The 9513 - Country Music Blog

In Rock & Roll, February 3, 1959, is known as “The Day The Music Died.” On that date a small plane crash in Iowa claimed the lives of Charles Hardin “Buddy Holly” Holley, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Richard “Richie Valens” Valenzuela. Holly was already a superstar, The Big Bopper was a songwriter with [...]

Continue reading "Forgotten Artists: Hawkshaw Hawkins (1921-1963)"

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"

Miranda Lambert and friends Kellie Pickler, Laura Bell Bundy, and Hillary Scott take on their alter egos in her new video for “Only Prettier.” Tanya Tucker filed a lawsuit against Nashville producer Gregg A. Brown for more than $170,000. The lawsuit claims that Brown kept seven master recordings and 29 video recordings that belong to [...]

Continue reading "Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, Drew Kennedy Premiere New Videos; Tanya Tucker Sues Producer"

Happy June, everybody. Summer’s in the air and it seems like everywhere you look, flowers are blooming uncontrollably. As it turns out, June’s birth flower is the rose. Thus, that’s the theme for this month’s playlist. There are literally hundreds of songs that fit this topic (more if you count songs about women named Rose, [...]

Continue reading "Songs About Roses"

Remember that tour The 9513 sponsored last year that featured the stories and songs of Drew Kennedy and Rodney Hayden? New American Voices, it was called. It was such a positive experience that we’ve all decided to do it again, and this time Drew and Rodney are taking their music to mostly new areas further [...]

Continue reading "New American Voices Rides Again; The Lost Trailers Disband; Country Throwdown Cancels Dates"

It’s February and reminders of Valentine’s Day are everywhere. Sure, having that special someone is nice, but when times get bad, the only one who will always stand by you is your dog. So we’re going to pay tribute to them this month. There was quite a library of songs to choose from, so we [...]

Continue reading "20 Songs About Dogs"

Thankfulness in country music can often be sarcastic, as in “Thanks A Lot,” or humorous, like “Thank God and Greyhound.” But with this month’s playlist we’re going to be serious, and check out some songs on which artists count their various blessings. 20. “Thank God For The Road” – The Flatlanders “When you’re trying to [...]

Continue reading "20 Songs About Giving Thanks"

Prohibition ended over 70 years ago, but moonshine songs have still enjoyed a fair amount of popularity in the past decades. Narrowing it down to only 26 songs was difficult, and this month’s Top Five was pretty hotly contested here at The 9513 compound. Nevertheless, we did our best to bring you songs from a [...]

Continue reading "26 Songs About Moonshine"

Some more songs that I liked, one song per artist, not necessarily the biggest hit. As always, I consider myself free to comment on other songs by the artist. “I’m Having Your Baby” – Sunday Sharpe (1974) Female answer to a rather lame Paul Anka hit with the answer song being better (or at least [...]

Continue reading "Great Country Songs from the 1970s, Pt. 7"

You gaze at that guitar on your knee In a way that you never look at me This love affair of yours has gone too far And I’m tired of playing second fiddle to an old guitar From “Second Fiddle (To an Old Guitar),” Capitol Records, 1964 Kitty Wells may have been the reigning Queen [...]

Continue reading "Forgotten Artists: Jean Shepard"