Given the track list of Country & Western Hit Parade 1955, an entry in Bear Family’s stellar series of releases on the topic, one can see that for country music fans, this was an amazing year all around. This 31-track compilation selects nothing but truly great tracks for inclusion. They include
George Jones’ enduring “Why Baby Why,”
Johnny Cash’s “Cry, Cry, Cry,”
Charlie Feathers' lone hit “Peepin’ Eyes,”
Ray Price’s “Run Boy,”
Tennessee Ernie Ford’s “Sixteen Tons,” and
Marty Robbins’ unforgettable read of
Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene,” to name a few. As is customary for all releases on Bear Family, the set includes exhaustive liner notes, complete track information, and great photos. The entire set is packaged in a hardback-bound digipack and is worth every penny -- actually, the entire series is. For fans of traditional country & western music, this set is essential listening. ~ Thom Jurek