Original Country and Western Stars

AMG Review of Original Country and Western Stars

Greg Adams
All Music Guide

Original Country and Western Stars is a collection of Hank Locklin's late-'40s and early-'50s 4 Star recordings issued by a division of the Pickwick budget label. Consequently the version of "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On" is not Locklin's hit from 1958, but an early, unsuccessful waxing from 1949. The ten songs are in Locklin's allad style, except for the Hank Williams-like "Born to Ramble" and the comparatively sprightly "Let Me Be the One," which topped the country charts in 1953. Locklin's one other hit on the 4 Star label isn't included, and the audio quality varies considerably from track to track, suggesting in spots that the collection was mastered from 78s. Despite its shoddiness, Original Country and Western Stars is a fair value for buyers wanting to sample Locklin's earliest recordings without investing in Bear Family's Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On box set.