Songs Still Missing From Spotify (For "Tracks Of My Life" Playlist)

Since I posted this in March 2017, I've slowly been able to delete some titles.  But the rest of the songs listed below are still missing on digital streaming sites. Okay, you can find them on YouTube, but in my world of Playlists, Spotify, more than any other, is king.

If they ever show up, they'll appear on my Spotify Tracks Of My Life playlist, which contains songs, some popular, others more obscure, that have meant something to me at one point or another in my life.  My playlist has to contain the original recordings.  No remakes.

Missing from the list below are select titles from the Four Seasons and Everly Brothers, whose catalogs come and go.

This list will continue to be updated as I find more missing songs:

Carl Perkins - Birth Of Rock and Roll  (#31 Country, 1986)
Eddie Rabbitt - Repetitive Regret  (#4 Country, 1986)
Joe Sun - Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle To You  (#14 Country, 1978)
John Valenti - Anything You Want  (#37, 1976)
Michael McDonald - Sweet Freedom  (#7, 1986)
Pake McEntire - Savin' My Love For You  (#3 Country, 1986)
Sweet Sensation - Sad Sweet Dreamer  (#14, 1975)
Player - Baby Come Back (#1, 1977)

Playlist for 6/26

Father John Misty - God's Favorite Customer
Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore - Downey to Lubbock
Frank Turner - Be More Kind
Rezillos - Can't Stand the Rezillos
Jeffrey Osborne - Worth It All
James Carr - Take Me To The Limit
Otis Clay - I'll Treat You Right
Solomon Burke - Soul Alive

Tom's Top 100 Country Artists

In 2017, Rolling Stone was at it again with another one of their music lists.  This one was on the Top 100 Country artists of all time.  It's a good list, and this being a Rock oriented magazine, they included many names that some may not consider pure Country, but should be:  John Prine, Townes Van Zandt.  Surprises:  Jessi Colter, Asleep at the Wheel.  And snubs:  Chet Atkins, Ricky Skaggs, Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley.  The latter definitely rankles this Elvis fan.  A Country Top 100 that includes Jerry Lee Lewis (deserved) but not Elvis is a head-scratcher.  Their #1 and 2 mirror my own:  Haggard, Hank.  On any given day I could swap those out. 

Of the 100 names on the Rolling Stone list, 57 are in the Country Hall of Fame.  Some of the others will get in eventually, and some aren't eligible yet.

Here's Rolling Stone Top 100 Country Artists

Now for a little personal background.  I have my Dad to thank for my eclectic music tastes.  But his favorite musical genres were Country and Pop.  While stationed at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, he took us to a few Country shows.  Most I was too young to remember (I was 5 or 6).  But he would always remind me that we saw Merle Haggard, Charley Pride, George Jones, Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton among the ones I remember.  Most of these shows were package ones.  You got a lot of legendary acts for your buck in those days.  So, thanks Dad.

Below is a list of my Top 100 Country acts.  All but Elvis, Ricky Skaggs and the Everly's showed up on Rolling Stone's list.  

1.  Merle Haggard

2.  Hank Williams

3.  George Jones

4.  Dolly Parton

5.  Willie Nelson

6.  Johnny Cash

7.  Jimmie Rodgers

8.  Loretta Lynn

9.  Lefty Frizzell

10.  Carter Family

11.  Patsy Cline

12.  Elvis Presley

13.  Bob Wills

14.  Tammy Wynette

15.  Waylon Jennings

16.  Buck Owens

17.  Bill Monroe

18.  Charley Pride

19.  Louvin Brothers

20.  Ray Price

21.  Tom T. Hall

22.  Roger Miller

23.  John Anderson

24.  George Strait

25.  Conway Twitty

26.  Randy Travis

27.  Ernest Tubb

28.  Kris Kristofferson

29.  Flatt & Scruggs

30.  Gary Stewart

31.  Charlie Rich

32.  Kitty Wells

33.  Everly Brothers

34.  Glen Campbell

35.  Miranda Lambert

36.  Garth Brooks

37.  Keith Whitley

38.  Kenny Rogers

39.  Dwight Yoakam

40.  Gram Parsons

41.  Rosanne Cash

42.  Emmylou Harris

43.  Alan Jackson

44.  Jerry Reed

45.  Reba McEntire

46.  Steve Earle

47.  Jerry Lee Lewis

48.  Shania Twain

49.  Stanley Brothers

50.  Alabama
51.  Vince Gill
52.  Tanya Tucker
53.  John Prine
54.  Freddy Fender
55.  Rodney Crowell
56.  Johnny Paycheck
57.  Dixie Chicks
58.  Don Williams
59.  Ronnie Milsap
60.  Marty Robbins
61.  Ricky Skaggs
62.  Hank Thompson
63.  Billy Joe Shaver
64.  Hank Snow
65.  Hank Williams Jr.
66.  Jim Reeves
67.  Merle Travis
68.  Roy Acuff
69.  Statler Brothers
70.  Judds
71.  Eddy Arnold
72.  Guy Clark
73.  Oak Ridge Boys
74.  Chet Atkins
75.  Faron Young
76.  Tennessee Ernie Ford
77.  Eddie Rabbitt
78.  Mel Tillis
79.  Patty Loveless
80.  Bobby Bare
81.  Connie Smith
82.  Brooks & Dunn
83.  Alison Krauss
84.  Bill Anderson
85.  Crystal Gayle
86.  Doug Sahm
87.  Lucinda Williams
88.  Barbara Mandrell
89.  Porter Wagoner
90.  Vern Gosdin
91.  John Denver
92.  Bobbie Gentry
93.  Little Jimmy Dickens
94.  Brad Paisley
95.  Anne Murray
96.  Uncle Dave Macon
97.  Asleep At The Wheel
98.  Don Gibson
99.  Johnny Horton
100.  Clint Black

Spotify Playlist: Country Crossover Hits of the 70's/80's

Here's some info on my Spotify playlist is on Country crossover hits of the 70's and 80's.  There appeared to be lots more crossover songs from the 50's and 60's, so I'm sticking with the decades in which the Countrypolitan and Urban Cowboy sound took off. 

One problem was figuring out who was Country and who was Pop.  What I decided to do was stick with what the artist has become identified with.  So, my playlist does not include John Denver or Olivia Newton-John, even though they and others like them had many Country hits. You will find Anne Murray, who was having success on the Country charts early in her career, even more than on the Pop chart.  Anyway, I could be talked into some of the names I skipped.

The list, which I started 3 years ago, attempts to include as many 70's/80's songs that crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100 Pop chart.  One other thing I noticed is that Country songs stopped crossing over by the mid-80's as the New Traditionalists wiped out most of the Urban Cowboy Pop that was dominating the charts at that time.


Country Crossover Hits of 70's/80's

email:  tmlane12@gmail.com

Here are just some of the songs on the Spotify Playlist:

• I Love A Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt
• Drivin' My Life Away - Eddie Rabbitt
• Suspicions - Eddie Rabbitt
• Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - 2001 - Remaster - Crystal Gayle
• Talking In Your Sleep - Crystal Gayle
• Half The Way - Crystal Gayle
• You And I - Eddie Rabbitt;Crystal Gayle
• Step By Step - Eddie Rabbitt
• Someone Could Lose A Heart Tonight - Eddie Rabbitt
• Behind Closed Doors - Charlie Rich
• The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich
• A Very Special Love Song - Charlie Rich
• Feels so Right - Alabama
• Love In The First Degree - Alabama
• Take Me Down - Alabama
• The Closer You Get - Alabama
• Islands In The Stream - Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton
• Lady - Kenny Rogers
• She Believes In Me - Kenny Rogers
• You Decorated My Life - Kenny Rogers
• The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
• Lucille - Kenny Rogers
• Through The Years - 2006 Digital Remaster - Kenny Rogers
• Coward Of The County - 2006 Digital Remaster - Kenny Rogers
• I Don't Need You - 2006 Digital Remaster - Kenny Rogers
• Love Will Turn You Around - 2006 Digital Remaster - Kenny Rogers
• Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer - 2006 Digital Remaster - Kenny Rogers
• Smoky Mountain Rain - Ronnie Milsap
• It Was Almost Like a Song - Ronnie Milsap
• (There's) No Gettin' over Me - Ronnie Milsap
• Any Day Now - Ronnie Milsap
• Stranger in My House - Ronnie Milsap
• 9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
• Here You Come Again - (Single) [Remaster] - Dolly Parton
• Two Doors Down - Dolly Parton
• Nobody - Sylvia
• You've Never Been This Far Before - Conway Twitty
• Elvira - Single Version - The Oak Ridge Boys
• Bobbie Sue - Single Version - The Oak Ridge Boys
• Lookin' For Love - Johnny Lee
• Stand By Me - Single Version - Mickey Gilley
• The Devil Went Down To Georgia - The Charlie Daniels Band
• I Loved 'Em Every One - T.G. Sheppard
• Kiss an Angel Good Mornin' - Charley Pride
• Rhinestone Cowboy - Glen Campbell
• Let Your Love Flow - The Bellamy Brothers
• If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me - The Bellamy Brothers
• Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) - Waylon Jennings
• Theme from "The Dukes of Hazzard" (Good Ol' Boys) - Waylon Jennings
• A Good Hearted Woman - Waylon Jennings;Willie Nelson
• Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain - Willie Nelson
• On the Road Again - Willie Nelson
• Always On My Mind - Willie Nelson
• To All the Girls I've Loved Before - Julio Iglesias;Willie Nelson
• I'm Not Lisa - Jessi Colter
• Somebody's Knockin' - Terri Gibbs
• Angel Of The Morning - Juice Newton
• Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me - Juice Newton
• The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known) - Juice Newton
• Queen Of Hearts - Juice Newton
• If We Make It Through December - 2006 - Remaster - Merle Haggard
• One Piece at a Time - Johnny Cash;Tennessee Three
• Why Me - Kris Kristofferson
• Rose Garden - Single Version - Lynn Anderson
• For the Good Times - Single Version - Ray Price
• Convoy - C.W. McCall
• Before The Next Teardrop Falls - Single Version - Freddy Fender
• Wasted Days And Wasted Nights - Freddy Fender
• Secret Love - Single Version - Freddy Fender
• You'll Lose A Good Thing - Single Version - Freddy Fender
• (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right - Single Version - Barbara Mandrell
• Southern Nights - Glen Campbell
• I Love - Tom T. Hall
• Rub It In - Billy "Crash" Craddock
• Amos Moses - Buddha Remastered - 2000 - Jerry Reed
• When You're Hot, You're Hot - Remastered - Jerry Reed
• Teddy Bear - Red Sovine
• Seven Year Ache - Rosanne Cash
• Every Which Way But Loose (2009 Remastered Single/LP Version) - Eddie Rabbitt
• Daytime Friends - Kenny Rogers
• Buried Treasure - Kenny Rogers
• Love Or Something Like It - 2006 Digital Remaster - Kenny Rogers
• What Are We Doin' In Love - 2006 Digital Remaster - Kenny Rogers
• Country Boy (You Got Your Feet In L.A.) - Glen Campbell
• I-O-U - Jimmy Dean
• Uneasy Rider - The Charlie Daniels Band
• The South's Gonna Do It Again - The Charlie Daniels Band
• I Can Help - Single Version - Billy Swan
• Baby I'm Burnin' - Dolly Parton
• Saturday Morning Confusion - Original Hit Version - Bobby Russell
• Mr. Sandman (2008 Remastered Album Version) - Emmylou Harris
• Lizzie And The Rainman - Tanya Tucker
• Third Rate Romance - Remastered - Amazing Rhythm Aces
• Everything Is Beautiful - 1970 #1 Billboard chart hit - Ray Stevens
• Misty - 1975 #3Country; #14Pop Billboard chart hit - Ray Stevens
• The Streak - 1974 #1Pop; #3Country Billboard Chart Hit - Ray Stevens
• Satin Sheets - Jeanne Pruett
• Help Me Make It Through The Night - Sammi Smith
• The Happiest Girl In The Whole U.S.A. - Donna Fargo
• Funny Face - Single Version - Donna Fargo
• I Love My Friend - Charlie Rich
• There Won't Be Anymore - Charlie Rich
• It's Only Make Believe - Glen Campbell
• Snowbird - Anne Murray
• Danny's Song - Anne Murray
• A Love Song - Anne Murray
• You Needed Me - Anne Murray
• I Just Fall In Love Again - Anne Murray
• Shadows In The Moonlight - Anne Murray
• Broken Hearted Me - Anne Murray
• Could I Have This Dance - Anne Murray
• Daydream Believer - Anne Murray
• Easy Loving - Freddie Hart
• Honey Come Back - Glen Campbell
• What Is Truth - Johnny Cash
• If I Were a Carpenter - June Carter Cash;Johnny Cash
• Tennessee Bird Walk - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan;Misty Morgen
• I Believe In You - Single Version - Don Williams
• Ashes By Now - Rodney Crowell
• I Wouldn't Have Missed It for the World - Remastered - Ronnie Milsap
• Let It Be Me - Willie Nelson
• Baby I Lied - Deborah Allen
• I'll Still Be Loving You - Restless Heart
• Swingin' - John Anderson
• East Bound and Down - Jerry Reed

Playlist for 6/19

Kate Nash - Yesterday Was Forever
Neko Case - Hell-On
Nellie McKay - Wild Orchid
Lake Street Dive - Free Yourself Up
Speedy Ortiz - Twerp Verse
Parquet Courts - Wide Awake
Kid Cudi/Kanye West - Kids See Ghosts
Outlaws & Armadillos:Country's Roaring 70's - Various
Glenn Branca - Symphony No. 1
Glenn Branca - Ascension

Great Father's Day Songs

The song that has stuck with me the most, since my Dad passed away in 2008 is a tearjerker from Conway Twitty  (1987, peaked at #6 Country).  If you've lost your Dad or a Father figure, then this song will conjure up all sorts of emotions.

Conway Twitty was a fave of my Dad.  This song reminds me of both my Dad and Conway.  Two greats gone too soon.

"That's My Job" - Conway Twitty

More Great Father's Day Songs:
Alan Jackson - Drive
Beyonce - Daddy
Brad Paisley - He Didn't Have To Be
Bruce Springsteen - Independence Day
Cat Stevens - Father and Son
Dan Fogelberg - Leader Of The Band
Dolly Parton - Daddy's Working Boots
Drive-By Truckers - Outfit
Eric Clapton - My Father's Eyes
Everclear - Father of Mine
George Strait - Best Day
Harry Chapin - Cat's In The Cradle
Holly Dunn - Daddy's Hands
Johnny Cash - Boy Named Sue
Luther Vandross - Dance With My Father
Madonna - Papa Don't Preach
Mike & The Mechanics - Living Years
Queen - Father To Son
Temptations - Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
Will Smith - Just The Two Of Us
Zac Brown Band - My Old Man

Playlist for 6/10

Kendalls - Old Fashioned Love
Crystal Gayle - When I Dream
Tanya Tucker - TNT
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty - Honky Tonk Heroes
Ronnie Milsap - Only One Love In My Life
Charley Pride - Someone Loves You Honey
Hank Williams Jr. - New South
Gene Watson - Reflections
Brent Cobb - Providence Canyon

Playlist for 6/5

Liz Phair - Girly-Sound Tapes
Kelly Willis - Back Being Blue
Merle Haggard - I'm Always On A Mountain When I Fall
J.D. Crowe & The New South - My Home Ain't In The Hall of Fame
Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
Ray LaMontagne - Part of the Light
Now 65 (American Version) - Various
Kanye West - Ye
Pusha T - Daytona