Honky Tonk Man: The Essential Johnny Horton 1956-1960

by Johnny Horton

Overview

This 36-track double-CD set, running just under an hour and a half, effectively chronicles Johnny Horton's Columbia Records career. The first disc, which is in mono, traces Horton's honky-tonk work of 1956-1957, starting with "Honky Tonk Man." Though lacking the crossover appeal of his later work at the time, this is the material on which his reputation stands today, with people like Dwight Yoakam resurrecting it. The end of the first disc and the beginning of the second (which is in stereo) present the stylistic fishing expedition of Horton's commercially unsuccessful middle period, as be goes looking for a bit. He finds it, of course, with the martial rhythms and historical theme of "The Battle of New Orleans," a chart-topping novelty that leads to a string of similar productions. By the end, in songs like "The Mansion You Stole," Horton seems headed toward the lush, string-filled Nashville Sound, though he died before it gained dominance. Along the way, all of Horton's Country chart singles and most of his pop chart singles are included, along with two tracks, previously unreleased in the U.S. Of course, the set could have been considerably longer (or, better yet, shaved by a few tracks and fit onto a single disc), but nothing essential is missing. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	03/12/1996
Label:	Columbia/Legacy
UPC:	0074646476123
Rank:	97320

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Honky Tonk Man
2. I'm a One Woman Man
3. Take Me Like I Am
4. I Don't Like I Did
5. Hooray for That Little Difference
6. I'm Coming Home
7. She Knows Why
8. Honky Tonk Mind (The Woman I Need)
9. Goodbye Lonesome, Hello Baby Doll
10. I'll Do It Everytime
11. Let's Take the Long Way Home
12. Lover's Rock
13. Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor
14. The Wild One
15. Hot in the Sugarcane Field
16. Wise to the Ways of a Woman
17. Out in New Mexico
18. I Love You Baby

Disc 2

19. All Grown Up
20. Got the Bull by the Horns
21. When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)
22. The Battle of New Orleans
23. Lost Highway
24. Cherokee Boogie
25. The Golden Rocket
26. Words
27. Johnny Reb
28. Sal's Got a Sugarlip
29. The Electrified Donkey
30. Sink the Bismarck
31. Ole Slew Foot
32. Sleepy-Eyed John
33. The Mansion You Stole
34. North to Alaska
35. Evil Hearted Me
36. You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Johnny Horton   Primary Artist,Vocals

Technical Credits

Johnny Horton   Composer
Autry Inman   Composer
Billy Jones   Composer
Chris Eaton   Composer
Frank Driggs   Photography
Claude King   Composer
Ferlin Husky   Composer
Scotty Harrell   Composer
Jimmie Driftwood   Composer
Mark Wilder   Mixing
Merle Kilgore   Composer
Leon Payne   Composer
George Richey   Producer
Moon Mullican   Composer
Tillman Franks   Composer
Tommy Blake   Composer
Hank Snow   Composer
Colin Escott   Liner Notes,Photography
Lee Emerson   Composer
Richard Taylor "Dick" Nash   Composer
Howard Hausey   Composer
Debra Parkinson   Mastering
Lisa Sparagano   Artwork
Amos Boyd   Composer
Ken Fredette   Artwork
C. Adams   Composer
Donnie Bowshier   Composer
Julian Peploe   Design,Art Direction
Michael Ochs   Photography
Frank Jones   Producer
Eddie Hazelwood   Composer
Tex Atchison   Composer
Bob Irwin   Compilation Producer