The 9513 - Country Music Blog

This Friday Five feature on The 9513 is all about nobody. You know the one. Nobody in particular. Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. That nobody. On the surface, you might think it might be difficult to find five songs about nobody. But in this case, nobody is a somebody and he’s had thousands of [...]

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For the first time in his career, Blake Shelton hit No. 1 three consecutive times. The latest single to top the charts, and Shelton’s eighth overall, is “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking.” Studies show that Nashville is a major force in popular music… Jewly Hight on the track “Chances Are,” from Hayes Carll‘s [...]

Continue reading "Blake Shelton Has Third Consecutive No. 1; Dwight Yoakam: Better Actor Than Guitarist; 5-Year-Old Sings Caitlin Rose"

One of the best elements of a Grascals album is their choice in covers, which have included their own versions of songs made famous by Jennings, Jones, and Haggard–just to name a few. The sextet’s blend of bluegrass and classic country makes them one of the most entertaining, most consistent bands in roots music. The [...]

Continue reading "Album Review: The Grascals – The Grascals & Friends"

The New York Times‘ Jon Caramanica says Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton‘s wins represented a disruption to the Nashville pecking order that was so blatant at last year’s CMAs. Our Country has some backstage reactions from the artists. EW.com’s Ken Tucker says Gwyneth Paltrow performed as well as, if not better, than a few of [...]

Continue reading "Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton Win Big at CMA Awards, Brad Paisley Too; Hank Jr. Enters Whiskey Business"

Whether it’s George Jones hawking his own brand of country sausage, Martha White’s longtime sponsorship of bluegrass acts, or Darius Rucker singing about the Tendercrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch, country singers and food endorsements go together like biscuits and gravy. Here are a few old school commercials that I hope you get a kick out of, [...]

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Jett Williams is the daughter of the legendary Hank Williams. That’s the short story. The amazing long version, part heartbreak and part celebration, begins in Montgomery, Alabama, five days after Hank Williams died in the back of a car on his way to Canton, Ohio in 1953. That’s when Jett Williams (then named Cathy) was [...]

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Stop the presses: Merle Haggard is one of the five 2010 Kennedy Center honorees for his “lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.” The annual Honors Gala is scheduled to take place Dec. 5 and later broadcast on CBS on Dec. 28. Joey+Rory‘s Album Number Two can be streamed a week early on [...]

Continue reading "Merle Haggard Named Kennedy Center Honoree; Alan Jackson Celebrates Career with Release of ’34 Number Ones’"

Since my September 2008 article, Charlie McCoy, Barbara Mandrell, Roy Clark, Don Williams, Billy Sherrill, Ferlin Husky and Jimmy Dean have been elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. As I noted, for decades the Country Music Hall of Fame was caught in the position where many deserving performers died before their turn for [...]

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

A portion of the final nominees for the CMA Awards were announced today, with plans to announce the rest tomorrow. Miranda Lambert and her songs got nominated two times in three different categories, Lady Antebellum received four nods, while Easton Corbin and the Zac Brown Band each pulled in three. Capitol Nashville plans to release [...]

Continue reading "Partial List of CMA Awards Nominees Announced Today; Coming Soon: Rounder Records & Trace Adkins Retrospectives"

There’s a new bluegrass album titled Homecoming from Joe Diffie being released in the coming weeks with a song on it called “Route 5 Box 109.” It’s one of the true musical treasures of 2010. Without being too general and without dropping down to the lowest common redneck denominator, Diffie presents a beautiful and touching [...]

Continue reading "Friday Five: Street Addresses"