Little Jimmy Dickens

2008 ten CD boxset that contains nearly 160 of the biggest Country hits from the biggest stars of the genre including Jim Reeves, Chet Atkins, Merle Travis and many others. If you want to immerse yourself into the musical world of classic Country music, then there's no better package than this collection.

To discover the origins of rock & roll, one has to return to the music of the 1930s and '40s, when the blues and rhythm & blues ruled the airwaves. The musical geniuses of these genres were primarily African American, although a few Anglo artists crossed over into the earthy music played in dance halls and on the radio. Few of these artists cashed in like their spiritual descendants a generation later. Nonetheless, they have left a legacy in song of their rich tradition. This CD is part of a series that traces the colorful history of rock & roll to its source. Making an appearance are New Orleans R&B giants Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew. Other well-known artists include B.B. King, Wynonie Harris, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Louis Jordan, Champion Jack Dupree, and the Sons of the Pioneers…

Various Artists - The World Is A Monster: Columbia Hillbilly 1948-1958 (2010) {Omni Recording OMNI-140}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 345 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 190 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1948-58, 2010 The Omni Recording Corporation | OMNI - 140
Hillbilly / Country / Honky Tonk

Another fantastic compilation from the seemingly infallible Omni Recording Corporation, this one focusing on hillbilly music, specifically from the vaults of Columbia Records, between 1948 and 1959, and all focused around a Dallas recording studio run by a man named Jim Beck, and had the winds of fortune blown a little bit differently, and had Beck not died prematurely, then perhaps the recording industry in Nashville would have actually ended up based in Dallas. It's an interesting story, told in great detail in the copious liner notes, as are the stories of all the artists and their songs, and oh, what an awesome collection of singers and players, most of which we'd never before heard or even heard of.

Various Artists - The Hillbillies: They Tried To Rock, Vol. 2 (2014) {Bear Family BCD17406AH rec 1953-1958}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 286 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 162 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 100 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1953-58, 2014 Bear Family Records | BCD 17406 AH
Hillbillies / Rock & Roll / Country / Country Boogie / Rockabilly

The second volume of Bear Family's riotous 2014 series The Hillbillies: They Tried to Rock is every bit as good as its companion, possibly because it has many of the same players as the first disc. Marty Robbins, Patsy Cline, George Jones, Johnny Horton, Webb Pierce, and Marvin Rainwater didn't cut just one jumping rock & roll single, they cut several and the best of these appear on this 31-track delight. Although there are a few exceptions here, nearly everything on this collection dates from 1956 through 1958, when it was still possible that rock & roll was just another dance fad and not a cultural revolution.

Various Artists - The Hillbillies: They Tried To Rock, Vol. 1 (2014) {Bear Family BCD17350AH rec 1950-1958}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 279 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 164 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 100 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1950-58, 2014 Bear Family Records | BCD 17350 AH
Hillbillies / Rock & Roll / Country / Country Boogie / Rockabilly

At times, the line between country and rock & roll was very thin indeed, but Bear Family's two-volume, 2014 set The Hillbillies: They Tried to Rock presents a familiar story from a different angle: it showcases country singers trying to combat the rising tide of rock & roll. Plenty of the early rock & rollers came up through some manner of country circuit – the Sun stable in particular was riddled with these types – but once Elvis Presley started a streak of monster hits in 1956, major country stars and upstart hillbillies alike tried to ride that wave.