39 HODAG COUNTRY FESTIVAL photos~CONWAY TWITTY~Sonny James~FERLIN HUSKY~Kendalls

Bear Family (Germany)

Personnel: Joe E. Lewis, The Jordanaires (vocals); Grady Martin, Harold Bradley, Pete Wade, Ray Edenton (guitar); John Hughey (steel guitar); Buddy Spicher (fiddle); Hargus Robbins (piano); Buddy Harman (drums).Liner Note Author: Tony Rounce.Conway Twitty's first two albums for Decca, Conway Twitty Sings and Look into My Teardrops, netted him a couple of minor chart singles and some suspicious but middling praise from even forward-thinking critics. Decca's efforts to keep his music on the radio, put him in front of audiences as an opening act, and as a guest on the Grand Ole Opry, combined with Twitty's own work ethic, proved he was a committed to country, and he began to win over the public at large. Twitty and Decca doubled down for 1967's audaciously titled Conway Twitty Country and 1968's Here's Conway Twitty and His Lonely Blue Boys. Both albums are available on a two-fer from Poker Records (via Cherry Red), marking the first time they've ever appeared on CD. Together make up the second entry in its Twit

Poker

Liner Note Author: Rich Kienzle.Photographers: Les Leverett; Marc Sharratt.One of the most comprehensive Conway Twitty collections on the market, 2006's two-disc GOLD spans the country star's entire career, from his late-1950s rock-&-roll days to his final recordings in the early '90s. This impressive 40-track set acknowledges Twitty's short-lived stint as a rockabilly performer with its first four tunes, most notably the yearning "It's Only Make Believe, " which finds the Mississippi-born singer pulling a very convincing Elvis impersonation. Though Twitty fell off the music radar for most of the '60s, he returned confidently in '68 (a good year for comebacks) as a country crooner with the lovelorn "Next in Line." It was smooth sailing from then on, as Twitty offered up a stunning streak of hits that lasted until just before his death in 1993. Among the many classics on GOLD are the aching "Hello Darlin', " the smoldering "After the Fire Is Gone" (one of Twitty's numerous duets with Loretta Lynn), and the lilti

MCA Records (USA) ( January 01, 1987 ), Genre: Country

The statistic books rank Conway Twitty among the Top 5 country artists of all time, but before he was a country singer, he was a rock 'n' roll balladeer. One of the best, in fact. This exclusive compilation is drawn from his recordings for SUN, MERCURY, and MGM RECORDS between 1956 and 1963, and includes his original version of one of the greatest power ballads of all time, It's Only Make Believe. It also includes Lonely Blue Boy, a song originally written for Elvis, as well as Is A Bluebird Blue, the first hit by the great soul songwriter, Dan Penn. Mixed in among Conway's originals are stellar versions of classic songs like You'll Never Walk Alone, You Win Again, C'est Si Bon, and What Am I Living For. Country fans need to explore where Conway found his way with a song, and this is the compilation that shows how and where he developed his unique style.Rock 'n' roll fans need this for their quieter moments. And fans of great singing need this compilation to discover why Conway Twitty was called 'The Best Friend A Song Ever Had.'

Capitol/EMI Records ( January 24, 2006 ), Genre: Country

Flashback

Illustrators: Colin Escott; R.A. Andreas.Photographers: Colin Escott; R.A. Andreas.Conway Twitty started out as a country singer, then switched to rockabilly and rock & roll after Elvis Presley broke open the airwaves for it, and then went back again to singing country when the Beatles changed the face of rock & roll in the early to mid-'60s. Twitty loved singing in both musical streams, and he wasn't an opportunist so much as he was practical and in touch with his audience. From the beginning his real strength was in singing ballads -- whatever the genre -- and he excelled at it. This expansive single-disc, 33-track collection from Bear Family Records gathers his early rock and pop ballads from the Sun, Mercury, and MGM record labels and spans 1956 to 1963, stopping just short of his switch to country in 1965, making it the perfect companion to Bear Family's similar set, Conway Rocks, which chronicles the more rocking material he recorded in the same time span. Highlights here include the classic "It's Only

Universal Special Products ( June 03, 1997 ), Genre: Country