Capitol, Mercury, Decca, and other artists – plus some rare acetate tracks, and material that Jimmie issued on his own. The package was done with extra care by Bear Family – who tell Skinner's overlooked story in the box's great booklet of notes and photos. CD

Billy Walker may have had a cowboy image at times, but he was also one hell of a straight country singer too – abit to hit some great honky tonk modes here – in a set that brings together all of his Columbia Records material, plus some rare sides for Capitol too! CD