Product Review

Bear Family picks up Butler's story in 1954, and they've not only included all of Carl's unbelievably hard-to-find Columbia recordings made from 1954-58, but the recordings that he made with the Webster Brothers - recordings that those lucky enough to hear them regard as the pinnacle of country gospel and hard country. Among the highlight songs are the original version of I Wouldn't Change You If I Could (later a #1 country hit for Ricky Skaggs) and a version of Angel Band that not only preceded the Stanley Brothers' recording, but is regarded by many as the absolutely definitive version of this classic song (later recorded by Emmylou Harris and countless others). Also features recordings with the Webster Bros. , plus a few Webster solos.