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Etta James - Self-Titled

Generally panned at the time of its release, Etta James' 1973 self-titled album for Chess comes off somewhat better today. Perhaps we're more accustomed to the concept of a raging R&B star paired with a hit-minded rock producer, in this case Three Dog Night'

Willie Nelson - The Complete Atlantic Sessions

Willie Nelson had completed eight frustrating, hit-and-miss years with RCA in 1972 when a chance meeting with a longtime fan, Atlantic's legendary vice-president/producer Jerry Wexler, who loved all things country, changed everything. With Atlantic opening a country division, Willie would become their flagship artist. The creative freedom

Golden Smog - Another Fine Day

Nostalgia, like beer goggles, has a powerful distorting effect: Who wasn't a little hipper, more fun and better-looking in the halcyon haze of our embellished memories? Nobody, that's who. So consider this a caveat: Maybe Golden Smog wasn't really all that great. They were

Various Artists - The Pilgrim: A Celebration Of Kris Kristofferson

There are some first-rate songwriters of whom it's said that their songs show up can't-miss and singer-proof. There may be a handful of Kristofferson songs that turned out to be as simple and straightforward as that, but for the most part, the man's writings

Van Morrison - Ryman Auditorium (Nashville, TN)

The fact was, longer-time residents confirm, Van Morrison had never played Nashville before this night, ever, not in 40 years of appearing around the globe. The fact that he was touring behind his new Pay The Devil album -- full, as it is, of very Van versions of country tunes

Billy Cowsill: 1948 to 2006

When he passed away February 18 at age 58, William Joseph "Billy" Cowsill's obituary writers boiled his life down to a single story. As a teen, he fronted the Cowsills, a family act that enjoyed a brief but memorable run on the charts with bubblegum hits

Buck Owens: 1929 to 2006

To the country intelligentsia, Buck Owens' joyous iconoclasm made him a pivotal figure. His twangy, streamlined Bakersfield honky-tonk gave him 26 top-10 hits on the Billboard country chart; 21 of them went to #1, including 15 between 1963 and 1967. Not surprisingly, the masses viewed him mainly as a