Honest-to-God Honky Tonkers

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 20 Jul 2004 3:27 am

Donna,
I'm with ya on Shania too!

I'll even add Toby to the list. I forgot to add Ricky Van Shelton, Patty Loveless, John Michael Montgomery, Rodney Crowell, Jon Randall, Harley Allen, and Rebecca Lynn Howard.

Charles Curtis · Post by **Charles Curtis** » 20 Jul 2004 4:24 am

How about Gretchen Wilson? I'd consider her way up there.

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 20 Jul 2004 7:11 am

Okay, I see what you are doing, Toby. This will be a great list. Carry on.

Tim Whitlock · Post by **Tim Whitlock** » 20 Jul 2004 11:18 am

Some of us here need to realize that there is music BESIDES what you hear on current Top 40 radio

!

Toby Rider · Post by **Toby Rider** » 20 Jul 2004 3:10 pm

Okay, all of us here have been musicians most our lives, most of us here are country musicians, and most of y'all are older then me! So we all know the difference between old-school honky-tonk country and pop country.

I'm not making any value judgements about the sub-genres of country music, I like all kinds of country music. I'm just trying to compile a list of artists in a particular sub-genre for my website.

As soon as Shania Twain pares down her band to a single pedal steel, fiddle, acoustic rhythm guitar and a Telecaster on lead, starts playing shuffles every other song, and takes a gig playing at Trout's in Bakersfield, then I'll add her to the list.

If there's any doubt what honky tonk country is.. Check out "Invitation to the Blues" by Ray Price, "There Stands the Glass" by Webb Pierce, "Just a Romeo" by Jerry Reed.. Y'all catch my drift..

Thanks so much for all the responses! The list keeps getting longer, and that's a good thing..
[This message was edited by Toby Rider on 20 July 2004 at 04:15 PM.]

John Steele (deceased) · Post by **John Steele (deceased)** » 20 Jul 2004 3:35 pm

I would add Canadian artist Sneezy Waters, as well as the band The Brothers Cosmoline to the list.
-John

Donna Dodd · Post by **Donna Dodd** » 20 Jul 2004 5:23 pm

Has anyone said Shania yet?????
<a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_1_119.gif' border=0></a>
Seriously, I do see what you're saying - you want people who have been consistant - not "sometimer honky tonkers".
My favorite - Loretta!!!! (But I think I already said that!)

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 20 Jul 2004 6:14 pm

Are Billy Walker and/or Faron Young still alive?

Steve Hitsman · Post by **Steve Hitsman** » 20 Jul 2004 6:18 pm

Chris Hillman/Herb Pederson

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 20 Jul 2004 10:27 pm

If you mean someone who has to make his living by playing music in places where ignernt people still smoke cigarettes like choo choo trains while getting tanked up on booze, fighting, dealing dope, heckling and carrying on.

You know....the kind of places that Jerry Springer forgot. Where you have to air out your gear before playing "respectable" (but less fun) gigs....

Then that'd be me.

4 beat shuffle---fifty five eleven---4 up---ready---set---go.

i.e.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 20 Jul 2004 10:28 pm

Billy Walker is still around, Faron unfortunately is not.
Toby, you've included some of my favorite bands in your original list

you might wanna add The Hacienda Brothers there too ( check www.haciendabrothers.com )

Gary Dunn · Post by **Gary Dunn** » 21 Jul 2004 6:14 pm

Cline, Paycheck, and Wills.

Charles French · Post by **Charles French** » 22 Jul 2004 4:37 am

I like to post first and then read the question. Hope these are living(:

Oh and I almost forgot, Hank Thompson, Vern Gosdin, Red Stegall, Carl Jackson and a fellow that did "Another Place, Another Time" "How's My X Treating You" "What Made Milwaukee Famous" and a couple more goodun's.[This message was edited by Charles French on 22 July 2004 at 05:52 AM.][This message was edited by Charles French on 22 July 2004 at 05:57 AM.][This message was edited by Charles French on 22 July 2004 at 07:00 AM.]

Larry King · Post by **Larry King** » 22 Jul 2004 5:14 am

Am I missing something?...I thought the subject was "LIVING" singers..why the mention of all those who have passed on? While you're at it,(if deceased artists are to be mentioned)I nominate Wynn Stewart.

Charles French · Post by **Charles French** » 22 Jul 2004 6:10 am

3 edits? Could I please have a cup of COFFEE!
Did I mention Toby, Brad, Shania, Joe, Mark, Tracy, Pam, John Michael? I hope not!

Toby Rider · Post by **Toby Rider** » 22 Jul 2004 7:45 am

They're posting some deceased artists I guess because they hadn't heard that they died yet

Although I think Patsy Cline & Bob Wills have been gone a long time now

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 22 Jul 2004 7:55 am

Toby also said, "you've got to have a steel guitar, a fiddle and a twangy Telecaster". Most of these singers mentioned don't have these instruments in their bands, if they even have their own bands.

Chuck Halcomb · Post by **Chuck Halcomb** » 22 Jul 2004 8:19 am

I haven't seen Jodi Nix, David Alexander and his big western swing band or Eddie McAlvain and the Mavericks. How about Tommy Morrell and the Timewarp Tophands? These guys all are alive, have a fiddle, a telecaster and a steel guitar (not necessarily pedal) in the band. In fact all of these have two or three fiddles and two or three telecasters.

------------------
Remington Steel T-8 Steelmaster
Gibson Console Grande[This message was edited by Chuck Halcomb on 22 July 2004 at 09:23 AM.][This message was edited by Chuck Halcomb on 22 July 2004 at 09:40 AM.]

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 22 Jul 2004 9:48 am

Toby, maybe for completeness, and for the ejikation of younger people, you need sublists, one for honky-tonkers from the past (deceased) and another for those in the present.

Toby Rider · Post by **Toby Rider** » 22 Jul 2004 9:59 am

I think that most of the folks on original list have all three. However that's not necessarily on *every* song.. Geez, Buck Owens did some songs with nothing but banjo, mando and fiddle.

I'll add Jody. Probably I'll split the list off and create a separate Western Swing section.

As far as a list of deceased honky tonkers, that's the next list I'm going to do. One step at a time. I have a day job, plus practicing/giging multiple instruments.

Next step after I feel like the list is as big as it's going to get for awhile, is to gather up bios, website links, reviews, etc. I'm going to need help with that too.

I'm trying to turn my brand-new website:
http://www.honkytonkheroes.net

into the mother of all honky tonk music sites. Maybe with the help of the internet country music communities, it'll get there.

Jerry Warner · Post by **Jerry Warner** » 22 Jul 2004 8:26 pm

the great mel street from my part of the country good ole west virginia and he was from bluefield wv with that borrowed angel that he wrote good family man that liked ole george jones can't get no better than that.

JAMES BANKS · Post by **JAMES BANKS** » 23 Jul 2004 1:27 pm

Toby, I checked out your site. Real nice. I grew up listening to Honky Tonk music and I love to play it.

James

Tay Joslin · Post by **Tay Joslin** » 23 Jul 2004 5:17 pm

I realize Buck Owens made the cut, but let's not forget his right arm, Don Rich. Don had a few hit chart-toppers of his own back then, too. Besides, I'm partial to Don, so he would've been second only to Hank Williams, Sr., had this been a list I composed. Always remember, Donald Eugene Ulrich (a.k.a. DON RICH)!

<-- sort of resembles ol' Don, doesn't it?

Toby Rider · Post by **Toby Rider** » 23 Jul 2004 5:20 pm

Oh don't you worry, I'm going to have separate sections for legendary guitar players and legendary steelers.. Don Rich, Roy Nichols, Ralph Mooney, they'll all have a section.

Tay Joslin · Post by **Tay Joslin** » 23 Jul 2004 5:25 pm

Toby,
I stand corrected; I just noticed that you emphasized "living" in your opening topic. Please accept my apology. Hey, perhaps you can compose a list of the best sidekicks in Honky-Tonk. Then, Don Rich could be at the top of that list! Anyway, THIS list is a superb idea and I commend you for it!

Yours truly,
Tay Joslin
Newbern, Tennessee
U.S.A.