The 9513 - Country Music Blog

The California-based, independent label Concord Music Group acquired Rounder Records and its collection of over 3,000 master recordings. In a Q&A with Rita Ballou (whose blog Rawhide & Velvet has more drama than daytime television), Charla Corn revealed that Casey Donahew booted her from a gig because she’s a she. CMT has new videos for [...]

Continue reading "Concord Music Group Acquires Rounder Records; Trailer Choir, Emily West, and Corb Lund Introduce New Videos"

Songwriters: Carson Chamberlain, Easton Corbin and Mark D. Sanders. Before video killed the radio star and scoring a spot on the CMT Top 20 Countdown landed on every artist’s to-do list, music consumers had to rely solely on the strength of lyrical imagery to bring a tune’s storyline to life in their heads. Easton Corbin’s [...]

Continue reading "Song Review: “Leavin’ a Lonely Town” by Easton Corbin"

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"

Bonnaroo certainly could have done worse with its lineup, here’s a selection of the more country-leaning acts: John Fogerty, Zac Brown Band, John Prine, Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, Jamey Johnson, Kris Kristofferson, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Miranda Lambert, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and Carolina Chocolate Drops. Nathan Rabin summarizes Kris Kristofferson‘s inexcusably [...]

Continue reading "Bonnaroo Embraces Rootsy Musicians; Rare George Jones Songs Reissued; Luke Bryan Celebrates No. 1"

A lifetime spent listening to music has taught me a lot about Saturday night. It is, for example, all right for fighting or going to the movies, not to mention a good night to simultaneously keep dancing to the rock and roll and work on one’s spelling, and those are just the pop songs. Nobody [...]

Continue reading "25 Songs About Saturday Night"

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)"

Garth Brooks talks business in Chet Flippo’s newest Nashville Skyline column: “I’m not a record label fan, but on this one, I have to stand up for the record labels and say that they can’t afford development anymore. Because if you think you can live on 99 cents a single, I can guarantee you one [...]

Continue reading "Garth Talks Business; Rejected Baby Rich Names; George Strait’s Song-Selecting Savvy"

Remember that whole Nashville Star thing? John Rich is trying to distance himself from his involvement in the show. “I wouldn’t touch ‘Nashville Star’ with a 40-foot pole,” he told The Tennessean. “NBC completely bastardized what country music is about. I thought this was really going to represent country music, put us on a new [...]

Continue reading "John Rich Blasts ‘Nashville Star’ and Contestants"

There were a number of albums that were deserving of more attention than they received in 2008. I could claim Hal Ketchum’s Father Time didn’t garner the praise it was due or that Randy Rogers Band was overlooked despite placing an album in the top ten. Amber Digby could certainly qualify for this list, but [...]

Continue reading "Overlooked Albums of 2008"

Ladies and gentlemen, after weeks of mulling over nearly every country album released last year, we’re proud to present The 9513′s Best Country Songs of 2008. To be eligible, a song may not have appeared on 2007′s Top 50 list, and all significant covers have been excluded. Also, please note that a song need not [...]

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