Songs/albums to introduce someone to pre-2000 country

[trustypepper]

I'm looking to expand my horizons with country music, specifically pre-2000 country music. Does anyone have any suggestions of songs/albums that I should check out? I'm basically open to anything. There's so much to explore and I don't even know where to start, so I figured you guys could help with some recommendations.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

It depends on what you're after. Do you think you'd like a more traditional fiddle-and-steel kind of sound, a more polished pop sound, or somewhere in between? Basically, country became less "pop" at the start of the decade, and became a lot more pop again at the end of the decade.

Off the top of my head, No Fences by Garth Brooks is one of my favorite albums.

[.indulgecountry]

Jan 31, 2017 3:06:56 GMT -5 trustypepper said:

I'm looking to expand my horizons with country music, specifically pre-2000 country music. Does anyone have any suggestions of songs/albums that I should check out? I'm basically open to anything. There's so much to explore and I don't even know where to start, so I figured you guys could help with some recommendations.

Anything by female country artists in the 90s tends to be great. :) I don't know what all you've heard, but here are some suggestions:

"Strawberry Wine" - Deana Carter (her whole debut album is one of my faves of all-time, too fwiw)
"It Matters to Me" - Faith Hill
"I'll Think of a Reason Later" - Lee Ann Womack
"No Place That Far" - Sara Evans
"Good As I Was to You" - Lorrie Morgan
"Maybe It Was Memphis" - Pam Tillis
"Walkaway Joe" - Trisha Yearwood
"Fancy" - Reba McEntire
"If I Were You" - Terri Clark
"I Saw the Light" - Wynonna
"More Where That Came From" - Dolly Parton
"A Thousand Times a Day" - Patty Loveless
"Home Ain't Where His Heart Is (Anymore)" - Shania Twain

I'd just check out stuff by all of these ladies in general though, but that's just me.

[zebra71]

I would go with any Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, or Willie Nelson albums.
Songs:
Luckenbach, Texas by Waylon Jennings
Always on my Mind by Willie Nelson
Mama Tried by Merle Haggard
He Stopped Loving Her Today by George Jones
Coal Miners Daughter by Loretta Lynn
Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton
El Paso by Marty Robbins
Crazy by Patsy Cline
Hello Darling by Conway Twitty
Highwayman by The Highwaymen
Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash

[trustypepper]

Jan 31, 2017 12:06:21 GMT -5 Ten Pound Hammer said:

It depends on what you're after. Do you think you'd like a more traditional fiddle-and-steel kind of sound, a more polished pop sound, or somewhere in between? Basically, country became less "pop" at the start of the decade, and became a lot more pop again at the end of the decade.

Off the top of my head, No Fences by Garth Brooks is one of my favorite albums.

I'm really interested in listening to both actually. Traditional country and more pop-leaning country. 

I'll definitely check out No Fences soon. I love what I've heard from Garth but I admittedly only know a few of his hits.

[Kanenrá:ke]

This list is amazing and I can say I recommend 99% of it!

www.countryuniverse.net/2010/07/05/400-greatest-singles-of-the-nineties-400-376/

[Kanenrá:ke]

Oh and for albums I'll think of a list as I work but you can't go wrong with Dolly, Merle, or Emmylou I think they have some of the strongest albums in the genre.

[bboat11]

Feb 1, 2017 11:01:38 GMT -5 Kanenrá:ke said:

Oh and for albums I'll think of a list as I work but you can't go wrong with Dolly, Merle, or Emmylou I think they have some of the strongest albums in the genre.

He asked for pre-2000s, not prehistoric ;)

[Deleted]

Feb 1, 2017 19:16:12 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Feb 1, 2017 11:01:38 GMT -5 Kanenrá:ke said:

Oh and for albums I'll think of a list as I work but you can't go wrong with Dolly, Merle, or Emmylou I think they have some of the strongest albums in the genre.

He asked for pre-2000s, not prehistoric ;)

For making such a blasphemous joke, you should be reciting 5 "He Stopped Loving Her Today"s and 10 "Stand By Your Man"s to the country music Gods.

(Also, highly recommend the two songs mentioned, considered the two best country songs ever.)

[tim]

Well I was trying to keep this short, but below are some albums that greatly influenced me growing up in the 90's (1994-1995 saw some of the greatest music IMO):

John Berry - Standing on the Edge (1995)
BlackHawk - Blackhawk (1994)
Mary Chapin Carpenter - Come On Come On (1992)
Deana Carter - Did I Shave My Legs For This? (1996)
Mark Chesnutt - Too Cold at Home (1990)
Earl Thomas Conley - The Essential Earl Thomas Conley (1996)
Rodney Crowell - Diamonds and Dirt (1988)
Faith Hill - It Matters To Me (1995)
Alan Jackson - Who I Am (1994)
Wynonna Judd - Wynonna (1992)
Alison Krauss - Now That I've Found You: A Collection (1995)
Patty Loveless - When Fallen Angels Fly (1994)
Kathy Mattea - Time Passes By (1991)
The Mavericks - What a Crying Shame (1994)
Martina McBride - Wild Angels (1995)
Neal McCoy - No Doubt About It (1994)
Reba McEntire - Read My Mind (1994)
K.T. Oslin - 80's Ladies (1987)
Paul Overstreet - Heroes (1990)
Collin Raye - I Think About You (1995)
George Strait - Blue Clear Sky (1996)
George Strait - Pure Country (1992)
Randy Travis - This Is Me (1995)
Tanya Tucker - What Do I Do With Me (1991)
Shania Twain - The Woman In Me (1995)
Keith Whitley - Greatest Hits (1990)
Don Williams - True Love (1990)
Lee Ann Womack - Lee Ann Womack (1997)
Trisha Yearwood - Thinkin' About You (1995)
Dwight Yoakam - This Time (1993)

[Cody Wants Out...]

I've been on a pretty huge nostalgic kick for the past couple of years or so (esp, in 90s country); therefore, I should pitch in. Alongside .indulgecountry 's recommendations, I would also like to add the following (may come back and edit this later):

Mary Chapin Carpenter

• She calls herself a 'singer-songwriter' versus being labeled a country artist, via a Rolling Stone interview in 1991. Here are a few notable songs: "Passionate Kisses", "I Feel Lucky", "He Thinks He'll Keep Her", "Down at the Twist and Shout", etc.
• She only has one #1 hit to her name, but she's also racked up a heavy set of top 10 and top 20 hits from 1989 (my birth year) to 1994. She had one more #11 hit with "Let Me Into Your Heart" in 1996. She only has three solo entries on the Hot 100 with PK, SU&KM, and "Almost Home" (peaks at #57, 90, and 85, resp.). The latter of the three missed the top 20 on the country charts by two spots.
• Five of her albums are certified at least gold by RIAA: State of the Heart, Shooting Straight in the Dark (Platinum), Come On Come On (4X Plat.), Stones in the Road (2X Plat.), and A Place in the World.

Brooks & Dunn

• The first country duo to receive four consecutive #1 singles from their debut album has collected several top 10 singles from 1991 till about 2005, along with a few sporadic returns to the top 5 by 2008. Out of eleven studio albums, four have been certified platinum, five multi-platinum, and one gold.
• As far as I know, some of their music still gets played on the radio. There are too many notable songs to count from 20 US #1 country radio hits, 16 top 5, 4 top 10, and eight other top 20s.
• They've also collected several entries on the Hot 100 with their highest peak at #25 with the songs "Ain't Nothin' 'Bout You" and "Red Dirt Road"; six other songs reach the top 40 of the same chart.

I really want to elaborate more on this, but how about I just name some more artists that haven't been mentioned and, perhaps, some extra songs by those that have already been mentioned? I'm in the middle of a pretty busy week. ;)

Ronnie Milsap has had a massive amount of top 10 hits from the mid-70's to the very early 90s, several of them reaching #1, or top 5 at a minimum. Some of these hits crossed over to pop and AC like "Smoky Mountain Rain", "(There's No) Gettin' Over Me", "Any Day Now", and "Stranger in My House". I consider his style to be a bit more polished pop-country, but still not bad.

Diamond Rio, Lonestar, Restless Heart, and Shenandoah are a few more groups that were huge back in their days. I'll name one hit for each of them, respectively: "Meet in the Middle", "No News", "I'll Still Be Loving You", and "Two Dozen Roses". There are several others fom each of them of course. I'll leave it to you to look 'em up, alright?

Before I go, here are a few more names: Tanya Tucker, Clint Black, Tracy Lawrence, Mark Chesnutt, Clay Walker, Travis Tritt, Blackhawk, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, George Strait, The Judds (along with the daughter's solo career), Alabama (my mom's favorite), John Michael Montgomery (who I sometimes wished had switched places with Garth Brooks in terms of popularity), Joe Diffie, Tracy Byrd, Dwight Yoakam, Collin Raye, John Anderson, Aaron Tippin, Vince Gill, Sammy Kershaw, Little Texas, Tim McGraw (some of his best material to date is in this era imho), Martina McBride (again, her better material is in this era), Leann Rimes, Kenny Rogers, Crystal Gayle, Sawyer Brown, The Oak Ridge Boys, Exile, Conway Twitty, etc.

*yawn* I'm getting tired. I'll call it a night on my end.

P.S. If you have satelitte radio, there's a country station on Sirius XM called Prime Country which plays songs from the 80s and 90s, if that helps.

[.indulgecountry]

Also since all I suggested was 90s material but since the prehistoric comment came up, Jeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley PTA" is my fave classic country song if I could recommend something from an earlier era.

[sabre14]

trustypepper, all the names that have been mentioned are great but my two main suggestions are Patty Loveless and BlackHawk. Please give their Greatest Hits material a run through one day. :)

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

I should check out more Mary Chapin Carpenter because the few songs I know by her I love.

I just finished listening to Emmylou Harris' tribute album that was recorded a few years back in Washington with an all-star lineup. (I got to see it live too!) So definitely Emmylou.

I think for me, when I think of 90s country it definitely comes down to Deana Carter, The Woman In Me era Shania, Dixie Chicks' first album, It Matters Me Me era Faith Hill (and her first album too I'm sure). Plus a sprinkle of hits from Terri Clark, Pam Tillis, Mindy McCready, Wilkinsons, Michelle Wright, etc.

[tim]

Feb 1, 2017 23:03:18 GMT -5 Rose "Payola" Nylund said:

I should check out more Mary Chapin Carpenter because the few songs I know by her I love.

I'll admit growing up I never appreciated Mary Chapin Carpenter the way I do now, and in fact it wasn't until the last couple of years that I finally got her...next to Patty Loveless she is without a doubt one of my favorite female vocalists in country music. I think it just took a little bit of life to understand her lyrically and where she comes from. I had the chance to see her live late last year and she's still got it! When I'm feeling nostalgic Come On Come On is one of the first albums I head for.

[Kanenrá:ke]

Feb 1, 2017 19:16:12 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Feb 1, 2017 11:01:38 GMT -5 Kanenrá:ke said:

Oh and for albums I'll think of a list as I work but you can't go wrong with Dolly, Merle, or Emmylou I think they have some of the strongest albums in the genre.

He asked for pre-2000s, not prehistoric ;)

Their 90's output is great too ya know. Looks like somebody else needs to familiarize themselves with some older music! ;)

[tim]

Feb 1, 2017 23:01:47 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

trustypepper, all the names that have been mentioned are great but my two main suggestions are Patty Loveless and BlackHawk. Please give their Greatest Hits material a run through one day. :)

II actually initially had Blackhawk's first album added to my list and removed it...looking back it no doubt had an impact on me so I added it back 😉

[someguy]

So many great albums/songs listed already. My 1990s must listen to list would be:

Garth Brooks - In Pieces
Garth Brooks - Sevens
Garth Brooks - The Hits
Mary Chapin Carpenter - Come On Come On
Deana Carter -Did I Shave My Legs For This
Dixie Chicks - Wide Open Spaces
Faith Hill - It Matters To Me
Faith Hill - Faith
Martina McBride - Wild Angels
Martina McBride - Evolution
Tim McGraw - Everywhere
Reba McEntire - Rumor Has It
Reba McEntire - For My Broken Heart
Reba McEntire - Read My Mind
Reba McEntire - What If It's You
Lorrie Morgan - Greatest Hits
Collin Raye - Direct Hits
Pam Tillis - Sweetheart's Dance
Pam Tillis - Greatest Hits
Shania Twain - The Woman In Me
Shania Twain - Come On Over
Wynonna - Collection
Trisha Yearwood - Thinkin' About You
Trisha Yearwood - Songbook: A Collection Of Hits

And probably so many more that I'm forgetting.

[trustypepper]

Thanks so much to everyone for all of the recommendations! I created a massive Spotify super-playlist featuring just about everything listed here (1,275 songs total) and I'm going to do some serious discovering throughout the next couple months. :)

[Kanenrá:ke]

Feb 5, 2017 2:10:49 GMT -5 trustypepper said:

Thanks so much to everyone for all of the recommendations! I created a massive Spotify super-playlist featuring just about everything listed here (1,275 songs total) and I'm going to do some serious discovering throughout the next couple months. :)

Yay!!!

Oh patty loveless!!! Definitely include as much as you can from herer

[Todd]

Can't forget Hank Williams... if you want to go back and listen to one of the early superstars.

[bamafan2102]

Shenandoah- Somewhere in the Vicinity

[carriekins]

Clay Walker

90s Tim McGraw was my favorite Tim McGraw.

Pretty much everything else I would mention already has, but I had to mention Clay.