Country Pickin': The Don Rich Anthology

Don Rich | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 19, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sundazed Music Inc.
• ASIN: B0000560ES
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,369 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #41 in Music > Country > Classic Country > Bakersfield Sound

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

If Buck Owens was a key builder of the sharp-edged Bakersfield honky-tonk sound, then Don Rich was his hammer. The tart Telecaster guitar licks and cutting tenor harmony vocals that distinguished Owens's sound came courtesy of his chief Buckaroo, not to mention some nifty fiddling to boot. This tangy and twangy 24-cut compilation gives Rich his proper due. With Owens churning out hit after hit in the 1960s, the Buckaroos themselves were given plenty of opportunities to produce their own albums, and these records are the sources of most of the material here. There are many examples on this CD of Rich's nimble fiddle work and even a few nice vocal turns, but it was his snappy guitar licks that really influenced the course of the music. Melding the fluidity and imagination of jazz with the aggressive attack of rock--and making the low strings ring out brightly--he set country guitar in new directions while helping to expand the genre's audience in the process. His work recalls a time when a sideman was a first lieutenant, not a hired gun. --Marc Greilsamer

Product Description

Country Pickin' The Don Rich Anthology is the first-ever round-up of the signature guitar, fiddle and vocal genius of the late Don Rich. This edition corrals 24 fiery yet precise cornerstones of the Bakersfield sound, and adds a career overview, rare photos, heartfelt tributes from Buck Owens, Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard and many more country legends. Standard jewel case. 2000 release

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real Buckaroo, June 25, 2003

By 

Walter Stettner (Vienna Austria) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Country Pickin': The Don Rich Anthology (Audio CD)

Don Rich was the driving force behind Buck Owens, he did more than his share to make Buck the first and most successful Bakersfield singer. His guitar and fiddle playing and especially his harmony vocals with Buck actually made the Buckaroo sound. Tragic proof for this is the fact that Buck's career began to fade after Don's tragic death in 1974.

This beautiful compilation features the instrumentalist as well as the vocalist Don Rich and shows the incredible talent this man had. It is interesting to see the impact that Buck and Don had on modern Country Music, singers like Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen, Mark Chesnutt and countless others freely admit that the Buckaroo sound heavily influenced their musical lives!

Great to have lots of the Don Rich solo recordings on one CD!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful discovery from someone who loves '60's music, April 14, 2006

By 

John Cannon (Chesterfield, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Country Pickin': The Don Rich Anthology (Audio CD)

The recent death of Buck Owens prompted me to investigate some of his early work. I was familiar with 'Act Naturally' and '...Tiger By The Tail' - but that was it. Having not grown up around country music, my only image of Buck was his 'Hee-Haw' persona which, although fun, didn't lead me to believe that he had a career prior to the television show. Clearly, I needed an education (!)

One of the marvelous things about Amazon is the opportunity to quickly hear music snippets and 'discover' music you've never heard before. As a result of hearing some of Buck's great work from the '60's, I learned about the guitar and fiddle artistry of Don Rich. This CD is enjoyable for those who appreciate the great 'twangy' electric guitar, so evident in pop music of the late-50's to middle-60's. Rich's musicianship is pure fun and, as one devotee writes in the liner notes, 'he made country music cool.' Indeed, both Buck Owens and Don Rich seem to be the bridge between country music and rock n' roll from this time period.

This is a wonderful set of music; 'Buckaroo' and 'Orange Blossom Special' are worth the price of admission. It's a shame Don Rich left this earth so soon.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Quite Complete, May 7, 2002

By 

Jimmy Purifoy (Benton, Arkansas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Country Pickin': The Don Rich Anthology (Audio CD)

What a great musician! This album showcases the talent of the man I have idolized since the mid-1960's. I do have one problem with the album, however. Whoever selected the songs for inclusion on the CD overlooked some of Don's best material. I can think of four songs in particular: "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Cowboy Convention" (duet with Buddy Alan), and Don's fiddle arrangment of "Greensleeves." The CD would have been much better with these songs. I've given it a four-star rather than a five-star rating for this reason.