Countrymen (1963-????)

History

The Countrymen were a Christian country band based in Stockton, California, active during the 1960s and 1970s. Jerry Short, who sings lead, organized the Countrymen in March of 1963. The group was made up of local musicians who also did session work and produced numerous mom'n'pop custom albums, primarily in California's San Joaquin Valley. They included guitarist Alvis Barnett, bass player Bill Carter and steel player Jerry Short, with other pickers dropping in and out over the years. Several of these musicians recorded under their own names as well, usually backed by some configuration of the core group.

There was some overlap with another group, the Christian Troubadours, a California band that later moved to Nashville, which also included bassist Bill Carter, who apparently moved back to California after several years in Nashville. Carter later moved up to the Pacific Northwest, where he produced and played on an undetermined number of indie albums, including several with his own band, The Carter Singers.

Discography

hi-res
1970 With Good Listening (Calvary Records/STAV-5020): Will The Circle Be Unbroken; The Old Rugged Cross; Who Am I; I Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now; Sweet Hour Of Prayer; There's A Light Guiding Me; I Am A Pilgrim; Sunday In Dixie; Where The Soul Never Dies; Precious Memories; What A Friend We Have In Jesus; I'll Fly Away (Densel Alvey, Jerry Short, Alvis Barnett).