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Country Music Writers Remember Eddy Arnold
- As remarkable as Eddy Arnold’s country music career was, Chet Flippo says, “his lasting legacy will be that he made the world safe for country pop music.” Flippo also pulled a snippet from a CMT interview where Arnold recalled one of the first times he recognized the split between pop and hillbilly music.
- Peter Cooper says goodbye to Eddy Arnold by remembering his life and career, and Bill Friskics-Warren says intimacy was his calling card and “at the heart of Arnold’s appeal was his lustrous, purling singing voice.”
- Danielle “Bella” Romeo is a 17 year-old high school sophomore who suffers from a rare disorder that causes her to endure a rainbow of seizures. Chris Cagle was introduced to Bella at a benefit concert late last year and just recently escorted the high schooler to the prom in Victoria, TX.
- Former oil roughneck Trace Adkins wrote and recorded a song called “Black Gold” for an upcoming TV series by the same name. The show will follow three crews around West Texas on their quest to discover oil.
- Galleywinter has yet another fantastic edition of 20 Questions. This time their musical guest of honor is Matt Hillyer, lead singer of the Dallas-based band Eleven Hundred Springs.
GW: What do you see as the main difference between the music you’re making and the stuff you hear on mainstream radio?
Matt: We’re trying desperately to get back to the heart and soul of country music. You’ve got to get the blues back in to it. That heartfelt feeling that rings true for everyone. We’re trying to keep the formula simple in hopes it will be classic…or at least pay tribute to something classic.
- Adam Hood’s Different Groove album was released a year ago and to mark the occasion Little Dog Records released an acoustic version of Different Groove through their download store.
- Visit WSM Online to listen to Justin Towne’s Earle’s Opry debut from 5/2. While you’re there, peruse the archives for a lot of other great country music.
- Owen Roberts has a Q&A with Andy Friedman, who has become a fixture in the Brooklyn country music scene with his band the Other Failures.
- Thirty-five years ago a record label broke up the band Mudcrutch. Half the band, including bass player Tom Petty, went on to form The Heartbreakers. You could say that they had some success. Recently Tom Petty wanted to get that original band back together and record an album. Their self-titled debut was released on April 29th and Hickory Wind’s Sean Moore describes it as “a sunny, sometimes spirited slice of country-rock.”
- Jennifer Hanson’s full-lenghth album titled Thankful will be released as a digital exclusive on June 3rd.
- Detroit Free Press has a five question Q&A with Trisha Yearwood in which she describes something she calls the “Emmylou factor.”
I’m such a fan (of Emmylou Harris), and she is a great lady and she represents musical integrity. We don’t live in a world where that’s treasured that much. I’ve had that thought of: “I want to record this song. I think it’s a big hit, but it’s really kind of cheesy — should I record it or not?”
And I’ve thought that if I ran into Emmylou Harris on the street and it was a big hit, would she say “That’s really awesome” or cross to the other side of the street?
- Check out Yallwire.com for their newest internet reality series, The Long Road to Nashville. The cameras follow Jonalee White for 20 episodes as she tries to make it in the country music industry. She travels to events like CRS, SXSW, Key West Songwriters’ Festival and the CMA Music Festival and conducts interviews with other notable country singers. There’s currently an introductory video and two episodes online.
Popular Stuff
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Miranda Lambert - “More Like Her” This kind of material, as opposed to her tough-chick-done-wrong romps like “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and “Gunpowder and Lead,” is where her real promise lies
Joey Rory - “Cheater, Cheater” It’s actually downright frivolous, but that just makes it all the more fun. And really, are you allowed to say “ho” on country radio?
Josh Gracin - “Unbelievable (Ann Marie)” Despite initial marketing that touted the album as deep and personal, “Unbelievable (Ann Marie)” is anything but deep or personal.
Josh Turner - "Everything Is Fine" Turner is the rare example of an artist who records material that’s both quality and trademark.
Darryl Worley - "Tequila On Ice" A groovy mid-tempo that sways, a refreshing reprieve from the exhausting pace of a format that clamors for loud music and swelling choruses.
Blake Shelton - "She Wouldn't Be Gone" It’s all about nailing the melody rather than providing a legitimate interpretation that accentuates the lyrical content, although Shelton does do a pretty good job of injecting what limited emotion he can.
In Memory of Don Helms (1927 - 2008) Helms dated back to a time when an excellent four or five piece band and a good singer were all that were needed to make great country music. No drums, no light shows, no production tricks in the recording studio–just good music.
Don’t look now, but Darius Rucker, lead singer of 90s rock group Hootie & The Blowfish, has a country hit on his hands. What you probably haven’t heard is that Rucker is the first black artist to chart a single in the country top 20 since Charley Pride last did it in 1988.
News that former Sugarland member and co-founder Kristen Hall is suing her ex-mates, to the tune of $1.5 million, goes a long way towards providing a bit of context regarding the Atlanta singer/songwriter’s sudden departure from the group.
Forgotten Artist: Wynn Stewart Both Buck Owens and Merle Haggard have cited Wynn Stewart as a major influence on their careers, yet somehow, he was never able to translate his enormous talent into extended and consistent success for himself.
Forgotten Artist: David Rogers David Rogers (1936-1993) is proof of the adage that it’s great to be on a major label, but only if the label is truly behind you.
In this exclusive interview with The 9513, the Show Dog Records trio talks about growing up around Waylon and Jessi Colter, and about how those experiences have helped shaped their music as they set off on their own country music journey.
One of an emerging wave of artists empowered by decreasing production costs and a rapidly changing distribution landscape, Kelleigh Bannen has taken a do-it-yourself approach to her debut album, Radio Skies.Tagged In This Article
Adam Hood // Andy Friedman // Chris Cagle // Eddy Arnold // Eleven Hundred Springs // Jennifer Hanson // Jonalee White // Mudcrutch // Trace Adkins // Trisha Yearwood // WSM
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May 9, 2008 at 11:40 am Permalink
Speaking of “Black Gold”, the Earl Scruggs band performed “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” at Stagecoach. You know the lyric “Up through the ground came a bubbling crude, you know, black gold, texas tea…) (lol)
I heard Justin Townes Earle’s Opry debut live on WSM online and was suitably impressed. His style struck me as a unique combination of a lot of influences, most of them traditional and historical. I’d also like to mention that recent GAC broadcasts of “Opry Live” featured Ashton Shepherd and Emily West with each artist performing two songs and getting an interview with Nan Kelly. Other artists featured on those episodes included The Infamous Stringdusters and The Steeldrivers (who were joined by Charlie Daniels for one song). Great stuff!!!!!!
May 9, 2008 at 9:14 pm Permalink
Is Universal South just releasing Jennifer Hanson’s album to fulfill their contract or something. It’s very unlike a major label to release something without a radio hit, even if it’s a digital release.
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