Dolly Parton and Cracker Barrel Get Cozy
- On March 23, each of the Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores will carry two limited-edition, pink Dolly Parton rocking chairs on their front porches. To coincide with the sale of the rocking chairs, Cracker Barrel will offer a deluxe edition of Backwoods Barbie, Parton’s new album, with three new songs.
- Asleep at the Wheel and Willie Nelson held a free, impromptu concert at Waterloo Records in downtown Austin yesterday.
- Emmylou Harris was among a group of artists who went before Congress this week to lobby for the Performance Right Act, legislation that would require radio stations to pay artists and musicians when their recordings are broadcast.
- Charlie Haden and his actor son-in-law Jack Black will make their Opry debut tomorrow night.
- The Boxmasters, who released their debut and one other album in 2008, will release their third record on April 21. Titled Modbilly, it’ll be a two-disc set — one with originals, the other featuring cover songs.
- The annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic benefiting Ally’s House, an organization that assists pediatric cancer patients and their families throughout Oklahoma, will be held June 12 and 13 in Norman, Okla.
- GAC is hosting a series of eight webisodes from Randy Houser as he makes a trip back to his hometown.
- Finger Eleven guitarists James Black and Rick Jackett will be unveiling their alt.country side project in mid-March, but don’t expect it to sound anything like today’s country music. “Country music as everybody knows it is just pop music with a cowboy hat and shiny shirts,” says Black. “This goes back to the older stuff. This goes back to a different time.”
The band are influenced by the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams, Merle Travis and Kenny Rogers. The songs, of which there are apparently 17 ready to go for an album scheduled to come out in June, stay true to classic country themes.
- This just in from The Gobblers Knob: you’ve been served with an awesome song alert.
- Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Keith Urban and Sugarland are among the artists scheduled to pay tribute to George Strait in the CBS-TV special George Strait — ACM Artist of the Decade, which tapes April 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
- Listen to “These Days,” the first single from Bobby Duncan’s upcoming album Faith, Hope and Everything Else. (via Galleywinter)
- As of next Monday, legendary Nashville radio station 650AM WSM will be officially added to the Americana Music Radio Panel. (via press release)
- Sugarland announced the dates for the 2009 leg of their Love on the Inside tour.
- In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Scott Mervis, Ben Kweller comments on the response to his new album, Changing Horses, and responds to criticisms that he used “secondary sources” while making the album.
- Don’t plan on Zac Brown shaving his beard anytime soon.
- Watch the premier of the very sensual video for the Zac Brown Band’s “Whatever It Is.”
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February 27, 2009 at 12:11 pm Permalink
I bet Taylor sings ‘Check Yes or No’.
February 27, 2009 at 12:31 pm Permalink
I must have missed the announcement that George Strait was named Artist of the Decade.
February 27, 2009 at 12:36 pm Permalink
Ooo, good call, J.R. I bet you’re right.
And I love that whatever song she picks will invariably become one of the most traditional things she’s ever performed. Her performance of “Drive” was fascinating for that reason alone.
February 27, 2009 at 1:21 pm Permalink
^ fascinating maybe…but good…no
February 27, 2009 at 3:09 pm Permalink
It’s a huge joke that Swift, Sugarland etc are singing at the Strait tribue. What a waste!
February 27, 2009 at 3:51 pm Permalink
Waste of what?
February 27, 2009 at 3:57 pm Permalink
i don’t remember the decade being quite that boring and bland.
February 27, 2009 at 5:19 pm Permalink
I think they should allow Taylor Swift to sing a personalized version of one of George’s songs. I’d recommend “Disney Channel By Morning”.
Love the quote from the guitarists from “Finger Eleven” (whatever that is): “The band are influenced by the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams, Merle Travis and……..Kenny Rogers(!?#@*).” So we can expect songs that remind us of “If I Needed You”, “Your Cheatin’ Heart”, “Kinfolk In Carolina” and….”Islands In The Stream”(!?#@*). Crikey, mate! (lol)
I thought that maybe the Zac Brown video was about him taking off his knit watch cap for the first time in public! Oh well….
February 27, 2009 at 6:39 pm Permalink
Rick’s Random Tidbits: The latest Nashville Skyline at CMT.com is about commercial sponsorship of country artists. In the article Chet Flippo makes mention of Hank Williams Sr. being associated with the “Hadacol Caravan” in the early 1950’s. A Google search turned up a fascinating webpage that covers some of the history of the Hadacol elixir and how it was promoted. Its safe to say that the Food and Drug Administration either did not exist then or wasn’t yet flexing its muscles at the time
Nashville Skyline: http://www.cmt.com/news/nashville-skyline/1605967/nashville-skyline-is-rascal-flatts-tour-sponsorship-penney-wise.jhtml
The amazing story of “Hadacol”:
http://www.dreamtimepodcast.com/2008/02/episode-51-hadacol-thats-all.html
I could use a bottle of that stuff right about now….
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