Columbia Country Classics, Vol. 4: The Nashville Sound CD

Columbia Country Classics, Vol. 4: The Nashville Sound songs Part of Columbia's excellent Country Classics survey series, this 25-track roundup of Americana-themed material takes in the vast landscape by way of geography, history, and patriotism. Ranging from early honky tonk-era sides to '80s roots, Columbia Country Classics, Vol. 3: Americana spotlights hits by Marty Robbins ("El Paso"), Johnny Horton ("North to Alaska"), Lefty Frizzell ("Saginaw, Michigan"), and the Charlie Daniels Band ("The Devil Went Down to Georgia"). Bookended by the picaresque likes of "The Ballad of Davey Crockett" (Fess Parker) and "Highwayman," the mix packs it in with more U.S. gold from Hawkshaw Hawkins, Johnny Cash, and Stonewall Jackson, among others. A rousing bit of old-timey fun. ~ Stephen Cook

Columbia Country Classics, Vol. 4: The Nashville Sound album for sale As part of Columbia's excellent Country Classics series, Honky Tonk Heroes spotlights country music's transition from the bluegrass-heavy golden age of Roy Acuff and Bill Monroe to the honky tonk style that featured the more urbane, shuffle-beat sound forged by Lefty Frizzell and Ray Price in the '40s and '50s. A shift in lyric matter occurred too, as depression-era tales of rural strife were supplanted by woeful stories of tavern life. While Floyd Tillman's overwrought vocals and cloying violin passages on "This Cold War With You" are planted in the past, Little Jimmy Dickens' mixture of country bumpkin singing and hard-driving, guitar-heavy accompaniment on "A Sleepin' at the Foot of the Bed" rides the line between the golden and honky tonk age. The transition is made complete on Lefty Frizzell's classic "If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time," with its swinging 4/4 beat and tale of bar hopping. Ray Price would take the honky tonk sound to full flower, compliments of his famous shuffle-beat sound on huge hits like "Crazy" and "Heartaches by the Number." Johnny Horton would even add a little rockabilly flavor to the mix with "Honky Tonk Man." With even more great songs by Charlie Walker, Marty Robbins, and Stonewall Jackson, Honky Tonk Heroes is the perfect introduction to the honky tonk sound and a must for any country music collection. ~ Stephen Cook Includes liner notes by Rich Kienzie. This is part of the Columbia Country Classics series. Personnel: Marty Robbins (vocals). Liner Note Author: Rich Kienzle. Recording information: 09/05/1946-02/26/1961.

Columbia Country Classics, Vol. 4: The Nashville Sound CD music Recorded between 1935 and 1951. Includes liner notes by Rich Kienzle. This five-volume set contains 128 of the greatest country music recordings in Columbia's vaults, which span the genre from its beginnings. Each volume (available separately or as a set) contains major country artists. This first volume contains 27 landmark recordings by the artists that made them famous, such as the late Roy Acuff's "Wabash Cannonball" and The Carter Family's "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" -- 16 artists in all. ~ All Music Guide