82 Year-Old Ray Price Not Slowing Down
- Andrew Dansby has a fantastic profile on Ray Price. He’s currently 82 years-old, performed around 88 shows last year, hopes to do close to 100 this year, and is working on two albums. One is a collaboration with Johnny Bush, Willie Nelson, and the late Calvin Owens due in June. The other is called My Old Friend:
Featuring “12 songs of some of my friends that are gone.”
The list includes Williams, Jennings, Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb, Marty Robbins, Conway Twitty, Johnny Paycheck and others. He plans to record a short spoken-word intro for each song. “I already got a video figured out, too,” he says. “It’ll be corny as hell.”
Asked when people will hear it, Price answers quickly.
“If you listen to the radio, I doubt you’ll ever hear it.”
- Conway Twitty’s children have sued Sony/ATV for a share of their late father’s royalties and publishing copyrights. The children claim they didn’t understand the agreement their father had with Sony when he sold his interests three years before he died. Twitty’s widow, the children’s step-mother, denied their allegations, claiming that the family knew what they signed and said the lawsuit dishonored their father’s memory.
- CMT Insider has an interview with Alan Jackson on the eve of his next album release, Good Time. He says he’s received a lot of comments about his sideburns in the video for “Small Town Southern Man” and wants to continue doing what he does as long as the fans and business will have him. Meanwhile on the CMT Blog, Alison Bonaguro lists the top three reasons you should pick up Good Time.
- In an effort to drum up support for the pig industry, a group of pig farmers took to the studio to record the single “Stand By Your Ham” — based on Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man.”
- Los Angeles Times staff writer Randy Lewis on Alan Jackson’s Good Time:
His singing throughout is characteristically effortless, marked by the almost conversational but deft phrasing that’s gives his songs a lived-in veracity. All of which adds up to what is indeed a pretty good time.
- Denise Quan joins Gary Allan in Huntington Beach, California for a video interview. Allan points out where he lived before he scored a record deal and talks about some sound advice from his father. He feels like his life experiences have made him a better artist, “I could have lived without it,” he says “and been a mediocre artist.”
- Kristofferson endorsed Obama for the Democratic Presidential nomination.
- Loretta Lynn is one of the songwriters chosen to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 19. The ceremony will take place at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York.
- James Otto says he hopes the nervousness of playing the Grand Ole Opry never fades away.
- Galleywinter is giving away a set of albums from Mando Saez, Drew Kennedy, and Modern Day Drifters — all of which are on their SXSW Showcase. To enter just answer the following question (on their site, of course):
If you were planning your own music festival…what five acts would you put on it (living or dead)…where would you have it….what would you call it?
There’s a lot of interesting answers so far.
- Jessica Grabert of Cinema Blend’s music section closes her diatribe against country music with “today’s country music has no real appeal, unless you are a sheep.” (via ggcolumn)
- Tony Romo isn’t so sure Jessica Simspon’s foray into country music will be successful. He thinks she’ll have a tough time winning over audiences and even told Simpson that he doesn’t think she’s quite up to par with Carrie Underwood. That’s gotta hurt.
- Free mp3: “Don’t Let Your Wounded Heart Come Between Us” Randy Kohrs (duet with Rhonda Vincent)
- Watch the video for Trisha Yearwood’s new single, “This Is Me You’re Talking to.”
- Brian T. Atkinson digs Lantana — the new album from Caroline Herring — giving it four stars.
Herring flawlessly reports the grisly material. Presented with corresponding degrees of damnation and empathy, her watertight assessment of the 1994 American tragedy would be a crowning achievement for most artists. On Lantana — an embarrassment of riches drawing the straightest line between tradition and transition this side of Adrienne Young — it only rates halfway up the chart.
- In Shelby Lynne’s first blog post for The Huffington Post she says that having a vinyl collection is so much cooler than having an iPod. (Thanks Peter)
- LeAnn Rimes picking her nose in public. Mmm, tasty. (via CMT Blog)
- Buzz Cason has sang backup for Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Jimmy Buffet, Conway Twitty, Brenda Lee, and Bob Wills, and now has a new CD of self-written songs titled Hats Off To Hank that John Walker of Americana Roots calls “a great blend of country, blues, and driving southern rock.”
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March 3, 2008 at 8:35 pm Permalink
Man, if I’m feeding myself at 82 I’ll be happy! Let alone being out there touring!
I’m just sick and tired of crossovers on my radio.
I’m diggin’ the new Trisha video too.
March 3, 2008 at 8:41 pm Permalink
I saw Ray Price twice last year…at the ryman solo and the last of the breed tour at the opry house….what amazing shows….80+ years old and can sing 95% of nashville under the table….and if you didn’t catch willie, ray and merle together on the “last of the breed” tour last year you missed an incredible night of music from three american treasures (with Asleep at the Wheel as the backing band no less!!)…i have never seen three artists as comfortable with themselves and each other as that show….in my top 5 of live shows i have ever seen.
March 3, 2008 at 8:46 pm Permalink
oh and thanks for the link to the Rhonda/Randy duet….Rhonda Vincent is one of the best duet singers out there…love her cut on the new Gene Watson too….
March 4, 2008 at 5:24 am Permalink
All of our readers who constantly cite how mean spirited I am should go read what Jessica has to say about Reba in that anti-country article. Now that is mean spirited.
I’ll be damned if Reba isn’t one of the most beautiful people on the planet.
March 4, 2008 at 11:36 am Permalink
Beyond the plastic surgery crack — “several hits”? Reba McEntire has had (by my count) 56 Top 10 hits. What does it take to have more than “several”?
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