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National Folk Festival Taking a Hiatus This Year; Martina McBride Joins New Reality Show; Album Releases
The National Folk Festival is taking a hiatus in 2012. Rounder Records has signed The Time Jumpers. Their first studio album and Rounder debut is expected out on September 11. (via press release) Nate Chinen on the upcoming Newport Folk Festival: I’m returning to the Newport Folk Festival myself next month, and can’t help thinking about [...]
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Friday Five: The Great Smoky Mountains
Happy birthday to the Great Smoky Mountains. Back on this date in 1934, these mountains became a national park. John D. Rockefeller contributed several million dollars of his own money to ensure the land was protected and preserved. Nowadays, ten million visitors go through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, making it the most-visited national [...]
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Album Review: Elizabeth Cook — Gospel Plow
Whether you spend Sunday mornings in a church pew or in a Waffle House booth self-medicating a hangover, Elizabeth Cook’s got a record for you. Inspired by a 2011 performance at the Strawberry Music Festival’s gospel brunch and influenced by the recent passing of her father, the subject matter of her new spiritual EP is [...]
Continue reading "Album Review: Elizabeth Cook — Gospel Plow"
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Roots Watch: Meeting Kenny Rogers
Back when I was researching and writing my book Meeting Jimmie Rodgers, at least one friend misheard what I was doing and thought I was dedicating years of work to Kenny Rogers. There were a lot of polite, puzzled “Is that so’s” and ‘How ’bout that’s.” These two artists strike so many people as so very different that they [...]
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“Coat of Many Colors” Selected for National Recording Registry; Rhonda Vincent to Release Live Gospel Album; Free ATO Records Sampler
Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” will be inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. T-Model Ford has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke. Saving Country Music has information on where to donate to help with Ford’s expenses. Due out July 10: new Hank Jr. record Old School, New Rules. The album will [...]
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Toby Keith and Kristen Bell Tapped to Host CMT Awards; Taylor Swift is Billboard’s Woman of the Year; New Music Videos
Turnstyled Junkpiled offers helpful hints for any budding country songwriters out there: There is a proper way to go about writing a hit Country song, a formula I call, “Tractors, Trucks, Fishing, Beer and Jesus.” To garner the attention of Nashville labels, simply use these hillbilly buzzwords as bait in the song title (the more, [...]
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New Josh Turner Album Due June 12; Kathleen Edwards Cancels Shows Due to Vocal Strain; HoF Extends Chet Atkins Exhibit
Josh Turner’s new album, Punching Bag, is scheduled for a June 12 release. Kathleen Edwards had to postpone the rest of her North American tour due to “symptoms of vocal strain and burnout.” Chet Flippo on Willie Nelson’s new record, Heroes: Maybe his songwriting pen isn’t as frenetic as it once was, but he still [...]
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Hank Cochran Documentary to Premiere April 25; Golf & Guitars Update; New Music Videos
People Magazine has a free playlist for you to download that includes music from The Band Perry, Scotty McCreery, Chris Young, Eli Young Band, Montgomery Gentry, Love and Theft, Brantley Gilbert, and Hunter Hayes. Taylor Swift is far-off cousins of Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson and Loretta Lynn according to Geni.com. Ellen DeGeneres and [...]
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Unreleased Ralph Stanley Song Gets Record Store Day Treatment; Country Music Debate Leads to Hammer Attack; New Music Videos
The Eagles’ Joe Walsh is releasing his first solo album in two decades called Analog Man on June 5; it’s produced by Jeff Lynne. You can listen to the title track here. Fellow Eagles member Glenn Frey talked with Rolling Stone about his May 8 album release of After Hours in addition to an Eagles [...]
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Friday Five: St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow, so for this Friday Five, we’re paying tribute to country songs about Ireland. There are countless country songs about, or influenced by, the Emerald Isle, but here are five currently in heavy rotation at my house. 5. Dolly Parton — “We Irish” This is a fun track from 2004′s Live & [...]
Current Discussion
- Jon: Interesting that folks are falling all over themselves to talk up Toby Keith's prospective benefit for Oklahoma tornado victims, while ...
- Luckyoldsun: For Dylan covers with impact, nothing surpasses the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man." As far as obscure ones, I happened to like ...
- Leeann Ward: Happy to see the Randy Travis and Sara Jarosz covers, but another fave is Rodney Crowell/Emmylou Harris, "Shelter from the ...
- Luckyoldsun: "Among duos, 'Cruise' surpasses Carl Butler & Pearl's 11 weeks at No. 1 with "Don't Let Me "Cross Over" in ...
- Bruce: Good to read a Chestnut update. I liked Conan's comments about Swift's song. Kudo's for Toby's plans for Oklahoma. The ...
- Andrew: Ronnie Dunn has been saying on his Facebook page that he and Toby Keith are working on putting together a ...
- Daniel Mullins: Some other must-haves include Tony Rice's jazzy "Sweetheart Like You" (one of his performances on Me & My Guitar) http://www.amazon.com/Sweetheart-Like-You/dp/B005T4R5R8/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1369406119&s=dmusic&sr=1-19 Jerry Lee Lewis' ...
- Jack Williams: Buddy Miller - With God On Our Side
- Kelly D.: Love the Mount Moriah stuff and its time more people know about David Ramirez...
- Daniel Mullins: Haha. I see it in the playlist now.
