Country Classics

If you have a child under the age of 18 and you mention country music, the reaction you’ll likely get is either disgust or ignorance.

When I was a kid growing up in Southern California, my dad played (and sang along with!) a lot of country records. I must have been about 8 when I heard the 1974 hit “The Grand Tour” by George Jones over the 3-inch car speaker of our 1973 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. When most kids were listening to Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” I had already memorized the lyrics to “Hello Darlin’” by Conway Twitty.

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Even if you’re a dad who digs Drake over Dwight Yoakam, or a mom who prefers Taylor Swift to Tammy Wynette, you must get your kids educated in the music genre that supplied rock ‘n’ roll with about 50 percent of its DNA. Below are seven artists and songs you should start playing in the car on the way to school or at home while you’re making dinner—let the music seep into your kids’ consciousness.

Country music supplied rock ‘n’ roll with about 50 percent of its DNA.

Soon you’ll hear them singing or humming the best of the best — the same music that influenced everyone from Elvis to the Rolling Stones. Otherwise, the kiddos will think country music began with Jason Aldean and ended with Florida Georgia Line. (No offense, guys!)

1. Hank Williams — I Saw the Light

There was country before Hank Williams (Jimmie Rodgers, Carter Family), but once he hit the scene, country music would be forever defined by him. Williams didn’t write “Love Sick Blues,” but it famously got six straight encores when he first performed it in 1949 at his Grand Ole Opry debut. The voice, his legendary hard living, and the songs … others  had longer careers, but precious few have come close to his incredible body of work. His music is at once so simple and completely universal. The hillbilly from Butler County, Alabama, wrote songs so good you could record a Williams tune in just about any genre … Just ask Tony Bennett (“Cold, Cold Heart”).  You’ll see the light if you take a listen…

2. George Jones — He Stopped Loving Her Today

Dubbed by none other than Frank Sinatra himself as “the second best singer in America,” George Jones grew up in Beaumont, Texas, idolizing Hank Williams. He managed to step out from behind the master’s shadow with a distinctive, almost operatic vocal style that defined Texas honky-tonk and eventually took Nashville by storm. Known as “The Possum” for his unique appearance, and later earning the dubious title “No Show Jones” for his drinking prowess, Jones laid down some of the most unforgettable tracks in modern country history, from “White Lightning” in 1959 with legendary Texas producer Pappy Daily through “He Stopped Loving Her Today” with Billy Sherrill in Nashville. Nobody did gritted teeth, country desperation better than Jones.

3.  Patsy Cline — Crazy

Patsy Cline was born in Gore, Virginia. Along with Kitty Wells, she paved the way for women in country music in the 1950s. Her first hit came in 1957 with “Walking After Midnight,” and she struck lightning twice in 1961 with “I Fall to Pieces” and “Crazy,” a song by a young man and future legend himself, Willie Nelson. Her rich contralto had serious popular appeal, and she was among the most influential and successful “crossover” artists of the 20th century. Name one modern female country artist that doesn’t owe a debt to Cline … I’ll save you the trouble. You can’t.

4. Johnny Cash — Cry, Cry, Cry

The Man in Black. What more can said about John R. Cash that hasn’t been said already? He’s a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame (1980) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1992). He was a man of great faith and also great failing, a true contradiction like so many of our greatest artists in any medium. His ’50s sides cut with Sam Philips at Sun Records in Memphis will never be equaled. His Columbia classics, most notably “Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison,” are standards as well. From the 1950s to his poignant and powerful last act on Rick Rubin’s American Recordings in the late ’90s, to his death in 2003, his deep bass-baritone will forever exemplify American country. “Cry, Cry Cry” was the breakthrough, but you won’t be able to stop there.

5. Waylon Jennings — Bob Wills Is Still the King

Another Texan, Waylon Jennings started out as a member of Buddy Holly’s Crickets, and if he hadn’t given up his seat to the Big Bopper on Holly’s doomed flight in February 1959, he wouldn’t have made this list. Jennings brought a rock sensibility to Nashville, eventually spawning, along with compadre Willie Nelson, the legendary Outlaw Country movement of the ’70s. But let’s talk for a moment about that voice. Sure, he had a ton of hits: “Luckenbach, Texas,” “I’ve Always Been Crazy,” and the phenomenal “Honky Tonk Heroes” LP from 1973. For me, however, it’s all crystalized on his tribute to Western Swing legend Bob Wills from 1974. With nods to Nashville, Willie, the Red River and Austin, it is one of those elusive perfect country songs. Take that, Luke Bryan.

6. Buck Owens — I Don’t Care (Just As Long As You Love Me)

Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. was a Texan and child of the Dust Bowl whose family moved west in the late 1930s, eventually settling down in Bakersfield, California. No list like this would be complete without a representative of the Bakersfield sound, and for me Buck Owens stands alone (with apologies to Merle Haggard). His was a stripped-down, high-octane version of honky-tonk that went toe-to-toe with the Nashville sound in the ’60s and ’70s. Owen’s vision combined with the musicianship and high harmonies of his right-hand man Don Rich energized country music and incorporated elements of rock and pop into the mix. The Beatles loved him, covering Buck’s “Act Naturally” in 1965. Feast your ears on Owens and Rich harmonizing on “I Don’t Care” from 1964. Don’t let the “Hee Haw”-era Owens fool you. Owens was a true pioneer and visionary artist. Just ask Dwight Yoakam.

7. Loretta Lynn — You’re Looking at Country

The Coal Miner’s Daughter, the First Lady of Country, the Queen of Country Music … Loretta Lynn is all of these and more. Born and raised in poverty in Kentucky coal country, she married at 15, taught herself guitar and began writing songs. She cut her first record in 1960, “Honky Tonk Girl,” and eventually racked up 16 No. 1 hits. The Kentucky girl with the purest of country voices has had a career spanning half a century. She’s still touring today. Her 1971 smash “You’re Looking at Country” sums her up perfectly. I could have chosen a pickup truck full of others that would have served her just as well.

In another life, Chris Edwards worked as field rep for a major U.S. record company. He is now a senior producer at EWTN.

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