David Allan Coe will not be going to prison for an obstruction charge levied by the IRS, but he will be on probation for the next three years, and will have to pay fines and back taxes totaling $980,911.86 for his tax delinquency between 2008 – 2013, and before. This was the sentence brought down in Cincinnati on Monday (6-13) in Federal court.
One of the most influential, prolific, diverse, and long lasting producers, songwriters, and guitar players in American music has passed away. Chips Moman, the writer of Waylon Jennings’ #1 “Luckenbach, TX,” the producer for Elvis Presley’s hit “Suspicious Minds,” a seminal figure in the formation of the Stax record label, died in a hospice facility in LaGrange, Georgia on Monday, June 13th.
Don’t think of the foul-mouthed escapades of Wheeler Walker Jr. (there’s not a cuss word on this record), the parody efforts of Cletus T. Judd, or the protestations of some angry underground country band. The Golden Ponies do offer their own commentary on today’s country, as well as adult humor about drinking and dipping with the ladies.
Superstar pop R&B artist and producer Pharrell Williams spent the better part of last week in Nashville performing with the vocal troupe Little Big Town, and the entire time he’s been repping for an unlikely band: alt-country/Americana outfit American Aquarium.
Now ‘Nashville’ has moved to CMT, where it will play second fiddle to a sitcom starring Billy Ray Cyrus as an Elvis impersonator, 16 airings of Smokey and the Bandit per year, and some reality show hosted by wrestling washup Steve Austin. And it only costs the City of Nashville and Tennessee government $11 million dollars in grease money to make it happen.
After careful consideration of “Big Day in a Small Town,” it feels fair to say that this effort by Brandy Clark and producer Jay Joyce is worthy of being considered right up there with a very select few others as one of the best mainstream country music albums released in the last two or three years, and arguably trumps Clark’s previous effort that was also well-received.
The AmericanaFest keeps piling on names for their annual gathering, causing you to seriously question your September plans if they don’t involve trekking to Nashville to take in this years festivities. After announcing the first 68 names in early May, another batch of performers has just been released, swelling the participants to a solid 121.
One of the few saving graces for the show beyond a Chris Stapleton performance of “Parachute” and a scant, 1-minute tribute to Merle Haggard via Dierks Bentley, was that foul-mouthed country music comedic country singer Wheeler Walker Jr. crashed the shindig and offered side splitting photos, updates, and commentary throughout the night.
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the 2016 ANTI-CMT Awards LIVE blog. After taking a year off due to an open boycott of CMT, Saving Country Music has returned to offer spirited dissent, snarky commentary, and borderline inappropriate sarcasm amount the CMT Awards festivities, as well as hopefully give credit to the few, if any, bright spots during the presentation.
In a strange twist to the incident, and illustrative of the environment surrounding Mikel Knight and his street team workers, the street team worker told local police chief Bobby Floyd that he felt fortunate. “The poor guy actually seemed relieved to have lost his job with them from having the accident,” says Chief Floyd.
I’m speaking of Thomas Rhett’s “Vacation,” with its diabolically ridiculous baggage of 14 songwriters, and viral video featuring pubescent girls singing about drinking “cold ones.” “Vacation” is nothing more than two previous songs mashed together.
Though nothing to cheer about itself, according to doctor’s for the songwriter, the misdiagnosis, and all the drugs Kristofferson was taking to stave off his memory loss were actually making his condition worse, creating a downward spiral. It is believed that Kristofferson contracted Lyme Disease in Vermont when he was filming the 2006 movie “Disappearances.”
iHeartMedia über morning show DJ Bobby Bones apparently has a new enemy. Or actually, two of them, in the form of Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelly of the Bro-Country super duo Florida Georgia Line. Though on the surface you might surmise that Bobby Bones and Florida Georgia Line would be brothers in arms, that’s apparently not the case.
With no disrespect meant to the albums highlighted here, which represent the exception and not the rule, 2016 has begun where the second half of 2015 left off, where it feels like country and roots music across the board is out of ideas, and the search for music that truly enlivens the spirit is becoming harder. Nonetheless, there are still some excellent albums out there worth highlighting.
The Dixie Chicks have personally and purposefully decided to dip their toes once again into the political fray, as opposed to sticking to what people come to their concerts for and what they do best: music. The question for the Dixie Chicks is, why?
I guess I got the wrong album, because all I’m hearing is derivative, rehashed pop diva hip-hop crap from a honky chick hailing from white flight suburbia trying to exude too much attitude in songs that mix rap cadences with cultural misappropriations in an attempt to pander to a new demographic of music listeners since mainstream country has abandoned its core audience.
There was nobody else like Mr. Bandana. And now that he’s gone, there will never be anyone like him again. He was a true last of the breed, and one of the few remaining authentic Outlaws who lived his own way, spoke his mind no matter the outcome or insult taken, and you will never find a more dedicated and loyal supporter of the music.
Musician, comedian, actor and writer Bo Burnham is known for mixing comedy with music in his stage shows and popular YouTube channel to deliver a cutting and hilarious perspective on modern life. And in a new special just released to Netflix called Make Happy, Burnham puts the modern state of country music directly in his crosshairs.
The Southern mud may not be eternally embedded under her fingernails, or the Western sands ensconced behind her ears, but perhaps she has that lonesome heart that can only come from having no home to speak of, and constantly having to leave behind the people and places you know that eventually led to her love for country music.
Muhammad Ali, who passed away on June 3rd, is known for many things, though music is not the first worldly pursuit you would associate with the World Champion boxer and humanitarian. But he was close friends with people all over the music world, including in country music, and especially with the four men that some consider the Mount Rushmore of country music.
38-year-old Veronique Bourgault of Quebec, Canada has been charged with battery of a police officer and public intoxication after an incident at Bayou Country Superfest on May 27th in Baton Rouge. The incident started after Bourgault was apparently giving her boyfriend a lap dance in the bleachers while children and families watched on.
Fowler has a new album on the way, and “Sellout Song” has been released ahead of it as a single. Not to say that many of the points made in the song don’t ring true, or that it doesn’t make you chuckle no matter how hypocritical it might be coming from Fowler, but “Sellout Song” would have been a lot more cool and cutting coming from someone else.
There’s not much worse than having a hankering for some new music from one of your favorite artists, but feeling like you’ve been waiting forever for it to happen. There are many reasons an artist or band may have a delay in output. But dammit, sometimes you feel like you just can’t wait. Here’s a few folks that it feels like are past due for new projects.
Rich Vanaugh played drums for Kitty Wells and Charlie Louvin, Jeannie Seely and Jack Greene, and Mel Tillis and Dottie West over his long career, but he will forever be known as one of the backbones of one of the most beloved bands in Nashville, the Western swing-inspired supergroup The Time Jumpers, and one of the friendliest musicians you would ever meet.
