"Some prominent Western artists have recorded CDs in other genres recently... (and) these are so beautifully done, I thought you'd want to know about them. The first is the best classic country CD I've heard in years. It's Appalachian Songbird by The Babcocks with Cowboy Joe. It's an absolutely fantastic acoustic album, sure to please anyone who enjoys classic country music. There are 15 selections, each wonderfully performed. Joe Babcock wrote for Marty Robbins for years and performed as a regular musician on Hee Haw, so you're in for a real treat. It's superb! Order from Chimney Rock Records, P.O. Box 681292, Franklin, TN 37064 or CdBaby.com."
O.J. Sikes is a Western music historian and nationally syndicated reviewer of Western music whose work appears regularly in Western
Clippings, Rope Burns, The Western Way and on a number of web sites. He wrote the liner notes for the Gene Autry CD 25 Cowboy Classics
and CDs featuring Monte Hale, the Cass County Boys and others. He is also a frequent panelist at Western music and film festivals.
In 1994, The Western Music Assn. recognized his contributions to the preservation and advancement of Western music by giving him the
association's prestigious Bill Wiley Award during their Hall of Fame ceremony. In 2005, during their 10th annual Will Rogers Awards
event in Ft. Worth, the Academy of Western Artists presented him with the Academy's first John A. Lomax Award for his contribution
to the preservation of Western music. He is currently serving with Rex Allen, Jr., Roy Rogers, Jr., Johnny Western and others on the
Western Music Association's Advisory Board.