Country Artists Early CDs Before They Gained Popularity

[Kentucky25]

Wasn't sure how to word the title, so I apologize if it's misleading.  About a year ago, I stumbled across a YouTube account that has posted two of Jason Aldean's CD's he paid for and sold at his early concerts and was wondering if y'all had found anything like that.  I'm gonna post the link to "Cowboy Lady" there's plenty of other songs on the account as well.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf82VJUiP_0

Imagine if he released a song like this or "Ghost Town" "Homegrown Hillbilly Girlfriend" (both also on YouTube)! HHG would be my favorite release of all time, I crack up every time I listen to it.  I also like how he sounds a lot more like early Chesney and McGraw on these tracks.

[.indulgecountry]

Miranda Lambert had a self-released album in 2001 that was supposedly pretty good. I have a friend who has it and he loves it.

And in 2007, Sara Evans had a CD released called The Early Years, which was basically an album of songs from the early 90s when she first moved to Nashville that got shelved before she wound up releasing Three Chords and the Truth a few years later.

[Old Fart In NC]

Several days ago in the Random Video of the Day thread I mentioned Randy Travis' pre-Storms of Life album which he recorded under his given name, Randy Traywick. I posted the one charted single from the album; YouTube had some other songs from the album too.

LeAnn Rimes had three CDs released on independent Nor Va Jak before she broke through with Blue: Everybody's Sweetheart (1991), From My Heart to Yours (1992), and All That (1994).

[Andy]

Both Dierks Bentley and Jamey Johnson released an independent album before they signed major label deals, titled Don't Leave Me in Love and They Call Me Country, respectively. Both discs are extremely rare and fetch a high price on eBay.

[sabre14]

Joe Nichols had a self-titled debut album in 1996 off Intersound Records when he was for the most part still in Arkansas.

[carriekins]

Mar 28, 2014 15:37:32 GMT -5 Andy said:

Both Dierks Bentley and Jamey Johnson released an independent album before they signed major label deals, titled Don't Leave Me in Love and They Call Me Country, respectively. Both discs are extremely rare and fetch a high price on eBay.

I have two copies, one signed, one unopened.

Two of the songs on DLMIL went on to be reworked on Dierks' major label debut: Bartenders, Etc. and Whiskey Tears.

Here's a playlist of the CD from YouTube. www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC2810503045C628A

[countryfan15]

Here's a list of the ones i have and a 1-10 rating(1 being bad and 10 outstanding).

Dierks Bentley- Don't Leave Me In Love. 10

Miranda Lambert- Self-titled. 9

Jerrod Niemann-Long Hard Road. 4

Jerrod Niemann-Jukebox Of Hardknocks. 8

Chris Young- A Little At A Time. 5

Chris Young- I Wish I Was Lyin. 9

Keith Anderson- Self-Titled. 7

Jason Aldean- Self-Titled. 5

Alan Jackson- New Traditional. 9

Jamey Johnson- They Call Me Country. 7

Hunter Hayes- Songs About Nothing. 7

Mark Chesnutt- Doin My Country Thing. 10

Sammy Kershaw- Business Is Pleasure. 8

Buddy Jewell- One In A Row. 8

Buddy Jewell- Far Enough Away. 6

Luke Bryan- Self-Titled. 7

Justin Moore- Not Sure Of The Title?. 9

[Kentucky25]

Mar 28, 2014 21:44:36 GMT -5 countryfan15 said:

Chris Young- A Little At A Time. 5

Chris Young- I Wish I Was Lyin. 9

I've heard some of the songs from I Wish I Was Lyin', not sure I have heard anything from A Little At A Time.

[countryfan15]

Mar 28, 2014 22:00:52 GMT -5 Kentucky25 said:

Mar 28, 2014 21:44:36 GMT -5 countryfan15 said:

Chris Young- A Little At A Time. 5

Chris Young- I Wish I Was Lyin. 9

I've heard some of the songs from I Wish I Was Lyin', not sure I have heard anything from A Little At A Time.

There are only 8 songs on it, and to me he really pushes himself vocally. To me it's not as traditional sounding as "I Wish I Was Lyin" but still good.

[McCreerian]

K.T. Oslin released 2 early singles in 1981 as Kay Oslin. "Clean Your Own Tables" and the first version of "Younger Men" which was later on her "80s Ladies" album. Neither charted. She tells a story that when "Clean your Own Tables" was released that she personally called radio stations and was told "the content would offend our core male listeners" and then she would reply to them "You are playing "All the Girls get Prettier at Closing time" and that is offensive to female listeners so what's the difference?" And they would hang up on her. "Clean" pretty much said the same thing Mindy McCready did in 1996's "Guys do it all the Time" but that message was way ahead of it's time. It's an awesome song and it's on Youtube. Women have a long way to go on radio now but this shows they have come a very long way since 1981.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

I have Joe Nichols' 1996 debut album. His voice was a lot higher and younger, and some of the material was late 90s hat-act fluff, but it's still an interesting listen.

I also have Steve Azar's 1996 debut Heartbreak Town. His voice was as good as ever, and there were some great songs on there. "I Never Stopped Loving You", "Dreams of a Dancer", and "Thunderbird" are probably my favorites, and "As Long as Harley Gets to Play" has the delta influence even from the get-go.

I found one of Hunter Hayes' childhood CDs at St. Vincent dePaul a while back, but I haven't listened to it.

[McCreerian]

Oh yeah Hunter made a great album when he was 16. I got it on Itunes right after "Storm Warning" came out but then that CD soon disappeared from there. It's more blues than anything and he wrote most of the stuff on it. It's called "Songs about Nothing" but they for the most part are really good. Even an early version of "What You Gonna Do When I'm Gone" that sounds nothing like the version on his official debut album. The only album is on Youtube.

[onebuffalo]

Mar 28, 2014 16:06:14 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

Joe Nichols had a self-titled debut album in 1996 off Intersound Records when he was for the most part still in Arkansas.

I remember that one. Can anyone say 'hair'? Anyway, I heard a story about Joe Nichols at the time. Anytime he performed in Oklahoma, he had to stand at the doorways of the bars he was playing because he was sixteen at the time and they would not let him in. Anyone else hear that?

[gonecountry]

The Dierks CD had some prettygood songs. They all used to be posted on Youtube.

[Todd]

George Strait's early singles for D Records are available on a box set by Bear Family. The A-sides were part of the Strait Out of The Box collection, but the Bear Family box takes it a step further and includes the B-sides as well. Originally, they were never released on an lp, only 45's. Several of these songs ended up being re-recorded later on for MCA. I believe all the songs are actually credited to "Ace In the Hole" or "Ace In the Hole, featuring George Strait," or something along those lines. Ace In the Hole is the band that George fronted back then and they are still his backing band to this day. On a side note, this box set also features a few songs by Mark Chestnutt's father, Bob Chestnutt, who was a regional star in Texas.

[Uncle Lumpy]

Mar 28, 2014 16:06:14 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

Joe Nichols had a self-titled debut album in 1996 off Intersound Records when he was for the most part still in Arkansas.

I bought that album when it was new (I really dont know why) and as much as I like Joe now, back then he was nothing more then another Garth clone. His voice & style have improved a hundred fold. I probabily listened to it once or twice and then filed it in my collection and forgot about it as there wasnt really anything very special about it. Fast forward a few years later , me & my sister decided to go drink our troubles away at an old honkytonk called Gabes that we used to hang out at all the time. I was going through a divorce at the time and she was going through a particularly nasty break up as well. We had been there for several hours only half paying attention to the lead singer in the band even though he was very good. It wasnt til he mentioned he had an album outyears before that I put two and two together and realized it was the same Joe Nichols. His style (and image)had completely transformed and wasnt a year or two later when "The Impossible" hit the airwaves.

[drummerman2009]

Mar 28, 2014 22:22:52 GMT -5 McCreerian said:

K.T. Oslin released 2 early singles in 1981 as Kay Oslin. "Clean Your Own Tables" and the first version of "Younger Men" which was later on her "80s Ladies" album. Neither charted. She tells a story that when "Clean your Own Tables" was released that she personally called radio stations and was told "the content would offend our core male listeners" and then she would reply to them "You are playing "All the Girls get Prettier at Closing time" and that is offensive to female listeners so what's the difference?" And they would hang up on her. "Clean" pretty much said the same thing Mindy McCready did in 1996's "Guys do it all the Time" but that message was way ahead of it's time. It's an awesome song and it's on Youtube. Women have a long way to go on radio now but this shows they have come a very long way since 1981.

Surprisingly, K.T. did chart with "Clean Your Own Tables" in May 1981 as Kay T. Oslin on Elektra Records peaking at #72. A year later Gail Davies took K.T.'s song "Round The Clock Lovin'" to #9 becoming K.T.'s first Top 10 as a songwriter.

[carrieidol1]

I have two Carrie Underwood demo CDs. One is from the mid 90s and the other is from 2001.