Maurice Hope – September 28, 2016 at 02:37PM
Tags:_AMERICANA
The compilation’s title Country Music: Pure And Simple pretty much sums up the music of Nashville’s Jean Shepard, likewise, to some degree the handle the country veteran act is often referred to The Grand Old Lady of the Grand Ole Opry. Sheppard’s extraordinary career as a recording artist dates back to 1953, when she partnered Ferlin Husky on their chart-topping duet “A Dear John Letter” and they had a follow-up to the record in “Forgive Me John”.
It is as a solo act the often out-spoken Shepard is best remembered; the period in between 1963-1979 that makes up the 50-track set finds the distinctive singer at her finest. Formerly a member of the all-girl band, The Melody Ranch Girls she set the benchmark when it came to pure undiluted country music, and she wasn’t afraid to tell those who either strayed over to pop country or more likely still the female acts form the world of pop without the necessary credentials saw country music as a big earner.
Away from the politics the compilations is littered with a bunch of fantastic pedal steel laden country songs; pulled from songwriters Bill Anderson, Hank Cochran, Dallas Frazier, Ned Miller and George Richey, plus you have versions of Bob McDill’s classic “I’m Not That Good At Goodbye” and David Allan Coe’s “Would You Lay With Me In A Field Of Stone” (a hit for a young Texan gal called Tanya Tucker). Among Sheppard’s long list of honky-tony gems you have “Another Lonely Night”, Johnny McCrea’s “Many Happy Hangovers To You” and bubbly delights “Ain’t Love Good” (Butler, Ben Peters), “Second Fiddle (To An Old Guitar)” and “I Want To Be Free”. There is even a cover of “Only Mama (That’ll Walk The Line)” and big favourite of the time “Silver Threads And Golden Needles”, the hits and good stuff just keep coming as Shepard and some of Nashville’s finest strut their stuff. They don’t make them like pure voiced country gal, Jean Shepard anymore! Jean Shepard 1933-2016.
Maurice Hope
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