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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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Sugarland Co-founder Kristin Hall Sues Former Bandmates Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush
Sugarland co-founder Kristen Hall is suing former bandmates Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush for $1.5 million. Hall claims that she had an agreement with Nettles and Bush to share profits after she left the band but has not received her portion of Sugarland’s earnings. (more coverage on Law.com)
Brady wrote a quick recap of an acoustic […] -
Nicole Kidman’s Bump is Keith Urban’s Baby
The rumors were true, Keith Urban is going to be a dad.
Country Music Hall of Famer Ken Nelson passed away at age 96. He was known as a Capitol Record executive that was an integral part of the “Bakersfield Sound” and well as the “Nashville Sound” and the producer of Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally,” Merle […]Continue reading "Nicole Kidman’s Bump is Keith Urban’s Baby"
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Songwriting Doesn’t Come Easy For Trailblazing Lyle Lovett
A local Austin news station obtained a copy of the episode from the “Sam and Bob Morning Show” that co-host Sam Allred was fired for. Below is the sequence that apparently led to his punishment:
Sammy: “If you knew what it was, why did you call and ask?”
Bob: “It’s not until this coming weekend.”
Caller: “Sammy, no […]Continue reading "Songwriting Doesn’t Come Easy For Trailblazing Lyle Lovett"
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ACM Award Winners And Shooter Jennings Is Expecting Baby With Girlfriend
The big buzz around all the news sites this morning pertaining to country music is the ACM Awards show last night. In case you missed it, check out our live blog for a recount of the events as they happened. Overall I felt like it was a pretty successful show. They highlighted mostly good artists […]
Continue reading "ACM Award Winners And Shooter Jennings Is Expecting Baby With Girlfriend"
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Hank Jr. And Terri Clark Announce Divorces And Rascal Flatts Bash Dixie Chicks
There’s a mighty good discussion going on in the comments for the post Your Take: Are Genre Jumpers Ruining Country Music?. Be sure to check that out, see what everyone else has to say, and leave your own opinion.
All these country singers need to stop getting divorced before they draw some unwanted attention to country […]Continue reading "Hank Jr. And Terri Clark Announce Divorces And Rascal Flatts Bash Dixie Chicks"
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Jason Michael Carroll Autographs His CDs At Wal-Mart And Patty Loveless Splits With Sony
Country at Grammy week:
Country took its turn in the Grammy week spotlight with LeAnn Rimes, Marty Stuart, Charley Pride and Porter Wagoner among the stars calling attention to efforts to preserve vintage country audio and video performances.
Maybe if enough people beat the “today’s country isn’t real country” drum someone will start paying attention…probably not, […] -
Gruene With Envy Awards Ceremony: Amazing Talent, But Poorly Planned
After fighting the horrible Sunday afternoon traffic on I-35 we arrived at La Zona Rosa about 4:30 to find that the first acoustic set had already begun. The crowd was fairly small, but a constant buzz of chatter could be heard throughout the night. The event was more like a big party with live acts […]
Continue reading "Gruene With Envy Awards Ceremony: Amazing Talent, But Poorly Planned"
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Jenna’s Pick: Best Albums Of 2006
These are a few of the albums I have heard this year that I liked best. I’m not an expert, but I chose each CD for different reasons; based mainly on how the vocals, music, and lyrics appealed to me. It was a hard decision and I didn’t get to put some of the ones […]
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Thursday News Roundup
Despite the bad luck George Jones has endured this past year (pneumonia and a fractured wrist), he has set a full tour schedule for 2007. His October release God’s Country, includes an all-star line up performing many of George’s classic numbers. Performers on this album are: George Jones himself, Garth Brooks, Sammy Kershaw, Pam Tillis, […]
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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.Current Discussion
- Razor X: OK, I'm listening to it now and I feel like I have died and gone to Hillbilly He...
- Stormy: Steve: We all know that Brady is a little strange and somewhat eccentric. WE d...
- Stormy: I’ve always wanted my music to sound like a good band And I want Russell ...
- Trent: Do you have proof steve, sound's like your the one with secrets, this blog is ab...
- Trent: Hey ???, why don't you use a name you MORON to make your stupid comment!...
- Jake B.: This review is very harsh.. What do you expect out of someones second album? She...
- J.R. Journey: ... and let's not forget Tom Shapiro either. Another first-class songwriter who...
- Matt B.: WTF? "Steve"?...
- J.R. Journey: I'm pleased to see Matraca Berg getting the recognition she deserves. It's long...
- steve: i dont know about mattb but i heard brady v is queer....
