Porter Wagoner Celebrates 50 Years With Opry And Stagecoach Highlights Different Sub-Genres Of Country
- On Saturday, May 19 Porter Wagoner will celebrate his 50th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Marty Stuart will host the one-hour event to be televised on GAC and Patty Loveless and Dolly Parton will be giving special performances. Also to honor the occasion, The Martin Guitar Company is introducing the Martin D-41 Porter Wagoner Custom Edition guitar. And to top it all off, Wagoner shot the video for the first single off his new album, “Committed to Parkview,” about a week ago.
- The record label founded by Neal McCoy in 2005, 903 Music, was shut down last week. McCoy says “the truth is that after two great years of success due to the hard work of a lot of wonderful people, we flat ran out of money. End of story.” Another high-profile artist on the label was Darryl Worley.
- Austin will be throwing a free concert on May 19 titled Road to Austin: Live Music Capital of the World. The lineup includes Kris Kristofferson, Delbert McClinton, Joe Ely, James Hand, and more. The highlight of the evening will be a tribute to Kristofferson who will be performing five duets throughout the show.
- Blake Shelton talks about his love for the synthesizers in the 1980’s Urban Cowboy type country and answers the question as to whether he’s a “goof-off.”
What is your response when people say that country isn’t as good as it used to be?
I tell them to kiss my ass, for real, because I think it has to evolve and it has to grow. It’s really easy to sit around and whine about the direction that country music is going. I hear tons of stuff about Rascal Flatts and how they’re not country. I guarantee you that Barbara Mandrell was not country like some of the old-timers in her era wanted her to be. She was pushing the envelope.
In another article on The Tennessean, Shelton says that he feels Pure BS is the best album of his career and will be hard to top in the future. “For the first time I feel like I’m singing songs about breaking up and heartache and pain and I really feel like I’m a guy who can stand up and sing that stuff and know what I’m talking about. It’s amazing what going through a divorce while I’m making an album did for me musically.”
- The Houston Chronicle has a lengthy piece about one of the city’s favorite country music sons, Clay Walker. Walker talks about everything that’s been happening since his last release four years ago, including: switching labels, getting divorced and meeting the new “love of his life,” multiple sclerosis, and his allegiances to the Astros and Texans.
- By all accounts, the Stagecoach country music festival in California sounds like it would have been a blast to attend. Most of the different sub-genres of country music, from mainstream to alt-country, were represented on the different stages…kind of like on The 9513, just sayin’.
- The Showbuzz has a great piece about Ray Benson’s 56th birthday celebration along with a video of Asleep at the Wheel performing “Boogie Back to Texas.”
Over the years, Benson says he has played with 90 musicians in his band. The reason behind the high turnover rate?
“I’m a son of a bitch,” he said. “It’s a tough road. Let me tell you something. They don’t make a lot of money. We travel a lot.”
- Spinner.com ranks The 25 Most Exquisitely Sad Songs in the Whole World. Topping the list for country music at No. 4 is Johnny Cash’s rendition of “Hurt.” Also representing country music on the list are “He Stopped Loving Her Today” from George Jones and “Concrete Angel” from Martina McBride. Lists like these are always subjective, but I personally could have come up with a lot more country songs for the list, but maybe they were going for songs that had the most impact among fans.
- Everyone keep Hazel Smith in your prayers as she recovers from surgery. In early April she was diagnosed with cancer. Hopefully she returns to her Hot Dish column in no time. If you’d like to send her a card or letter, CMT posted an address where you can reach her.
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Asleep at the Wheel // Blake Shelton // Clay Walker // Grand Ole Opry // Johnny Cash // Kris Kristofferson // Neal McCoy // Porter Wagoner // Ray Benson // Stagecoach
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7 Comments
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May 7, 2007 at 12:47 pm Permalink
I agree with Shelton that country music should evolve. It should not, however, suck.
May 7, 2007 at 3:14 pm Permalink
Country music should evolve. It should not, however, suck. – Baron Lane
That’d make a good quote for one of those quote books.
May 7, 2007 at 7:26 pm Permalink
I’m putting it on my shirts!
May 7, 2007 at 8:05 pm Permalink
I’d might buy one!
May 7, 2007 at 8:32 pm Permalink
I second that, Austin.
May 8, 2007 at 5:03 am Permalink
Ha! And matching hoodies!
May 8, 2007 at 12:59 pm Permalink
In terms of sad songs, No. 1 in my book is “Day by Day” by Billy Joe Shaver. It’s biographical, and it references the death of his mother, wife and son. A couple years ago, Kris Kristofferson performed it at the Country Music Hall of Fame and could hardly stop crying. I don’t know how Billy Joe recorded it. According to an interview I read, he didn’t want to, but soon realized he HAD to do it. It must have taken an iron will to sing that song.
But, yeah, I admit that Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” deserves that lofty spot. So does “Help Me,” from his new album.
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