Rockin’ Country Style Vol 3 -Various Artists

johnaalex
Sep 22
5 min read

Rockin’ Country Style Volume 3 by Various Artists.

Available from vintagerockinroots.com

Released 2025

Reviewed in September 2025 by Jailhouse John Alexander

This is the third in a series of five CDs from Atomicat that feature a vibrant collection of

• Country & Western, Hillbilly, and Country Boogie from the Golden Years of Music.

• These genres encapsulate the rich history and cultural significance of American music.

• The album brings musically to life the emotional depth and characteristic of yesteryear.

• The album artfully mixes well-known artists with lesser-known performers, and this vibrant programming enhances your listening experience.

• Each track invites listeners to grab their partners and dance, embodying a spirit of joy and movement.

Review

This CD kicks off with a rocking country version of “I Want A bow Legged Woman” by Jimmie Ballard that dates from 1952 when issued on the King label. The original of the song was an R&B hit for Bull Moose Jackson on the same label some four years earlier. “Crazy Mixed Up Blues” by Jimmy Boyd is a great piece of rockabilly from 1956. Great guitar picking and top notch bass slapping! Track three is Lattie Moore’s original version of “Juke Joint Johnny” from 1952 and it is as close to rockabilly as you will get from year. “Let Me In There Baby” is a rocker from 1955 by top rated guitar player Billy Strange a one-time member of the “Wrecking Crew” group of session musicians. Track five is more in the honky tonk style of country and western. “Gentlemen Prefer Blonds” by Eddie Noack on the Gold Star label in 1949 was not a cover of the eponymous song from the 1949 musical, but a parody of it. Track six is a nice hillbilly number “Tom Cattin’ Around” by Speedy Morris. No doubt track seven was inspired by the hit novelty song “Rag Mop” as the title is “Someone Stole My Rag Mop” by Bob Greene and His Filling Station Swing Band. Another pleasant hillbilly track. Rusty McDonald, a one time member of Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys gives us track eight with a honky tonk number, “You Got The Right Number”. “O, Mabel Where Can You Be” by Aaron Blackie Boudreaux from 1956 is another honky tonk tune. Track ten is an archetypal piece of western swing from the pioneers of the genre, Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. “I've Had It” by Ann Jones is a novelty western swing song that was issued on the King label in 1953.

Track twelve, “Virginia On A Saturday Night” by Bob Eaton is a hillbilly bopper with a touch of western swing. The impact of the popularity of rock and roll in 1957 can be heard in “If You Let Me” by Howard Crockett, the man who wrote “Honky Tonk Man” amongst other hits. Track fourteen dates from 1960 and has a definite pop influence, but “Sweetie Pie” by Johnnie And Jack is a catchy little number with a danceable beat. Track fifteen dates from 1947. It is a up-tempo honky tonk song by Art Gibson. Johnny Cash wrote “Guess Things Happen That Way” and the Apaapa Sisters acknowledge the fact in this poppy novelty track. “Leroy” by Nita, Rita And Ruby isn’t a cover of the Jack Scott number. It’s light rocking tune with some nice vocal harmonies. Track eighteen is a rockabilly track from 1956. “I Cried Like A Baby” by Lee Emerson was released on Columbia in 1956. Frank Hunter’s “Long Time No See” is a hillbilly track with some nifty banjo picking. Track twenty is an obscure number, “A Woman Is Like A Guitar” by Sandy Rivers. It’s back to 1951 for the up-tempo hillbilly number “High-Geared Daddy” by Jimmy Walker at track twenty-one. “Money In The Bank” by Red Romine was issued on the Imperial label in 1954.

There’s touch of Johnny Cash with ”Don't Play Around” a track from 1959 by Jimmie Piper. Track twenty-four is an obscure version of “Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby” by Gene Thompson. Most people will know the sing as done by Carl Perkins and later by the Beatles. Next up is a pop novelty rocker, “Uncle John's Bongos” by the Decca artists, Johnnie And Jack. “Why Baby Why” by Lanie Walker isn’t a cover of the song written and originally recorded by George Jones, but it’s a good country bopper nonetheless. County superstar, Pee Wee King does a pop country cover of the hit by LaVern Baker, “Tweedle Dee”. “Don't Say I'm Sorry Anymore” is the second track from Rusty McDonald and you can definitely hear the Bob Will’s influence in it. Buck Nation nee Rex Kelly provides us with the oldest track here. “Baby You Can Laugh At That” dates back to the 1930s and is a hillbilly tune with a touch of Dixieland. Ken Marvin channels his inner Hank Williams and adds some honky tonk piano to give us track thirty-one, “Let's Take The Long Way Home”. “Ain't What She Used To Be” is an early hillbilly bopper from Ramblin' Tommy Scott, there’s some nice rockabilly style guitar picking along with the banjo. The final track is a pop country ballad from 1959, “Tomorrow Night by Carl Smith.

Summary

This is an interesting compilation of relatively little-known tracks that deserve to be made available to a wider audience. Sound quality is generally excellent despite the obvious limitations of mastering from original discs in a few cases. I applaud Atomicat for making these tracks, that form an essential part of the evolution of western music from hillbilly to rockabilly, available to us all.

Jailhouse John Alexander

Track List

Track Title Artist

1 - I Want A Bowlegged Woman - Jimmie Ballard

2 - Crazy Mixed Up Blues - Jimmy Boyd

3 - Juke Joint Johnny - Lattie Moore

4 - Let Me In There Baby - Billy Strange

5 - Gentlemen Prefer Blonds - Eddie Noack

6 - Tom Cattin' Around - Speedy Morris

7 - Someone Stole My Rag Mop - Bob Greene

8 - You Got The Right Number - Rusty McDonald

9 - O, Mabel Where Can You Be - Aaron Blackie Boudreaux