The 9513 - Country Music Blog

Peter Cooper recapped last night’s Americana Awards where Buddy and Julie Miller were the big winners for their collaboration on the album Written In Chalk.

If you’re not already, let this be your reminder to follow us on Twitter where Pierce is giving a play-by-play account of his experience at the Americana Music Festival. Here are [...]

Continue reading "Buddy and Julie Miller Big Winners at Americana Awards; Capitol Records Shuts Down Ronnie Milsap Single"

Merle Haggard canceled the remaining five dates of his current tour because of head and neck pain.
Groover’s Paradise recommended “Foggy Mountain Top” from Carlene Carter and provided audio for her version and The Carter Family version for comparison.
In a case of the rich getting richer, Los Angeles’ honky-tonk king Mike Stinson left California for Texas. [...]

Continue reading "Merle Haggard Cancels Shows; Preview Terri Clark; Rock Bands’ Country; Plus Free Music"

As always, just some songs I liked, one song per artist, not necessarily the biggest hit, (although I feel free to comment on other songs by the artist).
“Let’s All Go Down The River” – Jody Miller & Johnny Paycheck (1972)
A nice country cover of an old gospel song–how could you go wrong with this [...]

Continue reading "Great Country Songs from the 1970s, Pt. 5"

For years the Country Music Hall of Fame was caught in the position where many deserving performers had died off before their turn for induction arrived. This was mostly due to the Hall’s practice of electing only one new member per year (and in at least one year, electing no one).
By the time the [...]

Continue reading "Who the Country Music Hall of Fame Should Induct Next"

Keith Whitley uber fan Bonnie Hill is on a mission to get the late singer recognized alongside all the legends already inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Her online petition has amassed nearly 2,000 signatures, including those of Ralph Stanley, J.D. Crowe and Alan Frizzell. Hill knows her petition alone won’t get Whitely [...]

Continue reading "Bonnie Hill Is On a Mission to Get Keith Whitley Honored In Hall of Fame"

Anne Murray’s website describes her latest album, Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends, as “a collection of Anne’s most classic songs re-recorded as duets with some of the finest women of song including: Shania Twain, Martina McBride, Nelly Furtado, Isabelle Boulay, k.d. lang, Celtic Woman, Carole King, Olivia Newton-John, Emmylou Harris, Jann Arden, Shelby Lynne, [...]

Continue reading "Anne Murray Giveaway: Duets: Friends & Legends"

Catherine Britt – Little Wildflower
Catherine Britt released her third album, Little Wildflower, in her native Australia. This album, produced by Brett Beavers, attempts to cover ground in both contemporary and traditional country and while her contemporary contributions are decent, they blend in with current offerings from other artists. However, Britt’s performance and smoky vocals [...]

Continue reading "January ‘08 Album Review Wrap-Up"

Total album sales in the U.S are down 15 percent in 2007, but country music album sales dropped even further in 2007–to 16.3 percent–and no country artist made the top-10 digital chart in 2007. Sounds pretty bleak, but then again, so does a lot of the music. Dig.
Charley Pride will receive a lifetime achievement award [...]

Continue reading "Country Album Sales Down 16.3 Percent in 2007"

Roger Holland posted his in-depth “The Best Country Music of 2007″ list at PopMatters. These top ten lists are like finger prints, no two are exactly alike, but I learned a few interesting tidbits from Mr. Holland’s comments.
As of December 4th, thirty-four of Anne Murray’s original recordings have been available digitally.
Doug Freeman gives a brief [...]

Continue reading "“It’s the music of what I do and how I live” – Michael Martin Murphey"