get the "o brother where art thou" saoundtrack and go from there...Ralph Stanley is amazing.

Always thought I hated country until I heard that.

Dolly Parton "Little Sparrow" is pretty good too, in a bluegrass stylee.

is one of my fave country songs ever. It appears on a really good country compilation called Beyond Nashville with an eclectic mix of country artists new and old ranging from Willard Grant Conspiracy to Woody Guthrie and Hank William. A really good album and available for less than a fiver on Amazon!

is my favourite, and to be honest the limit of my country knowledge.

A great song though.

Country Mike - Country Mike's Theme

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_Mike's_Greatest_Hits

Good stuff.

tchyoon

by EmmyLou Harris is one of my favourite songs of all time! along with Return of the Grievous Angel by the great Gram Parsons!!

i don't include all that hoedown / line dancing shit that gives it such a bad name.

that is what we are

need this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_the_Circle_Be_Unbroken

Johnny Cash - I still miss someone/Folsom Prison Blues
Hank Williams - I'm so lonesome I could cry
Bob Wills - San Antonio Rose/Right or Wrong
Charlie Daniels Band - Devil went down to Georgia

George Jones - She thinks I still care
Willie Nelson - I never cared for you
Kris Kristofferson - Sunday Morning Coming Down
Emmylou Harris - Wrecking Ball
Hank Williams - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
Merle Haggard - The Bottle Let Me Down

by the Flying Buritto Brothers is a great tune too and Guitar Town by Steve Earle

Not the Tremblin Kind - Laura Cantrell
I Lost You But I Found Country Music - Ballboy and Laura Cantrell (Peel session)

Hickory Wind - The Byrds <- Best
Christine's Tune - Flying Burrito Brothers
Sin City - Flying Burrito Brothers
Return of the Grievous Angel - Gram Parsons

^ all you need ^

(and Jacksonville City Nights)

"why dont we get drunk and screw"

Jim Reeves - He'll Have To Go
Billy Strange - Red
Patsy Cline - A Church, A Courtroom, Then Goodbye
Lefty Frizzell - Long Black Veil (later covered beautifully by the Band)
Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys - Maiden's Prayer

Ode to Billie Joe - Bobbie Gentry
Crystal Chandeliers - Charlie Pride

I think Im about to spit.

YEEEEHAW!!!!!!!

In Spite of Ourselves is a duet, and is amazing. I think he counts as country?

'blanket on the ground' billie jo spears

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O4BJSZn4og

'coward of the county' kenny rogers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQAUzPhz_v4

FANCY

and my Dad dragged me into a few honky tonks for cokes , pickled eggs and change for the juke box so I am the autority here.

Waylon Jennings "This Time"

Eddy Arnold "Make World Go Away" n "Cattle Call"

Charley Pride "Kiss An Angel Good Morning"

Charley Rich "Behind Closed Doors"

Buck Owens "I Got A Tiger By The Tail"

if you want more; pm me

Garth Brookz suck balls

...but any Hank Williams is worth your time (my personal favourite album is "Alone & Forsaken" songs chosen by Matt Johnson of The The), any of the Johnny Cash Sun/American/Live prison albums, Michael Nesmith "And The Hits Keep Coming" and the new album by Chatham County Line, they were superb on Jools Holland a couple of weeks back.

My favourite country song, nay, one of favourite songs of all it time is called "Psycho", written by Leon Payne and covered brilliant by Elvis Costello (you can get it on the re-issue of Almost Blue. Or download it. I don't care. Just get it.) An incredible piece of music.

harvest moon

"We are nowhere"
absolutely adore it.

by Patty Griffin

beautiful song

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWzuLAHnGBQ

Hank Williams: You Win Again (Hank Williams does lonesome and desperate better than anyone)

Johnny Cash: Delia's Gone

The Flying Burritto Bros: The Dark End of the Street

Steve Earle: Ft Worth Blues

George Jones: He Stopped Loving Her Today

piney gir & the country roadshow album.

Living In The Country - Cowboy

'I Threw Away The Rose'

Mostly "Phantom 309" though

http://youtube.com/watch?v=I4HhFY3ljZc

only one mention??

kudos to ianc21 - literally ANYTHING by him

If so then "Wild Montanna Sky" or "Rocky Mountain High".

Hank Williams- Why Don't You Love Me Like You Used To Do, Men With Broken Hearts, Your Cheating Heart, Hey Good Looking

Willie Nelson - On The Road Again, Crazy, Fever

Johnny Cash - I still Miss Someone, Folsom Prison Blues, Cocaine Blues, San Quentin.

If you like any, investigate the albums they come from. If you do not then you don't like Country.

Kris Kristofferson - Sunday Morning Coming Down, The Taker, Me and Bobbie McGee etc. etc.

written by chip taylor, sung by many including shaggy, and of course chip taylor and carrie rodriguez.

chip is jon voight's brother, he played truck a few years back and is one of the nicest guys in music i've ever met!

towers of london played that year too, and they definitely weren't.

hank williams-"im so lonesome i could cry"
roscoe holcomb-"trouble in mind"

to look through but i'd say, also these are to check out and by no means "the best country songs ever"

gillian welch - black star
union station - bright sunny south
the highwaymen - the highwayman

by Bill Monroe

To Live is to Fly
Panch and Lefty
'Get the Live form the old quarter' LP, stunning.

Said already but Kris Kristofferson - Sunday Morning Coming Down, is possibly the greatest song ever written. The lp (Kris Kristofferson) is stunning to. But avoid all of his 80's/90's stuff.

If you want 'REAL' honking tonking country then get the early Hank Williams stuff. Cold, Cold Heart. I'm so lonesome. Just check his discography for everything released before 1955.

Obviously Cash and Parsons, but you know that already...

this small mix tape of old-timey/country music I compiled it has what I would class as good country music on it:

http://www.mediafire.com/?qlultn35m1d

I'd suggest:

Roosevelt & Ira Lee - Tony Joe White
Be Real - Doug Sahm
My Uncle - Flying Burrito Brothers
Lucas Was a Red Neck - Mac Davis
Sad songs & Waltzes - Willie Nelson
1,000 Miles from Nowhere - Ronnie Milsap
Lord I'm just a country boy in this great big freaky city - Sir Douglas Quintent
Country Casanova - Commander Cody
Sugar Babe - Youngbloods
Why Not Your Baby - Dillard & Clark
Dang Me - Roger Miller
Honky Tonk Man - Johnny Horton

I do a country show playing cosmic country stuff and country soul on Fleet FM in Auckland. You can get podcasts of the shows on la-grange.uber.com. It's all good. Apart from my bumbling dj skills.

Also worth looking at is therisingstorm.net - excellent blog, linking to other good country music mp3 blogs like Setting the Woods on Fire and Big Rock Candy Mountain

Well, good morning, little angel
I've been waiting all night long
It's no secret what's kept me here
In your driveway until dawn
I didn't come to cause you trouble
Or avenge my wounded pride
I just came to meet your new friend
So won't you have him step outside?

I just want to see his face
So that I can see who's in my place
I just want to know the stranger who
Has put his poison inside of you
I just want to look into the eyes
My own baby's learned to recognize
The one that tore down everything I'd planned
I just want to meet the man.

Don't tell me it's just the two of you
I see his shadow on the blind
He can't hide in there forever
And darling, I've got so much time
No, that's nothing in my pocket
Just a toy I brought for Jane
I couldn't stand to see her hurting
Now Daddy's here to kill the pain.

I'm not claiming that this is the best country song / singer-songwriter ever but I found this new singer on youtube – wikid vid and cracking set of lungs. I reckon she’ll be big!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ENm6a56vuuQ
www.nellbryden.com

Cannot believe that no-one has mentioned The Louvin Brothers!

River of Jordan - Louvin Brothers (get any best of for a million amazing tunes)
Right or Wrong - Wanda Jackson
Will You Be Loving Another Man - Bill Monroe
Under The Weeping Willow - Carter Family
John John John - Anita Carter

Conway Twitty - Hello Darlin
John Denver - Gentle On My Mind
Hank Williams - Your Cheating Heart
Patsy Cline - Crazy

All country gold