Search - Country Style U.S.A. Season 3 on DVD

Classic Country Music Circa 1959 From Legendary Stars

"Tee" | LA | 06/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From 1957 to 1961 a black-and-white country music program was produced by the U. S. Army and aired in syndication on TV stations around the country. These shows featured major country stars (and plenty of minor ones and unknowns) and were much like the half hour country shows that are better remembered today only these ran just fifteen minutes with an Army enlistment spot and short plugs for recruitment. The Germany-based "classic popular music" record company Bear Family Records has now released four "season" sets from this ultra-rare program that come in an attractive cardboard case resembling a leather wallet and with a 28-page booklet on the singers on the program (the text is in English and the DVD is a Multi-region disc.)

This DVD is for "Season Three". The booklet is well written by country historian Colin Elscott but has a major mistake in somehow overlooking June Carter with their info on the Carter Family. Curiously, while able to track down data on all but one of the half dozen hitless obscure singers here Elscott seems oblivious as to who this season's host Private Jody McCrea is as there's not only nothing on him but his name is mispelled McCrae (McCrea, as many film buffs would know, is the son of movie stars Joel McCrea and Frances Dee and a fairly well-known actor in his own right in B movies of the 1960's). There's also no date information about just when these episodes aired or were filmed but I am guessing 1959 by the fact that none of the hits sung are later than 1958. Nor is it clear if these 13 episodes are the full "season three" that aired that year or if they were more episodes (though 13 seems credible if this was a weekly program with each episode airing twice.)

The print quality of these shows varies, "very good" is about as good as it gets, none are terrible but many are scratchy or grainy. Still, this set is surely a treasure for country music buffs of the period with great performances by such superstars as Eddy Arnold, Marty Robbins, Ray Price, Faron Young, Skeeter Davis, Hank Snow, Carl Smith, Chet Atkins, and The Wilburn Brothers as well as such durable enterainers as George Morgan, The Carter Sisters, Benny Martin, Mac Wiseman, Del Wood, and Ferlin Husky. There are also about five acts that I've never heard of who apparently did not have any charting records, one suspects this is part because as a program produced by the Army the artists likely were all performing as a courtesy and without payment. Each episode opens with a line or two of the country staple "Stay A Night, Stay A Little Longer" and closes with a bit of it usually sung by the episode's cast (these bits curiously get their own chapter links but I have not included them as in my song credit as it is repetitive.)

There is a lot of great classic country music here, my favorites being The Carters, The Wilburns, The Browns, Chet, Skeeter, Ray, Faron, and Marty. It's also fun to see a very young Roger Miller, years before his own stardom singing harmony with Ray Price on one number.

Season three starts with "Show 27" and ends with "Show 39".

27. Eddy Arnold - Anytime
Eddy Arnolds - Till You Come Back Again
Chet Atkins - Black Mountain Rag
Eddy Arnold - I'll Hold You In My Heart
Stay All Night, Stay A Little Longer

28. Ferlin Husky - Yes I Will
Ferlin Husky - All Of The Time
The Wilburn Brothers - Till I'm The Only One
The Wilburn Brothers - Cry Baby Cry
Ferlin Husky - Gone

29. Ray Price - Please Don't Leave Me
Ray Price - City Lights
Skeeter Davis - I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know
Ray Price & Roger Miller - Invitation To The Blues

30. Mac Wiseman - Goin' Like Wildfire
Mac Wiseman - 'Tis Sweet To Be Remembered
Joyce Moore - I'll Never Let You Go
Mac Wiseman - Love Letters In The Sand
Mac Wiseman - Keep On The Sunny Side

31. George Morgan - M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I
George Morgan - Candy Kisses
Mimi Roman - Mama Says
George Morgan - Have Thine Own Way, Lord

32. Don Gibson - Blue Blue Day
Don Gibson (& Hank Garland) - Give Myself A Party
The Jordanaires - In That Great Judgement Morning
Don Gibson -Look Who's Blue
Don Gibson (& Hank Garland)- Oh Lonesome Me

33. Carl Smith - You Are The One
Carl Smith - Mr. Lost
Carl Butler - When The Blues Come Around
Carl Smith - The Nail-Scarred Hand

34. Marty Robbins - Nothing But Sweet Lies
Marty Robbins - Most Of The Time
The Anita Kerr Singers - Somebody Stole My Gal
Marty Robbins - Singing The Blues

35. Faron Young - Alone With You
Faron Young - Every Time I'm Kissing You
Dolores Dinning - Lonesome Road
Faron Young - That's The Way I Feel

36. The Browns - Stay All Night, Stay A Little Longer
The Browns - Would You Care
Floyd Tillman - Slipping Around
The Browns - I Heard The Bluebirds Sing

37. The Carter Family (Maybelle, June, Helen, Anita) - It's My Lazy Day
Anita Carter - Blue Doll
Sammy Salvo - I Can't Help It
The Carter Sisters & Mother Maybelle - Foggy Mountain Top

38. Benny Martin - On The Banks Of The River Rio Grande
Benny Martin - My Fortune
Tony Goodman - T. For Texas
Benny Martin - I Heard My Mother Call My Name In Prayer (& his Sister Jo Ann)

39. Hank Snow - Big Wheel
Hank Snow - Among My Souvenirs
Del Wood - Echo Waltz
Hank Snow - Just A Faded Petal From A Beautiful Bouquet

This single DVD has over 3 hours of vintage country music performances you are not likely to see anywhere else. This one is definately a must for classic country fans.
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