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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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Time Life Plans to Release Previously- Unreleased Hank Williams’ Recordings
Time Life plans to periodically release 143 previously-unreleased Hank Williams‘ recordings over a three year period. The recordings were made in 1951 for Williams’ show on radio station WSM-AM in Nashville and were sponsored by Mother’s Best flour.
Watch Jason Isbell perform “Dress Blues” live at Stubb’s in Austin, TX, then go read the story of […]Continue reading "Time Life Plans to Release Previously- Unreleased Hank Williams’ Recordings"
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Country Music Writers Remember Eddy Arnold
As remarkable as Eddy Arnold’s country music career was, Chet Flippo says, “his lasting legacy will be that he made the world safe for country pop music.” Flippo also pulled a snippet from a CMT interview where Arnold recalled one of the first times he recognized the split between pop and hillbilly music.
Peter Cooper says […]Continue reading "Country Music Writers Remember Eddy Arnold"
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A Nation’s Affair With Western Culture: The Story of Marty Robbins’ “El Paso”
Born in Glendale, Arizona as Martin David Robison in 1925, Marty Robbins spent his childhood idolizing Gene Autry and the cowboy way. “I wanted to be Gene Autry,” he once said. “I wanted to ride off into the sunset.”
His penchant for the the Old West was further fed by romanticized stories told by his […]Continue reading "A Nation’s Affair With Western Culture: The Story of Marty Robbins’ “El Paso”"
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Brad Paisley Celebrates Two No. 1s in Four Months
Let’s suppose you were going to create a list of the 100 Greatest Christmas Downers of All Time. I’d assume that you’d include plenty of country songs, because country is known for it’s downers, right? Well, EW.com saved us all the trouble and did exactly that. They’ve got Merle, Loretta, Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis, […]
Continue reading "Brad Paisley Celebrates Two No. 1s in Four Months"
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Book Review: Historic Photos of the Opry: Ryman Auditorium 1974
“The Opry left [the Ryman] in 1974 for the suburbs but music fans kept coming to commune with the ghosts. They wanted to come inside and look around, though the building had been left to moulder, with big holes in the roof, and to be torn down, but the persistent curiosity of ordinary people persuaded […]
Continue reading "Book Review: Historic Photos of the Opry: Ryman Auditorium 1974"
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Three Country Debuts Top Billboard 200
Tune into WSM tonight between 7 pm and 12 am for a five hour remembrance of Porter Wagoner hosted by Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs and featuring interviews with many of Porter’s closest friends.
Merle Haggard, George Jones, Jack White, and Dwight Yoakam chime in on the loss of Porter Wagoner.
Josh Timmermann says “The […] -
New Hall of Famers Gather at the Ryman
There was one more ghost than usual in the wings of the Ryman Auditorium on Monday night.
Less than 24 hours after the passing of their brother in the Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry, new Hall of Fame Members Vince Gill, Mel Tillis and Ralph Emery took the stage at the Ryman Auditorium for […]
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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
- Paul H!: I agree with Chuck and Helena; others are grossly over- reacting. Click on the p...
- Bubba: Over the weekend Angela was doing a show in Wrightsville Beach, NC. Just over he...
- Razor X: I've listened to it three times in a row. It's magnificent. This has got my vote...
- leeann: Razor X, That's pretty much how I felt about it....
- 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 ...
- 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"?...
