TOM T. HALL

The best country artists are the storytellers, and there are few in league with TOM T. HALL. As many other heavyweights, he first achieved notoriety as a songwriter (ever heard "Harper Valley, PTA"?) but soon made a name by picking and singing the tales himself. These are the sounds of my youth, and 1975's I Wrote A Song About It received countless plays around the Collins household in the second, divorce-ridden half of that beleaguered decade, and even though I didn't have a sip of The Devil's Elixir for another 15 years, The Young Wizard knew every word to "I Like Beer" as a five-year-old.

I WROTE A SONG ABOUT IT