Get ready to rev up your speakers for The Icons of Outlaw Country with John Wesley Karson, where the gritty anthems of rebels like Red Simpson and Jerry Jeff Walker blast through the airwaves, proving real music doesn’t need a filter or a safe space! Simpson’s trucker tales rumble like a big rig on the highway, while Walker’s free-spirited vibes remind us why outlaws ruled the charts—none of that sanitized pop nonsense. And don’t get us started on Willie Nelson’s timeless twang; the man’s a legend who outsmoked the haters and kept it country without apology. Who’s tuning in to celebrate these icons that make the establishment squirm?
But wait, there’s more fire in this episode—local powerhouse Devyn Brinsfield brings that fresh, unapologetic edge straight from the heartland, joining forces with Asleep at the Wheel’s swingin’ honky-tonk mastery that leaves the snowflakes melting. Then the jaw-dropping guitar wizardry of Merle Travis, whose thumb-picking genius set the standard for every picker since—pure, no-BS brilliance that dazzled audiences. Top it all off we dive into cowpunk chaos with Rebel Son and The Beat Farmers, those rowdy renegades who mix punk grit with country soul, flipping off the mainstream like true outlaws. These bands left the critics with their mouths hangin’ wide open. This show’s a full-throttle takedown of bland radio; crank it up and join the rebellion!
Playlist 126
HOUR ONE:
Gary P. Nunn – Austin Pickers – 1984
Charlie Daniels – Simple Man – 1989
Jerry Jeff Walker – LA Freeway (Live) – 1977
Devyn Brinsfield – The Reaper – 2023
Willie Nelson – I’ll Love You Till the Day I Die – 2022
Ray Stevens – Bubba Changed His Name to Charlene – 2022
Rodney Crowell – I Walk the Line – 1986
Billy Joe Shaver – Street Walkin’ Woman – 1987
Red Simpson – Nitro Express – 1966
Red Simpson – Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves – 1966
Creed Fisher – Jesus, Haggard & Jones – 2021
Johnny Cash – God’s Gonna Cut You Down – 2006
David Allan Coe – Truck Drivin’ Man – 1996
Tompall Glaser – An Ode to My Notorious Youth – 1973
HOUR TWO:
Asleep at the Wheel – Boogie Back to Texas – 1987
Asleep at the Wheel – Big Balls in Cow Town – 1973
Bobby Bare – If You Think I’m Crazy Now – 1966
Guy Clark – The Guitar – 1978
Jr. Brown – Broke Down South of Dallas – 1996
Dale Watson – Truckin’ Man – 1996
Hank Thompson – A Six Pack to Go – 1960
Merle Travis – Blue Smoke – 1946
Hank Williams Jr. – America Will Survive – 2002
Marshall Chapman – Somewhere South of Macon – 1977
New Riders of the Purple Sage – Lonesome LA Cowboy – 1972
Willie Nelson & George Jones – I Gotta Get Drunk – 1982
Rebel Son – Bury Me in Southern Ground – 2007
The Beat Farmers – Are You Drinkin’ With Me Jesus – 1990