The 9513 - Country Music Blog

Garth Brooks announced this morning that he’s hosting a benefit concert for flood victims at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Dec. 17. “If you come to Vegas, you’ll see Garth Brooks with a guitar,” he said. “When you come to Nashville this Christmas, you’re gonna see the band that you know, you’ll see the light rig [...]

Continue reading "Garth Brooks Announces Date for Nashville Concert; Billy Ray Cyrus Headed for Divorce; ACL to Close Studio 6A with Lyle Lovett"

Very few artists have been as successful at reinventing themselves as Donald Eugene Lytle (May 31, 1938–February 19, 2003). Possessed of enormous talent as a vocalist, Lytle was not as talented at keeping himself in check. As a result, he continually found himself in hot water. Lytle was born in the small rural town of [...]

Continue reading "Forgotten Artists: Donald Lytle, aka Donny Young"

The 9513, Country Universe and (no doubt) other websites and publications are busy finalizing and publishing their Best Albums of the Decade lists. It is, of course an impossible task as there are hundreds of country and bluegrass albums issued each year, amounting to thousands of albums released during the last decade. When we add [...]

Continue reading "An Alternate Take on the Decade’s Best Country Albums"

The second installment of our countdown of the decade’s top 100 albums is a male-dominated affair, save for a Georgia peach with big old voice and a young Aussie Sheila with a love for traditional country. 90. Twice The Speed Of Life (2004) – Sugarland Twice The Speed Of Life may not be the most [...]

Continue reading "Top Country Albums of the Decade (#90-#81)"

Jack Ingram on pressure and his approach to making music: Billboard: Do you feel more pressure now that you’re having more success? Ingram: I’m a father, there’s a business that has my name on it, there’s a lot of things going on that create that pressure, but I love it. There’s an element to making [...]

Continue reading "Jack Ingram’s Art; More Than 100 Arrested at Chesney Concert; Darius Rucker Free at the Opry"

Austin Music Source’s Brian T. Atkinson published a brief Q&A with Radney Foster, who celebrates his 50th birthday with a star-studded lineup at Hill’s Cafe tonight. Darius Rucker told us recently that he’s thought of recording your entire ‘Del Rio, Texas, 1959’ album. Well, that’s incredibly flattering (laughs). I’ve known for a long time that [...]

Continue reading "Radney Foster Celebrates 50th; Songs On Songwriting; Free Mark Wills"

Lorrie Morgan celebrates her 25th anniversary as an Opry member tonight. On the subject of songs that got away, John Anderson admits that he turned down “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On,” not knowing that it was Conway Twitty who originally sent the song his way. It was a missed opportunity, but he hopes to [...]

Continue reading "Lorrie Morgan Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Opry"

Songwriters: Chris DuBois and David Cory Lee. Listen up, girls: You should Leave the Light On so that Your Man can Love You With the Lights On after Gettin’ You Home and convincing you to Come A Little Closer. When you think he’s finally done, you’ll discover that he actually Just Got Started Lovin’ You. [...]

Continue reading "Daryle Singletary – “Love You With the Lights On”"

The CMA Board of Directors approved changes to redefine the procedures and categories for inclusion into the Country Music Hall of Fame, starting with the 2010 ballots. The new “Veterans Era” category will be for professionals who have been in the industry for more than 25 45 years and combines the former “Career Achieved National [...]

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Faith Hill lip-synched her performance of “America the Beautiful” at the Super Bowl on Sunday, but if you want to blame somebody, blame Garth Brooks. According to “The Making of the Super Bowl: The Inside Story of the World’s Greatest Sporting Event” by former league executive director Don Weiss, the NFL has required performers to [...]

Continue reading "Faith Hill Lip-Synched Her Way Through Super Bowl Performance"