Finding Christmas gifts for friends and family can be a challenge. If you know someone who likes country music, this holiday gift guide offers some suggestions for finding the right present.
For Classic Country Fans
- Merle Haggard’s new album Working in Tennessee is a great rootsy collection of songs that should sit well with the country music traditionalist.
- It's hard to make a misstep when you're choosing a classic. Check out my list of the most influential country records of all times. Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger and Waylon Jenning's Honky Tonk Heroes are essentials for any country fan's collection.
- A third volume of the Johnny Cash Bootleg series was released this year, Live Around the World (compare prices). It featuring some fascinating performances from the Man in the Black across the span of his country music career.
- Want to bridge the gap between new and old? Check out my list of the best country albums of the ‘80s, a decade when artists George Strait and The Judds combined traditional sounds with smooth production.
For New Country Fans
- Among the best albums of 2011 are Eric Church's Chief, Brad Paisley's This Is Country Music, Miranda Lambert's Four the Record, and the Pistol Annies' Hell on Heels. Read the review to see if it's an appropriate choice for the person you're shopping for.
- What do you buy for someone who likes Taylor Swift? How about the singer's just-released Speak Now: World Tour Live (compare prices). With live renditions of songs such as "Mean” “You Belong with Me,” and “Mine,” it's classic stocking-stuffer material.
Country Music Books
- Shopping for a big Brad Paisley fan? The country singer’s just-released memoir, Diary of a Player: How My Musical Heroes Made a Guitar Man Out of Me (compare prices) should do the trick.
- Country Music U.S.A. (compare prices) by Bill C. Malone is a perfect book for a country music know-it-all. It follows the birth of country music right up to the present day.
- If you want a country-music history book for a younger person, I’d go for the photo-rich Will the Circle Be Unbroken, put out by the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Country Music DVDs
- The Johnny Cash Show: The Best of Johnny Cash 1969-1971 is always a good option, with a slew of phenomenal performances by Hank Williams Jr., Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, and many others on Cash’s variety show.
- The DVD for Taylor Swift’s Speak Now World Tour: Live (see above).
For Non-Country Fans
The holidays aren’t the best time to try to convert someone to country music. But if you must, here are some good options. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.
- Johnny Cash has always been the country-music gateway drug -- American Recordings (compare prices) or Complete Sun Masters (compare prices) are good choices.
- Check out my list of the best country-rock records. Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline and Michael Nesmith’s Magnetic South are best for listeners who enjoy ‘60s and ‘70s rock but eschew the sounds of hardcore country.
- For fans of soul music, Ray Charles’ Moderns Sounds in Country Western Music and Solomon Burke’s Nashville are excellent entryways.
Bigger Gifts
Boxed sets are a great option if you want to spend a little more money -- and get more bang for your buck.
- Check out our list of essential country music boxed sets for some excellent choices.
- Merle Haggard’s Down Every Road, Johnny Cash’s Unearthed (compare prices), and Buck Owens’ The Buck Owens Collection 1959-1990 (compare prices) are my personal favorites.
Do-It-Yourself Christmas Gifts
Want to make a more personal statement? Make a mix CD. Check out our many top 10 lists to get some ideas:
If All Else Fails
Get ‘em drunk. I haven’t had the pleasure of trying it, but a bottle of Toby Keith’s Wild Shot Mezcal should probably work.
