Engine 145 - A Roots Music Publication

Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman on this date in 1941. Narrowing down the thousands of Dylan covers that have been recorded over the past fifty years down to just five songs for this week’s post was no easy task. In fact, this easily could have been a Friday 500–and your favorite probably still [...]

Continue reading "Friday Five: Bob Dylan Covers"

Last night, people began lining up for George Jones’ funeral. The service will air on CMT, GAC, WSM, Opry.com, RFD-TV and Sirius XM at 11 a.m. Eastern. The ACM Awards posted a Jones tribute on YouTube. Nick Ryerson writes about “The Salvation of George Jones” in his new God and Country column. Eddie Stubbs paid tribute [...]

Continue reading "George Jones’ Album Sales Soar; Yearwood, Little Big Town Nominated for Daytime Emmys; Initial Wide Open Bluegrass Lineup Announced"

Richie Havens, the artist who opened Woodstock, passed away yesterday from a sudden heart attack. He was 72. Here’s the New York Times obituary. Glen Campbell has stopped touring due to the progression of his Alzheimer’s. However, he will release an album this summer. See You There will feature “reimagined versions of hits like ‘Wichita Lineman,’ ‘By [...]

Continue reading "Richie Havens Passes Away; Glen Campbell Stops Touring; Album Releases"

Patty Griffin’s “Ohio,” featuring Robert Plant, is The Key’s “Gotta Hear Song of the Week.” Here’s an interesting Nashville Scene feature on African-American brothers Tosh and Nioshi Jackson, who have made country music careers for themselves as the program director of KNTY and drummer/artist management representative, respectively. An excerpt from the article: Both Jacksons feel [...]

Continue reading "Harris & Crowell to Tape Austin City Limits; Black Prairie on Mountain Stage; Steve Earle Writing Historical Fiction Novel"

Pistol Annies’ sophomore record, Annie Up, will be released May 7. Elizabeth Cook returns to Letterman on Thursday night for an interview and performance. According to a University of Cambridge study that used data including intelligence and personality tests, those who “like” Lady Antebellum on Facebook are more likely to have a lower IQ.  (Facebook [...]

Continue reading "Pistol Annies’ Second Album Drops in May; Elizabeth Cook Returns to Letterman; New Ron Block Album Due This Summer"

Songwriters: Bob Dylan, Ketch Secor The year is still young, but this is likely to be the oddest pairing of song and singer that country music will have to offer in 2013. On one hand, you have “Wagon Wheel,” the ragged-but-right traveler’s anthem that Old Crow Medicine Show recorded in 2004 and are probably sick [...]

Continue reading "Darius Rucker — “Wagon Wheel”"

Give a listen to “They Call Us The Hillbilly Killers,” the first song from, naturally, The Hillbilly Killers (Catherine Britt, Bill Chambers, Tim Rogers, Shane O’Mara, James Gillard, and Michael Muchow). MusicRow.com posted a recap of 2012’s music sales: Some writers will try to put a positive spin on the year by saying that overall [...]

Continue reading "Steve Martin & Edie Brickell Team Up; Stream First Song from The Hillbilly Killers; New Album Releases"

Kris Kristofferson’s next record, Feeling Mortal, will be available on iTunes 1/22. The physical release is one week later. (via press release) Photographer Ken Regan died of cancer on November 25. RollingStone.com posted a gallery of some of Regan’s music photography, including shots of Johnny Cash, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan. Dolly Parton was on The Colbert Report yesterday. Watch [...]

Continue reading "Music Photographer Ken Regan Passes Away; New Kristofferson Album Due in January; CMT Edge Offers Free Sampler"

I’m sometimes asked —sympathetically or suspiciously—why I don’t write more negative reviews than I do. It’s not some physical disability that prevents me from turning my thumb down; there are simply so many projects (all media included) being released now, more than I could ever discuss, and life’s too short to spend much time or [...]

Continue reading "Roots Watch: Fall Words and Music; History Worth Catching"

The Farewell Drifters played a couple for the Bluegrass Situation. Darius Rucker was formally inducted into the Opry yesterday. Watch here. Ray Benson launched a Kickstarter campaign to help raise funds for the release of an Asleep at the Wheel documentary. Jewly Hight talks with Shelby Lynne about her evolution as an artist and the [...]

Continue reading "Ray Benson Launches Kickstarter Campaign; Darius Rucker Inducted Into Opry; New SteelDrivers Album Due in February"