-
Naomi Judd Calls Out CMT Awards; Americana Fest Announces Performers; Newport Folk Festival Goes Way Over Yonder
Salon.com posted an excerpt from Michael Streissguth’s new book, Outlaw. Chris Stapleton: superhero? Adam Steffey’s New Primitive comes out next week. Our friend Kelly Dearmore wrote a lengthy feature on Zane Williams for the Dallas Observer. Country California posted a new Quotable Country. Stream Sturgill Simpson’s “Hero” on CMT Edge. In a letter to the editor posted on [...]
-
Buddy Emmons Tribute Album Due in August; Additional CMT Awards Performers Announced; Clay Hess Debuts New Single
Kellie Pickler won Dancing with the Stars. Paul Franklin, Greg Leisz, Little Jimmy Dickens, Chris Stapleton, and more will appear on The Big E: A Salute to Steel Guitarist Buddy Emmons, which will be released August 20. From the press release: The participating artists salute Emmons, now retired, with classic country songs written, recorded or [...]
-
Sunny Sweeney Signs with Thirty Tigers; ABC Cancels Malibu Country, Renews Nashville; New Music Videos
Sunny Sweeney has gotten a new record deal with Thirty Tigers after parting ways with Big Machine/Republic Nashville Records last year. (via press release) Hunter Hayes, Pistol Annies, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, and Taylor Swift will perform at the CMT Awards on June 5. Reba McEntire’s Malibu County television series was canceled by ABC. [...]
-
Favorite Songs of 2012
More than 350 songs were on this year’s ballot. We cut the list to just our top 60, though it easily could have been a Top 100 countdown. What were your favorite songs of the past year? You can listen to a Spotify playlist of the available songs here. 60. Bucky Covington — “A Father’s [...]
-
Marty Stuart to Celebrate 20 Years with the Opry; Shania Begins Vegas Run; New Music Videos
Carrie Underwood will star as Maria von Trapp in an upcoming live NBC broadcast of The Sound of Music. The show will air in late 2013. Actor Wilford Brimley joined Riders in the Sky for an Opry performance. Marty Stuart will celebrate 20 years of Opry membership on Saturday: Stuart will be celebrated during a one-hour [...]
-
“We’re Still Murdering People Regularly”: An Interview with The SteelDrivers’ Tammy Rogers
If Tammy Rogers wasn’t so dang charming, you just might be worried about that wry smile on her face when she says that The SteelDrivers will always be about murder and mayhem. Born in Tennessee but raised in Irving, Texas, Rogers quickly became proficient on the fiddle. After graduating from SMU University she joined Patty [...]
-
Concert Review: The SteelDrivers at The Hamilton
It’s fitting that The SteelDrivers, with all their songs of murder and mayhem, would perform at a venue named after Alexander Hamilton, who infamously ended up on the wrong side of a bullet. The ‘Drivers’ Sunday night show at The Hamilton, a new roots music venue in DC, was two fantastic hours of bluegrass punctuated [...]
Continue reading "Concert Review: The SteelDrivers at The Hamilton"
-
Roots Watch: Lights in the Country Tunnel?
A half-year in which such major contributors, true giants, as Kitty Wells, Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson are suddenly no longer with us (among too many others, it sure seems, lately), could produce a major case of seasonal distress disorder in itself for a lot of us, Meanwhile, so many have been taking to [...]
Continue reading "Roots Watch: Lights in the Country Tunnel?"
-
Album Review: Alan Jackson — Thirty Miles West
After album after album of simple, intelligent country music that stands the test of time, it would be easy to phone in a review of the latest Alan Jackson record. It’ll be authentic. It’ll be spare, but heavy on the steel guitar. It’ll have a handful of self-penned songs that speak to his roles as [...]
Continue reading "Album Review: Alan Jackson — Thirty Miles West"
-
Vince Gill Leaves MCA; Don Williams Plans New Album; Chet Flippo Discusses Social Commentary and Country Music
Vince Gill is leaving MCA after 23 years. If you’ve got an hour to spare and are interested in music and copyright law, check out this lecture from UCLA ethnomusicology professor Anthony Seeger, who “looks at the opposing positions of ‘Don’t pirate my music’ and ‘Knowledge wants to be free’ to discuss the more general [...]
Current Discussion
- Paul W Dennis: Bad day in Black Rock losing two giants Chet Flippo ws the only reason I ever visited CMT's website. ...
- Rick: Rest in peace Chet. His columns were about the only thing I ever bothered to read at CMT.com and I'm ...
- Arlene: I also didn't always agree with everything Chet Flippo wrote, but I enjoyed disagreeing with him, if that makes any ...
- Luckyoldsun: I'm sorry ol' Slim passed, but he's one of those people who when you hear they died, you feel kind ...
- bruce: Although I do not know the exact number of Slim Whitman album sales, I think it might surprise some if ...
- Leeann Ward: Thanks to it being linked here in the original post, I paid the pretty penny for the Kasey Chambers, Papa ...
- Luckyoldsun: "Any ideas on who could play Possum?" Well, even if Nancy is controlling it, I think the movie will have to ...
- TX Music Jim: RIP Chet you have all of my respect ! Sad :(
- Sloane Spencer: Thank you so much for the inclusion of our conversation w/ Kevin Russell AKA Shinyribs. I've been wanting to talk with ...
- Leeann Ward: I didn't always agree with Flippo, but there's no doubt that music journalism has suffered a big loss today. As far ...
