Zero to 180 – Three Minute Magic

Discoveries of a Pop Music Archaeologist

Category: Country rock

"Boogie King"
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Merle Kilgore on Starday-King

Former Starday recording artist Merle Kilgore would have an unsuccessful stint at Columbia/Epic in the mid-1960s before rejoining the fold at the newly-expanded Starday-King (the King label having consolidated with Starday upon the death of its founder/owner Syd Nathan in 1968).  Starday historian emeritus Nathan D. Gibson interviewed Kilgore for 2011’s superb

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"I Don't Believe You"
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Waylon Did Dylan in ’65

How humorous to browse a chronological listing of Waylon Jennings albums starting in 1964 – eleven on RCA by my count, following his debut LP At JD’s – when out of nowhere, A&M suddenly decides to issue its first and only album by Jennings, long after his brief run of singles (1963-65)

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"Rock and Roll Gypsies"
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Hearts And Flowers: Country Rock

Back when I did the daily commute to Baltimore and my car radio had better reception, I used to enjoy a great community radio station that shares programming with its owner, WXPN, the Philadelphia radio station known for its World Cafe program, and yet operates out of a high school from

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"Hey Truckers"
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“Hey Truckers”: Cover Your Ears

Thanks to Bill Hanke, I’ve been privileged to witness several live performances by a  Canadian band who – along with Los Straitjackets – have brought blazing guitar instrumentals into the 21st century.  Among musicians-in-the-know, word has gotten out about this musical conflagration, as evidenced by their collaborations with Neko Case,

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"The Flying Saucer Man and the Truck Driver"
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Red Simpson/David Bowie Tribute

Shame on Zero to 180 for not celebrating Red Simpson‘s musical legacy as a pioneer of the “Bakersfield Sound” until now – after his spirit has already left this mortal plane. I’m afraid Simpson’s passing might have gotten overlooked in all the media attention given to the unexpected loss of

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"Semi Truck"
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Dieselbilly for the Long Hairs

Somebody [the Commander himself, I would later learn] went to considerable effort to stitch together all these images to tell the story behind Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen‘s “Truck Stop Rock” from 1972’s Hot Licks, Cold Steel & Trucker Favorites album — the least you can do is

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"Back to Tennessee"
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(Inter) Galactic Twist Queens

One of my mom’s neighbors and good friends was present at the founding of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen and served as part of an accompanying group of renegade (redundant?) performance artists — agents of history who helped to generate the band’s initial buzz.  Yet, their story remains

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"Sam Stone"
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“Sam Stone”: Top Ten Saddest Song?

My mother-in-law and her husband had a grand old time at John Prine‘s concert Saturday night at DC’s stately National Theatre.  The next morning we remarked on Prine’s “country outlaw” cred (as evidenced by the turnout of the biker-American community), and I thought to myself, perhaps I could scrounge together

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"Louisiana Woman"
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Swampwater: Cajun-Flavored Country Rock on Starday-King

Here’s a tuneful country rocker from 1970 that sure sounds like a radio hit: “Louisiana Woman”     Swampwater (1970) John Beland:  Guitar, Resonator Guitar, Piano, Vocals Gib Guilbeau:  Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals Thad Maxwell:  Bass, Vocals Stan Pratt:  Drums Roger Jannotta:  Strings John Wagner:   Producer And yet this rather obscure debut album*

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