The trio named Kountry Klassics hailed from my hometown of Sarnia, Ontario. Contrary to what the name of the band might lead you to believe, their album is not comprised of covers, and not all of the music on the record is straight-up country, wandering as it does into rockabilly, rhythm and blues and jazz. It is a pretty darn good album, and every tune on it is a Ken Neilson original. There's nothing to be found about the group or any of its members online, but we do have the liner notes, which if not terribly informative do at least provide us with the names of the other two members of the band:

"Here is a Canadian trio that has all the requirements of the big time. Ken Neilson on the guitar composes his own songs and music with a warm meaningful story to be told in his music. Brian Hill on Drums and Ray Frydrych on accordian certainly will give you an evening of the best in entertainment. This group is slated for big things to happen and we wish them a very speedy and successful future. - Ellen & Wilf Renaud, The Bridge Tavern, Point Edward, Ont."

Unfortunately, this record, which was produced by Wray Taylor of Audio-Video Productions in Alvinston, Ontario, and released on Academy Records in Toronto, is a little the worse for wear, and a few of the tracks are marred by hissing and static. "Kountry Klassics Theme" is indeed the group's theme song, a barnburning rock tune that I would imagine they opened their shows with. "Don't Blame It On Me," a '50's-style ballad, has a catchy melody and a nice guitar solo, and "The Bridge Tavern Twist" is another old-school rock number in the style of Bill Haley or Carl Perkins. Neilson gets pretty worked up on vocals, too, hoarsely shouting "Do you wanna pull a switch? Do the Bridge Tavern twist! Do it all night long! Oh, you can't go wrong!" in true rockabilly form. All in all, it's the best rock number I've ever heard about a fairly unassuming family restaurant (albeit one that's a bit of a Sarnia institution). "Blues In C" is a jazzy instrumental which affords the other members of the band, especially the drummer, an opportunity to stretch out a bit. And "Sarnia Polka" is a valentine to my hometown, written from the point of view of a guy who's travelled all over the world, only to find himself pining for Bluewater Country:

"It seems like it's been years ago,
Since I left my old Sarnia town.
But now that I am here I'm gonna stay for awhile,
And let the rest of the world sail by!"

Kountry Klassics Theme
Don't Blame It On Me
Bridge Tavern Twist
Blues In C
Sarnia Polka