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Critic's Review
Al Campbell, All Music Guide
It was Roy Acuff who first took serious notice of David Allan Coe when he was struggling in Nashville, trying to make a name for himself. He would park his mode of transportation at the time, a hearse with "The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy" written on the side, outside of the Ryman Auditorium and Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. It was also Acuff who got Coe his initial gigs on both the Grand Ole Opry and the Ernest Tubb Record Shop radio program. On the various editions of Coepop's David Allan Coe Presents Music I Listen To series, he handpicks his favorite tracks from artists who had a deep influence on him. In the case of these ten Roy Acuff recordings, a few Acuff classics are present, like "Night Train to Memphis" and "Great Speckled Bird," but important tracks such as "Wabash Cannonball" and "The Wreck on the Highway" are ignored and replaced with a handful of tunes associated with Hank Williams. These remastered tracks are lovingly compiled in the same way a person makes a mixtape for a friend. Usually its real purpose is to act as a primer, leaving listeners to dig deeper into the music if they so choose. That's definitely the case with this collection.
