Marshall Grant Passes; Adkins and Chenoweth to Host ACAs; Jimmy Dickens: Executive Chef

• Marshall Grant, the last surviving member of Johnny Cash’s Tennessee Two, passed away on Sunday at the age of 83. He had been in Arkansas to participate in the Johnny Cash Festival. An excerpt from Peter Cooper’s lovely obituary: Mr. Grant’s contributions to Cash’s sound were technically rudimentary but inarguably essential. He wasn’t trained on the bass, and had to affix adhesive tape to the instrument’s neck to let him know where the proper notes were when he, Cash and Luther Perkins began their collaboration. No one in the band was a deft musician in 1954, and it took all three of them to figure out how to tune the big upright bass Mr. Grant bought for $25 at a Memphis store. But their musical limitations allowed an elemental, flourish-free sound that was atypical and instantly identifiable. That sound came to be called “Boom Chicka Boom.”

• Trace Adkins will reprise his host role alongside Emmy and Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth at the second annual ACA (American Country Awards), airing live from Las Vegas on December 5^th. This will be the second annual award ceremony. Last year’s awkward show was so discombobulated that the event ended with many viewers wondering who won some of the different awards.

• A look back on Robbie Fulks’ Country Love Songs 15 years later.

• Oklahoma Rock is counting down the Top 100 Oklahoma Country Songs in the month of August. Kelly Willis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Restless Heart and Woody Guthrie are some of the artists between 100 and 90 thus far.

• New York Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher has recorded a new album called Believe. 100% of its proceeds will be donated to a children’s charity. Giants pitcher Barry Zito and former Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams help out. Swisher covers John Denver, among others.

• The former lead singer for Little Texas, Tim Rushlow, has just finished recording his first solo Christian music release called Unfinished Symphony. The new album will be released later this fall and “Rain Down On Me” will be the debut single.

• An arrest was made in the disappearance of Whitney Duncan’s cousin Holly Bobo.

• Even though it had been opened for a few weeks with a soft opening, the Opry Backstage Grill had its Grand Opening Event this past Friday night. Little Jimmy Dickens was named the restaurant’s Honorary Executive Chef. I had an opportunity to have a delicious lunch there a couple weeks ago. The waiters and waitresses take breaks every 20-30 minutes or so and give performances on the small stage in the center of the restaurant. I’m fairly confident that Dickens didn’t cook my meal.

• Live your life according to country music lyric nuggets.

• Carolyn Dawn Johnson gives an early glimpse of her next single, “I’d Still Have You.”

• Pennsylvania girl Taylor Swift returned to the homeland with a show at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where she “walked through the crowd to the back of the floor, where she played ukulele in a purple dress while sitting under a silver fairy tree that spun like a wind-up music box.” In other Swift news, don’t be surprised if she takes up surfing after bringing home six surfboard awards at the Teen Choice Awards this weekend.

• The Johnny Cash Music Festival was a complete success and will contribute over $300,000 to the restoration of his childhood home.

• And because America can never get enough Johnny Cash, John Carter Cash will be releasing a new book this October called The House of Cash. From the press release: “Gathering together previously unpublished photographs, lyrics, art, notes, and recollections from the Cash family archives, John Carter paints an intimate portrait of his father’s rich inner life, exploring Johnny Cash’s creative spirit, his fundamentally loving nature, and his inspiring persistence.”

• Michelle Branch bids country music adieu.

• Stream Richard Buckner’s latest album, Our Blood.

• The Indigo Girls have recorded their upcoming Beauty Queen Sister album in Nashville and it promises to be “13-song collection featuring the signature storytelling that fans have grown to love, touching on modern-world worries and romanticizing the simplicity of days gone by.”

• Keith Urban digs Glee.

• If this 27 string guitar was the norm, perhaps this website might be called Engine 1456789.

• Greensky Bluegrass is offering a free download of their new EP, Handguns.

• Linda Ronstadt is busy writing a book called Heart Like A Wheel that will be released in 2013.

• Country music dabbler and Reba/Aldean collaborator Kelly Clarkson has taken a cue from Miranda Lambert and is forming an all-girl trio called Already Famous.

• The Missouri Music Association’s new Hall of Fame is honoring bluegrassers The Dillards, John Hartford and Charlie Wolfe.

• The Oak Ridge Boys were formally inducted as Grand Ole Opry members on Saturday night. A video from former President George Bush congratulating the four members was played at the Opry house.

• Dig Hatch Show Print and miss The 9513? Get some cool artwork for your wall here.

• New (or new to you) music videos with a couple of cool live performances for good measure:

Edens Edge — “Blue Moon of Kentucky”

O’Shea — “Meant To Be”

Eddie Money — “One More Soldier Coming Home”

Raintown — “Picture of Us”

Marlee Scott — “Beautiful Maybe”

Lucy Angel — “Serious”

Joe Nichols — “Take It Off”

Christian Kane — “Let Me Go”

Jason White — “April”

Josh Kelley — “Gone Like That”

Paul Brandt — “Give It Away”

Sierra Hull — “Chasin’ Skies”

Christian Bautista — “I’m Already King”

Chris August — “Not Over You”

Billy Ray Cyrus — “Runway Lights”

JT Hodges — “Hunt You Down”

Jack Ingram — “Nothing To Gain”

Mark McKinney — “The River Song”

Kendall Brake — “Sunrise”

Jason Eady — “Paid My Dues (live on Music Fog)”

Marcus Meier — “A Perfect Night”

Peter McWhirter — “Devil’s Daughter”

Rose Carleo — “Runaway Heart”

Jayne Denham — “A Farmer’s Wife”

Adam Harvey — “You Don’t Know My Love”

Dan Murphy — “Trip Around The World”