Definition:

I tag Country in its purest form, including both traditional and modern variants, but distinct from Alternative Country. Also, there are a number of old records which contain elements of country music, but are primarily tagged as Folk, particularly in Appalachian music.

The Jukebox Pick (of 3,124):

 A Good Year For The Roses

 (Jerry Chesnut)

 Elvis Costello and The Attractions

  “Utterly perfect” Country

 From his LP “Almost Blue” in 1981. Stamped with a great big MADE IN NASHVILLE, this was the first Costello record to categorically displace the artist from the Punk framework. It seems like he’s having a genuine blast on the 12 country covers - and The Attractions are right up for it, aided by the authentic pedal steel guitar of John McFee. The album’s a hit in my book, and houses Elvis’s warmest hour in his extra-ordinarily “Blonde-On-Blonde-esque” treatment of “Good Year For The Roses”, a yearning broken-marriage ballad originally recorded by George Jones in 1970. Costello’s immaculate reading, tender and tormented, was rewarded with a Top 10 hit single in the UK.

Some favourite artists:

Patsy Cline, John Prine, Johnny Cash, The Carter Family, Laura Cantrell

The Jukebox pick: