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News Roundup: Vacation Edition
Engine 145 is on vacation this week, but we’ll be back with new content next Monday. Until then, here are some things to read about, listen to, and discuss. There was a Ralph Stanley 78 rpm record released last Record Store Day. Are any of your favorite artists using one of these “alternatives to just [...]
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Patsy Cline HoF Exhibit Opens Next Month; Kenny Chesney Added to Farm Aid Lineup; New Mavericks Album Slated for 9/25 Release
New exhibit Patsy Cline: Crazy for Loving You will open at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on August 24. The opening weekend festivities will include a panel discussion with Cline’s husband and daughter as well as Harold Bradley, Jan Howard and George Hamilton IV. The exhibit will run through June 10, 2013. [...]
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Kitty Wells Passes Away; New Videos from Ray Wylie Hubbard and Nick 13; Album Releases
The legendary Kitty Wells passed away yesterday at the age of 92. These lengthy obituaries from the Washington Post, New York Times, Tennessean, MusicRow, NPR, and CMT.com are all worth reading. Bassist Bob Babbitt, who played on classics like Gladys Knight & The Pips’ “Midnight Train to Georgia” and appeared on albums by Frank Sinatra, Elton [...]
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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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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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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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Curb to Release Hank Jr. Walmart Exclusive CD; Jim Lauderdale Documentary to Air in Australia; New Album Releases
Chris Thile finds the first two Nickel Creek albums “unbearably smug.” Old-time fiddler Joe Thompson passed away yesterday at the age of 93. Thompson influenced several musicians, including the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Here is a 2007 performance at the Kennedy Center. George Jones and Tammy Wynette and Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell are featured in [...]
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Mel Tillis Receives National Medal of Arts; Muddy Roots Festival Lineup Additions; New Album Releases
Mel Tillis was at the White House yesterday, receiving a National Medal of Arts. CMT.com has the story about how Whitney Houston came to record Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” This project, a documentary about Peter Rowan, looks pretty interesting. Jake Kelly of American Songwriter paid a visit to the Deering Banjo factory [...]
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Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation Launches New Campaign; Martina McBride Plans Theater Tour; New Music Videos
Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert performed “America the Beautiful” at last night’s Super Bowl. Billy Ray Cyrus has agreed to a deal with Amazon.com’s publishing division and will put out a book titled Hillbilly Heart sometime in 2013. USA Today has an exclusive video interview with Dierks Bentley where he talks about (and sings) a [...]
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The Grass is Bluer for Donna Ulisse
Second chances don’t often make themselves available in the music industry. Thankfully one found its way to Donna Ulisse (pronounced “you-liss-ee”). Like so many other aspiring country music artists, Ulisse followed her dream to Nashville where she first found work as a back-up and session singer, working with the likes of Jerry Reed. She finally [...]
Current Discussion
- 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 ...
- bob: There was a survey by cmt.com dated 3/31/10 which showed more than 175 country act signed to major labels. I ...
