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Roots Watch: Country Icons and Family Legacies
Working as I do in both journalism and music history, from time to time I’ve had the opportunity (and also the working need, truthfully) to interview the immediate families of some of country and roots music’s most celebrated figures, sometimes getting to know them outside of that defined situation. It occurs to me again and [...]
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Sunny Sweeney Releases Holiday Single; Farce the Music Offers Benefit Compilation; Dobie Gray and Barbara Orbison Pass Away
Dobie Gray passed away yesterday at the age of 71. Barbara Orbison, widow of Roy Orbison, also passed away yesterday (the 23rd anniversary of Roy’s death). She was 60 years old. Gretchen Peters has a new blog entry up about the song “Camille,” written with Matraca Berg and Suzy Bogguss. “Camille” will be on Peters’ [...]
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Friday Five: Songs About the Civil War
As 2011 nears an end, also does the National Parks Service 150 Year Anniversary Celebration of the Civil War. Up and down the East Coast, Civil War battlefield sites have been holding special sesquicentennial commemorations and displays honoring the good, the bad and the ugly of America’s most tragic war. Over 600,000 Americans perished over [...]
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Roots Watch: Refresh…Revive…Repeat…Rethink
Lately I’ve been thinking about repetition, repeatedly. See, I’ve never been one of those who can be counted on to rail against the latest alleged oncoming modern pop corruption of whatever country music has been sounding like for a while. In country, complaints about sonic invaders have always been there. But in addition, history leaves [...]
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Friday Five: Judges
Today is the birthday of the most important figure in American law since Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.: Judge Judy. As you know, judges play a pretty important part in several country songs; they’re normally the ones sentencing our protagonists to 99 years in the Folsom pen or presiding over sham trials when the lights go [...]
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Taz DiGregorio Killed in Auto Accident; Buddy Miller is AMA Artist of the Year; Free Bluegrass in Dallas
Taz DiGregorio, vocalist and keyboardist in the Charlie Daniels Band (and co-writer of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”) was killed in an automobile accident. He was a member of the CDB for four decades. Robert Plant, Buddy Miller, Justin Townes Earle, and Mumford and Sons all won awards at yesterday’s AMAs. Lucinda Williams, Jerry [...]
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Vince Gill to Appear on QVC; Ryan Bingham Gets Psychoanalyzed; Bach on the Banjo
Ryan Bingham takes the Men’s Health psychology quiz, reveals his love for Jameson’s whiskey and Disney movies. Our Canadian radio friend Dave Woods chatted with Oak Ridge Boy Joe Bonsall about the band’s Opry induction and new album It’s Only Natural. Vince Gill will appear on QVC Tuesday, October 11 at noon (Eastern) to perform [...]
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Friday Five: Songs About Hank Williams
Tomorrow is Hank Williams’ birthday. He’d be 88. Though he’s been dead twice as long as he was alive, he remains a central figure in the country music consciousness, perhaps due to his mysterious death as much as the masterful lyrics he penned during his too-short career. Unsurprisingly, more than a few songwriters have [...]
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Toby Covers Waylon; WSM Celebrates George Jones; Stream an Album from The Deadly Gentlemen
George Jones turns 80 on Monday, and WSM has an on-air celebration planned. From the press release: “The party is set to include Jones classics every hour 12 midnight – 7 p.m., listener birthday greetings and requests throughout the day, and a special edition of “The Eddie Stubbs Show” 7 p.m. – midnight featuring nothing [...]
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Sugarland Returns to the Stage; Free Rodney Parker and 50 Peso Reward Download; Philly Folk Fest Celebrates a Half Century
Sugarland returned to the stage and, joined by their crew, honored the victims of the Indiana stage collapse with a moment of silence and an acoustic rendition of their song “Love.” Chet Flippo’s newest Nashville Skyline column addresses the concert tragedy and some of the dangers that occur at shows while Joel Rose of NPR [...]
Current Discussion
- Jon: Nope.
- Luckyoldsun: Sounds good. Is she--or her husband--related to Dallas? (I'll assume not to Joe.)
- Luckyoldsun: R-- Sounds like you're expanding your palate. "60′s style California hippie vibe" sounds like something you'd have banned from your playlist.
- Rick: I like the production, the excellent guitar picking, and Rebecca has a nice voice with individuality, but the song structure ...
- Rick: That Buddy Emmons tribute album sounds kinda interesting. I just might have to give it a listen when it's available. Congratulations ...
- Jon: Jack Bernhardt is the bomb.
- Bruce: Good article on Rucker. I do not care for all his songs and he is far from my favorite. I ...
- Kelly D.: Dig the Whiskey Sisters and the write-up from ol' Jim C.
- Bruce: "Why do people talk about the authenticity and/or genuineness of others with whom they’ve had no direct, normal social interaction ...
- Luckyoldsun: Hank III says "Old Junior once said it best,"--Is that some sort of rapprochement in the Williams family soap opera? It's ...
