Country Pickin': The Don Rich Anthology is a compilation album featuring Don Rich

Don Rich

Donald Eugene Ulrich, best known by the stage name Don Rich was a country musician who helped develop the Bakersfield sound in the early 1960s. He was a noted guitarist and fiddler, and a member of the Buckaroos, the backing band of country singer Buck Owens.-Biography:Donald Eugene Ulrich was...

, American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 guitarist, fiddler, and long-time sideman of Buck Owens

Buck Owens

Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...

, released in 2000.

History

Don Rich was the leader of The Buckaroos

The Buckaroos

The Buckaroos were a Grammy-winning band led by Buck Owens in the 1960s and early '70s, who were heavily involved in the development and presentation of the "Bakersfield Sound." Their peak of success was from 1965-1970. In 2005, CMT named the Buckaroos No...

, Buck Owens

Buck Owens

Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...

' band, as well as Owens' collaborator and friend. He was a noted guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 and fiddler

Fiddler

A fiddler is a person who plays a fiddle or violin.Fiddler may also refer to:*Fabrangen Fiddlers, an American musical group founded in 1971*Tupolev Tu-28 "Fiddler", a fighter aircraft*Fiddler , a DC Comics villain...

 who died in a motorcycle accident in 1974. Owens is quoted in the liner notes of this anthology saying "I think my musical life ended when his did." Rich is recognized as one of the chief architects of the Bakersfield Sound

Bakersfield sound

The Bakersfield sound was a genre of country music developed in the mid- to late 1950s in and around Bakersfield, California. The many hit singles were largely produced by Capitol Records country music head, Ken Nelson. Bakersfield country was a reaction against the slickly produced, string...

.

Rich performed lead vocals on some of Owens' albums and the Buckaroos released their own records. The tracks of the anthology are taken from The Buckaroos solo albums.

The extensive liner notes by music historian and journalist Rich Kienzle include a biography, rare photos and tributes from Owens, Dwight Yoakam

Dwight Yoakam

Dwight David Yoakam is an American singer-songwriter, actor and film director, most famous for his pioneering country music...

, Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard

Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...

, Marty Stuart

Marty Stuart

John Martin "Marty" Stuart is an American country music singer-songwriter, known for both his traditional style, and eclectic merging of rockabilly, honky tonk, and traditional country music...

 and others.

Reception

While praising the compilation and Rich's contributions to Buck Owens

Buck Owens

Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...

' career, music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the songs "solid, respectable songs, delivered handsomely" and "[It] might not be a lost classic, but it's fine listening and an appropriate, loving testament to one of the finest guitarists and musicians of his time."

Writing for No Depression magazine, David Hill expressed similar sentiments, writing: "Country Pickin’ makes it clear just how talented Rich was. Most of the songs were culled from the Buckaroos’ solo albums on Capitol, and while you can’t really compare them to the best of Owens’ work — classics such as “Cryin’ Time” or “Act Naturally” or “Together Again” — that’s not really the point. These were recorded in a different spirit, probably at the end of Owens’ regular sessions. But they hardly sound tossed-off. Country Pickin’ may not be essential listening, but it sure is a lot of fun."

Track listing

1. "Buckaroo" (Bob Morris) – 2:01
2. "Orange Blossom Special
   Orange Blossom Special (song)
   The fiddle tune "Orange Blossom Special", about the passenger train of the same name, was written by Ervin T. Rouse in 1938. The original recording was created by Ervin and Gordon Rouse in 1939. It is considered the best known fiddle tune of the twentieth century and is often called simply The...
   
   " (Evrin T. Rouse) – 2:09
3. "I'm Layin' It on the Line" (Don Rich) – 2:27
4. "The Happy Go Lucky Guitar" (Buck Owens, Rich) – 1:57
5. "Cajun Fiddle" (Owens, Rich) – 1:45
6. "Out of My Mind" (Rich, Red Simpson) – 3:23
7. "Round Hole Guitar" (Owens, Rich) – 2:22
8. "Tumwater Breakdown" (Rich) – 1:54
9. "Chicken Pickin'" (Owens, Rich) – 2:08
10. "Love's Gonna Come a Knockin'" (Owens, Rich) – 1:56
11. "Buckersfield Breakdown" (Morris, Rich) – 2:00
12. "I'll Be Swingin' Too" (Owens, Rich) – 2:03
13. "Sad Is the Lonely" (Bobby Warren, Harlow Wilcox) – 2:47
14. "Pretty Girl" (Rich) – 1:45
15. "Chaparral" (Morris, Rich) – 1:58
16. "I'm Coming Back Home to Stay" (Rich) – 2:14
17. "Spanish Moonlight" (Rich) – 2:10
18. "Saturday Night" (Rich) – 1:50
19. "I'm Goin' Back Home Where I Belong" (Rich) – 2:19
20. "Aw Heck" (Rich) – 1:51
21. "Georgia Peach" (Rich) – 1:19
22. "Tim-Buck-Too" (Rich) – 2:22
23. "Pickin-Nickin'" (Rich) – 2:35
24. "Country Pickin'" (Owens, Rich) – 1:42

Personnel

• Don Rich
  Don Rich
  Donald Eugene Ulrich, best known by the stage name Don Rich was a country musician who helped develop the Bakersfield sound in the early 1960s. He was a noted guitarist and fiddler, and a member of the Buckaroos, the backing band of country singer Buck Owens.-Biography:Donald Eugene Ulrich was...
  
   – guitar, fiddle, vocals
• Buck Owens
  Buck Owens
  Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...
  
   – guitar
• Doyle Holly
  Doyle Holly
  Doyle Floyd Hendricks, known by the stage name Doyle Holly was an American musician best known as the bass guitar player of the country music band Buck Owens and the Buckaroos and for his solo hit songs "Queen Of The Silver Dollar" and "Lila". Holly's contributions on bass guitar and rhythm guitar...
  
  – bass, guitar, background vocals
• Jay McDonald – steel guitar
• Jelly Sanders – guitar
• Red Simpson – guitar
• Wayne Wilson – guitar
• Bob Morris – bass
• Kenny Pierce – bass
• Ken Presley – drums
• Willie Cantu – drums
• Jerry Wiggins – drums

Production notes:

• Ken Nelson – producer
• Buck Owens – producer, arranger, graphic design, photography
• Bob Irwin – mastering
• Tim Livingston – project manager
• Efram Turchick – project manager
• Rich Kienzle – liner notes
• Rich Russell – design