A great concept album from Skid Row Joe! Titles include "Wino", "Daddy & The Wine", "She Burnt The Little Roadside Tavern Down", "One Dime For Wine", and "Bottle Bottle". LP, Vinyl record album

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Two classic country narrative LPs from the unapologetic showman and honky tonk kingpin Porter Wagoner – the adultery themed Cold Hard Facts Of Life and the behind bars concept album Soul Of A Convict – back to back with rare bonus tracks! Cold Hard Facts Of Life is peak Porter, balancing a core of rugged honky tonk with lush arrangements better than anyone in the business (then or now) and with songs that teeter on the edge of nudge & wink hokum without losing the sincerity. Titles include "First Miss Jones", "Words And Music", "Cold Hard Facts Of Life", "Tragic Romance", "Julie" and more. Soul Of A Convict And Other Great Prison Songs, also from 1967, takes the trademark Wagoner approach to the jailhouse, with Porter doing justice to Cash and Hag classics, and other great tunes, including "Boston Jail", "Convict And The Rose", "I'm Just Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail", "Green Green Grass Of Home", "Soul Of A Convict" and more. This great Omni edition includes 6 bonus tracks including "I Lived So Fast And Hard", "House Of Shame" and more. CD

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The most left-of-center collection of cuts from rhinestone studded honky tonk purist Porter Wagoner – some of the darkest and strangest tunes pulled from his most adventurous RCA LPs! Porter is eternally true to a genuine honky tonk aesthetic – but his arrangements are never predictable – bringing in some chilling strings and a backing vocal wail, walloping drums and wacka wacka electric guitars chugging underneath the steel. This is his most lyrically troubled batch of tunes from the era, but they're often done with a wink and a nod that lets you know he's just telling a story (or is he?) – not unlike Lee Hazlewood. Oddball country groove from a character that should be as fondly regarded as his more scenester friendly peers! 29 tracks in all: "Out Of The Silence (Came A Song)", "The Rubber Room", "Cassie", "Bones", "Lonelyville", "First Mrs Jones", "The Cold Hard Facts Of Life", "Shopworn", "Julie", "Carroll County Accident", "Wino", "He's Alone Again Tonight", "My Last Two Tens", "The Party" featuring Dolly Parton, "Moments Of Meditation" and more. CD

Worth it alone for the tremendous title track – a real turning point in the career of the great Porter Wagoner! LP, Vinyl record album

Two sweet duet LPs from Porter Wagoner & Dolly Partner – '69's Always, Always and 71's Two Of Kind – back-to-back on this great CD! Porter & Dolly were one of the great teams of the era – with Porter's unrivaled flash and showmanship going down extremely well with Dolly's quivering vocals and far more earnest presence than the Dolly of the decades to come! Always, Always kicks off with the totally great rave up "Milwaukee, Here I Come" – and segues nicely into classic honky tonk duets mode, the polished Nashville Sound, and oddball Porter recitations! Other tracks include "Yours Love", "Malena", "Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me", "Always, Always" and more. The Two Of A Kind LPs travels in the same trajectory with equal appeal – with the tracks "Oh, The Pain Of Loving You", "Possum Holler", "The Flame", "The Fighting Kind", "Two Of A Kind", "There'll Be Love" and more! CD

The title is maybe a bit un-prophetic – given that a few years later, Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton would hardly be together – but the record's a great one from that wonderful stretch when the pair could really make magic singing together on record! The tunes are all original numbers – some by Dolly, some by Porter – new material that makes the album every bit as strong as solo efforts by either singer, and which show that these RCA duo sessions weren't just filler material in the catalog! Titles include "Love's All Over", "Take Away", "Lost Forever In Your Kiss", "Looking Down", "Poor Folks Town", "Ten Four Over & Out", and "You & Me Her & Him". LP, Vinyl record album

It's Christmas once again – but thanks to this groovy little set, you'll be celebrating with music that's a nice change from previous years! The package does a great job of pulling together rare 50s cuts in a variety of styles – country, R&B, instrumental, and early rock and roll – a blend that works wonderfully as the set steps from one unusual tune to the next – making for a great change from the Frank Sinatra and Vince Guaraldi albums that usually get big play during the 12th month of the year! The set's got 30 tracks in all – and titles include "Snow Man Rock" by Big Bud, "Frosty The Snowman" by Porter Wagoner, "Who Said There Ain't No Santa Claus" by Ron Holden, "Christmas Dinner" by Tennessee Ernie Ford, "Joy To The World" by The Louvin Brothers, "Swingin Christmas" by Earl Grant, "We Wanna See Santa Do The Mambo" by Big John Greer, "Sleigh Bell Rock" by Chuck Blevins, "Santa's Helper" by Joe Poovey, "Jingle Bells" by Chet Atkins, "I'm Gonna Tell Santa Claus On You" by Faron Young, and "Mister Santa" by Dorothy Collins. CD

A set that's heavy on the kind of country artists who often made key appearances on TV in the 60s – artists who were as much visual showfolks as they were singers – with an illuminating quality that really holds through in their recordings, even if you can't see their images on the screen! The cuts here often have a very animated, well-presented approach – especially on some of the numbers that require a slight current of drama or wit to send the lyric home! The package features 18 titles in all – and tracks include "A Million Years Or So" by Roger Miller, "The Good Lord Giveth" by Webb Pierce, "I Am The Grass" by The Stonemans, "Wino" by Porter Wagoner, "I Wouldn't Buy A Used Car From Him" by Norma Jean, "I Could Have Gone Right" by Mel Tillis, "Oriental Twist" by Pete Drake, and "Loser's Cocktail" by Dick Curless. LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a tribute to the songwriting genius of Dolly Parton – a side of her talents that's sometimes obscured by her incredible voice and overwhelming personality! Yet right from the start, long before she was a superstar, Dolly was as much a writer in country music as she was a singer of songs – and her early records are filled with gems that opened up a whole new space for the female voice not just in country music, but in other styles too – as testified by the mix of soul, rock, and other modes that appear on this set! Dolly kicks off the collection with one of her hits – but the package then spans decades to bring together a range of really wonderful readings of songs from the pen of Parton – all accompanied by detailed notes on every selection in the set. Titles include "I Will Always Love You" by Linda Ronstadt, "Two Doors Down" by Zella Lahr, "In The Good Old Days" by The Everly Brothers, "Here I Am" by Percy Sledge, "Nickels & Dimes" by Buck Owens, "I Loved So Fast & Hard" by Porter Wagoner, "There'll Always Be Music" by Tina Turner, "My Tennessee Mountain Home" by Maria Muldaur, "Little Sparrow" by Bettye Lavette, "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" by Bill Phillips, "Most Of All Why" by Holly Dunn, "I'm In No Condition" by Hank Williams Jr, "Touch Your Woman" by Margie Joseph, "Kentucky Gambler" by Merle Haggard, "Coat Of Many Colors" by Emmylou Harris, "Don't Let It Trouble Your Mind" by Rhiannon Giddens, and "Love Is Like A Butterfly" by Nana Mouskouri. CD