Columbia Country Classics - The Discs

The Discs

The five discs covered a different era, as follows:

• "Vol. 1: The Golden Age" — Featuring country music's pioneers.
• "Vol. 2: Honky Tonk Heroes" — The golden age of honky tonk, from the late 1940s through early 1960s.
• "Vol. 3: Americana" — Covering folk, historical and saga songs.
• "Vol. 4: The Nashville Sound" — Chronicling the rise of country pop through the 1950s through mid-1970s.
• "Vol. 5: A New Tradition" — Alternative country and the rise of new traditionalists of the 1980s.

Significant artists whose works were included were the Carter Family, Sons of the Pioneers, Bob Wills, Roy Acuff, Johnny Cash, Ray Price, Willie Nelson, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Charlie Rich, Tanya Tucker, Statler Brothers and Larry Gatlin.