The 9513 - Country Music Blog

As one-half of the famed rock-pop duo Hall & Oates, John Oates has sold millions of records, toured around the world, won numerous awards and is a member of the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. Despite all the accolades, however, not many people are aware of his background and the music that inspired him to become [...]

Continue reading "John Oates Revisits His Americana Roots"

Back when James Wesley worked in construction, he made a tradition of etching his name in wet concrete — leaving a permanent, personal touch at whatever site he was working. So, it was only right for him to carry out the practice while working on the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville. The name “James [...]

Continue reading "Beginning with “Real,” James Wesley Aims to Create a Lasting Mark"

The word prodigy isn’t handed out with regularity. That’s especially the case when you are a teenage musician, but Sierra Hull isn’t your ordinary teenager. As a mandolin player — following in the steps of her idols and legends like Adam Steffey, Chris Thile and Ricky Skaggs — Hull is blazing a trail of her [...]

Continue reading "Not Your Ordinary Teenager: A Chat with Sierra Hull"

Singers shiver at the thought of stepping on stage in front of him–music executive and television producer Simon Cowell, known in the U.S. for his non-sugar coated commentary for nine seasons on the Fox reality series American Idol, is probably one of the most feared men when it comes to judging talent contests. Love him [...]

Continue reading "Interview with Simon Cowell: The X Factor Comes to America"

Steel Magnolia took a decidedly modern media approach to breaking into the country music business. A victory on the second season of CMT’s Can You Duet–a reality show that also helped launch the career of Joey + Rory–helped land them a record deal and launch their first single onto country radio. But it is the [...]

Continue reading "A Conversation with Steel Magnolia’s Meghan Linsey"

Hayes Carll is a Texan by birth as well as by occupation. The Houston native plays hardscrabble country songs shot through with wry humor and quiet sadness, evoking such Lone Star forebears as Townes Van Zandt, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Vince Bell. He paid his dues playing small bars in south Texas, hanging out with [...]

Continue reading "American Stories: Interview with Hayes Carll"

For Sunny Sweeney, being a country music artist comes with some baggage… the good kind. Sweeney clearly believes that she holds a responsibility to the sound and music that inspired her as a child. Names such as Haggard, Lynn, and Parton are names she owes her own brief legacy to and wherever that career may [...]

Continue reading "Merle Haggard Is Pretty Much Sunny Sweeney’s Hero"

With his fourth album, Mission Bell, folk-pop singer-songwriter Amos Lee has been propelled into the national consciousness. The album, defined by his raspy, soulful voice, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 earlier this month. It was an impressive feat for an artist who until this year hadn’t shed the journeyman tag despite his [...]

Continue reading "Amos Lee: Respecting the Sanctity of the Song"

Editor’s Note: The following transcript contains explicit language. “There’s a fuckload of squirrels out there!” exclaims a surprised Todd Snider out of nowhere. He’s speaking to The 9513 from his home in East Nashville, which is apparently under siege “They’re having a meeting. Holy shit, here they come! Get help!” This is the sort of [...]

Continue reading "Under Attack By Squirrels: Interview with Todd Snider"

On her first radio tour in two years, momentum has been interrupted by the monster winter storm that hit most of the lower 48 states. Country artist Star De Azlan got turned around in Philly, barely catching a flight, and came back home to Texas to wait it out–only to be affected once again by [...]

Continue reading "Star De Azlan: First and Foremost a Country Singer"