Craft Recordings is pleased to announce three vinyl reissues, available January 17th, from some of the most popular names in country music: Roy Clark, Buck Owens, and Susan Raye. All three artists—interconnected through their love of entertaining—were household names thanks to the television show Hee Haw, but each of them broke new ground in their own right when it came to country music. The titles include Roy Clark’s Greatest Hits, The Very Best of Buck Owens & Susan Raye, and Susan Raye’s 16 Greatest Hits. All three compilations will make their vinyl debuts.
Grand Ole Opry member Roy Clark (1933–2018) was not only a beloved personality on film and TV but also an influential figure in country music—helping to bring his genre to the masses. Over his 40-year career, the award-winning guitarist and banjoist scored multiple Top Ten Hot Country singles like “Yesterday, When I Was Young,” “Thank God and Greyhound,” and the No. 1 hit “Come Live With Me”—all of which are included on Greatest Hits. Clark, who was a frequent guest-host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, continued to see his star rise in 1969 when he became the co-host for Hee Haw—a variety show featuring country acts and comedy sketches centered around rural culture. Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, Clark toured regularly, playing to packed theaters around the world—including 18 sold-out nights in the former USSR. The GRAMMY® Award-winning artist was a multiple Entertainer of the Year and Instrumentalist of the Year winner at the Country Music Awards and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
A pioneer of the electric “Bakersfield Sound,” Country Music Hall of Famer Buck Owens (1926–2006) was one of the most innovative artists in his genre, scoring a whopping 21 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot Country chart over the course of his career, and influencing countless musicians to follow—from Gram Parsons to Dwight Yoakam. By the middle of the ’60s, the Bakersfield, CA artist—along with his band, the Buckaroos—was one of the biggest names in country music, and enjoyed a loyal base of country, rock, and pop fans thanks to his edgy, honky-tonk inspired sound. In 1969, Owens’ popularity grew even wider when he joined Roy Clark as co-host of Hee Haw.
Owens was at the height of his success when he was introduced to a young singer named Susan Raye. Raye began singing duets with the country star in 1968 and soon joined him on Hee Haw as a regular performer. Throughout the early ’70s, Owens and Raye released four studio albums together, scoring a string of hits with songs like “We’re Gonna Get Together,” “Togetherness,” and “The Great White Horse”—all included on The Very Best of Buck Owens & Susan Raye. As a solo artist, Raye found international success with her 1970 crossover hit, “L.A. International Airport,” and dominated the country charts with singles like “Pitty, Pitty, Patter," "(I've Got A) Happy Heart," and "Willy Jones," all featured on 16 Greatest Hits. The first female country singer to find major success outside of Nashville, Raye scored a total of seven Top 10 hits and 19 Top 40 hits in her genre and was nominated for five Academy of Country Music Awards before retiring from recording in the mid-’80s.
Click here to pre-order The Very Best of Buck Owens & Susan Raye
Click here to pre-order Susan Raye’s 16 Greatest Hits
Click here to pre-order Roy Clark’s Greatest Hits
Track Listing: The Very Best of Buck Owens & Susan Raye
Side A:
1. We're Gonna Get Together
2. Togetherness
3. Together Again
4. Cryin’ Time
5. Love Is Strange
6. The Great White Horse
7. Today I Started Loving You Again
Side B:
1. I Don’t Care (Just As Long As Long As You Love Me)
2. Think Of Me When You’re Lonely
3. Your Tender Loving Care
4. Looking Back To See
5. The Good Old Days (Are Here Again)
6. Sweethearts In Heaven
7. Love Makes The World Go Around
Track Listing: Susan Raye — 16 Greatest Hits
Side A:
1. Put A Little Love In Your Heart
2. One Night Stand
3. Willy Jones
4. L.A. International Airport
5. Pitty, Pitty, Patter
6. (I’ve Got A) Happy Heart
7. A Song To Sing
8. My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own
Side B:
1. Wheel Of Fortune
2. Love Sure Feels Good In My Heart
3. Cheating Game
4. Plastic Trains, Paper Planes
5. When You Get Back From Nashville
6. Stop The World (And Let Me Off)
7. You Can Sure See It From Here
8. Whatcha Gonna Do With A Dog Like That
Track Listing: Roy Clark — Greatest Hits
Side A:
1. Tips Of My Fingers
2. Yesterday When I Was Young
3. Right Or Left At Oak Street
4. I Never Picked Cotton
5. Thank God And Greyhound
6. Magnificent Sanctuary Band
7. The Lawrence Welk-Hee Haw Counter-Revolution Polka
Side B:
1. Come Live With Me
2. Riders In The Sky
3. Somewhere Between Love And Tomorrow
4. Honeymoon Feelin'
5. Heart To Heart
6. If I Had To Do It All Over Again
7. Think Summer