The 9513 - Country Music Blog

There are more than 1.4 million American soldiers on active duty and more than 300,000 servicemen are stationed overseas. Army studies reveal that roughly 1 in 8 soldiers who return from battle suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. But five women from Tyler, Texas are working to combat PTSD while honoring America’s troops—and they’re using boots [...]

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The Grascals are royalty on the bluegrass scene, having won SPBGMA’s Bluegrass Band of the Year award in 2010, the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Emerging Artist of the Year award in 2005 and earning its Entertainer of the Year honor in both 2006 and 2007. Danny Roberts began playing guitar to back up his fiddling [...]

Continue reading "The Grascals Dream of Joining the Opry As They Approach Their 100th Appearance"

ACM Award nominees were announced. Miranda Lambert leads all other artists with seven nominations. She’s followed by Zac Brown Band and Kenny Chesney, who scored five each, and The Band Perry and Taylor Swift, with four apiece. Country music is in trouble. New releases for the week of February 1, 2011 include: The Civil Wars [...]

Continue reading "Miranda Lambert Leads ACM Awards Nominees; New Album Release List; Free Downloads"

Yesterday on the blog, CM reviewed Joe Nichols’ new greatest hits album, the aptly titled Greatest Hits, and found that the songs not featured in the collection are perhaps even more notable than those that were: Trouble is, Show Dog-Universal has diverged from a straight by-the-charts ranking with some frustrating choices that actually make the [...]

Continue reading "Your Take: Latest and Greatest"

The class of freshman traditionalists who eagerly took to the airwaves around the turn of the millennium is now graduating to hits collection status, with Joe Nichols’ simply-titled Greatest Hits hot on the heels of November collections from Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton. The Nichols collection is the skimpiest of the lot, clocking in at [...]

Continue reading "Album Review: Joe Nichols – Greatest Hits"

Country music legend Charlie Louvin passed away early this morning at the age of 83. If you get a chance, check out his final recordings, released as a two-song project at the Country Music Hall of Fame. It contains “Alabama,” the first song ever recorded by The Louvin Brothers, and “Back When We Were Young,” [...]

Continue reading "Hall of Famer Charlie Louvin Passed Away Early This Morning at the Age of 83"

Today marks the release of Wynonna Judd‘s debut novel (Amazon): Restless Heart is your first novel. How much is autobiographical? Enough to make it real. I’m living truthfully in imaginary circumstances. I’m telling my story through another voice. Writing this was different (from the memoir) because I could take liberties but also draw from my [...]

Continue reading "Wynonna Releases Debut Novel; New Album Releases; Steve Earle Schedules New Album & Novel"

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"

Tim McGraw on his relationship with his label, Curb Records: Pressed on why 20 years was too long, Tim caught himself and pulled a few of his punches while answering. “Look, I think there comes a time when you’ve gotten everything out of each other that you can … When a relationship doesn’t work mutually [...]

Continue reading "Tim McGraw Nears the End of His Record Contract; Joe Nichols Readies Hits; Taylor Swift at Ed Sullivan Theater"

Chet Flippo on respect in country music: When some kind of a strange variety show on a network TV channel opens with a song titled “Kiss My Country Ass,” any possible respect for the country music tradition [...] is absolutely thrown under the bus. You want trashy music? You got it. You want some respect [...]

Continue reading "Sara Evans and Brad Paisley Schedule New Albums; Billboard’s Year-End Lists; Ray Wylie Hubbard Dissatisfied with Finished Movie"