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Hank Williams’ Steel Guitarist, Don Helms, Passed Away Today At 81
Steel guitarist Don Helms, who played on more than 100 Hank Williams recordings, passed away this morning at 81 from an apparent heart attack.
Mr. Helms was the last remaining link to the Drifting Cowboys. His guitar was heard on more than 100 of Williams’ recordings, including “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Cold, Cold Heart” and “I Can’t […]Continue reading "Hank Williams’ Steel Guitarist, Don Helms, Passed Away Today At 81"
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Jason Boland and Aaron Watson Team Up for Texas Tour
Score 1 for the traditional country fans in Texas. Jason Boland and Aaron Watson announced they’ll be joining forces for a tour across the Lone Star State starting in April.
While discussing past magazine ideas, No Depression’s Grant Alden mentions the issue with Miranda Lambert on the cover was, to the best of his knowledge, […]Continue reading "Jason Boland and Aaron Watson Team Up for Texas Tour"
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Country Singer/Songwriters Are Hot Investments
When someone starts talking about IPOs and investing my eyes gloss over, but if you have some money to blow, I mean invest, then country music is apparently a hot commodity. And by “some money,” I mean a minimum of $500,000.
Country singer/songwriters are the single hottest investment property you can find in 2008. A new […]Continue reading "Country Singer/Songwriters Are Hot Investments"
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The Year in Review: Everybody’s Trying to be the Next Alabama
Alabama was the story of the 1980s, one of the few artists from that decade that I don’t wish to forget. Alabama was country music’s first supergroup and one of its first superstars, so it’s surprising that their success didn’t immediately spawn a generation of successors. Nineties groups like Blackhawk, Ricochet, Shenandoah and Lonestar were […]
Continue reading "The Year in Review: Everybody’s Trying to be the Next Alabama"
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Lawsuit Filed Against “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” Singer
Here’s an eBay auction for our readers with a big heart and some dough to spare. SIR Nashville is auctioning off a guitar autographed by twenty three famous musicians; a few of them are country (Dolly Parton, Wynonna, Randy Owen, Alison Krauss, Deanna Carter, Big & Rich). All of the proceeds will benefit St. Jude […]
Continue reading "Lawsuit Filed Against “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” Singer"
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Exhibit Planned By CMHoF To Pay Tribute To Hank Williams’ Influence
Randy Owen, singer and primary songwriter for the group Alabama, is currently working on his first solo project and you’ll never believe who he has producing it–John Rich. It seems like he has his hands all over everything coming out of Nashville these days.
“Alabama, his voice, that band, was a major impact on every artist […]Continue reading "Exhibit Planned By CMHoF To Pay Tribute To Hank Williams’ Influence"
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Lonestar Names Their New Fearless Leader…I Mean Lead Singer
In his Nickel Creek concert review Chuck Hinton says “Assuming they avoid the many pitfalls of young stardom, the sky is the limit for these fledgling troubadours.”
Has anyone come across Digital Rodeo yet? I just came across it and haven’t had a chance to properly explore, but it looks like a nicely designed social […]Continue reading "Lonestar Names Their New Fearless Leader…I Mean Lead Singer"
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Martin Sheen Claims Bush Bullied Dixie Chicks
I get the distinct feeling that Martin Sheen doesn’t care for George Bush after the comments he recently made over the President’s handling of the Dixie Chicks incident four years ago.
“If George W. Bush were a true Christian, like he proclaims himself to be, you know what he would have done? He’d have invited them […]Continue reading "Martin Sheen Claims Bush Bullied Dixie Chicks"
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Drama Behind Richie McDonald’s Split From Lonestar And Willie Nelson Has Chance To Be “Fallen Angel” For A Day
Still Is Still Moving posted a story from Marsha Sills about Willie Nelson’s day in court this past Tuesday. The women were giddy and the Assistant District Attorney was a little dismayed at the reaction.
Songwriter and singer Willie Nelson’s court appearance in St. Martinville on Tuesday always will be on the minds of those women […] -
The One And Only April 2007 Mailbag
As the popularity of The 9513 rises, so do the number of questions we receive. The number of questions this month was more than ever, so it took a group effort to get them all answered for y’all. You can view our previous mailbags or send us your questions through our contact form or […]
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- dallas: Kenny Chesney.he sells out all his concert.so he must have a real big fan base i...
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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.






