Leona Williams / Dolly Parton / Ted Hawkins / Steve Earle / Wynn Stewart & more
Merle Haggard always had an eye for talent. His first wife, Bonnie Owens, had been married to Buck Owens, and still sings with Haggard’s Strangers. Second wife LEONA WILLIAMS has had a less obvious career, profiled in Bear Family’s recent Old Loves Never Die. The first ten tracks are lovely duets with Merle, followed by another 18 cuts (including a sweet ending joke, “Tommy Lasorda”) that suggest she might well have been known as more than the Hag’s second wife, give or take a break. She had a great country voice, pretty good material, and sympathetic production from Jimmy Bowen. But when your husband takes his ex-wife on the road to sing your half of a top-ten hit…One of Leona Williams’ tracks, the rather forgettable “Country Girl With Hot Pants On”, also shows up on The Hickory Records Story Vol. 1 (Audium). One of Nashville’s now-venerated indie labels, Hickory’s roster included Don Gibson, Bill Carlisle, and Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper. And no small number of hits….
DOLLY PARTON had less trouble separating from her original duet partner, and by 1971-75 — the period summarized in a fine Australian set, Mission Chapel Memories (Raven) — she had well and truly hit her stride as a songwriter. Yes, the hits (“Coat Of Many Colors”, “Jolene”, etc.) are familiar, but it’s nice to have them in one place….
Interest persists in the late TED HAWKINS’ music, and with good reason, for he had an extraordinary voice. Nowhere To Run (Catfish-UK) is the first release of some 1989 sessions in London, setting Hawkins’ voice amid the Michael Messer Band. They’re a pleasant ensemble, but it’s hard to be satisfied with ten short songs whose principal virtue is to take the roughness from Hawkins’ voice. Nowhere To Run does bolster arguments that Hawkins might have had a more conventional singing career, but does little to argue against his brilliance as an unadorned solo performer….
STEVE EARLE has had is rough spots as well, but his debut, Guitar Town, wasn’t one of them. MCA has remastered the disc (at last), and added Earle’s version of Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper” as a bonus….
RCA is using the Buddha imprint to restore some of its important music to print — under the RCA Country Legends name — including best-of sets from SKEETER DAVIS (“The End Of The World,” and rather more; the set happily includes some of her sassy early songs with the Davis Sisters), DOTTIE WEST (who was rather more than Kenny Rogers’ duet partner), and the late JOHN HARTFORD….
WYNN STEWART may be little more than an old name today, but a new Best Of (Varese Sarabande)offers a valuable introducion, summarizing hits 1958-62 peak.