With his 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, and Volume 2 released later, Ray Charles opened up the gift and the joy of country music to an entirely new audience that may have otherwise not have been exposed to it. It wasn’t just the contributions of Ray Charles….
Sometimes when the late Charlie Daniels spoke it was like hearing a shotgun go off in the woods. That voice, deep and searing, rounded by a lingering drawl—firing fast then settling over things, like buckshot scattering through the trees. That’s how he sounded when I picked up the phone in 2010.
The biggest concern with these vaccine requirements as they proliferate throughout the music industry is how they call back to an era when individuals in the United States were refused service or restricted from entering certain businesses due to discrimination.
The independent music revolution in both country and in the greater music ecosystem in many was born off the back of vinyl record purchases. Where many mainstream fans only cared enough to stream the latest single, independent fans made that extra financial commitment and connection with their favorite artists by purchasing vinyl copies, or sometimes […]
Country music traditionalist Jamey Johnson has become known over the last few years more and more for filling the majority of his concerts with classic country songs written by others, along with pulling from his catalog of originals. For some this approach to his concerts feels strange.
Crockett said that while the backstories of many musicians is embellished, if anything, his has been toned down. As a guy that rode trains and played street corners for years before anyone propped a microphone in in front of him, he has plenty of stories to tell.
ZZ Top is given credit for a host of influences on American music, and rock & roll in general. But what’s often overlooked is how in the mid 70’s, ZZ Top was really the first band outside of country to make the State of Texas cool.
At first it made for worthy and interesting discussion points, but as time has dragged on the argument has become quite derivative, and is probably unfair to both artists who to a trained ear, are fundamentally different in style and approach, despite some stylistic surface similarities.
It’s not that Luke Combs is ideal, because he isn’t. Hell, who is? And for many independent fans, he will never compete with the likes of Cody Jinks or Tyler Childers in their hearts. But who would you rather have being the face of mainstream country at the moment?
Before the wide proliferation of digital downloads and streaming music, if an independent music artist was looking to release a record, the label or perhaps a publicist would send out a press release via wire services, work the phones, and later utilize email to help alert the press and thus the public of the upcoming […]
And then right there in the center of town, completely taking you off guard is this immaculately cared-for memorial park to Chris LeDoux, bursting with vibrancy and color, and of course, a towering 12 1/2-foot sculpture of LeDoux himself riding bareback affectionately named “Good Ride Cowboy.”
Though we don’t have any songs from Sturgill Simpson’s new album at the moment—and don’t have any further information on it beyond the track list and album art—we can actually glean quite a bit from the title, including that this album will be a very personal work.
Some assume that with a name like Saving Country Music, I, Trigger must think that I’m the one doing the saving—that I’m country music’s savior. But of course it’s not me, but the bands and artists highlighted here that are doing the saving, along with addressing the important issues.
The implications for this mischaracterization are serious. Such widespread negative media coverage can and will have a chilling effect on promoters, performers, local health and elected officials, and could directly result in the postponing, canceling, or refusing to approve live outdoor events.
Though he most always towed the line even in his heyday, and held to a promise he made to his mentor George Jones to always “keep it country,” Jackson had his dalliances on the commercial side of country as well, namely on one of his biggest hits, 1993’s “Chattahoochee.”
Look I get it. Worrying over country music awards shows is similar to worrying over country radio. It’s not that they don’t have an effect on the music at all. It’s just that as every year passes, they go on to serve a smaller and smaller niche of the country music market.
Quick question for you. How many women need to accuse Nelly of rape and sexual assault before he becomes a persona no grata in country and roots music similar to Ryan Adams, Morgan Wallen, Winston Marshall of Mumford & Sons, and the like? Your answer must be greater than three.
The chemistry of this band is just so perfect, not just unto itself, but for this very time and place. They’re classic, but cool. That’s the reason they aren’t about to compromise anything they do just for a quick step up the ladder.
So often identity-based media coverage and awards are not about the artists themselves. These media members, outlets, and awards institutions use these artists as tokens and sometimes unwitting pawns to signal their virtue to the public and their peers in the industry.
A lot of folks are raving about Blackberry Smoke’s latest album You Hear Georgia as possibly on the the best in their catalog, and maybe one of the best so far in 2021. One of the songs that’s really resonating with folks is the song “Lonesome for a Livin'” featuring Jamey Johnson.
Even if you weren’t particularly into country music or whatever the awards show was covering, you didn’t want to be the only person standing around the water cooler at work or in the lunchroom at school the next day who didn’t see the CMAs or the ACMs, even if it was just to hate on them.
That’s right, Saving Country Music is brushing off this old feature, and featuring another name from the modern era of country music badasses in Cody Jinks after his recent run over the last few years has made him one of the most formidable names in independent country.
Morgan Wallen’s fellow members of the performer class continue to step up and put their names behind him in small and large ways, giving him a window in which to slowly creep back into polite society, if he can continue to mind his p’s and q’s, which has been a challenge in the past.
What some studious fans of their music may have picked up on, and others may have missed, is a continuing story line across the band’s now three albums, with a recurring cast of characters and events, similar to the character “Lorrie” in Turnpike Troubadours songs.