Glad to see this is up again! I'll add a couple things saved by the Google cache.

Subject: RE: Good list of must-hear country songs?
From: pdq
Date: 18 Feb 15 - 01:50 PM

Country Music went through a classic period where it was essentially America's Music. That was around the early 1950s through the early 1980s.

This list of stars from that period is entirely my own:


1. Johnny Cash

2. Hank Williams

3 . Eddy Arnold

4. Merle Haggard

5. George Jones

6. Buck Owens

7. Glen Campbell

8. George Strait

9. Willie Nelson

10. Marty Robins

11. Waylon Jennings

12. Dolly Parton

13. Patsy Cline

14. Loretta Lynn

15. Tammy Wynette

16. Kitty Wells

17. Rose Maddox

18. Jimmie Rodgers

19. Bob Wills

20. Lefty Frizzell

21. Charley Pride

22. Jim Reeves

24. Ray Price

25. Conway Twitty

26. Sonny James

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Subject: RE: Good list of must-hear country songs?
From: Chris C
Date: 18 Feb 15 - 03:57 PM

A few that I don't think I saw upthread (sorry if repeating):
For the Good Times (Kris Kristofferson, many versions, probably Ray Price best known)
Sunday Morning Coming Down (KK again, maybe Johnny Cash has best known version)
Ramblin' Fever (Haggard)
Ballad of Forty Dollars (Tom T Hall)
Midnight (Red Foley, a great, overlooked record)
All My Ex's Live In Texas (Strait, kind of representative of a modernized western swing vibe)
Georgia on a Fast Train, Old Chunk of Coal (and others by Billy Joe Shaver...kind of a Texas rockin' brand of country...Waylon Jennings did more "country" versions of Shaver songs)
For early country, all the Hank (Williams) & Lefy (Frizzell) material is essential. Bob Wills is similarly important to the Western Swing style of "country music". San Antonio Rose is probably his signature piece, so should be mentioned on any list that includes Western Swing tunes.
Going further back: Carter Family, as mentioned above.
For the classic country sound, I think the voices of Patsy Cline (among female singers) and George Jones (among the guys) are sort of the standard, most representative of the style, regardless of song. (Highly subjective, perhaps.)
Then there are the tons of great drinking songs by the likes of David Allen Coe and others (Drink My Wife Away, etc...these are easily found via google, etc)
The "outlaw" country stuff: "This Time" and many others by Waylon, "Good Hearted Woman" and tons of others by Willie Nelson.
Tons of great truck driving songs (Dave Dudley, mentioned above, plus the rockabilly/country sounds of Bill Kirchen, Commander Cody, etc..a whole 'other country-related sub-genre.)
FYI, Rolling Stone magazine published a list a few years back (??)...kind of a mess, but included some greats.
Also, Johnny Cash famously gave daughter Rosanne a list of 100 essential country songs...I don't think that's published, but her album The List is all songs from...the list.
And, of course, there's so, so much more.

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Subject: RE: Good list of must-hear country songs?
From: oldhippie
Date: 18 Feb 15 - 06:40 PM

Wild Irish Rose = George Jones
Sundown Mary = Billy Walker
The Ballad of Lucy Jordan - Bobby Bare
Crystal Skies = Casse Culver
Time In Babylon - Emmylou Harris
Route 1 Box 144 = Johnny Cash
Midnight Choir - Larry Gatlin
The Pill - Loretta Lynn
I Lost It - Lucinda Williams
Committed to Parkview - Porter Wagoner
In The Last Foxhole - Red Sovine
Atlanta Georgia Stray - Sonny Curtis

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Subject: RE: Good list of must-hear country songs?
From: GUEST,Sidewinder.
Date: 19 Feb 15 - 06:56 AM

Angels Flying Too Close To The Ground-Willie Nelson.
Angel of The Morning -Juice Newton.
Angel From Montgomery -Bonnie Raitt.
If I Had The Wings of An Angel- Elvis Presley.
Paradise -Johnny Cash.
and anything by John Prine or Garth Brooks.

Best Wishes.

Sidewinder.

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Subject: RE: Good list of must-hear country songs?
From: GUEST,silver
Date: 19 Feb 15 - 08:55 AM

El Paso - Marty Robbins
Leavin' Town - Bobby Bare (as sung by Waylon Jennings)
San Francisco Mabel Joy - Mickey Newbury (as sung by Waylon Jennings)
Gentle on my mind - John Hartford
Green Rolling hills of West Virginia - Utah Phillips (as sung by Emmylou Harris)
Starlight on the rails - Utah Phillips
Give my love to Rose - Johnny Cash
Sea of Heartbreak - Don Gibson
Wolverton Mountain - Claude King
Yonder comes a sucker - Jim Reeves
Healing Hands of Time - Willie Nelson
Sufferin' - Bill Gallaher (as sung by Gordon Bok)

Hey, I know that last one is written after 1980, but it's got all the ingredients of a classic. Also Bok isn't considered a country artist, but his work on the 12-string sure is impressive.

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Subject: RE: Good list of must-hear country songs?
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 19 Feb 15 - 09:55 AM

Just some of my favorites:

He'll Have to Go
Tishomingo Blues
White Line Fever
Big River
You're Still on My Mind
Big Iron
Sing Me Back Home
That's the Way Love Goes
Saginaw Michigan
Golden Rocket
Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone
Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes
Hello Stranger
Singing the Blues
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
Break My Mind
From the Bottom of the Glass
Lonesome Fugitive
Timberline
Semi Crazy
Six Days on the Road
Sunday Morning Coming Down
White Lightnin'
The Race is On
For The Good Times
I Sang Dixie
Guitars, Cadillacs and Hillbilly Music
Long White Cadillac
Honky Tonk Man
Honky Tonkin'
Help Me Make it Through the Night
Highway Patrol
Venom Wearing Denim
I'll Be Your San Antone Rose
Time Changes Everything

When you get going it's hard to stop. I'll have to make some mix CD's for the truck.

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Subject: RE: Good list of must-hear country songs?
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 19 Feb 15 - 10:24 AM

What a great thread. Here are A FEW OF MINE.

Waterloo/ Stonewall Jackson
Battle of New Orleans/ Johnny Horton
Wreck on The Highway/ Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper
Jimmy Brown The Newsboy/ Mac Wiseman
Come In Stranger/ Johnny Cash
Long Black Veil/ Lefty Frizell
Ode To Billie o/ Bobby Gentry
Amigos Guitar/ Kitty Wells
She's Got You/ Patsy Cline
Wings of A Dove / Ferlin Husky

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Subject: RE: Good list of must-hear country songs?
From: Gurney
Date: 19 Feb 15 - 02:56 PM

Most of the songs so far are too serious for me.
A couple from our fairly meagre collection of Country.

I Gotta Get Drunk. George Jones/Willy Nelson duet.
Put Another Log On The Fire. By anyone.

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Subject: RE: Good list of must-hear country songs?
From: Larry The Radio Guy
Date: 19 Feb 15 - 04:41 PM

The Mickey Newbury reference from Silver reminded me of some great Mickey tunes---aside from San Francisco Mable Joy.

She Even Woke Me Up to See Goodbye--Jerry Lee Lewis
Why You Been Gone So Long--(various bluegrass groups, Mickey himself, Johnny Darrell)
Frisco Depot--Mickey Newbury
Good Morning Dear--Don Gibson
Heaven Help THe Child--Mickey Newbury
Just Dropped In to See What Condition My Condition was In--Kenny   
          Rogers & First Edition.
Makes Me Wonder If I Ever Said Goodbye--Johnny Rodriguez
Time is a Thief--Solomon Burke
Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings--Don Gibson

-lots more.

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Subject: RE: Good list of must-hear country songs?
From: Janie
Date: 19 Feb 15 - 11:25 PM

Not following your last post with remarks directed to me, cnd - I'm thinking you meant to address and thank some one else. Easy to get confused or lose track in a good thread like this one. As it happens, if you were a member, I would say this via pm so as not to distract/divert from the topic, but will take the opportunity to say thanks for starting it!

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Subject: RE: Good list of must-hear country songs?
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 20 Feb 15 - 03:51 AM

Blue Side Of Lonesome by Leon Payne (george Jones version)
You Win Again by Hank Williams Snr (Jerry Lee Lewis version)
I'm So Lonesome I could Cry by Hank Snr and his own version
She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye by Micky Newbury (J J Lewis)
I still Miss Someone by J Cash (Roseanne Cash Or Suzy Bogus versions)
Give My Love To Rose by J cash & his version
Comitted to Parkview by J Cash ( his or Porter Wagoner's version)
I aint Famous by Emi Sunshine & her version
Blackberry Winter by Emi Sunshine her own version
Thank You Kindly ;)

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Subject: RE: Good list of must-hear country songs?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 20 Feb 15 - 05:23 AM

take this job and shove it - johnny paycheck
anything by hoyt axton