CMA Fest Announces Performers; Shaver & Nelson Release “Wacko From Waco” Duet; Gretchen Wilson’s Favorite Grammy Winners
- The first round of announced performers for the CMA Music Festival includes Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Sheryl Crow, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Reba, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton and Keith Urban.
- “On the Banks of the Ohio” illustrated. (via Fresh Signals)
- Northwest native Rachel Harrington plans to release her new album Celilo Falls to the US next week and in an effort to highlight the release, songs:illinois is streaming the song “He Started Building My Mansion In Heaven Today.”
- NPR: Justin Townes Earle on World Cafe
- Gretchen Wilson shared her thoughts on 10 Grammy-winning country songs (“Ain’t That Lonely Yet,” “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” “Stand by Your Man,” etc.) with CMT’s Craig Shelburne.
- Here’s the new video for Justin Moore‘s song “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away,” the first single from his forthcoming sophomore album. (via That Nashville Sound)
- Peter Cooper profiled what is believed to be the only black-and-white duo ever in country music, Allerton & Alton, whose live recordings from Maine radio stations are now available in a set called Black, White and Bluegrass.
- Billy Joe Shaver and Willie Nelson released a duet titled “Wacko From Waco” about the shooting incident Shaver was involved with a few years ago.
- Sixteen covers of Lucinda Williams songs. (via @jimcaligiuri)
- The Dixie Bee-Liners are on a mission to get guitarist George Shuffler inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. Until that happens, the group plans to play The Stanley Brothers song “Will You Miss Me” at every show.
- Listen to “Let It Rain,” the first single from David Nail‘s forthcoming sophomore album.
- Rosanne Cash on the possibility of revealing “The List” — a hundred must-listen songs her father put together — to the public:
[...] I’m not ready to. So much of my dad has been co-opted by the public and this was such a personal thing to me. And I’m just not ready to post it on the Internet or something, you know what I mean? I want to hang on to it for a little while. … Eventually it should be archived properly, but right now it’s mine.
- Music Fog: Wade Bowen – “Trouble”
- Remember that series of concerts Garth Brooks held last December? They helped raise $5 million to support Tennessee flood recovery.
- Michael McCall on the new Waylon tribute:
Some go too far in translation, as when Alabama change a lyric in “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way,” switching “we need to change” to “we made the change.” Rather than criticizing contemporary country music, these new lyrics sanction it–the opposite of what Jennings intended.
- Apparently “country-western” music is a handy tool for waking and expelling a hibernating bear.
- For week 2 of Rodney Hayden‘s Stories & Songs series, he recounts the inspiration behind one of my favorites: “Silverado Boys.” Don’t miss the free download after you watch the video.
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February 9, 2011 at 11:45 am
Nice piece on Allerton & Alton, but my mind’s not made up about that “only”; it’s certainly open to debate.
And while I love Buddy and Brandi, George Shuffler isn’t the only person who’s eminently qualified to go into the IBMA’s Hall of Fame and who deserves to go in while still living. I just don’t see the compelling need to draw a line in the sand around one particular name
February 9, 2011 at 11:56 am
While Wanda Jackson and Big Al Downing were not a “duo,” he was her regular band leader and sang country and R&B, as she did, same shows, all over the country–many of them with audiences fairly stunned to see the white woman and black man on the same stage, let alone traveling together, times still being what they were..
February 9, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Bill Monroe and Arnold Shultz might qualify, too…
February 9, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Guess someone has forgotten that there has been a black and white country duo to chart and that is Malchak & Rucker (Tim Malchak and Dwight Rucker) who charted 5 singles between 1984 and 1986. The article acts like that Allerton and Alton were the only ones when it’s truly not so either. And there might be a few more here in country music but probably didn’t want to go national with it for various reasons.
And I would guess that Earl Thomas Conley and Anita Porter and Alabama and Lionel Richie would qualify for this.
February 9, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Interesting that Justin Moore’s recorded that “If Heaven…”, which Rhett Akins did a great job of about 5 years ago. It’s a really great song, I reckon.
As for the comment about Alabama switching the Waylon lyrics, I don’t think they were using the word “We” to describe the industry in general. I think they were saying “We” as in the band…that Alabama made the change, even if the industry as a whole didn’t. That’s just my take, though.
February 9, 2011 at 5:22 pm
For Lewis: Don’t forget Ray Charles and Willie Nelson on Seven Spanish Angels.
February 9, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Can’t really argue with Roseanne, but I sure would like to see the rest of that list.
February 9, 2011 at 6:47 pm
Didn’t a book come out last year about The List? Seeing the title, I assumed (yes…) that it looked at the entire list, not just the select few songs released on the album of 2009.
February 9, 2011 at 6:52 pm
Donald, her memoir came out last year.
February 9, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Jon, you wrote >>>I just don’t see the compelling need to draw a line in the sand around one particular name<<< Could you expand on this a bit? If many deserve induction, recognition,- and you know who I advocate for- what is wrong with the band drawing attentin to GS in this way? Seems like a rather neat idea to me, a way for dvocacy to be done when one isn't a member of the selection committee? Or are you suggesting that such advocacy has no purpose?
February 9, 2011 at 7:20 pm
This is the book I was thinking of: Always Been There: Rosanne Cash, “The List”, and the Spirit of Southern Music. I understand now that it only covers the songs on the album.
February 9, 2011 at 11:38 pm
Isn’t the CMA Music Festival the old Fanfair?
When will they change the name back?
I say, give it two more years.
February 9, 2011 at 11:51 pm
Donald, I think that putting “Will You Miss Me” into their show is a fine way for the DBL to highlight their appreciation for George and to encourage others to join them; but the implication is that they’re going to be angry if anyone else – like, for instance, your favorite – is inducted instead, and I just can’t see the wisdom in that.
February 9, 2011 at 11:55 pm
I was a Billy Joe Shaver fan since “Tramp On Your Street” and have bought more than a dozen of his CD’s.
I was really offended by his shooting of that man (who was unarmed!) in Texas and by his complete lack of contrition over it. When I’ve seen Shaver talk about it, he seems to have a screw loose. I’d buy a Michael Vick remake of the old Charlie Walker song “I Wouldn’t Take Her to a Dog Fight” before I’d buy the “Wacko From Waco” celebrating his own insanity.
March 4, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Billy joe shaver is my Favorite songwritter I have all of His CD’s Too and I even sing His songs! I have’nt heard His New single! yet Wacko from waco. But I Know it will be a nother well written song by Him