30 years ago today—May 1st 1993—Charley Pride took the stage of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville as he had done many times before, but this time it was special.
In the simple language that only the greatest country songs can, “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful” tells a story that so many people can relate to. But when the song was released on February 9th, 1993 as the first single from Kershaw’s album Haunted Heart, it was an entirely novel approach to a country song.
It’s something that most of us mere mortals can’t comprehend. But for our country legends, they would have it no other way. Willie Nelson has regularly said that he wants to die on stage. And as morbid as a prognosis as that might be, it speaks to how important music and performance is to these legends.
Oh how people love to regard classic country music as coming from this pure and idyllic era, full of traditional American values and virtue, while regarding today’s country music as full of filth. That may be somewhat fair on the whole, but there are certainly some exceptions to that rule.
Not only does Eddie Rabbitt (of all people) deserve credit for cutting one of the first country rap songs, he probably deserves credit for the very first country rap song protesting rap, drum machines, and other things in music, with Paul Franklin playing steel guitar, Brent Mason playing lead…
Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve likely seen the iconic image of Johnny Cash aggressively flipping the bird from back in the day. In fact, you’ve probably seen it all over the place, perhaps to where you may be tired of seeing it at this point. But few remember how it came into the world.
You all know about The Highwaymen, arguably the greatest supergroup in country music history, and one of the greatest supergroups of any genre ever. Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash. We think of these guys as the pinnacle of country music badassery.
Billy Joe Shaver was one of the greatest, most influential, and most colorful songwriter/performers in the history of country music. There may have never been a more important performer in country music who never had a Top 40 hit. Billy Joe’s son Eddy Shaver was no slouch either.
Toy Talmadge Caldwell Jr. is the name his parents gave him when he was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina on November 13th, 1947. Little did Toy Talmadge Caldwell Sr. or anyone else know at that time that they had brought one hell of a spitfire guitar player, singer, and lyricist into the world.
The story of both the song “Honky Tonk Heroes” and the album illustrates how sometimes through conflict can come great creativity. If Billy Joe Shaver had never accosted Waylon Jennings in that hallway, who knows what may have happened with the Outlaw movement.
Nothing has ever happened on the Grand Ole Opry stage, good or bad, that tops the moment that the recently-minted Country Music Hall of Famer and the even more recently dearly departed Jerry Lee Lewis enacted when he made his Grand Ole Opry debut 50 years ago.
When enumerating the greatest country songs of all time, it’s without a doubt that “Amarillo By Morning” must be near the top. And like all of the greatest country songs and performances, the song hasn’t become exposed or dated as time has gone on. “Amarillo By Morning” has only grown better over time.
Though most of the world will be remembering The Pointer Sisters in the coming days for their massive pop, R&B, dance, funk, soul, and disco influence, The Pointer Sisters and Anita Pointer specifically played an important part in country music in the 1970s.
There are many iconic songs in the history of country music. But there are only a small handful that have gone on to define what it means when someone says “country music” to millions of people. The song “Behind Closed Doors” written by Kenny O’Dell, and performed by Charlie Rich is one of those songs.
The truth is, Hank Williams at the time was in the twilight of his life, whether he knew it or not. Having suffered chronic back pain throughout adulthood that aided his alcoholism, by late 1952, Hank had turned thin, frail, incontinent, and had lost most of his hair, even though he was only 29 years old.
This week’s debacle with the sale of tickets for Taylor Swift’s upcoming “The Eras Tour” has already caused such an uproar, United States Senators and Congressmen are calling for investigations, while the Justice Department has reportedly opened a probe into the matter.
From performers, to songwriters, to executives and producers, to the strong scene of bluegrass entertainers from New York that have gone on to define the very highest reaches of the discipline, these Jewish contributors deserve our recognition and appreciation.
It was October 21st, 1972, marking the third weekend of October, which meant fierce SEC rivals the Tennessee Volunteers would take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in their annual college football tilt—this year played at the Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. Halftime is when “Rocky Top” made its first ever appearance.
As successful as Johnny Cash’s American Recordings albums were, they were still very much an element of the underground. Everything changed in 2002 though. It was specifically due to the song “Hurt,” and even more specifically, the video that accompanied the song.
It was one of the biggest tragedies to ever befall a major country music star. But it’s also one that’s rarely ever talked about, and we have so little background on. To lose a son or daughter in a tragic accident is one of those life-altering events that stays with a person forever. This is what happened to George Strait.
Calling it a “country song” doesn’t seem to do it justice, and almost inadvertently downgrades the impact and importance of the artistic work known as “Pancho & Lefty,” because few other songs can make us feel like this one can. It’s transcendent of country, or song, or even music. It’s “Pancho & Lefty.”
On August 11th, 1952—70 years ago today—one of the most notorious moments in country music history occurred. The original King of Country Music, and the genre’s first undisputed superstar, Hank Williams, was unceremoniously fired from the institution that he helped bring to prominence.
We love to speak abstractly about the healing power of music, as if it contains some supernatural powers that science could never explain. Most certainly, few other things can shift moods and improve your outlook on life than music, and without downstream repercussions. But can it really save a life?
It all started when Marty Stuart was just 11-years-old, in the summer of 1970, when Connie Smith—17 years Marty Stuart’s senior—was already an established star, and had landed over a dozen Top 10 hits. Connie Smith happened to be Marty Stuart’s mother’s favorite singer, right behind Marty Robbins.