For true fans of Western swing music, Bill Boyd rates with his contemporary, Bob Wills, even though the two utilized very different styles; whereas Wills & His Playboys often used horns and recorded songs from a variety of genres, Boyd remained true to his western roots, using only a string band, the Cowboy Ramblers.

Born on a ranch... [+] Read More

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As a performer and a songwriter, Merle Haggard was the most important country artist to emerge in the 1960s. Haggard became one of the leading figures of the Bakersfield country scene in the '60s. While his music remained hardcore country, he pushed the boundaries of the music quite far. Like his idol Bob Wills, his music was a melting pot that... [+] Read More

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Out of all the new country singers to emerge in the early '80s, George Strait stayed the closest to traditional country. Drawing from both the honky tonk and Western swing traditions, Strait didn't refashion the genres; instead, he revitalized them for a new decade. In the process, he became one of the most popular and influential singers of the... [+] Read More

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Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were equally adept at stripped-down basic rock & roll, R&B, and gritty country-rock. Commander Cody's country-rock rocked harder than the Eagles or Poco -- essentially, the group was a bar band. Much like English pub rock bands like Brinsley Schwarz and Ducks Deluxe, Commander Cody resisted the overblown... [+] Read More

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HANDMADE est un groupe d'amis musiciens partageant une même passion pour la musique américaine. Le Groupe est né fin 2003 de la réunion de quatre amateurs qui avaient envie de se faire plaisir. En 2005 le quartet est devenu sextet et s'adjoint pour les grandes salles l'aide d'une section rythmique. Leur répertoire mêle le blues du delta du... [+] Read More

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Fiddler Johnnie Lee Wills led the most popular pre-war Western swing band around the Oklahoma area; that is, after older brother Bob moved his Texas Playboys to California in 1940. He was born in Jewett, TX, on September 2, 1912, the second of four musical sons and seven years behind Bob. Johnnie Lee learned about music from his father, and... [+] Read More

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The Canadian Western swing group Prairie Oyster made a brief splash on the U.S. charts in the early '90s but began playing together in 1975, when they were a trio consisting of lead singer/bassist Russell de Carle, guitarist Keith Glass, and steel guitar player Denis Delorme. Initially, they toured and appeared on television but did not record;... [+] Read More

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Melding rockabilly, retro-country, and blues styles into a rollicking dance-friendly cocktail, the Riptones are one of the more traditionally oriented bands on Chicago's wild-and-wooly alt-country scene. Led by guitarist, singer, and songwriter Jeb Bonansinga, the band formed in 1990, with Bonansinga joined by his brother Tod Bonansinga on... [+] Read More

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