Bob Weir: "George Jones is my favorite musician."

Always loved George "Possum" Jones, his tone, phrasing and pace are instantly recognizable. I often sing "The Grand Tour" to myself in the car - it has what I consider one of the best and saddest final stanzas in country (or any) music:

There's her rings, all her things
And her clothes are in the closet
Like she left them when she tore my world apart
As you leave, you'll see the nursery
Oh, she left me without mercy
Taking nothing but our baby, and my heart

I am also a big Hank Williams Sr. fan and consider him, Jimmie Rodgers, and the Carter Family to be on the Mount Rushmore of Country Music.  

I also am a big fan of Eddy Arnold (the Tennessee Plowboy), Ferlin Husky, Hank Snow, and I just realized how long this list is but you get the idea.

George's biggest hit "He Stopped Loving Her Today", while an amazing song lyrically, is too overproduced and syrupy for me, so while I do love it I wish there was a "demo version" of it floating around but that type of thing doesn't seem to happen much in the country world (although Alone With His Guitar is an HW fan's dream come true, and there is some Johnny Cash demo material I've loved as well).

As a guy who grew up on a farm in northern Wisconsin, I envy your SoCal youth, California was like a mystical land when I was a kid and I remember thinking how kids growing up there were "lucky ducks" to use the parlance of the time. I actually came to be a Deadhead through country classics rather than the other way around, and I've always been grateful (pun intended) for the oeuvre of these fantastic artists. 

Just out of curiosity, what is your opinion of Return of the Grievous Angel (the tribute album, not the song)?  I have heard mixed reviews, but I really enjoy it to this day.

Anyway, thanks for the interesting post.

Sorry, the above question was meant for you @bdp24 I just realized I didn't address anyone. More coffee, STAT!

Yep @hifiguy42, I figured so. I do have the Just Me And My Guitar album, on LP. The series of eight 2-LP chronologically-arranged Hank Williams compilations on Polydor are essential imo. 

I would like to add to your list Lefty Frizzell (a favorite of Merle Haggard, and singer of "Long Black Veil", a great song The Band included on their debut album), Buck Owens, Johnny Horton (as a kid I started my subscription to the Columbia Record Club with his Greatest Hits album), Johnny Cash (my Mom had his Ring Of Fire LP, which I wore out on our Magnavox console), The Louvin Brothers (if you like The Everly Brothers you’ll like them), Webb Pierce, Ray Price, Carl Smith (Carlene’s Pa), Tom T. Hall, Charlie Rich, Faron Young, Ricky Skaggs, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Vince Gill, Clint Black, Randy Travis, George Strait, Rodney Crowell (a great songwriter too), and Keith Whitley. Though categorized as Rock ’n’ Roll, The Everly Brothers have deep Hillbilly roots, and have made some purely Country Western albums.

And let’s not forget the gals: Wanda Jackson (a girlfriend of Elvis’, and a favorite with Rockabilly enthusiasts. I’ve seen her live!), Tammy Wynette (my personal favorite), Skeeter Davis (in the mid-80’s she did an album with NRBQ. She was at the time married to NRBQ bassist Joey Spampinato, who is Keith Richards’ favorite bass player.), Loretta Lynn, Kitty Wells (now THERE is a hillbilly!), Patsy Cline of course, Dolly Parton (when she isn’t pandering), Connie Smith (she’s married to Marty Stuart), Patty Loveless (I LOVE Patty!), Rhonda Vincent (also an excellent mandolin and fiddle player), Alison Krauss, Rosie Flores, and the Queen---Emmylou Harris!

The Grievous Angel album, being a various artists compilation, is a mixed bag. My feeling is that Gram was a much better songwriter than singer (he sings flat throughout his debut solo album. He’s much better on his second), so interpretations by other singers is fine with me.

By the way, I attended the Return To Sin City---a Tribute To Gram Parsons tribute show held at the Universal Amphitheater in 2004. It too was a mixed bag, the low point being the disgusting behaviour of Keith Richards, who was hanging all over poor Norah Jones, who looked horrified. He also sounded like sh*t. They sang "Love Hurts", a song thought by many to be a Parsons song. Nope, it was written by Boudleaux Bryant, and recorded and released in 1960 by The Everly Brothers. A FANTASTIC song! The Brothers version is considerably better than the cover by Gram and Emmylou.

@bdp24 we are very much sympatico on that list (I listened to Loretta's Don't Come Home a-Drinkin'... on vinyl last night with my wife), although I am not very familiar with a lot of the newer artists you mention, but I will change that. For modern stuff, I've been following Gillian and David since Revival came out back in '96 - I've only seen them once, but it was at the Ryman and was pretty magical. I also love Hurray for the Riff Raff, although I'm not grokking their latest effort. I have always dug Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, k.d. lang, and that type of thing as well. 

I was lucky enough to see John and June Carter at Big Top Chataqua in Bayfield, WI in 1997 and just the memory of it gives me goosebumps. What a talent.

That Gram Tribute in 2004 was something I toyed with attending but funds and timing wouldn't allow it. 

I consider the Louvin Brothers to have the best harmonies of any performers I've ever heard. It's spooky how close the Everlys got but there was something about the way those Loudermilk boys sang that could stop a clock.

I've been binging on Ry Cooder and Gustav Mahler lately but I believe I will take a trip down the country lane after mowing the lawn today.

Happy weekend!

p.s. I love Gram's out-of-tune warble on "Love Hurts", as well as the Everly's AND Nazareth's version (love the guitar solo on that one)!