Whoever came up with this concept is a genius. Consider this: It evokes a very high profile name without having to use any of his material. The material it does use is a) probably quite cheap; b) varied; and c) fabulous. It’s also recyclable idea for many other high profile names.
It’s exactly what it says on the label – these are songs that Gram Parsons might have heard on the radio when he was growing up in Waycross, Georgia. One of them, The Christian Life by The Louvin Brothers, made it onto Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, which is in its way proof enough of this album’s validity. Another is by Skeeter Davies (Set Him Free), who has passed into Byrds mythology as the only person who was nice to them when they appeared at the Grand Old Opry.
Famous names such as Flatt & Scruggs, Buck Owens, George Jones, Lefty Frizell and Hank Snow are mixed with lesser lights the likes of Jimmy Blakely, Harry & Jeanie West and Bradley Kincaid to create a fine cross-section of country material in all its sub-genres. Genius.
