For many years, we've been getting requests to do a truly definitive country series, but it wasn't until the success of our R&B;/Soul series,Blowin' The Fuse(nowSweet Soul Music) that we decided we needed to do something comparable for country music. Now the first six volumes are complete, taking us from 1945-1950. The country series has been compiled with today's fans in mind. Yes, the big hits are there, but so are the classic performances that weren't necessarily big hits at the time, but became influential in the years ahead. Every volume has incredibly detailed behind-the-scenes stories, fabulously rare photos, and an ongoing history of country music set against the backdrop of the broader American music business. Definitive? You bet!1949 begins with Vaughan Monroe's eerieRiders In The Skyand ends with another pop-country crossover smash,Mule Train. In between, look for more classic bluegrass from Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers, as well as Hank Williams'Lovesick Blues, Leon Payne's originalI Love You Because, plus all the classic hits from the big artists like Ernest Tubb, Bob Wills, Floyd Tillman, Eddy Arnold, and Hank Thompson.