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Josh Thompson Goes To Work: The 9513’s Exclusive Interview
Blue collar country music comes natural to Josh Thompson. He makes no apologies for songwriting that reflects a hard day’s work and the celebration of a week’s end that follows. He writes about it because he’s lived it.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Thompson began pouring concrete at the tender age of 12 in his home [...]Continue reading "Josh Thompson Goes To Work: The 9513’s Exclusive Interview"
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Grammy Winners; Willie Nelson Cancels Concert, Crew Charged With Illegal Possession; UT to Close Historic Venue
Taylor Swift came up big at last night’s Grammy Awards. Following is a list of winners in categories relevant to this blog:
Album Of The Year
Taylor Swift – Fearless
Best New Artist
Zac Brown Band
Best Female Country Vocal Performance
Taylor Swift – White Horse
Best Male Country Vocal Performance
Keith Urban – Sweet Thing
Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group [...] -
Hank Jr.’s Rowdy Friends Tour; The House Honors Lester Flatt; New Releases
Jamey Johnson, Eric Church, and The Grascals are joining Hank Williams, Jr. for his Rowdy Friends Tour. The initial round of dates will kick off April 2.
Blake Shelton’s list of the top six words that should never be used in a country song concludes with “badonkadonk.”
Ken Tucker has a new favorite and her name is [...]Continue reading "Hank Jr.’s Rowdy Friends Tour; The House Honors Lester Flatt; New Releases"
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Top Country Albums of the Decade (#40-#31)
Gene Watson, Randy Travis, Pam Tillis, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Ray Price have all long been cast aside by country radio, but each of these incredible artists continued to produce great country music into the first decade of the 21st century…and each earned a place approaching the upper reaches of our countdown. Mixed in [...]
Continue reading "Top Country Albums of the Decade (#40-#31)"
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Grammy Nominees; Jack Cooke & Big Bill Lister Passed Away; Dixie Chick Lawsuit Dropped; CMA CEO Resigns
Nominees for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in the country category are as follows:
Best Female Country Vocal Performance
“Dead Flowers” – Miranda Lambert
“I Just Call You Mine” – Martina McBride
“White Horse” – Taylor Swift
“Just A Dream” – Carrie Underwood
“Solitary Thinkin” – Lee Ann WomackBest Male Country Vocal Performance
“All I Ask For Anymore” – Trace Adkins
“People Are [...] -
That Old Time Religion: Things Ain’t Like They Used To Be
There is nothing subtle about a couple of guys in white linen suits urgently beckoning in front of a twelve-foot, candy-apple red, plywood devil and a hellfire-and-brimstony rock pile. That jarring scene graced the cover of the Louvin Brothers’ 1959 album em>Satan Is Real, and its twelve songs were hardly any more subtle in their [...]
Continue reading "That Old Time Religion: Things Ain’t Like They Used To Be"
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2009 CMA Awards Ratings Surpass 2008, But Not 1978; R.I.P. Country Music (1927-2009); Revisit 1981 With Haggard
The 43rd Annual CMA Awards was the most watched show in four years, logging an average of 16.85 million viewers, a number that is distorted by consumers who record the show to watch on their own time. The record for the CMA Awards is 36 millions viewers, set in 1978, when Dolly Parton was crowned [...]
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Margaret Durante – “Use Somebody”
Songwriter: Anthony Caleb Followill
When a new artist releases a cover song as his or her first single–especially a cover of a non-country song–there are two ways it could flesh out.
A cover song comes with a built-in audience, or at least an “Oh-that-sounds-familiar” audience. And those 20-some extra seconds a familiar tune may buy can make [...] -
2009 CMA Awards Predictions
Depending on your point of view, the Country Music Association may be the organization responsible for broadening the reach of country music and its artists throughout the nation and around the world, the organization responsible for transforming the genre into a musically homogeneous mass-market commodity, or both. Either way, there’s no denying that both the [...]
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Honky Tonky Happy Hour: Why I Won’t Be Watching The CMA Awards
I haven’t watched the CMA awards in years. Sometimes I’ve had a gig, but most of the time, there wasn’t anything there to interest me. I would flip channels and land on the awards show, but wouldn’t stay long. In the 80s, I didn’t miss a show. All my favorite artists were on. Country [...]
Continue reading "Honky Tonky Happy Hour: Why I Won’t Be Watching The CMA Awards"
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- Jim Malec: I have been lead to believe so, with enough confidence that we published the review. There is, as always, a ...
- ALJID: I still don't know if this is the official third single. I was hoping for Songs Like This..
- CJ: So is Undo It already confirmed as the next single?
- Jim Malec: Oh wow--that was an original smack-down, Jared.
- CB: AMEN Randy...
- Jared Munson: Once again Jim Malec portrays how big of a douche bag he is. He wouldn't know talent if it bit ...
- Vi: ACM won't find excuses for Taylor Swift to win she would just win cause people actually like taylor swift. She ...
- Steve M.: That reminds me I haven't seen Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan lately.
- TexasVet: Much better "Undo It" video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uymORaEZtvo Like it or not, this song will become quite the earworm...listen once and it will stuck ...
- Steve M.: Oh boy! That is some great rock and roll there.
While the voice of country’s future took home this year’s big honor, a legendary voice from country music’s past scored a win for Album Of The Year. Check out the winners in The 9513's 2nd Annual Country Music Awards now!
Josh Turner's fourth album, Haywire, furthers his reputation as one of the leading men in contemporary country, a true, traditional voice in an ever-changing Nashville scene.
Having played on more than 500 albums and toured with artists that range from Hank III to Dolly Parton, Randy Kohrs has become one of the go-to musicians when there’s a need for a resophonic guitar
Sammy Kershaw – “Better Than I Used To Be”
As the title track off his upcoming album, “Better Than I Used to Be” is a straight-up look back on the career of a country music staple.
Emily West Featuring Keith Urban – “Blue Sky” Emily West turns in a gorgeous performance on “Blue Sky,” hitting notes few of her contemporaries can reach.
What does Alan Jackson like on his eggs?
Cheese and corn; he still likes bologna; a load of salsa; hens? Answers to the questions you'd never dream of asking. (
In each and every instance, the best country albums of the past ten years were built on the backs of songs -- stories about you and me from birth to death and stories that paint landscapes rooted in every region of America and beyond. These are the top country albums of the decade.

