I didn’t grow up listening to country music. My first real exposure to country radio was during Navy boot camp where I was totally shocked when the country music station overwhelmingly won the voting in the barracks for the one hour an evening allotted radio time.
The only "country music" I had heard prior to 1970 was the Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo and other similar cosmic cowboy music and some occasional country folk music at the annual Philadelphia Folk Festival. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will The Circle Be Unbroken was the first record I purchased that had real traditional country artists on it and I was hooked. It was a massive three record set that included Roy Acuff, Doc Watson , Merle Travis, Norman Blake, Mother Maybelle Carter, Vassar Clements, and more. I was also now hooked on bluegrass too and around that time we regularly went to the Wheel Pump Inn to see live bluegrass music located just outside the city in Erdenheim on Bethlehem Pike . Interesting to note that the Wheel Pump Inn had been a drinking establishment since 1735. We certainly spent a lot of time in that place keeping the tradition going.
In general, I hate modern pop country radio and avoid it like the plague but over the years I've collected a large number of a albums from country artist like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and the many artist under the outlaw country label. I also have collected many artists labeled alternative country too. This is the album that got me started.
The only "country music" I had heard prior to 1970 was the Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo and other similar cosmic cowboy music and some occasional country folk music at the annual Philadelphia Folk Festival. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will The Circle Be Unbroken was the first record I purchased that had real traditional country artists on it and I was hooked. It was a massive three record set that included Roy Acuff, Doc Watson , Merle Travis, Norman Blake, Mother Maybelle Carter, Vassar Clements, and more. I was also now hooked on bluegrass too and around that time we regularly went to the Wheel Pump Inn to see live bluegrass music located just outside the city in Erdenheim on Bethlehem Pike . Interesting to note that the Wheel Pump Inn had been a drinking establishment since 1735. We certainly spent a lot of time in that place keeping the tradition going.
In general, I hate modern pop country radio and avoid it like the plague but over the years I've collected a large number of a albums from country artist like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and the many artist under the outlaw country label. I also have collected many artists labeled alternative country too. This is the album that got me started.
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