Wanda Jackson Rocks Her Way To Hall of Fame Honors
- Country-rockabilly star Wanda Jackson will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on April 4.
“There are a lot of other halls of fame, and I’m in a lot of others around the whole world, but we all know that this is the big one,” she said. “I’m thrilled to be in with all of my buddies — Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash — the guys I worked with in the 1950s. So now it’s official that Elvis was right: I could sing this music, and I still can and do.”
- Test your country music knowledge with Chet Flippo’s first quiz of 2009.
- The NFL announced that Faith Hill will sing “America the Beautiful” during the pregame show at the Super Bowl next month, putting her in the company of Vikki Carr, Ray Charles and Alicia Keys as the only artists to have sung the song before a Super Bowl.
- Country California’s C.M. Wilcox ranked Gary Allan’s catalog in order from best to not so best.
- Personally speaking, I’m a Chevy guy, but Keith Urban features a pretty nice Mustang in his video for “Sweet Thing,” which debuted on MySpace today.
- Dierks Bentley will be shipping 2,000 boxes of Cracker Jacks to radio stations to help promote his current single, “Feel That Fire.” Fifty-one of the boxes will have scratch-off tickets with prizes ranging from a Grand Prize Backyard Concert by Bentley to autographed guitars, prize packs, customized video liners and more
- Amber Waves of Twang’s Chip Frazier provides a glimpse at what you can expect from Donna Ulisse’s upcoming bluegrass release, Walk The Mountain Down.
- Before counting down his top 25 Trisha Yearwood songs, Country Universe reader Cory DeStein shared a touching story about the affection he and his grandmother shared for Yearwood.
- Still Is Still Moving predicts Willie and the Wheel will be the best album of 2009.
- If the Crowe Brothers had been born a few decades earlier, Juli Thanki believes they’d be listed alongside all of the other great brother duos of country/western and bluegrass music. Read her review of their latest album, Brothers-N-Harmony.
- In an interview for NPR, World Cafe host David Dye talks to Shooter Jennings about the collection of songs he recorded with his dad in 1995 which appear on the recently released album, Waylon Forever.
- Mark your calendars for April 21, the day Dale Watson drops The Truckin’ Sessions: Volume Two.
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January 16, 2009 at 10:47 am Permalink
It’s about damn time Miss Wanda got into the Hall of Fame. Better late than never, I suppose.
January 16, 2009 at 10:56 am Permalink
I’m thinking the “sweet thing” in Urban’s video may be the car, not the girl…
January 16, 2009 at 11:40 am Permalink
Dear NFL:
I was born in Feburary specifically do I wouldn’t have to HAVE the Superbowl on my birthday. If I had wanted the superbowl on my birthday I would have been born in January like my sister. Please fix this mistake.
January 16, 2009 at 12:23 pm Permalink
Stormy, they may make it March instead…
January 16, 2009 at 12:49 pm Permalink
Opry Alert: Tonight the Steeldrivers will be on the Opry and Ashton Shepherd will perform Saturday night. Don’t forget about Patty Loveless being on A Prairie Home Companion. Should be a ripper this week.
I think Keith Urban should have used his personal Bentley Continental R in his music video, but then I guess it would have had far less “bubba appeal”.
I’d much rather have the box of Craker Jacks than Dierks’ new album as its sure to be far more tasty…
I really like Donna Ulisse’s traditional country “Trouble At The Door” debut album (except for the thin sounding production). When released in the early 90’s it was just too traditional for country radio at the time and barely made a blip. Fortunately used copies are readily available for a couple of bucks and are well worth it for fans of “real copuntry”. I hope Donna does better commercially in her newly adopted role as a bluegrass singer.
January 16, 2009 at 1:14 pm Permalink
Really looking forward to “Wille & The Wheel”. It’s been too long since a steady flow of country albums have been released… it’ll be good to get back into the swing of release dates when February rolls around.
January 16, 2009 at 1:24 pm Permalink
Wanda Jackson is booked to play the Southgate House in Newport, KY just across the river from Cincinnati on Valentine’s night. Since that’s my anniversary, I just might have to suggest to spousal unit we hit it up. She’s got a neat website, too.
January 16, 2009 at 3:27 pm Permalink
KathyP, definitely do it; she puts on a great show! Just don’t buy the live album she sells, as it’s the same show on there too.
January 16, 2009 at 5:32 pm Permalink
Jamey Johnson fans looking for a little novelty should head on over to Matt B.’s Roughstock to listen to Jamey sing a demo version of the song “Sweet Emmylou”. This is the song that recently came in # 1 on the 9513’s 2008 Best Songs List as performed by Joey + Rory. The song was written by Catherine Britt and Rory Lee Feek, which explains how both artists came to offer versions.
Link: http://www.roughstock.com/audio/jamey-johnson-sweet-emmylou
This version was recorded back in late 2005 when Jamey and Catherine Britt were doing some recordings together in the RCA Nashville studios. Both Jamey and Catherine recorded the song separately during those sessions. The song may not fit Jamey’s current tough guy, ex-Marine, outlaw image but I think he does a fine job.
January 16, 2009 at 5:39 pm Permalink
Amber Digby has a new interview posted over at Country Standard Time where she is the currently featured “Indie Artist” (although she is signed to the tiny “Heart of Texas” label). It lists her current hometown as Nashville, but she and her husband “Bobo” actually live in Houston, TX although Amber did grow up in Nashville. Go Amber!
http://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/column.asp?xid=311
January 16, 2009 at 9:05 pm Permalink
Rick – Thank you SO much for that demo of Jamey’s. I’ve been looking for his version for the longest of time. I swear he cannot sing a song poorly…gotta love his vocals. We will be seeing him in North Carolina in a couple of months again. :)
I have to giggle when I hear that Keith Urban is the ‘first country artist to debut a video on myspace.’ I just want to say “Define Country.” haha
January 16, 2009 at 9:42 pm Permalink
Wonder if Wanda Jackson will ever make the Country Music Hall of fame?
I would like to see Conway Twitty go into the Rock and Roll hall of fame someday. Maybe it will happen ?
January 17, 2009 at 2:47 pm Permalink
Thanks so much for posting a link to my peice at countryuniverse.net on my top 25 Trisha Yearwood songs, I appreciate it! Hope everyone liked it
January 17, 2009 at 6:05 pm Permalink
Here’s a press release about WSM Nashville that I just wanted to post here before it gets away:
“650AM WSM/Nashville Is Gaylord’s Again!
(LMA With Cumulus Has Thankfully Expired)
Tennessean writer and 650AM WSM/Nashville air personality Mike Terry reports that the 5-year Local Management Agreement with Cumulus has expired and that Gaylord has the station back under its full control.
650AM WSM is a radio station that time just won’t allow to go away. Terry says “an energized staff has been given free reign by Gaylord Entertainment Co. to make retro radio hip again by embracing new artists and technology and planning an ambitious live show it hopes will be a modern-day ‘Grand Ole Opry’.”
A brand new live concert show, “Back to the Barn”, debuts February 20th (with special guest Amber Digby) and adopts the variety show format of radio programs such as WSM’s “Opry,” the longest-running live radio show in history.
This new show will feature new artists as well as legends from a variety of genres and will be streamed and video cast worldwide on WSM’s site, WSMonline.com.
WSM-AM Sales Manager John Walker says, “We’re just a single independent station again. There’s no corporate dictate as to how the radio station should be programmed, and we don’t need someone in Atlanta with a hard drive telling us what’s country.”
Amen to that. Long live WSM AM (and its internet feeds!).
January 17, 2009 at 10:19 pm Permalink
I read the9513 all the time and I was excited to see this blurb about WSM and Back to the Barn…Disclaimer first–I work at 650 WSM on the weekends–Disclaimer done…From what I know about this show it is going to be great…Full of energy…full of music from all walks of life and completely live (that should add to the fun)
BTW: wsmonline.com and 650AM WSM are now airing old episodes of The Grand Ole Opry every Saturday night beginning at 9 CST. I heard the first show tonight…very cool and nothing like I’ve heard anywhere esle. Willie when he was young. Hank Williams before there was a Jr and Johnny Cash when no-one had every heard of him. It’s called The Golden Age of WSM’s Grand Ole Opry.
January 18, 2009 at 9:06 pm Permalink
Jamey’s current tough guy, ex-Marine, outlaw image
Johnson is an ex-Marine? What did he do? Get a dishonorable? Renounce the Corps? Just curious, I had not heard this before Rick. I hope you mean he’s a former active Marine and not an ex. It takes a lot to become an ex-Marine. You pretty much have to throw the Corps under the bus like a Jack Murtha etc. or screw the pooch while serving to get that designation. I hope it’s just a mistake ’cause I really like his latest stuff. It would make a huge difference.
January 18, 2009 at 9:48 pm Permalink
JarHeadDad, I apologize for my ignorance in the terminology of people who were previously in active military service since I never served in the military myself. I just meant Jamey was an active Marine at one time and is no longer in the Corp. and I meant no disrespect.
In Jamey’s indie debut album “They Call Me Country” is a song titled “Old Maple Guitar” where Jamey mentions singing to his buddies while stationed at the Twenty Nine Palms Marine base out here in the Southern California desert. Jamey is obviously proud of his military service and I applaud him for that.
January 19, 2009 at 7:30 am Permalink
No problem Rick, honest mistake. Thank you for the clarification. I knew Jamey was a Hollywood Marine but that kinda’ threw me for a loop. Since I’m easily confused that isn’t a hard thing to do! Heh!
You can just call him a Marine since he’s a Marine forever. Your description from above could read; “Jamey’s current tough guy, Marine, outlaw image…..”. Apologies if it seems pretty anal retentive but it is an important distinction.
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