The Stranger, Seattle WA Nov. 16, 2006
Kurt B. Reighley

"I am so tired of seeing bands who don't know what they are," says Brent Amaker. That's hardly an accusation one can level at Amaker and his band, the Rodeo. They have a distinct, straightforward sound and a consistent look. Until recently, the quartet.who play Cafe Venus... [+] Read More

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Seems like Joey Allcorn wasn’t born 50 Years Too Late after all. As predicted by this writer and others who have bought the old EP’s, traded bootleg recordings of live shows, and seen him live, this young singer/songwriter from Columbus, Georgia, is starting to experience a great deal of success. The Not-So-Nashville Star is taking... [+] Read More

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Known as Mr. Country, Carl Smith was one of the most popular honky tonkers of the '50s, racking up over 30 Top Ten hits over the course of the decade. Smith was also able to sustain that popularity into the late '70s, during which time he had a charting single for every year except one. Smith had a talent for singing smooth ballads which... [+] Read More

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With 36 number one hits under his belt, Charley Pride, who is black, has helped prove how little race matters to the majority of country music fans. It's taken a long time to understand that, though. His first single, "Snakes Crawl at Night," was released without publicity photos, as some in the industry feared listeners would automatically... [+] Read More

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Originally known as "the Hillbilly Heartthrob" and "the Singing Sheriff," Faron Young had one of the longest-running and most popular careers in country music history. Emerging in the early '50s, Young was one of the most popular honky tonkers to appear in the wake of Hank Williams' death, partially because he was able to smooth out some of the... [+] Read More

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The offspring of famous musicians often have a hard time creating a career for themselves, yet Hank Williams, Jr. is one of the few to develop a career that is not only successful, but markedly different from his legendary father. Originally, Hank Jr. simply copied and played his father's music, but as he grew older, he began to carve out his... [+] Read More

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Hawkshaw Hawkins is a country singer, guitarist, songwriter, and entertainer. A large man (6'6") with a deep singing voice, Hawkins was an immensely popular performer in country music for many years without the benefit of big record success. He started on radio, becoming a regular on WWVA's Wheeling Jamboree by 1946 and making his first records... [+] Read More

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Lefty Frizzell was the definitive honky tonk singer, the vocalist that set the style for generations of vocalists that followed him. Frizzell smoothed out the rough edges of honky tonk by singing longer, flowing phrases -- essentially, he made honky tonk more acceptable for the mainstream without losing its gritty, bar-room roots. In the... [+] Read More

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Rodney (R.L.) Hargis was born and raised in Selma, NC, a small town on the outskirts of a smaller town about 30 miles southeast of Raleigh NC. Introduced to music through the church and to the guitar through the town bum known as Railroad Spike, Hargis developed a love for traditional music at an early age. Although he didn't pick up the guitar... [+] Read More

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Ray Price has covered -- and kicked up -- as much musical turf as any country singer of the postwar era. He's been lionized as the man who saved hard country when Nashville went pop, and vilified as the man who went pop when hard country was starting to call its own name with pride. Actually, he was -- and still is -- no more than a musically... [+] Read More

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Born in Apopka, Florida in 1973, Rowdy Johnson is a throwback to the outlaw country legends of that time like Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams Jr. With a soulfull voice and a gift for songwriting, Country Music is in good hands. Somewhere Waylon is looking down on Rowdy and smiling.

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Webb Pierce was one of the most popular honky tonk vocalists of the '50s, racking up more number one hits than similar artists like Hank Williams, Eddy Arnold, Lefty Frizzell, and Ernest Tubb. For most of the general public, Pierce -- with his lavish, flamboyant Nudie suits -- became the most recognizable face of country music, as well as all of... [+] Read More

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