Ry Cooder is a great musician (but not nearly as great as a singer). His first album, produced by Van Dyke Parks, is one of his best and has ornate versions of “One Meatball” and Woody Guthrie’s “Do Re Mi”.
My favorite Cooder album is his second one, Into the Purple Valley, from 1972. Like the first one, Cooder showcases songs from first half of the 20th Century such as “Taxes on the Farmer Feeds Us All” and “How Can You Keep On Moving (Unless You Migrate Too)”.
I also highly recommend Chicken Skin Music from 1976 which has Flaco Jimenez on accordian and several Hawaiian musicians. His Tex-Mex arrangements of “He’ll Have to Go” and “Goodnight Irene” are among the highlights.
YouTube has video clips of Cooder and his band from this era. Jimenez barely moves!
Austin City Limits (1976 – almost 38 minutes)
Old Grey Whistle Test (1977 – 39 minutes)
Rockpalast “Stand By Me” (1977)
Sad! 