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Merle Haggard Takes it Easy at the Ryman
Many artists, even some legends, step onto the Ryman Auditorium stage and try to give something extra, perhaps out of respect for the legendary venue’s importance to creating their craft, appreciation for some of the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable audiences in country music, or even a nagging feeling of inadequacy at walking the same planks […]
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Top 12 Nashville Star Contestants Revealed
NBC revealed the top 12 acts vying to become the next Nashville Star, and it seems they all have somewhat of a sob story overcome many adversities to get where they are. (via ggcolumn)
In an open letter to her fans, Shania Twain expressed her gratitude for their words of encouragement during her rough time.
I have […]Continue reading "Top 12 Nashville Star Contestants Revealed"
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American Idol’s Uncomfortable Bedfellow
There are three finalists remaining on Fox’s American Idol, and tonight one more goes home. I don’t know David Cook, David Archuleta or Syesha Mercado from Adam, and I have no opinion about which contestant should or will win because my interest in this year’s competition began and ended with Kristy Lee Cook, the […]
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Hacienda Brothers’ Chris Gaffney Succumbed to Liver Cancer
One of the roundups at the beginning of the month included the news that founding member and lead singer of the Hacienda Brothers Chris Gaffney was diagnosed with liver cancer. His insurance wasn’t going to cover all of the costs, so a benefit and a website were set up to help collect donation. In a […]
Continue reading "Hacienda Brothers’ Chris Gaffney Succumbed to Liver Cancer"
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Can Country Music Artists Make A Living With 1,000 True Fans?
Aside from making True Fans sound like stalkers, Kevin Kelly has a fascinating concept he calls 1,000 True Fans.
A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.
1,000 is […]Continue reading "Can Country Music Artists Make A Living With 1,000 True Fans?"
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Mailbag: How Can I Get More Than A Memory?
What artist is switching to country music?
Snoop Dogg apparently has an Everlast country song on his new album, Jessica Simpson is from Texas and therefore undeniably country, and Bon Jovi and the Eagles tried on a pair of country music boots last year–so tell me, which artists aren’t switching to country music? - Brody
And most […]Continue reading "Mailbag: How Can I Get More Than A Memory?"
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43rd Annual ACM Awards: Who Should Have Been Nominated
In a perfect world, The 9513 staff would select the ACM nominees and fans would not vote for Entertainer of the Year. Here in the real world, the Academy votes for the nominees, the fans vote for the Entertainer, and I make fun of both.
There are only two rules: as much as I’d like to, […]Continue reading "43rd Annual ACM Awards: Who Should Have Been Nominated"
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Bust Out The Vinyl and Sleeveface Your Favorite Artists
Sleeveface.com is a website gaining in popularity, and deservedly so as the illusions created can be quite entertaining. The term sleeveface is defined as “one or more persons obscuring or augmenting any part of their body or bodies with record sleeve(s) causing an illusion.” Basically a person holds a sleeve of a vinyl disc featuring […]
Continue reading "Bust Out The Vinyl and Sleeveface Your Favorite Artists"
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Country Music Hall of Fame Scores Lester Flatt’s Guitar
Vince Gill and Marty Stuart at the Country Music Hall of Fame on February 13. Photo by Marilu White
Valentine’s Day came a day early for the Country Music Hall of Fame when Marty Stuart and Connie Smith donated memorabilia from their personal collection. Among the most famous of the gifts was Lester Flatt’s guitar.
Other major […]Continue reading "Country Music Hall of Fame Scores Lester Flatt’s Guitar"
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Songwriting Is What Dolly Loves The Most
Edd Hurt talked with Dolly Parton about Porter Wagoner, her new album, and her legacy for a piece in American Songwriter. She says throughout her career songwriting is what she has enjoyed the most.
Have you ever thought about making a record similar to Porter’s Wagonmaster or Charlie Louvin’s last record, using an outside producer to […]
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Carrie Underwood - “Just a Dream” “Just a Dream” is not perfect. In fact, it’s deeply, deeply broken. But the single is a great vocal performance of a risky song
Toby Keith - “She Never Cried In Front Of Me” Apart from the shifts in perspective and changes in tense, the major problem with this song is that the lyric fleshes out too many irrelevant details.
Brad Paisley - “Waitin’ On a Woman” Bizarrely, it took a song written by someone other than Brad Paisley for radio to hear what the Paisley style can truly accomplish.
LeAnn Rimes - “What I Cannot Change” When LeAnn Rimes enters a recording studio, she carries with her the most impressive instrument in the room.
Randy Travis - “Dig Two Graves” The combination of song and Travis’ performance together are an example of what makes country music truly exceptional.
Pat Green - “Let Me” The song itself owns Pat Green and he gets lost somewhere in the melody.
Merle Haggard at the Ryman Auditorium: Of the Haggard classics, “Silver Wings,” “The Way I Am” and crowd-favorite “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink” were performed with confident ease while “Kern River” was sung with inspired tenderness and “Back to Earth,” from 2007’s Last of the Breed, contained more than a trace of Willie’s nasally twang. 
One of an emerging wave of artists empowered by decreasing production costs and a rapidly changing distribution landscape, Kelleigh Bannen has taken a do-it-yourself approach to her debut album, Radio Skies.
The two-time Dancing With The Stars champion, Julianne Hough, recently took some time to answer questions for The 9513 in this exclusive interview.
After cutting ties with Warner Bros. Records, Ray Scott decided to take the proverbial bull by the horns and form Jethropolitan Records, a place where he can get back to the blood and guts of what he terms “real country music,” the kind of stuff you don’t hear on radio anymore.
Catch up on Nashville Star through Matt C.'s live blog. Episode I | Episode II | Episode III | Episode IV | Episode V
Sing Me Back Home: Love, Death, and Country Music by Dana Jennings When Jennings addresses modern country in the final chapter, he leaves you with the impression that it just can’t tap into the primal psyche the same way the classics that served as his nursery rhymes did.Current Discussion
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