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Pick Six: June 2012
June was a superbly good month for music, with Alan Jackson, Don Williams, and Elizabeth Cook all releasing albums. Here are a few of my favorite releases from the past month that we haven’t reviewed. What albums were in heavy rotation on your stereo this June? 6. The Bankesters – Looking Forward This bluegrass family band [...]
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Thirty Miles West Debuts at No. 1; Ron Block Works on Solo Album; Chet Flippo Remembers Frances Preston
Chet Flippo remembers Frances Preston: Every music hall of fame that really matters has inducted her as a member, and she received honors galore. But those were not the things she talked about. She talked about what still needed to be done and about songs that she loved and songwriters who were continuing to be [...]
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Frances Preston Passes Away; CMA Music Festival Sets Attendance Record; New York Banjo Summit Touring This Fall
Frances Preston, “the most influential music executive of her generation,” passed away yesterday at the age of 83. The Country Music Hall of Famer began her noteworthy career in the 1950s as a mail messenger at BMI, a job which included answering Hank Williams’ fan mail. Fabulous Superlative Harry Stinson shared his behind-the-scenes photos from [...]
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Stream New Music from Rhett Miller and Alejandro Escovedo; Kenny Chesney Renews Sony Music Nashville Deal; Album Releases
Here’s an interesting article about a man making banjos with wood salvaged from a nuclear facility that’s being decommissioned. Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki played some tambourine for the Avett Brothers at the band’s show in Grand Prairie, Texas on Sunday. At the Diamond Jubilee Concert across the pond, Cheryl Cole and Gary Barlow covered “Need You [...]
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Stream AMA Award Nominees Announcement; New Music From Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band; Miranda Lambert in Parade
Jeffrey Brown and WAMU Bluegrass Country’s Katy Daley discussed Doc Watson on last night’s PBS NewsHour. Tim Stafford and Andy Falco shared their memories of Doc. Ken Landreth posted several live recordings of Doc at Bill Monroe’s Bean Blossom festival in 1969 and 1971. There’s an interesting article in The Atlantic about the history of headphones. An [...]
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Ricky Skaggs Celebrates 30-Year Opry Anniversary; Kitty Wells is Still the Queen; New Zac Brown Band and Doyle Lawson Videos
Craig Havighurst of Music City Roots and String Theory Media gave a TED talk recently. Check it out. Punch Brothers taped an episode of Austin City Limits earlier this week. In Opry news, Ricky Skaggs will celebrate his 30th anniversary as an Opry member on May 15, and on May 8, Alan Jackson will preview songs [...]
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Kathy Mattea Signs with Sugar Hill; Herby Wallace Passes Away; ACM Awards Will Celebrate 50th Anniversary at Cowboys Stadium
Kathy Mattea has signed with Sugar Hill Records. Album Calling Me Home will be released later this year. Irish folk musician Barney McKenna of Dubliners passed away on Thursday. Pedal steel player Herby Wallace also passed away. He toured with Donna Fargo, Nat Stuckey, and Jody Miller, to name a few, and recorded with Alabama [...]
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George Jones Hospitalized; Kenny Rogers is Hall of Fame’s Artist-in-Residence; New Albums From Alejandro Escovedo and Kenny Chesney in June
George Jones was hospitalized yesterday for an upper respiratory infection. He stayed overnight for observation and is scheduled to be released today. Here are some more remembrances of Earl Scruggs. This radio show features guests Tony Trischka, Ron Stewart, and Peter Cooper. Here’s a piece from NPR’s Morning Edition, and here are posts from Chet Flippo, [...]
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20 Songs About Hotels and Motels
Here’s 20 of country music’s best hotel and motel songs. Apologies for excluding Neal McCoy’s “Hillbilly Rap.” Honorable Mentions: Cadillac Sky – “Motel Morning” David Houston – “No Tell Motel” Eagles – “Hotel California” Gene Watson – “Love in the Hot Afternoon” Guy Clark – “Lone Star Hotel” Jack Ingram & Jerry Jeff Walker – [...]
Current Discussion
- Barry Mazor: The assumption that everybody would be signed if only they could be no longer is necessarily so..Given the relatively much ...
- Luckyoldsun: Can't say I necessarily know who is or isn't signed, but I have no knowledge that any of the following ...
- Occasional Hope: Is Patty Loveless free now, since she's implied she doesn't seem to have any plans to record again, but perhaps ...
- Arlene: Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison's current terrific album, Cheater's Game, was financed via Kickstarter. If they are still unsigned, they'd ...
- KC: My picks seem to be doing ok without a label, but I would sign them even if it was just ...
- SCOOTER: Sturgill Simpson - fantastic artist Ashton Shepherd - I know she was recently dropped and a lot of people complain ...
- Daniel Mullins: Lee Ann Womack is a must. I would also sign Wyatt McCubbin. He was featured on The Music Inside: A Tribute ...
- Ken Morton, Jr.: BTW- Julie's been in the recording studio all this past week and will be unveiling something new soon.
- Ken Morton, Jr.: Jonathan, I actually had this exact conversation with Julie Roberts a couple weeks ago. She came out with Emily West, ...
- Jack Williams: The first name that came to my mind was electic bluesman Alvin Youngblood Hart. He hasn't released a proper ...
