J u n e C a r t e r & J o h n n y C a s h ◦ C o u n t r y M u s i c L e g e n d s
Admittedly, I did not develop an appreciation for this genre of music until adulthood. My brother Mark first introduced me to David Ball in 1994, among others. I left San Antonio in 2005 to attend graduate school again but this time in West Central Texas. During that time, I became a serious horseman and team roper, spending a significant amount of time around people who loved country music much more than any other type. I began to see that I had misjudged the genre. The more I listened to country music, especially old school songs, the more I liked it and saw its similarity to other genres in terms of hooks and interesting melodies but with an even stronger emphasis on lyrics -- words that told stories about pain, mistakes, love, and hope, utilizing humor, sarcasm, and irony. Also, when I dated and then married Kimberly Ann, she loved to two-step and waltz, so I quickly got with the program. Now, we regularly dance and attend live C&W bands: Jody Nix and the Texas Cowboys, Weldon Henson, and Jake Penrod, to name a few. We usually boot-scoot to these artists in Fort Worth at the Stock Yards or in San Angelo, Texas. At these events, things are normal, people are readily friendly, and the musicians, themselves, will often drop by and visit during their breaks. We are even modifying our shop at home, turning it into a little dance and pool hall.
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Below, please find a variety of music mixes that I think you will really enjoy. I have intentionally combined older and newer country songs in an effort to demonstrate, much like on the Rock 'n' Roll page, that there is a natural interconnectedness between the past and the present. Concerning the current push-back against the so-called New Country, I think there are lots of songs from the last ten years or so that are excellent, but there are others that seem to have ventured too far away from the original vibe. Music is art as much as anything else, so tastes run the gamut.
I hope you enjoy this vibrant music and encourage you to learn to two-step and waltz if you do not already know how because doing so is fun and romantic; it's also a ton of exercise. An evening of dancing is time very well spent!
Charles Calvin Best
MUSICQUEST COUNTRY & WESTERN MIX #1
Spotify Combined Playlist • 37 Songs
Country Club - Travis Tritt
87 Southbound - Hank Williams III
Too Gone, Too Long - Randy Travis
Hello Walls - Faron Young
Green Snakes on the Ceiling - Johnny Bush
The More I Drink - Blake Shelton
Look What Followed Me Home - David Ball
Milk Cow Blues - George Strait
I Fell in the Water - John Anderson
Boot Scootin' Boogie - Brooks & Dunn
Barlight - Charlie Robison
Old Flames Have New Names - Mark Chesnutt
Goodbye Girl - Luke Bryan
Hello Darlin' - Conway Twitty
I Fall To Pieces - Patsy Cline
Drink On It - Blake Shelton
Gettin' You Home - Chris Young
Firecracker - Josh Turner
I'm From the Country - Tracy Byrd
Hello Mr. Heartache - Dixie Chicks
A Little Bit of Life - Craig Morgan
Strip It Down - Luke Bryan
Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under - Shania Twain
You May See Me Walkin' - Ricky Skaggs
Close Up the Honky Tonks - Dwight Yoakam
Too Lazy to Work To Nervous to Steal - BR549
A Moment Isn't Very Long - Johnny Bush
The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash
Family Tradition - Hank Williams, Jr.
Real Good Man - Tim McGraw
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems - Kenny Chesney
What Cowboys Do - Matt Caldwell
It Sure Is Monday - Mark Chesnutt
Write This Down - George Strait
Country Boy Boogie - David Ball
If You Wanna Go (Just Go) - Ed Burleson
Pickup Man - Joe Diffie
MUSICQUEST COUNTRY & WESTERN MIX #2
Spotify Combined Playlist • 37 Songs
River Bank - Brad Paisley
Too Much - Pirates of the Mississippi
Honky Tonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins
I Think I'll Just Stay Here & Drink - Merle Haggard
She Likes It Too - Alan Jackson
Pontoon - Little Big Town
Slingin' Rhythm - Wayne Hancock
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
Would I - Randy Travis
Sangria - Blake Shelton
Neon Moon - Brooks & Dunn
For You - David Ball
Who Do You Think You Are? - Sam Outlaw
Watermelon Crawl - Tracy Byrd
Harper Valley PTA - Jeannie C. Riley
Skip a Rope - Henson Cargill
Swingin' - John Anderson
Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose - Dwight Yoakam
The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich
How Bout Them Cowgirls - George Strait
Wagon Wheel - Darius Rucker
King of the Road - Roger Miller
Ode to Billy Joe - Bobbie Gentry
Cocaine Blues - Hank Williams III
I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair - George Jones
Barlight - Charlie Robison
Just Got Started Lovin' You - James Otto
Wave on Wave - Pat Green
As Good As I Once Was - Toby Keith
Buy Myself a Chance - Randy Rogers
Let's Chase Each Around the Room Tonight - Haggard
Act Naturally - Buck Owens
She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy - Kenny Chesney
That's What I Get - BR549
People Like Me - William Michael Morgan
Gonna Get a Life - Mark Chesnutt
Highway 40 Blues - Ricky Scaggs
MUSICQUEST COUNTRY & WESTERN MIX #3
Spotify Combined Playlist • 37 Songs
Pocket of a Clown - Dwight Yoakam
Drinkin' Bone - Tracy Byrd
Oklahoma Breakdown - Stoney LaRue
Good Time - Alan Jackson
Heartbroke - Rocky Skaggs
I've Got My Baby on My Mind - David Ball
Tonight the Heartache's on Me - Dixie Chics
Tennessee Flat Top Box - Rosanne Cash
Free and Easy - Dierks Bentley
Chicken Fried - Zac Brown
Some Beach - Blake Shelton
Wink - Neal McCoy
Get into Reggae Cowboy - The Bellamy Brothers
Forever and Ever, Amen - Randy Travis
All My Ex's Live in Texas - George Strait
Cold Beer Drinker - Luke Bryan
People Are Crazy - Billy Currington
She's Got the Rhythm - Alan Jackson
Your Man - Josh Turner
Should've Been a Cowboy - Toby Keith
I Don't Want You To Go - Aaron Watson
I Don't Know - Hank Williams III
Rum - Brothers Osborne
Killin' Time - Clint Black
She's Got It All - Kenny Chesney
If I Could Make a Living - Clay Walker
I'll Be There - Johnny Bush
Hillbilly Bone - Blake Shelton
1982 - Randy Travis
I Feel Lucky - Mary Chapin Carpenter
Black Sheep - Jon Anderson
I Like I Love It - Tim McGraw
You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone - Brooks & Dunn
Summertime - Kenny Chesney
Too Much Fun - Daryle Singletary
Fast As You - Dwight Yoakam
Nashville Nights/Redneck Blues - Pirates of the Mississippi
GEORGE STRAIT
It just doesn't get any better than George Strait. He really is the King of Country and has been for years because he is a melody-making, song-writing, word-crafting, hit machine with 30 studio albums. He has placed 86 singles on Billboard's Top 10 Country Chart. I encourage you, especially if new to Country music, to go through his catalog. To help with that, please check out the playlist below.
DAVID BALL
I cannot say enough positive things about this musician. I find his music to be some of the best there is in the Country genre. Why? His melodies and arrangements are beautiful, and his stories are sincere and hit home. If you do not know about David Ball or just know a little, please check out the below playlist and work through his catalog. You will be
exceedingly glad that you did!
ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY • MUSICQUEST ALTERNATIVE C&W MIX • 38 SONGS
Brothers Osborne • Wayne Hancock • Johnny Cash • Junior Brown • The Mavericks • The Wood Brothers
