Marty Stuart Bringing Traditional Country Music Back to TV
- The RFD-TV cable network channel plans to start broadcasting The Marty Stuart Show on Sunday nights starting in November and Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs will be his sidekick.
“This show is about authenticity, from the artists who visit us in the studio every week to the people watching at home,” said Stuart, a sideman with Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash before embarking on a successful solo career in the ’80s. “I want to establish a show that gives a voice and stage to traditional country music.”
I just might start watching TV again if Time Warner ever decided to pick up RFD.
- Check out a track by track account of the Randy Rogers Band’s forthcoming album.
- Kenny Rogers says his goal is to stay relevant as long as he can. Yesterday, Cracker Barrel released an exclusive 12-song album, Kenny Rogers: 50 Years, with three new tunes. Nothing says relevant like an exclusive Cracker Barrel release.
- Keith Urban’s publicist, Paul Freundlich, confirmed that the singer has a slipped disc in his back, but declined to comment on the cause and severity of the injury.
- The Gobblers Knob blogger Kelly publicly expresses his man-crush on Chris Knight.
- Move over, Steve Earle, PopMatters’ Juli Thanki says Chris Knight is hands down the best alt-country songwriter out there and his lyrics are the strongest on his new album, Heart of Stone.
- On Monday night Jessica Simpson headlined her first concert in almost three years at the California State Fair and Craig Shelburne was there to confirm that the only boos came when she chirped “Go Cowboys!” She dedicated the majority of her show to her upcoming country album, which Shelburne says has more substance than her first single lets on.
- C. Eric Banister has an introduction to Hazel Dickens in his review of her biography, Working Girl Blues: The Life & Music of Hazel Dickens, written by Bill C. Malone and Hazel Dickens.
Bluegrass music has long had a reputation as a “boy’s club,” perhaps more so than country music and despite the fact that females were members of most of Bill Monroe’s pre-bluegrass groups. But there is a difference between being simply a member and being a leader. Hazel Dickens was a leader. And often outspoken one, at that.
- Patty Loveless is set to kick of her first tour in more than three years on Sept. 26.
- Jim Lauderdale is back in the studio finishing up vocals on his new bluegrass album, which he hopes to have done by Sept. 1, however, he doesn’t have a release date or title yet.
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- Lucy: OMG Jon, apparently you have no concept of the word 'opinion'. In case you haven't noticed, K used the words ...
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27 Comments
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August 27, 2008 at 10:23 am Permalink
Chris Knight barely escaped me and my man-crush last night in Denton, TX….why, why do you not return my calls Chris???????
August 27, 2008 at 11:52 am Permalink
I got a copy of Randy Rogers’ newest album, and while every track is a keeper, nothing really stands out as great like their other albums had, so I wasn’t overly impressed.
August 27, 2008 at 11:55 am Permalink
Well, i kinda just have a regular crush on Chris Knight…or I at least really love his music.
August 27, 2008 at 12:11 pm Permalink
…uuuhh, yeah, me too, i just really like his music…thats all…
August 27, 2008 at 12:26 pm Permalink
Are we allowed to make threesome jokes?
August 27, 2008 at 12:50 pm Permalink
Jessica Simpson is headlining a concert up here this weekend…in the parking lot of a casino…
The inevitable Cowboys and Indians joke is in there somewhere, but I’m not clever enough.
August 27, 2008 at 1:44 pm Permalink
a threesome plus jokes – now you’re talking, stormy.
August 27, 2008 at 2:25 pm Permalink
I also have Time-Warner and wish they’d substitute RFD for CMT, which judging from its current content is about ready to be re-named “Spike II”…..
I have an Australian friend and her two favorite music artists in the whole world are Fred Eaglesmith and Chris Knight. I told her that excessive consumption of Bundy rum may have something to do with it……
August 27, 2008 at 2:28 pm Permalink
Chris Knight’s great. Not sure I have a man crush on him though (just Brad Paisley).
August 27, 2008 at 2:48 pm Permalink
Rick: Fred has a strangly high concetration of fans in Australia. Its almost like likeig him was a British crime.
August 27, 2008 at 2:58 pm Permalink
Fred’s fans are all highly concentrated.
August 27, 2008 at 4:31 pm Permalink
When I told my husband about Marty doing his own show, he said that Marty should start it out with “I’m Bringing Country Back” like Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back”…hammering down on the mandolin, guitar, kick in a banjo here and there.
I’m so glad that we have RFD-tv…we got it via Dish Network as it was cheaper than Time Warner Cable.
August 27, 2008 at 4:52 pm Permalink
I just discovered the other day that RFD is on our cable system now. I look forward to sampling all its many pleasures.
August 27, 2008 at 4:56 pm Permalink
I’ve actually been considering satelite once my TWC promotion runs out in October. This is convincing me even further.
August 27, 2008 at 5:03 pm Permalink
Bannister says the Hazel Dickens book doesn’t spend much time addressing her influence on bluegrass, and that’s likely because the music she’s famous for is only peripherally related to it. It’s mountain music, and it’s folk music, and it’s protest music, but it’s only related to bluegrass by region and because it’s acoustic. She often sang a cappella, or backed by by autoharp or guitar, not banjo, mandolin or fiddle.
Dickens did grow up around bluegrass bands, and she played in some early on, but she made her mark on the folk festival circuit. Songs like “O Death” are right down her alley, and she probably did have something to do with more bluegrass singers incorporating those kinds of old-timey songs into their repertoire.
That said, “Harlan County USA” is one of the best documentaries ever filmed, and it’s only been on DVD for a few years now. It’s as real a depiction of the coal-mining life as can be found, and the scenes of poor folks risking their lives to rise up against the company are unforgettable.
August 27, 2008 at 6:02 pm Permalink
We have RFD on DirecTV.
August 27, 2008 at 6:05 pm Permalink
Jessica Simpson irritates me. I doubt that Patty Loveless has ever mentioned farting or having to pee at one of her concerts.
August 27, 2008 at 6:21 pm Permalink
I’ll bet Dolly Parton has, though. There are plenty of good reasons to dislike Jessica Simpson, but that one doesn’t strike me as especially fair.
August 27, 2008 at 6:43 pm Permalink
Does anyone know how billboard charts differ from the hot 100 and the Hot country songs.
August 27, 2008 at 6:52 pm Permalink
@Troy: There are many differences. What specifically do you mean?
August 27, 2008 at 6:59 pm Permalink
Like Taylor Swift song Change it is number 10 on the hot 100 but is 50 something on the country chart
August 27, 2008 at 7:17 pm Permalink
Woo-hoo! New Lauderdale!
August 27, 2008 at 7:23 pm Permalink
Re: Billboard Charts:
Hot Country Songs charts all the major country markets airplay of songs for that chart. It’s airplay Only. The Hot 100 Singles are airplay AND sales (physical & Digital). “Change” was the 3rd best selling digital single its first week on the chart. Now it’s the 15th and has sold 200,000 copies. that helped the song do as well as it has on the Hot 100 Singles chart.
August 27, 2008 at 7:28 pm Permalink
Thank you
August 27, 2008 at 9:14 pm Permalink
@ John Maglite: You have to have a certain panache to pull off bathroom humor, and to me, Jessica doesn’t have it.
But to each his own.
August 28, 2008 at 12:10 am Permalink
Rick’s Random Tidbits: Awhile back I sent a retail copy of Amber Digby’s “Here Come The Teardrops” CD to a bloke who hosts an Australian country music show that is broadcast nationwide. The broadcaster’s name is John Nutting and the show is named “Saturday Night Country”. Well this past Saturday night “Johnno” gave a spin to one of Amber’s songs. Unfortunately he also read a note I attached to the CD which is no longer accurate as Amber is writing her own songs now. Oh well…. I’m Rick from Torrance but he gives my name as Rick Torrance (gee does this mean I’m related to Dean Torrance of “Jan & Dean”? Wow! – lol)
The Amber bit starts at 26:50 in the first hour of the program for any of you that are interested in a listen: (Note: This link will open a Windows Media Player File – You can drag the play progress button directly to 26:50.)
Link to Listen: http://www.abc.net.au/snc/stories/snc_mod_10.asx
PS – Check out the great song by Kimber Sparks who is an American gal who moved to Australia and had her recent album produced by Bill Chambers. You can’t get any more country than “Strait & Jackson”:
It starts at 46:45 into the second hour of the show:
Link: http://www.abc.net.au/snc/stories/snc_mod_11.asx
(A nice interview with Kimber starts at 30:00)
August 28, 2008 at 6:18 pm Permalink
It’s sad that Jessica Simpson was ever booed at all. How many country singers release pop versions of their songs…apparently, some feel that this is ok, but its not ok for pop artists to come to country. We should all be happy that country is this popular now and is attracting more and more artists.
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