Johnny Cash Willie Nelson -- VH1 Storytellers

In July 2001 a long-time buddy and I roadtripped from Lincoln Nebraska to Montgomery New York and back in his 1960 VW truck. Cabin space being at a premium, we each randomly grabbed a couple CDs each and listened to them over and over. This was one of them.

I knew they were well-respected across the board, but as someone with an allergy to country music I'd never expected to like them. I most definitely liked them, to my own surprise.  It sounds incredibly lame now, but in retrospect I'd say this was when my musical tastes matured. A genre which I'd've previously found suspect--country, in this case--was allowed in. Not that I ever really thought I had, but after this I truly no longer cared what anybody thought about what I liked.

The buddy I roadtripped with had a curious habit: after listening to an album all the way through a few times, he'd skip an album's first track from then on. He had some vague reason for this which I've forgotten, not that it made sense then.

Best Song
"Don't Take Your Guns to Town" (Cash), "Funny How Time Slips Away" (Nelson), though for some of Willie's fantastic pick work, "Night Life".

Released
9 June 1998

Acquired or First Heard
Late July 2001.

Next Closest
When country music is good, it's really good. See also: Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris.

Brush with Greatness (note: may include name-dropping)
none