Country band led by guitarists / vocalists Don Barnes, and Debbie Williams. The group was very popular in the Howard / Carroll / Frederick County areas.
Players on their first LP “Traveling Country Roads” included Don Barnes (guitar, vocals), Allen Brown (guitar, vocals), Don ‘Junior’ Blank (steel guitar), ‘Wild Bill’ Holley (bass), Steve McCoy (bass), Mike Kelly (keyboards), and Freddie Speilman (drums).
Other members included Sonny Purdam (steel guitar), Danny Ennis (guitar), Polly Shank (vocals), Ralph Gann (guitar, mandolin, harmonica), Ron Free (bass), Dave Michael (drums), Jerry Jagow (bass, drums), Johnny Buzzard (fiddle)…
In the ‘70s Barnes and Williams toured the U.S. as the Don and Debbie Show.
The band could be seen anywhere from Baltimore to Wheeling, West Virginia to Hamburg, New York and many places in between. They were a house band at the Silver Dollar in Frederick. Also seen frequently at Sarano’s in Howard County, Lisbon Fire Hall, Suzie’s in Sykesville… Howard County Fair, Mt. Airy Fireman’s Carnival…
Brown left the group in ‘72 and formed the Wishing Well. The group also included vocalist Polly Shank and released a single on TR Records. His group continued to play in the ‘00s including appearances at carnivals and fire hall benefit dances. Blank later played for Winnie Bullock & the Country Ramblers. Purdam moved to Nashville in the ‘80s and worked with country stars Jean Shepard, Connie Smith, and others. Purdam and Jagow continued to play locally in the ‘00s with Bob Plunkert’s Real Country. Gann and Ennis were later with the Country Caravan… Free also played for Damien & the Classics…
“A perennial favorite at the Annual Howard County Fair“
Single releases by the Countrymen include:
19** Rebel 301 I Don’t Know Why / All My Love’s Gone Wrong Today
1971 Strings 3246 It’s Me / Something Tells Me
Debbie Williams:
19** Strings 2560 Makes My Day / I Never Knew
Danny Ennis / Marvin Lewis
1973 Strings 3870 Where Did I Go Wrong? / Messed Up Mind
Albums by the Countrymen:
19** Strings 3462 Traveling Country Roads
197* Strings 4358 The Countrymen in Concert
1974 Strings 4413 And for Our Next Request…
197* Strings 7525 Country Cookin’
Albums by Don Barnes & Debbie Williams:
1982 Strings 7760 Don Barnes & Debbie Williams
19** Strings BT5001 Yesterday & Today
