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Originally Posted by Maajo
I like a lot of older country music that I've heard, but for a lot of it I'm not 100% on dates. This period takes place during the heyday of honky tonk music and Hank Williams. I've always liked Bob Wills, Delmore Brothers (though their music is incredibly hard to find), Ernest Tubb, and Lefty Frizzell (sp?) who I believe all played during at least part of that span, but I still don't know much about it.
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Yes, most of those you cite were indeed active during my favorite period.
Bob Wills started in the mid-1930s but remained active through the 1960s at least. His prime is generally considered to be late 1930s till the post-World War II era, after which he had to downsize his band. But great stuff for sure.
Ernest Tubb started recording, er, in earnest in 1940. His earliest tracks are mostly just him on acoustic and one electric guitar, but as time went on he added lap steel, and by the late-40s he was definitely in a honky-tonk mode. He is also about the only country artist whose remakes of his earlier songs are as good as, if not better, than the originals. He always recorded with his road band, The Texas Troubadours, and some great musicians passed through their ranks. The remakes were done ca. 1958, and feature crisp drumming that gives those early songs an extra kick.
The Delmore Brothers were pioneers. The began recording in the early 1930s and became starts of the Grand Ole Opry in the years that followed, but achieved their greatest recording success post-World War II with "Freight Train Boogie" and "Blues Stay Away from Me," which has been covered by many.
Lefty Frizzell was huge in the early- to -mid 1950s — actually bigger than Hank Williams was for a time. He sputtered, though, by mid-decade — but did have at least two more big hits in 1959 and 1964. His singing style was absolutely unique, and a huge influence on many — particularly Merle Haggard and John Anderson. A great songwriter as well as a singer — as late as 1973 he notched a big composer credit with "That's the Way Love Goes," a hit then for Johnny Rodriguez and later for Haggard.
You've definitely got the idea with the artists you mentioned! Be sure to check out Ray Price during his honky-tonk era (but avoid him once he put on a tuxedo!). Carl Smith and Webb Pierce are also worth looking into. And if you want to get really funky, look for George Jones' earliest recordings on the Starday label — still my favorite Jones era of all.