Observer’s Best 50 2.0

In light of the passionate online response to the Dallas Observer’s “50 Best Texas Country/Red Dirt Songs of All Time”, we put modern online democracy in action and let you speak your mind. We set out to gather up your 50 “best”.  Using whatever metric you decided was most appropriate.  Popularity, influence, favorite, longevity, style, importance etc. You responded in a big way via Facebook, Twitter, IG, Reddit, email, carrier pigeon and smoke signal.  We cobbled all of YOUR responses together and put them in popular order.  The results are below. Is it perfect? No. Is it a more “legitimate” (term we used probably a little harshly) than the Observer list? Probably. But the cross section that voted in this unscientific poll still don’t represent all tastes. We could do it again next week and get a different 50.  Speaks to the quality of songs over the years.

Will people still be upset? Definitely.

1. Robert Earl Keen – “The Road Goes On Forever”

2. Charlie Robison – “My Hometown”

3. Pat Green – “Carry On”

http://youtu.be/adPztioMGLo

4. Cory Morrow – “Nashville Blues

http://youtu.be/fUxouBtqKlE

5.  Pat Green/Walt Wilkins – “Songs About Texas”

http://youtu.be/MfRz-fb0YH4

6.   Jason Boland and the Stragglers – “Somewhere Down in Texas”

7. Cross Canadian Ragweed – “17”

8. Turnpike Troubadours – “Every Girl”

9.  Ray Wylie Hubbard – “Snake Farm”

http://youtu.be/_jNWPUFNA2U

10. Jack Ingram – “Biloxi”

11. Randy Rogers Band – “This Time Around”

12. Bart Crow – “Wear My Ring”

http://youtu.be/APE50_Xw08o

13. Brandon Jenkins/Stoney LaRue – “Feet Don’t Touch the Ground”

http://youtu.be/nYyWrxvNlwQ

14. Brandon Jenkins/ Stoney LaRue/Kristen Kelly – “Down in Flames”

http://youtu.be/qRuhP6aDW5k

15. Bleu Edmondson/Matt Powell – “$50 and a Flask of Crown”

16.  Brandon Rhyder – “Freeze Frame Time”

http://youtu.be/tMLvkTY3RUw

17. Reckless Kelly – “Crazy Eddie’s Last Hurrah”

18.  The Great Divide – “Yesterday Road”

19.  William Clark Green – “She Likes the Beatles”

http://youtu.be/lzmpvUzhDyg

20. Wade Bowen – “God Bless This Town”

21. Robert Earl Keen – “Feelin’ Good Again”

22. Kevin Fowler – “100% Texan”

23.  Ryan Bingham – “Southside of Heaven”

24.  Django Walker/Pat Green – “Texas on My Mind”

25. Walt Wilkins – “Trains I Missed”

26. Hayes Carll – “Down the Road Tonight”

27.  Uncle Lucius – “Keep the Wolves Away”

28. Sean McConnell – “Saint’s Heart, Sinner’s Skin”

29.  Jason Eady – “AM Country Heaven”

30.  Roger Creager/Mike Ethan Messick – “Everclear”

31. Eli Young Band – “Small Town Kid”

32. Whiskey Myers – “Broken Window Serenade”

http://youtu.be/tmo8s3PD-kc

33. Adam Hood/Brian Keane/Josh Abbott Band – “I’ll Sing About Mine”

34.  Cooder Graw – “Llano Estacado”

35. Josh Grider – “Crazy Like You”

36.  Rodney Parker and 50 Peso Reward – “Firefight”

37.  Honeybrowne – “Texas Angel”

38.  Shinyribs – “East Texas Rust”

39.  Cody Johnson/Zane Williams – “Ride With Me”

40.  Cross Canadian Ragweed – “Alabama”

41. Turnpike Troubadours – “7&7”

42.  Radney Foster/Pat Green – “Texas in 1880”

43.  Robert Earl Keen – “Corpus Christi Bay”

http://youtu.be/o0SR6nhlQrU

44.  Aaron Watson – “Reckless”

45.  Reckless Kelly – “Vancouver”

46.  Johnny Cooper – “Texas To You”

http://youtu.be/EfRjq-f__Qw

47.  Slaid Cleaves -“Horseshoe Lounge”

48.  Owen Temple – “Tennessee Highway”

49. Mike McClure – “Dings”

50.  Max Stalling – “Green Lights”

Just barely missing this cut were songs from The Damn Quails, Dirty River Boys, Phil Pritchett, Deryl Dodd, Gary P. Nunn, 1100 Springs and several others.  There was a dearth of female artists included too.