Recommend me some Western Swing/Country

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JSett
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Recommend me some Western Swing/Country

Post by JSett » Tue Oct 03, 2023 10:43 pm

Hey everyone,

I've been broadening my horizons a bit and getting back into a bit more of a folk/country vibe with my solo songwriting and been working on improving my fingerpicking techniques that I've neglected badly for the last 20 years :D The folk stuff I'm good with (having grown up surrounded by it) but country I'm a bit more sparse in knowledge - it's not that popular here in the UK.

I tend to prefer the 50's/early 60's style, often with that 'Western Swing' vibe. Honky tonk and Boogie I like too. I know a bunch of the usual suspects like Willie Nelson, Dixie Rogers, Johnny Cash, Don Williams, Hank Williams etc but looking for some more recommendations and a deeper dive.

Stuff with pedal steel, washboard/brushed snare etc. Not really looking for that late-60's/70's exaggeration of the style.

Thank you in advance.

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ThePearDream
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Re: Recommend me some Western Swing/Country

Post by ThePearDream » Wed Oct 04, 2023 5:29 am

Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
Ernest Tubb
Hank Snow
Hank Thompson

Source: my dad's parents were dust bowl refugees that settled in Bakersfield, California in the 40s. I grew up hearing a lot of Western Swing and Honky-Tonk.
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cestlamort
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Re: Recommend me some Western Swing/Country

Post by cestlamort » Wed Oct 04, 2023 9:15 am

Great recommendations

Tangentially, I’ve been really enjoying this podcast: Cocaine & Rhinestones.
(Note: The host’s cadence bugged me at first but I got used to him / he got better, and the content and stories are amazing)
Last edited by cestlamort on Wed Oct 04, 2023 9:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Recommend me some Western Swing/Country

Post by marqueemoon » Wed Oct 04, 2023 9:28 am

Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West
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JSett
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Re: Recommend me some Western Swing/Country

Post by JSett » Wed Oct 04, 2023 9:51 pm

Thanks everyone so far. The name Ernest Tubb rings a bell (I think GaryPtaszek recommended him a while back) but definitely not heard of the others. Going on the list
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Re: Recommend me some Western Swing/Country

Post by Sweetfinger » Sat Oct 07, 2023 6:34 pm

This is a great compilation. You should be able to find it used, cheap.
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Asleep At The Wheel kept Western Swing alive for decades. Their records are classics, though they are from the 1970s through 1990s. Basically just updates of stuff like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTnEIz1S80E
If you are looking for more country, less swing, find some of the old Starday Records Steel guitar compilations. Pete Drake is a personal fave.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YbQ918Odkw
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