Good call! Stan Ridgeway is full of great stories. On one of his more recent albums, “Snakebite” I think…(I’m to lazy to go look), he does a song called “Talkin’ Wall Of Voodoo Blues” where he tells the the story, good and bad, about his old band. It’s like a four minute “Behind The Music”. Awesome stuff. The whole album is great.
Stan Ridgeway’s albums are a must for anyone who likes good story songs.
Stan’s WoV replacement, Andy Prieboy is no slacker when it comes to story songs either.
So many choices, so little bandwidth
Alice’s Restaurant
El Paso
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
I’ll mention a couple that I didn’t see my first time through
Ira Hayes by Johnny Cash
Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine by Tom T. Hall
Cat’s in the Cradle and Taxi. Chapin was the best at this.
But in deference to the postings regarding Billy the Mountain, I have to admit to spending a good amount of college singing, “A mountain is something you don’t want to fuck with!” in the shower.
A couple by Johnny Cash…I hung my head and The long black veil
And a concept album by Willie Nelson…Red Headed Stranger
I’ll go ahead and get the Grateful Dead tunes out of the way…
Me and My Uncle
Reuben and Cerise
Black Throated Wind
Terrapin Station
and too many others to list.
Wildwood Weed by Jim Stafford - “We just smiled and waved / sittin’ there on that sack of seeds”
And I’ll second Red Headed Stranger
You made me put on Studio Tan. I’m listening to it right right now. Gregory is driving his little red Volkswagon through the ugly part of town as I type. 
Hey I think I’ll put on The Illinois Enema Bandit on next. Now there’s a story.
Well, most of mine have already been mentioned, including the ones which need repeating - The Who, Dylan’s Hurricane, and Seeger most notably. Seeger and both Gutheries, for that matter, have many great story songs. And, although I feel awful mentioning both in the same post, Bright Eyes really does have some good story songs, although I doubt they would be the best.
My favorite, despite all of the above, would have to be the live version of Camper Van Beethoven’s All Her Favorite Fruit. Something oddly compelling, mystifying, and dark about it that just might be glurge, but seems to be so much more compared to the rest of their body of work.
Damn, I forgot that one too! Country music is great for story-songs.
Indyellen, have you heard the sequel to Uneasy Rider? I believe it’s called Uneasy Rider '88. Funny stuff.
Yes, I have. Very good, very funny.
Oh, I forgot to mention Ray Stevens - particularly Shriner’s Convention and Mississippi Squirrel Revival as other favorites.
El Paso by Marty Robbins. I actually use “Wicked Felina” as my wife’s SO name on another board. Nobody’s figured out the reference yet.
Racing in the Street by Bruce Springsteen, live version. Perfectly captures the sad loneliness of a faded relationship.
Honorable mention: Half a dozen other Springsteen story songs: “The River”, “Thunder Road”, “Cautious Man”, “Working on the Highway”, “My Hometown”, “Johnny 99”.
I was just about to nominate Highway Patrolman.
Also Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold by Townes Van Zandt.
Crap, can’t believe I forgot that one.
American Pie and Ode to Billie Joe.
I have more.
At Seventeen, Bright Lights and Promises , Page Nine, Dance With Me, and Thank Yous Janis Ian
Dance With Me is a Viet Nam war protest song. It always makes me sad and angry.
One stanza :
" I heard of a plan in the president’s mansion, high up in the sky,
And it called for a sacrifice and my brother paid the price.
Sent him home in a bag the American flag was draped around the box,
And the coffin lid was locked, and the note said “Thanks a Lot.”
Though I’ve listed my top two, I’ve not seen this mentioned and think it deserves mention:
The Hostage by Tom Paxton
Snoopy vs. The Red Baron - The Royal Guardsmen
Sink the Bismarck - Johnny Horton
I missed a couple of Peter Gabriel-era Genesis “story” songs which were amazing if only for their surreal creativity: The Return of the Giant Hogweed and Get 'Em Out By Friday.
The latter is a future scenario in which things can go a little wrong when the government’s bureau of genetic control starts dabbling in land speculation.
Not exactly Jim Croce, I know…
Aww hell, why not add a couple more…
One Piece At A Time - Johnny Cash
Andersonville - Dave Alvin
**One Tin Soldier ** by The Original Caste.