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Forgotten Artists: Charley Pride
While he’s not exactly forgotten, it’s been a nineteen years since Charley Pride received much airplay on Country Radio–which seems unbelievable considering the dominant force he was on the charts. For the ’70s, Billboard has Charley listed as its third ranking singles artist behind only Conway Twitty and Merle Haggard. Pride also shows up as […]
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Songwriters: Who’s Your Favorite Unsung Hero?
Without songwriters, we wouldn’t have any songs, but they hardly receive the recognition they deserve for the contributions they make. We have the greats that are obvious like Harlan Howard, Cindy Walker, and even Hank Williams that are hard to pass up–and they really aren’t all that lacking in the accolades–so let’s limit this to […]
Continue reading "Songwriters: Who’s Your Favorite Unsung Hero?"
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Gary Allan Divulges Songwriting Tip From Harlan Howard
Chet Flippo gives kudos to Beverly Keel for her open letter to Jessica Simpson, questions her role in the dreadful interpretation of Dukes of Hazzard for the big screen, and has a few words for those singers from other genres who seem to always show up and proclaim that they’ve always been country.
One of the […]Continue reading "Gary Allan Divulges Songwriting Tip From Harlan Howard"
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Mailbag: Who sings old school cheerleader music?
Who sings on “South Texas Girl” with Lyle Lovett?
Accomplished songwriter/performer Guy Clark.
What does Keith Urban do for a living?
Picks his guitar and sings songs.
How did Townes Van Zandt die?
Wikipedia says it was “due to a massive pulmonary embolus (blood clot in the lungs) following hip surgery” while The Internet Movie Database cites a heart […]Continue reading "Mailbag: Who sings old school cheerleader music?"
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Forgotten Artists: Bradley Kincaid In a manner similar to Alan Lomax, William Bradley “The Kentucky Mountain Boy” Kincaid was one of the great American musicologists and collectors of American folk, country and parlor songs.
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.
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.Current Discussion
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