Country Rock - The Sick Shame Of Our Nation's Youth (Part 1)

Who did it first? A perennial question with beaucoup of answers. The Byrds (effectively led by Gram Parsons at this point) get regular credit for Sweetheart ('68), but Parsons' International Submarine Band started recording their album the previous year, as did Hearts & Flowers. Longbranch Pennywhistle and Blue Velvet Band followed in '69.  Mike Nesmith's contributions to Monkees albums could arguably be labeled country rock as far back as '66, although he didn't record the First National Band albums until the seventies. And inevitably there are Beatles fans who insist their idols did everything first, a real stretch in this case - Dylan has a much stronger claim with John Wesley Harding in '67. It depends how you define the term; Elvis and Jerry Lee recorded country music, and the point of asking the question at all is to discover how the roots of rock n' roll are intertwined with country, and how deep those roots go.

Rick Nelson is a fascinating, and under-praised dude. It's not many child stars - he started at eight, on radio and TV - who survive adolescence, leave alone continue a career into adulthood. You've got have a level head, flexibility, talent, and determination. Nelson also had the benefits of strong family support, and unerring good taste; as a teenager he recruited the eighteen-year old James Burton (later poached by Elvis) into his own band. But by '66 his teeny-bopper audience was "becoming more selective", and he needed a change of direction. He tried two simultaneously - full-tilt Bakersfield country, and psych-tinged pop (which we'll get to). The country approach was the one that paid off, and led to his successful late career as a country-rock artist.

Here's the two albums that I'd include when answering the who got there first question - Bright Lights & Country Music ('66), and Country Fever ('67). They're both fantastic. Great choice of material, virtuosic band playing, and Nelson's perfectly pitched and cool-toned vocals. Ultimately, genre doesn't matter. This is timeless music, impeccably played and recorded, and a whole heap of fun.