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Hank Williams’ Steel Guitarist, Don Helms, Passed Away Today At 81
Steel guitarist Don Helms, who played on more than 100 Hank Williams recordings, passed away this morning at 81 from an apparent heart attack.
Mr. Helms was the last remaining link to the Drifting Cowboys. His guitar was heard on more than 100 of Williams’ recordings, including “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Cold, Cold Heart” and “I Can’t […]Continue reading "Hank Williams’ Steel Guitarist, Don Helms, Passed Away Today At 81"
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Shooter Jennings Backs Waylon On Posthumous Project
Andy Tenille dishes on a posthumous Waylon Jennings project that hits the streets this summer. Titled Waylon Forever, the outlaw is backed by son Shooter Jennings and his band, the .357s, on nine tracks of originals and unlikely covers.
“This album really got its start back in 1995,” the country-rocker recalls, “when Dad asked me to […]Continue reading "Shooter Jennings Backs Waylon On Posthumous Project"
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The Demise of No Depression
The alt-country music magazine No Depression will cease to exist after publishing the May-June issue. The current issue of the magazine contains a statement that basically says the decline in music sales is adversely affecting their means to make money. Despite what the magazine’s title reads, that’s pretty depressing news.
Marty Stuart recalls the first time […] -
January ‘08 Album Review Wrap-Up
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 […] -
Album Review: Chuck Wicks - Starting Now
Entirely forgettable. Those two words pretty much sum up the debut release, Starting Now, from Chuck Wicks. With the marketing push and the glitz of his first video, you know RCA has some cool cash riding on Wicks, but will it be enough to guarantee that the heavily pop/contemporary leaning album becomes a success? […]
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Artists to Watch in 2008 (Part 3 of 5): Buzzworthy
We’re halfway home, kids! So far this week we’ve looked at mostly familiar faces–a handful of veterans trying to maneuver their way through the obstacles of the industry and make an impact in ‘08. But today is when things start to get exciting. Over the next three days I’ll be introducing you to a number […]
Continue reading "Artists to Watch in 2008 (Part 3 of 5): Buzzworthy"
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Stop the Scripted Encores, Already!
Mike Osegueda is tired of predictable and lame encores. He’s sick of the fake suspense and thinks the ticket buyers deserve a little unscripted magic. Make it a real encore.
Here’s a tip: If the lights don’t go up when the band leaves the stage, there’s gonna be an encore. Doesn’t matter how loud you squeal […] -
Clay Walker And Jessica Craig Serenaded By Tracy Lawrence At Their Wedding
Like The Gobblers Knob I have a habit of spending too much money on books, but unlike The Knob I haven’t stepped foot inside a library in years. He recently discovered that aside from books the library also has a nice collection of music that you can check out.
Lyle Lovett has been scheduled to […]Continue reading "Clay Walker And Jessica Craig Serenaded By Tracy Lawrence At Their Wedding"
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Chuck Wicks - “Stealing Cinderella”
The release of this single comes at an opportune time, considering I just got married a couple of weeks ago.
I actually caught the premiere of Fox’s new show, Nashville, in which Chuck Wicks and his five o’clock shadow play a part. From what I saw on the show, Wicks was too reserved and calculated […]
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Forgotten Artists: Goldie Hill Had Carl Smith and Goldie Hill been born 30 or 40 years later, they might have been like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw–the dominant married couple in country music.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.Current Discussion
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- JACK L DAVIS: DAVID ROGERS I could listen to forever and i wish he were still with us and mak...
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- Troy: Thank you...
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